Cross Realms - Duck Quacking #01 (Devlog)

Hi y'all!

Welcome to a new section where I yap about how I design, create, and track the progress of making Cross Realms. I call this section: Duck Quacking.

So first, let’s talk about what y'all are most interested in: the current stage of Chapter 4.

As of writing this, I’m at 71%. Chapter 4 will be the longest chapter since the beginning. It picks up right after the events at the end of Chapter 3 - no time skip. Yep, you read that right: no time skip. So far, the biggest challenge with Chapter 4 is its sheer length. It’s longer than Chapter 3 and packed with more action sequences, which means I have to plan and execute everything tightly to meet the deadline I’ve set in my mind.

But even with a plan, it’s tough to maintain consistent productivity since I also work a daytime job as a game dev.

That job is the unstable variable in my schedule. The time I can dedicate to Cross Realms depends entirely on how efficiently I finish my tasks at work. That’s exactly why Chapter 3 took 7 months. Honestly, it could’ve been done in 5 but I had a rough couple of months early in 2025 when a company project went sideways. There was even a point where I had to abandon Cross Realms production for almost 3 weeks.

And now, as we approach the end of 2025, another company project is entering its release phase, which means I’ll be extra busy for the next 3 - 4 weeks. Will I have to pause production again? I hope not. But if I can keep working on Cross Realms, progress will definitely slow down, expect around 2% per week.

It’s hard to say if the Christmas release is still possible. I’ll do my best to hit that goal, but I want y’all to be mentally prepared for a small delay.

Well! Enough with the “not-so-good” news, let’s talk about the improvements I’ve made in Chapter 4.

First off, I think the length itself is good news for y’all.
Secondly, the render quality has taken a step forward. I’ve discovered some new rendering techniques in both HS2 and Unreal Engine, and the visuals in Chapter 4 will definitely be improved, especially the backgrounds and VFX. (The render above is a good example)

And that’s not all, I’ve also fine-tuned the character model proportions. It’s a subtle change, but it makes a huge difference in scenes with complex outfits and action-focused shots.

Alright! I guess that’s enough “quacking” for now, I’ll wrap it up here.
Thank you all for supporting the game, and I’ll see you again in the next Duck Quacking section!

To my Asian fans: Happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival!

DuskDuck