Hazelnut Latte v0.15 Progress Report 12/23/25

Hello and welcome to the last Progress Report of 2025!

Let's get into it.

I added a section for my writing, as my goal is always to write AHEAD of the current episode. The reason is that I need to have stuff written for everyone else to do their job. No one knows what to code, draw, compose, etc, unless the episode is written. So it doesn't make sense just to have the current episode script bar, though I will do more drafts later. The script for Episode 2 is 73% complete and sitting at 26,571 words. I still have to write the scene where you and Hazel go back to the motel room, and other stuff that will be a fun surprise.

Animations have reached 31% complete! The characters for this second scene are rigged, and a few of their idle loops are already done. There is a lot that will go into this one, but it already looks stellar!

Lewd scenes haven't moved forward, but the last scene is sketched and approved, so I'm looking forward to seeing it very soon! Once Kokman is done with these, he will move on to Special Moments.

UI art didn't move as well, but the Main Menu art is ALMOST done! The main art piece of the main menu, the characters, is done, and they look absolutely gorgeous. Pamika needs to finalize the background and then the actual menu elements.

For coding, we began determining how the Backer Guided and NSFW filters will work in Unity. It looks good, and Lotus has a clear plan for integrating it. Lotus also began implementing the first animated lewd scene in the game. There has also been a lot of untangling old code and either redoing it or improving it. Some things left behind that we are having to decipher.

We added a new bar, that being the In Game Menu, which is similar but different from the Main Menu. Part of this is finding the best way to handle saves, since your progress is the most important part of the game. The last step for this and the main menu is the UI, which is being designed.

Scene compiling went down because we didn't add a check for the audio pass, which is one of the last things we do. We also organized all the new and old audio for Unity. There was really no system for this in Ren'Py so we often lost track of where stuff was kept, but not anymore!

Holiday Break

This Holiday season, I am doing something I have not done in over a decade. I am taking a holiday break. Since joining the workforce at 15, I have not had a break. Now, that's about half my life I have been working nonstop. Even when I was semi-homeless and jobless, I was still working on my books when I could, between hiking around town with my resume I printed out at Staples. When I finally had a job, any time off I took was spent working on either my books or this game.

But I am really feeling the burnout. I think my body needs a rest, even if just for a week or two. It's the Holiday Season, which also means it's my Birthday and I'll be turning 30. The team and I will be taking a holiday break, though our dates are not fully aligned. I will be out of the office starting today, and I'll return on Monday, January 5th. I'll be taking my work hard drive home so I can still do things if needed, and I'll be checking in with the team every day to make sure the ship doesn't crash while I'm not looking.

Worry not! We're not abandoning the game or anything, just taking a week or two to rest and recuperate before we get to the finish line.

Plans for January

I thought it would be helpful to outline our general goals and plans for January. This is also so I don't forget :D

In January, we plan to make a teaser trailer for v0.15 that will showcase all the big changes we've made and how the game will look in Unity. It will show off the Secret System, new backgrounds, characters, UI, etc. Hopefully, I'll have a main theme composed by Lolurio that I can use to make the trailer pop. We also want to get the dialogue UI elements in place for the trailer and the main menu.

I also want to show off our new characters and announce the voice cast! We have 4 new characters in v0.15 and 3 cast members adding their moans to Hazelnut Latte. We also have two updated character sprites I would like to showcase.

The v0.15 Alpha.

The team and I have debated this for a while, but we have decided that the first Alpha for v0.15 will be the first half of Episode 1. This is so you can get your hands on it sooner and break it sooner, so we know what to fix. There is no release date set, but our goal is to get the first half of Episode 1 fully playable and looking good for the first Alpha. This Alpha won't go to lower tiers, but stay an Alpha while we work on the second half of the episode. This first half will be our primary focus and what we want to show off in the trailer.

Wrap Up

And that's it! The team has been working hard on this build for months, and we are really excited for you all to get your hands on it! We have a lot we still want to do, but as the pieces fall into place and we build the foundation of the game, we can pivot to adding all the additional features we want.

I will still check in on the Discord and say hey to everyone, but I will be trying very hard to relax this Holiday Season. Likely play copious amounts of Diablo, Halo 3 custom games with my friends, and Zomboid with the husband.

We will be back next year with the next progress report!

Thank you all so much for the incredible support, and Stay Rad!!!