This has to be one of the tougher things I've tried to do in my life creatively. I've done NaNoWriMo in 2018, which was a very impressive feat, but what I ended up with was a novel that needed much more work than I had expected - that's just kind of how it goes. Now, it's a game. Not a very game-y game, but a game nonetheless. There's game logic, there's narrative, and there's some visuals. That's a game.

Doing this while homeless and dealing with the hardships of what has recently happened to me makes it even more difficult. Before all of this, I was in a rut, I was creatively stalled out and spending hours of my day paralyzed in indecision and uncertainty and conflict. That's all still there. 

If I finish this while homeless, I would like it to succeed and I would like this game to stand as an accomplishment to be proud of. That being said, I'm already finding myself wondering if I should do a paid Release Candidate before dropping a likely buggy full game. I DO need the money, after all, and I also will need some eyes on the game actively playing it while I'm finishing it out. I haven't decided yet, but it's a decision I have to make. Where do I cut features and level of detail to get this done? Tough decisions.

Meanwhile, a lot of content has just gone into the game. A lot of fixes have been made, and systems are coming online. It will be very hard for me to test this by myself. 

So: What WILL Version 1.0.0 - the one I'm asking for your money for - have?

• Complete story and progression - All 7 dungeon levels, their traps and events, will be complete and work. All endings complete. This is one of the big areas for future expansion and improvements, so I want it to be solid.
• Character Content - All characters will have victory and defeat scenes for their two current transformed states. The trick here is hopefully getting all the quotes and greetings I would like into the game in the meantime. I would not be surprised if they all work out fairly same-ish, but I will try to make sure there's enough Sauce to make them feel sufficiently rewarding.
• Combat - I have about 40 moves in the game right now, and I'm working on building out all of these moves so they're presented in a satisfying way AND that the combat system can handle a decent variety of strategies and mechanics. This will require a lot of testing and balancing, but I have a good idea of the core hazards to this system, so I'm ready to change what needs changing if something doesn't work well. I am currently making sure that the bare minimum combat AI works, and I'm outlining a future version with a little more smartness to it.
• Macro Game - Above Combat is the turn-based strategy, which I'm trying to keep on my Radar. I've started the components to help the computer decide what to do, and I expect these to be finished before combat AI gets work, but I don't expect it to release perfect, just 66% to 80% on-point at worst.
• Items and Transformation - Obviously very important in these games. There are few transforming items right now, but they are the important ones. Most of the system's text is placeholder, and I'm working on replacing all the placeholder stuff right now, while I'm doing all the other content.

SO: How big is it right now, for a Twine game?

38417 Words, 377 Passages, 428 Links - This was the count before I started adding content and getting things in. Now I'm are over 41000 and still going. I don't expect to get as large as The Opal of Narsine, but the current trajectory seems to be landing it someplace in the 50000, which would be very satisfying for a game made under such circumstances.

Your support and good words and company are very important, especially right now. If you like my games, please support me in word or in cash. (Fanart is also welcome!) I need all the help I can get.