Devlog #18: Bugs, Branches and Blue Haven
Hello friends,
Time for another devlog! This one is a little more packed than usual since there are two topics I'd like to talk about.
Fixing technical bugs
After taking a short vacation, I didn't jump straight back into writing.
Why?
Because it felt like I had some homework to do first.
Ever since development started, almost every update has introduced new technical features. While they've made the game better, they've also brought along their fair share of bugs. One of the most frustrating ones has been the critical save corruption bug. Many of you have reported it over the past months, and even though it's a pretty serious issue, I left it untouched for far too long (sorry about that!).
The reason was simple: I always felt that spending development time on new content would benefit more players than hunting down a difficult technical issue. Well... it took much longer than I expected, but I now think I've finally found a solution that prevents the bug from happening again and might even repair corrupted save files in some cases. I've attached an updated version 0.21b to this post, so if you've been affected by the issue, feel free to give it a try and let me know if it works!
Oh and I also managed to adjust the Android version's display name. It should now show the actual game title: MINA! - A Phone Story.
Regarding the "No Jacob" route & choice complexity
I've read a lot of your feedback recently and felt the need to share a little more insight into my thought process. This section is mainly for those of you who were surprised by the amount of content in version 0.21 after choosing to drop Jacob.
The biggest criticism seems to be that the "No Jacob" route doesn't offer much content right now. And honestly... that's completely intentional.
The story up until the Blue Haven arc was never planned with the option to completely remove Jacob from it. That route mainly exists as a workaround for players who simply don't enjoy his character, allowing them to continue playing future updates without feeling forced into content they dislike. So why don't I just add more scenes to that route?
The answer is (once again) pretty simple: time.
One of the most common pieces of feedback I receive is that updates feel a little short. At the same time, the last two updates have taken longer to develop than any before them. The amount of branching has grown to a point where writing is only one part of the work. Planning, scripting, testing, bug fixing and making sure every possible combination of choices actually works together has become a huge part of development.
Even if you picked what I'd consider the "optimal" set of choices, you'd probably still only experience around 60-70% of an update's written content in a single playthrough. Adding substantial content to the No Jacob route would increase that complexity even further. On top of that, the recent Patreon poll showed that roughly 70% of players currently play the Jacob route. That means any exclusive No Jacob content would only be seen by about 30% of players.
Normally, I wouldn't mind creating content for a smaller audience. The problem is that the game already contains a lot of optional scenes hidden behind smaller choices and every additional branch makes future updates exponentially more difficult to develop.
So what does that mean going forward?
For now, I've decided not to expand the No Jacob route too much and instead focus on finishing the Blue Haven arc. I know that isn't the ideal solution for everyone, but I genuinely believe it'll benefit the game in the long run because I'll be able to conclude this chapter sooner and move on to the stories that come after it.
That doesn't mean I'm rushing the ending or cutting ideas. Even if I wasn't the best at planning ahead, I still want to give the Blue Haven arc the ending I originally envisioned. (There's not much left anyway. 😄)
Once that's done, development becomes much more streamlined again and there'll be a lot more shared content between the different routes.
What else?
I've also been working on another really cool technical feature that's going to improve the game quite a bit. Since this devlog is already getting pretty long though, I'll save the details for the next one!
As always, thank you all for your love and support.
Please stay happy and healthy ❤️
Your Donut
TLDR: I fixed bugs, new content will be awesome and I love you guys.
Comments (19)
ETA on next update?
When will the next version be released?
Hey, could someone please help in finding 3 photos...I have 165 out of 168 photos. The three photos are in between Mina's Barista Outfit and Blue's final 3 photos Does anyone have an idea how do we get those photos in the game I've tried all outcomes, but didn't get the photos
To unlock this section of content, you need to choose between Stand and Survive or Kneel and Die during the conversation when Blue first sends you the restrained photos. This way, you will unlock different restrained photos of Blue at the stage you mentioned.
is there an eta for the next update?
It is a new update of game or new apk which end in jacab last sex with mina ? As we played in recent update
:(
更新真的太慢了
Honestly, I’m one of the players pursuing both routes, and I believe you’re doing an excellent job—handling it in the best way possible. I admit I felt a bit of frustration, as I had expected the route without Jacob to have a little more content, but I still enjoyed it quite a lot. I’m looking forward to future updates and seeing how the story unfolds along these paths.
I've tried countless methods, including restarting the game, but I still can't unlock the middle image between the drinking beverage and the beach silhouette... Can anyone share a method? (My English is very poor... please forgive me.)
This image is unlocked when Alex gives Jacob a blowjob during Maid event!
I always thought “Blue haven ”was actually a pseudonym Nora created to tease and flirt with MC, a way to give MC and the audience a "surprise" by meeting him in person. (Nora actually liked MC but was just shy; she could fully express her feelings by using a fake identity.) When MC met “Blue haven” in person, he messaged Nora/blue haven, "Nora, is that you? 😦" and blue haven/Nora replied, "Yes, it's me, my master 🥺." In the end, Nora and MC became both friends and sex friends 🥰. Later, MC and Nora confessed to Mina, only to discover that all three female protagonists liked MC 🥰. Could you make an ending like this for “Blue haven”? 😖
Dude, your reasoning makes total sense and sparked plenty of new thoughts for me. Following your line of deduction, I compared Nora’s visuals with Blue’s and sorted out the whole storyline. I noticed Blue only appears after the male protagonist adds Alex and Nora. Even though Blue’s face is hidden in all her images, if you look closely at facial features such as her eyebrows and mouth, you can see her character model shares a striking resemblance to Nora’s. There is an important link: if the protagonist sets Blue’s BDSM photo as his wallpaper before the truth-or-dare scene, he will successfully unlock the final hidden photo during Blue’s latest conversation with him. This implies Blue is most likely one of the four people in the group chat. In addition, when the protagonist visits Nora’s house for the first time, he discovers she has a large collection of cosplay costumes. This clue connects to the two photos in white lace outfits that Blue sent the protagonist at the start. What’s more, during the beach storyline, Nora takes daring back-view photos of the protagonist but covers sensitive areas when shooting front-facing shots. Combined with the last photo Blue sent that shows nipple piercings, it indirectly suggests Nora may be intentionally trying not to be identified by the protagonist. These are my theories built upon Yunfei’s reasoning after cross-referencing plot points from the whole story. Everyone is welcome to share your ideas and brainstorm together. If my guess turns out to be correct, I really admire the foreshadowing set by the creator. This is a fantastic, carefully crafted game. That said, honestly, I secretly hope Nora and Blue are not the same person. I’m not particularly fond of Blue’s BDSM style, and it would somewhat tarnish my impression of Nora. I’d love for Nora to remain that contrasting character: cold on the surface, warm deep down, and harboring feelings for the male lead. Lastly, a message to Yunfei. Judging by your username, you are probably Chinese. Would you mind adding me on WeChat so we can dig deeper into all the little details of this game together?
So far, we had Mina do NTS, not NTR, with NTR, mina should CHEAT for real.... Still, i would like for character development of Mina, maybe you can try to add a POV of mina talking with Alex about it, showing that she is hesitating, ashamed and guilty, and alex being at bitch, she encourages her to do it and send her to the dark path. Honest, Alex is the type of "Friend" You want as far away as possible from your lover.
I am happy with the choice being there to get rid of Jacob. I really appreciate that you made it clear that Jacob was central to scenes until the end of the Blue Haven arc but then things would change. To me, that was a reward in and of itself if we did not like him. And, since the story has Jacob leaving, it was obvious there will different options going forward that don't like Jacob. Anyone complaining about it now hasn't been reading/listening. Now, had I hoped the arc would have been done at the end of 21, well yes, but I am not disappointed either. Looking forward to the next update and keep up the great work Donut.
There's no need to expand the No-Jacob route in the sense of finding another guy to fulfill Jacob's initial role. Players who dislike Sam & Jacob aren't into cuckolding, pure and simple. They want choices for the MC to have his own action on the side or alongside Mina in FFM threesomes or harem fantasies. The game's original concept was Mina NTR, but as you, Donut, made clear, that theme is no longer valid as a central arc. The MC starts out wanting to explore his cuckold fetish, but - according to player choices - the MC can change his mind and stop Mina from escalating into sex with Jacob or anyone else. In short, develop the parts of the story you already have in progress. There's plenty of character development & character dynamics to be had for the existing ones (the MC, Blue, Nora, Alexis, Mina). And since a lot of the action is in past tense, the stories shared by, say Alex, can be from her past, not necessarily from her recent present.
There is more to NTS than cuck. NTS has two primary branches: Cuck and Stag. Stags want to be in control while the cuck side doesn't want to be in control.
Nicee yeah I felt like thats the better choice as well thank you for your hard work with this game 👍🫡
Another NTR casualty... Haha. Just having some fun! Glad you're finally able to share the game with the updated display name. Hope the people experiencing that bug have it fixed now 🤞 can't wait to see what happens after the cliff hanger! Best of luck on the rest of the dev cycle <3