I'm sure some of you are probably wondering this. Sadly, it just isn't ready yet, which honestly sucks...a lot. My goal was to get this demo finished before the end of winter break, and mine ends tomorrow. I don't want you all to think I've been slacking because although I've been spending some time with family and hanging with a few friends, the majority of my break was spent working on this game. So why isn't it ready yet?

Well, I said I planned to release it on New Years sometime around October. I thought setting a solid deadline would push me to work on it more and get it finished, and it did. However, I sorely underestimated the amount of work that needed to be done, and how long it would take to actually do everything I wanted. Also, I wasn't really able to get a whole lot of work done on it until break because of school work. I was aware that the amount of work needed to get done was staggering, but I thought with a whole month of free time, I should still be able to get it done, right? Right?

Wrong. I guess even deadlines can't make the impossible possible...

So how far am I from reaching my goal? Still a ways, sadly. Most of the maps are done, but I still have a bunch of cutscenes that need to be finished. Also, I've done next to nothing on the new battles and creating some of the other character's special skills. I was planning to do all of that at the end because for the most part, the battles were pretty mindless except for the boss battles (although setting up the specific skill systems for some characters would take some serious thinking). Also, I felt like I was progressing more when I got the cutscenes finished. The bad thing is that making the cutscenes took soooooo damn long. I'm really particular about the flow of cutscenes and having dialogue make sense; sadly, sometimes it take a lot of time to get things just right (although I'm probably too picky about some things).

Okay, so not having this done before the end of break sucks for a number of reasons. First, I've got a new semester, meaning more time working on school and less on the game. Second, and this is probably the biggest problem, is that I'm graduating this year, meaning I need to start applying for different jobs and figuring out what exactly I want to do for the rest of my life. It's definitely got me stressed out.... Because of these things, I won't be able to get as much work done on this as I would like.

Despite all of this, there are some good things to mention. I've gotten a lot of help from people in regards to mapping. Ultima187, Lennon, Rei, and LittleWingGuy have all pitched in and really helped me out with some major areas. LWG, you probably aren't even aware how much you've helped me with some of your maps from your old project (although you will see once this demo is released). Also, boobledeboo's artwork looks amazing; you guys will all be blown away when you see some of the scenes she has drawn. To all of you who have helped me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Another good thing to mention is that although I've been working on this game almost nonstop for a month, I'm still extremely motivated to continue working on it. I honestly can't believe it. I thought I'd be dead by this point. There were definitely times where I burnt out some over break and there are certain areas I'm not really looking forward to doing. However, I'm still excited about releasing what I have and feel like when I do have free time, I can spend it working on the game.

One last thing is that although I still have some left to do, I'm really proud of what I've got right now. I've added some really interesting puzzles this time around that I think people will enjoy and the story is really picking up. Also, there are going to be a butt load of new gameplay elements for new characters, as well as some minor edits to old ones that I really think people will like.

Anyway, that's about the gist of it. I'm not really sure when the demo will be released. I could just release what I have now (add some battles first of course), but I still haven't reached the point that I wanted to get to. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone and I really hope you're willing to wait a little longer.

Oh, and this is a bit overdue, but I'd also really like to thank the people who voted for my game in the Misaos this year. Winning Most Promising Demo really means a lot, and makes me want to work even harder to make this game something you all will love. Cheers, everyone!

EDIT: Just hit 100 subscriptions today. Thanks everybody for the support!