Hey look, it's 2024. We made it through another year!
2023 was a mixed year for me. My physical and mental health hit new lows, and the things I struggled with in my personal life are definitely only going to continue into the new year--but that's life, huh?
On the flip side, I made an effort to reach out more in my community, made more games, learned a lot, wrote a lot, and met and spent time with people I care a lot about!
On the dev side:
I'm proud of everything I made this year, but I'm definitely going to try and go easier on myself in 2024. (Emphasis on try). Working nonstop on Chapter 3 of Kit, as well as that game's ballooned scope burnt me in the first half of the year; what was originally planned as a four chapter story with one route had grown into a much longer work with four routes to write.
I'm still aiming to complete Kit slowly, but having a project of that size be my first game is a little insane, and so I wanted to step back and try making smaller, more experimental projects in the latter half of the year.
I began prototyping, writing, and putting together Winter Knight in the summer--which I also underestimated how long would take to build (even with a short word count, it turns out that a point and click game takes loads of extra flavour text, programming and testing) but it's still a game with a much tighter scale, and one I'm confident I can finish in 2024!
My other goal for 2024 is to release Snow White Ashes, possibly during Otome Jam if it's running this year! My current plan is for it to be free, with an optional paid epilogue and 18+ content. And then, maybe, if there's still time, work on a revised demo for Kit. I don't think I'll take part in other jams this year, unless they're very casual and short; while I'm happy with Ashes, working on it over Winter VN Jam (and OUAT VN Jam) turned what was supposed to be my recharging time into what was and still feels like one of my most exhausting year ends yet, haha. Apart from Winter Knight's official announcement and steam page, please don't expect too much from me this January. :')
Also in 2024, I'll be moving from "post whenever I feel like" devlogs to a monthly newsletter with my progress, updates, and behind the scenes goodies, as well as keeping a dedicated site for blog posts and longer write-ups that tend to get lost when they're scattered over several itch pages. You can find both at https://endysis.net/ !
How was your year? Did you meet any goals, and are you setting any new ones? Regardless, I hope you have a good 2024!
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Holy smokes, that's so much for just one year. I completely relate to taking on way too much in a project that balloons in scope and I think your decision to focus on other/smaller things first is a really smart one.
This is gonna be my first year in a long time I've skipped on the Global Game Jam, because I already have enough to do on my own big projects that a game jam on top of it seems like extra stress I don't need. Game jams can be really wonderful, but they are also really exhausting and it's best only to do them if you're excited about them and not already at capacity with other projects.
Take your time in the new year, I always love your work but it's best if it's made by someone who has got some very needed rest and recharge time!
That's too true! It doesn't feel good to push back a project you're invested in, but I've learned so much more from making smaller, self-contained stuff than I did hacking away at one Very Big thing. ^^;
Thanks a bunch, and have a happy new year too!