Sin Spire - Dev Log 16 (Patreon)

Hello everyone! Today I bring to you another Dev Log. This week's topic is writing! The game's script isn't finalized yet, so I've spent much of the past week developing dialogue and plotting for the three main story characters. Two of them are nearly done, with just one remaining to be fully written.

Finalizing the script now is crucial, as it impacts all additional flavor text, cutscene planning and the ending of the game. The end sequence itself was actually written a while back, but much of the story leading up to it still needs work. Originally, I had planned for branching dialogue with various choices that characters would remember, but writing this has proven more challenging than expected. Instead, I've made most dialogue sequences more linear. Rather than presenting multiple choices at every opportunity, a lot of dialogue will instead have a single choice that continues the current conversation.

I've also been balancing the relationship system, particularly with Savina. I mentioned some time ago that advancing relationships with certain characters would require specific actions. For instance, Savina appreciates it when you buy high-value items and check in with her often. In contrast, the Raven's story is more straightforward.

Speaking of the Raven, I used his scenes as a test for fully voiced dialogue. Initially, I considered reserving voice acting for major scenes only, using UI sounds and reactions like "hm?" for most other dialogue. However, I’m now considering having all dialogue fully voiced to enhance immersion. This makes it even more important to finalize the script soon so I can start getting lines recorded. Because of this, Savina and Ophelia likely won’t be voiced by the next alpha version.

Ophelia is the last character needing a full script. Depending on how you played the alpha demo, you might have encountered her more than once, but she still has a lot of dialogue and scripting work to be completed. By scripting, I mean programming the game to progress her dialogue based on certain events. Scripting for the Raven and Savina is pretty much done. I also haven’t cast Ophelia yet, as I plan to start looking for an actress once her script is complete.

While this has been a writing-heavy week with fewer new visuals, I’ve included a couple of images in this post of a new enemy. She doesn’t have an official name yet but is listed as "Statue" in the game files. She functions similarly to SCP-173 or the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who—she only moves when you’re not looking.

These enemies are challenging since they can’t be damaged and require a special item to defeat. Testing them has been intense; I often end up kiting them around the level while having to manage other enemies. Her purification mechanic isn’t fully implemented yet, as I’m still working out the details. This addition came from direct requests by players who saw statues in Halls of the Pale Widow and wanted to see them fully realized here.

I do apologize if it seems like I'm potentially spoiling the surprise, but even as the developer, I've had my fair share of scares from when these statues suddenly appear out of nowhere.

That's all for this week! Next, I'll continue writing Ophelia's story, finalize and format scripts, and then return to preparing the second dungeon for the next alpha release. Boss fights remain a priority, but I really want to focus on wrapping up the scripts before tackling those.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!