July 2026 Developer Log
Hello :) based on some feedback I'm going to start doing a monthly developer log so that I don't ghost everyone for one or two months at a time. I'll ramble a bit, and give updates on what I'm working on.
Sprite Updates!
I wasn't satisfied with the current sprites, so I spent a few days shifting pixels around until they looked better. If you follow me on twitter/bluesky, you might have seen some of these in use already.
I think they look more handsome now :) The minisprites have also been updated, I reverted back to the 2px eye, just like I had for planet Caprini (dylan) - but with a less "stiff" body and better proportions.
I've also settled on 320x180 game resolution and 64x64 face sprites for now.
UI / UX Updates
Test it out here:
https://pixsunflower.itch.io/july-2026-tech-demo
(It might feel laggy because I didn't preload assets - don't worry about that part)
One of my patrons rightly pointed out that clicking can be annoying. You can now navigate between rooms on a single floor with LEFT and RIGHT, cycle between links with UP and DOWN, or TILDE~ plus NUMBERS (1-9)... so players can use keyboard only, or even one-hand only (if your other hand is busy?)
Feedback is welcome! I'm trying to settle on a single twine+sugarcube format that I can use for all my future projects.
My Visual Novel Theory
Rambling time.
I'm not a big fan of traditional Renpy visual novel formats, where there's a bunch of standing busts in front of a 3D background, then the character's name and dialogue down below. It doesn't feel immersive - is it just me or am I crazy? I feel like your eyes get drawn to the text (...at the bottom of the screen, also it isn't very ergonomic) and sometimes you miss the character's expression. Games like OMORI and UNDERTALE did a better job by showing the emotion right next to the text, which is something I tried for 16M, MBS, and OHELL.
This is my next iteration on that idea, where I want the game to feel more like a comic... what I mean is, comics are great because layouts allow your eyes flow easily across the page. So my idea for a VN is basically like... an interactive comic. With animations. /ramble
This Month...
I haven't settled on which project I'm continuing, but it WILL use the updated UI/UX and sprites. It will either be a continuation of Last Summer, or some other project, or both.