An Update + The Future

Hello!

It's been just over a month since we released the demo of our game. We're so grateful for all of those who have played, left feedback, and followed our journey. It's been such a rush to be able to create something for this community and to have it be so well received. 

But beyond the sap, we know the question on everyone's mind: what's going on with game development?

We debated a patch for a while but decided we want to focus on getting out a full version. We've already gotten a ton of helpful notes and hope to continue to incorporate them; if you have any more, let us know! We want to make sure that this game is functional and accessible. However, this is also something that takes time! When we say that we are a team of two people, we are a team of two people: one of whom did not start coding until we decided on a whim that we wanted to do this, and one of whom had only ever done bad doodles in her free time. Everything we do has a learning curve, and as much as I'd like to boast about how easy it's all come, it does take time. We love it, don't get us wrong! We're just a little slow. 

On that note, coding for day three has commenced. We have most assets complete as well as the entire day scripted. For reference, day one was 23 pages of script, day two was 39 pages of script, and day 3 is 85 pages of script. Google Docs hates to see us coming. But that does mean a ton of content for all of you!

We are also aware of several bugs currently in the game, or minor issues that players have experienced. Our to-do list, in part, is below.

• Fix the font! 
  • Several people have noted that the font chosen can be difficult to read, so the final version of the game will include a font accessibility setting in the menu.
• Fix the periodic table! 
  • Someone on our Tumblr pointed out that the periodic table used in the classroom background is not reflective of the periodic table used in the 1970s. As people who would rather not have the Time Police on our asses, this will be fixed. 
• Fix sprite errors! 
  • A second Ford can appear in the boardwalk section of his route. Don't worry, he won't be able to hurt you in the final version of the game. (He can't hurt you in the demo, either. Probably.) 

I also wanted to take this time to answer a few frequently asked questions. If you have more, feel free to drop them below, or on our TikTok or Tumblr. We love to engage with the people who have been following our project.

• When will the final version be released?
  • When it's ready! We don't yet have a super clear timeline on things. As mentioned earlier, we are a team of two. I work full time and my partner is a student and works PRN. This is a fun side project that we work on in our free time. 
• Will there be font options?
  • Yes! We're adding a drop-down menu for accessibility. The original font will likely remain, but we're also adding an Arial option. 
• What's up with the big-headed bit?
  • When we were making this game, we wanted to offer an authentic high school experience. Part of that was incorporating bullying. We wanted to keep in mind that people of all different backgrounds and life experiences are going to be playing this game and we did not want to incorporate commentary that would allude to the player being of a specific race, gender, sexuality, or body type. We didn't want to take you out of the experience. Big-headed was an insult that could be a universal experience without being taken too seriously. 
• Will this be available on mobile? On browser?
  • Maybe? To be entirely straight with you all, this isn't a small game. We had to play around with the game to be functional on mobile on our release date, and even now the mobile version is not reflective of the final product. We didn't playlets a mobile version and our text boxes did not carry over, either. We'd love for it to be browser and mobile-compatible, but it may not be in the cards. We'll do what we can, but we ask that you keep your expectations measured.
  • And yes, this will be available for download on Windows and Mac.
• Will there be a Spanish version?
  • Uh? We're not currently super sure about language accessibility. Right now, our primary goal is to get a fully functional English version up and running. We'd love to someday be able to get out versions in other languages, but we would need assistance. Additionally, because this is a fan game, we're not making a profit. It makes compensating those who may offer their time difficult. That may be a question for later down the road!
• Why do demos always end on the best part?
  • The best is yet to come. Believe it!
• Are you associated with any other Gravity Falls fan projects?
  • Nope. This is a fantastic community with so many creative people who are making so many fantastic games and content, but we're unrelated to all of them. 
• Are you looking for volunteers?
  • Not currently. My partner and I script everything together, and when we're not doing that I'm drawing or she's coding. We're not looking for any additional partners at this time. 
• Where can we find you?
  • You can find us on TikTok @spiteful.studios or on Tumblr @spiteful-studios. We're a lot more active on Tumblr because I'm really bad at using TikTok! Also, we are American, so who knows if that will even be a social media platform we can use come January? We also will not be creating a Twitter, as we disagree with the usage of our content to train AI. 
• What programs do you use?
  • We script on Google Docs. My partner does her coding through Ren'Py, and also utilizes Python to do things a little fun and fancy. Spoilers: we're looking to implement more minigames in Day 3, and Python has been super helpful for that. I use MediBangPaintPro for sprites, backgrounds, and assets. I use the built-in trackpad on my laptop to do all the art. 
•  How do you script?
  • My partner and I sit across from each other on our couch and script together. We started with a loose roadmap of what we wanted for each day, then when we start scripting that day we make a secondary roadmap about where to hit and where we want to end up. I write Stanley's parts and she writes Stanford's parts; however, I prefer Stanford and she prefers Stanley. By writing this way we can constantly check each other to make sure that the route feels complete and fulfilling. We also write scenes that appear in both routes together, like Carla and Cathy!
• Will there be voice acting?
  • Nope! This game, at its core, is a project for my partner and I to play together. We love dating simulators and half of the fun for us has been voicing characters when we sit down and play them together. Play this game with your friends and be Cathy and Carla together! Do the catty teenage girl voices. Trust me, it's fun. 

I know this has been a long post! But I hope that it's been helpful for those who follow this project to understand what we're doing. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know! We want to continue to engage with this incredible community and make this a game that people want to play. 

Thank you for continuing with us on this journey, and for following the development of our goofy little fan game!

Meg and Eve

The Spiteful Studios Team