Por(n)tals [0.5] - Devlog #2

Hello there! 👋

After a long month of hard (?) work, I'm here with the second progress report. The good news is that development is moving along without any major delays. I've worked on the game pretty much every single day, so this time I can't really complain about my work ethic. The bad news is that I'm balding. Fuck my genes.

This month I focused mostly on rendering. As promised, I've picked up the pace a bit, so the progress in this area is bigger this time. It's been going smoothly without any major issues. I've also been experimenting a little more with post processing, so you might notice some subtle visual differences in version 0.5. Nothing too drastic, but I'm trying to put a bit more effort into images.

On the other hand, I struggled with the script. More often than usual, I found myself cutting out and rewriting fairly large sections because I just wasn't satisfied with them. As a result, the writing progress isn't particularly impressive. The good news is that I think the worst part of the story is already behind me. I hope it’s all downhill from here.

This problematic section is the main trip to another world in version 0.5. Last time I mentioned that I was just starting to write it, and now it's roughly halfway done. This time, the plan features an elf world, because this kind of game simply couldn't exist without them. Besides, everyone loves elves, right? Right?

I'm also trying to do one thing differently with this storyline. Up until now, whenever I designed major choices, there was usually that one option I expected most players to pick. With the elves, I'd like the choice to be less straightforward. If you decide to get involved (because yes, you'll also be able to say, "Fuck this, not my problem"), your decision will have an impact on the lives of the people in that world. But I want to make it one of those situations where someone benefits at someone else's expense. I hope this will make you stop and think about it for at least a split second longer. I'm not promising a masterpiece, but I’m definitely putting more thought into this part than I did with the previous ones.

While we're still on the topic of writing, I also went back and added a short scene with Vanessa. I feel like her screen time in version 0.5 is a little too short, so I wanted to give her some more love. The problem is that I'm worried it might just feel like filler that doesn't really contribute to either the plot or her character development. So, I'm still on the fence about whether to keep it in the game or throw it away. If I choose the latter, Vanessa fans, please forgive me.

So, what's the plan for next month? Definitely finishing the script for the entire elf world. That’s my number one priority. At the same time I'll keep doing the renders like always. I'd like to catch up to the point I've written so far. That includes the first lewd scene of this update, so I want to have it fully animated by the next devlog. Wish me luck!

Current progress

Script - about 40% completed.

Renders - nearly 800 renders. Not bad.

Code - Unbelievable! I actually made some progress✌️At the moment, it's sitting at around 800 lines.

And that's it. Yaaay!

Thank you all for reading this devlog and for supporting the game. You guys are the absolute best! ❤️ The next devlog should be up around August 16th. Until then, stay healthy and remember it's summer, so drink plenty of water. Especially when it's hot as hell outside. Take care of yourselves and your hair. See ya!

OneHend