Hello, Students!
It's been a while since I've done a development update, and since then we've hit the one-year mark, so- one year since I started this project. And rather than post a traditional update where I talk about everything done since the last one, I'd just give a report of the game as it currently stands. A sort of soft reboot. So much has happened since the last one it just feels like more work than it's worth to do it in the old format, and with it being PSA's anniversary (more or less) to me a change-up in format for this one seemed befitting.
So, where are we at? What's the plan? Well- originally I thought I'd finish the demo launch a KS and go from there. Now I'm sort of in the mindset I was when I first started and that's, that I just want to fund and do it myself. I do unfortunately have a massive cast of characters I need to pay for again due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but it is what it is. Yes, a KS could solve this conundrum, but it's such a large chunk of change, I'd rather just work overtime at my 9-5 and hope I can get it funded than ask for that money, because it's like $5k, and that's like just to get the game finished sort of how I imagined no extra bells or whistles. And right now it almost seems like it'd cause me more stress in a way, because you have to calculate the cost of rewards vs money raised, and then taxes. At this point it's just like I'd rather open my Etsy shop back up create PSA-specific merch and use any money from those sales to fund the game, so that's my current headspace on that. I have less than half the cast to pay for so the end is in sight, and I make making a lot of progress on the writing, so like it is happening despite what the world has thrown at me. and I think partially because I'm already in too deep and partially I think because I'll never create anything so impressive again, like this truly has become my swan song, I just have that feeling that this is it. Anyways, moving on to where we're actually at.
The demo is finally insight I'm hoping it can come out by March 2023 which seems like a long way away, but it creeps up on you and while I've made great strides there is still a lot to do.
First hour is completely programmed, all the voice work is implemented, it just needs a couple sound effects and the updated background artwork, and the character sprite for Mr. Fair-Feathered. All of second hour is programmed so all the variations are done and ready, they're just missing voice lines, maybe sound effects, and updated background art.
I've begun implementing the shop which while it'll more or less be useless to the player in the demo having access to it will allow them to at least get a sense of how it functions, and while buying items will technically be a waste to them, it will be possible. Ideally, all ten of the planned items will be available even if again they won't serve much of a purpose.
Malachi's first event has been programmed it's just missing voice lines, this event is the biggest event in the demo in regards to word count and is one of the more extensive ones I've written so far.
The Post-Herbology events likely won't be all the ones that will be in the final version of the game as currently there's only three written and I'd like for there to be about five options, but due to how I go about casting and writing, waiting till I come up with five would just delay the release of the demo by so much; and there's already going to be a decent chunk of content in it as is.
I need to finish writing all the Post-Choir events which'll be the last of what's available in the demo. So for reference, the demo encompasses from 1st Hour (Herbology) to Post-Choir (2nd Hour). The introduction event will also be included which is about 20min long on it's own I believe, and features exclusively the character of Unicorn McFeel-Good this event is all programmed and aside from a few sound effects has all the audio finished as well, what's left really is just the updated backgrounds.
I need to cast a handful of characters which I will be doing in a couple of months after I've finished up the writing.
I'm also in addition to all that working on other events and things for down the line I've begun work on the alternate version of the Literature class which'll feature a cool Samebito event.
So yeah stuff is moving along in all directions. I think the next casting call will likely be in December for those interested.
Hm, what else... Oh yes, just some numbers to maybe help give a sense of overall progress.
46/100 students designed
52/100 bios written
35/100 endings written
37/100 routes written
29/100 students cast
Bios & Endings account for 58,701 total words in the game.
Routes account for well over 300k words I'd imagine at this point since the main route alone is 124k or somewhere in that ballpark, at this point calculating all the words in the game is just too much of a time commitment for a little update. Rest assured there's a lot ha, ha, ha.
And I think for now that's where I'll leave this update, thank you everyone for your continued support and my undying gratitude to all the voice actors who have worked with me thus far, as well as all the artists.
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