DevTalk: Interacting with the map

Hello everyone!

Today, we’d like to share more about how the map works in Love or Lust: Beach Stories and the important role it plays throughout the game.

The map is not just a way to move between locations. It helps bring the island to life, gives players a sense of freedom, and, at the same time, maintains the right pacing for the story.

Path selection and day structure

At the beginning of certain days, while in the hub area, players will be able to choose which route to follow. This choice will matter: depending on the selected path, some events and scenes from that day's storyline may be missed.

That said, the map will not always be available. During certain story moments, players will be taken directly to the required scene without free exploration. This helps maintain the pacing of the narrative and makes key story moments feel more cohesive.

How the map works during the day

When the map is active, players can freely travel between available locations. Each location may contain its own events, dialogues, or unique interactions.

However, complete freedom does not mean the story comes to a halt. On some days, one location will be particularly important to the main storyline. Until players visit it, the story will not progress further.

This approach helps us maintain a balance: players can explore the island while always understanding where the story is waiting for them.

Map features

• Right now, we are building the map system around several key elements;

• the map displays the island and all locations available on the current day;

• character icons may appear at certain locations when those characters are there as part of the story;

• not all locations are available at the same time, players only see places relevant to the current day;

• some locations include additional sub-areas, for example, the bar may contain several separate spaces;

• the map will have both daytime and nighttime versions;

• the player's current money balance will always be displayed on the map screen.

Locations

• The game world will continue to expand over time, but right now we are focusing on the core locations:

• the protagonist's house / hub;

• the bar porch;

• the bar interior;

• the beach area with sun loungers;

• the ocean viewpoint;

• Madonna's yacht;

• the bar's work area;

• the storage room shower.

Our goal is to make the map intuitive, useful, and deeply connected to the story. We want players to feel a sense of choice and exploration without losing focus on the narrative.

By the way, we have another reason to celebrate: Love or Lust Beach Stories has officially surpassed 30,000 wishlists! Thank you all so much for your support.

Be sure to add Love or Lust to your wishlist so you don't miss future updates, devlogs, and new details about life on the island.