Dark Place Progress Post #6 (Patreon)

Progress on the text adventure was slow this week. It almost feels like the time where I would normally start another "side" project. I even have in mind my own version of the Wii Play Tanks minigame (because I don't think any tank game has really captured what makes Wii Play's tanks an enduring classic.) And I know that idea could spiral into a whole ordeal. But now I have Lethal Company staring me in the face with no ending, and I am determined to finish the Dark Place this time around or release it full of empty space.

I apologize if there's no in-game celebration for Lethal Company's anniversary, because it's just come at a bad time when I'm feeling tired and focusing all my energy on this other game.

How long will Lethal Company sit like this?

My plan now is to neglect Lethal Company for as long as necessary, because if I were to slap an ending on it just to get it out of early access, that would probably be the end of it; I would rather come back to it when there are no distractions (and when I've upgraded my computer), so I can race it far beyond the finish line. But it might be a long time.

So why is progress slow?

It feels like I've been unable to come up with ideas that interest me. I have this list of reasons for why this is happening:

1. I just finished binge-watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which were amazing. I rarely watch television or movies, and this was like a huge pill to swallow--it makes sense it would affect my imagination and ability to come up with ideas. I mean all my dreams have been about being held at gunpoint or being on the run or getting away with something. It was a valuable experience, but I should probably refresh myself on the games and books that inspired me to work on WttDP in the first place.

2. It's autumn, and I could be afflicted with SAD! (Yes that's an acronym.)

3. As I wrote about in the previous progress post, my standard of quality has increased or changed, and I could be having trouble meeting that standard.

4. I'm burnt out? This is not the first time progress has stalled--Welcome To The Dark Place has a history of doing this to me. (I was sort of hoping that doing these progress posts would help me face it this time.) But the experience has always mystified me, and I think burnout is often described as something much more intense and painful.

Progress

I did still get some promising work done adding "filler" content to the map, which is mostly simple, one-off descriptions of places and objects meant to function as landmarks for exploration. A lot of these shallow, surface ideas can lead to something deeper. Adding them as simple landmarks is kind of like throwing a bunch of darts at a board and seeing what sticks. It can be quite fun and satisfying.

I successfully filled in this striped blue area with landmarks and flavor text, plus a couple more interesting things. I've also been analyzing this other dream-inspired scene I wrote about in the previous post... and I think I could have dreamed up something profound with the kind of strangeness of a real folk tale, but I just haven't figured it all out.

I think if I'm patient I will start making faster progress. If not, I might just boot this game out the door once and for all