Posted January 24, 2023 by JimJoeBob
I've been a bit busy these past few month, fitting in some work here and there. But I should be able to put some more focus into the game and the next project here soon.
v1.03:
I am planning to add a quest log to the game that should help with players who get lost and make it easier to remember side quests. This will require me to play through the entire game again which I will use as a chance to wipe out any text errors that I come across. I might also add a new side quest or two and npc dialogue.
Android Compatability:
Someone asked me if I can format the game to Android, I happily said yes only to find out it wasn't so easy. I thought I could just click a few buttons, deploy, compress, and upload. But it seems you have to do a lot more and I'm just not technologically competent enough to do it. I'm like a caveman and I am easily frustrated by my lack of understanding for computer stuff. But most of the time it is more simple than it seems, so I might come back to it some day with a cool head. This has led me to question if the Mac version of the game needs tinkering and so I will look into that. Also, if Linux is just as simple as Windows, I might upload that as well.
Next Project:
I started off making one project, then another, and another, and so on. Each time I was trying out new ideas and systems and I do plan on completing those some day as most are fairly contained. But I have settled on one which will be bigger than Silk Sails and have barred myself from starting anything new. All the ground work is done for the game and I will work on it as I find the time to finish the project. It will be a sci-fi/post-apocalypse game that aims to be fairly open with no real main quest, an ending that depends on your choices, and a mangement system. Characters, factions, story, enemies, gear, combat, and the world map have been completed so currently I'm just working on each location one by one until it's done. The management system will be tedious, but I'm eager to see how it turns out.
Future of Silk Sails:
I will still update the game and try to fix any issues I find or am informed about. The question of, "Will I commison art?", is still in the air as I have been playing around with alternatives. I did take up some sprite editing and learned how to use GIMP and Blender which could be options. But ultimately, I don't know.
As I was making the game, I did plan out a trilogy and its not off the table that I'll make a Silk Sails 2. I was hoping my experience making other games with new mechanics would help inspire me and allow me to make the sequel better in gameplay than just a standard RPG, although it is my first game and I wanted it to be fairly basic. One day, I did get some inspiration and did wrote a lot down for a the sequel. Two new companions, two new regions to explore, and some ideas for major side quests that aren't part of the main plot, but aren't simple/basic quests. The plot is that it takes place not too long after the first game and a familiar face gets her revenge on CeeCee and her friends. So CeeCee has to deal with the consequences and gather up her friends who have left to do their own things. A companion to the main plot will be the fact that she is now captain of a pirate ship and a wanted criminal with the Mochton navy on the lookout for her. They have just hired somone to lead the effort to hunt CeeCee down, so CeeCee will need to recruit a crew and upgrade her ship if she wants to compete. Ship combat will be largely a stat based affair that determines how difficult the boarding process is. Avoid tougher ships unless you can handle the crew, keep a look out for ships with valuable cargo.
Conclusion:
Anyway, this is quite ambitious and I don't know how long it will take me to get this done. I'm trying my best to stay focused on one thing at a time, not putting something on pause to work on something new that popped in my head. And I also need to have the time to do all this and life, uh, finds a way...to get IN the way. So thanks for playing, and thanks for reading this long ass post.
Edit: Release and notes will drop this weekend (Friday, March 10th).