Full Version Development Update: Desktop Mode, Cat Behaviors, Room Customization

Long time no see!

Over the past several weeks, we have been focusing most of our time and energy on developing the full version of Meow Time. Although we haven’t posted any new updates on Steam recently, development has continued steadily, and many features are gradually coming together.

Today, we would like to share some of the changes we have been working on.

Desktop Wallpaper Mode

Let’s begin with the desktop mode we mentioned in our previous update.

The core development of Desktop Wallpaper Mode is now complete, and testing and final polish are also nearly finished.

In this mode, you can set the game scene as your desktop wallpaper, allowing the little room and your cat to truly live on your desktop. Even without keeping the main game window open, you can check in at any time and watch your cat go about its daily life.

Desktop Wallpaper Mode is more than just an animated background.

You can still use productivity tools such as the Pomodoro timer and to-do list, as well as access the settings and other features whenever you need them. When you don’t need the interface, you can hide it at any time and leave only the room and your cat quietly living on the desktop.

We have also added multi-monitor support and adapted the mode for a variety of setups. Whether you want your cat on your primary monitor, on a secondary display, or simply keeping you company while you work, you can adjust the experience to suit your own habits.

This feature turned out to require much more development work than we originally expected, but it has finally taken shape!

Walls, Floors, and Room Colors

For room customization, we have updated the wall, floor, and paint bucket features.

The full version will include a wider selection of wallpapers and flooring styles, giving you more freedom to change the overall look and atmosphere of your room.

In addition to our preset color schemes, we have created a new DIY Paint Bucket interface. Here, you can choose and combine your favorite colors to create a more personalized wall design.

Of course, if you are not sure which colors to use, you can also choose from several recommended combinations prepared by us.

We want the room to feel like more than just a place to arrange furniture. We hope it can become a small, comfortable space that reflects your personal tastes and makes you want to spend time there.

Cat Behavior System Rework

The cat has been one of the main focuses of our recent development work.

We have completed a major rework of the cat’s overall behavior system.

In the previous Demo, the cat already had several automatic behaviors, but the way it selected actions and transitioned between states was still relatively simple. At times, this could make it feel as though the cat was only following a fixed routine.

With this rework, we have introduced more factors that can influence the cat’s behavior and redesigned the relationships between its different states.

We want the cat’s actions to feel like more than randomly selected animations. Its current condition, surroundings, and interactions with the player will all have an effect, making it feel more like the cat is living its own little life inside the room.

Building on this new behavior system, we have also added more automatic and interactive behaviors. Compared with the Demo, there will be more ways to spend time with your cat, and you will be able to see it doing a wider variety of things around the room.

The main behavior system is now complete. We are continuing to add the corresponding animations, sound effects, and interaction details, which are among our current development priorities.

In-Game Guidebook

The main framework of the in-game guidebook has also been completed, and most of the basic content has already been added.

In the full version, the guidebook will provide explanations of the game’s features, tools, and systems. If you forget how something works or want to learn more about a particular feature, you will be able to find the answer in the game instead of relying on repeated trial and error.

As other features continue to develop, new explanations will also need to be added to the guidebook.

We are currently filling in the remaining content and reviewing the existing text to make sure the explanations are clear without overwhelming players who have just started the game.

UI and Productivity Tool Layouts

We have also made several adjustments to the game’s UI. Our goal is to make commonly used features clearer and easier to operate while allowing the interface to better accommodate different playstyles and preferences.

We have also added a new Free Layout feature.

When this feature is enabled, you can freely reposition productivity tools such as the Pomodoro timer and to-do list. This allows you to arrange the interface based on your available desktop space and personal workflow.

Whether you want to place frequently used tools somewhere more convenient or reduce the amount of the room and cat covered by the interface, you will have much more flexibility in arranging everything.

If you prefer the original fixed layout, you can disable the Free Layout feature at any time from the settings menu.

The main UI structure and design iterations are now largely complete, while the artwork for the new UI is still being refined. As a result, the UI in the full version will look somewhat different from the one currently shown in the Demo.

What’s Next

That covers the main areas we have been working on over the past month.

Some features have completed their core development and are now being tested and polished. Other systems already have their main frameworks in place but still need additional content, artwork, animations, and sound effects.

We wanted to share these works in progress because many important development tasks cannot immediately be presented in a single screenshot, even though they will have a direct impact on the final experience of the full version.

Meow Time is still being developed full-time by our two-person team. We have not stopped working on the game or abandoned the project. We have simply been putting more of our time and energy directly into development.

We are still evaluating the release date of the full version based on the remaining development work and testing progress. Once the timing becomes clearer, we will share it with everyone as soon as possible.

Thank you very much to everyone who continues to follow Meow Time, and to every player who shared feedback and suggestions with us during the Demo.

We will continue doing our best to make this little room for you and your cat as wonderful as possible.

We hope that the next time we meet, we will have even more new content to share with you! 🐱