Cute Away Playtest 0.3.e Update

The playtest will be live very soon! Your feedback is taken from Demo 0.3.d, especially regarding bugs and content, and now a massive update is packed with new features, quality-of-life upgrades, and important bug fixes.

Playtesters will be accepted in batches. If you run into any issues entering the playtest, please feel free to contact us. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so be sure to share your feedback via the Steam Community Hub or our Discord!

Here is everything coming in this update:

Brand New Market System

Get ready for a massively extended gameplay loop! You can now run your very own pet care shop.

• Open for Business: Create your shop, stock pet caretaking products, and toggle your store open or closed to NPCs.

• Checkout Mechanics: Scan purchased products and package them into baskets for your customers.

• Reputation & Scoring: NPCs now rate you on a scale of 1-5 stars. You will receive separate scores for "Market" and "Cat Caretaking." Higher scores mean more foot traffic and customers visiting your home!

• AdjustedMap UpgradesLevel design has been heavily improved to accommodate the new market logic.

Enhanced Cat Care & Interactions

• AddedGrooming ToolsAdded a new set of actions, including brushing to groom your cats.

• Cooking & Special Foods: Cooking is now in the game! Prepare special foods to boost your cats' overall mood.

• Online Pet Store: Order different types of food (with varying quality levels) from an online store to fill bowls.

• AddedDynamic Supply TrackingFood refilling is now dynamic. Consumable items (like food bags) and placed furniture (like food bowls) now hold specific amounts of supplies. Track how much food is left via the new quick panel or your inventory.

• Fully Functional Litter Boxes: Cats will now actively interact with litter boxes. These require a certain amount of supplies to maintain, and you will need to empty them regularly!

• AddedNew FurnitureAdded brand new furniture pieces for the cats with unique functionality.

Inventory, Movement & Building

• AddedInventory SystemA brand new inventory system and UI! You can now store small objects directly in your inventory instead of having to place them in the scene.
• AddedQuick SlotsAdded quick inventory slots for faster access to your items.

• Pushing Big Furniture: Instead of carrying large objects and blocking your view, you now push big furniture.

• Upgraded Handling: Player carrying and pushing logic has been heavily upgraded so your hands perfectly fit the object you are moving.

• Modular Building: Dynamic building is here! You can now build custom cat houses using modular parts.

• AddedSprint MechanicAdded a sprint button so you can get around faster.

UI, Saves, & Progression

• AddedExperience & SkillsAdded an EXP and Skill system! Level up and improve your character in certain directions to fit your playstyle.
• AdjustedDynamic Save SystemA brand new save system is fully integrated. You can now choose specific save slots via the updated single-player and co-op menus. (Note: In co-op mode, only the host can save).

• Steam Cloud Integration: Your save files will now automatically sync across your Steam account!

• AddedSmart NotificationsA new guiding notification system will alert you when your inventory is full, you don't have enough money, or if you are trying to carry something you can't.
• AddedRotation UIAdded a helpful UI to guide you when rotating objects.

Bug Fixes & Polish

• Fixed a bug where players were able to "unpack" cats (cats will no longer be removed when trying to unpack them).

• Fixed cat returning logic bugs where cats were getting stuck in the scene.

• Fixed an issue where some shop items were missing their names and icons.

• Mostly fixed cat animation glitches for smoother feline friends.

• Added new sound effects for opening carrier doors.

Thank you all for playing and helping us shape the game. Enjoy the new update, and let us know what you think!