New Year Special: Milestone 4 - Journal System

Happy New Year, friends!

Just moments before I started writing this, I completed the milestone showcase (see video above) for Sprint 4 of the Moonshell Island Reboot: Journal System!

This being the main menu, it's actually made up of 5 systems:

• Journal (synopsis)

• Quests (main and side quests)

• Achievements

• Settings

• Progress (saving/loading)

It was the longest sprint so far, taking 36 days over the last 2 months. I've made the daily progress reports and videos for this sprint available here for all paid tiers!

This means I've logged 100 days of progress over the 6 months I've been rebuilding the project as I learn to code, and in that time I've coded 60% of the systems required for a demo!

When I set my goals for 2025 last year I thought we were 90% done and had a seasoned programmer on the team, so I aimed to have the demo complete and the project funded by now. These goals had to change along with reality when I realized I'd be rebuilding from scratch as a rookie programmer.

Considering what a struggle it's been to push this project forward over the years, I'm proud to share that this year was a massive victory for me on a personal level and it's set this project on a much more reliable trajectory. At this rate, we're on track to make 2026 a big year for Moonshell Island with hopefully a completed demo and a lower budget to seek for the full game. I'll continue giving it my best shot, anyway!

Thank you to my wonderful teammates Ain and Anna for the amazing illustrations and music we shared throughout the year in the form of postcards, holiday greetings and our in-game soundtrack! Thank you also for encouraging me during my many coding ups and downs.

To all reading this, thank you all for the love, generosity, creativity and courage you've shown this past year. You keep the magic alive and inspire persistence despite the hard and annoying things out there. Your support means a lot more than I can express.

Wishing you all the best in 2026. Let's show this year what we got!

Your friend,
Sam