Unexpected delays
So, I have both good and bad news. The good news is that I already had the main idea in my journals, like I mentioned in the September Log. The bad news, on the other hand, is that while writing the main plotline into a more cohesive format, I collided straight into a bookshelf. I’m not kidding… but more about that later on.
With all of the fatigue (yes, let’s call it that, I’m still not ready to accept I may just be lazy!) from the freelance work I’ve had this past month, I managed to work a whopping 1 day on SCaN. Alright, alright, I spend way too much time consuming. It always hits hard when people like Derek Hudson from Legends of Avantris says things along the lines of ‘as creators we don’t consume much’… Well, I consume too much. And it irks me, truly, it is an addiction!
So, I do have the story, just not all in the cloud yet. I shall work on that, and hope that no more spin-offs come to mind. But then again, if they do… Who am I kidding, I’ll put them in too!
FP: SCaN
As you can see, I have spent all of ~6% of my work time on SCaN. And that is not even entirely accurate, since it includes the writing of the September logs, as well as two sessions of Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. It’s a stellar game, by the way. I’m currently sitting at 76% of Steam Achievements, and plan to go 100%. Look forward to reading my analysis of it once I’m done!
What I did manage, before the fairy tale hijacked my evening, was to write the Prologue and the Tutorial days.
The Prologue
As I keep getting better in my art, I figured it would be nice to do a sort of semi-animation for the opener. I say ‘semi’ because it would be one of those key-frame image sequences. Maybe with some camera shake or movement, if I can be bothered. But mostly, it would be still images blended into each other via a dark transition, to give an idea of what the heck is the premise.
You’ll get to meet all the main people, including John, Jane, Jonathan, and Grandma. And then you will be given the controls and the freedom to explore, so to speak.
The Tutorial
In this stage the player, you, gets to explore the house a bit. You can interact with the NPCs, objects, etc. You know, the basic ‘this is the way the game will work from now on… got it?’ kind of ‘level’. I say ‘level’, because the game works in days, and doesn’t necessarily have a traditional level path. It’s progression is well… progressive. The evil lurks, but gets ever closer, you know?
While it is a Tutorial Day, it will also have moments that can have an impact on your playthrough. Everything from leaving your clothes on the floor, petting the cat, all the way to interacting with Jonathan – it’s your choice how you approach life as John. I’ll try to give the player a few nice options to pick from, we all love personal stories, after all!
Easter Eggs
So, about that notorious fairy tale by the Grimms. I’m not kidding, I spent the night I was supposed to be jotting down the default story line modifying one of the classics to fit the world of SCaN. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was fun and all but… Boy did it sidetrack me. And the best (worst) part? I feel like I need to do this a few more times. Pick a few more stories to modify for the bookshelf. I hope this doesn’t consume me.
Lessons Learned
I should really lessen my expectations of myself. After all, I learned a long time ago that spreading myself too thin isn’t a good idea. Nothing gets done that way. Or if it does, it will be more or less half-assed. What I’m trying to say is that perhaps attempting to do the whole story was a bit too big of a bite for me, especially when I knew it would be hectic otherwise.
I also learned, once again, to expect delays. This whole adaptation of the classic fairy tale wasn’t in the cards in the beginning, but it is now very much a thing. Plans change, and as the old wisdom says, the only thing constant is change. I’ve found this to be especially true for something so complex as development, as I’ve noticed from my husband. His grace is that he can adapt on the spot, which is something I wish I’ll learn in the future.
Coming up…
So, thinking about the things I’ve learned, I’ll take a smaller bite of SCaN this month. Now that I’m in the mode of doing the story, it only makes sense to finish it – but not all at once. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps. We have other priorities still.
Days 1-3 of the Default Arc. Considering that the game can have a cycle as long as 19 days, it only makes sense to tackle it little by little until I can completely dedicate myself to the project. So, this November I aim to finish writing the main arc for days 1, 2, and 3. That would be an amazing progress, especially when we take into account that the game will be story-based.
As always, you can find me on X, where I lurk and post things related and unrelated to my projects.
The road may seem long, the mountain tall… but out there, somewhere, is your very own heaven to reach.
Keep taking those small steps,
Mrs. V