Soundtrack: 66 (+13) music tracks, 92 (+15) sound effects
Some Development Facts & Anecdotes
The first event draft for this chapter was written back in July, while my computer was out.
Development lasted from 09/29 to 12/23 (~86 days).
It was my first time working full-time on an RCD release from start to finish.
I originally hoped to release the chapter at the end of November, with a render count closer to Chapter 3.
Chapter 4 is the longest chapter to date; it also has the highest word count per sentence of all chapters.
The 20th event and the Christmas event are almost entirely made of layered assets.
Chapter 4 alone added at least 11k lines of script, and the Christmas event added around 3k.
I worked on this chapter until the very last few hours before the early release, same for the Christmas event before its public release.
The Loading Issue
Well... I managed to screw all this work over a single uninitialized variable... And I had to do an emergency update a few hours after the public release went live... Tee-hee~!
Last time it was Android saves getting reset, and now this... Yeah, the truth is that I hate returning players! I only want first-time players!!!
(Kidding, come back, please.)
Reception, Success, Failure
Chapter 4 roughly made the same numbers as Chapter 3. Well, I did lose the first few hours because of the whole emergency update situation, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference.
I'm not sure I can count it as a success or not, but I guess I'm already hitting my first ceiling. Looks like I'll finally have to pimp out my sorry excuse for an Itch page, huh...? Sigh
Also, I can't really back this up with hard facts, but I feel like this chapter's reception was colder than the last one. At least, that's my impression from my POV.
On a more positive note: After putting together my Patreon and SubscribeStar, I managed to hit my first goal of $100 (at least for now). Hurray!
What does it change? Nothing! But now, you can be proud to contribute to both my coffee and France's strategic expenses! Thank you for helping me pay for that €40k armchair~!
And next time... I'll be counting on your support to pay for those €550,000 worth of bottles of champagne too~
Writing, Pacing, and Transitions
So, Chapter 4 was really different from the others, right? Longer sentences, a bit more breathing room between major events, and... the transitions. A lot more sounds and screen shaking going on during dialogue lines. I actually think they account for around 3k lines in Chapter 4's script.
I was a bit afraid I'd done too much, but when replaying Chapter 3, I really noticed how silent my VN was until now. But what do you think?
Renders and Animations
Once again, I had to cut back on animations for Chapter 4. I tried to compensate a bit with those pseudo-animations (looping renders with sound), but I think it actually ended up being counterproductive... It may have given the impression that I was abandoning animation quality.
So, I hope I'll be able to improve things for Chapter 5. Actually, working on those pseudo-animation things gave me some ideas...
Supporter Perks
With the reduction of unused assets, Misaki's treasure box is starting to really lack content.
To fix this, I'd like to change it to be more like a Making-of... I'm still working out the details, but that's the general idea.
And so, that'll take us to...
Schedule Changes
I'd like to put more work into supporter content, so from now on, those will be released the week following the public release. This gives me a bit more time, and also reduces post spam during major releases.
When I started working on this project, I adapted my release schedule to fit my job. I decided to use Wednesdays for major posts and releases.
Despite losing some audience by releasing midweek, I still saw some benefits, as it allowed me to collect feedback to work with over the weekend.
Well... I've decided it's no longer worth it, and I'll be moving major releases to Saturdays instead.
What's Next?
I'd like to say I'll start working on Chapter 5 immediately, but... To meet deadlines for the last two chapters, I ended up sacrificing work on more and more miscellaneous stuff.
Add to that the fact that I need to rework transitions in all the previous chapters, and well... I'm past the stage of hiding behind the promise of doing everything in the last week of development. Also, I want the game to be in a good state for what comes after Chapter 5.
I'll have enough on my plate with the Class Council stuff, after all. So yeah, the next devlog will probably be disappointing:
"Fixed X lines of script from Chapter 1."
"Added Y lines of transition to Chapter 2."
Discord Server
And finally, to wrap up this (very) long review, I'll be sharing the invitation link to my Discord.
I've been working on it since the start of the year, and while I started from scratch with my meager knowledge (and nonexistent motivation), it should be in a working state!
Feel free to come and add another place to your list of shitposting locations.
And That's All!
Thank you for your time, support, and (hopefully) feedback!
If you want to take a more active part in the game's development, consider joining the Discord.
No new poll for this chapter! But don't worry, I'll be sure to drown you in them with the Class Council!
-Haptales (I hate Discord)
TL;DR:
Release/Post schedule: Wednesday → Saturday
What's next: ‘Slight' rework of previous chapters, then Chapter 5
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Chapter 4 - Devlog 3
Hello everyone!
It's been three weeks since the last devlog, so here's a new update on the next chapter's development!
What's Been Done?
802 renders completed (1028 total)
15 animations
5 renders from Chapter 3 redone (lighting issue)
Proofreading (~80%)
Development Notes
Well, these last three weeks were really productive, if I can say so myself! That's a lot of renders, and some of them needed a lot of work... I definitely couldn't have done this much in the previous update.
As I previously said, I'm cutting down on animations for this chapter... Well, not completely, but I'm only making the ones that actually matter. I'm also experimenting a bit with looping a few renders to simulate movement. I'll let you see for yourself when the update is out!
Some bad news is that the render count per event has been much higher than expected, and so despite having passed the 1k renders mark I'm still not quite at the finish line yet.
Nothing too worrisome for now, but not being able to widen the gap between what still needs to be done and the deadline doesn't leave much room for error.
SubscribeStar's free tier!
I actually wasn't aware this was a thing, and I stumbled on it by accident...
But now it's enabled!
So you can follow me here too (for free) if you want!
Preview Pic
... No fictional animals were harmed during the production of this render. Though the two big, appetizing snails might end up on my Christmas table eventually.
...
Um, yeah... So I had my doubts about this scene and had to consult a state-sanctioned fact-checker about it. Apparently this particular render might not depict a fully realistic situation, and might even propagate some misinformation.
So a disclaimer is in order!
Lava can come in various tints, but this particular red color is totally unrealistic. That's why I'd like to apologize for it, and also thank the state-sanctioned fact-checker.
I can now rest easy knowing my ever-increasing taxes are well invested!
What's Next
Rendering, animating
Proofreading
Playtesting (the true early release, btw)
Christmas event
ETA?!!!
Here are the two deadlines I've set for myself:
17th early release - 24th public release (if nothing changes)
24th early release - 31st public release (if something goes wrong)
Finally
A big thank you to everyone following and supporting this project! I didn't expect to have so many of you still subscribed this late into development... So thank you for your trust, everyone!
For my subscribers: Takeshi's cultured preview should come next week.
For everyone else: I'll see you for the chapter preview (hopefully).
Thank you for your time.
-Haptales
P.S. Don't forget to vote for the Best Bikini here!
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Chapter 4 - Devlog 2
Hello everyone!
It's already been three weeks since the last devlog, so here's a new update on the next chapter's development!
What's Been Done?
226 renders completed
27 renders from Chapter 3 redone (no more weird yellow lighting in Takeshi's classroom)
A few new outfits for characters and mobs
Lots of prep work on some Koikatsu scenes
Minor rework of Sayuri's hair (saves time during rendering)
Finished writing the last two...no, four events
About Chapter 4's Length
In the last devlog, I said I wasn't sure if Chapter 4 would end up longer than Chapter 3...
Well, I had to write one more event than planned, and even split another one in two because its length was almost ⅛ of the entire chapter! So yeah, definitely longer. Again. Should I be happy I don't have writer's block?
Writing too much is better than not writing enough, right?! ... sob
Development Notes
Progress was a bit slow at first due to unexpected asset work and the extra events, so I'm slightly behind on renders.
I'll be more selective about what gets animated to save time.
The good news: I've now got a solid library of reusable assets from past chapters, which speeds things up!
Preview Pic
This time it's a Sayuri shot! All sweaty, all close to MC... What is she plotting again?
Girl's desperate for attention... but she'd better be, because in RomCom: Divergence, useless characters turn into mobs.
What's Next
Rendering hell
ETA?!!!
I'm still trying for early December, or at least before Christmas.
I don't know if I'll be able to make it, but I'll do my best.
That's all for today!
I'm immensely grateful to all my subscribers who support this project, and to everyone following and playing along.
Slaving away in Koikatsu has its ups and downs, but knowing people are waiting to see the results of my work helps me push through all the difficulties (well... most of them~).
So thank you, everyone!
For my subscribers: Takeshi's cultured preview should come next week.
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Chapter 4 - Devlog 1
Hello everyone!
It's been three weeks since the public release of Chapter 3, so here comes the first devlog for Chapter 4!
What's Been Done?
Very slight rework of Sayuri, Misaki, and Katsumi's faces (jaw area). I had some issues with how these three looked from the side (especially Misaki), which limited what I could do in renders. The changes should be mostly unnoticeable, maybe their faces will look slightly rounder from the front?
Increased Sayuri's butt size by 10% (very important)
Reworked Katsumi's body to make it more lore-accurate (more on that below)
Redid 103 renders tied to Katsumi's new body
Added a new important character who'll appear in the next chapter
Minor plot change in Chapter 3: Pink mob now also restricts MC's rollback ability. (Thanks to R@ndomman for pointing it out!)
Chapter 4's script is (mostly) complete! As I'm writing this, I still have two events left to finish, but I should be done by the time you read this devlog.
About Chapter 4
Another big chapter... guess that's becoming the norm? I'm still unsure if it'll end up longer or shorter than Chapter 3, but it'll definitely be more wordy.
This time, I tried to work on pacing, adding breathing spaces between, uh... "chapter arcs"? Not sure what to call them. Anyway, Chapter 4 will have three of those, which should make the story flow better.
I also plan to make some small adjustments to previous chapters to improve pacing there as well.
As for renders, this chapter will be all over the place. Some events will have the highest render-to-dialogue ratio I've ever done, while others will have just a few looping renders with tons of dialogue.
About the plot
I already warned you back in Chapter 3's first devlog, but it's worth repeating: The plot will continue to get darker little by little as this episode goes on.
If you're sensitive to heavier themes, please proceed with caution... or take a break if it's too much!
Katsumi's Makeover
Well, it's not as dramatic as it sounds, but I still think it deserves an explanation!
Katsumi's new appearance won't really change much while she's fully clothed...
Her old model had some issues with her overall figure... especially noticeable during the shower room event in Chapter 3.
The most visible changes are in her breasts and thighs, so let's talk about that!
With her new body, Katsumi now has thicker thighs, a wider waist, and a slightly rounder ass... giving her a more balanced hourglass figure (I think).
Her height remains unchanged.
Then there's the matter of her breasts. I always felt her original size was too close to Maya's for comfort...
In some camera angles, the difference between the two wasn't clear enough, which bugged me.
Katsumi was conceived as the big-breasted heroine, after all!
And, well... I also felt she lacked that Boom! factor when suddenly unclothed... if you catch my drift. I know reworking a character's appearance can be a bit risky, but I think Katsumi earned this one.
...And did I just spend half this devlog talking about Katsumi's thighs and breasts? Yup! Only the most important info for you, dear players!
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new Katsumi! I hope she gets a bit more love after the next chapter.
What's Next
Working on a few new outfits
Preparing the maps used for events and the Scene Scribbles.
Then moving on to the usual render and animation work
ETA?!!!
Way too soon to say, but... I'll do my best to have it out before the end of the year... Hopefully before Christmas... Maybe even early December...?
...or you'll just see me crying about animations in Devlog #9!
And that's all for today!
As always, I want to express my gratitude to all my amazing subscribers, old and new, who support this project, and to everyone following and playing along. Thank you all so much!
For my subscribers: see you in a week or two for Chapter 4's Scene Scribbles!
For everyone else: see you in the next devlog!
Thank you for your time.
-Haptales
P.S. Don't forget to vote for the Best Bikini here!
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Chapter 3 - Review: Is This the End for RomCom: Divergence?!
Short answer: No.
...
Hello everyone!
Sorry for the clickbait title and image, nothing is actually at risk...
Ah, wait! Don't leave just yet, please! Look, if you stay with me for a minute or two, I promise I'll give you a reward~! You like rewards, right~?
Anyway
It's now been a week since the Chapter 3 public release, and two weeks since the early release. With Chapter 3 out, we're officially halfway through Episode 1...
So I think this is a good time to take a step back and do a little review of RCD's current state, the latest release, and maybe ask what you like (or don't like) about the game so far!
Just a heads-up: this post isn't a proper devlog about Chapter 4 (the next one should be in about two weeks).
Boring numbers
Base game: ~2500 renders, 18 animations
H-Patch: ~600 renders, 90 animations
Script: 97,433 words
Soundtrack: 53 musics, 77 sound effects
About Chapter 3
Chapter 3 was a big success compared to Chapter 2, which was itself kind of like the game's second birth.
I don't have every single stat, but on Itch we were at about 2.5k downloads for Chapter 2, and we're now a bit over 10k total downloads. As for other sources... well, based on the numbers from my Pixeldrain and Mediafire accounts, it's a bit over 6k.
So altogether, Chapter 3 should be sitting at a bit over 14k downloads from what I can track. So yeah... I'm pretty proud of myself for those numbers!
Itch's situation
I didn't realize it before the last release, but apparently removing the payment option re-indexed my game? Well, that's good enough for me!
I do feel sorry for the kind people who donated during the Chapter 2 release, since I honestly don't know whose pockets their money ended up in... but at least it wasn't a huge amount.
Android's issue
I already mentioned this on Patreon and Subscribestar, but let me apologize one last time to my older Android players. I messed up the package name during development and completely forgot about it, so Chapter 3 was treated as a brand-new game... meaning your saves didn't transfer. And since we're already this far in, fixing the package name now would just cause even more problems for other players. So I decided to leave it as-is.
Seriously... everything Android-related makes me feel like a monkey smashing rocks together. At least you'll get to laugh at my package name all the way until RCD's completion!
About the writing
This isn't exactly a new issue... I mean, I already had to rewrite the entire Prologue and Chapter 1 for the Chapter 3 release. But yeah, it feels like I'm not quite there yet.
The main problem is the pacing: every event just comes one after another without really giving the player time to breathe. I'm still a beginner when it comes to writing, so I definitely struggle with that. But I'll do my best to improve it for Chapter 4!
Funny thing: I actually ended up dropping the Toaru Majutsu no Index series (despite really loving it) because it gave me that same feeling. So trust me when I say I take pacing issues in my own writing seriously.
On that note, I feel like Chapter 2 handled pacing a bit better... but what do you think?
Renders and animations
I had to cut back a bit on animations for Chapter 3, but that was more because I lacked the skills than a lack of time. Well... I guess I lacked the skills because I lacked time? Yeah, let's go with that.
So I tried to put a bit more effort into the renders themselves, I hope it shows!
Although, personally, I think one of the best renders I ever made was for Maya's first time, back in Chapter 1. I really think I nailed the angle and lighting for that one...
Monetization, death, and taxes
Honestly, from the start I didn’t think a game like this would do well… I mean, just look at that description! And does the story even make sense?!
Though I secretly hoped to hit it big on day one, give the middle finger to my old boss, and work full-time as a dev! (Yes, all that with that crappy 0.1.0.0! My dear older followers will remember!)
No worries though, I'm a bit of a pessimist/realist, so it didn't take long to be brought back down to earth and start working on the game again! (See my Christmas update from last year!)
Ah yes, for the new folks who haven't checked my other pages: I'm only working on this game after I get back from work, or on weekends. Well... that's not totally true these days, but that's the general idea.
Making this game is really important to me, so don’t worry, I’ll see it through to the end, success or not. But I’m immensely grateful to everyone supporting this project financially, you’re awesome! And nothing would make me happier than being able to reinvest back into it one day.
About Subscriber perks
...So that brings us to the perks I'm offering to my generous subscribers...
Class councils won't be a thing for a couple more updates, and the early release isn't really that big of a deal... So that leaves us with the Scene Scribbles, Misaki's Treasure Box, and Katsumi's Notes.
Well, to cut to the chase: it wasn't a success... in fact, the last two were a complete failure.
Those bonus contents don't seem to appeal to those who already have access, so I guess I shouldn't expect them to attract new people either.
I still plan to keep doing them, though, because they're more of a byproduct of my work on the main game, I don't spend that much extra time on them. And for the Scene Scribbles, they even play an important role in the game's atmosphere.
But I'd love to hear your thoughts... What didn't you like? Or what other things would you like to get as rewards?
I'm thinking of trying my hand at 4k renders, but honestly... with my current skills, I can't help feeling like a total hack.
And so... I need your feedback!
It can be on every point mentioned above, some of them, or even completely different ones!
There are a lot of things I didn't mention (music, release schedule, the way I write these posts, etc), but this post is already longer than most of you will read before skipping to get to the reward, so-
Thank you for your time, support, and (hopefully) feedback!
I'll also leave this link to a new poll, which I'm sure will bring some interesting results!
...Are YOU excited for Call of Uma: Crisis Kingdom - Online?
-Haptales
TLDR:
Oh...? A lurker-skipper has appeared~ Enjoy the attached 4k Sayuri picture~
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Chapter 3 - Devlog 3
Hello everyone!
It's already been three weeks since the last devlog... and honestly, I didn't even notice them go by.
Right after the last devlog, there was that one big event I focused on, and before I knew it, an entire week had slipped past...
Anyway, time for a new update on Chapter 3!
What's Been Done?
Right now, I'm at 648 renders and 32 animations.
I also have about 15 more renders mostly ready, but as I'm writing this devlog, I'm still deciding which background to use. By this point, I expected to have more renders and fewer animations... looks like Chapter 3 might end up with a lot more animations than Chapter 2.
Note: This render count includes both vanilla and patch content, since I'm working on both at the same time.
Rendered all Scene Scribbles.
Your messages have been properly added to their respective events. Thank you for participating!
Set up the script so Sensei's event now uses layer-based scene renders.
This event comes back every chapter using the same visuals, with only the chalkboard changing. Using this system will save time and space in the long run. I'll also update the older chapters to use it starting with the Chapter 4 release.
Preview Pic
I was torn between this pic and one of Misaki, but I've got to save the better ones for the full preview!
So, what about Katsumi... and MC holding a sword? Maybe he's trying out a bold new speed-dating strategy? Or maybe he finally had enough of all the rom-com nonsense and decided to commit violence on school grounds just to get this game deplatformed! ... Ah, but don't worry, both of these fictional characters are fully consenting adults. Aaaand, as luck would have it, we even have a respected member of a totally legitimate fictional feminist group in the background, ready to vouch for the whole thing!
On a more serious note, I also found a way to improve mob appearances (not in this preview pic). Still need to figure out if it's worth going back and applying those changes to all the Chapter 3 renders I've already done, though.
What's Next?
More rendering and animating...
I'm getting close to the finish line, but I definitely underestimated the work needed for some events. Like seriously, that one event that ate up a whole week? It was supposed to be quick and easy. Damn whoever wrote the script! ...Well, I might have also been a little too inspired while working on it... Tee-hee~
Takeshi's cultured preview
Another one is coming next week for Classmate-tier subscribers. I hope this new format, shorter but more frequent than before, works well for you.
Fixing the writing in previous chapters
Along with some other miscellaneous tasks.
About the current situation (Itch, payment processors, the E.U., censorship, etc.)
lol
Where to follow me if something happens
Check the support links displayed in the game (Patreon, Subscribestar, Boosty, Itch).
I also have a (mostly abandoned) Ko-fi page, but I at least post new releases there.
And if worst comes to worst... you can probably find the latest release on your favorite pirate site.
For each release, I'll make sure the support links displayed in the game menu are updated to wherever I'm currently active.
ETA?!!!
I won't lie, I underestimated the amount of work needed for this chapter.
Overall, I still think I've made good progress, but time is flying at a scary pace.
The 'good' news is that I've been working on this game almost full-time since last week, so I should be able to make up for some of the delay.
I'd prefer not to, but I still have options to save time, like skipping the rewritten Prologue and Chapter 1 in the early release.
Right now, I think a release in the second half of September is a realistic estimate, maybe even mid-September for the early release.
Final Word
Again, I'm fully focused on making the renders right now, so I'm sorry if I missed things.
The popularity poll will be closed somewhere around the first half of September, so if you are still yet to vote, don't wait too long!
And finally... I hate skirts. Next time? Every single heroine is wearing baggy pants. No exceptions. No skirts. No fighting Koikatsu to make them behave. I mean it. I hate skirts.
And that's a wrap for this 3rd devlog.
A huge thank you to everyone supporting and following this project! I'll ask for a bit more patience as I keep pushing forward.
I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next in RomCom: Divergence!
For Classmate-tier subscribers, I'll see you next week with another little sneak peek of Chapter 3's "plot."
As for everyone else, I'll catch you again by September 10 at the latest.
See something you like? Subscribe to see even more!
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Creator Stats
18 subscribers
48 posts
Goals
$37 of $100
per month
I can consider that my VN isn't a flop!
Yeah!
$37 of $400
per month
This will be a huge help to my finances, for sure.
It won't be enough for me to go full time, but it will be a great motivation to go further!
$37 of $900
per month
Beyond this goal, I'll consider changing my full-time job to a part-time one, thus increasing the time I'll have to work on my game.
$37 of $1,500
per month
Making this VN become my main job!
I'll still have to work on the side to make ends meet, but I'll be able to dedicate most of my time to developing this game.
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