Philosophy #27 | A Time To Shine

Philosophy #27 | A Time To Shine

One of the things I wanted to do is include a lot of interactions with as many characters as possible. I've talked before in previous philosophies about the little things and how everything counts. Some of the interactions are small, like just having a cup of coffee and chit chat. Some of these interactions are serious conversations that reveal a lot about the characters and what makes them tick. I'd like to think at this point in the game, you have a better idea of who the characters are and what separates them from everybody else based on the combination of both these big and small interactions.

As mentioned before, there's less story to tell at this point in the game. Right now, I'd say we're nearing the end of the middle of the story and heading toward the final act. Before we get to the final act, we have to finish tying-up the loose ends in the middle of the story that will propel us into it.

Because there isn't as much story to tell, the story is going to be tighter. The episodes will be shorter. And as a result, you might not see every character that you're used to seeing. I know that everybody has their favorites and you can be focused on one girl even though another may be getting attention. I have to be honest and say that I can't divide every episode evenly between every girl. So some girls are going to get more attention than others.

But even though one girl might not be featured in an episode, I do have a plan to make sure she gets featured in another. Every girl is going to get a chance to shine for herself. Every girl will get a chance to be the main focus. It might not be next but it will happen. I'm leaning episodes heavily toward one character or another because, as I mentioned before, there's less story to tell. Another reason is that I want to let the specific plot point or character arc to be the main focus for whatever episode it happens to be.

I know it's difficult when you're playing a game episode to episode and update to update. But if you look at everything like a piece of a puzzle, it all connects. Think of it like one big picture and every girl will get her own piece for herself.

The most recent episode was about Old Town. And in that episode, there was a lot of development for Erika. Even though other things happened, everything centered around her, from having a conversation with her and learning more about her past to fighting at the Proving Grounds and winning your bets.

I have the next several episodes planned out for different characters. Erika had her time to shine, so to speak. Now other girls will get their chance to be the focus of the story. Over the course of these next few episodes, you won't know everything and there will still be more story to tell. But different characters are going to be featured. All of this will be a part of the main plot as it continues to advance toward the final act.

I know what it feels like when you're looking forward to an update and you don't get anything with the girl you like. I wanted to say this now in case you might be getting your hopes up and then playing an update and seeing she didn't get any content. Let me say again that some girls are going to be more featured than others. You're used to seeing every girl in every episode but there are less small moments to have because they've already happened. The other alternative would be to cram every girl's moment into the same episode but I think that takes away from each of them when they have to share the screen. If for no other reason than that I don't have the means for it, you can't bang every girl in every single episode unfortunately. At least, not at this point in the story.

One of the issues you as the MC faces is that you're being pulled in every direction. Even though you should feel the gravity of having so many obligations, I don't want it all to feel like a burden. You shouldn't have to worry about your science project with Harlow while wondering if you're going to survive your next fight at the Proving Grounds with Erika. I want you to enjoy the experience of every interaction with each girl, getting to know them better, and if you choose, taking your relationship to another level.

I'm excited about everything I have outlined. The impact of future events is only going to continue building as we head toward the final act.

Maybe it will make more sense after the next episode is released and I can talk more about it. Or maybe it'll take a few more episodes after that. Either way, just know that every girl is going to get her time to shine. And it's going to happen more than once.

On Episode 13

I have a couple of scenes left to render, which I hope won't take much longer. I've also gotten some early animations done, so it's nice to get the ball rolling on that. As mentioned in the first progress update, because there's more sex in this episode and I'm trying to differentiate the scenes as much I can, it'll add to the dev time in this part of the sequence.

Even though I never set any deadlines or release dates, I do like to give progress updates regularly. I keep them for myself as well just to see how much I'm getting done. My goal isn't to finish everything but to fill up those bars enough that there's a significant difference from update to update. The next progress update will be next week. Barring any setbacks, I should have some good progress to report.

That's it for now. Send me a message if you've got anything to ask or tell me. Thanks for your support. Stay safe out there, enjoy the weekend and I'll see you soon.