Weekly Update - I did it again!

Just as the title implies, I had do to it all again.

While working on the animations for the upcoming Rin + Yumi double assault CG scene in my game Don't Flex On Me Yumi-Chan!!!, I questioned my workflow and decided to try to upgrade the quality of my video output. So I tweaked my presets and came out the other end with (what I think) are slightly better looking results. Deeper bit rate, more frames per second (aiming for 60fps), etc.

Basically, I took all existing video in the game and re-exported them using new, higher-quality settings.

The problem, then, is that everything needs to be converted to WEBM after rendering, because that's the format Ren'Py wants, so it kinda bottlenecks all of my efforts. I am limited by what WEBM can and cannot do. Also, none of the software I currently use can output WEBM files natively, so I am stuck with using dubious tools, like online converters which limit my control over the final product.

Thing is, for now, I've spent enough time on this issue that I don't want to work on the videos anymore, so what I have at the moment will have to do.

My main concern is that I've stumbled upon a post dating from 2020 explaining that Linux does not tolerate WEBM files in 60fps. Does that still hold up? Am I messing up the game experience for my Linux players out there? If one of you tech heads have an answer for me, please let me know. Last thing I want to do is penalize you guys for using your OS of choice.

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While I was on the business of re-doing the animations, I also corrected many mistakes that were present in the first CG scene, the headscissors at the race track's bleachers. I am adding a zoomed in animation, and I like it so much that I am wondering just how far should I go to include zoomed in shots in every other CG.

Like, the art I receive from a commission is almost always 4K quality, so it feels like a waste to size it down to fit a 1920 x 1080 screen. I'm wasting nice opportunities to make you guys enjoy the gorgeous artwork even more with close-ups.

It mostly means more work for me, but if I plan it in advance, it's not SO bad. So look forward to those close-up shots when the next build releases.

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And that's it for now. I'm just keeping my head down in the trenches, writing the upcoming episode with all I've got. The tone is definitely different, more serious than the previous episodes, and I have to be mindful to insert some light-hearted moments here and there to not veer too far from the rest of the game, tonally.

I'll tease you guys some more about the next CG scene next week, when we're closer to release.

Until then, stay safe out there!