It’s been a while since the last progress post on MahJong House. This was mostly due to the change in our store software, making the switch meant having to pause development on the game. Things are now back in full swing however, and there are many new features and ideas coming to the table. Some of the changes may seem small in the scheme of things, but I think they add to the overall feel of the interface and impressions of quality. Such as the improved text entry field for creating new players. In the next update it will now allow for text selection with either mouse or keyboard, not to mention it actually has a blinking cursor now. Other changes include a vast improvement in text rendering, allowing for proper letter spacing and kerning now. A recode of the video playback system that fully supports Vista/Windows7 and other minor improvements to the menu.
The big changes will be coming in the form of a remodeled room, several new reward items and most importantly a character interaction element. This is the biggest change to the game since it’s inception and will bring both meaning and purpose to the reward system. It will also help to flesh out the house and it’s occupants with story and artwork, which brings us to the current stage of development. I am currently working on the character design. This is a slower process than pounding out code and will delay the release of the 1.6 update by several weeks. I do plan to publish the new version before the deadline for the IGF contest as I will be competing this year with MahJong House. I’ll make sure to post more updates as artwork and story begin to develop more.