So... Obviously, I didn't update on August 2nd.
My summer, and this month as well, turned out to be kind of a chaos whirlwind. Not in any concerning ways, just... Busy. Busy in the kind of way where I had to choose between getting things done or posting about the things that weren't getting done, so. Here I am now.
There isn't any EF2 progress to report... Because there's a different new release instead! I was approached with an invitation to participate in a Game Jam that was 100% catered to specifically me as a creator, so I really couldn't refuse. This jam isn't why I missed the August 2nd update, that was a mix of Artfight, work, and conventions- but the jam's creation period started on August 8th, so all my free time since then (less free time than I really would have liked to have while working on a gamejam) has gone into this.
Loverboy At Camp Vix!!! ...Jam Edition, because this is actually a story I've been brainstorming in the background for years. This gamejam was too perfect for it, so I condensed it into a version that could be created in the time that I expected to have, and then crunched myself into a perfectly dense cube to get it done within the time that I actually had.
Loverboy is a high-tension raising sim visual novel, where you need to balance the stats of a young man named Masao Hako who has awoken to find himself in a dangerous situation- It turns out this 'singles retreat for young adults' is simply the magically-enforced coat of paint on a conversion camp. Breaking free of the brainwashing means that Masao will need to fly under the radar to the best of his ability while trying to keep his own morale above board.
The story's a good bit darker than Entropic Float, so be mindful of the content warnings if you check it out!
Moving back to talking about EF2 development, then. I'm feeling busy, I'm feeling disorganized, I'm feeling overwhelmed. With something here to show that I am still working and creating, even if it's a detour from the main project, I think it's probably time for me to be open about this- I've spoken to some friends about this, and alluded to it in public spaces, but here's the thing:
When I started the Kickstarter for Entropic Float 2, my life looked a certain way that gave me confidence in my ability to follow a certain development timeline. And then, things changed, and kept changing, and at the current moment, EF2 is becoming a painful subject for me. I'm still passionate about it, still want to tell this story so badly, still want to tell the stories that come after it- But I think I ran the kickstarter too early in development, turning EF2 from a passion into a responsibility, and my responsibilities have piled on since then. The KS money was spent on assets that have been sitting, ready to use, from artists and voice actors and musicians. All rewards (excluding those related directly to the game's release) have already been fulfilled. So I do hope you can forgive me for saying-
I need to refresh my love for Entropic Float 2 as a project. I need it to stop being 'my responsibility' to do, and I think, it will come easier once I can do that. If I give myself some space to only work on it when I want to, rather than feeling like any day off needs to be spent squeezing out progress, being full of guilt if I put my time towards literally anything else- I need to stop setting specific goals and making updates here, not for a long time I don't think, just long enough that it turns back into something I 'want to do' instead of something 'I need to do'. Or until life slows down enough that gamedev is only competing for my time with other hobbies, instead of competing with rest.
I hope you can understand, and in the meantime, please enjoy Loverboy At Camp Vix Jam Edition, a project that I also did not have the kind of time I wanted for, but which I felt passionate about the whole way through. Thank you, as always, for reading. I'll see you again... Eventually.
Comments
Post a Comment