Hi everyone!

It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve done a formal devlog, even though it’s only been about 2.5 weeks since the last devlog. I think with Chapter 1 releasing, I got so used to updating often and releasing more marketing materials, now it feels weird to be back in a normal routine lol.

For those of you who haven’t gotten a chance to check it out, the Chapter 1 Sample is available for download at the bottom of this post! I know I’ve said it already, but I really just want to thank you all for the reception to Alaris q.q It was already rewarding to see my vision become a tangible game, but it was even crazier to see that people were interested in and liked it <3 

I’ve started work on Chapter 2, and for those who don’t follow me on Twitter, Chapter 2 will be including a polished version of Chapter 1. Before the final demo releases (which will include Chapter 1-4), there will be little changes I’ll be making along the way to the game if I have access to the funds (like a BG artist or GUI) but I hope Chapter 2 will be as close to an accurate representation of the game as possible (excluding if I’m able to afford commissions)! Since I won’t have the same time constraints as SuNoFes, I think I’ll be able to make all the small edits I wasn’t able to for the sample release :D 

Many of you said you liked the personality feature of the game, which makes me so happy since that’s one of the biggest pieces I was excited to introduce into the game hehe. And with Chapter 2, you will already start to see some of those personality choices affect the content you access - I even had to make a Google Sheets to keep track lol

Regarding the actual status of Chapter 2: 

Writing: 95% Done | Most of the writing is done regarding the plot of chapter 2. The only thing I need to write is how free time will go, since that’s a new component I’ll be adding to the game! 

Art: 20% Done | This part is a bit iffy since I need to see how many sprites, BGs, CGs, etc. I need to make

Script: 40% Done | This is the part I’ve been putting most of my time into so far since it will help me see what art I need to make, coding, etc.

Coding: 30% Done | Because I feel more familiar with coding, most of the remaining portion will be for GUIs, the new Free Time feature, Screens and the complete Personality/ Stats Feature, etc.

So! Lately, I’ve mostly been working on writing up Chapter 2, and specifically scripting it since that typically takes up the most time for me. Scripting also helps me map out where I want to include choices, what art I need to make, etc. So this is usually where I like to start, at least for the rough draft of the script. I have many scenes scripted, but there’s some remaining ones that mainly have to do with choices/ consequences of choices that I have to script for. 

For the choices, if you see my little sheet above, essentially each row is a choice prompt. The things highlighted are the choices that are available to you and what trait they might be associated with. In chapter 2, you will start to see the effects of these choices depending on your affection and personality points from chapter 1! The consequences of these choices are noted by the slightly red highlighted boxes in the left column. I kept them blank to avoid spoilers, but as you can see, even in Chapter 2, the choices you make start to impact the content you see. So if you’re more brave, for example, a response you choose may come out differently compared to if you’ve been more kind! You might also get different cut scenes depending on what your personality and affection points are hehe~

There will still be a lot of choices you can make in chapter 2 that aren’t shown here, and I’ve decided to include free time so that players can feel like they have more autonomy over their choices and the storyline, but I’m excited to see how personality choices will start to affect the story when I code it in \o/.

I’m hoping to have the script finished by the next devlog so that I have more concrete screenshots and updates to show you all, so I hope you stay tuned! Let me know if there’s anything that is particularly interesting to you about chapter 2 or that you’d like to see in the next update! Until next time~ <3