This is the next of the usual devlogs to keep you informed about my progress.

The project Late Shape Journey is now in version B.0.2.0.

A download is not available for this game yet.

Finished the Load/Save Scene and the extended Config Scene

Polished up some minor UI-stuff in different scenes (for example adding the "Switch Category" navigation)

Added more stuff to the asset libraries for future chapters

Some more brainstorming and adjustments to some plugin parameters, as well as finishing minor things around the project

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Progress Showcase (Outdated)

Here is the Load Scene, which shares its layout with the "Save" Scene, which is actually used at the start of the game to select a dedicated slot for a playthrough. There are of course a lot of ways to do a save system for a game, but I settled with this approach. I'm pretty sure no one will ever need all 10 slots - but that's jrpg tradition, adding ridiculous amounts of save slots! As mentioned in my concept log though, I think having a single slot is the best approach for a long playthrough with several chapters, instead of going wild with the default save system of the engine.

At the moment, the game also features the autosave system that is enabled by default... in some way. I'm not exactly certain yet, as the feature makes it more complicated to use it than one would think at first. I want to make sure that it won't mess up any playthroughs, nor should it be too messed up to handle it gamedev-wise. At the moment, it is planned to use it by plugin command when transferring through areas, maybe also at certain game/story points. I still want to focus on a good old save point system - but it would of course be quite nice to have an autosave in-between like modern games.

An additional thing: You can name your save file! It supports 6 letters (covering the most normal (nick) names I hope) and helps recognizing your playthrough along with the rest of the shown data. The "Continue!" tag also tells you which has been the last used slot save-wise.

Next up, here is the config scene - which I've finalized at last! (Again it was some hassle)

I've mostly changed the layout and moved it further away from it's default - at least in detail. You may also notice the new option to actually switch the mentioned auto-save feature on and off, depending if you want a more classic experience or not. I also added back the master volume setting in regards of my changes from last month.

This is the first newly added tab in this scene. It actually shows you all functions of the game and which keys are used for them. While RPG Maker games aren't that difficult to figure out, I thought it would be nice to see the actual key alternatives, especially as I turned on the ability to use WASD movement like in other games, which makes the default shown keys a bit difficult to use. The bottom part also displays the function keys you can use to toggle different settings on or off - which certainly can be handy.

The third tab is a new addition as well: It shows some (important) data around the game. It can be useful for users, especially when playing around with beta releases in the future, but it is also a handy overview and debug option for myself. The part at the bottom can basically be seen as some sort of "instruction" on how to handle save data in RPG Maker games if needed, as well as a link to the games itch pages for new releases and updates.

You may notice however, that the Debug option is gone! Yes, I actually had to remove that one from deployed projects, as it didn't work out. I may look into adding some "Cheats" or "Debug options" into the game in another way, though.

Feel free to follow my project here on itch.io or via my x-profile.

The next update will be showcased on here as soon as it is ready.

Like always, thank you for reading and have a nice week, everyone.

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