This is my first game jam and I have no experience with game dev. 

For my first project I'm going to try for a short visual novel.  I will be using Ren'py. 

When the jam began I just spiraled for a while because I have so many ideas and no way to get them to translate into a game. Then I realized that I don't actually have to come up with something completely new. I'm using a short story I wrote for someone else and building around it. It's really short so I'm going to use it for my Good Ending. 

My goals look a little like this:

• Write script (Beginning, choices, bad ending, neutral ending, good ending)
• Learn how to use Ren'py
• Insert script into Ren'py
• Find someone for backgrounds and characters
• Find someone for sounds and music
• Find someone to test the game
• Submit

I'm doing this around the start of my second semester college classes. It'll be a rough, but fun experience hopefully!

Writers block slammed me today so I decided to start looking at the aspects of the story that didn't involve dialogue.

The entire story will be carried out in an apartment building. I'm looking through pictures to find references for the backgrounds.

The character players will be interacting with will be named Len.

Fell asleep before I could post yesterday.

I finally finished the script! I used Twine for organization and it made it easier for me to write the parts that were missing.

There will probably be changes as I figure out what I'll be able to do on Ren'py and reread the story over and over again but I'm so happy that I finally have something finished.

On another note, yesterday I also found someone for sound and music! Or rather they found me. Welcome aboard  morganbrewer89!

Goals:

• Write script (Beginning, choices, bad ending, neutral ending, good ending)
• Learn how to use Ren'py
• Insert script into Ren'py
• Find someone for backgrounds and characters
• Find someone for sounds and music
• Find someone to test the game
• Submit

I've gotten a lot done today. After going through the Ren'py tutorials of various sources, I've spent all day using what I learned. It's a short story, but it took a while for my mind to adjust to the structures and functions of Ren'py.  It was like putting a puzzle together. Anyway all of the script is there. I'm having trouble with the point system I set up, but that's work for tomorrow. Afterwards, I can start with the other details like customizing the menu and figuring out what sound effects I'll need.

The game still doesn't have backgrounds or sprites so I'm looking into free resources right now (though it'd be cool if I could make them myself).

Goals:

• Write script (Beginning, choices, bad ending, neutral ending, good ending)
• Learn how to use Ren'py
• Insert script into Ren'py
• Find someone for backgrounds and characters
• Find someone for sounds and music
• Find someone to test the game
• Submit

Today, I decided to leave the point system alone for a while. The solution is probably staring me in the face, maybe I'll see it after taking a small break. I found great backgrounds on itch from Noraneko Games. It took more effort but I also found free character sprites from tokudaya that are exactly what I needed. I had no idea how to use the sprite resource at first until I found out that psd files required an extra application to open. So I downloaded GIMP and after figuring out what did what I now have a customizable sprite! Say hello to Len!

Goals:

• Write script (Beginning, choices, bad ending, neutral ending, good ending)
• Learn how to use Ren'py
• Insert script into Ren'py
• Find someone for backgrounds and characters
• Find someone for sounds and music
• Find someone to test the game
• Submit

This list makes it look like I'm almost done. I'm so very far from that, maybe I should add new goals?

I spent a while looking for wallpapers for the good end. The free ones that I downloaded didn't have the area I was looking for though I did use a few of them for the rest of the game.  Its making me think of what I want to improve in the game after the jam. I think the good end would be portrayed better with animation rather than words and a picture. But that's a thought for later.