I don't know who would care about this, but I'll do it anyway. 

I'm a novice programmer, so I have nothing worth saying about programming so I'll talk mainly about my writing process. 

I tried to write this devlog before, but I failed. I wasn't convinced by the result, and I don't think I will be convinced by this text either, but I'll publish it anyway. 

Before the JAM started, I had a few ideas in my mind. Nothing concrete, but something nevertheless. It was very different. I changed a few things. I don't remember specifically what. The idea was vague, but it had potential. Then the challenge began...

I came up with a few ideas on the spot. I usually improvise. I wrote the first draft in a few days. I wasn't convinced by the result. The ending felt cheap and unimpactful. It was more supernatural. The forest was cursed, and the protagonist was a victim of that curse. It ended with a "screamer", not quite, but it had that vibe. 

I should have listened to my hunch and rewritten it immediately. It didn't matter because I did something equally wise: share it with a trustworthy beta reader. That stupid son of a gun made fun of me and my work. He laughed and exposed my stupid and cheap tricks. He almost shat his pants when he read the ending. I was slightly mad, but not quite, because I knew he was right. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

After the bitter reception of the manuscript, we talked about how I can improve it. A few good ideas came after an endless yapping from his part. Then another friend, who barely talked in that instance, dropped a powerful idea that was more valuable than the infinite and pretentious yap that we were having. It was the missing piece. 

I start writing it all over again, from scratch. This time I'll do it better, right? Wrong! I asked for some help editing. I had to add and subtract, and rewrite certain parts that didn't convince me. In the end, there were a lot of scenes that I was unhappy with. The voices, the prose, the cohesion, and the ending, especially the ending... But I had to move on. So many things to do. I had to translate it into English and then pass it to a proofreader/editor. Unfortunately, an accident happened. I won't go into details, but I had to find another proofreader/editor a week before the JAM was over. This new addition to the team enriched the text and provided it with a renewed life. Still, it wasn't enough, but that's because the material wasn't great.

An overdose of pills based on amphetamines could cause hallucinations, dehydration, and paranoia, among other impactful side effects. But I'm not sure that's how it works. However, for the sake of this work, let's pretend that the effects are immediate after consumption.

The representation of schizophrenia was also precarious.

Where necessary all those biblical references? Not exactly, but it added a bit of flavor to this soup. 

And I can't argue about how the revelation was delivered. The rush and lack of imagination forced me to abandon any hint of subtlety.

I know I'm being harsh with myself, but this is nothing but a declaration of intentions. I need to improve. So be prepared because the next work that I'll release will be better. 

I had the immense pleasure of working with talented and creative individuals. On the other hand, my lack of communication and our different time zones disturb the aesthetic cohesion of the work, and that's my fault, because they really did deliver impactful and outstanding pieces. 

The work wasn't mentioned as an honorable mention, and I suspect it was because of the lack of polish on my part. I could have done way more. 

The overall score of the game was slightly disappointing: 67 out of 248. 

I appreciate those who voted honestly, even if the vote wasn't favorable. 

Let's toss aside that harmful amount of negativity and talk about the good things for a moment. 

I've learned so many things about making a game in Ren'Py. I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to programming. I had to learn how to use different tools, solve multiple problems, and introduce features that I thought were interesting. I wish I could have added more things, but I couldn't because of my lack of knowledge. I've learned how to use GIMP at a basic level. I've learned interesting Audacity features that helped me a lot. A lot of experimentation. Trial and error.

I wrote a lot in a very short span. That's unusual for me. I'm a lazy writer, that's why I don't improve at the rate I would like to. But from now on, I'll take it more seriously. Considering that I want to provide something impactful for the audience. 

This would sound insane, but I want to make a Kamige! As they say, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars". I know, pretty corny.

That's why I need to improve my writing. I also need to learn better English. Of course, I will dominate Ren'Py. So stay tuned! 

Now I'm tired of writing, and I have nothing else to say. Maybe I will release a second part. I could go into details about the process, but now I'm out of energy.

I tried to do some marketing, but I couldn't because I felt burned out. I'm not as productive as I would like to be. 

By the way, the image isn't related to the content of this devlog. I wanted to use it because it is the last piece that our lead artist released on his Instagram. I encourage you to follow him and every person involved in this project! 

If you haven't played the game, then give it a chance. You'll come back in the future to this and then compare it to the works I'll release in the future, and I hope you'll see a visible improvement. 

Have a good life, and thanks for reading! 

PS: the title was clickbait, hehe. Sorry.