Recap Since the Previous Letter

Hello everyone, this is Holoearth Producer Oooka.
Four months have passed since the last producer letter at the end of April, and over the summer we released three updates – ver. 0.7.0, ver. 0.8.0, and ver. 0.9.0 – in which Holoearth has changed quite a bit.

In this producer letter I would like to recap what has been achieved since the previous letter, and then discuss the plans for September until around the end of the year.

Ver. 0.7.0

From ver. 0.7.0 we added the fashion shop as well as the salon and clinic for players to fully customize their avatars to their liking.
We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone express their creativity and fashion sense with their outfits, and we will continue to update and deepen the avatar options for everyone to continue further customizing their own unique style. Please look forward to it!

Ver. 0.8.0

Sandbox Game (Simulation Room)

With ver. 0.8.0 came an expansion of the Simulation Room, with a greater variety of gameplay including combat mechanics.
While the game was made more difficult, we have been happy to watch the ingenuity with which players have approached building and spending time in the newly expanded area.
Based on user feedback, we are continuing to add more features in future updates for a greater scope of gameplay.

Ver. 0.9.0

Transportation

Most recently we released the ver. 0.9.0 update, which included the first implementation of transportation items for greater ease of moving around the city area.
The transportation items have been more popular than expected, and it is great to see players treat them not only as a means of getting around, but as a riding experience in it of itself.
We hope to keep this in mind as we consider adding a greater variety of transportation options.
The construction of the city area and its buildings is also coming along more and more, and as of ver. 0.9.0 some new buildings were completed and are being prepared to house new stores and tenants.

We continue to add more finer details and elements to the scenery of the city itself and make it feel more lively, including vehicles and billboards. 

My Space

A new area, “My Space,” was also added with the ver. 0.9.0 update.
This area is similar to the Simulation Room but without combat mechanics.
Currently the area is very similar to the Simulation Room, however, in future updates we plan to add more unique gameplay elements to this area to further differentiate it.

Looking Forward

And now for Holoearth’s future outlook for the rest of the year.

“Alternative City” Area

Ver. 0.10.0 – Ver. 0.11.0

Two major additions to the fashion shop are planned:
・A feature for trying on items.
・A shopping cart feature.

Avatar Customization

New avatar items, customization options, and gestures will be added incrementally.
In addition, new accessory categories are planned.

Sandbox Game (Simulation Room)

Ver. 0.10.0

We plan to implement a boss battle playtest.
Special furniture and clothing items will be offered as rewards for defeating the boss monster.
Certain items rewarded will be usable even outside of the Simulation Room.

Early 2025 and Beyond

We are planning to trial an open area separate from the Simulation Room.

My Space

Around fall

We plan to implement a feature that allows players to exchange items obtained outside of My Space with items and item recipes (engrams) in My Space.

New Area & Minigame

Around fall

A new minigame will be available to playtest in a newly added time-limited area.

That wraps up the current outlook for upcoming updates.
Until around the end of 2024, the core development focus is primarily to improve the avatar system, add fashion items, improve the game feel of various features, and expand the scope of the gameplay experience.
We are also working on other major features with a view to the future release of version 1.0 that we hope to be able to discuss as soon as we can.

Thank you, and we appreciate your continued support of Holoearth.