Welcome back! Glad to see you here again.
Green Journey was my first, as you know my fellow green git! 
This game is 2 Books long- A Shriek of Ash and Fire Book 1 (this one) and the next one, Book 2. Between these, I will likely make a (smaller) DLC for Green. And then after Book 2, I have a large third game planned.
This game is different to Green, still lots of choices, but tightened within a wider narrative. Not a sandbox. Because I know I have Book 2, one of the difference here is how I must approach the ending. Paths are narrowing towards the end. The ending will be shared, but with different consequences based on certain variables. This means Book 2 will start in the same place for all, although the path through that game will be different depending on choices made in the first game. Green got wider as the game went on, but it was only one book.
To be honest, since Green was based on an older project I once made, I had a very good plan for it. I knew the beginnings, the middles and the endings in a good degree of detail before I started. Then added different paths.
This game has a vaguer plan, and things have changed from the original intention. ROs have become more developed than I planned for, although they are not the main focus of the game and almost all are path dependent, since I want to encourage replayability.
My third main game will be more of a cross between Green and this (although this can all change). There will be a wider narrative, but I want to have a sandbox element, travelling to different systems and planets, with your actions in one system affecting some others.
Things that will influence future planning will be to arrange my variables more clearly, using *comment to describe the purpose of the variable and what I plan for its future, if relevant. It is a nightmare looking over variables then having to find them in the game to remind yourself what they actually mean. When appropriate, I should find sections to merge variables too into ‘controller’ variables.
Also, to be brutal when making cuts and to make firm decision for the benefit of development, even if it upsets some people. I am now very aware how these games expand when developing them. This one was supposed to be 1 Book, but that is just impractical now.
I will have more to say once this book is done and released, so I can see how it is received. Obviously, if people hate something you put loads of effort into, it might make you not want to do another! Though this feeling would dissipate with time. Green was a bit of a novelty and this was a big reason many liked it. Saying this, Ash and Fire is a great big adventure, which I hope will draw people in.
But plan it, mate. Plan the story and build the world at the same time as these will feed off each other. Know, roughly, the key events or destinations where these events happen then try to plan going between these events something entertaining for the player. These might change, but the signposts help me to know I am moving rather than standing still.
For me, the best advice during planning is to, after getting excited and making the plot outlines and world, to pull back. This is the bit that doesn’t feel good but will help to get a project completed in the long term. Also, gradually increase complexity but don’t start with massive complexity. In many cases, this is a WIP killer.
Not sure if this helped, as it was more observations rather than lessons. I am, literally, a bit of a maniac in terms of being wild and violent to keyboards for extended periods of time. And, plans do fall apart… But, then we make new plans to stay in the game.
EDIT: I also just found out that I wrote ‘frogive me’ several times in the game. I blame @LiliArch with the old ‘toads with no anvils’.
EDITEDIT:
Okay, so I have told you we get a double-sized update next month, instead of the usual update this month. I have also added a new screen on the stats page, allowing players to have a look into some of the most relevant lore. Most of this will also be new to Green Journey players, although they already know how the Green Empire arose since they did it themselves.
The lore will be bits and pieces covering the Sundering of the Elves, the fall of the Green Empire, the Rise of the Nagaswelt Empire, fragments about the fate of the Scorned Elves, an escaped Yonderfolde slave’s testimonial and two Basilisk Files, one about Gravian Evagray and one about Hank Algernon, the creator of the Basilisk- you have already met him, he is agent Mekhana.
I have designed the game so you can get a fuller picture of lore by taking different paths, since our MC has little reason to possess deep historical knowledge themselves. But, things get complicated, so I think having an option just to browse a few lore bits would be appreciated by some. If you don’t want to read up on the lore, you can just dive into the game and ignore it.
At the very least, this will not detract from the game. Thanks @Coy_Cok for the idea- will still add stuff about the stats and races later, this is more for background.
EDITEDITEDIT (1st Aug 2025)
Well, the new Patreon update is out, a huge 145K+. Patreon is currently 2 updates ahead due to issues with separating the last updates. In a month’s time, the HG Forum update will contain 2 updates and be well over 200K.
For those interested, here’s the Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-update-135471528?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
But, no fear, it will all be up here in a month! I think the wait will be worth it. Big things go down.
EDIT x 1000000: One of the new pieces of lore, available in the next update, can be read here, about the Last Green Emperor and the Fall of the Green Empire: The Fall of the Green Empire – @krogpile on Tumblr
EDIT x 1000000 (+1): Behold… in a few days, the HG Forum double-issue update for A Shriek of Ash and Fire will be out. For those who care about these things - here’s some broccoli to chew on while we wait 
