Real Talk: The Not So Good Edition
(Have an image of a tired Xjena, as thanks for putting up with this post. In advance.)
I suppose every creative project must pay its dues in setbacks. And golly-gee-biscuits have I and many members on staff been paying it. It’s been a journey that’s taking it’s absolute toll on me, so I figure it’s time to let supporters of “Women of Xal” know the current Don’t-Panic-The-Project-Is-Ongoing status for this title. It is as they say: transparency is incredibly important for all parties involved.
Firstly: After a healthy conversation with the animator we announced around a month ago, we decided it was best she stepped down from that role. According to her, things kept happening one after one after one and after another that prevented her from creating nearly any content -- and no content that could be used for WoX. (I believe work trips, studios, and a program that hates WoX enough to not render anything for us.) Then 3 months came and it became impossible for her to fulfill her part of the agreement before WoX launches. 15 minutes of animation is a lot to ask for in 9 months, after all. Part of the agreement was...an incredible amount of music, which I had already made around 3 months work, but she seemed determined to pay for the tracks I made for the animation. We wish her well.
That said, it did mean the script needed to be looked with a different light and the BG & CG artist, Geckos, now has double duty as animator as well. (And for those who don’t know her, she and I go way back with trade and client work. Back 2013, in fact. A very talented artist with beautiful works of art and the obvious choice for me to go to.) And if you’re thinking that’s way too much to put on one person to get done before the end of 2018 -- Ey-hey! I agree.
Relatedly, hit me up if you’re an intensely talented animator/bg artist willing to trade for bucket-loads of orchestral/game music. I don’t like overworking anyone anymore than I have to!
And I absolutely must emphasize that an animator that might have had to inevitably step down is not something I blame her for. I proactively went for the least risky option, and the transition pains are, again, inevitable. And maybe the least of my problems.
Secondly: Something is mucking up my mental and physical health. I don’t know what it is, but food, especially sweets, are actively making me feel anxious and nauseous. It feels as though my body just flat out doesn’t want me to eat, and/or punishes me for eating. Example? The completely healthy yogurt I had this morning? Everything feels wrong. Yesterday’s dinner? Feels like I committed some sin. PB&J sandwich? Delicious, but my motivation just got shot by a dose of depression. Taking certain things out of my diet doesn’t seem to help, either. And annoyingly enough, veggies seem to suffer the most violent reactions. It’s like drinking (water/cran-grape/on rare occasion, soda) is the only thing my body consistently appreciates. And you just know it’s messing with my ability to write. Sometimes things don’t even taste quite right.
Thirdly: My inconsistent work schedule at my job is killing my creative workflow. I super appreciate the job (I need money too), and I’ll take the hours they give every time, but a 9-5 one part of the week and a 6-12 for the other, with the rest of my schedule all over the place is devastating, creatively speaking! It’s been like this for the past 6 months, and I can’t even begin to tell you what my next week schedule will be like. A natural thing to happen in retail, so my situation isn’t special at all. Just consider this -- all of this --context for the next part:
Sickness, moving, staff shakeups, overwork, and outright delays in schedule have been ongoing, and I feel like this isn’t quite the end of it, either. 2018 is obviously still fresh on my mind for when we want this game released, but I’m sure I’m not the only one on the team worrying that if creative-hemorrhages keep happening, Early 2019 might be the only sensible option if we want “Women of Xal” to retain the quality you all expect from the writing and art.
Is there anything you all can do to help, you ask? Well, by not socially burning me at the stake as we wrestle through all of this, you’ve already done more than enough! ‘ v’
Thanks for reading all of that. Here’s an updated CG for those who went the Ruthless Route for the new demo. Hoping the next update is filled with hype and hope.
