# Weekly Studio Meeting Notes

**Studio:** Lantern Fox Games  
**Project:** *Hollow Harbor*  
**Date:** July 31, 2026  
**Time:** 10:00–11:15 a.m. ET  
**Location:** Discord / Studio Voice  
**Facilitator:** Maya Chen  
**Note-taker:** Eli Brooks  

## Attendees

- Maya Chen — Creative Director
- Eli Brooks — Producer
- Priya Nair — Lead Programmer
- Jordan Bell — Art Director
- Sofia Alvarez — Narrative Designer
- Theo Martin — Audio Designer
- Lena Park — Community and Marketing

**Absent:** Noah Williams — QA Lead (vacation)

## Agenda

1. Review milestone progress
2. Resolve fishing-system scope
3. Discuss Chapter 3 narrative implementation
4. Prepare the next public demo
5. Review playtest feedback and current risks

## Discussion Notes

### Milestone Progress

- The team completed 34 of 41 tasks planned for the current sprint.
- Save-system refactoring is one day behind schedule due to an issue with older save files.
- Environment art for the lighthouse district is approximately 80% complete.
- Chapter 3 dialogue is ready for implementation, but two optional scenes still need final edits.
- Controller remapping passed internal testing on Windows; Steam Deck testing remains outstanding.

### Fishing-System Scope

- The current prototype includes eight fish species, bait selection, weather modifiers, and a timing-based catch mechanic.
- Playtesters liked the activity but found bait management confusing.
- Supporting unique bait inventories would require additional UI work and localization.
- The team agreed that fishing should remain a relaxing side activity rather than a progression requirement.

### Chapter 3 Narrative

- Sofia proposed moving the confrontation with Captain Vale until after the lighthouse repair sequence.
- This order gives players more time with Vale before the reveal and avoids two long dialogue scenes occurring back-to-back.
- Priya confirmed that the change is technically low risk if finalized before event scripting begins Monday.
- One optional conversation currently depends on a quest flag that is not reliably saved.

### Public Demo

- The target demo build will include the prologue, the first town day, and the lighthouse beach area.
- Average internal completion time is currently 52 minutes.
- The team wants the demo closer to 35–40 minutes, with a clear ending after the first storm.
- Lena needs final screenshots and store copy at least two weeks before the planned release.
- Theo requested a separate audio pass because several ambient loops have audible transitions.

### Playtest Feedback and Risks

- Four of six testers missed the workshop entrance during the first town objective.
- Players consistently praised the character writing and coastal atmosphere.
- Inventory text is difficult to read at 1280×720.
- Two testers experienced a soft lock after opening the map during a scene transition.
- The current build still lacks analytics events for demo completion and tutorial drop-off.

## Decisions

- Remove bait inventory management from the fishing system. Fishing spots will automatically select valid bait.
- Keep eight fish species for the demo; additional species are deferred until after Early Access launch.
- Move the Captain Vale confrontation after the lighthouse repair sequence.
- End the public demo immediately after the first storm cutscene.
- Add a temporary sign, stronger lighting, and an NPC hint to make the workshop entrance easier to find.
- Treat the map-transition soft lock and save-file compatibility issue as release blockers.
- Target the public demo for September 18, 2026, pending a stable release candidate by September 4.

## Action Items

| Owner | Action | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Priya | Fix the map-transition soft lock and add a regression test | August 4 |
| Priya | Complete backward-compatibility handling for older save files | August 7 |
| Sofia | Revise Chapter 3 scene order and deliver final dialogue files | August 3 |
| Jordan | Add workshop signage and revise entrance lighting | August 5 |
| Jordan | Export six store-page screenshot candidates | August 12 |
| Theo | Smooth ambient-loop transitions and complete a demo audio pass | August 14 |
| Lena | Draft updated store copy and demo announcement schedule | August 14 |
| Eli | Cut post-storm content from the demo branch | August 6 |
| Eli | Add analytics tasks to the next sprint backlog | August 3 |
| Noah | Run Steam Deck and 1280×720 usability tests after returning | August 10 |
| Maya | Review the demo ending and approve final content scope | August 11 |

## Open Questions

- Should the demo preserve player saves for the full release?
- Will localization be available at demo launch or added afterward?
- Is a separate accessibility settings screen feasible before content lock?

## Next Meeting

**Date:** August 7, 2026  
**Focus:** Release-blocker review and public demo content lock readiness