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It's almost here!

I pulled myself from dev work long enough to make a quick video for you to see yourself. The video should cover most people in updates. However, if you want to nerd out and hear some of the tech just read on XD. NSFW Version of this trailer is already posted on Steam! Go Check it out!

To make more than just a game:

To remind everyone, we are not building just a VN. The game's foundation is being built to be modular, open source, and modifiable. With these requirements in mind, you can see why it has taken longer than normal to design, plan, and prepare all of the back end for future iterations of this game. A good example is the template for the H Scenes. The template planning is what has taken so long to dial in. Making something modular, simple, consistent to use, and feature rich is no small feat. Ensuring code is opensource so creators, devs, and writers can change or tailor the experience to their needs is something we take very seriously. We rely on the basics of Unity using game objects and components to keep things easy to follow and figure out. Knight has already created the documentation Wiki page on Github (although it isn't public YET), and we are now updating it with the commands and tutorials as we get closer to final vision of the systems.
The systems together can make story boards, animated sequences controlled by script, Visual Novels, ect. And it will all be FREE! The Script writing doesn't require technical knowledge. A writer can drop the assets in Unity, and control them via this script to craft their scenes, add voice lines, music, affects, manipulate the theme, even control the models in the scene via movement, expressions, or animations. We are even finalizing a format to add eyeblink transitions, rainfall, ect that will add another layer of control the writer can use. The demo is the culmination of years of dedication to this philosophy and will be the core foundation for future creators, a vertical slice of all the systems at play. Post Demo, we will be updating Unity to the latest allowed by Live 2D to give Mac Users on Apple silicon the ability to create using our systems. Knight will be handling that and doing the refactoring while I put the 40k words of the main game into unity that I already have ready.

Will this mean that progress will speed up after the demo is finished?

In a nutshell, yes. The core templates are finished, we can move forward and just direct the story. With the exception of the PDA (Which I will work on right after the demo drop) the core systems are all in place and ready to write in. At that point, it will just be a matter of waiting on Art Assets and Animations to be finished. Rigging has started on post demo content! With Live 2D taking time, we are trying to stagger the production of assets to speed up the process.

There is not much left to do!

You heard that right. Even while waiting on some code to be finalized, we staggered work to prepare. Currently right now, the items we need to focus on are: 1. Zoom and Pan controls for H Scenes (In Progress right now) 2. Final touches to interaction audio for the H Scenes. 3. Minor Adjustments for mode switch from Story to interactive (H Scenes) 4. Adding the completed transitions into the demo (eye blinks ect). 5. Integrate the Language switch system (its core is already in game) and update the commands in each folder with the finalized versions we have now. The translators will be checking out the localized changes to ensure they are accurate XD. Because of Japanese Censor Laws, the Japanese localized game will have to be a separate build. On Steam, you will have no issues. However, on Itch.Io, and Newgrounds, they will show up as B1NARY Jav Build. The Jav builds will have full language support, but assets will be censored in the H Scenes to satisfy the Japanese Censor Laws. I won't give a deadline for the demo, but it is coming very soon. We have a linux bug we are trying to isolate and I don't want to put undue pressure on our programmer lol. With that being said, no one is left behind. The demo will drop fully translated, and across all the platforms we have announced.

PogCast

What is the POGCAST? It will be our demo release party! Live on Stream with our Host Rachi.
We will have a release trailer, final cast lockdown announcement, and future plans concerning the project itself. I will be available for AMA. At the end of stream, we will make the demo LIVE to play for everyone! We will decide on a date once we are in Phase IV (Polish). No worries, you won't miss it!

What is this????

For now, it's something I am planning for Patreon Members Only. In the future, we may bring in some merch like cups and keychains to help fund the game and have something tangible for you to fondle. I am still researching the best way to get the t-shirts to people while allowing privacy. I will keep you up to date! (NGL I want some merch too lmao. ) I hope this update was good for you, because it was for me UwU. Just a bit longer and we can really get to work. As a writer I have been literally waiting years to get back to writing in earnest. Thank you for all of your support peeps. Project Manager TherinWhitten

[ 2023-06-14 16:50:52 CET ] [ Original post ]