A new video devlog about the main work of this week :



And a new version was released the 4th of may
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PRIVATE ALPHA - Update B0004
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Release Date: 04-05-2025

Focus: Trade AI, UI/UX revision, improved missions, better planet rendering, and essential tweaks and fixes.

Trade Line system + UI/UX
A global system generating and tracking trade lines, used by AIs and the player.

Revised Trade AI
A major change to how trade opportunities are evaluated.

Trade node improvement
Overhauled trade node system to be much more reliable and efficient.

Better UI/UX for trade node
Trade node UI has been reworked entirely, and many tooltips and context menus were implemented.

Reworked and improved passenger transport AI
Passenger transport logic has been reworked for better behavior and planning.

Improved planet rendering
3 new types of forests, 3 new types of mountains, improved forest transitions, and implemented visual assets (added outpost graphics).

Localization: around a hundred new strings
Localization has been expanded with approximately 100 new strings.

Improved save/load with better version tracking/UI
Save/load interface now includes better version tracking and usability.

Sounds effects restored
Previously missing sound effects have been restored.

UI/UX: Added the strategic view
A new strategic view has been added to support large-scale decision-making.

Fixed icon scaling causing object lack visible strategic icons + some improvements on icons and text scaling and performances
Resolved issues with icon scaling and improved performance related to icons and text.

Fixed: Replicant nest generation was not affected by game settings and tweaked generation chances.
Nest generation now respects game settings and generation chances have been adjusted.

Fixed: mushrooms were competing with surface flora reigns, causing them to sometimes take over entire planets.

Impossible to land on planet in some situations
Fixed an issue where landing on planets could become impossible under certain conditions.

Disabled Sol system
The Sol system has been temporarily disabled.

Many fixes and tweaks
A wide range of additional minor fixes and adjustments have been made.

Hello controllers! A quick bugfix of the last update.

+ Flight level one hundred voice command


We are still working to improve the simulator and we need your help, drop by our Discord (https://discord.gg/X9ZhTA8V) and tell us about problems you have had or new features you would like.

Remain on frequency :)

5 days remain to get Noob Noob funded! We are 73% THERE WE ARE SO CLOSE!!
https://makeship.com/products/noob-noob-plushie

Up until now, I’ve been a little quiet about my love for FX and math, but they’ve definitely been a driving force behind MoteMancer—both in gameplay and aesthetics. Today, we’re going to take a deep dive into some of the clever tricks that make this game’s visual style uniquely its own.

The Challenge
A lot of factory-style games use 3D models or animated flipbooks for their visual effects. But, for MoteMancer, there’s a catch: the game is predominantly 2D, built on a hex grid, and filled with so many unique structures that the texture load would become overwhelming. So, what’s an FX nerd to do?

A Clever Solution: Custom UV Maps
One of the most fascinating tricks up an FX artist's sleeve is manipulating UVs. UVs are typically used to map textures onto 3D meshes, but with the right math, you can use them to simulate all sorts of effects — even things that look like 3D objects, like spheres, wheels, or flowing rivers. It’s all about precision and a little custom shader code.



Rather than rely on bulky 3D models or animated textures, I’ve used this technique to create the illusion of depth and motion, even in a 2D space. The Grindstone and Streamways featured in the images below were particular challenges, but custom UV maps saved the day. It’s one of those tricks that makes MoteMancer’s aesthetic stand out — clean, beautiful, and deceptively efficient.



🔮 Grindstone – The Grindstone spins with motion and texture, thanks to custom UV manipulation. It’s a neat little illusion that helps this otherwise flat 2D structure feel dynamic.


💧 Streamways – The flowing, river-like effect you see here is also achieved through UV manipulation. No need for complex meshes or flipbook textures — just a few math tricks and a dash of shader magic.

The most exciting part of all this is that it’s not just about looking good — they help maintain performance. With so many unique structures and environments in MoteMancer, efficiency is key, and the trick of faking 3D with UV manipulation means we can have depth and motion without the extra texture load.

And That’s Just a Taste
The possibilities with UV manipulation are endless. You can create anything from shifting slabs to swirling storms, all without the hefty resource cost of 3D meshes or massive sprite sheets. While you won’t always see the magic happening in the background, each illusion helps MoteMancer feel more alive and vibrant. It's the kind of thing I love about game development: painting with math.

Thanks for reading! We'll be back next Monday with another MoteMancer Musing.
Until then, may your Grindstones spin true and your Streamways flow forever. ✨

— The MoteMancer Team

- Fixed an issue where Hamstein's size wouldn't increase when drinking a size potion
- Added vertical speed cap to prevent players gaining excessive amounts of upward speed when performing a wall jump while moving quickly downwards

- Players now gain 1 star level upon respawning to allow for more frequent comebacks

Level 3 Star Move:
- Now has startup animation
- Decreased knockback from 500 -> 200

Level 2 Star Move:
- NEW MOVE: Self Destruct
- This move consumes all buffs applied to Hamstein and then explodes, dealing high knockback to anyone caught in the explosion
- Explosion size increases per buff consumed by the move

Level 1 Star Move:
- The 1% chance random explosion effect now acts like Self Destruct's explosion, dealing high knockback in a small radius
- Size buff increased from +0.2 -> +0.25
- Weight buff decreased from +1 -> +0.5

Level 1 Star Move:
- Now deals fixed knockback

Level 2 Star Move:
- Increased knockback from 20 -> 60

Stump Stage
- Expanded blast zone

Hello Starfarers,

Astral Ascension has released the final polish update and is available now! Here are some of the nifty things that are in the patch:

• 300+ fixes from voice over line inconsistencies, text mismatch, route bugs, continuity fixes, visual fixes, and tons more!
  
• All CGs and BGs are unlockable now, even the pesky Vaela one that was bugged last time!
  
• Performance improvements including two notable places where a freeze was occurring on certain variable combinations.

This version of Astral Ascension is basically our Full Release candidate! We'll be keeping our eyes and ears open for any other issues that are identified just in case as we collect reports (if any!).

We are really excited to be so close to full release!! Thank you for your continued support.

Happy reading!

Cheers,
PF Team

Update #2 is cooking and is gonna be done THIS week. It's a big one. A special side-dish is also in the cooker. Go fill that google form if you want something added. Check Roadmap if you're curious what's coming. Sorry for the delay in responses. Thank you for being with me.

Some time ago, I really wanted a game. The game price was 35 bucks. And that was a lot for me at the time. But the game was really cool, and the developer was awesome. So I chipped in, got the game for full price. Even left a review because I heard this helps the game in some way.

Two days after that, the game went on a custom sale and the price went down to $4.99. Was I scammed? No, of course. But it did make me feel like a loser T_T

I said to myself that if I ever, by any miracle, make a game, I will never spam discounts and maintain a reasonable margin for the few I will run.

So the base price of Dreams of Amelia is $14.99. And will NEVER, ever go beyond -33%. Regardless of the platform. I cannot imagine weaving a bond with fans and followers if I juggle the prices up and down. I am aware I might be losing some chunk of revenue, but I have really tiny material needs, you know hehe. And I like things to be predictable. And I hope some of you will share the same sentiment. Sorry if I'll make someone angry, but I believe being transparent is worth more T_T

It came to my attention that a lot of you guys would like this or that in the game, but you don't want to stick your head out. Perfectly understandable. Even I am hush about some of my own fantasies *^-^*
Hence, I made a google form to fill in the blanks and secure your privacy a bit. Hope this helps ^.^
➡️ ➡️ Feature Request Form ⬅️ ⬅️

I posted it right away after I released the game on Itch, but then I forgot I never linked it anywhere XD
So here you have it at last!
➡️ ➡️ Roadmap Google Doc ⬅️ ⬅️

I am stunlocked how fast Amelia is gaining speed, and I start to worry, do I really deserve the attention, and am I up to task ._.

I am not saying that for you to come and say "there there". No. I am honestly worried. As I said many times by now, I came in with no expectations. No, scratch that. I did actually come with some.

I expected ppl will boo me out of the milky way, I'll get depressed, put this entire game making on the pile with all my other broken dreams, then I will proceed being depressed for couple of months and then I will get over it and reverse back to my usual generic NPC mode.

But then this happened. You happen. And for some reason, you won't let me go. You stick to me like a warm blanket, covering me in a cocoon of happy. And for the first time in my life, I feel I am worth something.

I do not know if my game will fulfil your dreams and hopes. But I know that I will do everything in my power, drain all my resources, to provide you with the best I am capable of.

Time will tell if my "everything", has been "enough".

Thank you! And see you soon by the weekend. I prepared lots of goodies for you, my dear :-)
~Laura

Wishlist the game and join our discord to stay in touch.

Here's an invite link:
https://discord.gg/8BMbZf7uN9

New position for female-female, female-shemale, male-male and male-shemale couples

Hello everyone!

I'm happy to announce that the demo release date will be the end of this month (May 2025).

The demo will feature a solid slice of gameplay and give you a feel for what I’ve been building, more details soon :D!

Thanks so much for your support!
-Ali.