Evakiss
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Development update: we're almost done
🕑 Added 2022-03-28 21:20:40 +0000 UTCHello everybody,
I'm currently play-testing and reviewing chapters 8 and 9, the last bit left before tackling the final technical reworks and implementations. My goal is to be done with everything major at the end of the week, and release the Alpha as soon as we've made sure everything works as intended.
The current 9 chapters amount to 658k words written (to put into perspective, "A Storm of Swords", the longest book in G.R.R Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", is estimated to be between 404k and 424k words long), so going over everything would take a crazy amount of time... That's why I didn't. I had in mind what scenes or threads needed to be reworked, and I'm also finding many things that could've been done better as I playtest the chapters. As I said, due to the developing cycle almost everything I put out is a first draft, and I find a lot of clumsy dialog or poorly implemented ideas or mechanics. But this revision has taken way too long and it's time to call it done.
Right now I'm overhauling the stat system: before, every 3 XP you'd earn a new level, now the progressions scales the higher your skill level is, so you'll be needing more XP to gain a new one. I'm also redefining how some menus are presented, to make the choice mechanics feel more integrated, and how many XP are awarded, and when.
I've also added a few new tracks to the game's soundtrack. Some of them have been composed especially for the game, while I licensed others that I've been finding and really enjoying. There are quite a few tracks that I wasn't able to get (some labels asked for up to $10.000 for just one track, others outright refused to license them). Negotiating these kind of things suck, but I believe a good soundtrack really adds to the experience. It's one of those things that was very crude and limited in GGGB, but now I'm happy to invest money so you will want to play the game without wanting to mute it. However, I haven't reached the point where I can spend $500 on a single track (much less $10.000)
Anyway, I'll keep working to finish all the remaining tasks and give you the new, polished version of ORS early this April. Hopefully I can do it with the invaluable help of Lara, BloodyMares and TheDarkFable, the team who's been helping me keeping ORS from falling apart.
The finish line is in sight! Talk to you soon!
Comments
Dennis
*g* Checking my mailbox almost hourly for the release-post since it's the first of April.
Cody
Can't wait. So excited.
Dennis
Oh yeah, seems like Christmas is in April this year :) . I am trying to keep my hopes down and keep on telling me that I woun't notice any change, but I am not very succesfull with this trick ;) . More than 600.000 words is really a giant amount, but what would make it worse for me is that you can't read them as an interesting story when checking them. There will be a lot of (almost) repetition in them and a scary high amout of interconnection between them. Thank you for the count - reading "Yeah, redoing 9 Chapters" does not sound like that much work at first. But not only going through round about 60.000 sentences, but keeping track of hundreds of red strings ;) makes it even worse. As before: The experience-system did not feel broken, it worked actually very well in contrast to so many other VNs out there, where it really gets boring soon. I always loved the need to decide "Do I want a smart or sporty Ian" and really feel the difference even in bed. I don't think that a nonlinear progression in the skills is always good - in many games, it creates a grindy behavior - but I believe, you will get it right. Well, 500$ or even 1000$ feels reasonable for a track (if you go for the real "it wasn't me" for example). But I agree that it will not add too much to the game - the existing soundtrack still is nice and rousing, playful or soothing.
