BtS: BBN, the Journey so far, and what's next

It's been almost two years since I started work on Bound by Night in January 2021. Two years! Now, with the release of Chapter 13 and the conclusion of Act 1, I thought folks might be interested in a little retrospective.

The Beginning

It began almost as a whim. I had been chatting with the developer of a very popular and successful adult VN (Ranli of SpaceCorpsXXX) and, after learning some of the basics of how the CG images were created, I decided to give it a try. (The truth is, I had asked some stunningly ignorant questions of Ranli, but he responded with patience and grace. He is in many ways the spiritual godfather to BBN, and I'm hugely grateful to him.)

This was almost a year into the Covid pandemic and I was still working from home. I had a lot of free time, and had splurged on a 3080 graphics card in anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077. So, I set aside another couple hundred bucks, bought some 3D assets, and started playing around.

What launched was the "demo" version of BBN on Itch, which I timidly and awkwardly went to pimp on the Discord servers of a couple well-established VNs (huge thanks to Aaryn of Straight!? and Ranli for providing channels for self-promotion), and within a week I had my first seven patrons, including one who had subbed at the Antediluvian tier (his sponsored character would become Connor).

Journey So Far

Initial feedback was mostly positive but with some critical notes. A lot of folks did NOT like Nick or Ronan. When I expressed some doubt on Twitter, another dev (Blayke of New Hope and Straight!?) told me to stick to my vision for the characters and the story so, other than some minor tweaks to Nick's model (smoothing out some oddly sharp angles) and adding some images for some flashback sequences, I did. The result is, I hope, an engaging backstory that quickly gives a sense of history to BBN that predates Alex's experience; a world that has already been lived in.

Now, almost two years later and with support of patrons like you, I've learned so much more about working on these images, scripting the game, and just having the courage to keep doing what I'm doing. Because of patrons' support, I've been able to buy many more assets and models to use in the game and a royalty-free audio service for music and sound effects.

We've just completed Act 1 and it has, frankly, taken a bit longer than I expected! This is a solo project so I've always been constrained by how much time I have available. In addition to a full-time job, I'm also a husband and (yes) a father. And as much as those other commitments have demanded some of my time, I've also been trying to pace myself so I don't get burned out. During those first few months, I was often waking up at 4am and running to my rig to get back to work. I was exhilarating and amazing -- I don't regret it -- but it wasn't sustainable. And I am certainly not done!

What's Next?

I'll be starting a new job in December but I should still have plenty of time to continue working on BBN. One of the challenges from this past year is I've been away from my rig most weekends while working on a cabin we bought, but that's finally in good shape (and being rented out some of the time), so my weekends are a bit more free. Which is great, because I'm going to need that time!

My plan is for BBN to unfold across two more acts, with about six chapters in Act 2, and 5 or 6 chapters in Act 3 (with four of those chapters each comprising one of the possible endings). These chapters will be similar in length to chapters 9 through 13 rather than the shorter chapters from earlier in the game.

In Act 1, we shared Alex's experience as he learned about this other world inhabited by elders and werewolves. It was all new to him (and us) but laid the foundation for the next steps while introducing the various characters and, maybe, their motives. Alex was somewhat passive during this act as it was all new to him.

Act 2 is going to be a little different. Now, Alex is going to be taking a more assertive role, researching the virus that transforms the elders and enables them to do what they do. The journey will take Alex across the globe as he tries to learn more about the virus and what it can do. He's going to be learning about his companions, Mayhew and the elders before he decides how he wants to use the information he's gathered.

In Act 3, you will be able to decide Alex's fate. My intent is that the different endings will be unlocked based on how successfully you conducted your research in Act 2, with a mystery in each of three different locations:  each mystery solved gets you +1 research point. Fail at all of them and you'll get the "worst" ending, but if you get at least one you'll be able to shape what happens next. And, of course, based on those endings, we'll resolve those various romances!

Right now, I'm plotting out those acts and their component chapters, identifying decisions and side-plots that need to be resolved, and trying to pace out when to have explicit scenes with the various characters (everyone needs to get their screentime). With Thanksgiving break coming up, and then a week off between jobs, I'm hopeful I'll have that outline completed and be writing the next chapter soon.

Thank You!

Expect a couple more posts from me in the next few weeks, offering other thoughts on things so far or glimpses of what's to come, but most of all please know how much I appreciate each and every one of you. This is my first ever creative project -- as a writer, game designer and as a 3D "artist" (it feels pretentious to use the word "artist" so please forgive me, I'm just not sure what other term fits). Your support and your feedback (especially when it is critical) has helped me improve and make a better story. I am so grateful and am looking forward to continuing telling this story with you.

Best,

BBN (aka SnowHeart)