So, there haven't been any devlogs since December of last year, and even then, I didn't really cover or show off much in terms of new moments in the upcoming acts of Chapter One. It's time to fix that, really.

First of all, I still have three final locations to complete in the second and third acts, for some of which many cutscenes are already completed. Also, I've been saying for a while that the entire plot of Chapter One is complete, but I've never particularly wanted to spoil it in my posts and videos, but this time I want to make an exception.

In the near future, I'll be publishing excerpts with short scenes from the game that have already been included, but I'll also be sharing some that are yet to be seen (and I'll be showing a few screenshots of these moments now, giving you some food for thought about the story's future developments (I suppose?))

• A quiet get-together

• Who said lighters aren't toys for kids?

• ...

• A new friend or foe?

• More hugs in Lidgard

• A still from the game's cover

You'll also, of course, be treated to several new abilities and gameplay mechanics, one of which you may have already seen in the new trailer released on the game's anniversary. I also need to add bosses and minibosses to the locations, which I've planned for different paths, and you might not encounter some of them. (Because they're skipped on a certain path)

I'm also considering adding achievement support to the game if you downloaded it from GameJolt (Itch and IndieDB don't support achievements). It's basically the same as Steam: you play the game, earn achievements on your account, and they award varying amounts of points depending on their value.

I'm trying to implement this, but this is the part where I keep encountering errors, and I don't know why. As soon as you try to launch the game again, they're gone.

But I hope I can figure this out (oh, come on, I have to figure this out, otherwise how will people link their GameJolt accounts to the game and how will the game remember them and automatically connect to them when it starts?)

And then there's chapter selection, which can also be done through a separate menu, or by launching each one individually on the desktop (whichever is more convenient). But since there's only Chapter One available right now, and it's not finished yet, it's best to finish it first.

A bit of programming tedium

If anyone's been following the Game Maker Studio engine, you know there's a game_change() function that allows you to launch a different data.win file, essentially a different game within the same game. (It was added to make it easier to develop future Deltarune chapters.) This function exists in GMS2, ​​but I'm using GMS1.4, so I can't do that. My only option is to create a completely separate launcher with this menu, where you can select chapters. Afterward, it will close, launching the selected chapter, which is located in the same folder.

Also, when the game first came out in 2024, there was an option to enable a Retro Filter, but I removed it because no one used it and it looked pretty bad. But I decided to fix it and bring it back in the launcher if you want to feel like a retro gamer from the 90s-2000s. Here's what the updated CRT filter looks like:

And here, as always, are some new sprites and concept art:

That's all for the devlog.

Finally, I want to tell you about one thing that happened quite a long time ago, but I didn’t really want to talk about it

The creators of Undertale: Unite found my Normenhill, they liked it, and invited me to participate in their next Event, which I accepted. They'll be featuring UT/DR-based games that need more attention, and they have a separate category, Non-UT Projects, for projects inspired by UT but with their own story, characters, and overall concept. (They put Normenhill in this category.)

Besides me, there are a few guys from Gamejolt I know, and a few years ago, the creator of Athenian Rhapsody participated. I played a little bit of it last year and liked it. He also has some cool videos about the development of his next game.

Overall, I hope this event will help me get the game out to a wider audience. Subscribe to their channel, and I'll see you there in October (that's when the event itself is planned), although I'll also share a link to it here. For now, I'll continue developing the game and expanding its audience as best I can.

Thanks again to everyone who's been following the game!

I'll still be posting all the important news on Gamejolt, Itch io, and IndieDB (BTW, thanks for over 180 Follows there!), as well as on my website, normenhill.weebly.com.

🌠 Until the next devlog/update! 🌠