Development News 60 - New Style (Lasting Connections v0.2.x)

LC (Ongoing)

Lasting Connections v0.2.2.1

Lasting Connections v0.2.3 | Progress: 45% > Release Date: TBD

WT (Ongoing)

Willing Temptations v0.3.8

Willing Temptations v0.4 (Hotfix 1) | Progress: 100%

Alright, before we get into the news. Just in case you have missed it. v0.4 of Willing Temptations is out now for recreational visitors and will be available to all supporters next week before going public the week after. I have also released a hotfix to address some of those visibility problems when turning off the dialogue box, which is a thing you can do now. And it is a much better implemented, in my opinion, with the hotfix.

v0.3.8 is also available publicly, so there is NO reason not to check it out. Alongside the v0.2.2.1 of LC, a very different project from WT. You can check out the difference here. But if you got the time, might be worth checking out to see what's up on the other end.

Although I have a lot to say for WT, with the whole continuance thing and what's coming for v0.4.x series of updates, this news will be dedicated to LC. But don't you fret, I'm already working on the next version of WT, so just sit tight and be patient, I'll have some stuff for you while you wait for that update soon.

Now then, onto the news!

If you played that one game demo thing I did a while back trying to learn this software I'm making my games on? Then you probably have seen this coming for LC, or maybe you don't.

Sprites 💖🌟✨

It's a thing of beauty, you know. I mean, you can see it in action in the image above.

Look, this one is Velvet's for Chapter 2 of LC.

There's no doubt that I will not be able to fully realize my ideal version of Lasting Connections, but I know the best thing I can do is to reach the closest one to it. I talked a lot about how big is the scale of LC, and each renders I make takes a very long time to do.

Conversations I have to cut shorts, interactions I have to cut entirely, dialogue options I cannot even imagine to implement because of the simple fact that I am just one person with only a single PC capable to render the stuff on LC. Even WT is becoming more demanding now.

So, these sprites - something I should've done the first time around - will be coming about in Chapter 2 and future chapters of LC while saving those precious rendering times for the big scenes and transitions that the game requires, you know the good stuff.

If only WT has this, each update is gonna take longer than ten minutes to beat, if even that ;-;

But yeah, this is only for LC because the game can benefits a lot from just having more screen time with each character interaction, considering the breadth of characters featured in the game. Making you to just want to spend more time with them, you know?

For WT though, I can see it working in Crazy Date route or with a few of the side characters that are in there, but WT is not that slow-burn of a game, as a matter of fact it is very fast paced. v0.4 with the Classic Date route is taking it back a little, but it's all action after that.

The end of v0.2.2.1 of LC is not that far off from the end of Chapter 1, so the next update is going to be pretty much Chapter 2. I'm going for a bigger update now that I'm using these sprites, so there'll be a lot of interactions, and you'll meet new people too.

From this voting poll, you guys decided on Velvet, and then Valysha, and equal amount on Vilvie and Feily. Which is kind of expected considering that it's really not fair to include Velvet in that list, she is just... I mean look at her! 🤤

In the poll, I mentioned:

• By choosing her, the story will proceed to a land uncharted as you - not only will be able to get to know more of her - but you will also be given opportunity to open a connection in a circle of older women.

Chapter 2 will start with that. The interaction will be around Velvet, so other major characters that may make appearance will be swept along in her story. This include Valysha, Vilvie, and Feily. While the other major characters, Sonia and Cily, will take a backseat in this chapter.

With this new style, it's going to feel very different than Chapter 1. You can take it as if those interactions, the usual renders, become cutscenes now while the usual stuff for dialogues are using these sprites will be the regular gameplay.

It's honestly very exciting for me to continue this project again. To be honest, I really thought I messed up bad with LC and it was so close to being cancelled. It was not fun to play, it wasn't very interesting, and it was very hard to make. And v0.2.2.1 pretty much turn the ship around for the project, and while it's not much, the potential is there.

And with v0.2.3, I hope I can bring it to a level where that potential can become more apparent to you all. But until then, thank you for tuning into the 60th development news. We've been having a great streak of consistent dev news for the past few months, and I'm happy to know that there are people interested in what I do and how things are going.

I really appreciate it, y'all. Thank you so much for showing love, for showing support. I can't thank you enough. But, thank you.

I hope you all are doing well. Have a great day, everyone.