Hello, everyone! This is a transcription of our latest Kickstarter update. It comes in both video and text formats, and I believe it is important to share here. If you're looking for some information on the progress of the game, it could be useful to you, even if you aren't a backer.

Source Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2oGCKkrlNA

Transcription

"Here it is, the 30th Kickstarter Update for Kosmos Connections. Really, it doesn’t matter to me so much that it is the 30th update as much as it is the update to mark the end of the main writing phase of the game.

This is exciting, as the Main Weeks and their Good Endings, the True Week, and the True Ending have all been fully drafted! Of course, the writing isn’t truly done until the game is published, and I still have some neutral endings to write up, but those are aspects of the game that I can more freely approach, as they don’t require huge changes to the script or budgeting for extra CGs.

I was actually surprised by how lengthy the final chapter of the game became. 16,313 words to be precise. This, along with everything else in the game right now totals to just over 111,000 words! With the neutral endings and some further finalization of the script, the game should have a word count exceeding 120,000 - roughly 10-12 hours of total game time for a complete playthrough.

This was way bigger than I initially imagined, as I believe the original word count was around 75,000 words, but you just keep working at it and what do you know, you get something you’re happy with.

Early 2018

Early 2019

Current

All this over the course of 4 years… it’s something else. Sure, there have been hiccups along the way, even from year one, but it’s taught me so much that I appreciate every moment and opportunity that has come along the way.

Now, with that said....

What's actually left to be done with Kosmos Connections?

 CGs and Art

Well, in terms of the art, I have about 2 CGs left to commission for the game, both relating to the end of the game.

All the character sprites and backgrounds are essentially finished; although, I may get some touched up or redone before the final release.

I want to ensure that the art is in the best state in can be upon release, so I don’t mind shelling out some of my own personal funds to make this happen.

Soundtrack

Now, as for the music, the game’s soundtrack is currently quite full, sitting at 17 songs, with 3 or 4 more that need to be done. The reason for this is due to the dynamic nature of the final chapter, making sure that the music fits to the mood of certain sections. After the art and music are finished up, the game will finish its coding stage and undergo play-testing. I want to make sure I have adequate feedback on the game’s script and pacing before finalizing the lines that need to be voice acted.

Voice Acting

Which, speaking of voice acting… this may come as a slight disappointment, but due to the prioritization of music and art, I decided to cut down on some voice acting in the main weeks. My original intention had always been to have the True Ending be partially voiced, while the rest of the game would remain silent, but due to some feedback from others, I tried to implement voice acting into every important scene. While this was great in theory, it unfortunately went too far beyond the budget in practice. Even beyond the budget, I want to make sure that the game has its voice acting used effectively, which is why I am saving it for the endings of the game.

From all these things: the art to the music, to the voice acting, to the writing, and even the coding, my aim is to give you all the best experience possible with Kosmos Connections.

Backer rewards

Next on the docket is - and this is a big one - backer rewards!

Now, the good news is, due to the rewards being all digital, most of them will be quite easy to fulfill.

Copies of the game on PC and mobile: check! – that will just be for the normal release

The game’s soundtrack and art book – I’ll be working to get custom artwork done for the digital cover of the soundtrack, as well as put together the art book during the final marketing push. These should both be delivered on release day

Extended demo – delivered. This backer demo was put in the hands of the backers in this tier and above back in September. It was played among a small group of people, and the secrets were not found in the demo itself. I’ll be keeping that feedback in mind for the final release.

Personalized sketches – there are seven backers for this tier. Once all of the art in the game is finished, I will contact those at this tier and work on commissioning their individual sketches.

Your OC in the game – these background cameos will be added to the game as the final set of assets. I will try my best to work with each backer on where to place their character in the scene composition, while making their OCs recognizable.

Finally, there is the One-of-a-Kind sprite cameo.

This honor was given to Capone Ardelean’s OC Rose, whose role extended slightly beyond the original intent of the backer reward. But with her sprite finished, that reward will be fulfilled when the writing is approved by Capone.

And that covers all of the backer rewards.

Finally, there is the elephant in the room, the one part of this Kickstarter that is going to unfortunately take a long time no matter what: the Nintendo Switch port.

Nintendo Switch Port

Trust me, this port is my planned priority after the PC version of the game is done. But truth be told, I underestimated how long even that would take. The game has already been set back half a year due to the rewrite, and I won’t release it until after it is play-tested and as many aspects are as ironed out as possible.

I actually have some plans to further refine the game for the Switch release, things I just cannot accomplish on my own right now with the PC version of the game.

I’ll keep those ideas to myself in case the plans are unable to go through, but there will be a Kosmos Connections on the Nintendo Switch. I will do everything in my power to make it happen!

The script, for me, was the hardest part, so with it finished I will just need to learn the ins and outs of Naninovel and recode everything to match as much of the original experience as possible while also refining some things that cannot be done in Ren’py.

This stretch of development will take a long time, much longer than even I could safely estimate. So, if that concerns you and you would rather not wait, I encourage you to choose the PC or mobile version in the reward survey that will be sent out in the near future. If that’s not your speed, I will happily give you a full refund for the price of the game. I want your experience with me and this game to be as stress free as possible.

For those willing to wait, I thank you for that. I want to deliver a game that will leave you satisfied with its experience.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s almost time to send Kosmos Connections out into the world.

Unfortunately, now is not the time to give a release date in this video, as the play-testing phase can potentially change some things later on before the final release. However, 2022 is the year! Obviously, that's not an ideal estimate, as we’ve only just begun, but I want to make sure me and my team have time to polish up everything to the fullest extent we can muster.

Thank you so much for your patience, everyone! I hope you all continue to stick with me not only for this game, but the next one as well. As for what that next game will be, well, I shouldn't get ahead of myself.