Dev Log #56 - Full-time development begins! (Patreon)

Hi all, welcome back to another weekly dev log, I hope everyone is doing well as we delve into another progress update for Episode 2, but this time as I transition myself to a full-time development cycle of Cara in Creekmaw, let's get to it!

Power off... again...
I had another scheduled power outage during Friday work hours (i.e. today). It is a very small setback but I thought to mention it as I'm starting to be annoyed by it since it has happened twice in less than three months... I'm hoping it is the last!

Render update and work breakdown!
This week has been a great week for renders, as I've been chunking away at large portions of Day 6, which is sizing up to be the biggest day of the newest episode complete with a free-roam, multi-outcome scene (based on previous choices) and also story development, all of which is looking to set the stage for Day 7's ending which aims to answer more questions than it asks, all wrapped together with an explosive ending.

However, rendering is taking slightly longer than expected for some of the more complex scenes but I do intend to rely on the backup time I have during my absence from 20th November (as mentioned in Dev Log #52) to leave my device to render and clear out the entire backlog (which is currently at 140 scenes, and will no doubt have even more over the next few weeks). This backlog is referring to all Day 6 and Day 7 renders that are still pending.

Here's a small breakdown of what's left in terms of H-scenes:
Day 6
- THREE multiple outcome scenes for Day 6 free-roam (this is ONE scene with FIVE possible outcomes depending on player choice, of which two are already finished.)
- TWO standalone scenes for Day 6 free-roam (these are separate and unique from the multi-scene mentioned above).
- ONE standalone scene that happens post-free-roam.

Day 7
- ONE multi-outcome scene with THREE possible outcomes.

What's a multi-outcome scene?
Similar to what was mentioned in a dev log many weeks prior (but as a refresher), a multi-outcome scene is where one scene can have multiple possible outcomes, which all depend on your previous choices!

What's a standalone scene?
A standalone scene is what you have come to expect in previous episodes of Cara in Creekmaw, where it is a scene that is presented either with or without conditions and has only one fixed outcome (if it is seen).

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Dialogue and game playability update!
With dialogue, I'm halfway into Day 5 and also writing the initial code, script, and flow for Day 6's free roam and scene progression!

What I am planning is to complete Day 5 and Day 6 by this weekend so I'm able to quickly piece the dialogue together with the renders that are currently in the works (as mentioned above).

Of course, there is still much to do but overall, there is a structure to follow as I plink away on the last few days of Episode 2!

------------------------------------------- PROGRESS BREAKDOWN -------------------------------
Story: 100% done. The story is now finalized and will not change. Up 5% from last week.

Renders: 65% done. Day 6 is in progress but is slightly delayed as the renders themselves are taking more time than expected with about 140 scenes in the backlog as of this writing. Up 2.5% from last week. The total render count sits at 2816 (+138 from last week) renders.

Dialogue: 65% done. Day 5 is in progress, with planning for Day 6 concurrently happening. Up 5% from last week.

Game Playability: 65% done. Up 5%, the game is playable till the end of Day 4.
------------------------------------------- END OF BREAKDOWN ----------------------------------

Overall, it has been a great week as I'm starting to sink into a good cycle of rest and development, without stressing out about my previous full-time work, from which I'm officially free from just today! Hooray!

Fun fact! The Prologue of Cara in Creekmaw was released on 11th November 2022, and it will be 1 year of development just a day from now! Coincidentally, today is also the day I step back from my full-time work to focus on the development of Cara in Creekmaw. I guess it makes it easier for me to remember milestones in my life; by placing them back-to-back from each other! 

In the next dev log, I will be evaluating my progress and deciding on a potential preview build for early December (whose details I have yet to finalize). Exciting times ahead! And I'm looking forward to talking to everyone about it in the next dev log!

Thank you everyone and stay safe!