We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================

It's December, and we're nearing the end of the year.

In November, I've finished writing the story for Chapter 4, implemented into the game, and improved the debugging features.
Since the art isn't done yet, I'm using existing characters to stand in for new characters for now, and it's funny when they say lines that are completely out of character.
Like a super heroic, ice queen kind of Misha.

In December, I'd like to keep writing and finalize the endings. I'll also figure out how much art I need for all the chapters and commission the artists.
After that, I'll make the battles and the events you run into while exploring, and once that's done, it'll be ready for release... Probably something like that.
(Though I'll still need to wait until the art and translations are done, so it might change when the update can be released.)

=================================

And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!

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We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================

It's November...
And so her's another status update.

Currently, I'm keeping up and acheiving the goals I've set for myself.
I've finished the scenario writing for Chapter 3, and it's been implemented into the game with effects too.
I've also compiled the details for all the new art I need to commission for this chapter.

Some of this work was originally planned to be done in October, but I finished that a bit early and did a lot of work beyond that too.
I've made and implemented the maps for Chapter 4, written up the data and flavor text for new equipment and items, beat Metaphor: ReFantazio, directed a new trailer, played the Monster Hunter Wilds beta test, fixed bugs, adjusted the UI for the English version (implemented in the ver0.5.10 update), implemented a new feature for the Flame system that will change throughout this route...

I overhauled my work process before starting work on this route, and it seems like it's paying off and working perfectly for me right now.

It's easy to work with, and my own personal life has settled down and I'm less tired overall, and so I'm working faster than ever before.
Now it all comes down to how long I can keep this speed up (since even if work is going well I tend to get sick or whatever and ruin it).

-------------------------------------------------

What's more, while I've been writing the story, there's one change I've made to this route.

I'll be updating the art for Kohaku, the key character of this route, a little bit.
Now, Kohaku's sprites will mostly look slightly upwards.

Since there's a lot of scenes of Kohaku (a small child) talking to tall grownups (like Goshe), if she looks straight ahead like other characters, she ends up staring off somewhere else instead of looking at whoever she's talking to, making it feel less like a conversation.
By adding sprites where she's looking up instead, I feel like she's finally able to hold a lively conversation with other characters.
(Therefore, her sprites in Chapter 2 have also been updated. This will be reflected when Chapter 3 is released.)

-------------------------------------------------

This month, I'll be working on implementing the story for Chapter 4.
I'll do my best to first finish the scenario all the way up to the ending before I work on the gameplay, so that I can then commission all of the artwork at once.

=================================

And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!

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Hello everyone,

Thank you playing The Use of Life!
We have updated the game to Ver.0.5.10, Here are the bug fixes and changes.

• Fixed several typos.
  
• Fixed a bug in the Promised Land where Goshe's portrait would remain on the screen if you selected "Proceed" after "Ask about the king".
  
• Fixed a bug in Chapter 3 and Chapter 5-B where the wrong background music would play if you restarted the chapters from the beginning.
  
• Fixed a bug where if you restarted Chapter 3 from the beginning, the name of Pala Village would be incorrectly displayed as Morgana Desert.
  
• FIxed a bug in the final fight against Zein where they would fail to transform if the event was triggered while they were both stunned and enraged.
  
• In the final fight against Zein, if their final form is triggered before they enter their second form, the event will now correctly display their first form portrait.
  
• Changed how the game handles Zein's HP dropping to 0 before their final form is triggered in the final fight.

• Tweaked some English translations and UI.
  
• Skills with longer names will now display in a smaller font size.

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Dear all,

Hello, and nice to meet you.
I'm Sayuri from PLAYISM, the publisher of The Use of Life.
I'm pretty sure this is my first time talking directly to you all like this.

The recent update is one that brings back a lot of memories. Usually I just stand back and listen to what Daraneko has to say in that quirky style of his, but this time I wanted to talk a bit about the past, so I got special permission to post this.
The Use of Life is an "adventure game book-style RPG" with multiple endings, which means it was a perfect game for me, someone who read every single adventure game book in my elementary school library as a kid, and then poured 20 hours a day into the free game Ruina: Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins as an adult. There's just something special about adventure game books and TRPGs.

But then I realized the battles were really difficult.
At first I was like, "Wait, what do you mean the battles are QTE? You mean like the prompts that show up in cutscenes sometimes?" but I tried it out anyway.
As someone who needs 10 seconds to run 50 meters, my reflexes are obviously abyssmal, and so I kept dying over and over again.

But PLAYISM was already on board to be the publisher of the game, so I told myself I had to win somehow...
And so I tried again and again in order to beat the boss of the demo.
As I kept trying, I gradually got the hang of it, and began to understand enemy weaknesses. It was really satisfying to dodge well and then hit back with my own huge damage, and when I finally won, the sheer sense of accomplishment that flooded my brain was incredible. I want everyone to experience it. And so I learned that this game was built on trying many times to learn the enemy's characteristics in order to come up with strategies to beat them with.

"I had a great time then. But once I left the demo and entered the second chapter, I started running into enemies that attacked WAY too many times each turn, and I started struggling to survive no matter what I tried. In case you're wondering, I'm on Easy difficulty. Duh. Why wouldn't I be on Easy?

Anyway, I got beaten up by the boss many, many times, and eventually I couldn't take it anymore and threw down my controller. I wasn't gonna touch this crappy game ever again! (I did.)"

And since I did still want to play the game, I timidly asked Daraenko for some tips on how to fight properly. He gave me some pointers, my first reaction was "well why didn't you tell me that sooner?!" but they did also make me feel much more confident that I could actually beat it. (Boss battles especially are really intense, and the exhilaration after defeating one is insane. PLEASE experience it for yourself.)

"Umm, Mr. Daraneko? Isn't this a bit too hard to get? For people with horrible reflexes (me), this game plays more like torture!" I said indignantly, to which Daraneko replied, "Uh, it's actually all written in the game. Most people don't read it, though." And so I re-read all the in-game text and realized... he was right! Huh! One problem, though, was that the text was really wordy... which is a very Daraneko problem, isn't it?
"Mr. Daraneko, players like me would never read this! We should make it easier to read and understand!" I plead, to which Daraneko replied, "That kind of person should just not play my game then!" Fair.
What lovely memories.

2 and a half years have passed since this game entered Early Access, but at long last, we've reworked the Hints for the Road feature and turned it into an easy-to-digest conversation! Yay! Everyone sign up for Elmaise's class right now!
Even if you get a Game Over, just visit the Hints for the Road and try again! There's no reason to be afraid to die!

I'd like to especially recommend this update to players like this:

- QTE battles are way too hard! Stop adding RNG and action elements to my turn-based RPG! That's the worst kind of game!- It's impossible to dodge every single enemy attack perfectly, but you gotta!- Weight? What's weight?- All of the enemy attacks show up as ??? though!- The "Are You Ready?" when you start each turn is so annoying! Why is it even necessary?! Get out of my face!

And so on.

The hints will surely give you a pointer or two for things you don't even know you're stuck on. I hope you'll listen closely to Elmaise's useful advice! Then you'll be able to defeat strong enemies and feel that incredible rush! Once you've gotten those pointers in your head, ideally you'll start thinking, "maybe The Use of Life isn't just a good adventure game book kinda game, but also has a really good battle system?!"

And after 2 years, one of 2 major routes, where you choose to travel with Misha, has been concluded, so you can play to the very end. And the end? I cry every time. I'd love to see more players beat the game and read the ending! It's on sale too right now, so why not?

As an indie publisher, we know how much of a miracle it is to see an indie game finally reach completion. Daraneko works on this game almost entirely on his own every day, and though I'm always itching to play the next unreleased part of the game, we simply watch from afar without meddling with his work. We know it's not as easy as it sounds to deliver something of a quality that'll satisfy everyone.

On top of that, Daraneko always tries to come up with better ways to do things, such as changing up the order of certain development aspects so that he can work on the second half of the other route more smoothly. The hint overhaul was also implemented because Daraneko wanted more people to be able to enjoy the game after all.

Your comments and feedback are like nutrients that sustain Daraneko and the development of this game. There's still a long while before the game is finally completed, but we'll use that time to make the game as unforgettable as possible, so we hope you'll continue to support us!

October 3, 2024
Sayuri (PLAYISM)

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We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================

It's October.
Back in September, it still felt like there was some time left before the end of the year, but October feels like we're nearing the end already. I can't believe this.

Anyway, here's a status update.
I've mainly been designing the maps and events for Chapter 4.

Chapter 4 will take place in the Everspring Forest, which is located in a snowy land.
It's surrounded by snow, but the forest, and only the forest, is always warm like spring, all year round.
As a result, all sorts of living things grow very big and strong here.
And plenty of fairies—everyone's favorite, I know—live here too.

But I've also been working on other stuff on the side, so I'm not quite done with the above yet.
Right now, the Steam Turn-Based RPG Fest is underway, and so we're grabbing this chance to improve the store page and update some things so we can sell more copies.

We made a new trailer, rewrote parts of the store description (again)...
And since the game sells a LOT worse in Chinese and English regions compared to Japan, we've focused our efforts to reach a wider audience in that direction.

As for updates, I added some new features which you can see in the ver0.5.09 patch notes.
https://steamproxy.com/games/1483370/announcements/detail/4657374909389692420?snr=2___
The Hints for the Road feature has now turned into a nice conversation with Elmaise where he patiently walks you through some detailed hints.
(Which means I had to do a whole lotta writing and well, I suffered through it.)

There's also a few minor bugs that you guys have reported that are still in the game, so I'll be working on fixing them next.
After that, I'll go back to writing events.

There's still a lot of work to do, but I'll pick at them one by one until I'm done.

=================================

And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!

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Visit the Playism Website[playism.com]
Follow us on Steam
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Join our Discord server[discord.gg]

Hello everyone,

Thank you playing The Use of Life!
We have updated the game to Ver.0.5.09, Here are the bug fixes and changes.

• Overhauled the Hints for the Road that can be viewed during a Game Over. (Now with more detailed hints in the form of a conversation with Elmaise)
  
• D. Boost now only spends half of your Boost Gauge.
  
• Added a "Hold On!" button that will appear under specific conditions.
  
• Added a black circle to the sprites of some Chauris.

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We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================
It's September! Here's a status update.

It's been a hectic month for me due to a lot of changes going on, such as my day job and stuff, but development is going smoothly.
I've finished designing the events, items, and equipment for Chapter 3, as well as the maps.

In Chapter 3, you'll visit a market asking around for information, while also trying some street food with Kohaku...

And your next destination will be the Maneater Mountains, with a bone-chilling peak and snow that only gets heavier the higher you climb.
Chapter 3 of the other route takes place in a scorching desert, but this time you'll encounter events that can only happen in a freezing cold climate.

This month, I'll be working on the same things, but for Chapter 4!

=================================

And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!

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We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================

I worked on the game scenario in July. Here's what I did.

• Decide what the dungeons will be like and what characters will appear in them
  
• Worldbuilding for the aforementioned dungeons and characters
  
• Decide what events will happen in the main story
  
• Decide what choices to offer and how these decisions will affect the story
  
• Decide what the endings will be like

Simply put, I worked on building the story and deciding how it'll turn out.
When I write a story, I typically start by deciding on an ending, and then I write a story that builds up to that ending. That's why I design these elements before I actually start writing the story.
The plot itself already exists, and has for a few years now, but now I've fleshed it out further and written down a more detailed summary.
And all of that has been completed, right on schedule. Yippee!


Next up is creating the maps, designing the dungeon events, equipment, items, etc...
All of these elements affect one another, so they need to be worked on at the same time.
(If I want to make this piece of equipment, I'd need an event like this to happen, and if I'm making a map like this, I should make equipment like this... and the like.)

There's a lot to work on here, so it might take more than a month. (I think it took me a month back when I was still working on each chapter separately.)
But hey, there's no need for me to panic just yet, so I'll go at it at my own pace and spend as much time as I need on it. Slowly, leisurely, like a newborn kitty who just woke up.

=================================

And that's all for this status update.
Development is still going strong, so please continue to support us!

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/1483370/_/

Visit the Playism Website[playism.com]
Follow us on Steam
Follow us on Twitter
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Join our Discord server[discord.gg]

We've received another status update from Daraneko.
Please give it a read.

=================================

This time, I would like to talk about what I plan to do next.

It's been a month or so after the release of the final chapter, during which we've rolled out multiple updates, but I plan on starting development on the other route soon.
(Except for just one more small, boring update that's right around the corner.)

This time, I'll be working on the route where you decide not to look for Misha, and instead end up traveling with Kohaku and Veronika and starting a completely different journey.
The "uses of life" that will be explored in this route will also be different from what I've already depicted in the completed route.

But let me preface this by saying that the next story update will take a long time.
I'm so exhausted both mentally and physically so I'll be off to a tropical island to take a little vacation!
...Okay, I'm not. The real reason is that I know for sure that if I keep making the game the same way as I have up till now (i.e. making a chapter and updating with that chapter), nothing good will happen.

(I'm going to explain in detail from here, so if you don't want to read all the text that's coming up, you can just read the last point.)





First of all, let's list out all the releases we've accomplished to face the (sad) reality of development...

• May 2022: Early Access version released
  
• March 2023: Chapter 3 released (10 months)
  
• November 2023: Chapter 4 released (7 months)
  
• June 2024: Final chapter released (7 months)

　　↓

That's 24 months in total.
And if I spend around the same amount of time on the other route, that means it'll take 2 more years to complete!!!

That's what the numbers show, but to be honest, I do NOT want to spend 2 WHOLE YEARS on this!!! Not again!!!
And I don't think anyone else wants that either.

It's also not that great that there's more than half a year between each release.
Ideally, I'd want to update with a new chapter every 2 to 3 months...
But as you can see, in reality, it took 7 months. And to break down what I've done over those 7 months...

• 1st month: Post-release bug fixes and adjustments, feature implementation
  
• 2nd month: Chapter design (deciding what to do for that chapter, plotting the story, and designing the gameplay portions)
  
• 3rd month: Commissioning art and supervising the process
  
• 4th month: Map creation, item and equipment creation, writing, event creation
  
• 5th month: Writing, event creation
  
• 6th month: Designing new skills, building and adjusting new gameplay features
  
• 7th month: Creating enemy data, balance tweaks, debugging

That's a whole lot of work.
All of them are important, so I can't just get rid of any of these tasks, but I can't make the other route much smaller/shorter than the completed one just because I want to lessen my workload.
But with this schedule, I'm still in the preparation stage on the 2nd~3rd month, and I don't actually implement anything into the game yet...
So if I keep doing the same thing, I'll have to spend half a year per chapter release yet again.
And I don't wanna do that!




I think I want to switch my priorities around a bit.
Before, I hadn't gotten to the ending yet, so my highest priority was to "release the next chapter ASAP".
And so I had to think about each chapter separately and think about how to make the next chapter only when the time comes.
(Even so, I wasn't very fast...)


But now, I have a completed route that you can play until the ending, so instead of rushing towards the next chapter all the time...
- Shorten the time needed to make everything up till the ending
- Shorten the release gap between chapters
These two will be my top priority from now on.
And since I've gotten the experience of reaching an ending, now I can see the bigger picture better than before.

And so, what I'll do is...

• Instead of just making the enemies that appear in the next chapter, I'll make all of the enemies that appear throughout the route all at once (including equipment, items, etc.)
  
• Come up with map and event designs for the whole route before starting developemnt, and make maps for all chapters
  
• Leave implementing overworld events for later, and finish all of the story events first
  
• Then I would know exactly what artwork I need, and so I can commission all of the artwork needed for the entire route all at once.

　　　↓