Love Monster Update: These Monsters Ain’t Fluffy.
Hello, thank you for taking the time to read this important article.
I have some significant updates to share with all of you today. So without further ado, let’s dive right in.
I’m aware that several individuals within our community have expressed concerns, citing the long wait for our game’s release, with some even choosing to leave the project due to the delay.
In all honesty, we could have launched the Love Monster game last year. However, our team is composed of perfectionists who hold a long-term vision for our brand, as well as for the Love Monsters ecosystem. We’ve consistently striven to enhance our creation, providing value where many other projects have failed. In fact, a considerable number of projects that launched alongside Love Monster have either fallen short of their promises, rugged their community, failed to deliver, or at best, have produced a game that was simply a rehashed version of pre-existing ones, devoid of any unique value.
If I, or any member of our team, commit our names to something, we want it to represent the pinnacle of what we can achieve. This isn’t just about meeting the bare minimum requirements of game development; it’s about crafting an experience that players will cherish, a game that stands head and shoulders above the rest in its category. We’re here to create the best possible version of Love Monster, a game worthy of your patience and support.
I hold profound respect and appreciation for each member of our community, irrespective of the size of your investment. Whether you’ve contributed $100 or $100,000+, every one of you commands equal respect and acknowledgment. Each investment, regardless of its size, is a vote of confidence in our vision and a critical component of our journey. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for embarking on this exciting adventure with us.
I want to make a personal commitment to you, our community. I plan to host at least 1 to 2 AMA’s / Spaces every month, providing a platform where we can share more exciting news and updates on our Beta build, along with advancements on partnerships we are cultivating.
Our commitment is to provide clear, unembellished communication — no fluff, no smoke and mirrors, just straightforward updates and insights into our ongoing work. This is all part of our aim to maintain an open, transparent dialogue with our community — because your input and engagement are vital to our journey.
We understand the desire to see our game’s growth accelerated through advertising and to see Love Monsters go to the moon. However, before we can allocate more budget towards this, it is essential that we foster a more welcoming, positive, and toxicity-free community environment. It’s important to remember that a harmonious community makes for an inviting ecosystem for new members.
Consider this: if you stumbled upon a new discord where arguments and accusations were the norm, it would naturally make you want to leave. That’s the same perception potential newcomers may have. With the user acquisition cost ranging between $8 to $10, we need to be prudent with our budget and ensure that every dollar spent contributes positively to our game’s growth.
Our plans include paid advertisements, collaborations with YouTubers, and Twitch streamers, Gorilla marketing and a few PR Stunts we have planned to draw new users. However, for now, the power is in your hands, our community, to help spread the word. Let’s work together to raise the floor price of your NFTs and rekindle the positive energy we once thrived on. It’s time we shared the Love Monster game with the rest of the world, and we need your help to make that a reality.
So let’s get back to discussing the Love Monster game and current phase.
Before we assembled our dedicated in-house team, as many of you may know, we collaborated with an external game development company. The unfortunate reality was that their commitment to Love Monster wasn’t as passionate or aligned with our vision, resulting in a partnership that simply didn’t deliver the results we desired. Consequently, a substantial portion of our budget was expended, and our original estimation for the game build budget has since doubled. Additional investment was also necessary to bring our mobile game to life.
We could have taken the easy route and released what was initially created, but that would have been a huge misstep. It would have presented a version of Love Monster far from what we dreamed and far from what you, our community, deserve.
Thankfully, we’re now backed by an extraordinary in-house development team who are as in love with the project as you are. Their tireless efforts and dedication have led us to go above and beyond in perfecting Love Monster. As a result, every aspect of the game — from the visuals to the mechanics — has undergone a thorough overhaul. We discarded almost 99% of the original structure and started afresh to ensure we built a game with a robust and enduring foundation.
This fresh start was vital not only to the immediate quality of Love Monster but also to its future growth. We built the game with scalability in mind to ensure our capacity to keep enhancing and expanding the Love Monster world without ever hitting a wall that forces us to retrace our steps. In essence, we’ve created a game that’s not only ready for today but also prepared for tomorrow.
Without further ado, let’s jump directly into our current phase of development. We’ve compiled a detailed rundown of the tasks at hand, providing clear insights into our progress, including the completed milestones and those pending tasks that are next on our agenda.
New Monster Structure
Our team have been focusing on the unique construction of each Love Monster. We’ve successfully created patterns and constraints for all types of bodies, clothes, and accessories, ensuring a diverse range of monsters for you to play with. In addition, we’ve tested the Sprite Library and dynamic Sprite Atlas, constructed the Monster Structure in the engine, and rigged the “Monster Base.” As many of you may already know, there have been instances where certain traits and bodies of Love Monster NFTs were displayed differently in the game. This was due to the initial implementation carried out by the previous developers. Recognising this issue, we’ve devoted our efforts to a complete overhaul of this core functionality in our game to ensure consistency and enhance your gaming experience.
Creating a Master Archive with all Monster arts is underway and will be completed soon. The next phase will involve redesigning some new monster assets to fit perfectly in animations, which are also being worked on at this moment. This process will include animating base monster actions as well as the accessories.
The new Love Monster rig and configurator are designed to greatly enhance your gaming experience. They enable unique customisations, allowing you to equip your Monsters with distinctive items and style them to your preference. But the enhancements don’t stop at mere aesthetics. The items you equip will also affect gameplay. For instance, if your Monster is equipped with certain items, its attacks will manifest differently. As demonstrated in the provided example, a winged Monster will jump higher than one without wings. It’s these subtle details and elements of realism that we’ve been meticulously working on perfecting to truly enrich your Love Monster experience.
Further steps involve importing and configuring all clothing and accessories, rigging every imported art asset, and testing the new monster system in battle. Lastly, we will replace the old monster system with the newly created one.
Monster Generator
We have successfully designed and implemented the basic functionality of the Monster Generator screen, including the Free-to-Play Monster Randomiser and the randomisation of Genesis, names, DNAs, and characteristics. Importing screen art assets and implementing them into the Monster Generator Screen is currently in progress. We will then link the functionality with the design implemented, review screen functionality, and ensure scalability.
Video Trailer
We’re delighted to share that the storyboard for one of our video game trailers has been finalised, and we’re now in the final stages of animation. We’ve been diligently working on polishing some of the screens to ensure they perfectly encapsulate the essence of our game. We’re incredibly excited about this progress and can’t wait to share this piece of our journey with you. Stay tuned for an enticing glimpse into the world of Love Monster very soon!
Inventory
The base design of the Inventory screen is completed, with all functionalities ready, including item selection, tab feature, and item categorisation. The functionality to review the screen will be checked off soon.
Chat
The base design of the Chat screen has been finished and we are now ready to implement the art assets. Following this, we will review screen functionality and its scalability.
Wheel of Fortune
The Casino (Wheel of Fortune) screen has been designed and the base functionality created. Soon, we will be importing and implementing the art assets, followed by reviewing screen functionality and ensuring scalability.
Below you will find two visuals of the Wheel of Fortune, the first one is showing the current stage in the development process where we focus on functionality prior to implementing the final design and polishing as seen in the second image.
Store
The store section has been thoroughly planned out, with monetisation strategies set and old codes and systems reworked. The creation of items in the backend has been completed, and the screen design is done. The development of screen functionality is ongoing, including features to buy in-game credits, items, and bundles.
While it may initially seem straightforward to create a store and populate it with items, the reality is far more complex. Each item has to be meticulously programmed and crafted. Factors like the item’s usage conditions, frequency of use, in-game effects, and applicable game areas must all be considered and fine-tuned. The intricacies of this process go far beyond mere addition, demanding extensive planning, development, and testing to ensure a seamless gaming experience.
Monster Carousel and Side Menu
We have reworked the functionality of the Monster Carousel and Side Menu, allowing you to smoothly scroll through monsters and screen icons, as well as transition between scenes.
Login
The login screen pop-ups have been adjusted and new assets imported. A referral system has been created for you to invite friends and receive rewards. The review of the screen functionality will be done shortly.
Notifications
We have completed the information and gift notification features, and we are currently working on the request/confirmation notifications to ensure smooth and effective communication within the game.
Affiliate System
As we have previously highlighted, we’ve developed our very own affiliate system, packed with exciting and exclusive rewards that are solely accessible through this program. Our initial strategy for launching the game is to leverage the strength of our existing community and grow organically. That’s why we’ve designed the affiliate program, to ensure that each one of you is rewarded for being a vital part of our growth story. This affiliate system is our way of saying ‘thank you’ and recognising your contributions as we embark on this exciting journey together.
Our affiliate system is designed to operate on a target-based model. This means that as you hit certain milestones, you’ll unlock increasingly rare and valuable rewards. But rest assured, this journey will be sprinkled with rewarding moments, as we’ve planned for incentives to be earned at every stage along the way. It’s our way of ensuring continuous motivation and appreciation for your efforts.
Beta 1.0 Release Date
Despite the delay, we are thrilled to announce that we are ready to take the next big step. We are currently aiming for August 18th, when we will be deploying our Beta build to the Love Monster community.
This version will be available for download via our official website and discord. We hope that this release will give you a taste of what we’ve been passionately working on and provide us with valuable feedback to further refine and perfect the Love Monster experience.
Furthermore, we’re pleased to inform you that we are currently aiming to have the beta build released on the app stores by August 31st. We are making great progress and your opportunity to delve into the Love Monster world is closer than ever! If there are any delays in the release dates mentioned above we will let you all know.
Rest assured, we are wholeheartedly committed to bringing the best possible version of Love Monster to your screens. Every moment we spend perfecting the game now is a step towards a more enchanting, satisfying, and enduring experience in the future.
Stay tuned for more updates on our progress, and thank you for your continued support and faith in us. We promise it will be worth the wait.
Thank you,
Liam and the rest of the Love Monster Team.
