Log in
Progress update #2
Hey everyone,
we’re still a long way off from episode 6 release, but personal and professional life has slowed down after a few bumps so I’m looking to speed things along as much as possible.
I think many people figured out by now that even though it’s been a while, Elvensang’s story is still in its infancy. It’s easy to think how that spells doom for it ever being finished, but despite the lengthy development time, I am consistently managing more work in less time – even if it doesn’t show because there are periods when I simply have don’t have that much time overall. I’m not a student anymore, you know...
But while the road ahead may be long, it’s my sincere hope that it will be enjoyable all the way through. There’s stuff ahead that I am really looking forward to in the story, and honestly, cutting away the unnecessary tidbits to get to those points quicker definitely takes a little finesse that I still need to attain. They’re small things that collectively add a lot of clutter, but it’s hard to find a way around them without harming the immersion (if you’re a noob like me, at least). Transitions between scenes, for example – back in the day, I used to effectively narrate everything step-by-step way too often. For example, if the current scene is in the Ealdorman’s house while the next is in the smithy, I’d narrate the character going down from the fort, through the village, and into the smithy. However, when handled with finesse, all that’s needed is to just transition from one scene into the next; and then let the player fill in the gaps of what happened. A good little thing to ease in these transitions would be actual images that go inbetween, which could be reused as well, within reason. But figuring out such small details is how I plan to cut away a lot of unnecessary clutter and keep things focused on the substance of the story.
A somewhat related thought – I was thinking about some of the better tv shows out there as well for comparison. Think of a masterfully made TV show where each and every scene is integral to the story, adding to character development, world-building, the plot – or all three at once, ideally. But focus too much on one, and you’ll get encyclopedic quantity of needless exposition (half of which you forget before it becomes relevant), or a story where nothing moves forward because the characters just sit around talking about their feelings.
I may or may not be guilty of some (or all) of the above, but it’s all a learning process. I’m aware of the mistakes I’ve made, and the best I can do is learn from them and hopefully do better next time.
Anyway, that’s it for this log. Next progress log (within 10 days), I’ll show a couple previews – maybe even a preview of Kara’s sprite. Maybe.
Also, I wanted to make the cover for this progress log something artistic but couldn't get Sunny's face right, so it's just hands for now. Even more artistic, right?
Love you all,
Worlaix
One of the rally fun things with being a long-term supporter of a project like this is to see how the creator(s) develop over time. In your case, both the storytelling and the art has improved.
I have been in this business long enough to know that a big plan doesn't have to be a problem, as long as other obstacles are overcome, such as sticking to the plan and being able to decide on a sustainable pace over the entire time it takes. I don't know how long the longest development time has been for the projects that have seen finish, but I remember spending at least five years watching the progress of Long Live the Princess.
Also, I find this project special because of your art. There are so many Daz games, and while they can still be very good, your one-of-a-kind art gives your story a very special vibe.
Cheers!