Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #71
Added 2018-10-18 20:34:05 +0000 UTCHiya there, guys! How are we all doing today?
I'm a little late with this week's dev log post, and for that I really do apologise. It's been a bit of a chaotic week to say the least, but I think things are finally beginning to settle down and I can get back into the groove of it all.
To make it up to you all, how about I show a nice little CG preview--since it's been a while since I've shown one of those! And admittedly while I have to ration these out between not spoiling the remaining fun scenes and the more spoilery ones, I think we can get away with just this oneeeeee, right? (Unless I've already shown this one. Have I...? After so many dev logs my brain is beginning to fail me in keeping track of this stuff ;_;)
Especially when it's one of our benevolent Queen of the Forest lavishing Matt with some rare affection! Ohohohoho~ He must have really gotten into her good books to have been given permission to grace her royal body, if their first (painful) encounter was anything to go.
This scene was originally done by a different artist, before Bella's redesign, but then received some edits by the current sprite artist to make it fit her new style, complete with facepaint, crown and lipstick. I think it turned out quite nicely and the additions feel quite natural without being forced in!
Will you be trying your best to appeal to Bella's good side, or will you be giving the forest--her kingdom--a wiiiiide berth?
Also--I wanted to use this dev log to give some smaller updates on how I'm progressing that may not have merited individual blog posts of their own. To sum things up, I'm powering through more h-scenes, getting voice scenes scripted and ready to be voiced and continuing to inch towards the finish line~ It often feels daunting, and like I'm getting nowhere despite pouring hours into the game each day. But when I take the time to lift my head up from off of my keyboard and look at the game from a distance rather than the individual scenes I've been burrowed deep inside--I realise just how much has been put into the game so far with a word count that continues rise. Even when I scold myself for not releasing the game in a timely manner, I realise that as it stands right now in its current form--Chapter Two probably has more content than a lot of the shorter VNs on the market right now, and I aim to continue to work on it until my original goal has been realised. No matter how tough it gets, I'm not going to take shortcuts--and am sure the game will benefit as a result of that!
Additionally, June, the heavenly nun almost has all of her content fully implemented! Which is a big step forward and another part I can tick off of the list bar a few smaller conversational topics that'll be left do outside of h-scenes. Her stuff ended up being a lot of fun to do and a big change of pace from the usual dominant monster girls that bully poor Matt. June herself ended up having a really friendly, heavenly--maybe accidentally motherly due to her VA, huhu--kind of vibe to her. Truthfully I would want to write even more scenes with her since I had so many ideas, but she can't go hogging ALL the glory. Some of the other girls have gotta shine too~
And honestly, since you guys are essentially the reason that this game is what it is today, I want to hear from you. Are you happy with how far things are coming along so far? Or would you have preferred I kept Chapter Two the same size as Chapter One so it released a lot sooner? Do you feel I'm dreaming too grand and should shrink down my goals in future releases? I'll be keeping a close eye on opinions and do my best to shape any future titles towards what you guys feel benefits everyone the most. I feel maybe I've asked this before but it's a constant worry on my mind, haha. I don't wanna feel like I'm letting you guys down or end up delivering something subpar.
Anyways, I think I've rambled enough for one dev log~ Next week's post will be special as I'll be unveiling this year's Halloween art! Any guesses as to what it might be? It's sure to be spooky! π»
Comments
Perfect, thank you
HunterKing
2018-10-22 00:56:38 +0000 UTCHiya there! Thank you so much for your support~! I really appreciate it! As payments for new patrons don't process until the start of each new month, this means I typically wait until the 2nd or 3rd (just to be safe, since sometimes there's a small delay in processing some payments) of each new month before sending out rewards, of which I do via PM so everyone gets their own private link to the build. As of right now you can rest easy knowing that no money has been taken from your account yet, and won't until the payment processing cycle in November/end of October.
Frostworks
2018-10-22 00:50:13 +0000 UTCSo, I just signed up as a patron here. Do you send the most recent alpha build out at the start of the month or is there a specific place we gotta go to find it?
HunterKing
2018-10-22 00:46:24 +0000 UTCYeah makes sense as a writer your first priority would be to develope all these new characters you are going to introduce
Oza Sool
2018-10-21 20:28:05 +0000 UTCThey'll not be forgotten, don't worry! I just figured for the beginning segments of the game it's better to give them breathing room between them and the new characters so everything doesn't feel crammed together.
Frostworks
2018-10-21 19:30:59 +0000 UTCHey listen, will Jily Tari and Ruby be part of the main quest? Or will they be side characters now?
Oza Sool
2018-10-21 19:14:24 +0000 UTCThanks. Yeah i can see the 71 plus dev logs. Looking forward to everything. I really hope the characters Jily and Tarri are expanded upon even more coz i am afraid these two might get lost amidst all the new (and awesome) characters
Oza Sool
2018-10-20 16:55:34 +0000 UTCHiya! Happy to have you on board~ And yeah, haha. You have a good 2 years or so of development stuff to read back on if you wanna see how far things have come!
Frostworks
2018-10-20 16:39:27 +0000 UTCHey there, finally got Patreon to work. Wow theres so much to read. I cant wait for the next chapter!
Oza Sool
2018-10-20 16:25:16 +0000 UTCThank you for your kind words and your continued support over the year! It's always great to hear from the long time lurkers, haha. It's very reassuring to get so much positive feedback on the rate the game is being developed and I'm super glad it appears to be worth the wait for everyone supporting me so far. Just a litttttle bit longer and the end will be in sight!
Frostworks
2018-10-19 21:58:41 +0000 UTCI normally never comment, but since you asked I quite like this approach. Going all out and spending extra time to make a longer and overall better game is never a bad thing. I don't think anyone minds giving extra time to receive a better product. With all I've been reading it seems like you're putting in a lot of content which would make the wait completely worth it. I'd say you should just stay the course and make this the best you can. The best things come to those who wait right?
Dinobro007
2018-10-19 14:33:51 +0000 UTCThank you so much! I realise this blog post maybe came off as a bit of an insecure ramble about whether or not everyone was happy with what I was doing--so didn't mean to make everyone worry so much, haha. But seeing all the kind words of support and understanding has really been moving. I really don't deserve you guys. π It ends up giving me confidence in the dev logs too as I move forward with things, knowing how much you guys like getting an insight into the development of things in bite-size pieces with some fun trivia here and there I'll continue to push forward with things and deliver the best darn product I can muster, since you guys really deserve it~
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:53:15 +0000 UTCI'm glad you think so! I do sometimes worry if the blogs just seem like self indulgent rambling pieces and if anyone actually takes anything away from them, haha. But it's been a lot of fun to keep you guys in the know without trying to spoil too much and give an insight into how things are steadily being buiilt up.
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:43:17 +0000 UTCThank you! I'm super glad to hear that. It really means a lot to me to know that all of my customers and fans feel I'm communicating openly--since that was always my goal and I know too well the frustrations of quiet devs or groups who never say anything. ;_; I imagine all of you guys as my friends on this crazy journey, so feel really bad if I end up doing anything that might let you all down.
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:40:03 +0000 UTCThank you! I'll try my best not to keep you waiting toooOOOOO much longer. Dx
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:35:18 +0000 UTCThank you--I'm really glad you think so! I would never be able to live with myself if I rushed something out of the door that was buggy or missing half the intended features. I felt bad enough releasing Chapter One with the missing h-scene and journal stuff. ;_; But was eventually able to get on top of that
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:34:37 +0000 UTCMy best solution to Chapter Three right now when going over the story outline is to perhaps split Chapter Three into two parts, that are smaller than Chapter Two individually--but about the same size or bigger when put together. This would mean people would be able to play the two parts of Chapter Three sooner, or wait for both to come out for a far grander experience.
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:33:38 +0000 UTCThank you so much! While I'm sure the alpha testers can vouch for just how much great content is currently there alreadty--I'm sure if you've been doing your best to avoid as many spoilers as you can the full game is really going to be a fun experience!
Frostworks
2018-10-19 13:32:08 +0000 UTCI usually never post a comment on anything since I like being a lurker, but I will say that I've been a supporter for over a year now and I love what you're doing so far. The ideas you're planning on implementing in chapter two don't seem too unattainable; especially if you compare them to other game devs (whether they be here on Patron or not). I think the best thing you have going right now are the Dev Logs. In honesty, they're something I look forward to reading every week. Whether it be how the new game mechanics works, the continuation of the story, or the characters and their concepts (like Anna for example); it's clear you've put a lot of thought into them and I enjoy reading what goes on behind the scenes. TL;DR: Keep doing what you're doing because it's well worth the wait.
Adagio
2018-10-19 04:27:41 +0000 UTCYeah, i agree with Keltoren. The scope of Ch.2 is a decent one and even if it turns out to be a little too large, Ch.3 doesn't need to top it in any way.
Ghost
2018-10-19 00:33:45 +0000 UTCI'll tell ya, it's a little hard being patient, but I know it'll be worth it. The updates help a lot. It's really nice to have an idea of how things are going and it makes the wait a lot easier. I've always liked more open games with lots of choices and I know it takes a lot of time to build something like that, so don't worry about it.
Rock
2018-10-18 23:38:09 +0000 UTCi think that my money i keep pledging is going towards a really well made project and i think your scope and expectations for this game are well within the realm of waiting. this game has been come to be an amazing VN and i am happy to say that alot of AAA devs could take a look at how caring and receptive you are to your community and learn from you.
jaret
2018-10-18 23:23:31 +0000 UTCWorth every moment of the wait. I don't say that lightly.
Ilya
2018-10-18 23:19:44 +0000 UTCGladly throwing that money your way, man. It's downright admirable how on top of this you are.
TsunTzu
2018-10-18 22:43:14 +0000 UTCI don't think you need to top it if chapter 2 comes out anything like I think it will. You just need to make sure the story ties into itself. Chapter three will be successful but it would have to at least match chapter two in content.
Keltoren
2018-10-18 22:23:16 +0000 UTCI'm good with current rate of production. It's looking to be shaping up really well, and expecting to get that quality without putting the time in for it would be unreasonable, I think.
Kalik Long
2018-10-18 22:15:03 +0000 UTCThank you~ It's definitely one of the biggest things I've made to date--so it's gonna be one heck of an achievement to look back on afterwards. Chapter Three will be a loooot of work to top Chapter Two. ; P
Frostworks
2018-10-18 22:04:44 +0000 UTCI had a mini-heart attack reading the first part and was like 'oh nooooooOOOOO', lol. You jokester, you. I'm really glad it feels that way though, since being open and transparent has always been one of my goals since day one. Especially when I'm asking for funding directly from you guys via Patreon; it's only fair you guys are kept in the loop.
Frostworks
2018-10-18 22:04:07 +0000 UTCThank you for your kind words~ That's very encouraging and reassuring to hear and I always try my best to keep you guys in the loop, so I'm glad it comes across that way and not just weekly walls of rambling, haha.
Frostworks
2018-10-18 22:01:57 +0000 UTCThank you! I hope so, too, haha~ I think once I finally get Chapter 2 out I'll finally be able to breathe a big sigh of relief.
Frostworks
2018-10-18 22:01:21 +0000 UTCMore isn't always better, but in this case I think you are well within a decent scope for this project. We'll see when it's finished but I think it's gonna be a good size :)
Ghost
2018-10-18 21:47:46 +0000 UTCMate, don't take this the wrong way...but you're legitimately better at this update thing than AAA studios, let alone other indie VN devs. Take your time and get it right- though I will readily admit that I'm getting antsy waiting for it. Anticipation, much like absence, makes the heart grow fonder. Especially when I'm avoiding the Alpha for spoilers and dealing with that constant temptation, heh.
TsunTzu
2018-10-18 21:26:57 +0000 UTCI dont think the vision is too grand i think its just right and as you said the game will be better for it! Your one of the most talkative creator ive supported on here with a nice flow of dev logs to keep us, well at least me, satisfied and glad i pledged! Cant wait for the release.
Otterpop
2018-10-18 21:01:16 +0000 UTCI like the idea of the game being bigger than the first chapter. Having only played an old demo of chapter two, and all of the original game, I think the wait will be well worth it
Richard Hardslab
2018-10-18 20:38:37 +0000 UTC
