Cosmic Crumbs: Bakery Simulator Demo · published
A lot has changed since the first development update. Several systems I previously showed as work-in-progress are now fully implemented, while completely new gameplay mechanics have also been added to the bakery. There's also a brand-new trailer showcasing the latest version of Cosmic Crumbs!
Cosmic Crumbs has received a new trailer featuring many of the latest gameplay improvements, updated visuals and new systems I've been working on.
The game has evolved quite a bit since the previous trailer, so this is a much better representation of how Cosmic Crumbs currently looks and plays.
In the previous development update, I mentioned that the robot assistant would receive a complete visual overhaul. That upgrade is now in the game.
The robot now has a completely redesigned appearance that fits the visual direction of Cosmic Crumbs much better. I'm also planning to give the robot more reactions and personality through additional animations in future updates.
Market orders no longer simply appear inside the bakery. I've added a dedicated delivery device for shop orders. When a delivery begins, the machine activates, its animation starts and the ordered items arrive through the device. This makes ordering supplies feel much more connected to the world instead of functioning like a simple menu interaction.
In the previous update, I also mentioned that customers would eventually receive their own arrival system. That system is now working too. Customers no longer simply appear inside the bakery. The teleportation device activates, plays its animation and customers arrive through a visual effect.
It's a small detail, but changes like this help make the bakery feel much more alive and much more connected to the space setting of the game.
One of the biggest visual changes is the player character. The previous character has been replaced with a new astronaut. The astronaut fits the world of Cosmic Crumbs much better, but this change isn't only visual. The way you interact with objects has also been completely changed.
Previously, products and objects were simply grabbed directly with your hands. The astronaut now carries a special tool that uses an energy beam to grab and move objects from a distance. You can use the beam to interact with food, trays, boxes and many other objects throughout the bakery. This makes object interaction much more visually satisfying and also creates opportunities for physics-based gameplay.
Many of the objects you can pick up can also be thrown. Food, trays, boxes and various other interactable objects can be launched across the bakery. Large furniture such as tables can't simply be picked up and thrown around, but most smaller interactable objects can. Thrown objects can now interact with characters as well. If an object hits a customer with enough force, the customer will react to the impact with an animation before running away from the bakery. And there's another new character where this mechanic becomes much more useful...
Not every customer entering your bakery is actually there to buy something. Thieves can now enter the bakery disguised as normal customers. At first, they may look like everyone else. The major difference becomes obvious when they head toward the cash register and attempt to steal your money. Once you realize what's happening, you can fight back. You can throw objects at the thief or use objects such as a stick to hit them. If the thief has already stolen money from the register, you'll need to hit them three times before they escape. Each successful hit causes the thief to drop a large coin. Each coin contains one third of the money the thief stole. If you manage to land all three hits and collect all three coins, you can recover the stolen money before the thief escapes. This system adds a completely different kind of unexpected event to a normal day at the bakery.
Cosmic Crumbs isn't only about baked goods anymore. I've added a coffee machine, allowing players to prepare and serve drinks alongside bakery products. The coffee machine has its own ingredient reservoirs. Currently, you can load it with water, milk and coffee. Different drinks consume different amounts of these ingredients depending on their recipes. The machine then prepares the selected drink, which can be served to customers alongside bakery products. Coffee orders add another production system to manage during busy periods and expand the variety of products you can serve.
I've also spent time improving the overall atmosphere of the bakery. Both daytime and nighttime lighting have been reworked. The goal is to create a much stronger visual difference between different times of day while keeping the bakery colorful and readable. Lighting, sky colors and the overall atmosphere will continue to receive additional polish during development.
There are still several systems I'm currently working on or planning to improve. One of the biggest ones is object placement.
Currently, when you want to place an object, you need to hold the right mouse button and move toward a valid placement surface before the placement preview becomes visible. I'm currently redesigning this system. With the new system, when you're holding an object, valid placement locations within roughly seven meters will automatically reveal themselves using an outline-style indicator. This should make placing furniture, machines and other objects much faster and easier. Instead of searching for a valid surface manually, you'll immediately be able to see nearby locations where the object can be placed.
I'm also planning to expand the robot's reactions. Since thrown objects can now interact with characters, I want the robot to react when it's hit by objects or struck with things such as a stick. The goal is to make the robot feel more like part of the bakery rather than simply being an assistant that ignores everything happening around it.
Customization is another area I want to expand. Decorative objects are only the beginning. I'm considering adding systems that allow players to customize more permanent parts of the bakery, including things such as flooring. I'm also looking into additional ways to give players more control over the appearance of their bakery. I haven't finalized every customization system yet, but I want each bakery to eventually feel much more personal.
This update represents a much bigger change than the first one. Several systems that were previously only planned are now fully functioning in the game. The new robot is here. Market deliveries now have their own animated device. Customers arrive through teleportation. The player is now an astronaut equipped with a beam tool. Objects can be thrown and interact with characters. Thieves can enter the bakery and steal from your register. And coffee production has become another part of the bakery workflow.
I'm also getting closer to releasing the playable demo of Cosmic Crumbs: Bakery Simulator.
There's still some final polishing and testing to do, but the demo is planned to arrive in the near future.
More details about the demo and its release will be shared soon.
There's still plenty to build, improve and polish, but Cosmic Crumbs continues to get closer to the experience I want to create with every update. Thank you for following the development of Cosmic Crumbs: Bakery Simulator!