0.6.1.5 Recap and Winterhowl Preparations

Good afternoon,
a long week has come to an end, and I am glad that I managed to complete most of what I had planned. Now it is time to look back on the past days and talk a bit about next week and Christmas.

As I already mentioned, I pulled an all-nighter last weekend in the hope of finishing the update in time… but on Sunday it became clear that it would be impossible. That frustrated me at first, but in the end I was thankful for the extra time I had to work, because otherwise the update might still not be finished even now. So I am incredibly relieved, and I can finally enjoy the upcoming weekend again.
I already listed a few points in the release post that I consider unfinished or in need of improvement. These things usually become most noticeable to me during testing, when I can see how what I wrote actually plays out in-game. I will have a lot to improve for the 0.6.2.0 release, and of course Kirlic itself is still in a very early and unfinished state. It was never realistic to expect the city to feel alive within a single update, but I still want to round everything out a bit more.

But for now let’s talk about what is right around the corner: Christmas.
Starting this Monday, I will have exactly seven days left to create a Christmas scene if I want to release it on time. And I do want to release it on time, so the Christmas special this year will have to be a bit smaller. The only problem is: what does smaller actually mean?
I thought a lot about it yesterday and today, and in my head many ideas sound manageable, but once I begin working on them I often notice a lot of unexpected complications. So if I end up finishing the scene shortly after Christmas instead of exactly on time, then that is simply how it will be.

I came up with the following options and I will leave the choice to you.

Sabrina & Athia: She visits the MC for Winterhowl, right as he sits in front of his tree. Athia joins them, and the three spend some intimate time together. Slight variations depending on the route.

Kate & Claire: A rework of Kate’s Winterhowl scene, as the images have become quite outdated. Claire watches her daughter, and decides to join in the following year. If the scene has already been played once, I will adjust it so that she is already at a later stage this year.

Mira: An expanded version of her bath scene that eventually leads to the Winterhowl tree.
- I am keeping this intentionally vague because I do not know yet how much I can realistically finish in time, but I have wanted to continue working on this scene for a while now.

Carmen: Winterhowl at the Old Boar Inn, including festive decorations. She dresses up for the occasion and surprises the MC during his visit.

As I said, the choice is yours. Starting Monday I will try my best to complete whichever scene you voted for in time, but you know how it is, I underestimate workload and on top of that I become very ambitios when working on scenes... So I can't promise if it will be doable in time.

For now, I wish you all a wonderful weekend.