How long it will take?
Added 2017-10-10 14:50:23 +0000 UTCIn this post I'm going to try something really difficult: predict how much time it will take to complete the new game.
This will be a really rough estimate made for patrons who maybe want an idea about how long their would support the development until we reach a final product.
I'll start from a measured fact: It took 3 to 4 months (let's say 100 days) to complete Hack'n Stalk. We could extrapolate this time to the new game by defining what needs to be done.
Some work made into Hack'n Stalk like the core visual novel framework and save system will be reused, saving me some time. But this framework needs some improvements. I'll also reuse some of the minigames code but I'm also planning to write new ones.
Art, story script and game balance is where most of the time is consumed. New game will have about 3x more characters and 3x more locations, meaning more dialogs, more choices, more art. I'm planning to work more heavily on animations, having always something moving on the screen. Finally, I want to add a bit of click-and-point/inventory mechanics at some point in order to have a little less linear game than Hack'n Stalk.
I could bore you with more detailed estimates, but I think I can break it down to a simple figure of a 3 times bigger and apply it to the 100 days of Hack'n Stalk making a ridiculously rough prediction of about 300 days working on the game.
It's assuming I'll be working by myself and will not have any real life or health issues causing delays.
Comments
what X524 suggests is the best thing to do, getting the updates out monthly gives you a chance to work without so much pressure. Now a good question would be: Will you give the patreons an option to make certain decisions about the course of the game? Because this would generate extra work for you, obviously it opens the possibility for more people to finance your project, but well that's your decision. With regard to art, as far as I'm concerned the art was pretty good in your first game, maybe later there might be an option to have someone help you.
2017-10-11 07:36:50 +0000 UTCHi. Actually I was thinking about releases every 15 to 30 days. Some "blocks" of development takes more time than others so keeping a strict regular interval between releases is not very easy. I think I could work with someone doing the art later because I'm not much of an artist myself (just a GIMP/Blender geek). Having a regular tester would also be great. This game will have a "reality ground" similar to Hack'n Stalk, with the character using tools related to current technology. There will be a plot device that will stretch a bit into the sci-fi level, but nothing close to supernatural!
The Architect
2017-10-11 04:19:40 +0000 UTCExciting news! What you mightn't have scheduled is to release the game in monthly installments. This is vital for your business otherwise people will unsubscribe for a month if you don't release anything. Do you plan to hire other developpers if you reach a funding target (I think it won't be too long for you, since you are so good). You could work faster. Last question, will there be some supernatural elements in the game, or is it going to be a more "realistic" one?
x524
2017-10-10 20:23:06 +0000 UTC
