Hello everyone!

I’m excited to share the latest updates and what I’ve been working on recently.
This past month has been all about UI and interactivity — the things that make the game feel alive, intuitive, and true to the rhythm of a small provincial town.

To be honest, I often get upset that the story itself isn’t moving forward as fast as I want. More experienced developers told me that right now I’m actually building the framework for the whole game (I’m still not entirely sure I understand what that means!) — and that this part secretly takes about 80% of the time and is responsible for most of the success later.

They also said you can’t measure a game by “how many story days are done,” which is exactly what I keep doing.
Since this is my first game, it’s really hard for me to understand what counts as progress and what stage I’m even at. Everything feels new, and sometimes I have no idea how much is “done” and how much isn’t — I’m learning all of it for the first time.

But let’s get to the updates:

1. The Interactive Town Map

The map has been living only in my notes and plans until now — and I’m really happy that it finally made it into the game!

Well… almost — I still need to place the locations, but the system itself is fully functional, and that’s the big milestone.

The map now allows you to:

• zoom and pan freely,

• see all available locations,

• jump to any of them with a single click,

• and in guided modes, the map will show recommended places to visit.

For the first time, the town can be viewed as a whole rather than only through local screens. You can travel anywhere directly — no need to walk through multiple transitions.

2. The Weekly Calendar

One of the most important systems for the game — almost finished, just needs to be filled with events.

The in-tablet calendar now displays:

• daily events,

• time-of-day icons,

• places where something will happen,

• a clear structure of morning / midday / evening / night.

This helps create the feeling that Marina really lives within the schedule of a small town, instead of simply jumping between scenes.

3. Other Updates

Of course, I’m continuing to polish other parts of the game:

• I redesigned the difficulty selection screen so it feels like part of the story, not just a settings page.

• UI screens are gradually being unified into a consistent visual style.

• Navigation is becoming smoother and more intuitive, especially inside the tablet.

Thank you so much for all the feedback and support.

I’m still a beginner developer, but I genuinely want to make a truly good game — something cozy, atmospheric, and worth finishing.

Not everything works perfectly on the first try, but I keep moving forward every day — improving the mechanics, visuals, and story step by step.
With your support, I hope I can turn this project into something really special. 💛