It’s Moof again! Today I wanted to post a short history of development. This is to mainly go through the large development journey that AEDX has had, and also may explain some of the delays. But also, maybe some people are interested in the development process and how certain decisions got made.

Please keep in mind this will have heavy spoilers for the new ending of AEDX, so if you haven’t played it, please do so before reading!

THE BEGINNING

AFTEREFFECT was originally just a GameJam game, but the reason why this is specifically a Director’s Cut is that the extra ending was actually cut from the original release for time reasons. I had thought I could get it added in time, but it turns out deadlines were approaching, and I had to make the quick decision to stop working on it. 

If you were to actually look in some of the original AFTEREFFECT files, some assets that are present in the new ending are already there such as a scene and some audio files related to it. The game to me felt incomplete without the new ending, as it felt wrong for Vanessa to not have some kind of alternate happy ending. 

(Talks of adding a good ending in the GameJam release of AFTEREFFECT before it was scrapped.)

I really dislike ending games on a tragic note, as I want to inspire hope with all the games I create and write. Tragic endings are very powerful and have their place in fiction, but I am naturally an optimist, so I wish to show people the hope in their lives. So, if I had released AFTEREFFECT without adding a new ending, I felt as if I would betray my storytelling values. And thus, AFTEREFFECT DX was born.

THE ORIGINAL VISION

The Act 4 you see today is much different from the one that was originally planned. There was no VR core, or comprehensive cutscenes, or much at all. It was a new branch which unlocked the boss fight, and after the boss fight you got some ending cutscenes and you won. It was much smaller in scope, but the parts that were complicated were very complicated. Which led the Glitchtrap boss fight to be stuck in what I would like to call “development hell”.

The original vision for the boss fight was a lot more ambitious but also simultaneously not as original. It was essentially a mismatch of all the first three FNAF games all at once. What I mean by that is that you’d be playing FNAF 1 with Glitchtrap, and after you’d fend him off the office would “transform” to FNAF 2, and all the mechanics of FNAF 2 would be added. You’d get a mask, vents, all that. Once fending him again, the office would “transform” to FNAF 3 and you’d get the maintenance panel and all. It’d cycle back to FNAF 1 again and that was it. Basically, replaying all the games again in rapid fashion with a glitchy skin over them. This is also why the cameras in the current version are taken from various FNAF games too, it was because the minigame was intended to be a glitchy mashup of all the games.

(Unused FNAF 2 + 3 Offices)

The problem with this version is that I was essentially remaking three FNAF games, which all have comprehensive mechanics and gameplay, for not much payoff. It is a novel idea to have a transforming office for sure, but programming three FNAF games for a single one-off night proved to be too much to handle for me. I’m not saying it couldn’t have been done, but the additional pressure from my job and college made this version of the boss fight near impossible to achieve. Something needed to change.

Eventually, I scrapped this idea sometime in December of 2020 and decided to make a more original game with the idea that Vanessa had to resist Glitchtrap’s manipulation. This is where the hacked cameras came to be, as it’s quite literally resisting his malicious words. You also have to constantly keep your sanity in check by taking a breather and closing your eyes. It’s a simple minigame, but it’s tense and stressful. I like how it came out.

THE CORE

So, has said previously, the VR Core previously did not exist. It was going to be one cube room, with a save point as a brief intermission before the boss fight. But people had been waiting so long for a new ending that I felt bad that it essentially boiled down to a boss fight and slightly changed cutscenes, so I felt the player needed something more. So, the VR Core level was added… delaying the game a bit.

(The core was going to literally barely be anything.)

The original version of the Core was quite basic. For a while, it was just a couple of hallways and some Glitchtraps you’d need to avoid. “But isn’t that what it is now?” No, not really. There were no rooms or theming, it was just one winding hallway to traverse. It was this way for a while, but I had grown dissatisfied with it. I had recently re-played Bioshock Infinite and noticed the game had put an effort into environmental storytelling. Every area in the game felt like a real place that could be used by its residents, even if it was fantastical. Even if this increased the scope of the game, I wanted the VR Core to feel like an actual secret lab or confidential zone that the Dekogon workers used.

So… in a move that would significantly delay the game once again, I scrapped what I had worked on the layout of Act 4 to make it feel more real as well as add new hacking minigames to it. This really took a while and was kind of the final home stretch of development as at this point the secret boss minigame had been done and completed for quite a while. I felt it was necessary for players to get the high-quality experience they are expecting, as the original Core would have felt very underwhelming.

ARTWORK: IT’S HARD

Another factor keeping development from being finished was actually my art skills. I had originally promised there would be new art added to the original acts of the game, but this was scrapped. Why? Because to be frank, I wasn’t skilled enough as an artist at the time to deliver good enough CGs (computer graphics, term for full-screen artwork in visual novel games) of the characters. I also really struggle with backgrounds.

This really put a hamper in development because it is something that felt impossible to realistically accomplish due to my school situation. I was basically making a bunch of art that was out of my expertise all alone with no help while also having a job and being in school. It’s rough.

(Planned CG concepts by my game development partner Paul Riggio.)

So, we had an interesting compromise which was to add Security Breach Vanessa as a playable character instead of adding CG artwork, which kind of filled that “art” quota while also being a much more inciting feature. This proved to be easier to develop and I’m glad we made this decision.

Of course, that isn’t to say there aren’t a couple of new art pieces in the game. At the tail end of development, I had improved in my art skills enough to where I think if I were working on AEDX now, I’d be able to complete the art needed. I ended up making a Marielle CG and a CG for one of the hidden endings I was very proud of. I feel like I finally accomplished a big feat in my art and finally tackle the CG nightmare. Even if there aren’t many, I’m proud of the few that got in the game.

IN CLOSING (FAREWELL TO THE FNAF COMMUNITY)

And that’s where we are today. AEDX has been through all the stereotypical FNAF fan-game hiccups. Development hell, constant delays from dealing with personal life and scope creep, and many creative changes and decisions. Despite all that, it’s ready and complete. It’s been a long journey, but I’d like to thank my fans for allowing me to take my time. I wish it didn’t take this long, but I’m happy it’s finally ready. It’s here we’d like to take our official leave from the FNAF fan game community to work on original game projects. We are working on one final update for AFTEREFFECT DX that will address some really outstanding typos (kinda embarrassing we didn't catch those) and will add some extra goodies and easter eggs for the most devoted fans. And then that will most likely be the last FNAF related project we tackle as a team.

And just so I make this clear, thanks to the FNAF community for supporting the original game. I am eternally grateful I was given this opportunity to have my game be played and enjoyed by so many! It’s unreal, honestly. I never thought I’d ever have a game played by so many people, even if it’s a fraction of what other fan games get. Thanks to everyone who left a comment, followed, drew fan art, or just shared your appreciation. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can only hope you stay around for what else we have to offer, but if you don’t that's okay. Thanks for everything regardless, and I’ll see you all on the flip side.

-Moof