#camp maple wind

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 4/25

Busy busy month.

As mentioned, I had some things to take care of, but it was all scheduled toward the end of the month, so I focused on getting as much writing done as I could before then.

Aaaaand it was a success! I've finished Danny and Maris' route for Act 5, which was a lot more involved than Kait's. I don't want to give any false impressions; Act 5 isn't super long or anything. There are just more moving parts than you might think. This preview conversation can go sixteen different ways because of your counselor's personality combinations.

Additionally, I started in on Salem and Tasha's route (more on that in next month's log), rewrote some earlier stuff, and worked on romance outlines. If I keep pace, I should be in playtesting stages by July.

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 3/25

'Twas a slow month.

Unfortunately I had some life events to deal with, and I've got a bit more coming up. In the meantime, I tackled what I could: some planning, some coding, and minor bug fixes.

There is an important update, though: Episode 1 will be three chapters instead of five.

There won't be any less story; it'll just be spaced out differently. The pacing was off, and I think this solves it. Episode 1 is shorter than the next two, and yet it was planned to have just as many chapters. That ended up making it feel empty and dragged out.

There shouldn't be any delay on the upcoming update due to this, but it'll be an extension of the first chapter now rather than a new one.

Chapter 2 and 3, on the other hand... Those may take a bit longer. I'm unsure if I want to release them in full like I planned, or in halves like I inadvertently did for this one. But that's a question for future me.

Hopefully April is smoother and I can get a lot more actual writing in.

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 2/25

Hi all! I'm gonna keep this log short because I don't wanna share too much, but here are the main things I've been working on:

Tweaked the textbox. I was never happy with it; now I am!

A very modest name tag creator. Admittedly this was a sudden and half-baked idea that popped into my head while writing so it might not stick around, but I really like it.

A ton of outlining. I fleshed out some character stuff, moved around a bunch of important scenes, narrowed down the timeline... All the really important stuff that doesn't feel like progress but is, lol.

Found a choice meant for the end of Chapter 1 that got lost in my drafts. Embarrassed and baffled about how I forgot it, but that's ready to go.

Added a bit more to Act 1 so it's feeling solid now.

Did some Act 2 writing!

A deceptively big month. I also woke up a few mornings ago dreaming about an argument I was having with myself over where to put a scene that doesn't actually exist, so the story has now fully seeped into my subconscious.

For the sake of adding a photo, here's a preview of the name tags:

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 1/25

Well... I got sick.

I spent the first week of January working on a prologue for another game (let's call it Project Sky) and I'm really happy with what I was able to get done. It's a much larger project with a ton of moving parts (we're talking 12 different prologues, one of which has 25 variations!!), so I'm taking my time with it and working on it when I can.

Aaaand then I got sick. It wasn't too bad, but I kept insisting I'd be good in a few days only to have a few days pass and feel the exact same, lol. It was just annoying enough that I had a rough time writing. I'm still on the mend, but I'm feeling much better now.

That doesn't mean I didn't get anything done for Camp Maple Wind, though. I wrote one of the four main scenarios you'll be choosing between in Chapter 2.

Aside from hanging out with the counselors (your first real chance to if it's Nick or Maris!), you'll meet two of the four new campers I introduced in the last progress log.

The scenario I worked on was registration with Neal and Kait, which will probably be the least picked seeing as neither of them are our main characters. Personally I think any screen time for Kait is worth it but I may be a little biased, so I wanted to give people more reason to choose it. Instead of meeting only two of the new campers, you'll meet all four, and the relatives who drop them off. This'll give you an easier chance at a good first impression, as well as a peek into their home lives - two things that might come in handy later down the line. Also, Kait. You get to hang out with Kait.

With any luck, I'll recover by the end of the week and get a lot more writing done by the next log.

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 12/24

I think December has been the longest week of the year, but after coming this close to missing my goal for the month, I finally finished putting together the four young campers who'll be joining the cast in Chapter 2!

Each camper will be tied to two departments (unsurprisingly, Addie's taken camping and sports while Fiona's in art and science), and they all have their own unique endings influenced by the way you choose to lead them. Do you help them discover themselves and grow as people? And can you keep them safe from what lurks in the park -- or will one of them meet the same fate as your sister?

Aside from small things here or there (the gallery, a lil bit of dialogue), fleshing out each kids' storyline was my focus for the month, so I didn't worry much about anything else. Now that they're here, I'm excited to write your first encounters with them.

On a somewhat down note, January will probably not be when a beta is ready for testing. I have some other IF projects I put on the back burner for this one and they keep calling to me so I might take a week to work on those after the holidays and get it out of my system.

Thanks for reading! I hope you're all having a good end of the year. Stay safe, and I'll see you in 2025.

[tailorfae]

Progress Log - 11/24

🎉 First update! 🎉

Once it seemed like Camp Maple Wind was a stable release, I took an immediate week off to spend time with friends and family. Then I got to work laying out some parts I hadn't yet outlined, as well as everything I need to do for Chapter 2.

Each episode is going to focus on a different part of the mystery. You'll have to explore the park, remember your sister, and uncover whatever you may have seen on your first night... For a big portion of the month, I kept going back and forth on the order of those investigations and how to pace some key moments. I'm mostly there now, but still have some things to iron out.

As far as the next chapter is concerned, Act 1 is half finished! To kick things off, you'll be able to choose your roommate in the staff lodge, or let some level of RNG decide.

(Background is a work in progress.)

The room's decorations will change depending on your roommate (as usual, Tasha's is my favorite to design), and so will your ability to snoop sneak out explore... It's one more way that Episode 1 is all about laying the groundwork: your partner, your roommate, the departments you work with - they're all choices that'll shape your investigation going forward.

There's also a lot of art on the to-do list for this chapter because not only are you going to see the counselors in their PJs and some of our young campers, I'm going to be introducing our first CGs! Aaaand hopefully going back to add a CG to Chapter 1 that I didn't have time to work on before. (Hint: it's for the twins, and it's very cute. Or it will be.)

Which means I'll also need to get a gallery implemented in the menu, but I'm not complaining. Coding is often the most fun part for me (when I'm not tiredly staring at broken code for four hours straight...)

And that's all I got for November. Hopefully I'll be showcasing the new campers next month, and have a beta ready for playtesting around January. In the meantime, take care!

[tailorfae]

Return to the sight of your sister's death, reclaim your stolen memories, and resolve the mystery of Bear Creek National Park.

Description

18 years ago, you lost your older sister in the forest of Bear Creek National Park. You are the only living witness to what happened that night, but from the moment the rangers found you, you've never been able to recount the events.

After years of dwelling on the lost pieces of yourself, you decide to finally return - and it just so happens there's a summer camp taking place not far from the trail on which you and your sister got lost. Can you manage your responsibilities as the camp's newest counselor while chasing dangerous memories, or will the forest take even more from you before summer's end?

Features

Step into the role of a gender-neutral protagonist with four main personality types and temperaments.

Define your reputation among young campers and influence the outcome of their summers.

Confide in one of four potential partners who'll join you as your investigation takes dark turns - or fight to keep your secrets hidden.

Build friendship and romance among six characters, or clash with incompatible rivals.

Travel down branching choices that will shape your story, both past and present, as well as the stories of those around you and even that of the forest itself.

itch.io