[Day 11]
I woke up today at a reasonable hour for me today, and worked on the writing more. Two of the five areas are essentially done, two are more than halfway done, and I'm just left with one area that's maybe a quarter complete and the endings, which I have been putting off writing.
The concept of the game is you are taking a sick dog to all of its favorite places shortly before it passes away. My original concept was to let the players find this out once they reached the ending of the game. However, I can't do that. I don't think its fair to the players. Just seeing how I'm reacting to writing it, I don't want people who are like me, who don't deal well with this sort of thing, to go into playing this totally blind.
I had the idea for this game way back, around the time I realized one of my dogs was really getting to be old (He's 14 now, still kicking), and that I hadn't really taken the time to process the passing of another dog, who was old yes, but who was taken by cancer rather than old age. This game was conceived as a way for me to try and cope, as I don't do well with change at all, let alone a major change like the death of a loved one. I've been worrying myself, sometimes to the point of being sick, about my old dog nearly every night since that realization. This game is like a way for me to accept what I know is coming soon. A lot of what is written is taken directly from my own experiences with my old dog, my sick dog, and how my young and healthy dog reacted to it.
Its for that reason I've been putting off writing the endings. I just know its going to be really emotionally draining. And, to be honest, if the game doesn't get finished, it won't be because I was too ambitious or because I couldn't figure out how something worked. It will be because I avoided writing these endings.
With that in mind, I do intend to finish it. I will write these endings, because I need that closure. And because, I guess, I want to share what I'm feeling.
A bit of a downer of a DevLog, but the game isn't all sadness. There's some happy moments too.
Excerpt (Cafe)
You figure $name might like a little treat. The server looks excited and hurries away before almost immediately returning with a tiny cup overflowing with whipped cream. The server kneels and holds the cup out to $name. $name sits up and sniffs at it before lapping at it, covering $pronounpossess nose with the whipped cream. The server seems happy. If someone loves dogs, this might be one of the best perks of the job. $name finishes the cup pretty quickly and licks at $pronounpossess nose, getting the last bits of cream off.
Excerpt (Pet Store)
$name goes straight for a plush toy. It's an amorphous $couleur blob with embroidered eyes. $pronouncap cranes $pronounpossess neck and tries to nudge it with $pronounpossess nose. You take it off the rack and hold it out to $pronounindirect. $name happily takes it in $pronounpossess mouth and bites down hard, causing a shrill squeak to be heard. $pronouncap chews on it some more, making the squeaking noise ring through the store. $pronouncap seems content now.
Excerpt (Beach)
Instead, you direct $pronounindirect back to the seagulls that had just settled onto the sand again. You feel a little bad using the seagulls like that, but it does get $name away from the water. You watch $pronounindirect for a bit longer, enjoying the sight of $pronoundirect chasing the birds with such reckless abandon, as if $pronoun is a puppy again.
Tomorrow will be finishing up the last bits of the areas so I can just write the endings on Thursday and leave Friday for fine-tuning. I know the jam lasts until Saturday, but I'm helping host a bridal shower that day and might not have much time because of it.