? Devlog 5 – Almost Ready for V0.2!

TL;DR:

• V0.2 is nearly done!

• Over 20k new words were added (game total went from 40k to 63k).

• Revised scenes, bug fixes, visual and audio improvements.

• V0.3 content already being written.

• Added: new CG, ending tracker, and better transitions from V0.1 to V0.2.

────────────────────────────────────────────

? What I’ve been working on this week

The game is basically ready for V0.2. With more than 20,000 words added, it went from 40k to 63k words total. That’s over half of the entire game’s existing content added in this patch alone. I'm super happy with this number!

That said, for players who don’t usually restart to see alternate paths, the expansion might feel smaller than it really is, since a lot of the content is branched.

So... why not release V0.2 now?
I’m waiting for feedback from my beta testers, and also:

• I'm passively reviewing and polishing things (adding sound effects, improving sprites and visual presentation, testing new music, etc.).

• It’s a natural story break point, and I’ve already passed the word count I had estimated per version by a very significant margin.

• More importantly: it gives me breathing room. I can start working on V0.3 in a more relaxed, creative flow. If I ever end up with too much content ready, I might release patches earlier or with more content. So it’s kind of a win-win situation.

────────────────────────────────────────────

✍️ Improving my writing (slowly!)

In my downtime, I’ve been watching some videos on writing better descriptions. I found a few great ones, and I’ve already applied some new ideas in a few scenes I wrote.

Also, I’ve been revising scenes from V0.1 (including some suggestions from my friend Viv ?), mostly to improve the flow and readability.
I've been thinking a lot about how I want to write, and trying to move closer to my preferred style focusing on “show, don’t tell”.

────────────────────────────────────────────

? Linking V0.1 to V0.2

There are multiple ways to end V0.1, and I had to write transitions into the new content accordingly.
I managed to write two main branches that feel natural or at least they seem to be working so far ?

?️ Small Logic Change: Matt’s Night Events

I reworked the logic behind spending the night with Matt.
Now, before the beerpong event, you can only choose rooftop OR training with him, not both.

Why?

• It felt unfair that to “maximize” Matt’s content, players had to miss other content that also includes Matt (The beerpong event).

• But mainly… the new setup fits his personality better.
  You'll see when you play!

I also lightly rewrote a few older parts. The rooftop scene was actually one of the firsts I ever wrote, and even though it's nostalgic, I can now feel how much my writing has evolved. I wish I had more time to revisit old scenes, but maybe on a latter date ?

────────────────────────────────────────────

? Bug Fix

I fixed a bug reported by testers involving Mafalda and Adrian,  probably caused by me adding new content for Adrian. It seems to be resolved now!

────────────────────────────────────────────

? New Content + Testing Tools

Testing everything got overwhelming, so I created a Testing Room to jump directly into new content based on key choices.

There are over 36 variables just for the beerpong content (and I haven’t even counted everything)!
This tool really helped me move faster, but I’ll still need your help spotting anything weird or buggy.

────────────────────────────────────────────

? Sound & Music Work

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to improve the sound design:

• I found some amazing music tracks that really enhance certain V0.2 moments. I’m just waiting for permission/licenses to use them.

• I also added ambient sounds and sound effects that I think turned out great!

I’d love to expand sound design even more in the future.

────────────────────────────────────────────

? Other Additions & Fixes

Fixed a tiny mistake in the teaser of a new character. Expect a proper preview of them later this week!

• Added a new endings tracker: at the end of the game, you can now see how many endings exist and how many you've unlocked.

• Reworked the path to one of the endings. No spoilers, but it now feels more natural and powerful. My testers really liked how it turned out even though I feel some of you might not like it hehehe.

• Added a new CG for Matt, this one shouldn't be hard to find ?

Improved a beerpong scene, including slight dialogue variations based on past choices (very subtle, but they’re there!)

────────────────────────────────────────────

? Already Thinking Ahead...

I started writing some parts of V0.3 content, but I’ll stay quiet about that for now… spoilers ?

────────────────────────────────────────────

?‍♀️ Writing down a new character!

Had a little surge of inspiration and ended up creating a new character, full profile and even made his sprite.
I really love how he turned out, but he won’t appear until after Diego vs Matt. xD

────────────────────────────────────────────

– Zak