Live bug fixes (v0.6.2.8) and Beta update (v0.7.0.5)

This live update includes fixes for a variety of reported bugs in the base game and DLCs.

The most reported issue was Maria disappearing from the relationship app in the Thomas DLC. The underlying problem has been fixed, which was caused by the DLC handing control back to the base game at the point where Maria is introduced in the vanilla story. While Maria will reappear in any save file past this point, any affinity/persona points earned before that point cannot be retrieved. For new games, this won't be a problem.

The beta branch update includes two scenes. The first scene is a test of a new Cutscene mechanic I've been working on, which, depending on player feedback, will be used in certain scenes in the future. I'm not going to spoil the content of this scene, other than to say there's a new option in the preferences to control the automatic cutscene changeover.

Maybe a little spoiler: The cutscene includes almost 4 minutes of animation.

The other scene, as previously mentioned, is the Art lecture with Catherine.

Joining Catherine for the scene are Samantha, Alison, Amy, Caprice, Kirsten, Natasha, and Elli (a side character) as the model.

Similar to the sports team or the woman who drops her purse in the café, side characters exist to add texture and realism to the story. While, in some instances, the player can interact with them. They are designed to complement the main cast rather than add to it.

However, following strong community interest and discussion about Ashley, she has been integrated into the relationship app and gallery, expanding her role beyond a side character. Her story path is intended to build on the direction outlined during the community vote on her character status.

This reflects her exceptional popularity and is not indicative of a broader shift toward expanding side characters into full relationship routes.

I have noticed from comments across various platforms that players may not be aware of specific game features.

Starting with game-wide features that are not specific to any playthrough or save file.

"H" on the keyboard hides the UI, including the mini-phone, text box, and quick menu, allowing you to take clean screenshots.

Because visual novels use pre-rendered scenes rather than dynamic gameplay, shared screenshots often depict specific story moments, so a little care helps avoid unintentionally spoiling the experience for other players when sharing game screenshots.

In the "Preferences" screen, available from the main menu.

Please note that preference names may change slightly between game versions.

"Save File Naming." Off by default. When enabled, this allows you to name your save slots when saving the game. This can be useful if you are playing multiple routes and want to track which save corresponds to each path easily.

"Rollback on mouse scroll wheel." In Ren'Py, rolling the mouse wheel normally moves dialogue backward and forward. In MaD, this can interfere with scrollable interfaces such as the in-game smartphone when the cursor moves outside the scrollable area. For this reason, the option is disabled by default, but can be enabled if you prefer traditional mouse wheel rollback behaviour.

"Freeroam borders." Clickable regions in freeroam areas highlight when the mouse moves over them. On touch-screen devices this feedback is not available, so this option instead displays visible borders around clickable areas. The feature can also be enabled on non-touch devices if you prefer clearer visual cues.

"Textbox Transparency." By default, the textbox transparency is set to 0.6 (60%), balancing text readability with image visibility. If you find the text hard to read, you can adjust this value between very dark and fully transparent.

There are also options for text speed, auto-forward, and text size. With an easy way to reset these settings to their default values.

If you have a supported language pack installed, an option to switch languages will appear in the Preferences screen.

If you are using a translation that does not appear there, please let the translator or modder know that they can contact me via Discord. I am happy to help them add the necessary components to make their language pack compatible, including translating parts of the game that sit outside Ren'Py's standard translation system.

In addition, there are in-game options that are specific to each playthrough and save file. These are accessed via the in-game smartphone and computer, with the computer providing additional details about each setting.

"Prerequisite not met." Enabled by default. Controls how unavailable choices are handled. When enabled, choices that exist for the current scene but cannot be selected due to unmet prerequisites in the current playthrough are still shown. When disabled, the game will automatically continue if only a single selectable option is available. If multiple selectable options remain, they will be shown without the unavailable choice.

This option was added in response to player feedback, particularly from players who wanted clearer visibility of alternative outcomes when replaying the game. Players who prefer not to see non-selectable options can disable this setting.

Relationship Notes. The relationship app on the computer lets you add and remove custom notes under each character's Relevant Information section. These notes are then displayed in the relationship app on the smartphone. They are free-text fields, allowing you to record any details you want to keep track of for each character.

Gallery and Favorites

The game includes both a Gallery (Look Closer) and Favorites (taken from the smartphone's camera app). Look Closer images can be used within the smartphone and may also be viewed by other characters in the game. Because of this, the game needs to track which character and which part of them appear in each image, which is why the two features are handled separately.

Look Closer images are also added to the Photos app on the computer. The computer's photo app includes a crop feature, allowing you to select which part of an image to send to the smartphone. Cropping only affects how the image is presented to you, the player. For identification purposes, the game treats cropped images the same as the original.