Broken record.

Well, it's been a while since the last update. I'll be completely honest, the last few days were pretty hectic. Work was tough, and chinese new year was unexpectedly pretty slow this time around. Let's deal with the bad news first, I hate to sound like a broken record here, but I'll be completely honest, I haven't touched the source code since I last added the speed dial code. The good news is though, I gave the speed dial code a whirl yesterday and it works just fine now.

What's next on the agenda before the release? Well, there are still a couple of things that need to be done. First, I need to "tone" down the difficulty for the lockbox puzzle. Then there are still some typos and grammar errors to be rid of. And of course... I still need some guinea pigs to test the game again.

So much things to do, so little time...

Neverwhere progress report.

Here is a list of things I've done for Neverwhere since my last post:

*Fixed lots of typos and grammar errors. Ugh, what can I say? I guess you reap what you sow.
*Replaced all of the placeholder tracks with the stuff Rinku and I bought off indiegamemusic.com. Man, these tracks are awesome!
*Toned down the music volume.
*Inputting the wrong password in memory/epilogue now returns the players to the title screen.
*The end of the memory cutscene now returns the players to the title screen.
*Fixed a bug pointed out by Starmaker.

That's it so far. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about getting everything done by the end of the month.

Moblog

Finally found a decent blogger client for winmo standard OS. It allows offline posting, so you can write your blog at your own pace. You can also save the post for later if you didn't get the chance to finish them. And oh, it also comes with the ability to upload images. Pretty standard features, but it works well enough. The only thing I dislike about the client is the GUI, or perhaps... the lack of it. It's ugly as sin.

WTF...

Okay, just as I have feared, the variable-changing bug appears once again. I honestly don't have a clue what's causing it anymore. It just makes no sense. I've looked through the code over and over again and found nothing that could cause this bug. I'm absolutely certain that I've got all my bases covered. Anyway, I asked Retro (one of the playtesters) to send me his save file so I could take a look at it. It's very possible that it's a different bug altogether, but I doubt it.

I'm really, really, REALLY frustrated right now. With the way things are going, there's no way I could have a second build ready by February.

Slowing down.

Well, I haven't been posting daily progress for a couple of days now. It'd be pointless anyway. The truth is, there's nothing much going on development-wise. I have mentally outlined what I want to do for Neverwhere episode 2, but that's about it. I'm mentally and physically spent, and I really don't feel like jumping back to game dev mode until April. For now, I'm just going to focus on SD's tiles and catch up on my ever-growing games to play list.

I suppose now would also be a good time to research possible payment method. So far Paypal looks like a good choice, especially now that I have learned that it is now possible to withdraw funds in Indonesian banks. They'll probably take quite a bit from the USD to rupiah conversation, but oh well... what'cha gonna do 'bout it, huh?

Hmm, well...

Okay, I think I got everything under control. I sent the game to a technical playtester, and the result is promising so far. She didn't encounter the "variable-changing" bug and was able to finish the game without any problems. Still, I should take precautions and test the game again tonight. Somehow I've got a feeling that I haven't completely fixed the bug yet.

I shall have my revenge!

Okay, so maybe I spoke a little bit too early, but then again... maybe not. Apparently the bug still exists even after rinku's fix. After checking the code yet again, we found another inconsistency. I made another change and tested it in-game, and voila... the bug's gone! Or is it? It's hard to be certain because of the tenacity of the bug. Every time I thought I had it fixed, it appears. Again and again. I'll have to delete the save game and replay the game again to make sure. This is seriously the most annoying part of the game development. Everytime I add a new variable (tag), I have to make sure that everything is okay. I technically didn't have to, but it's a habit... and you know what they say about old habits...

People will probably not believe me for this, but over the course of the game development, I must have replayed the game at least 200 times. This process really takes a mental toll on me. I feel like I'm on a limbo, forced to relive the same life over and over again with no chance of redemption. Hopefully though, this FIX will put the nail in the coffin once and for all.

If not... I might actually go crazy before I get the chance to release the game.