Hello friends!
In my newsletter last month I said that I was going to be taking a chilled out approach to game development for the next few months due to the combo of being in a play (yay!) and buying a house (yay! but also ARGGHGGHGHH) but here’s the truth: I actually thought I was exaggerating when I said that.
The overachiever in me thought “actually I’ll still get lots done”, because I like game development. I absolutely love The Museum of Everything. Working on it is a joy, not a chore, and so I was sure I’d still find the time.
Friends, I did not get loads done.
I got about five days into the month juggling all these things, and then came down with a bad cold which put me out of action. What’s that thing about ‘rest or your body will make you rest’? I was just getting over that, and then I had internet problems requiring multiple phonecalls to my provider (still ongoing). THEN, entirely unconnected, the electrics in my house decided to dramatically cease to function, due to an invasion of attic squirrels. I’m currently living without wired electric lighting, which is very Victorian of me.
Game development by oil lamp, very romantic…
If you’re a long time newsletter reader and you’re thinking “that sounds strangely familiar” then yes, yes it is. This exact same sequence of events happened last November. It’s almost like my landlord should really have believed and listened to me and repaired that hole in the roof where the squirrels were getting in.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though! I’m enjoying rehearsals for the play I’m in, and it’s selling really well! I can breathe through my nose again, and although it’s going slowly, the house buying is… going! I guess sometimes in life you love a fictional detective so much that it kind of looks like money laundering to a mortgage broker, but I’m getting there.
What I actually did get done
One of the benefits of keeping a project journal is that while it feels like this month was a complete failure, I have proof that I did manage to do a few little things.
The big one is that I gave the Steam page an overhaul to reflect the new artwork style, ready for AdventureX in a few weeks!
There’s a crowd scene towards the end of the prologue, and I spent a while making sure that Madge stands in suitable places when talking to all the characters, and creating a mechanism where something will happen when she’s spoken to everyone she needs to.
There’s a notebook mechanic where Madge can collect information and observations about all of the characters/suspects in the story, and I created graphics for this.
I also played the prologue through a bunch and made a list of things to fix and tweak when I get the chance. This includes items like “Make sure elevator works going up AND down” and “Need more cat drawings”.
The Monthly Malkin
Here’s Miss Malkin enjoying the gloom of a house without functioning lighting. I’m pleased someone is!
I hope you’re all having a slightly more auspicious October, and that I’ll be able to report back in November from a fully functioning house complete with electricity, internet and a lack of squirrels!
