Happy Easter Friday to those of you that observe!

I made another week of progress. Everyone seems to be enjoying the new content. I haven't any player created stories yet, so if you do end up creating something, let me know so I can tell everyone else about it!

I've been working on some behind the scenes boring admin stuff, and Trix has been helping me rebuild the entire story controller. If you ever run into her on the streets, please give her a sincere hug and a high-five.

The new story controller is much more robust, and won't break your saves as often as the old one did. That's reason enough, and yet I'm most excited about the additional storytelling capabilities I now have access to.

I've started creating some fluff scenes for you to run into around the ship. My focus has been on Aeroponics, specifically when Lebeny isn't there. Your Mah'Abeu will be able to snoop around Lebeny's personal plant collection, or maybe they'll do an inspection on what Lebeny has been growing in the aeroponics chambers. Your Mah'Abeu can also choose violence and chaos by overfeeding Lebeny's fish. Down the line, there might be a steam achievement in it for those of you who commit to the cause.

Having 'free roaming' exploration is fantastic, but it also provides a narrative challenge. If players are going from empty room to empty room looking for content, I have failed as a storyteller. From a game design perspective, visiting an empty room should be fun and interesting while giving players the opportunity to learn more about the world. It should also shift and change with each visit while dropping hooks that can trigger scenes that would otherwise be hidden.

Visiting Lebeny's private plant collection should be something players want to do. They should be just as excited to discover what new weird and wonderful plants Lebeny is experimenting with as they would be to actually find Lebeny and talk to her.

I've put a lot of thought into these 'free roaming' events over the last two years, and seeing them become a reality has filled me with renewed excitement and passion to channel into Infinite Stars. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

I have a busy weekend filled with family time ahead of me and hope all of you get to experience the same joy and peace with your loved ones.

Be kind and stay safe!

James <3