We're new to this so we're learning as we're going. But a lot of this also has to do with laying the ground work as well. DMF has been creating all the sprites, which will be easier to reuse and slot in making the work faster as it goes. With each new chapter there will be a larger database of existing sprites to choose from, and less 'completely new' art work that needs to be slotted in.
which, don't take that the wrong way....it's not that D won't be doing new independent art for every chapter... but it's enough he has a spread sheet which has a set of different 'emotions' and reactions for all the characters... and their faces already slotted in... so if it calls for a scene that say, Leni needs to look afraid in, the spite is there and is popped in easy from the ground work already laid.
So that goes into the work being created there.
Next on the size... We both agreed chapter 1 is pretty short, enough we almost consider it a 'prologue' of things. So it's not so much we're trying to make things gigantic but put more meaty content inside.
We may learn from this chapter that we overdid it, and it may have went a little TOO long, or maybe it'll turn out to be "Just right" we won't know until it's finished... But we have a detailed outline that tells us every scene that needs to be written and animated... so at the least we're not flying by the seat of our pants here!
All that being said, we can only ask for patience as we figure out how this all works... Especially for DMF who by the end of this will probably be able to make his living as not only an artist but a programmer with all the knowledge he's been gaining from this.
This particular chapter has a theme of "days" covering about a week, as that's what works best for this part of the story. The next chapter probably won't follow the same format as we already know where that's gonna take place and it'll be different circumstances.
Just as a hint, chapter 2 is called "Working for the weekend" (even if the work being done is more during the 'week')
