Devlog1

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXX=")[<img src="assets/images/BlueBirdSmall.gif"> (text-rotate-x:8)+(text-rotate-z:352)[Are you looking for a devlog?] (text-rotate-x:8)+(text-rotate-z:13)[Well, you've found it!] (text-rotate-x:8)+(text-rotate-z:350)[You just need to...] [[ENTER->Enter]]]

(align:"<==")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXX=========")[And the bluebird] (align:"==>")+(box:"X=")[<img src="assets/images/FliesAwaySmall.png">] (align:"==>")+(box:"=XX=")[ flies away...] The cover art for the devblog is based on a very old piece of work I made... a piece of interactive narrative that I made before I knew anything about games or narrative design. The first form of storytelling I gravitated to was a mix of illustrations, poetry, and interactive exploration and choices. So it seemed like a good idea to start my first interactive devblog with an homage to my younger self. [[Follow the bluebird->Blue bird]]

1st of March 2024... Good lord, Jane, you've been job hunting for the whole of 2023, and what? You managed to get one tiny job for an entire year? That's... not going to cut it... //How should I spend my time?// [[Fix your resume->Fix resume]] [[Volunteer to work for free->Free labour]]

JANE TAN She/They (force-input-box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXX=","A dyslexic narrative designer who was a 3D environment artist for 6+ years... Hmmmm, yeah, that won't fly. I guess I need to make a resume for each job position I'm applying for...") (after:1s)[ //Type!!//] (align:"=><=")+(box:"========XXXXXXXXXX========")[(after:3s)[ //Yes!!! Promote yourself!! You're the bomb!!//]] (align:"==>")[(after:12s)[ (link:"Search for jobs")[= (cycling-link:"Apply to Narrative Design Jobs","Apply to 3D Art Jobs","Apply to Assistant Producer Jobs","Apply to any cool stores around.","Wait and apply again")]] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(after:25s)[ this is getting me nowhere... (if:(history: where its name contains "Free Labour")'s length is 0) [[Volunteer to work for free->Free labour]] [[Give up->Give up]]]]

(align:"==>")+(box:"===XX")[Hey, I'm really free at the moment so do let me know if there's anything I can help you with :)] (align:"<==")+(box:"XX===")[Oh hi! Yeah let us have a think about what and we'll let you know!] (align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXX===")[(Last reply in chat 1 month ago)] (if:(history: where its name contains "Fix resume")'s length is 0) [[Fix your resume->Fix resume]] [[Give up->Give up]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[I'm really not sure what I should be doing... Do I get a random job that won't make use of my 12 years of experience?] (transition: "fade") +(transition-time: 10s)+(transition-delay:1s)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Or..]] (transition: "fade") +(transition-time: 10s)+(transition-delay:3s)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Should I....]] (transition: "fade") +(transition-time: 10s)+(transition-delay:5s)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[ [[Create a job for myself?->Make Games]]]]

... I did have this idea brewing on the back burner. An idea about a foraging game. One with real plants, so I can learn more about the plants as I make the game. And it's set in Ireland, obviously. Cause I want to learn about the country I'm living in. Well, not like I have anything else to work on at the moment. (align:"<=")+(box:"X")[<img src="assets/images/dandelion.png">] [[Might as well...->Make games 2]] [[But the idea isn't really that good... is it?->Doubt]]

And that's how it started! When people I don't know really well ask me how Good Folk Cafe came about, I tell them the amazing story of how I ended up in Donegal on a foraging course and was inspired by the wind, the land, and the connections I made up there to bring a side of Ireland that I rarely see in media to a wider audience... Yeah, [[the whole pitch->Good Folk Cafe]]. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="assets/images/littleblueguy.png">] But when my friends ask, I'd tell them I didn't have much of a choice. The savings I had (thanks to 6 years of a comfy job in a AAA studio) were dwindeling. And since the game industry was doing extremly poorly, a weirdass person like me who doesn't like fitting in a box just wasn't going to be offered a job anytime soon. The other option was to get an unrelated job. And trust me, I tried that route too. But the jobs I could see myself in didn't want me, and the one out of a 100 jobs that did want me either didn’t pan out or were too depressing... And I know that I may be out of options in a few years to come. But [[Today...->Today]]

I often doubt myself when it comes to game ideas... But this time it feels different! I kinda really want to make this game. I mean... It has plants, and Irish folklore, and it's a cosy sim! (align:"<=")+(box:"X")[<img src="assets/images/littlebrownguy.png">] And we can talk about community and connection to nature and... [[Stay up all night jotting down ideas->Make games 2]]

Today I... (cycling-link:"Woke up","Got Coffee","Updated my resume","Looked for jobs","Cooked lunch","Looked for opportunities","Cried") It might look like I'm fine but really A storm is whirling, and I am... I am trying... Today I woke up and managed to (cycling-link:"get out of bed","be positive","do some yoga","make my partner smile","listen to a friend","pass the time without any guilt","have fun creating a game") I have my good days and my bad days... Sometimes there's hope! Hope that eventually... I'll get there. Wherever there is... But today I will just sit here by the window (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[and ] (align:"==>")+(box:"===XXXXXXX")[[[watch the bluebirds fly.->end]]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="assets/images/banner.png">] Forage for wild plants, craft bespoke dishes, and delight your mysterious otherworldly clientele in this cosy, atmospheric management game. Genre: Cosy Business Simulation Platform: Steam Engine: Unity Target Length: 10hrs Follow us on Instagram @good.folk.cafe [[Back->Make games 2]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[This is the end of my very first devlog. If this was interesting to you in anyway, If you feel the call to support this voice by giving it space Then please Follow Wild Narrative on social media (link: "open link in new tab")[(open-url: 'https://linktr.ee/WildNarrative')] AND Become a Patreon (it's free!!) (link: "open link in new tab")[(open-url: 'http://www.patreon.com/wildnarrative.')] It takes just one person for it to be worthwhile for me to continue this devlog series. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<img src="assets/images/hearth.png">] ]