Steamberry Studio
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02/02/2025 Patreon Update
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 01:09:41 +0000 UTC02/02/2024
Hellooooo~ooo everyone! Time for this week's updates! It's been a crazy time in real life with a lot of things popping up on my "Real Adulting" calendar.
But you know...we muddle through!
Summary
Created a new outfit for Wil
Went through the story prepping for sprite expressions
Minor code things like adding dissolves to the menus or adding Yren and Raif's eye colour changes
Received some new BGs
Art
So since the Episode 2 release, art wise I've been working on some sprite variation updates - such as a new outfit for Wil or sketching some new hair and outfit updates for other characters.
The characters go to a new location in Chapter 5 so I want to have some variations that match what they're doing and where they're going.
(Also getting those things coded in.)
I've still been holding off on adding in any major new art just in case anyone posts major game bugs that would require an update because I don't want to add new things until it's clear I can hold off any updates until the next episode.
Coding and Other Stuff
Coding-wise I have been gearing up to start in on sprite expressions and focusing a bit on getting some house cleaning done.
Things like adding in the transitions to the menus and sprite statements as well as double checking things like scoring and conditional statements.
And I have started working on coding sprite expressions...bit by bit.
Chapter 5 is a big chapter, not just from a content amount but also in terms of the story. It is where the route lock-in happens and where there are some significant character/relationship developments.
There area TON of new BGs that will show up in this chapter as the crew goes to a new location (as mentioned). There are also multiple new sprites that are needed for this chapter as well as some other art assets.
The branching is a bit wild and I have not thought too much about the flowcharts yet because I...am avoiding it. ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ I'll get there eventually...
But the point is that this is a pivotal chapter so there's a lot to do and a lot to focus on for this update. I've barely scratched the surface.
Upcoming Week
Going forward I will be focusing on starting the journey of sprite expressions for this chapter. I can never estimate how much time this will take. Expressions are always just...the journey they are. It depends a lot on how many group scenes there are and how complicated they are but also just what's going on in the scenes themselves. Some scenes require a lot more changes because they're very emotional. Others require less.
I will probably start working on getting some of the new assets done this week as well. Especially as I need breaks from expression coding.
I have made the decision to update only one chapter this time around. For a couple of reasons:
I should be able to get the episode out faster
Chapter 5 is HUGE and I was honestly feeling overwhelmed with the amount of content in Chapter 5 + Chapter 6
I want to try to see if shorter episodes at a faster pace work a bit better for me because getting lost in a huge episode for months on end is a little exhausting mentally.
This is something I've known for a while might be necessary but that I've been really trying to avoid because logically I want to put out two chapters at a time. I think it's more fulfilling story-wise. But at the same time unfortunately I think development wise it may prove to be more effective to focus on smaller episodes with a shorter duration between the releases versus longer episodes with a longer duration.
So yeah. I'll be working exclusively on chapter 5 for the next few weeks as the Episode 3 update and I will see if focusing on one chapter a time proves better for the project.
That is all for now. I will see you in a week to touch base on the progress!
