Wow, I am really bad at posting updates! My silence on Newgrounds certainly hasn't been for lack of any progress to show; rather, I'm just really bad at publicizing my work, and very forgetful!

I have definitely been taking longer on this project than I anticipated, but that isn't anything new for me, or for many other developers as well. I tend to get over-excited and become really optimistic about timelines, but there are lots of invisible obstacles, both in developing the game, and in life!

Now that we got that out of the way, let's dive into the good stuff. Since I can't put images in my news posts (or at least more than one?), I'll link to imgur.

Almost all art assets have been finished! I'm quite proud of how the aesthetic of the game has turned out so far. Here are some of my favorite images:

The full cast lineup
Outside the boat
Inside the boat's kitchen

I've also finished implementing AI for the characters, which allows them to move autonomously. This could be as simple as moving randomly from tile to tile (which is what most RPG NPCs do), to having set routines that require them to walk across the whole boat, as if going through a daily routine. There is also support for characters to follow the player around caterpillar style!

Here you can see characters moving on their own, or following the player

There have been bits of progress in every other direction as well, it seems. You now have the ability to read the minds of different characters, as well as use a 'scan' ability that allows you to see who you are currently able to possess. You can possess a cat, and use them to jump into air vents to access different areas. The dialogue screen got a pretty big make-over. There is now scenery layering, so you can walk behind props and in front of them, and the game will mimic the perceived depth.

So...what remains? For the most part, the writing and cutscene scripting. Which is, for me, the funnest part of all!