Dev Journal: Almost There (Patreon)

Time has really gotten away from me with this update. I do want to take the time to do it right, but I also want this game to be better faster than it is. I think partly I've let a lot of personal stuff coming up in my life slow me down here and there, and partly I think that... hm.

While shifting away from that sense of desperately trying to hit deadlines I mentioned that kept leaving me burnt out did work in making for a more manageable, constant workflow, it also removed some of my sense of urgency time-wise. On top of that, my work days have shifted around strangely for a number of reasons lately, and I've been letting things cut into my work time. Partly I've been trying to shift my work time to earlier in the day, hoping I can get used to it, but I have never been a morning person and that just hasn't gone great. I'm trying to find a compromise so I can better take care of myself and have a life I'm happy with, but so far I'm still in the weeds on that.

I also wonder if part of it is that graphics stuff might be a weak spot for me. A lot of the recent work has been focused on getting the new GUI elements online and looking decent, and it's just not going as smoothly as other work does, and it's not pulling me in like other work does. I worry that part of it is just that I hit such a dead spot productivity-wise with trying to get the AI started earlier that I still haven't been able to shake it off. That has me worried about how I'm actually going to get this accomplished. I want this stuff done so I can move on to all the amazing things that are still to come!

Well. Let's talk about where we are.

The new menu overlay, the save system, and the upgrade revamp are all built and working fairly well. I've sent copies to my proofers to see what problems they can root out while I work on polishing up a lot of little issues-- one of which is making the menu not look like garbage. That's been a weird process, and I've been looking through a lot of options for pre-made assets I can import or modify to give the game a more professional look, but that has me wondering if I should replace a lot of the other graphics at the same time, in that case. Debating a lot on that.

But that does mean we're close to ready to launch v0.06! I'm not sure if it will be out before the end of the month, it could go either way I think. These are pretty important and complicated systems, and I want to try and make sure they're sound before putting them out in the wild.

Once this update is out, I think I'm going to try attacking the AI problem in a different way. I was pretty close to being able to start coding the first pieces to actually integrate when I found I was just totally burnt out on that system. I want to focus on cutting this system into the smallest pieces I can and getting to actual code as soon as possible. I find I tend to have a better time with it when I have an actual working game I can test and build on and refine, and mentally building the AI system was basically a whole lot of the most broadly abstract concept work possible. Which was fun, but not good for staying focused and productive.

I still need to find better ways to handle my schedule and my personal life, as well. That'll be something to explore in coming weeks so I can keep a better pace. Something that is steady and low-stress, but still burning through the work at a good clip. I feel like I've been trying to find that balance for a long time. Maybe it's better to think of that not as somewhere I can just get to permanently, but a constant quest, something to always work towards.

Still, feeling pretty decent with my work at the moment, and I'm hoping you'll enjoy the big changes. Thank you for your support, and for reading all this!