Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #88

Hiya there! Have no fear--I'm alive and well~

First of all, I want to apologise for how long it's been since my usual dev logs, as I didn't mean to leave it until now for a new update, but things escaped me. I've been feverishly working and getting a lot of writing done in the past couple of days, including several parts that had been serving as big mental roadblocks for me, along with preparing several new scenes to be voiced--so a lot of my day has been literally just waking up, writing and then going back to sleep. It's been so hectic I've kinda lost all track of time and the days just keep whizzing by!

I've spent an inordinate amount of time on one event alone that might as well be its own little mini adventure for how long it goes on for--both in the lead up to the h-scene and then the accompanying outro. I even ended up making some special sprite overlays to go along with a certain part of the scene to really emphasise one particular action-packed moment! I'm hoping it won't be too much for people to read through and that you'll enjoy experiencing the adventure as much as I did writing it. (A big hint as to what this event is lies in the attached screenshot! Given the character involved, I'm sure you can imagine how crazy it gets~)

So to recap my writing progress in a more digestible manner than rambling:

- Finished an event and a h-scene for a special hyperactive someone
- Finished some more morning/evening events relating to Matt waking up/going to bed at the inn (Small little exchanges that happen as per what you might have seen in the demo)
- Wrote several mini events in the monster girl camp concerning the original gang, along with the start of a h-scene in the camp that I aim to finish for the alpha build so that you have 2 new h-scenes to experience
- A new event concerning revisiting a certain monster girl that lurks in a dungeon to befriend her some more
- A start of an event where you visit a certain hissy snek and bond further with her (different from her interaction in the Chapter 2 demo quest)
- Edited together some voice clips for some stray h-scenes that didn't yet have voices. Rejoice!

And then to top it off for the next build I'll be aiming to finalise the 'endless' mode so that alpha tests aren't super strict with their time limits on where/when you can activate certain moments.

I feel that perhaps the amount of content/writing might feel disproportionate to the several month long wait--but I feel much happier putting it out in a state I'm comfortable with rather than having rushed it. But regardless, I want to strike a balance between this and getting a more consistent schedule out for all to properly take note of and know when to expect new content!

And while I've been working on this cutesy side-events I've been taking a lot of consideration into Chapter 2's main plot as well--where I have a far more solid idea of where I want to take the bigger, more dramatic moments. I'll be teasing and intertwining several key characters that Matt can stumble across, that might not seem important right now--but will become crucial down the line. Admittedly this is the first time I've attempted a story of this scale, so I'm hoping I can stick the landing! But given how much everyone enjoyed the small story present in Chapter One, I really want to write something that can engage you beyond the smut. (Of course, the smut is important too, don't worry!) My aim is to craft a tale that will keep you hooked for hours.

It's with these rising expectations that my fear to get everything 'right' in the first try stems from, I think--and what makes me end up hesitate to go forward with my writing, whereby I end up rewriting and deleting parts I'm not sure will be up to scratch. I know I need to continue to work to find a balance between being confident with what I put out, while not being outright arrogant that my work is flawless, because of course I'm always striving to improve myself and grow as a writer!

For the next week I'll be continuing to cap off a lot of these scenes that have been partially written and try to cobble together everything for a new alpha launch. I'm hesitant to promise an exact day given my history with this stuff--but some of the more difficult parts have been dealt with, where it...SHOULD in theory be smooth sailing from here, haha. I thank you all for your immense patience and I'll have some cute stuff to share in the next dev log!

I apologise for how aimless this dev log might have ended up--since I guess I had no clear single goal or theme to update you on, but rather wanted to try and inform you of how many different areas I've been hopping between as of late. If anything has stuck out as confusing, or you'd like a progress update on any one specific thing, please let me know and I'll answer in the comments!

And if at any point you feel I've been quiet, or want a fast, up-to-date response from me--please don't hesitate to in touch via Discord, Email or PM on here! Even if I fall silent on the dev logs here from time to time, I guarantee I'll always take time to answer and listen to your concerns!

Until next time~