Maids & Masters (& Completing Remaster Plugin Implementation & Rewrites)

It certainly took a lot longer than I wanted it to, but as of this weekend, all of the new plugins (including the quest log) are fully implemented. There are a few smaller, fiddly things to do, and a little more testing that needs doing (there's still at least once instance where the implementation and scripting is correct, but it still results in a bug), but this was easily the largest task to complete for the remaster, so this is a great milestone to finally be hitting.

The second largest task was reworking the dialogue, which I completed in tandem with plugin implementation. There are still a handful of events that I won't have changed at all, and nearly all of the object interactions are unchanged, but there were several events that I actively wanted to rewrite and those are all now also complete. I mentioned this in a previous post, but just to reiterate - the overall message and character beats of these events is unchanged. The changes are largely due to tone or specific wording, meant to correct either specific misinterpretations or plot inconsistencies (like Cornelius being referred to as Archibald's father in one place and his grandfather in another). Otherwise, the vast majority of updates to the dialogue has been improving clarity by simplifying or removing lines or text boxes.

The third largest task is also a doozy, though, and I haven't really started on it yet - the animations and scene reworks. Individually, the scenes are pretty easy to manage, but since there are over 50 (around 70, including the love shack scenes) of them, there's a distinct possibility that I won't get them all done in time for release on May 5th. That puts me in front of something of a dilemma.

I could delay v0.10's release, but I really don't want to. A delay would mean more time to test and bugix as well as work on animations and other new content, but it's also a slippery slope into delaying further, and I might still not complete everything that I want to complete. There are pros and cons every way you could possibly look at the situation. I'll still try to get as much done as I can, starting with the start of the game and working from there, but I think it's best to also ask my Patrons what they think on Friday, when the initial test build goes out to the Gratitude tiers.

We're officially in the home stretch, though. The animations and new content are all that's left before I move on to v0.11 and Act 2. It does seem like v0.10.1 will be necessary to catch all of the content I want the remaster to include, meaning it's still another month at least before development on Act 2 starts, but I really am chomping at the bit to get there. Hopefully you're at least a little excited to get there yourself.

Maids & Masters (& Finishing Reworking Dialogue)

With the first test build out, I've started on reworking the interlude's dialogue and finishing up implementing the quest log. 

Not much is done yet, as I took the weekend to recover. I have been consistently underestimating how much work the remaster would be and trying to work longer and harder to try to make up for it, which I've been feeling in a bad way lately. I've also had some work on Lust Element to do, which is what has taken up the majority of my working hours over the past few days. I also had some real life and business things to do - taxes, paying bills, that sort of thing. With all of that done (save for some additional work on Lust Element that needs doing), this week will be spent getting dialogue reworked/rewritten for the interlude and fixing any bugs that find their way to me.

That gives me about two weeks to get animations done in time for v0.10's release on May 5th. That's a tighter time frame than I'd like it to be, but unless I run into some issues, I should be able to get at least the majority of scenes converted for animations. I hope.

That does unfortunately mean that it's likely v0.10 won't have all of the new content I want it to, like the random Estate events. It will still have some (a few are already implemented), but it won't be as complete as I'd like it to be. Though all this really means is that there will be a v0.10.1 release with all of that content and v0.11 (and Act 2) will be one more release later. It's not what I want, but it's not terrible, and it's the best I can do without further delaying releases.

Maids & Masters (& Back To Progressing On The Remaster)

Turns out I skipped a few bits when I started working on the first Freeze event, but now those skipped parts are reworked, have the quest log implemented, and are tested, and the first freeze itself is also tested with all the new feature implementations.

That leaves the Amaira Estate, Lalita's Estate, Baleflight Manor, and the second Freeze to rework for the test build to be completely done before implementing animations and new content. Is that a ton of work for me to try to do in four days? Yes. Am I going to work 15 hour days to try to get it done anyway? Probably also yes. If it doesn't get done, it'll be because my friends saved me from myself.

I'm committed to getting a test build out this Friday regardless, though. The first test build was never going to be feature-complete, and it's a test build, so if the last hour or two of the game isn't quite fully implemented, then it is what it is. There's a lot of work that affects the entire game that's done now, though, so hopefully these sections will go fairly quickly. Renders have been reorganized and re-implemented (a requirement brought on by file path changes) and now all the scenes work (or at least the repeatable ones do; I've been doing my testing with them broken before yesterday). The common events (mostly stuff you aren't supposed to notice, like the Master's sprite staying on Master when the engine desperately wants to make it whichever Maid is in your first party slot) are all rebuilt and working, along with the new common events that handle things like being able to sell Contracts. The quest log is also completely built out, leaving implementation as the only step left there.

The biggest thing was getting certain events entirely re-written. There weren't many, but there were a handful of events (mostly involving Jenny and Viridius) that, while I think they conveyed the message and character growth I wanted, felt preachy, or were sub-par, missed an important story element, or were otherwise not as good as I wanted them to be. I'm much, much happier with those events now. There are still a couple left to go (mostly involving Bianca) that will change how a few events happen, but having seen a number of people completely misinterpret those events, they need to change. The story itself and broad events won't change, but the dialogue and context will change significantly (but hopefully subtly enough that if you're familiar with those scenes you won't really notice or care about the changes made). Past that, I just need to rip out the existing "post game" infrastructure so you can't accidentally time travel and break the game.

Then it's just the other month's worth of work I've created for myself as part of this remaster process.

Maids & Masters (& Some Non-Progress On The Remaster)

I really wanted to share the new version of the shops this week. Using plugins lets me do some pretty great things, both from QoL and design perspectives. Things like a shop interface to sell Contracts back to Emily, or use a shop interface for traders. But with people being so divided on which version of RPG Maker they want to use, not everything works in MZ because it was designed for MV. Having spent a day looking for a plugin-based solution to shops and traders weeks ago, I thought I had found exactly what I needed. Over the weekend, I spent about 10 hours trying to get it working, failing miserably, testing backup options, continuing to fail, looking for other possible plugin solutions, and finding another half-dozen ways to fail. It was not a good weekend.

However, I did ultimately find a way to get it to work. The interface isn't perfect, but it works as intended, and now at least Emily's shop has been overhauled, both to accommodate the new Estate Info screen and to allow for a little more flexibility for you, the player. Contracts can now be sold, so you don't need to worry about accidentally buying more than one of a Contract and being out that money, or over-investing and having a bunch of items you can't get rid of. All Contracts, including tools and clothing, now provide items according to the number of Contracts you've purchased. Contracts also sell for the same price they're purchased at, so you can invest heavily in new gear, get what you need, then sell all those Contracts and invest in something else. 

Or you can really be a stinker, buy one of everything, get the free gifts, then sell the Contract immediately and snicker to yourself about how clever you were about getting a free item.

There is still a little bit of work to be done with the shop so that Contracts correctly update to say "you do not currently own this" in your Estate Info (and update again if you buy the Contract again), but that's mostly a bunch of copy-pasting. I've already tested the system on one item and it works perfectly.

Other than that, quest implementation is done for the first Freeze, and I've overhauled the dialogue for the events that I was less happy with. It took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I'm much happier with where those events are now. I've also added a couple extra bits and pieces so that the Maid you're spending time with will follow you around, which is something I wanted to do for the original iteration but never figured out. Now that I know RPG Maker better, I have figured it out, making this one more feature that I'm happy is finally included.

There's only one more major hurdle left, which is making sure all of the damage formula syntax still works for skills that do things beyond "atk*4-def*2," like doing extra damage if the target has a status effect on them, or replacing one status effect with another. Here's hoping that goes smoother than overhauling the shop did.

One last quick note, since I mentioned it last week leading up to Maids & Re-Masters MZ - I'm aiming to have a test build for the real remaster out to VIPs on Patreon either this Friday or next. I'm hoping sooner rather than later, but there's still a lot to be done.