You’ve been around the bend for awhile, Mara. 
I guarantee you’re more talented than you might think. You’re capable!
I can’t wait to see something emerge. You’ll get there. Take it day by day, and weave worlds to life - a word at a time.
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For my final post of August, I’ve decided on a content distribution process!
On my roadmap, massive sprawling milestone updates to Once in a Lifetime will emerge under the name Update Zero, Update One, ect.
These updates will have plenty to add, but may be lighter on direct content over systems additions.
As a result, I will be creating an Update x.5 Series that are dedicated content updates.
This will first emerge in Update 0.5, which will deliver a major upgrade to presented content and events after the original release of Update Zero: Beginnings.
This allows me to take time on update base releases to get plenty of system and balancing feedback that I need sooner than later, while in the meantime pushing large content updates out afterwards.
I’m so beyond excited for what all has occurred in development throughout August. This has been one of my most productive months on record for any project, and I’m excited to keep the engines firing!
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I don’t like PMing or speaking with people in general, that certainly has nothing to do with you personally.
I did, however, enjoy participating in the diversity jam immensely. And hopefully I can participate in the Halloween jam this year now that I’m less busy with my thesis.
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This. I will PM somebody back if they PM me first (usually, if I don’t close the conversation and forget to later), but in general I’m just not good at messaging. IT’s not even that I don’t like to, I guess. I’m just shit at keeping up with it. I mean, I sometimes don’t see the people I live in my house with for more than 5 minutes out of the day. Sometimes less. When I say I’m bad at socializing, I mean I’m baaaaad at socializing.
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Okay, actual final post of August.
I finally booted up in CSIDE to check the Word Count totals…
- August 3rd, 2024: 31,436 words including command lines. 7,726 words excluding command lines.
- August 28th, 2024: 52,195 words including command lines. 12,090 words excluding command lines.
- Total Difference: 20,759 words, of which 16,395 were code.
A massive expansion of my codebase in just 25 days, and there is so much more to go!
Have a great rest of the week!
EDIT: And that includes a refactor that shaved off 4,000 words on top of it of code!!!
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I’m doing this today because I’m going on vacation (and I am so excited!!!) and I don’t know how active I’ll really be while I’m away.
ACCOMPLISHED!! In fact, as of right now, my word count for this month is a little over 13k so I’m really proud that I wrote more than I was aiming for. It’s a nice feeling. 
Ahahaha. No. But I do have a complete outline for it and I’ve made like 95% of the code skeleton and I’ve written probably… a third-ish of it? Hard to tell. I’m still very happy with the progress I made and I knew going in that finishing the whole thing was a stretch but something something shoot the moon, something something blow up a star.
I did this! Not only did I come up with an idea that I like, I wrote an outline and about 4k for it. And I made a bunch of goofy disco song themed achievements. It’s fun. And I didn’t get sidetracked from my main project, which I’m proud of because I do for sure do that sometimes.
All in all, I’m really happy with what I accomplished this month and I am feeling very optimistic about starting fresh and ready in September.
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That is super positive And now enjoy your vacations.
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I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to keep up with this thread this month, but I hope everyone’s projects are going well!
I’m deep in line edits, which are both wonderful and tedious, but I’m really happy with how Ink and Intrigue is shaping up! By next week it will be finished and off to a copy editor! 
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Your chapter header art is done too. 
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Did you do those? They look good.
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I think I do most of them, honestly.
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I’ve noticed.
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I had no idea that was you! I love them. Thank you so much!
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He did the chapter headers for TMP too!
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Just realized that the deadline for IFcomp has passed. I submitted three intents to enter and ultimately had zero completed entries to show for it. 
I’ll probably wrap up my incomplete game and put it up under hobby projects next month.
Meanwhile… want some honest opinions. I made this cover art (because I was procrastinating when writing) using some stock assets on pixabay. Do you think this would be sufficient for a HG release? I’m guessing most customers don’t expect professional quality art, but there’s probably a minimum standard too. I’m also considering paying for art, but that’s probably a decision for later.
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Presuming HG has no rules against stock assets, I don’t see anything wrong with the art.
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More than once, I got myself killed in a dating sim, because I wasn’t flirty enough with the romance targets. And I found it pretty funny, but my sense of humor might diplomatically be described as “idiosyncratic”.
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…if only I could produce story as fast as I produce ideas for things I want to have as UI elements and game mechanics… and now I’ve wasted days going through my Steam library to check every main menu I have in my library.
Blergh.
Fun fact, I have this as a whole chapter in my draft. (I'm a bit hesitant to share it like that since it's kinda plot twist, but it's not like I'm going to release the WIP in a month, so. Blergh*2.)
Captain Dubois and Commander Vega sitting at the captain’s quarters, dining and lauging.
Commander Donovan giving a speech to a group of crew members.
Commander Donovan talking to Commander Vega, gesturing animatedly. Vega is having none of it. Donovan runs him through with a knife.
Bloodied, half-shifted Vega standing between Commander Donovan and Captain Dubois, protecting the Captain with his body. Donovan shoots them both.
Fun fact #2, I wrote that before playing Disco Elysium, the name is a coincidence. (And also before I decided Vega uses they/them pronouns, it seems. Need to rectify that.)
I’m terrified of your dating sim library now.
I’d say that whatever the minimum quality standard for HG release covers is, that passes it. Although I’m a bit confused as to what that fiery thing in the top middle is.
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It’s a face outlining a woman’s silhouette.
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Ahhh, I see now. How disappointing, I first pictured it as a half-dragon stepping out of fire.
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