Release
Hi everyone! First thing's first.
Episode 2 of When Stars Collide is released!
What you can find in the Episode 2 update:
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- 68000 words of new story content in the base storyline
- 14 new CGs
- (2 for each character, except Kav who got 4 so he has the same amount as the others)
- Kav's first official appearance in the storyline
- 1 new bonus scene (around 5000 words I think)
The game is now just over 150,000 words of content + an additional 13,000 or so in bonus scenes.
January Wrap-up
AND NOW for the January devlog, which I'm tacking onto this post just so it's out of the way!
Now that Episode 2 is released and I'm fully moved I have been working on Episode 3 stuff. I'm not very far into yet as I've only finished the final CGs for Episode 2 in the last couple of weeks.
The next Episode, of course, is Episode 3. Right now I'm still planning to release 2 chapters (Chapter 5, and Chapter 6). Episode 3 will be nearly 100,000 words of content (not including any bonus scenes I may end up writing). It's chonky.
It functions as a turning point for the characters, the game, and the plot.
Up through the end of Episode 2, Wil is very much getting themselves sorted and working out their new situation. There is some foreshadowing of future events in Episode 2 but...
But in Episode 3 plot events start getting ready to ramp up a bit more.
Additionally, Chapter 5 is where the love interest route gets locked in. By the end of Episode 2 you've had four chapters to get to know the LIs (most of them anyway) and while they're still a ways away from truly falling in love, at the very least a definite attraction starts to be established.
In Episode 3, that attraction will be acknowledged as the route is locked in.
Summary:
- Finished and coded all CGs for Episode 2.
- Updated the Patreon Guide
- Did a new BG and effect for Episode 2
- Corrected some errors with Yren's CG
- Worked on two new sprites.
- Worked on new art for the music room
- Set up new BGs for Chapter 5
- Established all character staging for Episode 3 (IE where characters enter and leave scenes.)
- Fixed some issues with Wil's wardrobe
- Then fixed them AGAIN because of a typo.
Art
So as mentioned I completed two CGs for Episode 2 (Noel and Yren) - these were the last two needed to complete that episode.
I worked on the sprite I started previously - but haven't finished him yet - was doing outfits and making some fixes to him.
I also started on a new character sprite as there are multiple new characters who will be appearing in some fashion in chapters 5 and 6.
I set up some new BGs but have a lot more to go. The ship will be stopping by a new location in Chapter 5 and a whole set of new BGs will be needed. I have not put these in the game yet so I have to get them sorted and imported.
After talking to Patrons I decided I will be expanding the music room gallery using other extra artwork I have been drawing of the characters. So I'm doing some extra character art here and there to be used in the music room gallery in the future.
Coding and Other
Made some fixes to some of the CGs where I realised I had mis-numbered the bodies for Wil which would mean that the wrong one would show up for some players in CGs. Most of the CGs cut off right at the shoulders so you can't see much of Wil's body anyway.
We are vertical beings and the CGs are horizontal which means I often can't show very much of the characters anyway - particularly if there are two of them in an upright position.
This means you often can't see enough of the torso for the body to look significantly different regardless which one the sprite has but if you are looking at Wil from the side, some of the bodies have a slightly more pronounced Adam's apple.
For the most part I feel like the differences are subtle enough you really won't notice them if you aren't comparing the CGs side by side but they are technically there. So I did want that to look correct.
Otherwise for coding, I spent time coding in the music cues and the sprite positions. I haven't coded in the BGs yet as there are a lot of new ones that I did not want to add to the game files until Episode 2 was released.
So I will be able to do that as my next step.
Upcoming Month
For February I will be focusing a lot on art - mostly BGs and sprites - and also coding in the BG cues and expressions.
I do not think Chapter 6 is going to get CGs. So far I've done CGs in every chapter but Chapter 6 is one where I'm not sure there are really good moments for solo CGs.
Especially because I know the chapter 5 CGs will be another set that show Wil + the LI together.
That said, there's a lot of content and a lot of expressions and stuff to code. So even only doing six CGs for this episode, there's still a lot of work to be done.
My goal is to have the next episode out in the April/May time frame barring any major issues and distractions.
And that is all for this month. I will see you next time.
