Hello again, everyone! It's been quite the busy past month since our last update, and there have been many exciting advancements on our end.

Most notably, we released our April 2022 prototype which includes the introduction from Seamus' route and an excerpt from Hugo's! 

If you haven't already, patrons can download and play the prototype here!

The prototype will also be released publicly for a limited time in the near future, as we'd love to show all our supporters what we're working on!

In a Nutshell

March was when production really ramped up and we began experimenting with our creative process! The goal of creating a playable prototype for patrons kept us on track as we made new game elements as well as revamped old ones. 

Since the last update, we've...

• Scripted and released the April 2022 OSAS Prototype for play/download!
• Brushed up on Ren'py as a team
• Began production for sprites, CGs, and backgrounds 
• Created new game graphics such as character signatures and a letter-reading screen.
• Edited and added story for Hugo's route
• Began compiling a Story Bible for keeping track of key story elements.
• Updated the OSAS Scripting Guide for recurrent game elements such as sprite expressions and backgrounds.
• Finalised the new OSAS logo and began implementing it in marketing
• Created the new basic GUI elements and handed them off for programming
• Handed off placeholder sprite assets for programming.

A snapshot of the new GUI.

What went well

With our most recent production sprint (No.2,) we developed a good sense for what we can handle in the sprint time frame. It will be an evolving understanding, as creative products can vary a lot in time needed to make them, but measuring the work in smaller tasks--for instance, considering a sketch a completed task rather than a full sprite--has helped massively!

Production for art assets, which is my main domain, has also been very fulfilling. I developed a better sense for the art style overall this month, and now have a sense for what the final game will look like. It's really exciting to see the differences between what we released in 2020 and what we're doing now, and I hope to share more comparisons as more assets get made!

The new OSAS logo, for instance, is a great example of what the game is becoming in 2022. With the new logo, there's an elevated elegance to it, with a more unique "perspective." 

See the Design Notes for the logo for more on this! 

The differences are also very clear when looking at the previous sprites and the new ones! 

Here's a comparison of Hugo's side image from the 2020 Demo versus a recent coloring test of his sprite:

It spooks me a little to see 2020 Hugo! He looks very different...and much pinker.

Throughout creating game assets and managing production overall, I have also found keeping our scripting guide updated helpful. The scripting guide is what not only myself and AKA will use to script the game, but also what collaborators will use to keep all the assets and information about the game together. 

Here's a look at the expressions list for Hugo and Seamus from the Scripting Guide:

Overall, it's been a very productive month!

What to improve

One struggle I encountered this month was being quite spread out over many different areas--which is something which helps me work, but also means I am often not working until certain things are completed before starting on others. It's something that I factored into our production structure in using a sprint system to go with that flow rather than against it, but I believe having a more consistent routine for daily task organisation or recording progress would be helpful for me!

I would also like to be more consistent in what I post here to Patreon and when. With so much being made at once, I have a lot of work in progress shots that I would like to get out to patrons and social media! It's really just a matter of sitting down to actually post.

What's next?

For our current sprint, we're making new assets and content for the next part of OSAS Act 1, which is comprised of Chapter 2 for both Hugo and Seamus' routes: backgrounds, CGs, and writing, to name a few elements! 

As Sprites and GUI are being programmed, I'll also be creating new assets alongside. New GUI features such as a timed choice menu and a writing menu/screen are up next, and the main character sprites need all their outfits and poses! 

Experimenting with scripting possibilities, such as simple animations/transitions and using variables and more complex choice menus will also be simmering on the back-burner so we can enhance how Of Sense and Soul is experienced.

That's it for now! Whew, that was a hefty update. 

Be sure to check out the April Prototype while it's fresh, and we'll be posting to our socials and itch.io in the coming week regarding a public release!

Until next time,

Ingrid