Greetings all,
Long time no devlog. Been a hell of a few months.
This is a quick ramble about what the next few months will look like.
This week, I'm rewriting the final™️ version of the script. Nothing huge as far as plot updates go, and no real new scenes or anything, so nothing that will hold development back at this point. The main changes are incorporating elements that will appear in later episodes (what is foreshadowing) and writing in a more... visual novel style? I'll explain.
My initial instinct was to write Pulse in a way that's in line with TV or movies. Economically. I was aiming for tight scenes, with everything serving a purpose (even if that purpose was establishing character, tone, etc.) But visual novels are their own beautiful, messy medium, and central to that medium is EXCESS. So, I've become a little less inhibited. If I want a scene where Lydia and MC are bantering to go on a little longer, it's going to do that. The MC's narration has become more central to the narrative (again, something I had to ease into over time, since my instinct is to take a less is more approach with that). There's more information about the world, its characters, what led MC to this point, and so on. No mystery boxes here.
Otherwise, I've been making some finishing touches to models/environments/all that while I pose and render everything. It's been so rewarding to see this world and its characters come to life after all of this time. I've had some people express interest in the more technical side of the project, since its art style is unique (in this space), so I'll be doing some showcases soon.
As episode 1's launch approaches, I'll get into the release strategy in greater detail. As of now, I'm thinking that the first episode will be exclusive to paying members for a short window, after which it'll be available to all for free. For episodes after that, we'll talk. I've also been thinking of between-episode goodies to give out to paying members, but if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Until next time.