0.16 Progress Report - Week 2 (Patreon)

Two things came alive this week: someone Claire could fall for, and someone she probably hoped she'd never see again.

NEW LOOKS COMING

Our art team has started work on new hairstyles for the paper doll. More ways to make Claire look like the version of her you've got in your head — whether that's who she was before Manila or who she's becoming in it. (Likely these will use the Hair Salon interface, rather than be a selection in the Prologue)

These are still being finalized, so I'm not going to show them half-done. But a preview is coming once they're locked. Consider this the heads-up.

NATE, CONTINUED

The Flirtation-as-Tradecraft arc continues development, and this week the...second of three legs came together.

Without spoiling anything: v0.15 was the beginning of something between Claire and Nate. v0.16 is what it costs and hints and what it means. This isn't a romance that resolves into something safe -- it wouldn't be Blue Swallow if it did, right?

It asks Claire a question she doesn't want to answer, at the worst possible moment, and what Nate says back changes everything. There's a version where she walks away. There's a version where she doesn't.

SOMEONE FROM BEFORE

There's also someone arriving in v0.16 that Claire knew a from before. Someone more integrated in her life than a Casimir. Someone from the life she left behind. He's not supposed to be here. He doesn't understand what she's become. And he's not going to take the hint and leave quietly.

That's all you get. This arc is one I'm especially careful with — it's about who Claire used to be colliding with who she is now, and how little room there is for both. How it goes depends a great deal on choices you've already made.

POLISH CONTINUES

The Prologue proof and clean reached a milestone: the entire pre-High School file is now complete, every cluster reviewed, tightened, and brought up to snuff. The pass has moved into the High School twine next. The oldest, roughest content in the game keeps getting better, quietly, in the background.

THE TEAM GROWS

One more bit of good news: a member of our own community has stepped up to write for us! It's been about six months of trying out potential contributors through applications and them always falling flat -- not willing or able to meet the standard and expectations of what I do week-in-and-week-out.

Seeing someone go from playing the game to helping build it is one of the most rewarding things about this project. More on what they're working on as it takes shape.