Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #127

Hiya there! I hope everyone is doing well!

I've taken a couple of days to recover after the mad dash to get the latest alpha build out--and now that I no longer feel as MUCH like a zombie, I figured I'd take the time to properly write out a new development log! (Though I'm still in semi-zombie mode so I apologise in advance if anything feels off or looks awkwardly written.)

So, I'm sure the biggest question right now is: alpha build 0.11 is out--what does mean for the overall state of the game?

As of the most recent build, I've wrapped up quite a large main story event, which sets the scene for the finale event to come that will end Chapter Two with quite the bang. Hopefully. Without getting too ahead of myself--I think there's finally light glimmering at the end of what's admittedly been a VERY long tunnel. I've been able to write and bring to life events that I've had planned for years, and it's been very satisfying and relieving to finally put them to paper, and see it come alive with visuals and voicework.

And once the main scenario is complete--it'll simply be a matter of filling in the gaps with all the remaining side quests and side events/h-scenes that have yet to be completed. Which is admittedly a large bulk of the work in itself. But I think once the main story itself is done, it'll be lot easier to focus on the remaining things without stretching myself too thin between writing everything. Because I think that's been one of my faults--where I've been hopping from too many events without as much focus as I should have, which is a big reason why it took as long as it did for me to finally get around to all of this main story stuff, as I put it off for so long to flesh out all the side stuff, which is admittedly just as important for a game where the main appeal is to be able to romance and have a variety of different h-scenes with different girls. But it was no excuse for completely burying the main plot for so long.

I think maybe the reason I initially put off the main route is that I was afraid it might be too difficult to write, with all of the complex meetings and battle scenes that take place. But once I finally took the plunge, I was relieved to see that a lot of it came quite easily. I'm still not 100% happy with some of the fight scenes--but that's more on a technical level with the animations and SFX than the writing itself. If anything, the combat descriptions are quite detailed to the point it's difficult to translate that into flailing/bouncing sprites and the occasional swiping effect. I hope the excitement will still be there though!

With the current momentum I have, I aim to keep powering through the main story's writing and continue to add to the script while balancing with some h-scenes on the side without getting too mired in either one. And this will HOPEFULLY lead to 0.12 coming out a lot sooner than 0.10 or 0.11.  Please lend me your energy, everyone, and cheer me on--I'll be doing the best I can, even if I have to keep typing under my fingers are bloodied stumps! And even then I'll just start pecking away at the keys with my nose, because I'm going to finish Chapter Two one way or the other, darn it.

Is there anything else you'd like to know about Chapter Two's development, or any burning questions you might have? Since this dev log was a little on the short side--feel free to leave any questions below in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them, just in case you felt I might have skipped over anything in this week's post.

Also--attached to this dev log is a small peak of some of the more special effects you can expect out of the main story. A various ominous aura swirls around our beloved hood-chan, while the world around her has gone all hazy and grainy, with swirling motes of magic rising up behind her. It all comes together quite nicely I feel, and helps her otherwise limited sprite come to life just that bit more. Gosh, it sure does look like she means business this time around. What could have set her off?

And like always, expect some awesome bonus art near the middle of the month. I think people are really going to like this month's one as we continue with the MGQ inspired illustrations!

Until next time~