Hello! So I've decided to do my regular status updates in a bit of a new way starting this 2026.Traditionally I have posted these updates on my discord. I'll still be linking these there and making this a free update for all to reference, so hopefully this is just a wider audience.
As part of this, for the patrons... I'm going to stop posting the Transparency report on the patreon every month. I will continue monthly postings on the Discord, but I'll do a post with multiple months on here every 3 or 4 months going forward. If you want to keep up regularly, check out the discord and get the patron role there.
Additionally I plan to add a monthly "Breakdown section". Where I go over some of my work in more detail. I like being transparent and being transparent makes me better understand that I'm giving real substantive output even if it takes time get out. So that's the idea. Similar to the semi-frequent updates from the last half of last year.
Overall it's been... a month of ups and down in terms of stressors. So I've done my best to continue working on stuff. But I probably had more instances of just needing to rest than I often wish I had to. Good progress was made though, so into the update.
[v0.18]Similar to last month's update, but later in the process, I've been trying out a new method to actually make the game (details in the Monthly Breakdown). I'm farther along so I feel good about it. I hoped I'd be farther along than I am. But... that's every system I ever tried. Its been a mild success so far.
The test will be how to do the last stretch on the updates when I go back to them. Which may or may not happen in February. But rest assured that I am making much more progress than I had in my actual burnout phase last year. It's just not all for specifically the upcoming update.
[v0.15]We've got an outline and have started designing the map for the next update. Specifically, it has been decided this will be another paralogue. Specifically a TF paralogue, like how Norde had one before. I won't say for who yet. But I'm hopeful it should come somewhat quicker than the last update.
[v0.4]OB and Between have been getting the game dev time lately. I've got my roadmap for this. So I'm sort of seeing where my momentum on Between lets up before I turn back to it for the next update. Sorry! I know I said I was aiming for one a month, but half of working on these games reliably is letting my brain pull me to what I can actually consistently work on the more reliably at a time.
[Chapter 01]Positive developments! I announced this last Christmas time. And, as my last update said, I'm technically a few chapters a head... technically. There's a editing pass desperately needed for some of the earliest work. Touching up art, visual formatting, etc. So chapter 1 will get that as we're hitting the tail end of making chapter 3, currently.
[Chapter 02]I hope people enjoyed the first release of this. It is "the lighthearted" silly thing for me to go to. I've done some more work on writing future chapters, and we've got storyboards up to chapter 5 ready. Guest artists are being commissioned, and Mass will work on some of the chapters as possible. This is very much one that is "as time provides" for everyone involved.
[Chapter 02]This is primarily made by Icarue, so more an update on his efforts there. Chapter 2 has been mostly finished in terms of production. I expect a release Patreon wise this month, at least over on his Patreon. As a reminder, my work on this is primarily for high level story and feedback in development. I write the overall scenario, write what happens each page, and that sort of stuff. From there, Icarue takes over with some support from me.
[BETWEEN - New development process]I mentioned above that I've been experimenting with a new development process in Between for the past... month and a half or so. I've not really broken down what I've done so far, so I figured that'd be worth sharing as an opening effort in this more in depth update on the patreon.
Simply put... I'm making the game bar the actually writing writing.
I know the story I want to tell. And I'm able to more easily do some of the tedious work even when I'm not fully feeling the writing writing part of it. So I can try to make the content in the engine, just with placeholders for dialogue, narration, and some other elements that are more writing specific.
I've made the entirety of Penny's SQ2 via this. And of the end of Chapter 6. Chapter 7 has a big chunk of its opening section done in this way, too, including the opening dungeon for chapter 7. Recently I've started to think on designing the major Oasis/Dungeon(s) of the rest of Chapter 7, even if I've not implemented much yet.
Obviously, these sections won't be available until they're actually done, but... technically... they're playable to the end of what I've finished.
Outside of being able to get more done even when I'm not totally feeling it, what "feeling it" I do have does translate into some writing. I can get into as much depth as I feel like here, even writing out lines or testing the pacing and such as I go.
For example, I wrote out the entirety of the critical sequence for the end of chapter 6 already.
I've not sat down and tried to write these sections yet (expecting to try that this February), but I suspect it'll turn into an interesting development of learning precisely how much smoother that process may go with so much of the work already done (or... potentially... not smoother. It's a learning process)
Either way, I'm happy with how this effort has gone, as its opened my ability to work on stuff in ways I was struggling with last year. And I hope it leads to a much more productive year working on Between.
I think I'll end this here, then. Thanks to everyone for reading!