- Fixed a bug where if players got a Game Over in the desert and chose "Do-over" to start from the beginning of the desert section, the items received from Misha would disappear from their inventory.
If you have already encountered this bug and lost your items, you will be able to regain them by getting a Game Over and choosing to do-over from the beginning of the desert section again.
(This is an emergency fix to solve the issue for people who have already encountered it. We will fix the event itself to work as intended by the end of March. Until then, please use the above method to regain your items.) - Fixed an issue in the underground building where the money, which is supposed to be the second obtainable item, appeared as the third item.
- Adjusted the volume of the sound effect for Cursed Briars.
The Use of Life
Emergency Update: ver0.3.01
緊急アップデート：ver0.3.01
・ゲームオーバー時に「やり直す」を選択した際に、砂漠の最初の所からやり直すとミーシャから貰っていたアイテムが消失しているバグを修正
※既に消失している人は、再びゲームオーバー時に「やり直す」で砂漠の最初の所から始めることで再取得ができます。
※この処理は既に消失してしまった人向けに作られており、3月末に本来の処理にアップデートする予定です。それまでに再取得をお願いします。
・地下の建物にて、2つ目に取得するお金が3つ目の位置にきていたのを修正
・「絡みつく呪い」の音量を調整
Update Information and Future Development Plans!
Thank you for enjoying The Use of Life.
With the release of the Chapter 3 (Misha Route) update, we've received a message from the developer, Daraneko Games, mainly to explain some things about the update, and plans for the future of the game.
It's a little long, but please give it a read:
============================================================
Phew! The new chapter update is finally out!
I'm sorry for being so slow, and I'm very thankful for all the players who enjoy my game despite the long wait.
Not even I expected this update to take so long, so I was honestly disappointed in myself.
(I wanted to release it in December at the latest, but ideally I wanted it to be out even earlier.)
I think this is the most behind-schedule I've been ever since I started making games.
As for what caused the delay, there's far too many reasons to list out here...
(More content than usual, my poor physical and mental condition, working three days a week for a game designer gig to earn living and development expenses... and more!)
But one thing's for certain: continuing at this pace won't make anyone happy.
Not me, not the publisher PLAYISM, and certainly not you, the players.
So I would like to talk about how I'll improve my development speed, and also about my future plans for this game (such as how long the next update will take).
◆Measures---------------------------
There are many reasons this update is so late, and the one that can be worked on the most and also affected development the most... is my own temperament when it comes to game development.
When I'm concentrated on my work, I can work really fast (fast enough to surprise even PLAYISM) but when I get stuck, I get really stuck (so much that I can imagine the guys at PLAYISM shaking their heads at me).
Of course, ideally I would keep myself in good mental condition, but to be honest, a lot of times it's hard for me to control.
I spent a lot of the past year in a bad state, and that played a part in delaying this update.
When I'm making games for work, my mood doesn't swing to and fro as much (which might have to do with the fact that there are people holding me accountable), and I can force myself to concentrate when I'm really cornered.
And so, I think this is what I should do to fight this problem:
1. Make strict weekly schedules and adhere to them as dilligently as possible (to put more pressure on me regularly)
2. Share that schedule with PLAYISM, and regularly report my progress to them in voice chat (to create a work environment where other people are constantly involved)
That's what I plan on doing from now on.
Im going to make a strict schedule juuust stressful enough to push me to work without overwhelming and killing me, and get PLAYISM to go "Where's the game? Are you done yet? Can you hurry up already?" and beat me into shape regularly.
(PLAYISM note: No developers were or will be harmed in the process of developing this game.)
This is a personal project of mine, which I'm making based purely on my own tastes and sensibilities, so I can't just hire more people like a company or something.
If something needs to be done, it'll be to myself.
◆Future Plans---------------------------
As for my plans for the future of this game, my current goal is to make and release the entire Misha route, up to its ending, by September this year.
I'm planning on finishing Chapter 4 in around July, not release it in an update yet, make the ending, and then release the whole thing.
As an Early Access game, it might be a better idea to release Chapter 4 once it's done.
But for this game, I want the last branching path at the end of Chapter 4 to be super hype and exciting to play.
So ideally, I want players to play it all at once, in a rush of adrenaline!
So if I release Chapter 4 first, even if everyone loves it and can't stop talking about it and are on the edge of their seats... but the next update is months away, that would be a miserable way to present the story.
That's why I'm aiming for a September release of everything up to the ending.
But PLAYISM's warned me that they won't wait for me anymore if I'm late for the September deadline, so if anything comes up that delays development, I'll release Chapter 4 first in its own update, and then the final chapter when it's ready.
I'll just have to work hard, motivated even more by the desire to present the story how I want to.
----
Anyway, for the rest of March, I'll focus on fixing bugs and, based on player feedback, adjusting game balance and adding or improving features to make the game more interesting.
If you could send me your thoughts on the new enemies and advanced classes, it'd be especially helpful for when I develop future content.
With your feedback, I can adjust the advanced classes, and release them in their finished states by the time Chapter 4 is released.
(I'm planning on implementing features to add more variety to the combat, such as with the Swordmaster's combo skills!)
============================================================
We at PLAYISM think that the most important thing is that Daraneko can be satisfied with a complete, fun game, so we'll provide support wherever we can.
(And no, we'll wait for Daraneko even if we end up missing the September deadline!! Don't worry!!)
As fans of the game ourselves, we're excited to see where Goshe and Misha's journey leads them, so we can't wait for the next chapter!
Please enjoy the update and keep supporting the development of The Use of Life!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
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Major update 0.3.0
Today, we are excited to finally release this update, continuing the story with Chapter 3 of the Misha route!
This update also introduces advanced classes, such as the Swordmaster and Curseblade, adding even more variety and thrill to the game's unique battle system.
[Additional Features]
- Added Chapter 3 of the Misha route
- Partially implemented advanced classes
[Bug Fixes]
- Fixed several bugs
- Made text edits
Thank you very much for supporting and playing The Use of Life!
If you still haven't played The Use of Life, the game is currently discounted at 20% OFF for the PLAYISM Publisher Sale, so don't miss out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
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The Use of Life Update Announcement: Chapter 3 (Misha Route)
Thank you for enjoying The Use of Life.
And thank you very much for waiting. Chapter 3 of the Misha route is finally complete!
It will be added to the game on March 10, 10am (JST).
You can play the new chapter by loading a save file from the end of the currently available Chapter 2 (Misha route), so please get a save file of the latest Misha chapter ready!
This update also introduces advanced classes and some of their skills, so battles will be more exciting than ever. Please look forward to the update!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
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About the status of development as of February
Please give it a read.
=================================
Here's February's status update.
We're getting closer and closer to release day, so I'm working my ass off!
I don't want to be late again, after all.
Today, I'll talk about a couple of advanced class skills.
----------------
Crescent Slash: Although it's only as strong as a regular Slash, you gain 1 CP after using this skill.
This is a basic skill of the Swordmaster class.
Ice Bind: A Spell with both the Cold and Curse attributes. Has a low chance of Paralyzing the enemy.
This is a basic skill of the Sage class.
----------------
And here's a short rundown of what the advanced classes will probably look like:
◆Swordmaster
Learns skills that recover CP, and Sword Skills that require MP.
Also learns powerful physical attacks and counter skills.
◆Sage
Learns Spells that combine different attributes, and brand new incantation Spells.
Introduces multi-incantation, which allows you to layer spells on top of each other.
Can also use CP to recover MP.
◆Swordmage
Learns Enchants, which allow you to deal extra Magic damage with every Sword Skill.
Also learns Magic Sword Skills, which use both CP and MP and require incantation.
◆Curseblade
Learns Iai skills that depend on INT, and skills that deal greater damage the lower your HP is.
Also allows you to guard against skills that were previously unguardable during Iai stance.
Note: As the advanced class feature is still under development, these are all subject to change if they don't feel right. These are just for reference.
----------------
We still haven't announced an official release date for the next update, but I think we'll be able to do that very soon!
Please wait just a little bit longer.
=================================
And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
Playism
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About the status of development as of January
Please give it a read.
=================================
Alright then, what pictures should I show you today?
There's a lot I want to talk about, but if I say anything more than I already have, we'd be going into spoiler territory... This has been bugging me lately.
To be honest, I would prefer if you saw all the new stuff in the game when it updates.
Anyway, I guess I'll show off a new monster this time.
A lot of the monster art in this game is original, drawn by our dear artist, but some of them are assets that I bought.
The project just doesn't have enough money to get original art for every monster.
However, in this chapter, all of the monsters have original art!
I've also secured a bit more funding, so I'm working even harder now.
Unfortunately this has also slowed down the process a little. Oops.
-----------------------------------
Oh, right. Status update.
I've been writing events all day all night, and I'll still be doing that for a while. Whew! Can't even catch a breath here!
But I'll be freed by the end of the month. It'll be done soon!
Development is still ongoing, so please just wait a little bit longer~!
=================================
And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
Playism
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December Status Update & Indie Live Expo Sale!
We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.
==========================================
Here's the monthly status update for December.
I've been talking with the publisher, PLAYISM, and we've decided on a date for the update!
I'll talk about that later, so let's look at the illustrations first.
------------------------------
This time, I'll show you the village the next chapter starts in. You know, the place they ended up drinking at.
Do you remember this place from when the route split?
When I was making that, I was like, "Yeah, let's uh... Let's just go to a village! Yeah! A village!!" so I didn't put that much thought into it.
But this time, I managed to rebuild it and make a proper village. Yeah.
This village is closely tied to the "Deathwalker" thing that's been popping up thoughout the story.
I'm thinking of revealing details slowly as we go deeper into the story.
------------------------------
So about that update. We're planning to release the update during Q1 (Jan~Mar) 2023.
I know, I was so eager to update the game within the year.
I write around 30K words for each chapter, and I've written 30K words for this one too, but there's so much more I want to do with it that it'll probably need around 50K words... I'm working hard on these events.
What's more, this update will implement the advanced classes too, so I'll be working with the intention of making the update as balanced and polished as I can, rather than rushing it so I can release it sooner.
And thankfully, since we'll have more time to work on it, we should be able to update the game in all available languages at the same time.
We've got a clear idea of our upcoming schedule now, so all we have to do now is work hard.
Please wait just a little longer~!
==========================================
That's all for this report. The Use of Life is also a part of the Indie Live Expo sale going on right now!
If you haven't gotten the game yet, why not do so while it's on sale and wait for the update with us?
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Playism/list/79442
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About the status of development as of November
Please give it a read.
=======================================
I'm here with my second regular status update.
Right now, I'm making a whole lot of event scenes.
Chapter 3 Route A has as many scenes as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 post-route split combined, so I'm screaming internally while I'm working on it.
And this is after deleting a bunch of stuff too. There were just too many things I absolutely didn't want to leave out, so I'm really giving myself a headache here.
---------------------
For this time's new art, here's a new pose for Misha in the desert.
Fun fact: in the survey (which you can access from the game), there's a question that asks "Who's your favorite character?" and it turns out that Misha's the most popular of them all.
What's more, every once in a while I get messages from people all over the world who are madly in love with her. Fear her irresistable charms.
Actually, even a slightly different pose like this isn't as simple as just going up to the illustrator and saying "Hey, can you draw this for me? Thanks."
It actually takes quite some time to make new art.
First, I have to think about what kind of scene I want to make, and what kind of composition would fit that scene.
Then, I collect a bunch of references so that the artist can understand what I want the illustration to look like.
When the art is done, I'll tell the artist what I think, and go, "Could you make that part a little bit more like this?" and tweak the details until it's perfect.
Neither me nor the artist could make the art on our own.
It's the fruit of our joint efforts.
And that includes this piece too, of course.
I asked for so many revisions with so much passion and conviction, like, "The cleavage! It needs to look more, y'know, like this! Like THIS!!" to the point where even the artist started cringing at me like, "Does this even look any different...?" Despite that, here it is. The fruit of our joint efforts.
---------------------
I was only planning to show one new illustration this time, but here's another extra sneak peek.
I'll keep this guy's identity a secret for now.
By the way, we don't know if he's actually going to attack like this.
This picture was suddenly sent to me by the artist. Unprompted. I kind of like it, though.
Maybe it'd be fun to add sound effects like this to the attacks, just like comic books.
=======================================
And that's all for this status update.
Please wait just a little bit longer!
And that concludes Daraneko's status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1483370/_/
Playism
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About the status of development as of 4th October, 2022
Thank you for playing The Use of Life. This title is currently in Early Access, and development towards a full release is still underway. Here is a message we received from the developer, Daraneko Games, reporting on the development status as of 4th October.
======================================
Thank you for waiting for the update to The Use of Life.
At first I thought I'd be able to release this 3 months or so into development, but one thing came up after the other, and, well, now it's late.
Even so, I'm still working on the game, so please wait a just a little longer.
...But dragging my feet on the ground and making empty promises isn't exactly ideal, is it?
That's why I'll be revealing art from the next chapter of the story every month as part of a status report.
Here's the art for this month:
----+----
----+----
The third chapter of the Misha route will take place in the desert.
New characters and enemies will be added in this chapter.
This game is made almost solely by one person, Daraneko (yours truly), and there's a lot of text.
Sometimes I get stuck on a few lines and sit there with my head in my hands for a few hours.
To be completely honest, this might not be the only time development gets delayed, but I promise to finish it and make a good game, so please stick around until then.
======================================
Please keep supporting the development of The Use of Life! We also appreciate comments of encouragement towards the game and its developer.
We'll be back whenever we receive a new status update, so please look forward to further progress in development!
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