Let’s talk heroes. Because that’s you guys. Both folks reading the free dev blog, and our Patreon supporters.
I warned the patrons ahead of time that we wouldn’t have a demo available for September, due to PAX and other related life obligations. I said I was totally cool with folks dropping out or just cutting back support for a month in response.
Know how much the Patreon sank? A dollar. One dollar. That’s it. You guys? You’re awesome and I can’t thank you enough. This is proving my most expensive creative lark ever and this genuinely does help us make it happen.
Okay, now let’s talk villains.
While my co-author and various artists were off at various conventions (DragonCon, FanCon, PAX West, etc… man, that’s a lot of simultaneous events) I was here by my lonesome having the most productive weekend in a LONG time. Relaxing, too, go figure. I’m happiest when I’m working, I guess.
My goal was to bash out as much of Chapter 06 as possible. “But wait!” you cry, as I slowly advance on you with a knife. “We haven’t even finished Chapter 03!” Yes, well, this is video gaems, not sturry novals. Since we had a solid roadmap and outline I was able to move ahead to a part of the story I had firmly fixed in my mind for months… the confrontation with our main villain.
Who goes by the name Deco Nami. (It’s built on two references, one of which is a pun. Bonus points to anyone who figures them both out in the comments below.)
I think it’s no surprise that I have a deep loathing of the modern “arcade,” which is more of a kiddie casino than a game parlor. Dave & Busters and the dessicated husk of Chuck E. Cheese lead the vanguard there, providing loosely-legally safe slot machines to drag kids into Skinner Boxes and never let them go. So, our main villain is rather specifically spearheading the movement to pulverize arcade games and turn them into Mini-Vegas. And writing him is an absolute joy.
I won’t spoil the circumstances of your conflict, or the outcome. It’s something we’re building towards and the fallout is going to be spectacular. But hopefully, through Deco’s Palace, I’ll make my case for what the ideal of arcade culture should be. And hopefully, you’ll have fun thwarting him.