Another week, another post! This time about the v0.04 Release of Venus Derby (Available for download right now!) and upcoming changes to the release cadence, testing versions and where to get the newest versions!
Get v0.04 Here!
Switching to "Patreon First" Releases
Without beating around the bush, let me get to the topic right off the bat. From what it looks to be, v0.04 will be the last "Public First" content patch Venus Derby will have (unless a bug needs addressing on the public version that can't wait for another release cycle). Therefore, going forward, new patches will be "Patreon First, Public Second". Meaning, the next v0.05 update will be available to Patrons when it comes out, and it will be publicly available when the v0.06 update becomes available to Patrons vice versa.
Release Cadence
While I can't say when v0.05 will be available, I'm aiming for a 1-2 month release cadence, and I should also add that "1-2 month" is just an estimation and the release cadence may be shorter/longer depending on development speed, planned content/mechanics etc.
When compared to releases, new testing versions will be available in a shorter cadence depending on testing needs. More about testing versions, how to get them and how they differ from "Releases" is down below.
Testing Versions
For those who have been in the Discord server, I've added a new beta testing channel for publishing the bleeding edge of the game to supporters! Here's how it works:
There are 2 types of "Testing" versions: Release Candidates (RCs) and Unstable
Release Candidates are closer to being ready for a full on Patreon release. Like this one, v0.04.
Unstable versions are about what the title says, unstable, the most "current" version of the game with less bug weeding done. Expect these to have a shorter cadence than RCs.
Where to Get Testing Versions
Upon being added to the server by the Patreon Bot, you'll be given the role corresponding to your tier and will be able to access the beta testing channel, where you can go in and grab the latest testing version! Along with it's own chat for quick bug reporting so I can get rid of bugs quicker!
(Link your Patreon account to your Discord account to get access if you're in the $5 or the $10 tiers. A quick tutorial from Patreon on how to do so is available here.)
What's Next?
For the upcoming versions, I've been planning on adding even more story content, more mechanics (implementation of being digested netting stat loss. The ability to struggle your way out etc.), along with some more interactions with your secretary and trainee! Like intimacy scenes where you help them digest a big meal with a small mini-game. Along with possibly more playable characters.
I'll be leaving this version's changelog down below as usual, and I'd like to thank Monti for going out of their way making exceptional bug reports!
Thanks for your support on Venus Derby and Vorecade!
# v0.04 - 23.02.2026 - v0.04 Patch
- Fixed the secretary slowly rising as the secretary gets interacted with.
- Fixed the secretary not being interactable after doing a gacha pull.
- Removed tooltips from the audio editor.
- Fixed Visual Novel skips being just straight up broken. They now skip properly instead of just being a "faster fast forward".
- Fast Forward in Visual Novels has been sped up to 6.6 lines/second. (From 4 lines/second)
- Fixed the secretary repeating the same line over and over again when the student registry was opened.
- Removed unused assets from the game build.
- Characters in the lobby no longer have jagged edges.
- Tutorial has been extended.
- Clash calculation formula has been tweaked.
- Optimized the "Display BGI" node in the Visual Novel Editor. It can now be instantiated and cloned way faster than before.
- Loop node added into the Visual Novel Editor.
- Added a "Jump Character" toggle to the "Play Line" node in the Visual Novel Editor. When enabled, the speaking character will move up and down when talking.
- Fixed the "Leader" pace role description showing the "Seeker" description instead.
- Added more events to the A New Beginning scenario. (New Years, Valentine's [2 alts])
- Added more tile events.
- Mystery tiles have been implemented.
- Added an empty "Sandbox" scenario for testing purposes. It can be accessed from the relevant tab in the lobby.
- Fixed where an empty name would cause the player to be named as "MC" instead of "Trainer".
- Fixed a bug where the pause menu saving functionality would not work.