Progress Report 2021.10.06

Hi friends,

This is just a quick update about what I’ve been working on. I am (unsurprisingly) behind schedule from the one I posted on Sept. 16th—I am still pretty bad at estimating how long things will take me and also how much space each plot beat actually takes up.

Game Updates

Even though it’s not done yet, I am very pleased with where Chapter 2 Scene 1 is currently at. The beginning of the chapter was incredibly tricky to start because of the change in location. After over a year of writing and constructing Chapter 1, I was so used to Rona that it took some time to settle into the new location and kickstart the next stage of writing.

There’s also a lot of exposition that needs to happen at the start of Chapter 2 so the player has all the information they need before they start making major choices. It was tricky figuring out how to pace and structure that without it feeling like an info-dump. While the codex entries act as a way to flesh out lore and worldbuilding, everything crucial for the player to know needs to be present in the game’s main text (and not hidden away in a codex entry). To be honest, parts of it still feel like an info-dump, but I think part of that is because the player is in a fairly linear section of the game.

Figuring out how to keep player choice alive, but still progressing down the necessary path was challenging. A lot of it came down to manipulating the player’s relationship status—specifically Aeran’s approval level (and romance/whether you got the confession out of him or not) and the approval level of the Order of Lethalis.

Regardless, the MC, Aeran, Zenaida, Malsara and Nova have officially landed in Velantis and things are already not what they expected.

Chapter 2’s text files are currently at 30,000 words. I have one more section of this scene to finish, and then I’ll be sending it off for proofreading. One of my playtesters has volunteered to proofread my drafts before I start coding, so hopefully that will cut down on the amount of typos that make it into the game files!

Once the files are proofread and edited, I’ll be coding them and adding them to the alpha build. You should be able to import your public build save files directly into the alpha build (they share the same internal name, so your browser will think it’s the same file), but I will do some experimenting beforehand.

Progress Schedule

I am still aiming for finishing Chapter 2 by mid-November, though depending on how long it takes me to wrap up Scene 1 and move into Scene 2, this may get pushed to the end of November.

New tentative schedule:

• October 6 – 11: Finish Scene 1
• October 12 – 26: Scene 2
• October 27 – November 3: Scene 3 (this is a short one, like an actual short scene)
• November 3 – 15: Scene 4

Other

Rory (who does the game’s artwork) did some art of Brissa Varyn, which you can check out on her blog here!

I am currently shopping around for a graphic designer to design the Wayfarer symbol so it can be used in the game’s visual assets. I haven’t proceeded very far with this yet (mostly just browsing design portfolios and prices on Fiverr), but that is where the next chunk of Patreon funding is going.

Thank you all so much for your support! 💕

WIP SNIPPET

I’ve been sharing snippets on the Patreon Discord, but here’s a brief selection from the Chapter 2 Scene 1 draft. I've removed some of the continuity flags for easier reading, so for fun, this is the continuity of Low Approval Aeran:

“You wield extraordinary talents,” Zenaida continues. “Two Wayfarers in a city that thrives on magic? You hold an incredible power, one that can be utilized to devastating effect. From the minute you set foot on Velantian soil, it will only be a matter of time before your presence is known. There are those who will give anything—do anything—to put those talents to use… or remove them entirely.”

You glance at Aeran. He meets your gaze, a dark look brewing in his eyes. His jaw clenches, harsh lines appearing across his face. He has not taken Zenaida’s warning well, and, frankly, you can’t blame him. The implications are clear: by entering the city, your mere existence puts a target on your backs. 

“With that in mind,” Zenaida says, “I am prepared to offer some modicum of protection.” She slips a hand into a deep pocket at her side and withdraws a thin, hexangular object. It is small, no bigger than the size of her palm, and bound in thick, dark red leather. The leather is embossed with a pattern of leaves and cypress vines, fanning out from a gold clasp set in the centre. She flicks the clasp with her thumb and slides a medallion out of its wrapping.

The polished medallion is cut expertly from a dark red wood. A thin gold line is engraved around the perimeter, surrounding a phoenix with its wings spread wide. A tiny gemstone is embedded below the phoenix; it pulses with scarlet light, casting a faint glow over the medallion.

“An emissary’s mark,” Zenaida explains. “Engraved with the Arathian phoenix and sealed with my mother’s magic. Show this to any official, any aristocrat, any guard-captain, and they will know you are under the protection of House Anaxas.”

Your eyes flicker to the pulsing light. The gemstone is miniscule, barely a fraction of the size of your smallest fingernail. It is strangely pretty—the way the light dances, refracted endlessly within the stone.

“Thanks for the gesture,” Aeran says, his disdainful tone impossible to ignore. “But you do realize the minute we touch that thing, the enchantment will break, right? And I take it that the medallion isn’t the important thing here, but your mother’s seal—”

“And you are correct,” Zenaida interrupts. “A mark without the magistrate’s seal is worthless at best and fraudulent at worst. While some may accept it as proof of the magistrate’s favour, any official who knows the law will not. That is why I have taken precautions.” She slips the medallion back into its case and closes the clasp. “It is my understanding that your abilities work primarily through physical contact.”

“Yeah,” he says. “Bit more complicated, but something like that—”

“Then will this casing suffice?”

She drums her fingers against the leather.