Happy October! There's been quite a bit of development this past month so I'm here to share the details with all of you. 

First off, a huge thank you to everyone who has followed our Pre-Kickstarter so far. Based on these preliminary numbers, I'm quite confident our campaign will be a success, even this far out. Remember, you can follow our campaign on the official Kickstarter page at any time. This ensures you will be notified the moment we go live. The momentum will only ramp up as we get closer to launch and I have a set date and time. Speaking of that, I have mapped out a date I am fairly confident of, February 21st, 2023. Getting the latest build out to everyone the first week of February would be ideal. 

Kickstarter Tier Details 

Now, I think it's time to share some preliminary details of the Kickstarter. Above all, I feel like I have made the tiers affordable for everyone, so you can get a pretty big bang for your buck. $1 gets you a credit mention and access to updates (normally reserved for backers). Important to note that these monthly itchio updates will cease at that time. 

The digital game key tier is available between 10 and 15 dollars (depending on if you snag the early bird/mailing list bonuses) and that also comes with a discord invite which is exclusive to this campaign. Please note, this will be the only way to get access to our discord in any capacity, until the full game launches. 

Naturally, there are other tiers that you can consider at the time of your pledge. Physical merchandise will be available as add-ons and will likely be charms/keychains of Siona and 1 other love interest. Based on a recent poll conducted on Twitter, that second character will be Alphi. She seems to be the most popular character currently (as evident by the voice auditions' popularity as well). Look forward to previews of the merchandise in the coming days. 

Android Build Details 

Some people have desired a mobile build of the game, so I have considered spending some dev time pushing that out once the programming of the script is complete and I'm in the polishing stages. Please note that the PC version of the game will take priority, but porting the demo to mobile, will enable more players to try the game out, which is my goal. Here's a small screenshot that shows some adjustments to the game menu, that will only be present in the mobile version. In general, I'll have to re-work much of the UI to make it more accessible for a touch-based interface.

Glossary Updates 

Here's an updated screenshot of our glossary progress. This hopefully gives you an idea regarding the crux of our glossary system, at least how it will function in our demo. While this is simply a mockup to demonstrate, these terms will be unlocked during gameplay depending on your actions during choices and converse time segments. Usually, a particular character will have something witty to comment regarding each definition, completing the package. There are also after-scene prompts that notify you upon each unlock (same with CGs as well). The full game will have over 300 definitions in total, and backers will get to custom name their own. As demonstrated in the second screenshot, terminology in Zeta Wolf usually encompasses out-of-the-box scenarios and concepts that exist in social environments and in relationships and expands on them. Most words are original to Zeta Wolf lore, but there are other real-world terms that Zeta Wolf applies its own unique twist to, such as Affinity and Attraction.  Hopefully, everyone will find such concepts and material an interesting and unique addition, as I know I sometimes tend to go into wacky-terrority when I plan this stuff out!  As you'll find out in depth in the Kickstarter, I did draft many ideas for these terms and concepts by observing the people around me, how they interacted with me, how I thought of my peers, and so on. In any event, look forward to unlocking them in the game! 

Programming Progress

Programming is proceeding steadily. Usually, I have to step away to do something related to marketing, or provide some direction elsewhere, but we are getting closer to the finish line. There are several sections of the game I have to comb through and essentially remake, since the coding was a sloppy mess. Specifically, the Q+A with Ms. Crass and the first converse event with Lyca and Ferine. Looking at the scenes now, it is terribly organized and a nightmare to work with, so I have a plan to condense those scenes for enhanced flow. The question tree will be discarded and time with Ms.Crass will be a converse event in itself. Additionally, I will split up further converse events to only include one character at a time. Fortunately, that content will not go anywhere, you'll just have to choose which character to chat with first. 

I'll provide more insight on this next month, but transitions during conversations will be improved to provide more dynamic movement (rather than staring at just a static screen). There was an example with the Ravia screenshot last month, obviously not in motion, but that's the general concept. The main thing is, I'm content with the end result and I'll have to go back to earlier scenes and implement those same standards. 

I feel like I'm forgetting to mention something but... we're at the end of this month's update! I'll have to get back to work if I ever hope to finish. Trust me, it's been a daily grind, and yet, I often find myself weighing my efficiency as a developer. More time can always be invested, and more polish applied, but burnout is a real thing, too. I'm not kidding when I say this is the largest endeavor I have launched in my life and the most important one too (like one thousand times the effort of a term paper). At the end of this journey, I hope to be able to put out a unique product that people can enjoy, and perhaps learn from (though admittedly that's a secondary objective, I don't claim to be a love savant or anything). I'll just have to keep truckin' along for now! And thank you again, your following means the world! 

Until next month! (Praise the heavens for the cooler weather!)(You're free to stalk our twitter account in the meantime but it's probably regurgitated information I just told you here!)