Let's see how much we can get accomplished this August!

1. So where we left off in July, I was starting on the final programming necessary for the rest of the game on top of reorganizing my fungus flowcharts to make them easier to manage/track. It's funny seeing Unity's console alert me constantly when I play test in the engine to the things that have changed or that need to be re-referenced since the switch to a newer version and with some of the changes I've made. In time, Unity. In time.
2. Going through and doing the last of the story lines has me making a list of things that I initially forgot to take note of when writing them. New assets have to be made to really add the polish to some of the story lines, so when I go back for my second pass on the story lines, I'll have to make and implement the remaining things, like additional sprites, sound effects and other graphics.
3. I've determined that for each story line, it takes me about 2.5 hours per story to program which includes determining directions and choices, changing backgrounds, music/ambience usage, adding voice lines (most of which I don't have yet). I'm trying to get 2 done a day, but mileage varies based on if I work that day and if I have a headache, which seems to be every day haha. At this rate, I won't be done with story lines until the end of August, because the average is 1 a day more often than not.
4. At one point I did take a break for a few days because I started feeling bad about the project. It's been 2.5 years since I started and as I get closer to completing it, I do experience little bouts of self doubt and upset. There's a lot of internal back and forth I have about not being able to find volunteer voice actors since casting call was cut from the Behind the Voice Actors website. So the game is likely going to be finished without having voices for the remaining 23 characters and the side characters. I don't need voice actors to complete the game. But the vision I had for the complete version was to have a fully voice acted experience. Sometimes you do make decisions that you don't realize will have consequences later when things go sideways, or when things outside of your control change. Hopefully, moving forward I'll still be able to capture that motivation and determination to get everything done. This project has gone on long enough. :)
5. I started pre-production for the Spooktober game jam. I did a few small things I'm allowed to get done, which consists of anything that isn't a finalized version of a game asset. Writing outlines, game planning, background and character concepts to a "concept" state, which means nothing colored in, just sketches. I'll probably take the month of September off from working on Rainbow Heartbeats to do the game jam, just like how I took 6 weeks off from working on RH last year for Yaoi game jam and SuNoFes to work on All of My Tomorrows. The game for Spooktober I'll be working on is called With Bodies they Walk.
6. August 13, I finished programming story lines.  The end seems so close now!
7. Next began programming. It was time to complete the functionality for everything. Your Sampod phone needed to take you to new places, some characters moved to different locations and new characters had to take their places, on top of all the other characters who needed to be in their places, and the apps within the phone need to actually work, since there are several new apps to include.
8. Once the Sampod and locations were fully implemented and working, touching up almost all other script files was necessary to include all characters, their preferences and gifts, and their friendship/best friendship/and romance functionality.
9. Next, was character interaction. I was done implementing story lines for now, but each character needed to show up in their designated location, needed to have things to say that were different from other characters, and needed their holiday and halloween clothing implemented, which was a project in and of itself. On top of this, the final gifts needed to be implemented, friendship and romance bars needed to be added, as well as functionality for extra story points, like helping Lahela with the bakery, or buying an outfit for Dahlia's banquet.
10. For now, that will have to do it. I need to complete the final preparations for the Spooktober VN Jam and my project for it, and then commence pack-ratting for my camping trip on Sept 1. I'll be back on September 4 and will likely be taking a break from Rainbow Heartbeats until the jam is over. If I do get anything done on RH in the meantime, I'll mark it down so I can release a lil devlog at the end of September!
11. When I get back from my trip, I'll make a list of things still needed for Rainbow Heartbeats that I may not have 100% completed in this devlog. A lot of things are pre-written early on in the month before I've completed them and then are changed/added to once I've completed them. I don't think I'll get to completely finishing the interactions for each character before I go camping, so I'll update that in the September devlog. :)