Quest Failed: Chapter Two - Dev Log #61 (Patreon)

(Before I start the dev log, I just wanted to say for those looking for smaller updates on development in between these dev logs, I have a twitter account of which you can follow [here]! I typically use this twitter account to post a number of small updates and ask some random questions relating to the game here and there; basically far smaller updates that wouldn't warrant full dev log posts. Just bits and pieces of what I might be working on at the time! So if you're ever curious as to how things are getting along in between these weekly posts, you can always check out my twitter! And now back to your regularly scheduled broadcasting, whooooosh~)

(Edit: Whoops, the icons might have been blown up a bit too much automatically via patreon's system. I'll try and fix it if it proves too ugly to browse. Aaaaaaaaaaa)

Hiya there, guys! How are we all doing today? I'm back with another dev log, somewhat keeping things on schedule even though it's been something of a chaotic month trying to keep everything together!

We're fast approaching the end of July and the days just seem to be blazing by. It's a little worrying, actually! Before we know it, it's gonna be 2019 in the blink of an eye! Let's hope that Chapter Two is done by then, huh? (I am optimistically aiming for a release before the end of 2018 still, don't worry!)

Today's development log actually ties into the rapid amount of development and writing I've been doing for the game lately, where I've realised the more content I add within the various nested choices and options in the game, the more difficult it might become for players to parse these choices, navigation hubs and other systems in place that lead to a number of events in Matt's day-to-day life. My aim wasn't of course to make some kind of labyrinth of a visual novel that only the most dedicated can figure out and sort through, and I know some of you are purely here for the story and cg scenes and may get frustrated trying to figure things out.

So, my solution to this are the fancy little icons you see next to the choices now (for full disclosure the above image is a mock-up, but the required code is being worked on as we speak!), of which all have specific meanings that I'll explain icon by icon below!

Speech Bubble: This cute little speech bubble will indicate when there is a conversation option, allowing you to engage in dialogue with a character. Typically conversations will not take up any of your allotted time for the day and let you know that they are 'safe' to choose without locking yourself down any given route or event. 

Speech Bubble (Ticked): A speech bubble with a green tick means that you have already seen this specific dialogue and will save you the tedium of clicking it again. It will also act as a good indicator during lengthier exchanges of dialogue when characters have several topics you can cycle through and keep things a little more organised.

Exclamation Mark: An exclamation mark indicates a plot-crucial point of interest and you'll typically see these on the days when you have an important task at hand. (Not on free days) These will help guide you to the right areas to continue the main story. On the flip side, they also help indicate where you may want to avoid going until you've explored other areas, as to avoid progressing the story too early. So it's pretty neat to have both ways! 

Question Mark: A question mark will indicate a point of interest/event waiting to be discovered, unrelated to the main story. Typically these events are far more involved than simple dialogue options and may end up using some of your free time in a day depending on the kind of event. I may look into making two different kinds of question marks that indicate both an event that doesn't take up time, and one that does, if the need for such a thing arises. But for now I'm trying to avoid branching out too much, as I have plenty of icons as is!

Heart <3: A heart will typically indicate that a 'romantic' event awaits poor Matt. These typically indicate CG scenes, but in a few cases they may just be a mushy event that deepens your connection with a lovely lady of your choice. Keep an eye out for these hearts, you won't want to miss them! 

Gold (Plus): These shiny gold coins will indicate an option that will result in you gaining gold! I'm still debating whether these ones are necessarily needed or if it would be clear enough from the options, but they may help 'complete' the icon scheming I had and give things a coherent feeling.

Gold (Minus): And this far less desired icon indicates a choice that will result in you losing gold, typically from spending it or giving it to someone. Again, I'm still debating on the practicality of these ones!

Forward Arrow: Here's where I think the icons really get helpful! This arrow indicates moving over to a new set of 'nested' choices, typically a new set of navigation options. For example, moving from the main city hub to the gates hub, or moving over to the quest board hub. Think of it as indicating player 'traveling' to a new subsection. Which perhaps sounds a little confusing on paper, but I think it should become clear within gameplay!

Back Arrow: The opposite of the forward arrow, indicating that this choice will loop you back to the hub you were previous at. So going back from the gates to the main city hub and so on.

And that about does it for the icons I have so far! I'll be evaluating the need for more as I go through things, but I'm contemplating adding icons that denote whether the player takes action in a battle or not, to help give a better feel as to the impact of what your choices might do during more tense moments.

If the icons prove to be visually distracting to some, I may provide an option to disable them altogether if you feel you'll get along okay without them. But I feel this will really clear up some of the confusion regarding the system and hopefully make navigating far better.

How do you personally feel about the icon system? Would you change anything about it? Would you add, or remove icons to denote specific things? This feature is very much a work-in-progress while I still work on the writing and scripting, so it can be easily tweaked and changed this early on. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Have an awesome weekend, guys! <3