We are well into Q3 2023; that means Q4 (Oct-Dec) is just around the corner, which is when we plan to launch Cattails: Wildwood Story on Steam! At this time we are well on-track for a release later this year. Stay tuned for a more specific launch date, but the announcement shouldn’t be too far away. There’s just a few more features we need to hammer out before we’re ready to launch, including the Main Story (more on that below!) 😸
Demo: Last Chance!
We’ve seen some great engagement with the free demo that started at the beginning of June and received some excellent feedback from those who played it. As we ramp up towards launch, we will be taking the demo down at the end of August. You’ll have this entire month to play it if you haven’t yet had the chance; however, starting in September the demo will no longer be available!Beta v0.60
A new game update is available now through Steam for our beta-tier backers! Let’s talk about all the changes…Load Times & Optimization
One of the things we worked very hard on this month was general optimizations, which should make the game run smoother and at a higher framerate; and significantly reduced loading times! On one of our development devices, the initial game load-up time was reduced from 74 seconds down to just 9 seconds 🙀
No matter what machine you are playing on, you should see a quicker loading time, especially on macOS devices. We’ve also added a handy loading bar graphic to help visualize progress as the game files are initialized. No more spinning beach-balls or “application is not responding” warnings! Hooray!
The Main Story begins!
Dark dreams have alighted upon the cats of your colony… Warnings and evil tidings from a mysterious source. What could these cryptic messages mean?
Scattered throughout the Wildwood are Dark Ruins, strange places built eons ago by cats who have been all but forgotten by time. To ensure your colony is safe, you will need to enter each and disperse the darkness within. Gather your wits, because several of these dangerous places are filled with puzzles, traps, and enemies!
In Beta v0.60, you can enter the first of these four Dark Ruins and tackle its many challenges. What answers lie within to the riddles that plague your colony?
For both new and existing savefiles, you can begin the Main Story after you’ve visited the Temple at least once and sleep in your den on Spring 3 or later. The Main Story currently pauses after the first Dark Ruins has been purified, but rest assured that the other Dark Ruins and their challenges are coming soon…
We are so excited to hear your thoughts on the beginning of the Main Story! It has been in the works since early 2020 and we’ve put a lot of thought into the art, music, and narrative to bring it to this point. Each of the Dark Ruins will reveal a bit more about the truth behind the Wildwood and we can’t wait for you all to discover it.
That’s all for August! We’ll be back in September with another development update. Let us know your thoughts and we’ll talk to you again then! Until next time,
-Tyler (@FalconDevelops)
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