Saturday Update!

Good morning! We've made it through another week!

I admit that I didn't do so well last week. I struggled a lot with insomnia again and just couldn't seem to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time. I don't feel as confident about my work either, but I'm not sure how much of that is genuinely deserved or if my poor mental state is making me feel more negatively about all my work. I tried listening to several of the songs I made previously and I thought they were all terrible 😂 So it's statistically likely that I'm just being moody.

Anyway, the theme of last week was variants. I was able to focus almost entirely on my list of 'wants' since my list of 'needs' is filled.

I worked mostly on nighttime variants of existing loops so that the night segments of the game can have a different vibe.

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suspense_loop_night:

This is a variant of suspense_loop_strade, or the loop that plays when Strade is present but not harming MC. It's pretty similar, just slightly tweaked and a bit slower

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torture_loop_[ variant ]_night:

This set of 3 loops are based on the normal set, but they've also been tweaked and slowed down. I replaced the buzzing baseline with a much less intrusive low frequency spacious sound because I wanted them to feel heavy but kind of... under water? I'm not sure how to explain the vibe 😂

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torture_loops_mashup:

As you might guess from the filename, this is a mashup of two existing loops. It's a bit chaotic but that's appropriate for what I need it for.

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survival_bloody:

The last variant I needed for the survival song. It's still based on the structure of the other two but I did change quite a bit.

I feel like I'm getting more comfortable with writing melodies, but I'm still not sure about the quality...

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I was kind of hoping I'd get a chance to create a new song last week, but my lack of sleep really slowed me down ^^;

I think it's still in my best interest to start programming next week. I need to go through the game and actually insert code throughout it to start and stop music/loops as well as add in sound effects.

I can define loops and songs at the top of my script in the same sort of way as images, so I'll be able to still update or change music by just replacing the files later.

I remember vaguely from TPOF that this process shouldn't take TOO long, as the music doesn't change nearly as often as art. Still, I'm not sure how long it will take. I can't image more than two weeks, but we shall see!

I still have my subscription to Envato Elements so I have access to a basically infinite library of foley sounds to work with for sound effects [ and I now have the power to edit them in any way I want ]. I also plan to try and add in some 'stings' too- nothing as intense as jumpscare shit [ that's never been the direction I want for my work ], but I think some reveals might be good with a slow sliding sting before the loop or music starts.

So! It's looking like my future schedule will be:

• Rest of March: program in the music, adding sound effects, possibly making more music if the previous two tasks get finished within March

• April: Redraw the start menu background, create logo and warning splashes for bootup, program the experimental translation mod system, program and design a music gallery screen, create game page on Steam, create character bio screens to unlock, create guide/rules for beta testers

• May: Beta Testing- working with temporary server to find and fix any bugs that come up, possibly implement some improvements based on critiques, begin work on bonus content [ memelord mode, secrets ]

• June: Final tweaks, Release. Hopefully.

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I'm hoping I can shake the insomnia soon and keep production going on schedule! I will continue to do my best!

Stay safe and see you next week!