Hello everyone, it's been some time since the last update. 

0.6 isn't ready yet, but I wanted to write this to let you know some of the things I've been working on. 

First, the most important question, the release date. I'm aiming for a release in the last week of August, while there is always a chance for things to be delayed, I believe most changes should be achievable by then.

When building the first version of Hero Maker I didn't have any proper road maps or even a concrete plan of what I wanted to make. I simply took a lot of elements that I liked from Princess Maker 2 and tried to apply them to a more light-weight fantasy training system. As anyone who has played can tell, the experience can feel a bit disjointed at times, and it is precisely because 0.1 was basically a lot of systems stacked together and made to work in any way possible. 

With later versions, I focused mainly on expanding existing systems and adding new features and content. While I think the core systems of the game are finished, my focus with 0.6 is achieving a more cohesive experience, something that truly feels like a game that was designed as a whole rather than piecemeal. 

To that effect, I've been playtesting quite a bit, although to be honest, I took a break to work on other things first, which allowed me to return with fresher eyes to Hero Maker. I've found a lot of things that are way worse than I remembered, a lot of gaps and half-assed systems, and also some pleasant surprises. Overall though, I see a lot of opportunities for improvement. 

Besides some straightforward bug fixing, I've reevaluated some systems, such as the 'Talk' option which was underutilized and had an obvious correct choice. I've tried to make it more interesting by adding short conversations with students that can nudge their personality tendencies (loyalty, curiosity, etc.). Likewise, I've added some general personality traits for students to make each run feel a bit more personalized. Students with the 'Shy' will have a harder time raising social stats, while 'Energetic' students have an easier time raising physical stats for example. I'm working on wiring these traits to existing events so success and failure chances are affected by them. 

I've also added a 'End Training Early' option since I felt it was missing, specially for students with long training periods.

I'm also considering removing some mechanics and systems that may feel out of place or underwhelming, but I'll speak more of that on the actual release notes since I'm still in the decision-making process.

There's a lot of visual improvements I'd like to make, particularly in terms of UI, as once again the game feels quite cluttered. One first step is adding a proper tutorial for newer players, but I'm also trying to come up with better layout options to make the game more readable at first glance. 

Last, but not least, I'd like to add a money sink to the game separate from lessons and items. I'm thinking of adding some sort of upgradeable Home/Base that can aid your teaching throughout a whole run. Not sure if this would be ready for 0.6, but it is definitely coming at some point. 

As far as road maps go, I will share this properly after 0.6 releases but for now you should know that I aim for a complete 1.0 version by the end of December this year.

Thank you for reading! 

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments.