Monthly Devlog 13/12/2020

Hello Itch.
This month I've finished the first draft of Chapter 2's script (Actually just a few hours before writing this, haha) and made another big decision on the direction of this visual novel.

The short version of this decision is: I'm going to go full kinetic novel. That is, no choices at all, just pure linear story.

Why? To be honest, because I realised I was adding choices because I thought I had to. From the beginning I've had one main ending in mind and the others were made to just be alternatives to that. And after I'd decided that one of the routes was too much work for me to do solo when my heart wasn't entirely in it, I realised the alternative ending for the one route that was left just wasn't satisfying.

Really, making the endings 'alternatives' was my biggest mistake I feel. If I were to ever try a choice based story again I'd certainly plan all the endings to mean something to the central plot and each other instead of essentially derailing into a new story. This isn't a change I can make to the current story though, because the main plot is still one I want to tell.

Of course, this will mean a rewrite to the current first chapter as well, just so the choices in there will be removed. Sorry I can't keep my promise about the choices still meaning anything I made last month. That's just how this learning experience has gone it seems.

That said, despite how negative all these removals must sound, I'm actually very excited to be continuing with this new focus on a single story line. Frankly I think it might be what I'm more suited to, especially because it means I can put more focus on my animated segments without worrying how they might be changed by choices.

And now that I've finished the first draft, it's time to get to doing some of the new art. Hopefully I'm not too rusty!

See y'all next month~