These are notes collected from when I re-started work on SAMOOBSLUGOWA, rebuilding the game from the ground up using some previously built assets. I intend to post such collected notes on a monthly basis, accompanied by a list of goals & carryover items for the coming month. Aiming for a fully-playable demo before summer '22. These notes may or may not make any sense. 

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nov. 28, 2021: started poking around again and created v.0.07 in Harlowe 3.2.2 after re-jigging the NavHeader to look better and work properly. NavHeader is not as clean as it could be and will get uglier as more sublocations are created though. created a working test file called "Time-based events trigger" where future events can be scheduled / occur when the timer triggers them. Trying to figure out how to cause interrupts in the basic game loop.

dec. 6 2021: making a Home inventory system based on 45-character length limit. So far so good, just gotta figure out how to get the background image to display filled gaps in the inventory array. Asked Reddit for help.

dec. 7 2021 UPDATE v0.08: after getting answers on reddit, I went fully pictographic with inventory system. What was "apartment key" is now "⦅7⦆⥰", etc. etc. The words that describe the item are revealed when they're added to inventory. I'm thinking I can do this type of container inventory in various places throughout the game as a core mechanic.

Dec. 8 2021 got the breaker box back in and working, electrocution routine and all. Also changed all of the laundromat variables to be values in a $laundromat array.

Dec. 9 2021 brought the terminus back in, thinking it would be a good place to put all the dev tools for testing. Figured out how to d links in dark lighting that you discover vs. links in lit places. Updated Navheader to hide the office when the laundromat is unlit. Added the "…" button to items you are currently using. changed the office drawer inventory to be more like the floor inventory at home. Brough graffiti back to washer1.

Dec. 10 2021: created a list of all the variables and what they do. Helped understand how things are organized. It's not that complicated. Deleted passage called "item check" which used to attach descriptions to pictographic items in the inventory when clicked. Created a DM instead with all of the descriptions attached. Its cleaner I think, realizing I can do this with most of the narration in-game, give each item an dm and fill it with item properties. Also got hella ambitious and created a new animated graphic for the washing machine that is triggered when you add six coins to it. Working with that "Washer 1" passage made me really want to streamline that whole thing down. Nonetheless - BIG DAY; a working, coin-operated washing machine.

Dec. 12 2021: It just now occurs to me that I should be writing this devlog the other way around, new entries on top. Oops. Created a better "putting coins into the machine" routine but have yet to write it into washer1 (see Coinstyle). Cleaned up Washer1 a little by removing redundant code. Hopefully creating these three graffiti-writing passages can be condensed into 1, and will be useful for all machines.

dec. 15 2021: Cleaned up the coin-insertion routine, we're almost there. Just have to get rid of the "ignition" passage and we're good.

dec. 22 2021: reversed devlog post order. Messed up a version, and reiterated what I messed up. Tweaked the world clock to move slower/more realistically. Gotta figure out how to count-down the washer's runtime. 

dec. 30 2021: created an update checklist. added a paired-down (for now) version of the broom closet. Fixed a bug with coin insertion throwing an error (the old, "is" vs. "=" with strings again!). Brought the intro sequence back in and it is better. Added the fullscreen toggle to the titlepage.

jan2. 2022: HUUUGE day. Updated to titlescreen. Created a whole dialog and narration css container. Found a headshot database and converted a bunch of them into ascii graphics to make an NPC dialog system with. Roughed in a loose random encounter interrupt that works ok. People come up to you with a neutral expression, and if you say hello, they tell you how they feel. 

jan. 8 2022: Created a total of 40 ASCII NPCs now and a "yearbook" tool for viewing them. Each has 7 expressions. I'll likely need to pare this set of 40 passages down a la washer1, but the bulk has been done. Next up is dialog system using core vocabulary and acquired words to communicate with NPC's.

jan. 9 2022: added MAZEMAZTER videogame to terminus location. Thinking about that multidimensional array map thing, and also the keypress thing I learned. Neat stuff. 

jan. 14 2022: brought back KRAZY KLEEN for grafitti removal, and made it so you actually remove the bottle when you remove it.

jan. 15 2022: Created a massive Location Name Generator that creates unique and interesting names for 6 types of location (So far: a bar, a ruins, a business, a tourist attraction, a restaurant, an industrial site) in a separate file and wholly redesigned the NavHeader using Arrays. It is way better and way easier to use. Implementation with the rest of the game could be tricky though.

jan. 18 2022: Started implementing the new NavHeader. So far, so good. Now I just need to clean it up: Deal with sublocs, look for location-based effects, reintroduce previously made stuff and passage of time, create graphics for new locations. These new location names really bring a lot to the game and I'm glad I gave up a freezing cold weekend to make this addition. I increased the size of everything too by zooming to 175%. This might not be ideal for some screens, but it's great for now.

jan. 20, 2022: Added a little thumping noise to indicate the passage of time when travelling between locations based on their relative distance. NavHeader looks more or less integrated, now I'm working on the "move" button which was suspiciously easy... Lots of location-based bugs resulting from the navheader switch. Vigilance! Brought the office back online. I also created a Transit Map (to scale!) that lives in terminus. Shows the starting street at the moment.

jan. 21, 2022: created art for the Apartment Building, and brought back the previously-created assets for the interior.

jan. 25 2022: started creating the dialog engine, figured out how to collect words into a vocabulary. Next I have to figure out how to assemble these words into speakable sentences - maybe they can be built the same way the floorinventory is built with items. Also rejigged the intro sequence to reflect the language acquisition mechanic.

jan. 26 2022: hacked in a rough approximation of how the interactions are gonna look with a Bus Driver, which was probably a bad place to start. Css is all fucky of course. Also tried putting together a little Bus Ride system to get to the other streets and now I'm realizing that the NavHeader I created sorta relies on everything being in the same array... Will figure it out I'm sure. Looks pretty good anyway!

jan. 27 2022: oof we're in pretty deep waters here. I feel like I'm designed a whole 'nother game. Started experimenting using Storylets to drive NPC encounters so that they will appear in certain locations under certain conditions. It should be pretty straightforward, but the documentation and examples for it are pure garbage and it makes linking to open storylets a real pain! Ok, thanks to Dan Cox's blog about them I got it working and also created an amazing thumbnail row of NPC headshots that appears when storylets are open. It looks good, but doesn't totally work just yet. This is the way forward though.

feb. 1 2022: feeling uninspired so I made a bunch of location art. have 4 to go.