Hello leafers! It’s Alexandra here with the monthly development update for Loose Leaf: A Tea Witch Simulator. We’ve been enjoying the latest spring blends while iterating on the results of our most recent playtest, designing new characters and adding to our relaxing soundscape with sound effects and music. [h3]Music Update[/h3] Since January, we’ve been working with Sound Designer Murray Cameron Smith and a few others from [url=http://ashellinthepit.com/]A Shell in the Pit[/url] to create and implement beautiful sound effects for Loose Leaf. A Shell in the Pit has also worked on Kitfox-published Caves of Qud and other cozy games like Chicory and Cozy Grove. We think they are a perfect fit for making everything in Loose Leaf clinky and tactile-sounding. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44779548/b1e52b13b7c9fb85d1457141d22be78178821197.png[/img] Along with the sound effects, we have more to share from the music side of things. Composer Leaf has shared a new sample of another track on the soundtrack temporarily called ‘Bustling Theme’, intended to capture that feeling of managing a lively tea shop. [url=https://on.soundcloud.com/BzncQKbrizuor8RNA]Give it a listen here on Soundcloud[/url] and imagine yourself calmly constructing the perfect brew for your customer. Also check out the sample on [url=https://x.com/LetLeaf/status/1783534539425423637]Leaf’s Twitter.[/url] [h3]Playtest Results[/h3] I asked Tanya how the playtests went and she said: “We watched a few playtesters try the gamepad controls we've been refining, as well as 3 'nights' worth of content, and although we’re always nervous before these things, the results were very positive! We gained a lot of insight. People had a relatively easy time figuring out how to pick up and pour and infuse, and there were just a few misleading notes in the tea master's journal that caused some confusion. So we have some tweaks there but people seemed to have a good time and want more, so that's encouraging.The main things we're worried about, especially in wake of the playtests, are how best to keep deepening the tea brewing, and how to approach characters. For tea brewing, I'm going to keep quiet here to avoid spoilers, but we're exploring a few mechanisms to make it more fun and expressive to brew." Playtesting also means we can to experience fun bugs and glitches, like when the sugar suddenly becomes small boulder size: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44779548/426c7e8fac741aba68bf1348ebd0d854b58f46d5.png[/img] ”As for characters, we initially thought we'd have a bunch of "casual" spirits and monsters as guests that would come once or twice, and then 1-3 "main" characters, such as Pearl here, who you would get to know better over the course of the game, learning all of her secrets and eccentricities. But after thinking it through and watching the playtesters, a more even-handed ensemble approach might make more sense, as in Coffee Talk, which has the same concept but more subtly implemented.” [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44779548/40749e09b0c9a4b163a4d360e31de8bd6f7e98d5.png[/img] We're still pondering these questions and developing the world of Loose Leaf. Do you have any favorite spirits or ghost stories to share? Let us know and maybe they'll come ask for a cup of tea! We aren’t taking on any new playtesters right now but we will fish for some in future in the newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter [url=https://www.kitfoxgames.com/sendy/subscription?f=bBZ4pv5KxQer5LJgegPb2bNTBc892e3Kl0jLKLZl7636U7Sz6vrCDmmzWKnOEpCsvRDI]here[/url]. That’s all for now, but stay tuned next month for even more updates. I need more tea recommendations for spring, something to make me feel like I’m drinking cherry blossom season! Let me know on the loose-leaf channel on [url=https://discord.gg/kitfoxgames]Discord! [/url] -Alexandra + Tanya