Hey frens!

The wait is almost over! ❤️

I'm happy to finally share the official release schedule for Episode 2 (Part 2), along with some details about what's coming in the next update.

First, let's get the dates out of the way!

We're just one week away from the first Early Access release!

This update will bring approximately 1 hour of new gameplay (same as previous one), with plenty of new content and story developments.

Here's what you can expect:

As you already know, Episode 2 is divided into two parts, with each episode representing one day in the story.

Part 1 covered the beginning of Day 2: our characters getting ready, traveling to the countryside estate of David's friends and business partners, and settling into their new surroundings.

Without giving away too much, there are some unexpected developments ahead.

Some events will bring two rather shy hearts much closer than either of them could have anticipated. There will be moments that might seem insignificant at first glance, but will mean a lot to the characters involved.

And, of course, remember what Max told the MC about that incident between him and Megan?

Well, Mary will find out about it.

How she discovers it, what happens afterward, and what she genuinely thinks about the whole situation are just some of the things you'll get to experience in this update.

A lot of things from Episode 1 and Part 1 will start falling into place, while some new developments might leave you with even more questions. 

I'm really excited about this one. Not only because it concludes the second day, but also because I think it brings some important moments for our characters and their relationships.

This update has been a huge amount of work, and I'm really happy with what I've managed to put together.

From the new locations and 253 renders to the animations, dialogue, and all the little details that go into making the experience feel complete.

As always, thank you for supporting NerveFade, following its development, and being part of this project.

Whether you're an Early Access supporter or waiting for the Public release, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you've played it.

See you here on November 7th! ❤️

9 hours = 1 minute.

I recently calculated that, in my particular development process, it takes me roughly 9 hours to develop 1 minute of gameplay.

And that includes everything: writing the story, adapting the dialogue into natural character's way of speaking, coding, setting up scenes and interior details, rendering the images, and everything else that goes into turning an idea into an actual playable scene.

At first, that number might sound absolutely insane.

NerveFade is my first game, and before I started developing it, I had basically no idea how any of this worked. My only relevant experience was with Python, which isn't particularly useful for the kind of linear visual novel I'm making with Ren'Py anyway.

So yes, the amount of time I spend on each minute is pretty large.

But it's necessary, and honestly, I'm comfortable with it.

When I was developing Episode 1, with my understanding of game development being somewhere around zero and a little bit, I thought that every future update would become faster to make.

I assumed that once I gained experience with all the software and tools I use, I'd naturally be able to produce updates much more efficiently.

And... well, that was my very naive understanding of indie development.

Because as your experience grows, your desire to make things better grows with it.

You learn how to do something better, and instead of saying "Great, now I can do this faster", you start thinking "Wait... I can make this even better".

Quality = Time.


You may have also noticed that I renamed this series from Weekly Dev Progress to Weekly Dev Diary.

These posts stopped being a simple report of what I accomplished during the week a long time ago.

I use this space to share my thoughts as just a regular person behind the project — with everyone who's interested in seeing what game development actually looks like from the inside.


Yesterday, I finished the very last render for Episode 2 (Part 2)!

That means the entire visual part is now 100% complete.

Now it's time for the polishing phase.

I'll be processing the original images, adding music and sound effects, working on transitions and visual effects, cleaning up the code, re-rendering any images I'm not happy with, and taking care of all those little things that you don't really notice individually, but that make the finished game feel much more polished. The way I want it to be.

We're getting very close now.

Just 2 weeks until Early Access!


Have a great weekend, everyone!❤️

Hey frens!

Just 3 weeks until the higher supporter tier early access! 🎉

Or, if you're waiting for the public release, just 6 weeks to go!


Writing this post right in the middle of rendering the final scene of the upcoming update. And even though it's the last scene, it's also one of the longer and more intensive ones in terms of content.

If everything goes according to plan, I'll need about another week and a half to finish all the visual part. After that, it'll be time to focus on the final touches, polishing, and testing.

November 7 — Lover tier

November 14 — Pup tier

November 21 — Honey tier

November 28 — Public release

You already know how Day 2 began. Our characters headed to the countryside estate of David's friends and business partners to get away from the usual hustle, problems, and everyday life for a while.

The first half of the day was all about getting ready, the journey itself, and discovering the estate for the very first time.

But Part 2 covers the second half of Day 2, from noon until midnight, and things are about to take some unexpected turns.

Some of these events might not seem particularly significant in the grand scheme of the characters' lives, but for two rather shy hearts, they'll mean a whole lot more.

Two characters will find themselves getting much closer, much faster than either of them could have expected. Unplanned. Unexpected. Maybe even by pure accident.

But isn't that how life works sometimes?

And then...

Remember what Max told the MC just one day earlier... about that incident between him and Megan?

Well... Mary is going to find out about it.

How?

Under what circumstances?

And, most importantly, what does she really think about the whole thing?

Answers to in the upcoming update.

3 weeks until Early Access.

Back to work!

Have a great weekend, everyone! ❤️