Law School Episode 4 - Progress update #19

Hello everyone,

Post-production is going well. Unfortunately, I have been sick all week and spent two days in bed. I am starting to feel better now. I still wake up coughing, but my strength is almost fully back.

I have been focusing on Days 1 to 4 of this update, since they are fully rendered, animations included. Day 5 will most likely be fully rendered within the next two weeks.

I edited and post-processed every single render, as well as each animation frame, to make sure they look their best. I ran into some limits with how Ren’Py (the engine) handles animations and coloring, so I spent some time working around those issues and managed to get a result I am happy with. I believe this will be one of the best episodes I have released in terms of visual quality.

There were a few renders that still needed re-rendering, but those have now been re-rendered. The main remaining issue is that two animations need to be re-rendered because of key frame problems and the MC ending up in the wrong place in one scene (Or should I say, wrong hole). Other than that, things are in good shape. I have added all the images to the game files and the script up to the last big scene of Day 3. I will most likely finish this part tomorrow and then move on to the next stage.

The next step will be the phone system. I almost had a heart attack when I copied the files from Season 1 and realized that the new Ren’Py update I am using had completely changed how the code for my in-game phone system works. Luckily, the fix was not too complicated. I still need to test it properly, but I think it is working now. The phone will also get some updates, both in terms of the interface and the apps. I am removing the glossary and replacing it with another app instead. I expect that working on the phone, coding the message system, and creating the new profiles and posts will keep me busy for the rest of the week. That is actually good, since it is one of the last big tasks.

I am also trying to get licensing approved with a large company. If I am lucky, that will line up with the end of the phone work. After that, I will focus on some small tweaks to the UI and the end screens. Then I can start testing the game myself and begin preparing a beta for Wibble to test, even if it will not be fully complete yet.

Things are moving faster than I thought they would. Rendering is still a bottleneck, but I have been able to work efficiently, even while being sick. Also, I am also happy with most of the animations. I used two different animation styles in this update, so I am looking forward to your feedback on which one you prefer.

I am going to try to get back to a healthier routine this weekend. I will see you next week. Take care.

MisterMaya