File 05 is already completed and we're finishing up translation! But how did I get it done so quickly??
During File 04's development, I was secretly developing File 05 simultaneously! Every time I reached a milestone, it was actually a milestone for both Files. After outlining File 04, I outlined File 05. After writing File 04, I wrote File 05. After making the sprites for File 04, I made them for File 05. Etc. At each step, I doubled my workload.
I wasn't sure this plan would be possible to pull off, so I kept it a secret. The most essential step was to finish writing both Files — I knew that if I could do that, I could probably complete both at once. I wrote both Files across several very intense writing sessions in the span of a month— it was pretty exhausting, but definitely worth it, as I'd already reduced the amount of time that step usually takes me. Making these two Files together took nine months, instead of the usual six. So this plan of mine ended up reducing the overall development time by approximately three months.
After File 03, I knew that the game was taking much too long to make, and the amount still left to do was daunting. After all, I'd only finished three files out of six so I still had 50% of the game left to make. I couldn't cut back on scope, so I looked at other ways I could speed things up.
One big problem I've noticed is that after releasing a File, I usually need time to recharge, but I also need to dive into writing a Hangout — this makes me a bit burned out and I was requiring more and more time to recharge between File releases.
I also realized that the Hangouts had become unwieldy — they were meant to be fun optional content, but they were taking more and more development time away from the main story.
That is why I decided to try out this idea — by developing them simultaneously, these two Files would feel like developing one File — combining the recharge time for both. And I would save writing Hangout Four until later — avoiding the dip in productivity that usually comes when I have to make the Hangouts.
In the end, this plan was successful. Which begs the question — could I have been doing it this way the whole time? It's hard to say, but I don't think so. The first three Files really required my full attention to get the formula for the game down and understand the characters I was writing. If I'd tried to rush through it, I'm convinced the quality wouldn't have held up. File 05 is a smaller scale File in many ways — an easier mystery, more indoor locations, and less new assets to create. So it was well suited to piggyback off the development of another File. Also, for the first half of development, my top priority was to get the Files out as fast as I could, as soon as I finished them. By File 03, it was obvious that my current development speed was already making the wait long — so I decided to risk making the wait between Files a little longer, if it could reduce the overall time.
Now, maybe you're wondering "Is he also secretly developing Motives?" — No, unfortunately — Motives has still not entered production, however I am taking some lessons from this as way to try to speed up development on Motives as well. My most important takeaway from this has been that yes, I can take on more work than I previously thought at each step of the process without it affecting the quality too much. Though it does increase time between releases, that may be worth it in order to reduce the overall development time.
I hope you look forward to File 05's release.
Until next time!
— LockedOn.