Thank you for fixing the bug that prevented saving! I experienced the original bug, but the fix in the new version definitely works now.
I love the game overall!! I think it is super cute and unique.
- Sewing Machine Mechanic
I think the sewing machine mechanic is excellent as-is! I find it intuitive and I don't think the motion suggests that you are pushing the fabric as others have said; it feels very much like I am guiding the angle and increasing the speed of the machine, imo. Though, I do actually wish it were possible to have a higher max speed (really just for the long straight seams on some of the skirts). A way to implement this could be max speed toggles; this is a feature my IRL (albeit computerized) machine has, but would also make sure that people who want to sew slower or who struggle with it don't have to have an increased max speed if they don't want to. An upgradable/swappable machine system would also work great for that, if you wanted to take the game in that direction. - Idea to add: Ironing
If you are interested in adding more simulation steps, ironing would be a great one to add. Making clothes is 20% sewing and 80% ironing in reality 😂 - Idea to add: Custom Fabric Textures
This may not be the direction you want to go in, but an option to upload our own images as textures for fabric could also be really fun. - Missing Front/Back Designation for Side Pieces
One potential oversight/note: not all of the design options have properly designated back vs. front labels on the pattern pieces, which makes it a tad more tedious to assemble on the dress form. The pencil skirt is one such example; there are "skirt front" and "skirt back" pieces, but side pieces are both "Skirt Left" and "Skirt Right" without a front/back designation. - Grainlines
I LOVE the touch of adding a quality detail tied to grainlines and needing to rotate the pieces to be on grain. This made perfect sense to me as someone that sews, but I think some of the other players didn't fully understand the distinction in the tutorial (since by default the pattern pieces are lined up with the cross grain, they may think that the pieces just need to be straight on the length or cross grain), so that may require further clarification. - Idea to add: Pattern Matching (influence on garment quality)
Since laying out the pattern pieces does actually affect how the print shows up (I think this is an excellent detail! I wouldn't have been surprised if cutting placement only affected wasted yardage and quality calculations, and then the texture were generically applied to the pieces after cutting), "pattern matching" could be a great addition to the game if there are plaid fabrics or larger prints! In real life, pattern matching is absolutely a sign of quality, but it does take significantly more fabric yardage to pull off. I think this would play well into the game. It could be something that isn't required, but could really increase the quality calculation of garments (if there is a way to program detection of pattern matching).
Thank you for the game! I hope my thoughts were helpful. I am very excited to see what happens with it in the future, and I want to keep supporting!!
I make both gaming and sewing content, and would love to help promote the game down the line or do some sort of video collab if you are interested. I really believe in what you have done here with the prototype; feel free to reach out! Congrats on releasing the prototype!!