Anon42
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Biweekly Update - 12-10-2023 (Medication, story rewrite progress, camera movement, zooms, and more!)
🕑 Added 2023-12-11 01:22:20 +0000 UTCHey everybody, time for another biweekly update - this time, at last, with good feels! I finally, finally managed to get back on ADHD medications as of just a few days ago, and they're already making such a huge difference. I'm finding myself actually excited to work for the first time in a long time, so let's get right into it and talk about what I worked on!
So, we've been in the middle of the CPE rewrite for a while. I've definitely been struggling with writing lately, so it's been slow going, which is why the last 24 hours were such a pleasant surprise. Not only did I finally fill in one of the last big remaining questions I had about the story, which I've been agonizing over for a while, but I also managed to edit around half of the entire game's cutscene scripts as part of the story rewrite, all in just one night of work. Without getting into anything specific, the information I filled out last night will be a huge help in writing one of the game's major character relationships, and I'm really excited to get the chance to flesh it out.
It's been a very story-focused week, since the other work I did was improving the effects and control I have during the game's cutscenes. In the video up above, you can see a comparison of the game's intro cutscene; how it used to be, and how I was able to spice it up with a basic blur effect and nice camera zoom/movement. I also improved the way CPE's zoom functions, so instead of the instant snap to the new zoom level, it smoothly zooms in and out instead. This affects gameplay too, so ingame H-scenes will also have this new smooth zoom. Adding effects like these is something we'll be doing to all of Crisis Point's cutscenes during the process of implementing the new script, to add some more visual interest in the storytelling. It's worth noting that the intro cutscene is actually going to be pretty different from either of these versions - the script rewrite changes the intro scene heavily, but we don't have the assets to implement the new scene yet, so this is just an example of what the updated cutscenes will be like.
As part of the cutscene improvement work, I also did something I wish I had known about years ago, and implemented a huge number of different easing algorithms into the engine for use with animating. You can see them at work in the video up above, with the camera movement and zooms and how they smoothly speed up before slowing down into position. Most modern game engines have things like this built-in, but because of the age and deprecated nature of the engine CPE is created in, it's something that has to be done manually. Because of that, and my lack of formal training, it was one of those things that I didn't know I needed until I found out about them - which, coincidentally, is exactly what happened to me while experimenting with Godot, the new engine I plan on using after CPE is done. So not only is Godot a really fun engine to work with that I'm excited to start using professionally, but it has directly impacted CPE's development in a positive way already, so whoo!
And that's all we have to talk about today. It's only been a few days, but things are really starting to look up; my mental health was already seriously improving before starting ADHD medication again, and now that I have that medication to help grease the wheels, I think things are about to change for the better. I've said it a million times, but thank you all *so much* for sticking with me. I know things have been bad for a long time, and I don't blame anyone who got tired of waiting on me and left, but we're finally turning a corner and I can't wait to finally start making it up to all of you. We'll see you again soon in the next update!
Comments
Rhan
Anon42, this is one the most engaging adult game I played for a while. Beautiful arts. The stories and writings are intriguing and whimsical at the same time. But most importantly, immersion mood of mystery keeps me wanting to find out more about the story and fate of the character. I wish I had find out about this game earlier and more people can discover this gem.
lolpun
Ayooo that looks amazing! and I'm glad to hear about you finally getting your medications! Hope everything keeps going well!
Anon42
Hey, thanks for the kind words! Sorry to hear that Patreon doesn't support the payment options you have, you're definitely not the only one and I really hope they expand payment options soon. Unfortunately though, since I need to keep track of how much folks have pledged for the sake of pledge rewards, and Patreon keeps track of all that automatically, it would be really difficult for our small team to keep track of other platforms like itch.io, so we don't plan on releasing paid betas anywhere else. The full game will be on as many platforms as we can, but the betas won't be. As far as the final price, the full game will likely be somewhere between the $15-25 range, depending on how big the full thing ends up being. With all that said, if you're genuinely unable to pledge and you can't play the betas because of it, I'll just say that I wouldn't blame you at all for pirating those betas until we can provide you with a version you can purchase. It's not within our means to provide betas elsewhere at the moment, but it's not fair to you that you literally can't give us money even if you want to, so I'd prefer you to be able to enjoy the game in the meantime!
dudewithstuff
And thank you for sticking with project! I'm glad to hear that you're in a better headspace, and the new take on the opening scene is much nicer than before, just with those extra touches. I'm looking forward to starting over again when it comes out. Just out of curiosity, do you know what the final price of the game will be, and might it go for sale on itch.io ahead of release? I'd be willing to pay whatever the full price is to gain current and future access, since I can't subscribe on Patreon for it (only the wrong kinds of cards are available to me for it).
