And we're off!

So glad I made the deadline, my penchant for over-planning got me again. Looking at the result though? Well, there is good news and uhh just news.

Good news is- game is bug-free and tested and all the final sprites made it in!!!

This is my first time posting a game onto itch.io, so I felt uncharacteristically nervous up until it was sent off. The wait is over and the weight's been lifted.

I've entered like 10 Itch jams over the past couple 'a years.... and was ultimately too shy to submit incomplete work (even though yes, that is expected for a game jam)- thanks to all those who encouraged me, I owe it all to you!

Now, the hours of narrative that got cooked up all month (a.k.a. 99 percent of it XD ) - still in the dev oven & did not make it into the build. YET!!! It is coming- after the judging period ends and we can update our submissions, major updates will be coming during October! The goal I've set is to push the full game, whatever that shapes up to be, by the third week of October 2026. And if I want more to get added (ex: additional endings beyond the ones already written) can wait for another sprint.

Lessons Learned:
- Definitely gotta adhere to work schedule with more strictness. The dedicated work sessions were extremely productive!

- Structuring the bulk of coding further from the deadline feels more ideal

- Need to assess all the dev tasks that took way less time than the writing & coding and de-prioritize them; anything that can be pushed for closer-to-deadline-dates can wait! Got this mixed up quite a lot during the second half of the month.

- Take more breaks!!! orz
- Keep expectations realistic, especially for a jam. Peers, homies, fellow devs, fellow artists and company can help get you outta your own head, so please show them what you're up to!!!

- Everyone who says "make it first, then make it pretty/nice" is absolutely correct, take the leap.


There's a lot more I would absolutely do differently, but most of my developer-centric reflection can be summed up like this.

ALSO:

I love feedback- even for this extremely short build, please please give me feedback if you give it a look. I really appreciate it, and any constructive tips and advice are a big help for the work I'll do on the full version. 

Until next time!