Dev Log #2 Production

A lot has happened in our project since the last Dev Log release to today.

Due to feedback from the first playtest and exploration in subsequent development, we had to remove a large number of subsystems to ensure that our project could be delivered on time. For example, as the attributes system for our game balance, our original intention is to use this system to make players feel that they become cheerful and sociable through chatting. However, because this system is associated with a large number of systems and is difficult to implement, we changed it to a title system, which only detects the number of NPCs the player talks to display the corresponding title.

During the specific development process, we encountered many difficulties that delayed our original plan. Due to the spring flu, member absences due to illness became an almost weekly occurrence. I had to replace some members to complete the corresponding work, such as optimizing and importing the narrative.

In the specific narrative development, we optimized the workflow and changed the original bottom-up writing method to top-down. We now prioritize creating a vague portrait of the NPC, confirming its general personality and time span, and then use Miro Board to refine the location of specific time nodes and the link order between nodes, and then refine the specific dialogue of each node, and finally, put the specific dialogue into the trained AI for polishing.

In terms of background images and UI, I found a more stable method for AI to generate the desired images. I can already guarantee the efficiency of completing 20 usable background images in half a day. At the same time, I also specified the UI layout for the first version. There may be slight changes later, but the general direction will remain the same.

Overall, although there were a lot of unexpected things that happened, we still managed to complete the playable build we wanted before the Alpha Test. Hope everything goes well in the next development cycle.