Sugarplum Cafe Newsletter

This month we'll cover the following:

• Redesigning art assets (including some really cute notebooks)
• GDC 2026 updates
• Opening (limited) playtests!

Read past newsletters

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We're glowing up

Here are some assets I've been updating, as I spruce up the art for Sugarplum Cafe's trailer!

New cursors

I was previously using a sugar star konpeito and many playtesters loved it. I'll miss it too, but it was always a placeholder that didn't really fit the theme of the game.

But I think these new cursors are pretty cute! I haven't decided on which color I'll pick yet, but it might be fun to alternate depending on whether you're dragging or not.

I also think it'd be really fun to unlock custom cursors that look like cake slices...maybe if you serve a Lady enough times you can get a special cursor in her favorite flavor 🤔 But that'll be a stretch goal, if the game gets enough traction!

Main Menu + Menu Notebooks

Next, the Main Menu is finally getting art that isn't a placeholder! The Main Menu is a quick directory to various parts of the game - a Shop where you buy ingredients and tools, a Guestbook where you can see all the characters you've met, a Cookbook that records all the recipes and tea parties you've discovered...and of course, Settings and Exit.

I thought it would be immersive to make each of these menu items a book, since many of these options could translate to books or catalogs of some form. I recently came across Custard Creams, which are elaborately embossed sandwich cookies from the UK, and their shape made me think "Hmm...that would look really cute as a notebook."

Initially I was tied to having the name of each Menu item appear on the cover - I knew it was going to be too small to read and I always planned on having larger text underneath each icon, but having an engraved word felt essential to the embossed sandwich cookies (see the Oreo + Custard Cream above).

But I designed a version with icons instead of words, and honestly it just looked better. When I held a poll in my Instagram stories, the voters agreed. It'll be way easier if I ever decide to translate this game into other languages, so I'm not complaining.

Many people who saw my stories expressed interest in making these real - I think it'd be a really cute idea! Sugarplum merch in the future, perhaps? (If you can manufacture something like this, please hit me up)

OK, actually the Main Menu now

I was excited to showcase these notebooks in the game...but my first Main Menu prototype didn't really turn out how I wanted. I think too many different colors cheapened the impact of the notebooks.

(I plan to combine "Story" and "Gossip" into one item, which is why they have the same icon for now)

So I decided to stick to more natural dessert colors, with an occasional pop of pastel. Also keeping with the theme of immersion, I put them all on a bookshelf. The way I'm imagining it, when you visit the Main Menu you're visiting this shelf and deciding which catalog you want to pick up and peruse through.

I'm still playing around with color contrast but I think there's something here! I had an idea to give more booklike names to each item e.g. "Shop Catalog" but let me know what you think.

About GDC...

GDC is next month but sadly I will not be there this year - I was really looking forward to it, but I'll be on a work trip. But if you're going this year and have read this far, Garaje is a 10 min walk away and, in my opinion, one of the few restaurants in that area that I don't think is overpriced. They specialize in “zapatos” which are burritos pressed in a panini. Also there are fries in the burrito.

I love their beer-battered cauliflower so I only get dishes with that, but I'm sure it's all good! And near Garaje is an excellent cafe called Golden Goat Coffee - I'm not a coffee expert but my friends who are vouch hard for this place.

Want to playtest the game?

I *think* I've figured out the drag-and-drop stuff from the last newsletter now, so I will open up a limited number of playtests in March!

My current availability in March is anytime after 7:30pm PT from Monday-Friday, and after 1:30pm PT on Saturday and Sunday. I'm not available from 3/8-3/14 but am otherwise flexible, but I have to work on some other game stuff so unfortunately I can't hold playtests every day in March. (Hoping to share more about this in future months...!)

The way I currently hold playtests is that we'll get on a Discord voice call, you'll share your screen, and I'll record your screen (but not audio) so I can track any bugs that appear. We could also try Google Meet if you prefer.

If you're ok with all this and you own a PC (no Mac build yet sorry!), please reply with the following:

• Your Discord username OR email for Google Meet
• Days and times of the week that work for you in March
• Whether you've played the demo before + if so, where

The demo is the same as Ursa Major unless you are a paid Patreon member, in which case you'll playtest the Patreon build with more Ladies, tea parties, and recipes to discover!
Also, if you've done a playtest with me before that's fine! Even if we already talked about playtesting again, please reply anyways - I am a little shy about poking people and extra confirmation would be nice 🙏

Transparently, not everyone who replies will be able to playtest, but it will be extremely helpful to start building a catalogue of playtesters so I appreciate anyone who volunteers.

Ending on a sweet note

I love talking about food, so I thought it'd be fun to end each newsletter with a different dessert. This month's sweet treat is from Christine's in San Francisco!

Christine's specializes in thicc cookies - not Levain mounds, but hefty nonetheless - and values locally-sourced, organic ingredients. She's very passionate about offering vegan and gluten-free options, and also has savory pastries that rotate often. But the cookie menu remains pretty consistent as she likes to stick to the classics.

On what to get: my friends who claim to be chocolate chip connoisseurs say that hers is easily in their top 3. Her black sesame Oreo cookie is her signature flavor, but my personal favorite is the lemon earl grey cookie which tastes like no lemon cookie I've had before. Something about the Meyer lemon curd hits different when it's paired with earl grey...or maybe she's just put something magic in there. It's seasonal, but now is the season!

Christine not only prioritizes local farms when sourcing her ingredients but also values sustainability and tries to live as zero waste as possible. She and I actually go way back - we were in youth orchestra together in our high school days, sharing a violin stand no less! She was baking even then, and would bring cookies to rehearsals for everyone.

I had the incredible opportunity to help out in the early days of her shop - sometimes I'd stop by after work to help zest lemons and roll dough balls, and twice I even woke up at 5am to help her prep for local fairs. Even though my rookie ass probably made more work than less haha I had a really fun time, even on the days I had to wake up early! I think the excitement of getting to go behind the scenes at a bakery kept me very awake.

She definitely doesn't need my plug as her cookies have garnered quite a following, but you should stop by if you're in the area! Look for "christine's" on Google - close to Tartine Manufactory and Farmhouse Thai, between the Mission District and Potrero Hill.