Deltarune - episodic Undertale sequel

[lightbane]

Meh, I expected an advance on another chapter or something, not a pretentious article.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[S.torch]

Waiting eagerly

 

[lightbane]

Will Kris be finally given a male gender, as he acts and looks like a male teenager but everyone still refers to him as "they" for inane reasons, perhaps?

 

[S.torch]

Doubt it. Is sort of established along the game already.

 

[lightbane]

https://deltarune.com/update-092022/

DELTARUNE
Status Update​

Sept 2022​

HEY EVERY !!!
Hard to believe it, but it's already been around 1 year since DELTARUNE Chapter 2 was released. Even now there still seems to be a passionate fan base for what we put out, thanks in no small part to a disgusting man whose dialogue is probably closest to the way I talk in real life.
It feels like DELTARUNE really came into its own with Chapter 2. Thank you so much to everyone who has enjoyed everything so far and is still looking forward to what will happen next!! We're working hard to make something that will excite and delight fans of weird role-playing games, whether or not you like men with long noses!

[Development Update]​

As stated last time, we've been simultaneously working on Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of DELTARUNE. A few more people are helping out, and the pace of the game creation is definitely improved from last time. The intention was to work on all three chapters simultaneously, but so far we've mostly just gotten work done on Chapter 3 and 4.
Between 3, 4, and 5, we've already exceeded a chapter's worth of bullets, cutscenes, and gimmicks. Not only that, but the next chapters had certain aspects that took a while to set up, and now that those things are in place, the development of the game is only going to get smoother and smoother!
As always, I want this thing to come out the most out of anyone on the planet, so we'll be doing our best to get it done.

[Mini Preview]​

Why don't we show you what we've been working on!?

More Light World !?​

♪ Hometown Day

"After the dark night, the sun shines brightly."

Sit in your favorite seat at the diner.

Judge Susie's rock throwing abilities.

... and more?

More Castle Town !?​

♪ My Funky Town

"This once empty town is beginning to feel like a city!"

If you recruited the right characters, the band can play a new BGM for your town!More characters finally get their own rooms!

And… More Dark Worlds !?​

♪ Green Room

"Relax and enjoy a world of cutting-edge entertainment!"

Where could this possibly be?!
Sorry, nothing's ready to release this year. So you can't spend any money yet.
But as a treat to those fans who got a little something burning in their spacious pockets, this year we're creating a specil event -- SPAMTON SWEEPSTAKES, a SUPER SPECIL prize sweepstakes / charity auction starting Saturday 12PM PDT and running for 24 hours right here on deltarune.com ! And don't worry -- it will have content for Spamton Lovers and Haters alike!

No new game for this year, but there's a bunch of screens and samples of songs at least.

 

[S.torch]

Looks pretty cool. They are working very fast too!
Glad to see that Queen, Rouxls and Tasque Manager are coming back hehe.

 

[Infinitron]

https://toby.fangamer.com/newsletters/halloween23/

* Today, many good children go around their neighborhood to gather gifts and sweets.

* You, however, have grown tired of the familiar faces and familiar candies.

* Filled with the desire for something new, you strike out for the strange house on the hill... The one no other dares approach.

* You reach the door.

> Trick or treat.

* A white paw extends out of the mail slat.

* ... Huh? Instead of candy, you were given...

* Some kind of letter?

* It seems to be addressed to you.

* This must be a mistake! This isn't edible at all! You figured you would end this adventure with a bag full of candy!

* In a flight of anger, you throw open the door, and...!

* Something terrifying was standing in the doorway!

* ... from somewhere you heard a voice.

* Hey, you!

* The letter you are holding... It looks very much like a news, doesn't it.

* Although, it's smaller than normal. I guess that's also scary.

Chapter 3 is pretty much content complete! There will be essentially no more changes to dialogue or gameplay from here. Hooray!

On my birthday, a friend came over to my house and played through the whole thing.

It was very gratifying to see them laugh at all of the stupid jokes we've labored over for years. It took a long time to get here, but now it feels like everything will be downhill.

After they completed it, I asked "did anything seem incomplete" and they mentioned that "the bullets seemed kind of hard..."

I nodded and forgot about this feedback immediately.

Obviously, releasing a game takes many more steps than just finishing the gameplay and graphics. But, people are already transitioning back into working on Chapter 4. Everyone is very excited to work on the next part!

When we started Chapter 3, to be honest, it took a lot of trial and error to figure out how it would work. But, with Chapter 4, I already feel very confident about how we can progress.

So, now that Chapter 3 is nearing completion... I think it's a good time to re-discuss how we will release DELTARUNE for purchase.

My original plan was to release Chapter 3, 4, and 5 together. However, the finish line of Chapter 5 is still pretty far off... and I don't think anybody really wants to wait that long to release anything. Especially me.

So, new strategy: No more waiting for Chapter 5. Instead, we are going to focus on putting DELTARUNE out for purchase once we finish Chapter 4. That should make everything a bit more reasonable!

Chapter 4 already has a very substantial amount of cutscenes and enemy work done. Also, I've hired a new producer whose entire job it will be to speed up the overall game development for future chapters. So, I feel very optimistic about the next steps of this project.

That being said though, I think I'm going to pause on more detailed development updates for now. Instead, I'll just let you guys know if the development is getting close to completion, or if something funny happens.

All right, back to Halloween. Ready for a scary fact?

Halloween... is technically the 5th Anniversary of DELTARUNE.

... that was scary, wasn't it?

For this special day, I've interviewed some of the Development Team of DELTARUNE Chapter 2! Let's reminisce on some standard memories about developing the game!

READ THE INTERVIEW »

* What the!? How is it over already!? This letter was too short! That has to be some sort of crime.

* You reached out to tear away the blanket of the culprit...

* ... But there was no one underneath!

* Instead, only the stench of candy hangs in the air...

* ...

* ... Did you find what you were looking for after all...?

 

[lightbane]

Less using inane pronouns and work faster, darn it!

 

[Maxie]

game producer is a real job and it's an important job
letting some tranny twiddle his thumbs for years on end to critical acclaim is ruining the industry

 

[Infinitron]

https://toby.fangamer.com/newsletters/spring24/

Hello esteemed gentlemen and gentlemen,

Have the Ides of May brought you good tidings?

I don't actually know if they do that.

… I don't think they do that.

Anyway, we have a mini-newsletter for you this month!

I have great news, and… other news!

For the great news… Thanks to increased management power provided by my new producer, we've been able to hire a few more people onto the team! Everyone's only been working on the team for a little over a month and a half, but it's making a real difference already. The producers M.O. is, "for the fan's sake, let's finish this before we become old and wrinkled" ... I agree! (instantly stops being wrinkled)

The other news…

Chapter 4 development is going better than ever. We are on track to meet our internal deadline. The new hires are already making a great difference to improve the atmosphere and feel of the chapter. I feel really good about this, champ.

Here's the current progress:

Cutscenes: Only a few ones left (some tough ones)! Other than that, need polish. Battles: All the attacks are technically done, but still trying to improve the flow of the the bosses. Overworld: Still need to create around 10 maps! And polish some others. Gimmicks: A kind of complicated gimmick nearly has all of its iterations made. Then there's whatever needs to go in those 10 maps, and one more thing. (A gimmick is something like the teacup ride from Chapter 2.)

After all that's done, everything needs to be flattened out with the steamroller of improvement and pacing. (This takes an unknown amount of time.)

It's my hope that the next time I update you, a first pass of the entire Chapter 4 will already be at least halfway crushed by a steamroller! And, at least some of the team will be moved over to Chapter 5!

The other other news is…

Despite the game making great progress, we can't discuss the release date yet. Even if Chapter 4 is completed smoothly, there may be surprise factors, so we're not at the point where we can make a solid promise. That being said, we will let you guys know as soon as we can! I can't wait for you guys to see more of the moments and characters I've had in my head for the past 8 years...

In other words, the release is still quite far... but also a very real thing that is weighing on us more and more with each passing month.

Surprise! It's time for another round of Q&A with Papyrus!

He was originally asked over 80,000 questions, so there was still a lot more material to go through...

In any case, enjoy!

READ THE INTERVIEW »

Have you heard of Virtual Youtubers...?

…

…

Recently, I had the opportunity to create a song for AMANE KANATA of HOLOLIVE!

A couple years ago, Kanata had played through UNDERTALE for the first time on stream. Famously, she had a really difficult time beating Sans, fighting him for dozens of hours straight until she won. (Personally, I was moved seeing her cry at the Pacifist ending.)

I always liked her singing voice, I found it to be very distinct and kind of personal sounding. Combined with her Angel aesthetic, I felt I had the potential to make a really cool song with her... So, I asked her... And... It happened!

Thanks to Camellia's amazing production skills and Kanata's distinct voice, the song ended up being really special.

Actually, I liked it so much even from the instrumental demo stage, I felt like "if this idea gets rejected, maybe I can use it in DELTARUNE..."

Now, let me explain a little bit.

Although most of the time she's a goofy streamer, Kanata has a dream: to be taken seriously as an artist and musician. But, there was an issue... She was losing hearing in one of her ears. For someone whose dream is to be a singer, there's nothing more terrifying than losing this sense. She felt like she might even give up singing forever.

Actually, this resonated with me. Because I've also had issues as well. Issues with one of my wrists. It stops you from drawing, from making music, from writing, from programming, basically from making a game.

There's times where it feels like your hopes and dreams are simply slipping away from you. That the things you wanted to achieve are floating away from you in the sky while you lie there, fallen in a crater, your wing torn off, never to grow back. Bitterness grows, and you feel like you may never leave the ground again.

But

That's not true.

You can still fly.

That's what this song is about.

Just before the intense part of the song, there's whispering. These are like the magic words that let you do anything. And as long as you say them you cannot lose.

Even if you lose a piece of yourself, even if it feels like you can't get up anymore, you can. You can fly with one wing. You can fly without any wings.

So, keep singing.

Keep singing.

Camellia's arrangement was super cool, so listen to it by itself for a sec too!

Like I said before, despite how much progress we are making, the release of the game is still far.

I don't want anyone to burn out waiting for this...

But... we haven't burned out making it yet! Actually, the opposite!! We're on fire!! A lot!!

Ouch!!

 

[lightbane]

First chapter was released in 2018 and chapter 3-4 are still not out, despite using the same engine. Lazy, or incompetent?

 

[Jinn]

Rich and in no hurry would be my guess.

 

[S.torch]

Heartwarming like always. Makes me want to speed up my own projects too and work harder to complete them.

First chapter was released in 2018 and chapter 3-4 are still not out, despite using the same engine. Lazy, or incompetent?

Learn to read. Chapter 3 is already done, Chapter 4 is close to finish, they're now moving to Chapter 5. They're not out yet because they want to release these 3 chapters together (they said this after releasing Chapter 2).

 

[Maxie]

First chapter was released in 2018 and chapter 3-4 are still not out, despite using the same engine. Lazy, or incompetent?

severely debilitated due to all the anti-psychotics he chugs

 

[lightbane]

Learn to read. Chapter 3 is already done, Chapter 4 is close to finish, they're now moving to Chapter 5. They're not out yet because they want to release these 3 chapters together (they said this after releasing Chapter 2).

That doesn't tell me anything. They're being purposely vague to avoid giving real release dates, so

In other words, the release is still quite far... but also a very real thing that is weighing on us more and more with each passing month.

This could mean they're still a few months away, not done until next year, or nothing at all. The game is bound to 7 or 8 chapters in total, IIRC, and at that rate it will take a decade for the full game to be released.
Granted, they're not professional devs at all and do not have a producer checking their work from time to time, so I guess I can't expect much.

 

[ciox]

Is this completed yet unreleased Chapter 3 in the room with us right now?

 

[orcinator]

Are they finally getting off their asses becaue Signalis started beating them in the "game that blatantly rips off other media and builds a fanbase via fap material" category?

 

[S.torch]

This could mean they're still a few months away, not done until next year, or nothing at all. The game is bound to 7 or 8 chapters in total, IIRC, and at that rate it will take a decade for the full game to be released.

Let's suppose that's true and the full game takes a decade to release. That's still amazingly fast. Considering every chapter is the size of a whole game in itself, that would amount at 7 games / in 10 years. If you don't want to count the first two chapters, it would be 5 games / in 10 years. And this is not taking into account following chapters are more complex than the previous ones. Because the plot gets thinker, new characters are introduced, mechanics get harder, et cetera. Chapter 2 expanded everything from Chapter 1.

It mogs AAA devs and other indie devs in speed. People been waiting years for Silksong, just one game. Yet Deltarune has 2 chapters already released and 3 more incoming. And this is made by 5 guys in a room, unlike some "indie" devs with their dozens of people studios.

 

[HansDampf]

Isn't Silksong being made by just 2 guys in a room?

 

[lightbane]

mogs AAA devs and other indie devs in speed. People been waiting years for Silksong, just one game.

Not a good comparison. AAA games have too many people and can't do anything good anymore, while other indie games vary in crw size but they usually have too few. Silksong is taking a loong time, but even if it's only half as good as the original, it will have lots of content and polish, all while the devs don't waste time promoting third parties.
Meanwhile, Deltarune's first chapter lasts like 2 hours tops. Second chapter has 3-4 hours of content if you include the alternate route. I suppose that with all chapters, it will last like 30 hours tops. Hopefully, though, it won't take a decade to fully release...

Isn't Silksong being made by just 2 guys in a room?

Yes, while Deltarune now has more people, allegedly.

I remember Mother 3 was done in about 2 years with a fixed budget and personnel, but you can't compare Japanese workers to Western indies ones.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Isn't Silksong being made

Sure doesn't seem like it, considering the difference in development time between it and Hollow Knight.

 

[S.torch]

Silksong is taking a loong time, but even if it's only half as good as the original, it will have lots of content and polish

But metroidvanias just like roguelikes are x4 or x5 times easier to make than RPGs. Less dialogs, less assets, less animations, no party members, no gimmicks, no levelling system, no alternative solutions, no dialog options, the list goes on. That's why they're spammed so much.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Silksong is taking a loong time, but even if it's only half as good as the original, it will have lots of content and polish

But metroidvanias just like roguelikes are x4 or x5 times easier to make than RPGs. Less dialogs, less assets, less animations, no party members, no gimmicks, no levelling system, no alternative solutions, no dialog options, the list goes on. That's why they're spammed so much.

I mean, shitty ones are. Good ones have lots of assets, animations, gimmicks, dialogue with options, alternate solutions, equipment, etc. It's why Hollow Knight is so well regarded.

 

[S.torch]

I mean, shitty ones are.

Nope. Metroidvanias are inherently less complex than an RPG like Deltarune. Let's just take one aspect for example: party members. Each Deltarune party member need their own set of movements, skills, animations and levelling. In Metroidvanias you only have one character you need to care about. In Deltarune party members react to what you do and participate in the story, they also change their reactions when taking different decisions. In Metroidvania there's only dialog every few hours of gameplay made by NPCs. With each new Chapter, more characters integrate to the party (Chapter 2 had Noelle being a party member), so is an accumulative thing.

All in all based Toby manages to deliver. While other fandoms are still waiting forever lol.