This update is one week late because I decided to finally take a break and go on vacation! I’ve been talking about burnout off and on, and while I still very much enjoy building the game, I was feeling really tired. A normal tech worker’s year generally includes a 2-3 week break, so there is no reason for me to do otherwise. I spent some time away from the computer, not working on the game for even a minute, and I’m now refreshed and ready for action again!

In the two weeks before the break, I experienced a fantastic burst of productivity and delivered much more than what I had planned. Firstly, I created the CGI for all remaining puzzles, which are now in a “near-final” state. It was greatly helped by switching from Blender Cycles to Eevee, significantly increasing my productivity. Cycles is great and superior to Eevee in many ways, but looking back, I should have used Eevee from the start because it’s a much better fit for the type of CGI work I’m doing. Lesson learned.

Additionally, I had one of the best design simplification ideas since I started building Outsider. I made a change to how the puzzles integrate with the endings that will not only cut 2+ weeks of development down the road, but also make the puzzles fit a lot better with the story. Saying anything else would spoil one of the biggest surprises in the game, so just trust me when I say that I now have a stronger design that I can deliver much faster. Call me lucky.

Given the shorter month, I don’t have much else to say. The break won’t impact the schedule due to the productivity burst, and I’m now back to a full tank. I’ll need it: despite only having the final third of the story left to write, making everything fit together will be quite a challenge. Nando’s writing towards the end of his diary is especially confusing; this is part of why it took me almost 10 years to be ready to build this game. If I can draft all remaining chapters in the next 3-4 weeks, I’ll feel great about the November release date.