Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #95

Hi, hi, hi!

Gosh, it's been a long time since one of these, hasn't it? FAR too long, if you ask me! I can only apologise for the lack of dev logs--their delays have been due to a number of factors, partly due to me being a zombie the last couple of days as I attempt to adjust to a new sleep schedule so I can remember what the sun looks like again, but things are finally starting to settle back down to normal so I want to kick things back into gear and keep you guys in the know~

As a peace offering, I give you a flustered chibi Claire!

You can rest assured that despite my recent silence, I've been working hard! (Honest, really) So I'm going to try and make this week's dev log a pretty meaty feature to make up for the general lack of news in recent days. We should also have some more pretty bonus art to look forward to in the near future as well, so this month should be quite fruitful in terms of content!

I've been working on several different key areas of Chapter Two in the last few weeks, so I'm going to break this dev log down into a few categories so that it's more neatly organised! So, first of all, let's look at one aspect I've been steadily fleshing out:

- The Library -

Yes--the library! One of the most exciting places in Rhan! More exciting than the inn on a busy evening. More exciting than the castle during the most intense strategy meeting. More exciting than--okay, okay, I might be overselling it just a touch, but it's still a pretty interesting place to visit if you're ever looking for a change of pace from getting manhandled by all the pretty monster ladies out there! (If ever)

While this building won't be accessible at first, you'll be able to visit it on a more regular basis after you take care of a certain 'mystery' that apparently plagues its dusty halls. (Some say if you visit during the night, you'll hear all manner of strange wailing noises drifting throughout the place. Are you brave enough to find out the truth behind this phenomena?!)

Once this mystery has been solved, you'll have access to the library's many, many books!

The titles of the books aren't final (maybe I can crowd source some of the titles from you lovely folk, since book titles are hard work, haha) nor is the selection you see above, but this should give a general idea of what you can expect. Essentially I'm re-purposing a lot of lore posts I made before and making them official, small excerpts you can read from each book to get a better idea of a lot of how a lot different monster girls function, along with some goofier stuff in between. So while I know the library is probably going to be some of a niche area that only the most enthusiastic players will want to catch up on, at the very least not too much manpower has gone into populating the books. You can call it an efficient use of past writing! Or lazy! Or both!

But to make things more interesting, there'll be a small degree of commentary after reading the book between Matt and a certain special guest that roams the library. They'll have a brief conversation over whatever book Matt might have read and add a little extra insight to the material, just to add an extra little touch! Think of it sort of like how the journal system in Chapter One worked.

Some of the books should also help shed some light on some potential plot points that might be brought up in the story, so if they do occur you can have the smug sastisfaction that you knew about some of these elements long before they were brought up!

The library hasn't been my main focus, however--simply a small area I returned to, to flesh out whenever I was feeling stumped on other areas.

Plus, as I say, it's not ALL reading dusty all books in here. I hinted to them before, but you'll also get to have some cute conversations with whoever it is that might live in this abandoned library! They're unlike most of the other characters I've written, so it's been a lot of fun to bring them to life and to give Matt a friend that doesn't bully him 90% of the time like his other friends do. So look forward to it!

- SFX -

This area isn't AS major as the library addition, but I have been very slowly working with a talented SFX artist who has been helping me build up a selection of sound effects that I've been steadily implementing into the game as I go along.

I believe I've already showcased them a little with the beach video and the gentle waves rolling in--but right now we're working on more combat orientated sounds, which are going to sound really cool and help bring some of the more action packed moments to life. Expect lots of clanging, clanking and thunks as weapons are swung and pint-sized adventurers are knocked aside.

Sound effects weren't an area I paid too much attention to in Chapter One admittedly due to budget and time limitations, but for Chapter Two since everything else has been enhanced in terms of scope and presentation, I felt it was only natural that sounds be added too! I'll probably avoid going overboard with them, just because I feel that SFX should be saved for more impactful moments rather than being used every few seconds, but they should hopefully really enhance the parts they do show up at. So look forward to that~

In addition, several new tracks have been created that will help add a little more variety to areas that I felt some tracks were becoming repetitive or dragged on at. So it's been quite a meaty update!

- Hiss, Roar and Slap -- 3 new h-scenes almost ready for showtime! -

I've teased them a little before, but the new alpha build is gonna be quite jampacked with 3 new lengthy h-scenes for people to sink their teeth into! I've admittedly struggled to keep on top of all of this content, as I've mentioned in a previous post, but am continuing to chip away at them at a good pace. Each scene is very different from the other, too, as they all focus on different aspects of femdom from each character and I've really loved how they've turned out!

One will feature Ruby, one will feature Lucille, and the other will feature a mystery character~ They've been super refreshing to hop between, and while draining on my poor ol' brain to try and keep each scene as well written as the other without taking shortcuts or getting lazy, I think the results will be more than worth it. Especially since two will be fully voiced on launch, so they'll feel that much more complete!

H-scenes are always something I struggle with, since I always want them to feel like they're of the highest quality, given they're the main focus of the game and all. It's why the prose suddenly goes into ridiculously flowery overdrive the second Matt is so much is cuddled by a girl--since I want you to really be in that moment and to be able to imagine and feel each little detail. So I constantly end up rewriting line that I fear won't invoke this sensual experience I've been planning for the characters for so long.

Like, I could easily just write "uh uh uh girl make me feel good~ kyaaa~" and let the pictures speak for me instead and be done with it--but then I could never live with myself, haha. To me, the ridiculously lengthy h-scenes with the floweriest of prose are what Quest Failed, Quest Failed! And to skimp out on such scenes for the sake of rushing the product out would just break my heart.

Though in part, I think this is why sometimes some h-scenes take me a while to do--because I put so much energy into one scene alone it leaves me feeling drained (and poor Matt just as drained) the thought of tackling the next scene after with just as many words, if not more, is a daunting prospect. And the last thing I would want to do is phone in these scenes. Since they're more than just smut for the sake of smut, in a lot of cases they're extremely important for Matt and the girl he's with--as usually they're bonding in some meaningful way, or revealing a side of themselves that people wouldn't usually get to see, essentially lowering their guard and entrusting young Matt with their true self. I feel these give the intimate scenes far more weight, and end up being something more than just "hora hora take off your pants, boy. We're doing it. NOW." (Okay that can happen, but still!)

If I'm not in the right mindset when tackling a h-scene, I end up freezing up on the keyboard and become afraid that I can't properly illustrate these intense, intimate feelings bubbling up between the two. I don't want to just write some general moaning and thrusting descriptions and call it a day--I want to explore deeper feelings between them, and explore just what happens in poor Matt's mind as it becomes completely muddled from such passionate experiences being forced upon him. I know it'll probably sound silly, but I really do get deep into the mindset of these characters and try to properly showcase what they both feel for one another and avoid turning it into a cheesy porno set where it's just "uh uh uh yeah, give it to me matty".

It might sound a little silly to want to give such meaning to what's essentially a non-stop sex romp with a young boy getting manhandled between a bunch of older ladies (ara, ara~)--but I really do feel that's what gives Quest Failed its edge over other more traditional eroge style games--at least the ones predominantly focused on sex--and that's the ability to connect with each of the girls on a level deeper than just sex. I suppose whether or not I've met that lofty goal is yet to be seen--but hopefully you guys will agree once you get a chance to play! I may have aimed for the stars here, but I think I'll hit my mark, even if it took a little longer than intended.

And don't get me wrong--I don't hate writing h-scenes or anything. I love writing them! I think it's just, the more I write them, the more I feel the expectations are going to grow. I can't just use the same structure and loops I've written before--I have to keep finding new ways to make 40+ scenes feel fresh between 20+ characters! It's been a daunting challenge for one writer alone, but one I've been steadily chipping away at. One of my biggest challenges as a writer yet--but I feel I'll come out of it a far stronger person! Maybe! Or a broken wreck! Whatever works!

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That about wraps it up for this week's dev log. If you have any questions about anything mentioned above, or just want to ask me anything about the game's development in general, please don't hesitate to ask--as I feel I owe it to you all to be as transparent as I can and keep you all informed!

Until next time~