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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RomCom: Divergence 0.1.4.2 - Public Release
Hello everyone!
This public release contains Episode 1: Chapter 4 and the Christmas event. An update patch is also available for those who have downloaded the early release.
Thank you for your support, and merry Christmas! (Maybe not?)
Changelog:
20 events
1,284 renders (´∀｀；)
2 simple animations
Special event: Christmas 2025 (51 renders, 140 layered assets)
100+ layered assets used for dynamic scene composition
1 layered asset used for dynamic scene composition
Replaced 44 renders from Chapter 3
To install the H-patch, extract and put patch.rpa inside game/ folder. To uninstall, remove patch.rpa Android users: The H-patch is already included. You can enable/disable it in Preferences.
Starting a new game is recommended after installing/removing the H-patch.
This update is for version 0.1.4.0 only! Do not try installing it on another version!
To install the update, extract and place scripts.rpa and events.rpa inside the game/ folder.
Replace all older files.
Dev Note:
To start the Christmas event, you’ll need to see Hap-chan in the Class Council first (Game Info → Characters → Hap-chan), then click/tap on the Christmas decorations in your save spot.
I experimented a bit for this new chapter and would appreciate some feedback on the following points:
Pseudo-animations (2–6 looping renders with sound effects).
Transitions between renders and dialogue lines (more sound effects, shaking, and slightly lengthened 'white noise' transitions).
Overall pacing of the chapter.
If you find any bugs or other issues with the release, please notify me!
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RomCom: Divergence is one year old!
Katsumi: "...Everyone is ready?" "...Ahem."
Girls: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Sayuri: "U-um... Today, one year ago, RCD's very first release came out!"
Sora: "The legendary 0.1.0.0 version!!!"
Maya: "Yeah, don't make me remember that..." Misaki: "And so we wanted to make you a little surprise..." "B-because we're forced to! Alright?! I didn't want to do it!"
Katsumi: "During this first year, we managed to live through three full chapters in addition to the prologue."
Sayuri: "Ah, but we're only days away from the fourth chapter..." "So couldn't we count that in?"
Maya: "Or we could've just moved the anniversary a week or two..."
Misaki: "That would put us right into Christmas and New Year territory, though..."
Katsumi: "No, we won't do any of that." "We must remain accurate regarding release count and schedule." "Any irregularity might impact the trust placed in us."
Maya: "You can say that again..." "It's not you standing around in the tutorial room all day, waiting for some impatient player who realized he missed the last beach event..." Sora: "First-year, early release, Misaki-senpai's treasure-thing, public release, Katsumi-senpai's journal-thingy..." "Crap! Isn't the schedule way too packed?!"
Katsumi: "Please do not swear, Sora-chan."
Sora: "S-sorry, Senpai!" "It's just..." "I don't wanna get scolded because we keep sending messages and stuff!!!"
Sayuri: "Ah, it's fine!" "I read online that guys actually love getting hundreds of messages per day... if they're from girls!"
Misaki: "I... I'm not sure I want to risk doing that, but..." "On the other hand, if I could get away with sending hundreds of ads..."
Maya: "You don't need to worry, Wallet-chan." "Haptales made it so all criticism and bad feedback get forwarded to Sayucchi's mailbox." Sayuri: "(Sniff)" "I'm sorry for deleting your Android saves! (Sniff)" "I'm sorry if the pacing was all wrong! (Sniff)" "I'm sorry for ruining your immersion and how Misaki-san was treated last chapter! (Sniff)" "I'm sorry for making you think the game has NTR in it!!!" "I'm sorry,I'm so sorry everyone!!! (Sob)"
Sora: "Uwah!" "Please don't cry, Senpai!"
Maya: "Yes, stop trying to garner sympathy by acting all pitiful." "You're not getting any closer to first place in the next poll, girl."
Sayuri: "Waaah! (Sob)" "Please vote for me! (Sob)" Katsumi: "...Let's get back on topic." "So, for this first anniversary, we wanted to surprise you, but..." "Sadly, Haptales isn't here, as there is apparently still a lot of work before the early release."
Sora: "W-wait! It's the game's birthday, right?! How come Haptales isn't here?!"
Maya: "Heh." "Guess Haptales is the kind of parent who misses their kid's birthday party because of work."
Sayuri: "...The worst..." Maya: "Welp, if the show's over, I'm heading out." "I still gotta deal with all those people asking about creepy Hap-chan."
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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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