Loverbend Winter Break '24 Update!

Happy New Year, everybody!! I hope this brings you all the best!

It's my last day of the winter break, so I thought I'd take stock of what I managed to do!

I...

✅ ...finished coding the v1 of the daily calendar and scheduling system!

✅ ...finished coding the v1 of the cutscene system!

✅ ..finished coding the v1 of the mystery system!

✅ ..re-painted the sprites!

✅ ..re-made the backgrounds with 3D techniques!

✅ ..implemented the 'skeleton' of the first preview build's cutscenes!

Woo! I really enjoyed having so much time to just work on the game. Not looking forward to going back to my day job :'D

I now technically only have a few things left to do before the first preview build is ready:

📝 Write the dialogue for the preview build

📝 Choreograph the cutscenes for the preview build

However, the more I look at my art lately, the more I've realized I need to improve upon it or change things up to make the game 'pop' in the way I'd planned. 

In terms of making the art pop' more, I'm thinking of a few approaches I can take:

- Approach #1: Simplifying the "environment art and environment sprites" so they read more clearly and are more readily achievable. I'd "prettify" the dialogue sprites to be more like a traditional Japanese visual novel, which would stand out nicely over the more simplified but readable world art.

- Approach #2: "Prettifying" the environment art and sprites in the same way as the sprites. This would look the nicest, but from experience as a solo dev, I can tell this would balloon scope tremendously.

- Approach #3: Like Approach #1, except that I'd get a more skilled artist to make the dialogue sprites.

#2 is likely too time-intensive for a solo dev, while #3 is probably too expensive for someone in my financial situation. #1 is probably the way to go unless I spontaneously become a millionaire.

Either way, I'll need to spend time to increase my art skills to accomplish any approach, as I have not mastered "making things pop"!

My plan is to finish writing the preview build's demo and choreographing the cutscenes, then focus on art, and then release the preview build for feedback.

I can't wait to show you what's to come! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

And as always, thank you so much for your support : )

- Auden