Status of Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Public Dev Log #2 [Free]

Hiya there, everyone! How have you been?

It's been a little while since I've done one of these free posts--and figured now would be as good a time as any for a new one, seeing as I've cleared another relatively large milestone for Quest Failed: Chapter Two's development and had some free time to tackle these dev log style posts. I figure these are important to do once in a while--and I'd like to try to do some semi-more frequently, as they're no doubt a good way to give you insight into what's being worked on, and maybe assure you I'm still alive! Either that or the reanimated me is working as hard as it can under the watchful eye of the necromancer.

So, to start off--what's new on the QF front? You may or may not have seen, but I've gotten a new alpha build out--0.16--for Chapter Two. Which is exciting times! I only briefly touched upon what is included in this new build on the announcement post itself as I was both tired AND wanting to save the rambling for this free post, to try to keep everyone in the loop. I realise I'm slightly repeating myself given I outlined some of these plans beforehand, but since they're all concrete and in the game now, I figured I'd delve into them a little more now!

But essentially there's 5 new voiced h-scenes, along with some cute side events and interactions that explore a bunch of characters' backstories in more depth, shining light on previous mysterious whilst maybe raising a few questions along the way too. The characters that get all the love this build are:

Lucille

The hissy mistress you all know and love--maybe--all the way from Chapter One! I'm happy to say that all her events and scenes are now concluded in Chapter Two. Of which there are many, split between fluffier events and the more intimate h-scenes.

I always felt like she didn't quite get enough screen-time in Chapter One, given her scenes in that basically came down to a choice rather than being spread across multiple interactions like with the others. Which, given the events that happened in Chapter One, I guess it was hard to work around such a thing, haha.

So come Chapter Two--I knew from the very start I wanted her to return. Or rather, Matt would return to her. Rather reluctantly at the start. The last thing I wanted was for her to be a one-and-done character, because she still had so much to offer. And, admittedly, my bias towards her may have played a part, too. Because how could it not? Just look at that buxom lamia!

So all of this is to say that Lucille has maybe gotten quite a few scenes across iterations of Chapter Two. I think she rivals Ren on that front. Each return to her swamp has Matt falling for her just a little more--and vice versa with Lucille. I'm not sure if I can call it 'slow burn' given just how much the pair have already done with one another, but I feel like it's one of the more naturally developed romances, with each slowly realising just how much the other means to them over time.

Lucille's final two h-scenes showcase this especially as they become less strictly about carnal desires and are more intertwined with their feelings for one another, making the experiences just that little bit more special between them.

When I write these kinds of scenes, there's a self-imposed pressure to get them JUST right which takes a lot of banging my head against the wall. Because I always want the feeling and the mood to be just right--and then the dialogue, too, without falling into TOO many sappy, mushy tropes. I mean--there's probably still a fair bit of sappy stuff there, because it comes with the territory when you're writing idealised love with a fictional busty lamia, but hey. I like to think it still represents Lucille well, and her hesitance to open herself up to others given the situation she's found herself in these days.

And of course, as mentioned before--both of the new scenes are fully voiced from the get-go. Aria Lynn continues to put on a fantastic performance as Lucille, giving her that raspy, snake-like voice that I couldn't imagine the lamia without now. Effortlessly going from more teasing, playful vibes to far more loving, whispery coos with just a hint of that lingering sadism, reminding you that even though Lucille is a bit more caring these days, she most certainly hasn't lost her edge~ I think it all culminates in the perfect snake-y package that ties a nice little bow on Lucille's involvement in this part. Though, I'm sure you can already tell I'd like to have far more of her in future games, too, haha~

Claire

Something of an anomaly in the QF world, that otherwise seems to be filled with far more confident, dominant girls--this fluffy-haired merchant has finally gotten her last events in Chapter Two as well!

Given her demeanour, she isn't the type to just jump Matt's bones the moment he closes into her general vicinity like some. I know, right? So for her events, I took a slightly different approach and tried to tie it into her mechanics as an actual shopkeeper.

Because, if you weren't aware--once you save Claire from some general predicament, she then re-opens her shop in the city. This shop serves as a place where you can both buy certain items to advance other event chains or quests, or even sell things too on a few occasions, despite Claire's insistence a shop really shouldn't be buying random junk off of people. Those are just the rules, sorry--we live in a jRPG-like land!

Claire's trust and affection is tied directly into her store. When you buy or sell something, it goes up. And then this also factors into the prices she gives you for future items. So the general idea is--the more she likes you, the cheaper things are, or the more she'll give you for items. I'm still fine-tuning the discounts, because amusingly if the number goes up TOO high, she'll start giving YOU money when you buy things. But I don't know if that can show up in regular play. Maybe it's on brand to be kept as a feature?

Once she likes you enough, and you talk to her, she'll finally work up the courage to ask for assistance on things.

The first of which is a fun little shop minigame, where Matt gets to watch over the store while Claire goes out to attend to errands. I've rambled about said event before, but essentially I went WAY overboard for it. More than I probably had to, where you deal with potentially 5 customers, that change depending on if it's day or night when you start the request--and then various factors determine if certain people show up or not.

I could have just kept it simple and had Matt deal with complete randoms so it was breezy and just a simple way to gain Claire's trust more, but since he was working in Rhan, I decided it was the perfect way to have a few familiar faces stop by, and further develop them with small interactions. Nothing TOO wild, but I like to think there's at least a few fun interactions and there, and comedic reactions depending on how you charge people.

Once you do this, the next event is Claire's final h-scene.

I'm sure I've probably mentioned it SOMEWHERE before, but Claire was one of the characters I struggled with when deciding just how some of her h-scenes should go. Even her first ''''h'''-scene is very comedic and accidental on her part. And this was a rework of a previous concept that I decided was far too sad in tone. Maybe I'll show the art/original plans one day as a fun curiosity, but I'm happier with how the reworked scenes came out for her in the end.

So without spoiling too much in how this all turns out for poor Claire--things are just a little bit more intentional compared to her manic scrubbing of before. And more out of a panicked emergency. This new scene is also voiced, by Autumn Knox who captures Claire's neurotic energy perfectly and especially the parts where she mutters to herself about the situation she's in.

I'm not entirely sure what everyone makes of Claire or how she stacks up in personal rankings alongside mainstays like Jilly and the like--since I'm sure her personality and appearance may be more devisive--but I hope you'll enjoy your time with her. She really does try her best--just like Matt!

Mimic

Just like I've concluded events with Lucille and Claire, our dear adorable mimic also gets her last events. I suppose I haven't really shown as much of her out in the open compared to other characters, so will be the most vague here, as a true vagueposter, but I had a lot of fun finalising her role in Chapter Two as well!

In the events leading up to her final scene, you get to do something quite unique--which I hadn't done before, and had its own technical hurdles. But you can see it as a form of customisation, provided you have the gold. I think this adds just a little extra personal touch to the dynamic built up between Matt and this adorable chest.

Just like the other two, her final scene is voiced, yay! By a new VA, who I'll talk about a little later on to avoid repeating myself because it ties into more than just the mimic. But rest assured all the cutesy feral energy is there, and I couldn't be happier with how the mimic's final events turned out!

??????

If you thought I was vague before, I feel like I have to be downright cryptic now when talking about the last person whose events were completed for Chapter Two, along with a h-scene! And no--the question marks don't denote the necromancer/hood-chan--her stuff was already concluded a while ago--but rather someone who I don't think I've even teased outside of a shadowy silhouette before. Naturally those that have already played the alpha builds will be familiar with her, but she's one of the few surprises I have left in the roster!

I guess all I'll say is, you find her in a library. You get a good few cute events with her--involving a trip to Claire's store to get an item relevant to furthering the relationship--and then BAM, the final h-scene--since she's had one prior.

This particular h-scene is a bit different in a number of ways, even as 'direct' as it might be. Something of a 'first' for said character, let's say! And of course, is voiced from the get-go--by Mimi Hung, along known for Jilly's VA! Just like with Jilly, she puts on an adorable performance here.

Ren and Cynthia

Okay--Ren and Cynthia don't get new h-scenes, as their final ones were in the last build--but up until now they were all unvoiced, as some h-scenes in the alpha build tend to be at first.

Their final solo h-scenes now have voice largely--99% at least. I'm still waiting to schedule retakes for the last little missing bits and lines that don't quite align, because these are hectic times, but I figured since most of it is here and it's all such amazing work, why not add it while I'm adding in everything else? Because, as you may have come to expect from the incredible SilkyMilk, the performances really bring the characters to life--both Ren's mischievous side, and Cynthia's far more vulnerable, passionate side. A little something for everyone!

Mimic and Kassandra VA

As briefly touched upon in the mimic's section, both the mimic and scrappy wolf girl Kassandra now have a new VA due to the previous VA stepping away from this particular line of work. It took me a very long time of searching to find someone who was capable of the feral, cute and sometimes downright slobbery energy these characters require, but I'm very happy with how things have turned out now and excited to have Darla Starchild as part of the cast now!

I can maybe make videos showcasing their voices properly down the line if this is something that might interest people!

As a result of the recasting of these characters, both the mimic and Kassandra's initial scenes have been revoiced for consistency's sake, and then of course the mimic's new scene is voiced--alongside with Kassandra's second scene, which had gone unvoiced for a fairly long time due to my searches. Please enjoy all the cute, feral energy these characters exude in their lines as they capture your hearts~

New Voiced Events

In addition to everything above, I also took the time to add several small parts that come fully equipped with new voice lines! Nothing too grand, but I think they add to the overall story and give you some potential questions to ruminate on if you're into QF's overall world/characters. One of them will appear right at the start if you've beaten the game at least once. One of them will appear if you try to take a certain quest past a certain in-game day as a result of characters involved in said quest being indisposed. And the other will appear if Matt well and truly messes up on a scale that cannot be fixed. So, a couple of them take some work to find and are almost 'secret' in a sense--but secrets are fun, aren't they? Right?!

So all in all, there's a fair bit to dig into in this new build! I hope. And I will admit it took longer than I wanted to come out, because I think I fell into something of a trap where the more time passed between builds, the more 'grand' I wanted it to be to make up for the time lost, and that just kept snowballing and adding more pressure on myself to the point I was just stressing myself out more and more. It wasn't a healthy way to look at things and the delays only added to my stress.

For the remaining builds, my plan is to keep the scope small. Focus on a character or two at a time to avoid stretching myself too thin between events. I've wrapped up so many characters now, there's really only just a few left to go! So it's not like it's just been this big infinite thing I've been adding to forever. I HAVE been slowly working towards an end goal, haha. Since the main story is already completed and the credits roll in Chapter Two--I just need to wrap up the lingering side events, because I'd feel awful just ending one character's role too quickly in the name of putting the game out there.

So, I don't want to avoid jinxing myself--but I'd like to have a new build every two months from this point on, with each new build concluding another two characters' events/h-scenes in the story. This feels manageable and not overwhelming. And there's really not that many characters left who actually need events. As for how many, there's a couple of events I'm on the fence about including due to budgetary concerns right now, so they might not make the cut, so I won't give hard figures--but depending on my pace, I think it's not entirely unrealistic to say Chapter Two really is getting there in terms of completion, haha. Once it's content complete, my plan is to read through it all over and try to squash typos, whilst also adding in sound effects because they're very sparse right now and weren't a top priority.

I'll strive to try to have the new stuff voiced too depending on how quickly I write the initial scenes before implementation, since I have to work with often busy VA schedules. Otherwise it'll be voiced in the next build after, and so on!

There's still some time before I decide which two characters I start on for the next build as well--so if anyone is potentially wanting to see more of someone who still has scenes left I can factor in interest in that! But overall given the characters left I'm sure people will be happy with whoever is chosen!

So that's my general plan moving forward. I don't want another giant build weighing me down mentally for ages like 0.15 and 0.16 ended up being it really wasn't a healthy way for me to work. I think keeping the scope down will be far more stress free and I'll stop worrying about big mega builds.

I'll also have dev logs too alongside things. Not as frequent--maybe once a month. I just held off on writing all these kinds of things for so long because I always felt like any energy spent writing them should have been spent on the game instead. But I know lack of communication can be just as bad! Truly is a difficult balance after so long, haha.

Oh, yeah--I guess this is just a tiny bit too late to finally talk about, but what do you think of the attached concept art? I showcased this on social media a while ago and had intended to better present it in a post like this shortly after, but things escaped me. So no time better than now, right? Plus, in general, I just needed a cute image to put up alongside this.

It's nothing spoilery in regards to Chapter Two, but instead showcases a time long, long before this--when Ren and Cynthia first met. Back then, Ren was a cold-hearted, near emotionless assassin--like the complete opposite of what she is today! Seemingly sent on a mission that was deemed impossible--to bring down Deidra.

As you can tell, things didn't QUITE work out as planned--and being the person she is, Deidra chose to take Ren in, instead. And the rest is history~ I'm super happy with how cute their designs came out, both Ren and Cynthia pre-royal captain. They've been with the Queen a while, huh?

I've got so much of the history of characters and the land mapped out now, I think a Quest Failed: Chapter Zero would be a genuinely interesting thing to explore in the future!

Anywho--this 3000 word long ramble is nearing its conclusion. I hope it's helped shed a bit of light on what I've been working on, and what I intend to work on in the coming months and my plans to hopefully finally formulate some kind of finishing plan! But you can always ask things, too and if it's within my ability I'll try to answer!

Thanks again everyone for your immense support, and here's to more monster girl goodness~ Whoooooosh!