First things first: Amadeus is part of the WINGS Women's Day Sale on Steam!

The rest of this devlog includes the usual monthly updates and a little more on that event, but I wanted to lead with the announcement because it is exciting. More below.

I. Progress Update

I wrote last month about being in the midst of many big changes, and landing a new job that I care a lot more about and that is taking a lot more out of me. I have less free time, so I've had to be a lot more disciplined with how I structure that time (while also insisting on Getting Rest). But it's working, and I honestly am in a pretty good place right now. The game is getting MADE. It's pretty cool to see it coming together.

My workday shifts are in the evening, which means I can dedicate an hour of pre-work time every day to Amadeus development. My weekend is 3 days long, so one of those days is dedicated to pure rest, and I get another 1-1.5 hours of dev in on the other two days.

That's only about 6 hours or so a week, but in just that time, I succeeded in my goal of "building out the next 3 scenes in the game to a state of being Technically Playable." In fact, I met that goal halfway through the month and spent the second half ironing out minor bugs and doing some tweaks to writing and progression logic and making the scenes nicer. The watchtower exploration scene from the original demo is completely rebuilt and rewritten, includes all new mechanics, and feels good to play.

(...although I haven't made the correct overlays that appear on hover for the new backgrounds yet, so I've been using the manor's as a placeholder. Placeholders get things done!)

I think "3-scenes-per-month" is a reasonable goal and if I keep at it, the full game should be built out and Technically Playable in a few more months. Then it's a matter of replacing placeholders, writing revisions, getting playtester feedback, polish, bug fixes, and a ton of marketing. But for now I'm staying focused: just build the whole thing.

II. Special Announcement - Women's Day Sale

This is a bit of a strange announcement, considering I am not a woman and I am the only person working on this game. But as mentioned above, Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz is participating in the WINGS Women's Day Sale on Steam!

The application encouraged women and gender marginalized applicants, and I don't think a devlog for a tiny indie game on itch.io is the place to have discourse about that. I will say this much: as the developer for a tiny indie game, I am not one to pass up an opportunity for marketing if it is presented to me, and I am deeply thankful for this opportunity. It feels incredible to be included alongside such a banger list of games.

(...I said this wasn't the place to have discourse, and yet here it comes anyway. I think uplifting women in game development is immensely important. I am also thankful that the event organizers made space for me as a not-woman in this space. I have a small hesitation simply from the fact that the sale and byline only use "women," but it's a sale for International Women's Day, so I am missing the plot somewhat on that train of thought. It was my choice to apply—and I am, again, incredibly grateful to be included!)

At any rate, please head over to the sale and check out discounted games and upcoming demos. There is LOADS of great stuff.

(Of the participants, I've got to give a special shout-out to So, This Vampire Walks Into A Bar, because it was my table neighbor at MAGWest! Check out the demo! It's fun!)