nottravisgames
patreon
Biting the bullet
🕑 Added 2019-03-29 19:47:53 +0000 UTCSo the good news is I've killed the bugs in Chapter Three. The bad is that the animations are still a problem.
I've tried a variety of different ways but I'm still trapped between either a massive file size or, if I reduce the file size through compression, a grainy animation that is just...meh. I've played games myself where the image quality jumps from crystal clear stills to something that looks like it's being viewed through a foggy lense, and I hate it - so that's not going to happen.
It's my own fault, I know. I simply shouldn't have been so ambitious as to try for a series of animations all of several hundred frames this early in the project.* What's especially vexing is that if I'd gone for something simpler the chapter would have been done and out last week easily. If you deduct the render time for all the frames I've made...*sighs*
So where does that leave us?
Well someone offered up another solution today which could work, but might mean that I have to try and compress all the images in the game to date in order to get a desirable file size. Not something I'm looking forward to given that would be some 1500 images. However, given the alternative is to re-render the animations on a much simpler basis I'm considering it.
Either way, it will take time - and I'll confess I'm feeling both rather cheesed off and deflated at the moment to try and attack either, especially since both methods will take tens of hours.
I said on Monday that if I didn't make March, I would refund contributions. Some of you objected to this on the grounds that you weren't actually paying for content, more the development. That is true.
What is equally true is that I said you would get a chapter each month and you haven't. Alright, it was because I was really trying to push the boat out and give you something special this month with the new graphics card, but the fact remains that unlike last month you haven't received anything.
So, here's the deal. I'm going to take a few days away from my keyboard and re-charge myself. I'll pick up H5 again next week and work on a solution over the animation come hell or high water and it will be out one way or another next Saturday. However, if anyone wants a refund for March just drop me a message and you can have one. Bear in mind I'll be away from my keyboard for a few days so please don't expect an instant response though.
No mess, no fuss. We'll be still be friends. You can still chit-chat with me, drop me messages etc etc. I won't hold it against you. Promise. I say on my welcome message that I won't let you down, and this month - despite all the work I've done, and with the best intentions - I have.
Stay lucky guys.
* I've just notice that reaching my new target is when I'm meant to try animations. Seems like the January "Me" was a lot more sensible than the March "Me" gleeing over a graphics card...
Comments
Nottravisgames
*salutes* Will do :)
Nottravisgames
Thank you Ianvs. I'm just annoyed at myself for not perhaps setting a more limited, yet smoother delivery. But you're right - I have to expect this sort of thing, although learn from it too.
Nottravisgames
You're right Draynd. At the end of the day I just got carried away over the number of renders I could produce compared to earlier and didn't really think it through enough.
Nottravisgames
I confess I have been - and, yeppers, solo team bar a friend who play tests now and again. But thank you :)
Nottravisgames
Yeah, I needed a few days away. I've asked around and had a number of solutions. More, in fact, that I could actually apply. But at least I have a way forward.
We beat ourselves up over stuff like this all the time. Nothing you can do but keep pushing forward, and make the best possible game you can. Rest up, recharge, and return to us with a vengeance!
As a dev, I totally get this. And I absolutely want you to keep our money. Projects run over sometimes, deadlines get pushed back. It happened this month, and it's going to happen again. You're doing the right thing by just keeping your patrons informed and letting them know what's happening.
Draynd
It's a good idea to avoid commitments you may not be able to keep. Still, you're trying to deliver a quality product and I'm sure that there's plenty of understanding among your patrons.
noted
I hope you're not beating yourself up over this, you were trying to make better content for the people playing. As a one person team (assuming) you are doing amazing so please cheer up and have a good break. *lightly punches you on the arm*
Huitieme
At least, she didn't harass you about chocolate boxes, like some other mums.
It will be released for free when Chapter 3 is released for the patrons.
Senthil kumaran
When will you release the chapter 2 for free it has been 1 month
Quinfax
Seems like quite a conundrum. I think stepping back for a bit is a good idea. Clears the head and so forth. I'm not familiar with compression stuff in game and not losing quality. might ask some of the other adult game devs and see how they deal with that issue. Excelsior
Nottravisgames
*smiles softly* My mum always said that "you can't give to one, without giving to the other.". If was a patron who couldn't download the file size, I'd be pretty cheesed off that some could and were already playing it. I'll make a version that works for everyone.
Huitieme
Don't let yourself down (Trust your heart because you know it's the best ♫), sometimes shit happens, and if your only fault is being too ambitious, it is still infinitely better than half assing a project with the risk of starting to resent it. Concerning the filesize problem (apparently, size *does* matter), would it be a viable solution to offer the "big" file first (I don't know how big it's supposed to be) and then work on a compressed/optimized version afterward?
