Building a little world

Last month was all about stepping outside. Up to now, HibiTomo has lived almost entirely in the room — a cozy little home where your pet eats, rests and gets pampered. But a pet needs somewhere to wander, too. December was about building the first version of that somewhere: the great outdoors.

The overworld takes shape

The biggest milestone this month was getting the outdoor map to actually work. It's a top-down world you can stroll through with your pet — grass, paths, water, little bits of scenery, all stitched together into a place that feels like it goes somewhere. Walking off the edge of your room and into an open landscape for the first time was one of those small, silly moments that make solo dev worth it.

It's still one single area for now. I'd love for the world to change from day to day down the line — different scenery, different moods — but that's a dream for later. For December, the win was simply: you can go outside, and it feels like a real place.

So many little experiments

A big chunk of the month went into prototyping activities — the small things you'll actually do out there. Fishing by the water, poking around for buried treasure, chasing bugs, tending a little patch of crops. I tried a bunch of ideas, some barely more than a rough sketch just to see how they'd feel in your hands.

And here's the honest part: not all of them will make it. That's completely normal when it's just one person tinkering. A few felt clumsy, a few weren't fun enough to keep, and a couple I'm still on the fence about. Prototyping is how you find that out — you build the thing, you play it, and sometimes you quietly retire it. No hard feelings.

Someone to meet, something to find

The world also got its first signs of life. There are now early NPCs to bump into and chat with, plus chests scattered around waiting to be opened. Nothing chatty or grand yet, but even a single character saying hello makes the whole place feel less lonely — and a little more like somewhere worth visiting.

A world that keeps time

Finally, I started sketching out a calendar for the world. The idea is that the little world should have a rhythm: changing seasons, the occasional festival, small events to look forward to, and little gifts tucked away for players who drop by. I want visiting HibiTomo to feel like there's always some small, gentle reason to check in.

Next up

There's plenty still held together with tape, but the bones of a living world are there. Next I want to firm up which activities are keepers, give those first NPCs a bit more to say, and start making the days and seasons actually feel different.

Thanks for following along. See you next month.

— Raular