Hello! This is the first of *many* devlog updates you'll get as we work on developing this story. I will call them "halftime reports". They're named that because they come at the halfway point between version releases. We released the demo on November 1st, 2022 - and I took a full month off from working on this project for the holidays. I'm thinking that this next build - version 0.2 - will come at the end of January, early February. I am aiming for an update every 2 months, but it's always possible for me to stray from that schedule. Just sayin'.

In a "halftime report" I will share what you can expect from the next build in advance, so that way you know what's being worked on, whether it's crucial for you to download it, and - most importantly - confirm that the project isn't dead :P I will let you know what paths I'm working on, plus any other major news or changes that would affect the story overall. 

Sound good? This one's crucial because it's new content, plus the quality-of-life fixes make the reading experience a little easier.

Here's what's going down:

NEW CONTENT:

• Rodrigo and Danny storylines are the first to continue! They seemed to get the most positive feedback from our early-bird readers, so… enjoy! You will gain some insight on Rodrigo's odd behaviors and where things really stand between you and Danny.

• Explorations have been introduced in this build. Explorations are one of the central features to "Aaron & The Void". You have an opportunity to learn more about Aaron's world and history by interacting with objects in his bedroom (and, later, his phone and house). Whichever path you choose will teach you something new; what you learn can help you progress or unlock content. It's bare-bones for now, with added functionality planned for the future.
  • Note: I get it: not everyone likes world-building. Especially if it serves no purpose to the story. It may not look like it, but Explorations will impact conversations you have during your routes and, ultimately, the story's ending.
• If you are on Danny or Rodrigo's path, the build ends soon after a second dream sequence in the forest. This will likely be the end of Part 1 for these paths. (It's too early to say how many 'parts' this novel will have, but expect at least three.)
• If you are on any path other than Rodrigo or Danny, the only new content you will see in this version is the Explorations section. The build will end after exploring 2 things in Aaron's bedroom. 

 EDITS:

• Because Danny and Rodrigo are getting the love in version 0.2, they also get the first visual "boost". I made little tweaks and fixes to Danny's design; he was the first I worked on. He's more broad-shouldered (as "broad" as a talking walking donkey could be!) and I gave him a second outfit to wear for his outdoor work. I'm looking into Rodrigo soon.
• As we get "deeper" into individual paths, the speed at which you go from PG to R will differ… it all depends on the situation, you know? We're still setting the stage and modifying these types of interactions. 
• We have added +13k words so far (46k -> 59k) and that number will grow a bit more by 0.2 release.
• Minor revisions to the Prologue, as I'm not yet satisfied with its current form. It hasn't changed enough that you need to restart, but there are fewer holes after this edit. For example, I removed the "table with food" sequence as it added nothing to the plot… lol.
• Based on your feedback, a particular path may get the chopping block in favor for another character. More on this in Build 0.3; I want to give them a bit more exposure before making that decision. 

 FIXES:

• If you downloaded the Desktop or Mac demo builds, you may have been treated to an unintended "gift": the ability to choose any character path regardless of the choices you made in the club. The .rpy file was corrupted but not throwing any errors; this has been amended for 0.2. Amazingly, nobody reported this! Consider it a reward for being an early player ;3
• Minor copy editing and quality-of-life fixes:
  • On the Android build, text size has been slightly increased, and the GUI buttons are larger.
  • A 'hoof' symbol appears at the end of each line of dialogue to indicate when it is safe to click to the next line. 
  • Character repositioning when zooming in and out has been improved. It shouldn't be as messy if you click too soon or scroll back in the storyline.
  • Added links at the end of build to the feedback form and social accounts. I need more feedback!
• Bug fix for the Android build to repair a mismatched audio file at the DJ's booth.

That's it for now. In the meantime, fill out this survey for Build 0.1, and follow our Twitter page @eyematerror.

https://forms.gle/DuPEopqnAJ9MYi7J6

Cheers!