i made an account just to play this game and give feedback, you guys have such a great concept and playing the game was so much fun!
i really enjoyed the story mode of the game! the newspaper at the end made me laugh from how cute it was, but i had some notes as a costume maker and some bugs i noticed.
Bugs:
- during the pinning and sewing mini game i noticed that outside from the tutorial the game would skip over the shoulder seams when it comes to sewing
- i also noticed that when i was at the sewing machine, the hand would violently tremble unless i started to sew, after making two gowns this went away but it really confused me for a bit
- the grainline mechanic was a little off, sometimes i would have a pattern piece placed fully on the bias when it was supposed to be cut on the grain but it would tell me that it was fine, this mostly append with skirt panels
- the lighter blue velvet also had some weird black ink-splotch looking stains while in the sewing machine and pinned on the dress form, which really confused me. the velvet also didn't have a velvet texture but i assumed that this is because the game is still in testing and the velvet is not rendered
Suggestions:
- story wise unlocking different types of fabrics after each client didn't make much sense to me, after i saw that there is a reputation mechanic (leveling up from nobody to noteworthy) i thought that it would make more sense if more fabric is available the more people know about you, like if after each happy client your reputation status goes up and more fabric vendors who might be more exclusive open up their business to you. with later in game it being more and more difficult to get a better reputation and unlocking imported fabrics from around the world
- please add directional sewing! (sewing all seams from the top to bottom) its a real technique that is used by people in fine sewing!
- and adding hemming would make this game so much more realistic!
- maybe consider adding trim or embroidered and beaded applique to elevate a client's outfit
- although i love the idea of sabotaging a client's fancy outfit by making their gown in burlap, the burlap just felt a bit random to me since a seamstress wouldn't really have access to it, i think that muslin or calico would do the same job and a seamstress would have heaps of that lying around, but i still love the idea of giving a client a burlap sack to wear lol
- i was thinking that maybe while waiting for clients there could be some sort of mini game to spend time or help your skills along, like a sewing sample mini game where you focus on sewing curves and gathering fabric, or a sweeping threads or scraps from the floor mini game since that's often a task that doesn't get mentioned a lot
- i think a magazine (or some fashion plates depending on how historical you want to go) feature where clients can see different styles of clothing that they may want would be a good addition
- also agree with the person in the comments who recommended an ironing function, it could also be a fun feature where if you skip ironing your seams or fabric the quality rating won't go as high as it needs to be
- and please consider adding menswear! making custom suits or trousers would be such a fun mechanic!
the game was so good and i'm so excited to see what you guys do with it in the future, feel free to take or leave any suggestions!