Hello all - I wanted to give a quick update on the state of affairs for Episode 11.
First off, if you are a current $5+ Patron (or you end up giving $5+ between now and the release), you are now entitled to be on the credits list for Ep.11. You can fill out the form to choose your name and sprite here. Don’t worry about putting in multiple entries, as only your latest entry will be used. Feel free to update it as much as you’d like. I will send out this form again closer to the release date - but for now, I’m just putting it out there.
So, I’ve been working on the story of this one for a good amount of time now and have been plotting furiously in the new notebook (pictured above). My goal going into it was to have the script locked down in late February, and seeing the shape it’s in now, I’m still cautiously optimistic about hitting that goal. A month or two ago, I would have told you that I’m not really able to picture the episode in my head at all, but as of typing this, I can see certain scenes from it it pretty vividly, which is a good sign.
In addition to the usual writers I consult for the episodes, I’ve tapped in to the Patreon funds to hire another writer to get some more diverse viewpoints and ideas on what I can explore with this story. So far, it’s helped a lot, but I’m seeing a lot of unexpected holes pop up in the writing, and I’ve had to start over several times and re-work a lot of things as a result. Actually, it’s ended up a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. A good amount of the people I’ve worked with have suggested huge, sweeping changes to the storyline I’d initially planned which would change the course of the plot entirely. I am hesitant to make such sweeping changes, but am currently considering everything - whatever would make the most interesting episode. Going into it, I didn't think this episode would get such a, "Ah no you can't do that!" reaction out of people. Even more so than the last one. However, I'm really committed to one aspect of the plot, one that I’ve been building towards since around Ep7, that I am fighting to keep and figure out how to present in the most tactful and entertaining way. I’m definitely getting closer to it, but it’s not quite there yet. Of all aspects of the episode to let simmer and take one’s time on, I believe the script to be the most important.
Normally, I would share in-progress shots of what is being worked on at the moment, but I am hesitant to start commissioning big assets until the script is locked down. I’ve already changed a lot, and there’s still more that can be changed/removed from the script, so I’d hate to waste the effort if that’s the case. There is one large asset that is definitely going to be a part of it, though, which I need to get more progress on this month, so hopefully I can share more about that later.
This reminds me: for the last episode, I wanted to hide spoilers by not showing the Sinnoh content, and making the shift to Gen 4 a huge, unexpected surprise. For this next one, it may be much harder for me to do that. A big part of these updates include showing screenshots from in-progress work, but I don’t know if I can continue to do that while also avoiding spoilers, given what happens in the next episode. I'm curious how much people actually care about Episode spoilers here. Feel free to vote on how you feel by filling out this form or by leaving a comment below. I’d really like to know how much you care about that sort of stuff.
Also, The personalized scrips for top Patreon scripts are printed and I typed up most of the personalized notes. I still have to finish physically writing those and send them off. I apologize for dragging my feet on that. For those asking, the top 10-20 or so donor for the episode in question get a script at the end.
Alright - that’s about all I have to report for now. I don’t think I can transition to weekly updates just yet, but I will try to keep you in the loop and post as much as I can here going forward. I am very excited about this episode. Ep10 had a major tone change and I knew it wouldn’t sit well with a lot of people, but Ep11 is very much a crowd pleaser with a lot of exciting moments where stuff comes to a head, so I’m excited to be working on it. Thank you, as always, for your generous support.
- Shippiddge