Chapter Twenty-one (0.21.0) Update #2
Added 2021-10-12 22:17:55 +0000 UTCAnd here we are, at roughly the halfway point. I won't give the breakdown on progress I usually do because so many scenes are in such weird states. The four big scenes are already shot and animated with the base code done, but the script is in pieces and still being fleshed out, which leads to some inevitable reshoots. But, for the rest of the chapter? The first two-thirds is in a playable state with some need for rewrites and code cleanup.
I want to take a little time to talk about the inevitable end of Now & Then. While we do have another project in development, there will some time spent putting a final bit of polish on Now & Then once the main endings have been released. For the most part, when I look over the first six or so chapters, I see a lot of things I wished I'd done differently, code-wise and shot-wise. I cringe at how amateurish some of the scenes just look. There won't be any huge story changes, but a lot of little cleanups - shot transitions and back-end coding. The first two chapters alone have about 20 new shots to replace old ones. Definitely a few reshoots to cut down on the camera jumping around. And I know of one scene that I'll want to redo just to improve the lighting alone in chapter four.
Of note are two things already in various states: redoing the Dream of Alice sequence as it was the first complicated lewd scene built. There'll be a little more script and some new animations to go with the rework. Also, it's been pitched to me about putting in a Chapter select option. Due to the complex nature of the story flags and needing to add in "jumps" to the beginning of chapters (which weren't even considered before halfway through development), this'll be done during the coding clean up. I've got it to work from a Chapter Select page that'd be available from the Main Screen, but coding each chapter for all the variables is going to take time. A LOT of time.
Thanks for you interest and support,
-Kinderfeld
Comments
Not to worry, there's a whole bunch of them planned for the endings. In fact, I probably need to get started on them now to get them all done. :)
ILSProductions
2021-10-17 00:05:57 +0000 UTCDang. So much for my clever attempt to sneak in extra-pervy scenes.
Dubsington
2021-10-14 23:12:21 +0000 UTCWell, I have been working on the new game in bits and pieces for a year and half now, with actual work done over the past six months. So, I figure once I'm not focused on N&T, I could finish the first release (prologue/chapter 1) in a month.
ILSProductions
2021-10-14 21:41:10 +0000 UTCThe long gap before a first release is always a problem, since you won't get a lot of new patrons. And you don't really want to divert too much of your energy while you're building toward a climax either... What I've seen several successful creators do is to allocate your workdays 60/40 or 80/20 on the new project and updates to the old (so like 1 day working on the old project for every 3 or 4 on the new) . Re-rendering old scenes that you're not proud of is an obvious option, but patrons are always happier if there is content, so a good move is to add a "fan service" update or two during that stretch. Adding a non-plot-impacting sex scene (one of the girls masturbating?) or a lore-heavy side conversation somewhere works great. Extending existing H-content is also excellent (e.g. an existing scene might get an option to do another position, or a twosome scene can acquire an option to become a threesome, etc). A few small-ish releases with a few drops of content in them makes it a lot easier to stomach the wait, and it makes the old game's ultimate release that much more chromed out.
Dubsington
2021-10-13 01:56:48 +0000 UTCI know that Now and Then will end, eventually, but I am really pulling for some great epilogue moments/stories. I feel like this story has been intertwined with my own COVID journey - sans the zombies :) Like the TV series Jericho and their journey, I hope for a return to some semblance of normalcy - with a measure of security and community. I think the greatest comforts we have include the people around us and this can get lost in RL. So - looking forward to the next chapter!
Pax
2021-10-13 00:42:49 +0000 UTC
