Chapter 26 - What We Leave Behind 

Technical Update

• New main menu screen, serves its purpose greatly but is currently a placeholder.
• New Book, Fresh Size.
• Added Chapter 26 gallery and the cut scene.
• 2.7k renders, 17 animations(2hours and 30 mins run time)
• Added a "Previously on MTWY" segment at the beginning of the chapter for help recap

It's a new book, but there's no need to load your saves, just hit start as long as you have finished book 2. Same as Book 1.

Chapter Update

It's divided into three acts, honestly, they're like separate chapters. Act 1 could have been a single chapter, and then Act 2 and 3 would go together, so the chapter is at least 3 chapters long.

Why didn't we separate them?

Very good question. You see, Act 1 took 80% of the development time, and by the time it was finished, it felt silly not to add Acts 2 and 3. Act 1 had so many rewrites; it was scrap after scrap, and most of it will be mentioned behind the scenes. But what I can share with you is that the lore and backstory were rewritten, the backstory is hidden, and it's not to be in this game, but I need it to be ready to make Act 1, for this act serves as the pillar and foundation of the mysticism aspect and the mechanics of time travel. And I will tell you, once it's out there, it's out there permanently. I hold steadfast to my integrity as a writer to not make any retcons or changes that are pivotal to it as a whole; that's cheap. So you can imagine my anxiety and hesitation. There was a day when I went 14 straight hours of rendering, only to scrap them all. It was nerve-wracking.

One of my biggest dilemmas is introducing a plot-pivotal character midway and making sure no one asks, "Why are we seeing him?" and/or gets confused, after the fact. I did set him up in the earlier chapters, but it still didn't make it a whole lot easier to pull off. You'll see who I'm talking about once you play the chapter.

Still, everyone has been patient and let me get the chapter the way I wanted and needed it to be. So whether or not you liked it, I'll accept it.

H-scene(s)

There's only one, and it's plot-driven and it was cut before, now it's in there. IMO, cut or not it serves its purpose.

Dev notes

The emotional toll this chapter took on me was not what I expected from it. It was challenging, to say the least.

While storyboarding this chapter, I said, "Mmm, okay." "Yeah, that could work." I was nonchalant and treated it as any other chapter. Then the scenes came, and I was ill-prepared for the emotional and mental toll this chapter would ask of me. Mixing that with wanting to make the initial point and knowing what's in store was a little soul-crushing.

Acts 2 and 3 were stupid and fun, even with the sensitive issues that needed to be brought up later on, or at least hinted at.

So once again, thank you for your support and patience, and I have to say that this chapter made me rewatch Jerry Maguire.