Hello, hello - owl. here!
I've decided to share some of the updates I make on Kickstarter here so there can be more visibility to those who could not support the Kickstarter, but want to keep up with the project. I will provide below a summary of the updates, followed by visual previews. Additionally, I will update this more frequently. I usually do monthly kickstarter updates, but likely, I will move into weekly or biweekly updates and half length ones here as well.
To get into the obstacles themselves would make this post much too long, so I'll just briefly touch on the things that are currently still affecting the game's development:
I am married now! (Not so much an obstacle, but obviously a huge time and monetary commitment.)
My husband was laid off from his job of four year a little over five months after our marriage began, and he has not been able to find work as his industry's unemployment rate is higher than 7% (architectural drafter), even though he has applied for hundreds of jobs.
I have a diagnosed chronic illness that I am choosing to manage without medication for a few reason (strong side effects that take weeks to subside, each dose is $6,000~ USD and impossible to afford without my job's health insurance , and my spouse would have to .) As a result, I am managing it in other ways largely with the support of my husband and though this will likely have to change when he gets work again, that's a bridge we'll have to cross when we get to it.
I work full time- and previously did so with full WFH accomodations. This has ended due to my company being acquired, and I am currently facing a RTO mandate. Not only that, but....
My company being acquired led to some changes in things such as our insurance plan under the larger corporation increasing in cost so much that after a "raise" of 50 cents, I actually took a $320 USD/month paycut. This obviously limits the things I can purchase for the game to get completed (such as background artwork or KS prizes) because the combination of my full-time income and my husband's unemployment is helping us make ends meet, but... that's about it.
And now, the positives!
My husband is an artist! While he does not draw in the same style of Belle Automata, he has been studying the style to mimic it as he takes over the CG art and sprite changes and updates.
Writing is done for all of Chronicle II.
The voice acting is 100% programmed in-game for Diego's route.
Backgrounds are also 100% programmed in.
Over 7000 lines of expressions are scripted in-game.
Aureve's Diego sprite has been updated.
Diego's CGs have been started. In fact, you can watch the CG art process live, since my husband streams his Belle Automata work live on Twitch. There's a schedule there as well, so give him a follow if you'd like to see art progress!
The voice acting for Zaffre's route has also been recorded and processed by the audio engineer.
The writing for Chronicle III is 50% complete - meaning Klaus' route is 100% done. Roman's route is outlined but unwritten.
The voice acting for Klaus' route (Chronicle III) has also been completed and processed by the audio engineer.
Here are some recent progress shots of some of the thing stated above!
Aureve's hairstye in Diego's route (koroba braids of Nigerian origin)
A small preview of one of the CGs being done by my husband for Diego's route.
An example screenshot from Diego's route, in-game.
...Hopefully, these updates will help to strengthen your confidence in Belle Automata: Chronicle II's release.
I have never given up on the this project so while there have been delays, work has never stopped completely, largely thanks to the funds of the Kickstarter.
If you have any questions specifically regarding progress, please let me know. :^)
//owl. of Jellyfish Parade