I haven't really done a dev log like this before. That's really just because I wanted the VN to speak entirely for itself, but with everything that's been happening for this build? There's soo much I feel like I need to unpack! Soulcreek is split into three acts, but if there were such thing as an 'end of book 1' point, this would certainly be it. It's the half-way point. Build 5 has been a really emotional time for me.

It's not just because it's undoubtedly the biggest thing I've ever made in my entire dumb life, but I just never really imagined myself getting to this point. On my free days I've been pretty much getting up, sitting at my laptop to create the build, then logging off and going to bed twelve hours later. I know I should take breaks and go easy, but it's just been too exciting to stop! When I pictured Soulcreek as a finished product, the scenes in this build were the ones that always jumped to mind and made me want to get started. Actually seeing those scenes come out on the screen, the ones I've been picturing for years, has been an emotional experience.

The build also takes another step in the horror genre. I'd consider Soulcreek to be 'horror-lite' - it's too long to bang the 'cosmic horror themes' drum all the time, and I like the scenes that more light hearted and funny too! But another trip into the Blackzone means dipping into more of that Lovecraftian goodness. As an aside, while I do absolutely adore the themes and tropes Lovecraft works with, let's be honest - the guy was a vile bigot and a lot of his prose is unbearably long  winded! That being said, his opinions definitely make his work fascinating to me. Seeing it all really come to life in this build, with its techno-horror twist, has been exciting.

I'm also absolutely terrified of releasing this build! I'm by no means a professional writer - Soulcreek is the first thing I've ever properly committed to writing. I have no idea if what I'm doing is best, or sensible, or even good. I just have this story that I want to tell, and this particular part of the story is where I've been tackling themes and events I don't fully feel competent enough to do proper justice... but, hey, I've given it my best shot and I just hope it doesn't come across as too ham-fisted!

Making the MC a character

Soulcreek is pretty heavily rooted in some familiar and popular FVN tropes (which, admittedly, I didn't realise were so popular at the time!) since I love seeing what's already been done reused in different ways. I'm the kind of guy that loves remakes - seeing the material shown in new, modern light is always exciting to me (same reason a lot of us like seeing Shakespeare done over and over again... or Batman!). 

That being said, Alex has now reached the point in the story where he evolves from the more familiar amnesia-everybody into something else - a product of what he experiences in the story. He's shaped by his discoveries, and this part of the story sets him on a long, perilous path. Actually making that happen, though, has been hugely challenging. I've tweaked and re-written his scenes in this build so many times I lost count, and I still worry that it's all too on-the-nose! He's due for an emotional and quite horrifying (to me, anyway!) experience, and I can only hope I've done him justice!

Re-writing the opening

I've been planning to do this for a loooong time. I made a lot of mistakes when I first started out, and I think it's fair to say I've learned a lot! Soulcreek's story is quite a slow burn, which is fine, but I always felt like the introduction wasn't giving the right first impression. So I've revamped it! The actual beats of the story are similar - none of the banter has been taken out, but everything is compressed and much more neat now. Some dialogue is re-written, some taken out, some just moved around. It's only the meeting of Byte and Loken that has really changed - after Drevonia and Takhi enter the scene, things play out mostly the same.

I actually considered taking downloads of the game off so people wouldn't play the older introduction, but I didn't want to stop people playing entirely. Just remember, when you download the new version, it's worth going back to the beginning and meeting Loken all over again for the first time!

More sounds!

Whenever I picture a scene, it's usually the sound that leads the image in my head. With Build 5, I tried a lot of new things to make Soulcreek more of the visceral and horrifying audio experience I wanted the Blackzones to be. The amount of files in the audio folder has doubled from build 4! I also experimented a bit more with music, which I wanted to have underpinning important scenes (in the same way a cg does) rather than ongoing background ambiance. I'm not sure if any of it will work out, and I always worry people are playing the VN with the sound muted and missing out on half the experience! There's a scene on day three where [REDACTED] happens, and that was the first attempt at really bringing out the horror of the Blackzones and the [REDACTED]. Well... the second half of day 7 is basically that scene but stretched out over, injected with steroids and visual effects, then pumped up to 11. I've easily spent longer editing and tweaking the audio than I have the actual writing! It's all been worth it I think, and I just hope everyone will have as much fun with those scenes as I did putting them together!

I've been really humbled by the amount of support and love the VN has gotten, and it can even be quite daunting at times! I'm kind of a shy person even online. I'd love to put myself out there a bit and engage more in the FVN community, if I ever find the courage! I wish I had the gusto to engage other VN devs and just say 'Hey, I love your work!' but I'm just too shy - and, to my eternal shame, I've actually blanked a few people who've done exactly that to me out of nervousness (if that was you, sorry!) That being said, I have met some really supportive people and a couple other VN devs that have been persistent enough to make me feel comfortable with them, so that's a start I guess! If you're one of those, thank you and you deserve a medal!

The build itself has been fully written, and is now being tweaked. Today, I sent it off to the editors to give their own once-over. I'm still working on the re-vamped introduction, but it's coming along better than I could have hoped! Here's a quick run-down of what's in build 5!

• About 45,000 new words. Day 6 and 7 is included.
• A tonne of new sounds.
• 2 new CGs.
• Re-vamped opening sequence.
• A new major character.
• Humanity reduced from a privileged position to insignificance and incompetence in the face of unfathomably vast horrors and appalling truths.
• Jokes about chickens.

I think that's all I kind of wanted to say! I'm always lurking about the Soulcreek discord here so, as always, come find me there or follow on twitter! Is there anything else you think Soulcreek could be improved with? Throw a suggestion below and I might be able to add some new stuff to the next build!

Until then, I'm off back to my dev cave where I have 20 windows of Audacity open at once and a small barrel of coffee keeping me alive... 

Be kind to yourselves!

-Ryuo