Devlog #33 So many relationships...

I've finally normalized my daily schedule and can spend some time to make a more substantial progress update.

As you probably already know, there are currently three relationship routes possible in Rewind (more are planned, but you know...): Lani solo, Marla solo, and Lani+Marla joint. Generally speaking, the only one of those three that is really actively in the game is the Lani Solo Route and some preliminary scenes to begin the Lani+Marla Route, but all of that will be changing in the next release. Here's a list, because paragraphs are hard.

• Multiple entry points have been added for each of the relationship status types. These new entry points are usually limited by early stats or some other type of story progress.

• The ability to move from a solo route onto a group route has been added (with strict limitations based on story progression).

• Marla solo scenes now exist (*someone somewhere shoots fireworks into the air*).

• New hidden scenes have been added for both Marla Solo and Lani+Marla Routes.

• Having high enough titles or high enough stats allows shortcut scenes into various routes (Lani is now weak to the max version of the Cat Person and Party Person titles, as Luna mentions in the title conversation).

• Cooking buffs are now implemented. This includes an aphrodisiac buff for some recipes to forcefully trigger romantic scenes.

Current Status:

All of the general writing for this release is now finished (aside from whatever alterations need to be made based on the alpha testing process), and the only remaining work is visual. Right now, my worklog is:

• 4 animations need to be created and rendered (out of 20 total, so I'm pretty close).

• 5 still-frame scenes need to be created and rendered.

• About a dozen small things need to be created (icons, thumbnails, etc).

• Everything needs to be put together and tested.

And that's it.

It's been a REALLY long time coming, and I'm both upset with myself (for still managing to screw up my project scope) and excited about the quantity of content in this update. It's still going to feel a little bit janky; I had to remove some of the smaller items from my to-do list; and I'm sure people will find some story inconsistencies because of all the various relationship pathing that's being added, but I think there's something new in this coming update for everyone.

Ah, and it's currently planned to be released in the middle of September. It will largely depend on how quickly I can get these renders finished and how smoothly the alpha testing goes.