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Dev Diary 88
Hello all, TD here. It's been awhile since I've said that!
After some careful planning (and a bit of holiday malaise), I'm happy to announce that we have broken ground on the "do quantifiable shit" portion of development. Starting on January 13th, Ch4Up6 currently sits at 36 static images, 12 animations (GILs been working ahead), and 702 words. Normally we don’t report animations until they get slotted into the script, but we want some credit here otherwise it would be a meager report for 5 days time.
Anyway, a lot of energy has gone into planning this one.
This being an exhibition update, along with Ch4Up5’s smoldering climax, it is especially paramount we dot our i's and cross out t's. There's a lot of important character moments (w/ Vicky, Grace, Ian, Hana, the Carnations, the owners, Abel and Sophia) that we need to layer into the night’s timeline in a sensical and well-paced way. On top of that, we need to do exhibition 3 justice. It’s been way too long since the last one yet it was the seed that started the scenario. Exhibition 2 hit the broad plot points I needed it to, but I do feel like there was some wasted potential there in hindsight. There always is with any update, but these are the tentpoles the weekly schedules are built around.
What I’m getting at is we aim to be tactical by measuring thrice and cutting once. The exhibition event needs to be constructed in a way that they are a worthy spectacle that hits the character development we need it to, satisfy the people who enjoy playing them (me included), and stop it from running way from us.
That last part has especially weighed on my mind. Avoiding *needless* complication has been my missive when planning it all out. It is very easy for these things to become multi-tiered monsters: games on top of games that builds off the last game. However, I think the scenario can be constructed in a way that feels big and important, but doesn’t devolve into a myriad of branching side paths and outcomes that pidgeon hole the next step of the scene. My goal is to have the bulk of development time to be shown on screen for any single play through, while still retaining the magic feeling of CYOA.
What choices there are to be had, what guidance Edwin has over the events, they need to be sniper headshots. It’s a tall order, but that is also what keeps this fun.
With dev talk out of the way, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The reception and support of the last update was better than I dreamed. To be honest, I was worried that we had spent so long on a “side girl” update. We called it the “Victoria update” in our personal chats, but refrained from designated it that officially as that obviously doesn’t get most people going in the same way as something like the “Hana update” would. To have kept people’s excitement after the fact is reaffirming as an author. Five years ago I was afraid to have people read my work, but now it the single individual part of the creative process that I look forward to the most.
An adult power point slide show made with a third party doujin software as we are, this wouldn’t be the magic it is without you.
P.S. Hana GF havers and Sophia enjoyers… I see you. You’re seen.
