LOG 04 (Mapping, Plug-Ins, and 'holy crap i didn't realize how much art assets i had to create until yesterday oh man')
Made even more progress yesterday and today and have finally started putting things into motion gameplay wise. I also made another compromise with the project, cutting down the planned 9 sequences to just 4. I'm still gunning for the multiple endings though and with the smaller scope I think it's definitely possible since they're all going to be variations of one ending based on how the player played the prototype.
Made several maps though 2 of them are just testing/debug maps but I also did parts of the girl's dorm which is a major area for Ava's sequence:
This is my first time tile mapping seriously and with a purpose so sorry if it looks a bit weak!
I also made a faceset for Ava:
Forgot her glasses but ended up liking her design more without 'em so maybe i'll keep it that way when I eventually start on Prototype B.
The story structure has been changed significantly due to cutting a lot of the original planned content:
All my other work (configuring plugins, super minor UI stuff, setting up how VN scenes are going to look, etc.) isn't as interesting so i'll leave it out of this log. With much of the setting up work done I think further development will go semi-smoothly...
...well, there's also the art to consider as well.
Despite setting out to make a horror adventure game with visual novel elements, it didn't fully hit me until the other day how many bust graphics, cutscene CGs, and item art I would have to create to make a decent prototype. It's all pretty daunting and with the cast already pretty meaty for an early version, i'm going to have to grind out a lot of assets, more than I originally calculated.
That's it for this one, I think by Log 05 i'll have gameplay gifs or at least a proper screenshot.