Welcome to our 10th Development Log! In this update, we're thrilled to share the latest improvements and features that make Pity Please! an even more captivating survival experience. We've added a sophisticated weather system, enhanced pedestrian movements, done some environmental detailing, fully stocked island stores, and a streamlined user interface! We hope this will offer a more engaging and realistic journey through the challenges of the homeless lifestyle.

Weather System Update

One crucial aspect of homelessness is the constant battle with the environment. Pity Please! incorporates a sophisticated weather system to reflect that struggle. We've developed the system to track the weather patterns of the island, including air pressure, humidity, temperature, and local storm events. It also accurately represents the day-night and yearly weather cycles, like seasons. This weather system will significantly influence various aspects of the game's simulation, from your body's temperature to it's metabolism. Godot's particle system helps us bring these weather states to life, whether it's a calm, sunny afternoon or a thunderstorm filled with heavy rain and lightning. Adapt and survive, Mother Nature waits for no one!

Pedestrian Enhancements

We've been under the hood, tweaking and fine-tuning to deliver a superior gameplay experience - particularly beneficial in the panhandling minigame. The pedestrian movement has received a significant update, now utilizing a more efficient tile-based transition system. This not only aligns their walking speed with the player character but also gives a lot more fluid and responsive pedestrian animations.

Detailing The World

In our ongoing effort to elevate the game's realism, we've added more intricate environmental details! The beach now features sun umbrellas, towels, beach balls, and cooler boxes, enhancing the sense of a lively island. Fishing enthusiasts will appreciate the visual improvements made to fishing piers, adding another layer of immersion for when you're getting your next meal! Beyond that, we've also enriched urban spaces like the University with bicycle parking and planting additional trees and bushes.

Retail Therapy

All the stores on the island, from the Supermarket to Fast Food joints and Tailors to Gift Shops, are now fully stocked with a variety of items to cater to your wants and needs. Whether you're hunting for daily essentials like food and drinks, or seeking new clothing, the island's shops have got you covered! Shop 'til you drop and enjoy the convenience of finding everything you need to survive!

User Interface Overhaul

Say goodbye to screen clutter! We've revamped the game's User Interface and the new UI design is compact and unobtrusive, giving you more screen real estate to immerse yourself in the game world!

Thanks For Reading!

With that, we conclude devlog number 10. Thank you for your continued support of Pity Please! We can't wait to share more with you soon. Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1154140/Pity_Please/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitypleasegame Discord: https://discord.gg/8UHMmtyJPq YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm3EsL-1pLtSOfYzJFBENA

[ 2023-10-31 07:00:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the 9th Pity Please development log! In this update, we have some exciting new features to share with you, including a brand new university campus, fishing and panhandling minigames, and a vehicle update. We're thrilled to bring these new additions to the game and can't wait to tell you about them, so lets dive into the details!

New University Campus

We're excited to announce the latest area in Pity Please! - a brand new university campus in the island town! The campus includes the main building, which is the heart of the university, as well as three other buildings - the lecture hall building, observatory building, and science & technology building.
The historical lecture hall building is a beautiful structure that adds character to the campus. It's the perfect environment for students to learn draw inspiration from. The observatory building was built onto another historical building as an addition, and is a cutting-edge facility where players can learn about the universe and explore the cosmos. This serves as a symbol of the university's commitment to scientific advancement as well as preserving the island town's architectural heritage. The science and technology building is the hub of innovation on campus, where players can work on projects and develop their skills. It's equipped with the latest technology and tools to help players succeed in their studies and future careers. But the campus has more than just academic buildings. There's also a sports field that can be used for races like sprints and marathons, along with other sports day competitions. The students at the campus can use this field to play sports and relax after class. The campus features a main gate, which has a security guard posted at it, ensuring the safety of students and faculty, providing a secure environment for learning and growth. Overall, the new university campus is a significant addition to the island town, offering a new area to explore for players.

Fishing Minigame

In our continued efforts to increase the depth of Pity Please! weve added a fishing minigame that plays a crucial role in the games survival mechanics, offering a new way to source food and items to sell or trade. Heres how it works; first youre going to have to get your hands on a fishing rod, then youre going to need to find the nearest pier that has fish swimming in the waters. Walk up to the end of the pier and cast your line! Now this isnt just a game of sitting around and waiting, as weve put a lot of thought into keeping the game engaging, as you will need to pay careful attention to the stress on the line. Reel in too quickly, and you risk snapping the line and losing your catch, but if youre too cautious you may let the fish escape! This fishing minigame deepens the survival and resource management that Pity Please! is built upon, creating another strategic layer to the challenge of living on the fringes of society as you master the homeless lifestyle.

Panhandling Minigame

Like a tasty cake, were adding another layer to the strategic depth of Pity Please! by introducing the art of panhandling! This new minigame turns one of the fundamental aspects of mastering the vagrant lifestyle into a engaging and interactive experience that requires both quick-thinking and tactical decision making. The first step to successful panhandling is to thoughtfully pick your location, this is where the tactical decision making comes in. As youve seen in our development log, we have included many different areas into the game, and each area is full of possible panhandling spots with their own pros and cons. You will need to learn the lay of the land and find the high-traffic areas that might bring more potential donors, but also more risk of drawing unwanted attention! Once youve found the right spot, this is where the real action begins! Weve developed a Quick Time Event (QTE) system that turns panhandling, a difficult and sucky part of the homeless lifestyle, into a minigame that is a more fun and engaging experience. You will need to drag your mouse, or swipe the screen in the correct direction. If you nail the sequence, your panhandling attempt will succeed and you will be rightly rewarded! However if you fail youll come up empty-handed, fail too many times and youll start to attract the wrong kind of attention.

Vehicle Enhancements

Were happy to share that weve enriched the detail and visual variety of the vehicles that populate the island town. While players cant drive the vehicles, they play a critical role in the ambience and strategical layer of the game, particularly the panhandling minigame.
Our lowpoly transportation now features details such as exhausts, mirrors, door handles, spoilers, bull-bars and bumpers. But that's not all! We've also injected a burst of color into our cityscape. Each vehicle now has a different paint job. This means you'll no longer encounter multiple identical vehicles with the same color, enhancing the variety and realism of the game while keeping its distinctive look. The vehicles in Pity Please! are more than just eye-candy. They are a dynamic part of the game's living, breathing world, adding to the hustle and bustle of the island town, but more importantly they play a crucial role in the panhandling minigame. Players will find that positioning themselves near high traffic areas can increase their chances of success. A luxury car might mean a more generous passerby, while a delivery truck could mean a hardworking driver who has little time or money to spare. It's yet another strategic layer for players to navigate in their quest to master the homeless lifestyle.

Thanks For Reading!

With that, we conclude devlog number 9. We'll be sharing more updates on these systems in future development logs. Be sure to follow us on social media and Wishlist the game on Steam to stay up to date with the latest news and updates. Thank you for your continued support of Pity Please! We can't wait to share more with you soon. Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1154140/Pity_Please/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitypleasegame Discord: https://discord.gg/8UHMmtyJPq YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm3EsL-1pLtSOfYzJFBENA

[ 2023-06-04 06:30:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Its 2023! Welcome back to the Pity Please! Game Development Log. If I am reading the title correctly, it looks like were on number 8 now! So, what have we been working on since our last devlog?

New Icons

Weve been hard at work creating a huge catalogue of items that will be available in the game. Either via purchase, foraging, crafting, or as rewards or requirements for quests! Currently there are XXX, but there are plenty more to come, so be sure to follow the development on Twitter!

Character Generator

Weve made significant improvements to the code of our character generator. We can now generator NPCs at random, as well as presets that spawn with their own unique features like hair color, giving them more personality!

Weve also optimised how the characters are generated in relation to the player. We can now tune how many aesthetic NPCs we want to fill out an area and make the game feel alive, and how many actual mechanic driven NPCs there are that the player can interact with.

Map Updates!

Industrial Zone

Weve relocated the Factory to a more logical location, at the top of the island near the train station. Along with the factory came the shipping dock, as cargo can now be centralized as it would in real life. This helps build a more believable game world and creates an industrial zone, adding unique areas to the island town!

New Buildings

With the new industrial zone comes new buildings, increasing the variety of architecture on the island of Blessland!
The scrapyard is definitely an area that you will want to visit while playing Pity Please! Perhaps there may be an important NPC, or maybe just a place to spend the night?
The self-storage lot has so many units. I wonder how often their owners forget to pay for the storage, and I wonder what the landlord does about it?
The Mall, which has a parking lot that dynamically changes based on how busy it currently is, great for gauging how popular an area might be for potential panhandling!

Particles

Along with new buildings comes some fancy new lowpoly particle effects! Like the smoke plumes featured in the Industrial Zone and the light from the lighthouse, which interestingly enough was achieved using a single cube! Weve applied a fancy material to it so that one side is dimmer than the other, while also having it fade off into the distance. We then just made it rotate on a point and heres the result:
Finally, while not part of any building, though still fitting into the Particles header, a lowpoly fire pit for campsites and cooking! It gives off a nice atmosphere, dont you think?

Equipment Window

Were excited to introduce a new equipment window, which will allow you to manage your items more effectively with just a few clicks! This new window will provide you with a better understanding of whats in your inventory and help manage your equipment more efficiently. Were looking into more customisation options in the future, so be sure to keep following development.

Weather & Metabolism

Last, but not least, wed like to announce that were currently testing new weather, body temperature, and metabolism systems that will add a new level of depth and immersion to the survival aspect of Pity Please! Were hoping to include conditions such as light drizzle, heavy rain, and snow, which will affect how you move around and interact with the world. Your body temperature will require you to change your clothing depending on what the weather is, in order to avoid risk of hypothermia or hyperthermia. While the metabolism system will require you to keep track of your food and water intake, directly affecting your health and stamina!

Thanks For Reading!

With that, we conclude devlog number 8. We'll be sharing more updates on these systems in future development logs. Be sure to follow us on social media and Wishlist the game on Steam to stay up to date with the latest news and updates. Thank you for your continued support of Pity Please! We can't wait to share more with you soon. Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1154140/Pity_Please/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/pitypleasegame Discord: https://discord.gg/8UHMmtyJPq YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgm3EsL-1pLtSOfYzJFBENA

[ 2023-03-01 19:09:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Weve got some good news, and some bad news for this development update... # Well Start With The Good News! Weve been making a lot of progress with improvements to the game, including (but not limited to) traffic updates, character updates, and adding more life and survival options to the game. Additionally, weve received over 250 wishlists on Steam and we cant thank you enough for your support! ## Traffic Updates There have been multiple improvements to the traffic system which makes it more efficient, and more visually appealing, like smoothing the animations. As the traffic system is an important part of the game, there have also been multiple bug fixes, with more refinements as development continues.
## Character Updates Weve reworked the character pipeline in order to add more variations to the NPC and customization to the player character. To do this, we made a single character model and armature that is used as a base character, a blank slate. We then decide if we want the NPC to be a chef, police officer, tourist, or the player themselves. The game then takes the appropriate clothing items and places them on the base character, giving them a unique look!
This will allow the player character to customise their outfit buy purchasing clothing at shops, or through donations from philanthropist NPCs. It also allows us to reuse animations across all characters in the game.
## Adding More Survival Options In order to survive, you need to find food when you get hungry. Pity Please! has multiple ways to go about finding your next meal. There are now fish swimming in the seas which you will be able to catch using your fancy D.I.Y. fishing rod! Thanks to the previously mentioned character update, the NPCs can also be found fishing at the docks fish!
Food carts are another way to get food, either by donations, earning enough money to pay for it, or perhaps other means?
You can search through one mans trash in order to find another mans treasure!
Check payphones for change that may have been forgotten!
# Now For The Bad News Unfortunately due to the world going COVID crazy, natural disasters, inflation, and overall bad luck with the developers personal lives, we are sad to announce we will be delaying the game for another year. We hope that you understand, and know that we are still passionately developing the game for you to play!
# Thanks For Reading! With that, our seventh developer's log comes to an end along with 2022. Happy holidays from the Dev Team and we wish you a happy new year for 2023!

[ 2022-11-17 10:51:07 CET ] [ Original post ]