TYNK UPDATE #3 - JANUARY 6th, 2023

Happy New Years, everyone!

I’m saving the granular game development updates for the upcoming demo retrospective, but in lieu of that I wanted to start the year off with a small post - just to touch base about how the production has been going in general.

You might remember when I shared the Tynk! Google Calendar. I had been really trying to bring development onto a predictable trajectory and my hope was that hard deadlines like that would motivate me to get more done in less time. After moving twice, totalling my car, and getting COVID I’ve been desperate to backfill all the progress I could have made during that time.

The result was that whenever I would fall behind I would just accumulate greater shame about letting people down, and that stress compounded into some pretty debilitating guilt.

Still trying to find the fine line between unfettered venting and transparency about my circumstances and progress. Since the campaign I’ve been quite scared of disappointing people, but you all have been so relentlessly patient and excited about the project that I’m confident you’ll forgive me when I err towards the former.

Despite how all that might make it sound, I’m actually feeling pretty optimistic about this next year of development. The glacial pace of last year’s work periods can largely be attributed to the time I spent doing system-wide upgrades to support custom sprites and dialog. While that kind of progress can feel invisible, every time I’ve added content in the time since I’m reminded of why I did it as the added material clicks in smoothly and easily. 2022 Harlow has built a “Super Tynk Maker” for me and I am ever so grateful!

I do want to talk a bit about the slow down surrounding drawing-based backer perks in specific, if you’ll humor me.

Backer Characters and Other Drawings

Since last we met I’ve finished the concept art drafts for nearly every submitted LARPer. Working on these has been remarkably fun. I’ve said it before, but the ideas people have brought to the table with this have been really wonderful and exciting as gateways to further world and narrative building. The #CREATE backers in general have an excellent grasp on what I’m going for and the resulting collaboration is genuinely so exciting to me. Please appreciate some of these lovely dorks:

But there is an element of keeping up with these rewards that is - at least at the moment - quite difficult. It may not look it, since the designs are relatively shapey and simple, but concept design work like this takes me quite a lot of time. I’m not sure if it’s a problem with my physical stamina, or due to being a perfectionist regarding making things belong in the world of Tynk!, but at times making one of these designs can take me half of a day if not more.

Such time expenditure is hard to justify when it feels like so little of my work actually involves developing my game. I often feel the need to set aside these obligations in order to actually spend some time in Game Maker Studio, and as such my goalposts for these rewards have been quite mobile.

Additionally, I’ve also been contributing designs, concepts, and sprites to a new project being led by Greg Lobanov (Chicory, Wandersong, etc!). I’m quite proud of my contributions and I eagerly await the game’s announcement so I can tell you more.

Suffice to say that my hands are pretty full with drawing and I’ve been doing my best to space out the obligations in such a way that the actual game itself still gets worked on. For those of you that have had to wait a while because of that pacing, I’m quite grateful for your patience! These will get done, and so will the graffiti rewards and others. It’s just gonna be a bit sluggish until I can find a better way to go about it.

Full-Time Catgirl?

Some of you may remember the campaign being run on the idea that this game would be my only job. The stated purpose of the fund was to give me the means to spend all my work hours on Tynk! and Tynk! only. Unfortunately that goal is no longer really feasible. While I certainly haven’t exhausted the funds provided to me, after the sudden spike in inflation this past year as well as the aforementioned disasters I’ve found that I need to try and stretch what I have a good deal further if I want it to last.

So I’m doing freelance work!

Tynk! still has - I’d say like 85% - of my workdays, but it’s not the only obligation I have. I’ve reached a point with it where I still feel like the game is getting its due attention, and I don’t think my freelance work contributes to any major slowdowns, but I wanted to mention the change since it does affect Tynk! at least a little. At least conceptually.

Did You Watch JerryTerry’s Epic Video?!?

This is my reminder to you to watch the wonderful video my friend Jerry made about the Tynk! collision script. Since uploading he’s been improving it even further!

The Tynk! Demo Retrospective

Since it’d only be a month delay, and it’d give me more time to add content anyways, I’m tempted to delay the retrospective to align with the anniversary of the Indiegogo campaign in some way. It feels cute to do it that way. I haven’t settled on it, but that might be what happens!

Send Off!

Between the gradual increase in sunlight each day and the lack of very distracting holidays I think these next few months are going to be really good for me and Tynk. If you want to follow me on social media for more granular update stuff you can always follow my Tumblr. I don’t use Twitter too much anymore but I do try to share update info there every time something major happens.

See you soon! ^_^

DEV MAIL

This is the section where I answer questions about development and about Tynk! If you’d like to ask a question, you can send me an email at VirtualMothVG@Gmail.com (or send me an ask on Tumblr!) with the subject [DEV MAIL] and I’ll consider it for the next update!

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billygraffe asks:

Hello! for my tynk and the finalphonorecord question (fucking fanatastic demo by the way it rules so hard and I think about it at least every 2 days and can barely wait for it to be fully out) is what was churla like as a kid, and what is their favourite comfort food. Thanks for reading and answering this question and i think you are really cool!

Ooh. I think Churla was a quiet, angry child. The type that has a lot of pent up emotion due to her household but only takes it out on unrelated stressors.

And for her comfort food. Hmm. She allows herself to eat yogurt pretty often but at times she will be “bad” and allow herself to have yogurt that has pieces of fruit in it. Truly a daredevil foodie. When will the hedonistic indulgence end!