Pound Cake Diary : 10

The game is now in the testing phase. I am 100% done with all of the material for the game, so now it's just going to be a bunch of playing and editing. I want to release the game by December, so I'm not sure if a voiced OP will be possible. Unfortunately, it is out of my control. I had a productive start to this week. I edited all of the BGM into the game, finished the ED video, and put that in as well. It was a nightmare though.

Ren'Py is picky about what kinds of files it accepts. Since CapCut only exports in MP4, I had to convert the video to WebM. WebM...it's like the mediocre eroge of video file types. Hard to get, and extremely underwhelming. When you're attempting to turn a 200 mb video into WebM using only a free converter online, you should accept your defeat. None of the websites allow a conversion of a file that large since they take a million years to convert. I had to download an app and wait 40 minutes for the video to download \(T_T)\ I dread the day I'll have to do this process again. 

Figuring out how to put the video into the game was also a struggle. Text boxes that display over the video, option buttons that won't go away, black screens that pull you into the void if you refuse to click them... (x_x)

While editing today, I realized that I had been spelling "vial" wrong for the entire game. This word appears at least like 100 times, and for some reason, I was spelling it as "vile". I may be a little dumb, but don't worry, I have removed all of the viles. 

To cheer us (me) up, here is an illustration of my favorite Emit Glass character, Jun. He's a weirdo from the country who happens to be the manager of the aquarium that Tatsuki works at. It's a mystery how he became the manager at only 27 years old, but maybe he was given an opportunity by a family member from the city and took it. He's a pathetic guy, but he has a great outlook on life and is a comforting presence. Can you tell I'm dying to write Otome? Someone...please save me from this Bishoujo hell. 

Status Update : 9

All the CGs are done!! I managed to finish the remaining artwork and writing for the game in one month, which makes me really proud. I'm working on the OST and I only have 2 songs left to compose. I am still figuring out how the OP is going to come together, since the singer is having trouble creatively (- -); I'm hoping the OP will be done in time, because I really want a 2025 release. Since I've been working so fast, I am many weeks ahead of schedule. I had originally planned to release in February, but it's looking like I could finish by January or December now. 

I have also designed posters to use at my booth when I sell physical copies. They're really cute, and I'll show them off later. I love the idea of having a few copies of my niche visual novel floating around. The designs for the physical copies are so cute >_< 

The OST will have a pretty mechanical sound like some of the music in Naitemo because I am limited to using noteflight, of all things, as my music tool. It doesn't have very realistic sounding instruments, but it has never let me down!