Shards of Her - DEVLog May

Here we go with another DEVLog!

Besides the story content, there will be some new features, and the new Options Menu will be available, plus a few more things. I'm also working on the Interface Language to be fully functional by the time the next update is released. There is a lot to handle, so I can't give an ETA, but I'm working on it daily alongside the story.

Now, let's focus on the main things that will change or be added in the next update. First off, as I said, the new Options Menu will be available, fully structured and with options for you. More options will be added, especially in the Accessibility tab. Now, let's take a quick peek at it. I censored Aya because of the preview; don't worry, she's not censored in the game.

As you can see, we have a new, tabbed, and well-organized UI. Below, I'll present what options can be found in each of the tabs.

DISPLAY

• Display Mode - FullScreen / Cinematic

• Cinematic Mode - Toggle On/Off

• Textbox Opacity - Slider

• Text Size - Slider

SOUND

• Music Volume - Slider

• Sound Volume - Slider

• Voice Volume - Voice Test plus Slider

• Mute All Toggle Button

GAMEPLAY

• Unseen Text - Toggle

• After Choices - Toggle

• Rollback Side - Left / Right

• Text Speed - Slider

• Auto-Play Speed - Slider

LANGUAGE

• Interface Language - English / Italian / Chinese / Spanish / German / Russian / Romanian / French

• Game Dialogue - TBA

The Accessibility tab is a work in progress, as there will be some other options like High Contrast and Subtitles settings, but this is subject to change.

Now, I've added Cinematic Mode to the game, which can be toggled ON/OFF at any time. It does exactly what you expect, and I've tried to make the experience a bit more cinematic. Below, you can find a comparison between the default and cinematic modes.

Now, for some technical things you may not care about: since I'm working on the Interface Language, about 80% of the code for the Characters, The Shards, and Timeline sections needs to be changed. This is necessary so I can easily translate everything. It sounds harsher than it is, but I'll deal with it and make sure it's ready for the next release.

"What if the greatest warning came from the ghost of your own future?"

Regarding the in-game UI Menu, it has been changed to maintain a consistent style throughout. You might have noticed a mix of styles in some areas previously; this will no longer be the case, as a single style is now applied everywhere. Furthermore, each instance where a choice needs to be made will be treated separately to ensure excellent readability.

As you can see here, this is the style of the new menu choices. While it looks raw now, I'm testing different things to make it "pop" more for readability, which is why it's currently blending into the background.

Below, you can find the changelog for the upcoming release so far.

SOH Patch 0.4.6/8

• ACT IV Story Content

• NEW Memory 15 in the Memories Menu (Needs to be unlocked)

• Added CINEMATIC MODE (Toggle from Options)

• NEW Options Menu

• Smoothed the Narrator VO

• UI Remade for Choices Screen

• ACT III Script Fixes

• Visual Fixes (Overall) and UI Assets

• Small Flags Fixes

And let's wrap it