Dev Log 0.30b: Tenderness

It's Preview time!

First build of the new year as well. And it's got a nice changelog as well, wasn't sure I was going to get one of them but it all worked out in the end!

So while this starts off with talking to Lin and Lisa by the lake. You have a new option to inquire a bit about the past, learn some more things. After that, stubbing your foot can lead to some interesting new interactions that may blow someones mind.

There is now something to find at lower corruption levels when having tea with Carla, not much of a scene but necessary for most of you I understand.

Finally... True depravity has struck. You can give headpats to both Haily and Carla...

I feel sick.

Okay, now for story time, and it's gonna be a doozy. Suffice to say my attempts to relax over the christmas holiday were not successful. Really... thinking about it, how could they have been. Christmas isn't for relaxing after all!

In the scope of things, we aren't talking about huge problems here obviously. Nothing is explicitly wrong, it's not even as though things are even reaching bad. Just each day giving it's own brand of stress. From shopping for people who have no desires, being obliged to attend gathering after gathering. Taking the responsibilities of sick family members and friends. By the end of it when I thought I'd finally get a day to myself I ended up with my key stuck in my car ignition, unable to turn off (sorted out now with another punch in the bank account).

The stress of the holiday was getting so bad I had to do work just so that I felt like I wasn't wasting time! Which is good news, that's how you know I'm not burning out. Been through burnout before and that's kind of the opposite symptoms.

The problem was me in a lot of ways. I love working on all these stories, I was proud of only taking one week a year off. But with the stress of christmas I had just kept telling myself that I'd sort out that stuff on my holiday and I'd relax and maybe even do some side projects. I ended up putting so much importance on this yearly holiday that when I wasn't really getting it, it just stressed me out more. That I wont get another break like this for an entire year...

So I clearly have a problem here. How do we fix it?

The answer has to be that, firstly, I stop scheduling time off during busy times of year. I could have gotten a decent chunk of work done during my week off, even if actual relaxation was impossible.

Secondly, holidays need to stop being special. If they are special, I will be liable to get caught up in wondering how I'm wasting them, which is just going to build up more stress. Stress bad. The answer for that is kind of obvious... Take more holidays. I said I'd need convincing for that, and it turns out the universe came and kicked me in the teeth over it.

So I'm going to plan on moving it scheduling a quarterly week off. Not necessarily taking those weeks off, but definitely scheduling them. And really when I think about it, what's the worst that would happen? The finale of Cabin is delayed by 3/4 weeks? I think we can all live with that. And I'm certainly not going to take more time off now! I couldn't stand being that restless when I've got all these lovely Carla scenes to write! Maybe in a few months.

Anyway, it's time for me to head off to beddy byes!

- Love Nunu