Starting a devlog for Bokes for Fokes

So I'm starting a devlog for Bokes for Fokes, the working title of a a domestication and breeding sim that I have been wanting to make since I was about twelve. I started true development on this project a year ago, but I have actually found some notes of mine from about four years ago for ideas and systems in this game. While many of the ideas have remained the same for over fifteen years, this is a much more formed idea than I ever had as a younger person.

Let's get right to it. Meet the boke! (rhymes with "poke" and "soak")

These are the animals in the game. They are already rather tame, and hanging around the village you've moved to, but they're not quite domesticated. Throughout the game you are able to breed and train them to specialize in different competitions, etc. Important disclaimer: I don't believe one should actually practice domestication on regular animals. We have enough domestic animals as it is that are not getting adequate or proper care in my opinion. That disclaimer aside, this is what I've been interested in for a long time and I'm making the game I've always wanted to play.

So, what are some of my current ideas? 

• A single player, turn-based game. You can play as many days in-game as you want during a session, or you can leave for a while and come back and nothing will have changed. While I'm not saying no to multiplayer functionality, I want the player to be able to have a full experience even if they're the only person playing, something I've really missed in pet games since playing Petz 5 as a kid.
• Genetic strings. I got into pet games because I was fascinated by genetics, but most games I've seen out there don't actually have genetics, or are educational games. I'm happy to have an educational component to this game, but I don't want it to be the only component.
• Domestication and breeding-centric. I've been fascinated by both since I was young. I want the player to have the opportunity to create their own variety or breed of boke, starting from the wild-type available to them. 
• Accessibility and inclusivity. Though most of my identities afford me great privilege, I want this to be a game that, if I am able to ship it, gives people a safe and wonderful space. Because I'm early in development I am focusing most on my own experience right now to make sure I get my ideas into the engine and in a playable state. But it is fully my intention to have characters of different identities and life experiences within this game, and I want to make sure that before this game is fully-released that as large an audience as possible can enjoy it. 

Some interesting stats that may be of interest to you, in no particular order.

• I'm using the Godot engine, and am loving it so far!
• I'm concurrently in graduate school in an unrelated field to game design. Since my semester is starting again soon, I don't know exactly how often I will be able to update, but my goal is at least once a month, and hopefully more often.
• I am planning on this being a solo dev. I've always wanted to learn more about art, music, and coding, so this is my opportunity.

While I do have art, I am currently focusing most on the backend development of breeding and enclosure systems. Since November of 2021 I've been able to set up a save system, adoption and death mechanics, and renaming, as well as a lot of refactoring of code. I want to make sure that the systems that provide the strategy are working before I start adding art.

Hope to see you all again soon!