Dev Log #46 - Onto the second day!

Hi all, September is here! With its arrival, development is to continue as planned for the whole of this month as I start to sink myself into a cycle of dialogue-writing, render-making, and continued ideation, so let's see what this update brings this week!

The second day is underway!
With the first free-roam finished, I started development on the 2nd day (i.e. 2/7). Whereas the first day was in a form of development "hell" (so to speak) for some time, now that I have a good understanding of what I have to do for the entirety of the episode, I'm more committed to staying the course of what is needed to be developed.

I do have loads of things to catch up on as I was expecting myself to be on the 3rd day of the new episode in September. Of course, due to some real-life issues cited before (that have thankfully cleared up), it is not the case but rest assured I will be continually working and putting in the necessary effort to develop Episode 2!

Dialogue-wise, I'm very satisfied with the current quality and pace I'm setting and I will be continuing to work hard to ensure this level of quality is consistent throughout the episode. The dialogue itself delves much deeper into the mystery than all of the previous releases combined.

Gameplay-wise, there have not been any new mechanics added that are not unfamiliar to everyone, with returning map and phone mechanics in the first free-roam, although I do plan to add 1 or 2 new variations/flavors of mini-game into the episode which is an "upgrade" of sorts to the "mini-game" of students asking Cara science-related questions (which is honestly not a mini-game at all and I plan to make a better version of it for Episode 2).

A bigger universe (and a small problem?)
Cara in Creekmaw has over twenty different and unique characters at the moment, and Episode 2 now plans to introduce seven more characters to the mix (up from the previously planned three).

The intention of these seven characters is consistent; which is to be supporting characters to many of the characters you already see in-game. After all, someone has to replace David after his... unfortunate (or fortunate) end.

Of course, introducing a large number of characters can be an eventual problem, as it would mean it is harder to focus on one certain subplot and sometimes this may detract from the main plot. Overall, I intend to utilize these characters to advance already existing subplots and to give more meaningful interaction within those subplots... or they can just be more food for Alexis (/s)!

A character reveal is scheduled for later, so do look out for it!

------------------------------------------- PROGRESS BREAKDOWN -------------------------------
Story: 95% done. No change.

Renders: 20% done. Day 2 rendering has started and is underway. Up 2.5% from last week.

Dialogue: 15% done. Dialogue for Day 2 is underway, with touch-ups to be done for Day 1. Up 2.5% from last week.

Gameplay: 10% done. No change.
------------------------------------------- END OF BREAKDOWN ----------------------------------

That is all for this week! I do feel like I'm on a roll in terms of piecing everything together as well as the direction of the game's development, and I will be looking to catch up on my expected progress over the coming weeks of the new month of September!

Thank you and stay safe!