Completed Welcome to PokéFriend Café! - A Café Game - Update v5.0

luxdiablo · Jul 12, 2020

Henry the absolute legend releasing an epic game. Good job man, looks super cool!

Nomi · Jul 12, 2020

TheLuxDiablo said:
Henry the absolute legend releasing an epic game. Good job man, looks super cool!

Thank you Luxie!! ^^

Also, to everybody, I found some glitches in the game I didn’t notice earlier so I’ll be updating it later today! Also, I’ll add something new to incentivize it~ ^^

Aki · Jul 13, 2020

First jam game submitted! Nice!!

I've got a bug report, on day...I think 16? I went Downtown before opening the cafe, and randomly found a shop run by a Jigglypuff. It sold me a Planter for $100, but after that I got caught in a loop of this:

I let it play for awhile to see if one of my stats would level up and break the loop but nah. I saw Shiny Yampers and Milotic though!
Edit: I got the planter shop event again, and refusing to buy it also causes a loop, just slightly different; the meet like above, then the shop, refusing again causes the meet and then the shop...

I'm liking the game so far but most of the mechanics seem really obscured. Like, you don't learn any recipes unless you:

Play long enough to buy furniture
Earn enough money to buy a bookcase
Use the bookcase and read the cookbook

It's a minor thing, and some orders are self explanatory (Coffee Grounds= Coffee, Tea Leafs= Tea) but for things like sandwiches, which have multiple ingredients? Or parfaits, which uh, tbh I forgot what those are and looked them up; yogurt isn't obvious as the default ingredient.

Similarly with the stats, they're so obscure in both what they do and how they're raised that it feels like flavor text than something that's actually affecting my gameplay. It'd be nice to see a progress bar, or have more things like the broom that let me work on a specific stat? Same also goes for money, I don't know where to view how much I have on hand, and getting paid more/less for the quality of my job doesn't have an impact because I have no idea how much I'm getting or I normally get paid.

Oh, one last bug, a couple times the variable didn't work quite right while I was cooking, it might be a choice menu issue?

I am enjoying the game though and want to see more of the little story bits. The core gameplay is really charming! I really wanna keep playing untill I get to see some of my stats taking effect!

Nomi · Jul 13, 2020

Aki said:
First jam game submitted! Nice!!

I've got a bug report, on day...I think 16? I went Downtown before opening the cafe, and randomly found a shop run by a Jigglypuff. It sold me a Planter for $100, but after that I got caught in a loop of this:

I let it play for awhile to see if one of my stats would level up and break the loop but nah. I saw Shiny Yampers and Milotic though!
Edit: I got the planter shop event again, and refusing to buy it also causes a loop, just slightly different; the meet like above, then the shop, refusing again causes the meet and then the shop...

I'm liking the game so far but most of the mechanics seem really obscured. Like, you don't learn any recipes unless you:

Play long enough to buy furniture

Earn enough money to buy a bookcase

Use the bookcase and read the cookbook

It's a minor thing, and some orders are self explanatory (Coffee Grounds= Coffee, Tea Leafs= Tea) but for things like sandwiches, which have multiple ingredients? Or parfaits, which uh, tbh I forgot what those are and looked them up; yogurt isn't obvious as the default ingredient.

Similarly with the stats, they're so obscure in both what they do and how they're raised that it feels like flavor text than something that's actually affecting my gameplay. It'd be nice to see a progress bar, or have more things like the broom that let me work on a specific stat? Same also goes for money, I don't know where to view how much I have on hand, and getting paid more/less for the quality of my job doesn't have an impact because I have no idea how much I'm getting or I normally get paid.

Oh, one last bug, a couple times the variable didn't work quite right while I was cooking, it might be a choice menu issue?

I am enjoying the game though and want to see more of the little story bits. The core gameplay is really charming! I really wanna keep playing untill I get to see some of my stats taking effect!

Ty for your review! I fixed a lot of those glitches throughout v1.2-v1.3, but if you find any more, feel free to tell me! ^^ Also, when I release the next "big" version update, I'll make sure to make it easier to learn the recipes!

Aki · Jul 16, 2020

I started a new playthrough on version 2 and got about 50 days in, so I've got a couple suggestions!
I really love the concept of this game and found the simple repetitiveness really addicting, but I think what it's lacking overall is a sense of progression. I can really feel that after about 30 days when the cafe has a full reputation, there's not really another step up or a goal to aim for.
At the 35+ day phase, there's a weird place where I've bought all the furniture, levelled up at least one stat, gotten the planter and probably the figurine...and then I'm left expecting the next thing. Since the planter was a random secret shop unlock, at first I thought it would be another item like that, or maybe even another planter first since there's space on the wall. And with the stats, there's allways been foreshadowing at what they're needed for but...now being able to read maps and swim in the ocean don't really feel like big payoffs when they've been teased for so long.

So, some ideas/suggestions that would add more progression to the game:

Let the player learn recipes! I think this would be especially great if the new recipes used the same base ingredients, so there would be like 3 different foods that the player would grab Moomoo Milk for.
This one I'm a little less sure of but, you could stretch out the game's progression by nerfing the beginning a bit. If the cafe opens with only the dry shelf food, then buying the fridge and being able to store/unlock all those ingredients would be a huge stepping stone for the player.
Another planter please! And eventually other items that let the player replenish ingredients over time? Not sure all of them would work (like canned soup...) but there could be a couple things like buying some dough for cheap and popping it in the oven untill it's bready
Because the "help someone downtown with their map" gets built up, have the eventual fulfillment of that be something special, like maybe their map leads to an exclusive rare shop and they take the player to it
Same for finally swimming in the ocean, maybe something like the player finds and unlocks a seafood ingredient
What if Zoroark normally stole more money, but eventually less money when the player's Guts were higher? IDK about this one as it might be too punishing early on, but money isn't usually an issue
More characters like Karen who have some kind of progression/arc, like speaking of Zoroark maybe after so many thefts it could change its' ways, or become a regular at the cafe and then feel conflicted about stealing from the player, or maybe even if the player's Wisdom was high enough they could convince Zoroark to not steal (at least this time). Also Ming The Alley Witch Espurr, if I spray her enough times is she gonna come back for revenge or...
If you wanted to hammer home the theme of escape, maybe add in some character(s) from the protagonist's past, or add more to the relationship with Mom
More furniture or furniture styles would be super cute and a great money sink
Does the mail on the PC really get used? It'd be cool if there was a reason to check it, like maybe sometimes there's coupons for a certain ingredient, or a restaurant reviewer wants to setup a meeting (get their order wrong and take a big hit to the reputation maybe?), or just Karen sending the player mail like she does with phonecalls
Customers eventually ordering a couple things at a time, or maybe asking specifically for berries to be added

Sorry if that's too much n_n; I got really excited about cafe game ideas! I know with the game jam deadline it's not plausible to do a ton of edits whether you like the ideas or not, I just wanted to share some of what I'd been thinking about.

Nomi · Jul 16, 2020

Aki said:
I started a new playthrough on version 2 and got about 50 days in, so I've got a couple suggestions!
I really love the concept of this game and found the simple repetitiveness really addicting, but I think what it's lacking overall is a sense of progression. I can really feel that after about 30 days when the cafe has a full reputation, there's not really another step up or a goal to aim for.
At the 35+ day phase, there's a weird place where I've bought all the furniture, levelled up at least one stat, gotten the planter and probably the figurine...and then I'm left expecting the next thing. Since the planter was a random secret shop unlock, at first I thought it would be another item like that, or maybe even another planter first since there's space on the wall. And with the stats, there's allways been foreshadowing at what they're needed for but...now being able to read maps and swim in the ocean don't really feel like big payoffs when they've been teased for so long.

So, some ideas/suggestions that would add more progression to the game:

Let the player learn recipes! I think this would be especially great if the new recipes used the same base ingredients, so there would be like 3 different foods that the player would grab Moomoo Milk for.

This one I'm a little less sure of but, you could stretch out the game's progression by nerfing the beginning a bit. If the cafe opens with only the dry shelf food, then buying the fridge and being able to store/unlock all those ingredients would be a huge stepping stone for the player.

Another planter please! And eventually other items that let the player replenish ingredients over time? Not sure all of them would work (like canned soup...) but there could be a couple things like buying some dough for cheap and popping it in the oven untill it's bready

Because the "help someone downtown with their map" gets built up, have the eventual fulfillment of that be something special, like maybe their map leads to an exclusive rare shop and they take the player to it

Same for finally swimming in the ocean, maybe something like the player finds and unlocks a seafood ingredient

What if Zoroark normally stole more money, but eventually less money when the player's Guts were higher? IDK about this one as it might be too punishing early on, but money isn't usually an issue

More characters like Karen who have some kind of progression/arc, like speaking of Zoroark maybe after so many thefts it could change its' ways, or become a regular at the cafe and then feel conflicted about stealing from the player, or maybe even if the player's Wisdom was high enough they could convince Zoroark to not steal (at least this time). Also Ming The Alley Witch Espurr, if I spray her enough times is she gonna come back for revenge or...

If you wanted to hammer home the theme of escape, maybe add in some character(s) from the protagonist's past, or add more to the relationship with Mom

More furniture or furniture styles would be super cute and a great money sink

Does the mail on the PC really get used? It'd be cool if there was a reason to check it, like maybe sometimes there's coupons for a certain ingredient, or a restaurant reviewer wants to setup a meeting (get their order wrong and take a big hit to the reputation maybe?), or just Karen sending the player mail like she does with phonecalls

Customers eventually ordering a couple things at a time, or maybe asking specifically for berries to be added

Sorry if that's too much n_n; I got really excited about cafe game ideas! I know with the game jam deadline it's not plausible to do a ton of edits whether you like the ideas or not, I just wanted to share some of what I'd been thinking about.

tysm for the suggestions! ill take them into account for the next update >:3 EDIT: forgot to mention but you CAN have a chance to get random items from Karen in the beginning of the day at Rank 5 or above!

Nomi · Jul 25, 2020

Updated PokéFriend Café to v4.0! Here are the Patch Notes! (Also viewable in the Patch Notes section.)

*Added a new partner, Chimecho, with the skill Gifter, which, when starting the day, you have a chance to be able to pay Chimecho to give you a random item.
*Added 1 new Pokémon that can visit your Café
*Added a new option in the Pause Menu to instantly go to the Café door during the morning, and to your room during the night.
*Decreased the amount of Flower Visits needed to trigger the Flower event downtown.
*Added important information accidentally left out relating to Berries. This can be viewed on your computer's mail
*Added text when getting new partners that explain the partner's skill so you don't need to switch to them to see it.
*Fixed errors with 2nd Bookshelf

Nomi · Aug 4, 2020

Updated PokéFriend Café to v5.0, most likely the final version before the Game Jam ends. Thank you all so much for supporting this project! ^^

Evan · Aug 14, 2020

Hello!

PokeFriend cafe was a warm, friendly, inviting experience, that was very charming in how it was presented. I enjoyed the different random events, and how excited I would get to see which new pokemon would be coming into my cafe or robbing me in the streets at night.

I would definiely echo what Aki says in her post above, she certainly hits the nail on the head when it comes to cafe games like this. It's hard to balance that sense of progression...at the beginning especially, things felt a bit like a grind, especially with one pokemon coming in a day, not knowing really what flavors they liked, and barely making a profit because you're spending the money you earned on more ingredients. Additionally I'd say a lot of the events during food preparation seem to be set up to harm you--I'd challenge you to have more random events happen that can positively effect the player, to put an extra smile on a player's face...because it did get discouraging for me to continue to mess up orders day in and day out.

With that said, I enjoyed playing the game--it was a very unique experience especially for pokemon fangames, and I cant wait to see what you come up with next!

SorrowDivine · Aug 17, 2020

Hey there!

I just finally got to play the first of the Game Jam Games :3

This game is so lovely, and I really enjoyed it, especially the little events that can happen inbetween the baking :3
Ngl, I sucked at knowing what Pokemon likes which berries, so it was pure luck, if they liked the stuff I made them or not.
And for sure, I won't become a famous baker, cause I kept making wrong decisions when things happened during a work day, but the Game is very addicting, and even tho it seems repetitive, you don't feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again, cause the little differences each day!

Really great Game Henry, keep up the good work :3

Nomi · Aug 18, 2020

SorrowDivine said:
Hey there!

I just finally got to play the first of the Game Jam Games :3

This game is so lovely, and I really enjoyed it, especially the little events that can happen inbetween the baking :3
Ngl, I sucked at knowing what Pokemon likes which berries, so it was pure luck, if they liked the stuff I made them or not.
And for sure, I won't become a famous baker, cause I kept making wrong decisions when things happened during a work day, but the Game is very addicting, and even tho it seems repetitive, you don't feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again, cause the little differences each day!

Really great Game Henry, keep up the good work :3

tysm!! ;;

PokeBoy1238 · Aug 24, 2020

I downloaded v5.0 but the folder says v4.0. So is there a way to check the version?

Nomi · Aug 25, 2020

If you just download it from the link, it'll be the latest version so DW. I suggest changing it if it helps you.

TheGamingPaladin · Aug 31, 2020

unlike your avatar, this isnt a Trubbish game. (had to make that joke. lol) i really like the concept and i'm sure to enjoy it.

Nomi · Aug 31, 2020

TheGamingPaladin said:
unlike your avatar, this isnt a Trubbish game. (had to make that joke. lol) i really like the concept and i'm sure to enjoy it.

tysm! ^^

Marin · Sep 30, 2020

The concept behind this game reminded me of Vendily's Pokémon Daycare from last year's jam, and that isn't a bad thing. I'm glad I got to see another type of management-esque game, because it's so different from the usual battling-with-Pokémon type of game. It was refreshing to see your take on a Café-management game, and I loved the feeling I got when I jumped into the game. Not everything is explained directly, which is both good and slightly annoying; I want to be able to explore what the game has to offer myself, at my own pace, but I also don't want to be completely in the dark as to what all the different statistics mean, and what the goal of the game is.

One thing I ran into rather quickly was repetition. Every day and night is the same, and it becomes a routine after the first few days when everything has been explored. Ranking up doesn't really change or unlock much, and so you're still stuck doing the same things over and over and over again. After about an hour I'd seen everything so many times that I called it quits.

Nevertheless, the little dialogue pieces when going out, as well as the different types of events that could occur while preparing food/drinks were a lot of fun to explore, and might have counteracted the repetitiveness from the overall routine if there had been more of them, or if the same scenes/events had some variation internally (e.g. the oven catching on fire and calling the fire department not always having the same result).

Furthermore, the skill points, nor the partners, made a noticeable difference. After an hour most of my skills were still about 15-20, and higher ranks requiring 25, 50, and more up to 1000, really didn't motivate me to play up to that point, given how long I projected that would have taken.

Overall, the concept behind the game was great, but I believe with more time, the repetition could have been tackled a little better to overall make the game enjoyable for a longer period of time.

Nomi · Sep 30, 2020

Marin said:
The concept behind this game reminded me of Vendily's Pokémon Daycare from last year's jam, and that isn't a bad thing. I'm glad I got to see another type of management-esque game, because it's so different from the usual battling-with-Pokémon type of game. It was refreshing to see your take on a Café-management game, and I loved the feeling I got when I jumped into the game. Not everything is explained directly, which is both good and slightly annoying; I want to be able to explore what the game has to offer myself, at my own pace, but I also don't want to be completely in the dark as to what all the different statistics mean, and what the goal of the game is.

One thing I ran into rather quickly was repetition. Every day and night is the same, and it becomes a routine after the first few days when everything has been explored. Ranking up doesn't really change or unlock much, and so you're still stuck doing the same things over and over and over again. After about an hour I'd seen everything so many times that I called it quits.

Nevertheless, the little dialogue pieces when going out, as well as the different types of events that could occur while preparing food/drinks were a lot of fun to explore, and might have counteracted the repetitiveness from the overall routine if there had been more of them, or if the same scenes/events had some variation internally (e.g. the oven catching on fire and calling the fire department not always having the same result).

Furthermore, the skill points, nor the partners, made a noticeable difference. After an hour most of my skills were still about 15-20, and higher ranks requiring 25, 50, and more up to 1000, really didn't motivate me to play up to that point, given how long I projected that would have taken.

Overall, the concept behind the game was great, but I believe with more time, the repetition could have been tackled a little better to overall make the game enjoyable for a longer period of time.

ty for the feedback mar! i'll make sure to take it into consideration for the sequel ^^

RandomAnimootNetwork · Nov 18, 2020

I really liked the game! It's fun and adorable.

I am only asking because of the resouce pack link, can we use resources from the game if we properly credit!

P-Plum · Feb 14, 2021

I love this game! It's so cute!

There is a small issue with the flowerpot when you recieve it from a Pokémon. The priority doesn't seem to be set correctly.

Completed Welcome to PokéFriend Café! - A Café Game - Update v5.0

luxdiablo

Berserk Inferno

Nomi

Trainer

Aki

Ace trainer

Nomi

Trainer

Aki

Ace trainer

Nomi

Trainer

Nomi

Trainer

Nomi

Trainer

Evan

game director, Pokémon Sea & Sky

SorrowDivine

Rookie

Nomi

Trainer

PokeBoy1238

Discord: PokeGuy1238 #3086

Nomi

Trainer

TheGamingPaladin

TheGamingPaladin - Youtuber, Foodie, Gamer 4 Life

Nomi

Trainer

Marin

Moderator

Nomi

Trainer

RandomAnimootNetwork

Rookie

P-Plum

Rookie