Mandatory Chapter 2 update!

Hello, Yeenlings!

In my last devlog, I considered making these posts a weekly occurrence. However,  while the game is consistently changing, I don't feel comfortable writing one unless I have something major to share. I'll be sure to keep you all updated, but only when I have something substantial to write about. 

So, what's the news this time?

This time, I'd like to talk a little more about how and when my builds are released, as well as how I decide on launch dates.  As previously stated, I originally planned for build 0.2 to be released on July 1st at the latest. As it turns out, however, that isn't going to happen. There's still a lot to do for the next build and I'd like everything to be perfect before releasing. As the game's developer, it's on my shoulders that the game is once again delayed. I know it's been two months since the latest build and I won't attempt to make excuses for this. I only ask that you be patient and keep faith in me.

So, what's still to be done?

The script, music, and sound effects have all been coded in. The only things missing are a few backgrounds (Which I am working to edit myself) and some art assets, which will be arriving shortly.  The coding is mostly complete, but there are still a few bugs/errors that need to be patched in.

Compared to chapter 1, chapter 2 has fewer choices, but many more scenarios. To give an example, the battle scene in chapter 1 has only two scenarios and even then, it only lasts for about half a section. This time, there will be four different ways the battle can go, and this will affect not just a large chunk of the build, but later ones as well. To develop the build, I have made chapter 2 its own specific game, which I will join to chapter 1 upon completion. I want the build to be bug-free and easy to play, so please bear with me.

Why do you keep promises you can't keep?

To be honest, I don't know. My best guess is that I've just over-enthusiastic about the game and overconfident in my own abilities. I won't make excuses, but I will say that 'London's Aesop' is the first game I've ever developed; every day is a learning experience for me. Not helping is the size of each build. This one, for instance, contains over 20,000 words that have to edited, coded, and scripted. From what I can gather, this is larger than most builds by novice developers. To be honest, it's rather straining, both physically and emotionally. I don't like leaving the game on hiatus while I work on more code: I want to be able to update more frequently, but I can't. 

Unless...

Recently, I've had the idea of splitting up my updates. Rather than having one chapter per update (So about one update every 2-3 months), I could have each update have half of a chapter, which can be released every 1-2 months. While I hate leaving things unfinished. Releasing the game this way would lead to more updates and in turn, more time spent on Itch's good graces. 

But what do you think? I've made a poll asking how I should move forward. Please give it a look!: http://poal.me/ggl4in

Closing thoughts

I'm sorry that this devlog had to be the bearer of bad news. It breaks my heart knowing that I might have let all of you down in some way, but rest assured, I'm working hard to get the game developed and released. Please bear with me a little longer.  If you haven't already, please give the game a rating. It'll really help London's Aesop rise higher on the algorithm!

Until next time, my Yeenlings!
HyenaDev.