Hazelnut Latte v0.15 Alpha 1 Progress Report 1/13/26

Howdy everyone, and welcome to this week's Progress Report!

The graph changed a bit, so let me explain.

We are focusing on the first Alpha of v0.15, so the graphs have been updated to reflect the features that will be in that build. We would love to sit on this until the full first episode is complete, but that might take some time. To make it the best we can, we decided to put it in players' hands faster by making the first half of the episode the first Alpha.

One reason this first build is taking longer than our average is that we need to rebuild the game framework in a new engine. Elements such as menus and dialogue boxes were quite modular in Ren'Py. However, the freedom of Unity is leading to some amazing things, so I think it's worth the extra work.

That said, the graph now focuses on the assets and systems that will be included in the first Alpha. We are saving some items for later, such as the player's phone, the gallery system, and the map.

Now, let's go over what is on the graph.

The main menu is done! We just need to connect other menus to it, but the art for those menus is still being drawn. For the in-game menu, we are still working on the history system and getting the loads working properly.

The secret system is done, as far as the first Alpha is concerned. More work is needed on it in Alpha 2, but we can review it then.

Lewd Animations are nearly done! We have a few more things we want to tweak and add before we call it good. Koth has been doing a great job with these, and I'm excited to discuss their next task next week.

Kokman is currently working on the remaining special moments needed for the first Alpha, but he has been sick, so progress hasn't been made this past week. Once he's rested up, he'll get on that and the monthly pinup.

Pamika did some amazing work with the UI elements! The total number didn't change, but we added items and moved others to Alpha 2. She's been doing fantastic work, and her latest work is a feature I know many of you will love.

Lolurio sent in some demo tracks for the first episode, and they are excellent! He has already done a great job with this music, and I look forward to more from him. The new music keeps the original tone of the old tracks while giving the game its own identity. Maybe you'll hear them sooner than you think.

Update When?

Great question! Now that we are focusing on releasing just half of Episode 1, we can narrow our focus to the final tasks before release. There are several art assets remaining before we can release, primarily menu assets. The thing you'll be spending the whole game interacting with. We don't want to mess it up.

Then it's taking those assets and making them actually work. Overall, the game is technically playable, but it's not very polished, and some elements are unfinished. Once we have all the assets in and everything is integrated, we need to run some bug testing. But honestly, things are looking very nice, and we are moving at a solid pace. I think the Holidays helped everyone (I know they helped me).

But I can't give a date or an estimate. We have an internal date we'd like to hit, but I don't want to say it since it will jinx us. Art is progressing well, so I'm optimistic.

How will the Alpha release work?

Wow, another good question, you're amazing! Yes, this first Alpha is only HALF of Episode 1. If you want to get technical, it's 9.5k words out of the 22k script for Episode 1. We want to stick with tradition and not release the build to lower tiers until it is ready. This means that v0.15 won't go to lower tiers until it is out of Alpha. It will only be out of Alpha once the entirety of Episode 1 is done. Meaning, it will stay at v0.15 Alpha while we work on the next Alpha.

This is so that people who want a full episode at lower tiers don't have to sub twice for Episode 1 to be released. We don't want to release to lower tiers if the game is not ready for them. If you're confused about that or have more questions, you can drop them here or on the Discord. I believe this is the best way to proceed, but this process is collaborative, so you tell me.

Wrap Up/TL:DR

We have made good progress this week and are now focused on the first half of the episode to deliver an Alpha sooner than waiting for the full first episode.

Thank you all so so much for your continued support! You're the reason I was able to afford a team and go to the dentist last week. Without you, there is no Hazelnut Latte. Your support sees this game become a reality.

We've got some sneak peeks coming out for you soon, so stay tuned.

Stay Rad!