While the holiday season served as a rest period for the team, progress continued with new features and further work on the first private alpha version, to be tested together with fundraiser participants. The project remains on track to release the alpha version in Q1 of this year. As of this writing, the alpha version is approximately 60% complete. Here's an overview of the latest progress:

The bedroom area has been completed, featuring its own soundtrack. This will be the place to relax and prepare for a new workday. And yes, it can be decorated too!

Alongside the bedroom, the day & night system is now fully implemented. At the end of each day, a summary will display key statistics and bonuses earned throughout the work hours.

Between other tasks, additional polishing touches are being tested for the UI and game animations to improve responsiveness and overall usability.

A save & load system is now fully functional, offering three save slots for creating different café experiences.

One of the largest features currently in development is the NPC customer system. While tiny customers were already present, friendly villager NPCs will soon begin visiting as well!

Though not initially planned, localization may be added with the help of volunteers. Efforts are underway to make Tailside more accessible to non-English-speaking players.

Anyone interested in contributing can fill out this form with their native language.[forms.gle]. We appreciate all the effort the community is putting into this!

The first set of soundtracks featured in early access has been completed, and the soundtrack DLC is now ready for setup. Fundraiser participants will receive the soundtrack before the game's release.

The main character is fully customizable! The alpha version will allow testing of the custom character import system, enabling players to personalize their protagonist for a more unique experience.

• Fixed zoom issues on UI elements
  
• Fixed zoom in/out functionality in windowed mode when the mouse is not over the game
  
• Latte art mini-game now supports controllers and full keyboard input
  
• Fixed an NPC not appearing when "Skip Introduction" is activated
  
• Fixed orders not being enabled after dialogue ends
  
• Recipe book now opens automatically when introduced for the first time
  
• Fixed "End of Playtest" and the final task of the game
  
• Added a text UI animation displaying money increases and decreases
  
• Added a text UI animation showing experience gain
  
• Placing items now includes a small bounce animation
  
• Improved level-up UI animations to showcase new unlocked items one by one
  
• Fixed an issue preventing empty cups from being cleaned after the café closes
  
• Fixed some inventory items not displaying their quantities

If you would like to be part of the development journey, you can vote on various ideas on:
Discord[discord.com] | Twitter[x.com] | Instagram[www.instagram.com] | Leave your own suggestions[forms.gle]
Thank you so much for the support - Coffee Beans Dev