It's been a while friends. almost 5 months since we released March of the Emissaries back in March. It's so good to speak with you all again!

So some of you might be wondering what I've been up to. Well with me still being unemployed, it's hard for me to pump out quality games. So what I've opted to do is a process called prototyping. If you've ever heard the phrase "Throw everything at the wall and see what sticks", you're on the right track. Prototyping is when you release a small, polished game with minimal assets to gauge how people will react to it. And since Philistine is not a Japanese visual novel (JVN), finding the target audience for my game is harder than ever.

For those that played the original prototype, this is not an update. Rather, it's a restart; a 5-10 minute game that tests out mechanics and overall appeal. I've been practicing a lot with  Ren'Py ATL, and releasing smaller builds helps my fine tune my skills as a developer, rather than releasing full-blown jam games. Of course, I can't put prototypes 0.1-1.2 on a folio, but you get the point.

I want to take Philistine to the next level, to make it the best game it can be. I know that as a first game, it's more than likely going to flop. I don't have the budget other indie developers do, and visual novels are a niche genre on a good day. But I want to really delve into what makes a good game. I believe that this project will help me make bigger and better games in the future.

Now, I have several hypotheses in regards to how I think people will view this game. When prototyping, making hypotheses will help you better funnel the feedback your game will receive. And every designer will know the struggle with perfectionism. Prototyping allows us to see if our game is really as unlikable as we believe, I about gave one of my testers motion sickness because I thought shaking the screen was a good idea to simulate running. Moreover, it gives me an idea of what I need to do to make this game better.

So my hypotheses for 1.2 are

1. I need better artwork, primarily for the sprites. Seeing as how I'm advertising Philistine as a chuunige (edgy, anime game), I will be catering to people who prefer games with an eastern art style. Fortunately the backgrounds aren't as much a concern, so I can likely keep those.
2. Priam (our protagonist) is unlikable. Philistine is a dark fantasy set in a hostile world, and Priam's personality reflects this. However it's easy to overdo these traits and make your character not vibe with a lot of people. 
3. The overall story is interesting. 
4. The lore compendium is too popular. I'd love to be wrong, but I don't read lore entries in other visual novels. That said, it's fun on my end.

I look forward to hearing everyone's feedback. I hope you enjoy!