Development Update 68
A lot of people liked the update. Don't get the wrong impression from what comes next. I wanted to write a post like this, anyway, and I am using some of the feedback I got for Epsiode 10 as a way to tell you some thoughts and feelings I had while developing A Foreign World. Currently I'm sitting on the renders for Episode 11. No spoilers for this one, though. That's why the image that comes along with this post is part of the last update.
I can't help but notice that some people say Episode 10 feels rushed. And fair enough. Who am I to tell you how to feel about it? All a writer can do is channel his vision into words. There is no guarantee that the words build the same vision in the reader's mind.
Usually, I tend towards the phrase "the reader is always right." With reasonable limitations, of course. When a lot of people have a take on a scene or a story that I didn't intend, then I most likely made a mistake. For example, the phrasing wasn't right, or a word had some connotation I wasn't aware of. So, if people say Episode 10 feels rushed, then I do as I did in the beginning. I say, "Fair enough, there are things I could have done to make Nathaniel's return feel less abrupt."
The reason why I'm making this post isn't because some people wanted to see a longer fight, or because some want me to continue the story... It's because behind the feedback of "Episode 10 feels rushed," I also saw the idea that I finished A Foreign World early because I wanted to move on to another game. And while I can't bring up anything objective to counter how some people feel about the story, I do have something to say about the idea that I rushed A Foreign World so I could move on to a more promising game.
The thing is, I see the idea behind moving on to another game and not investing resources into a sinking ship. But I didn't do that with A Foreign World. In fact, I specifically made the decision to stick to the original plan and not cut any updates.
Three years ago, I mapped out the game in this document 👉A Foreign World - Weeks Plan Some things have changed slightly, but a lot has stayed the same. The number of days the game was going to cover, for example. The idea of doing 40 days was dismissed early on. It took me 1-4 months to create an update. Each update covers a day. 40 updates * 2.5 months = 8 years and 4 months.
Nope.
Not a chance.
So I went ahead and thought about the stories I wanted to tell. A Foreign World is one game, but you can also look at it as getting to know each of the characters. Tracy, Sue, Aurora, Esther... Even Fiona, Emily, and the MC himself. I wrote them down and figured out, "I can fit these stories in 21 days."
That's still 21 updates. 4 years and 2 months of development time. I was optimistic and thought I could get it done quicker. And I admit I thought about cutting some stuff out. But the thing is, I specifically made the decision not to do that. To give each story the room it needed.
So if Episode 10 feels rushed, then the first thing I think about is that nobody wants to see a story they like come to an end. Then I realize that there are probably a couple of things I could have done differently so the story feels round and intentional. There is always room for improvement. And when people say I ended the game so I could quickly move on to another project, I'm a little confused. Because I went to great lengths so people couldn't accuse me of this sort of thing.
But in the end, I can only write down words. And I wrote down a lot of them for A Foreign World. This game has been a big part of my life. I'm proud of it. And I'm glad people care enough to have an opinion on how it ends.
"The worst thing you can do to an artist is not criticize them, but ignore them."
And I truly believe that.
Comments (12)
The Episode was great, I would have enjoyed a little more fight scenes, especially with Aurora, and to be honest i was hoping that Nathaniel would run away and finally come back after the initial agreed 40 days. but I also know in that case MC would not have won. Over all the most captivating VN I played so far on one side because of the render quality on the other hand, and more importantly for me, the character development, each has her own background story. I was kind of sure that Esther's ability would be unleashed at the end to finish Nathaniel, but the way this turned out makes sense for me. I like the characters and would not mind a non-NSFW VN going forward to see how the girls cope, like a spin of series... Thank you for this masterpiece, We love it!
I've only come across this game a couple days ago but have smashed through it and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to see how it concludes with everyone. Keep up the good work dude *fist*
I like the ending to be honest. It would be sick if he would have made a copy of himslef and because of that he didnt feel strong. Than an epic comeback with a dramatic death and revival of the protagonist caus slefheal has evolved bla bla bla. But the short ending feels also good because not everything needs a dramatic ending. Just an ending that is good. And i like the ending. Thx for your hard work.
all i can say its a great story, sure the battle could have bin a bit longer maybe, but still it would have a conclusion, the only thing i hope in the end is to see the harem be happy, and maybe a few baby bellies (because some clearly stated they wanted to have a child with the main character)
I'm just gonna say that I enjoyed your game this far tremendously. Yes, there are things that could ve improved, nothing's perfect. But that's all anecdotal in the end. I personally felt the actual fight was rather short on words and moments, but that's because I, by some niracle, solved it on my first attempt and found myself rather stumped at this "wait, that's it?" - moment. But then again,.... I didn't have to try again (That groundhog day mechanic is an excellent idea btw! ), so I reloaded and tried to fail all the possible moments. Great stuff! I'm hally with your ideas, I'm sad the story is coming to and end, but I'm also glad. I'd like to see what you come up eith next after all. Fresh ideas, the next evolution of your craft, I'm eager and ready. Thanks for realising your ideas!
I thought the update overall was great, but specifically the end of the fight felt a bit abrupt. But looking back, it shouldn't have, because it was mentioned multiple times in advance something along the lines that the fight would turn on the slightest of advantages. So I think it may also be a case of reader expectations not matching authorial intent, and that's not something really within your control. Looking back, I can see that my expectation about how the fight would go was just, frankly, wrong; you'd done your part signaling things, and I just didn't pick up on it. My $.02, for what it's worth. In any case, I'm very much looking forward to the final update where the girls can finally take a deep breath and think "what happens next?" without having to worry about Nathaniel any more. And I'm also quite looking forward to whatever project you do next, too.
Something that could be done differently is that all the right choices for the battle are the top ones.
I really don’t want this to end to be honest as it doesn’t feel like I have know the characters long enough
I personally did not feel that the last update was rushed at all. On the contrary, you made everything fit the story line just fine and this part did not surprise me. To me the story line made perfect sense. I did expect the fight to be a little more difficult but... I think I had mentally prepared for it so much myself that I made no mistakes. I went so far as to take notes 🤓. Did I say I hate loosing 🤣. As for the story coming to an end, that has not happened yet but I will be a bit sad 😭. However I am also ready for the next adventure in Highborn Tiger writing. It is not like you are quitting. That would be terrible 😲.
"if Episode 10 feels rushed, then the first thing I think about is that nobody wants to see a story they like come to an end" I think you are spot on with this. And everyone has favourites, and would like more time in the spotlight for _their_ favourite. I mean, who wouldn't have enjoyed an extended fighting scene with more Aurora? After all, she's waifu #1, right? :-)
I fully Agree! Well said, and Yes definitely waifu #1!!
I have to admit that the thought also crossed my mind that the ending came very early, since presumably all players were expecting a 40-day runtime. The thought already occurred to me when Megan decided to have sex with the MC; it also seemed a bit rushed to me, considering that it took longer for others. However, I can understand that changes are always made during the writing process. Nevertheless, I think the game is very well done, and the story isn't the usual stuff you see. Keep it up!