How has the Month been for Stillness –
Halfway Home has been zooming in hot on Gold as the month winds down, and on top of that, I started another project; a short, more light-heated Visual Novel titled My Boyfriend’s a Werecat! as something to both wind down on after Halfway Home, and to get something out there I can get payed for (Halfway Home is free).
With all of that going on, plus general job hunting, Stillness has been on the backest of back burners. Plus, looking back on it, in the most general sense, Stillness has very much grown Stilted in its production. Like, as a concept, and a general “proof” of concept, it works, but so much recently has had no real direction, and that has definitely been hurting Stillness. the content pipeline is a pain, and the game as is, just isn’t fun to play. As such, I’ve thought a lot over the month about what to do about these facts. I don’t want to drop Stillness, as there is still so much in it that I like and want to make with it, but both its breadth, scope, and general unpleasantness to work in compared to other projects, needs to be addressed.
What I said I would do (and did it get done) –
- Finish implementing the new dream sequence (Finished? no. worked on, yes)
- implement all the SFX (no)
- Playtest (no)
- Polish Level 1 (no)
- Stretch:
- Finish level 2 (haha no)
- Start level 3 (see above)
- Mock up more conversations scenes (a bit yes)
- Paper prototype the emotional control mini-games. (all the nope)
What got done-
So, the only real thing that got accomplished this month directly to Stillness, has been some small work on a flow chart for the game. Having learned much from Halfway Home, and using that knowledge in the pre-production for My Boyfriend’s a Werecat! specifically in its story flow and length, I thought to approach this same process to Stillness. This has required a through examination into the story’s structure, objectives, and outcomes, and to figure out what I want to do with it going forward.
I just started this the last week of the month, so I have no answers as of yet.
What to do next-
Stillness will not die, but it is certainly not alive at the moment. that strange subspace between is kind of fitting, in a way.
To move forward at all on this project, there are 3 main factors of Stillness that need to be addressed. Those Are:
- Workflow
- User Experience
- Narrative
The Workflow is currently very messing and unweildly, making adding content to the game a chore, meaning I don’t want to add content. The pipeline needs to be reviewed and fixed up to make it something I can add to easily. The UX needs a serious review too, because as is, the game is just not fun to play, and that is a crucial area that needs to be fixed. Living in this space needs to not feel as stiff as it currently does. And lastly, the narrative’s beat flow needs a general review. I originally wrote it intentionally with gaps to be filled later, and now is that later. Also I need to review it, with more an eye to the character’s personalities and growth.
Hopefully these things can be addressed in a way that reinvigorates the project.
Closing Notes-
I do not know if I will continue these monthly reports going forward. I want to, but I feel bad with it mostly being “nothing happened” over and over. hopefully progress does occur, and I can have something to show all of you, but for now, who knows. 
(also, I got a patreon now: https://www.patreon.com/Jetyl)
Jesse Lozano 