QUEST DEVBLOG 4/8 - 4/21

4/8 6:00PM - 8:00PM

I’m taking a very different tact this week, as the reality is that the narrative team’s contributions have largely wrapped up. We’re past the point where significant narrative alterations can be implemented. That being said, in the absence of required meetings and particular tasks, I’m setting a rigid schedule of two hours per day during the nine days I’m most able to work. I’m using this time to check the content in the Figjam one final time before dialogue is recorded, as well as to attempt to use the version in Unity to check the implementation of dialogue against what is scripted. I’ll say attempt because my success with getting that to run has been decidedly spotty. I’ve been unsuccessful this evening, even after a marginally successful try last week.

4/10 6:00PM - 8:00PM

I may need to pivot once again, as I’ve spent my time this evening trying and failing to get this thing up and running. The benefits of not having any pressing tasks, I suppose, but I’m not keen to burn much more time on this going forward. I’ll ask my leads for suggestions.

4/12 6:00PM - 8:00PM

I may well struggle to fill my time quota this cycle. Things are legitimately running dry, and I’m not making any progress getting the game up and running here. I’m officially abandoning that course of action. I’ll focus on a very granular last pass on all text in the FigJam going forward. Touched base with the narrative lead about a task request regarding achievements. Will lend a hand on brainstorming ideas tomorrow.

4/13 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Went through the character bible in search of characters warranting an achievement upon completion of their segment. I have a list of my suggestions that I’ll forward to the lead. Have begun to brainstorm corresponding titles for the achievement list, though I anticipate the lead is handling that. I have the time, though.

4/14 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Completed a rough list of ideas for achievements and corresponding events. That has been passed along. Probably fruitless, as the narrative lead is handling this request, as there’s a paucity of narrative work needed at this stage of development.

4/15 6:00PM - 8:00PM

As stated, due to my limitations, I am focusing on one last hyper-detail oriented pass on all the FigJam documents. I haven’t had any suggestions for a more productive use of the little time I have left, so I’ve spent this evening going over the Village region with a fine toothed comb.

4/19 6:00PM - 8:00PM

I’m continuing my last pass, and made my way through the forest region as well as the village revisit. I’m not making any revisions, simply checking for errors/discrepancies. As expected, it all looks quite clean at this stage, but just as well to check everything one final time.

4/20 6:00PM - 8:00PM

No new requests popping up on Discord, excepting one regarding an art asset that I’m not equipped to answer. Continuing on, taking my last pass at the final portions of the game, the castle region, the prologue, and the epilogue. I’m still not entirely clear on the implemetation of the latter two, but there are no script issues heading into recording.

4/21 9:00PM - 11:00PM

Last hours this cycle spent combing the Discord for last minute requests and compiling my notes for the DevBlog.

QUEST DEVBLOG 3/25 - 4/7

3/29 6:00PM - 9:00PM

We are fully in the polish phase at this point, so direct narrative tasks are a bit sparse. I’m spending each of my usual work sessions focusing on a particular region for any obvious problems or shortcomings in a given region. This evening, I returned to the village revisit, as the lead had asked for feedback on potentially adding a last minute side quest to add levity. I tried to add a bit more humor to currently existing dialogue, rather than adding new material at this stage.

3/30 2:00PM - 5:00PM

I’ve now doubled back to the initial village segment, an area I have had little input on over the course of the project, outside of drafting the prologue. Much of this work is the product of the previous semester, and it’s in a good state. I’ve made some dialogue suggestions and cleaned up some lingering typos in the Figjam documents. Village is in good shape at this stage.

3/31 8:30AM - 10:30AM

Reviewed the chat for any new or lingering issues prior to this week’s meeting. Looking pretty clear. Spent most of my morning wrapping my head around GitHub and trying to get Unity working on my computer with little success, as I know we’re going to be focusing on walkthroughs in the meeting.

3/31 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting (via Discord)

I was unable to attend this week’s meeting in person, as I was in Lansing for Easter. This week was focused on Unity playthroughs of the beta (alpha? I’m no programmer). I was mainly relegated to observation of squad playthroughs, as I wasn’t successful in getting things running on my computer. Not a major problem, as narrative can act on feedback received from more experienced play testers.

4/5 3:00PM - 6:00PM

An issue was brought up with the forest region, wherein a certain dialogue object was added to the game file with a misspelling. I didn’t see a satisfactory resolution, so I attempted to seek it out in the shared assets. That wasn’t particularly fruitful, so I opted to trust the consensus that this may be a relic from a previous version. Best I can do with my toolkit is to try and make sure all dialogue within the region’s Figjam is pristine and ready to be imported without futher issue. The forest is in good shape at this stage.

4/6 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Moving on to the Castle for polish. This region is the trickiest to make progress in, as it has remained unsettled geographically until very recently, which has significant narrative consequence. I took an early pass at it, but it has since become the responsibility of another team member. Much has changed since my version, which attempted to incorporate many of the ideas brainstormed by the original team last semester. We’ve now sacrificed a lot of that, which is logical considering the uncertainty. It is wise to keep the focus on the jester at this stage, rather than individualizing the guards. I made some suggestions for dialogue tweaks, but the region was largely clean and ready.

4/7 8:30AM - 10:30AM

There was a note regarding potential changes needed within the prologue and epilogue, so I explored if the newly suggested art assets would work with the existing writing. It all seems totally fine. Had largely wrapped up any pressing work for the week, so I took another stab at Unity before heading out to the meeting. I’m still not having any luck on my Mac, but I was able to launch the prototype on my home PC. Not much time to do anything with it, but it could prove useful as we push forward.

4/7 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building

The major focus of this meeting was the studio’s direction for future semesters, with the introduction of the new studio head taking up the bulk of our time. After we split off, the level squad joined the quest squad, as the level lead was unable to attend. I was also the only narrative team member present, so I mainly observed the second round of playthroughs and took notes when issues arose. No pressing narrative problems cropped up.

4/7 10:00PM - 11:00PM

Last hour this cycle was spent compiling my notes and completing my Devblog for publication

QUEST DEVBLOG 3/10 - 3/24

3/10 8:30AM - 10:30AM

Completed polish on Forest Region Bible and submitted for review. Region is now in line with the template set forth by leads, relevant themes are highlighted, and the work of consistent revision can begin.

3/10 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building

MQ led the Level Squad meeting, as the lead was out for health reasons. Relayed the completed Narrative Bible and accompanying Region Bibles to the Squad. No specific requests from Level, though MQ reiterated a general focus on unique and consistent characters. The Narrative Group set a plan to implement the Region Bibles in a game-wide revision. I was assigned the Village Revisit Region for the following week.

3/14 7:30PM - 8:30PM

Began weeks work on the Village Revisit prior to meeting, mainly comprised of familiarizing myself with revised bible, and looking for areas of initial conflict with the newly established aims. No particular concerns stood out that would require the input of the initial authors/leads. Two versions should easily integrate without wholesale change.

3/14 8:30PM - 9:30PM

Quest Narrative Meeting (via Discord)

Meeting was set to assess progress on region revisions, and set an itinerary for Sunday. Focus is on unique dialogue options detached from fetch quests/errands, as the Bibles have opened up distinct possibilities for new content. Time is short, though, and any such changes would need to be input before feature lock.

3/16 8:00PM - 9:00PM

Began more in depth work on dialogue revisions within Village Revisit. Primarily focused on the mob encounter, which has some strange/perfunctory dialogue in an attempt to keep the Druid’s voice consistent and the villagers naturalistic.

3/17 8:30AM - 10:30AM

Continued work on Village Revisit, so as to have a fairly feature complete and refined revision for the morning meeting. Quests within the Region are consistent with the stated emotional outcomes. Battle with the mob has been refined to better convey the themes of Might Not Making Right, and the dialogue within the nursery wrangling has been pushed to highlight distinct character traits.

3/17 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting (via Discord)

Attended remotely as I was dealing with a stomach bug. Quest leads discussed the approaching feature lock. Level Squad leader was out this week, so I sat in on the Encounter voice chat until we split off into groups. Narrative discussed a range of low-impact additions that could be implemented prior to feature lock. Forest Region was central to the discussion, as the team discussed integrating Ollei into the region and potential additional dialogue with the Shrooms post-battle.

3/18 2:00PM - 4:00PM

Following feedback on the Region revisions, and the potential additions of branching/unique dialogue throughout the narrative, I once again reviewed the region and its representation of the intended themes as expressed in the Bible. Really only minor polish. This probably isn’t the ideal Region for added content. The possibility of highlighting the scheming horse insurance salesman was broached. Concerned that it might skew the tone, but scripted a potential scenario in my notes. Will revisit. For now, the revision has been marked complete.

3/23 4:00PM - 5:00PM

Bit of a transition week, so I spent an hour focusing on potential key NPCs that can play a larger role in the final version. Current script has an overabundance of generic characters, and while it runs the risk of shrinking the feel of the world, it will benefit the text to push a few key players into the bulk of these interactable roles. Butcher/Doctor/Barber has a ton of potential within the village, and definitely still circling the Horse Insurance Salesman for next week. Castle Guards could potentially benefit from a captain of sorts as well. A lot of the planned jokes that benefit from their generic presentation have fallen by the wayside.

3/24 8:30AM - 10:30AM

Examined possible implementation of the Ollei quest, and the ramifications it would have on future narrative. Encounter would have to be placed between the Shrooms and Council of Deer, potentially prior to battling the Shrooms. Discussed implementation would allow a key item to be acquired at any point during exploration of the Forest Region via dialogue with a key NPC. Of concern to me is the effect this could have on Village and Village Revisit, as the idea necessitates a change in the Druid’s initial departure as well as their expressed concern for Ollei as a motive for helping the villagers. Have noted these areas, and will inquire as to the status of this quest at the meeting.

3/24 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building

One week out from feature lock. Discussion surrounded the transition into the refinement period. Inquired with Level Squad about the feasibility of incorporating Ollei in to the Forest Region. Programming believed it to be fairly easy to accomplish, absent new mechanics or art. Relayed this information to Narrative lead, as this implementation would require further refinements in the Village Revisit dialogue. In the end, the leads decided that the Forest Region was not the ideal place for additions, so the issue was tabled in favor of potential additions within the Castle Region.

Quest devblog 2/25 - 3/9

2/25 - 3/2 SPRING BREAK - NO STUDIO WORK

3/3 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting (via Discord). Meeting after break held on Discord. Level/Overworld leadership was not present, so I sat in on Encounter meeting. Narrative team discussed the implementation of the various bibles introduced prior to break, and reiterated tasks for the upcoming week.

3/4 4:00PM - 5:00PM

Began work on Narrative Bible for Forest Region.

3/7 8:30 - 9:30PM

Quest Narrative Meeting (via Discord). Meeting was largely a check-in on region/character bibles, and work to be done prior to 3/10 Studio Meeting.

3/8 7:00PM - 8:00PM

Completed and posted Forest Region Bible and began work on the character groups assigned to me (Fungi, Mob & Guards).

3/9 10:00PM - 11:00PM

Completed and posted Character Bible work and created bi-weekly Devblog entry.

Quest devblog 2/11 - 2/24

2/11 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building. No particular needs in Overworld squad. Discussed the new character archetypes for the four primary figures in the story as described in the Bartle taxonomy with narrative lead. Narrative was short-handed, so I split away from my squad to poll other squads for concerns.

2/16 7:00PM - 9:00PM

Began work on areas highlighted by Squad leaders in Studio Meeting, namely drawing distinction between NPCs (forest and village were specifically mentioned) and honing guard dialogue in the castle region, Also typed up my mid-week update in Discord.

2/17 4:00PM - 6:00PM

Continued work started the previous evening. Work remains offline and ready for implementation, but probably requires further refinement as the narrative tone is unified. Moved on to the Castle region and continued to work on refining the NPC interactions.

2/18 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting (via Discord). Was unable to attend in person due to an unexpected family issue. Checked in on Discord. Need for narrative consistency and revision highlighted. The Narrative Bible needed for the next phase of the project to be fleshed out in the Narrative Discord meeting prior to break. Should be a vital step toward unifying the narrative and getting all writers working toward the same aim.

2/22 6:30PM - 8:30PM

Quest Narrative Meeting to begin the extensive process of narrative revision. Primary focus was laying the groundwork for the Narrative Bible, settling on verbiage and tone going forward. Regions assigned to individual team members for completion before next Studio Meeting.

2/24 7:00PM - 11:00PM

Primarily worked on the Renaming Quest Objects task that I was assigned this week. Moved on to the high priority Narrative Arc Bible for the Forest Region, which is in progress. Reviewed the expected format, and began to map the Druid’s arc within the region. Wrapped up the day by writing out my devblog.

Quest devblog 1/28 - 2/10

1/28 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building. Discussed onboarding and was tasked with reviewing the Castle region for narrative inconsistency.

1/31 4:00PM - 7:00PM

Began onboarding in earnest, started a thorough review of the script inherited from the previous semester, familiarized myself with the process of navigating and editing the narrative between Figma and Confluence.

2/3 1:00PM - 2:00PM

Quest Narrative Meeting via Discord. Primary focus of discussion was the addition of a prologue. We arrived at the ideal framing being from the perspective of the jester, allowing some ambiguity to remain as to the game’s true hero. All writers were tasked with brainstorming a script that would fit within the jester’s existing rhyme scheme and serve as a suitable introduction to the story.

2/3 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Composed four limerick verses for the introduction that were consistent with my understanding of the narrative. Used the remainder of my time to compile questions for narrative leads regarding the Castle region.

2/4 9:00AM - 10:00AM

Revisited the verses for the introduction. Polished some of the text, and added it to the appropriate Confluence page where it could be discussed during the Studio Meeting.

2/4 11:00AM - 1:00PM

Studio Meeting in Bob and Betsy Beyster Building. Group photos taken before splitting off into squads. Met with the Overworld (Level) squad to discuss any narrative issues they might be experiencing before reconvening with the narrative team, Particular focus was placed on the burning of the village and its tonal incongruity with the bulk of the script. Narrative leads also introduced a new point of focus, wherein the four primary characters will adhere to the four player types in the Bartel Taxonomy.

2/9 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Researched the Bartel Taxonomy, so as to better support the leads’ new intention while maintaining narrative cohesion. Composed a mid-week update via Discord.

2/10 6:00PM - 10:00PM

Began notations on how to implement unused ideas within the Confluence script within the Castle region. The naming of guards and adjustment of their dialogue os of particular focu. Also began brainstorming jokes that might serve to add levity to the problematic fire scene. Wrapped up my time by finishing my bi-weekly paperwork and transcribing it to the blog.