So it's been 4 months since JAD2.22 was released, and naturally I'm sure everyone is just dying to know what will happen next…!
Maybe.
I'm assuming anyway.
So first allow me to talk super generally about modding and me. It's gotten to be super tiring and it's becoming more of a chore than a fun hobby now. I spend way too much time on absurdly over-complex events and perfecting details that passes the player by in 4 seconds instead of having fun and being productive in a net-positive manner (aka not redoing missions all the time). I still have a patch to push out to fix a few mostly minor residual issues and even that feels like a monumental undertaking at the moment.
That all means Just Another Day 2.23 will be the final JAD campaign and will probably be my last campaign overall (as a solo effort anyway). Now I'm sure you're thinking "oh, I'm sure this finale will be pretty awesome with the most imaginative and innovative gameplay ever to grace FreeSpace that Axem has been saving up". Uh, yeah.
Probably not.JAD2.23 is all mapped and outlined out right now and at best case, there are 3 flyable missions with a boatload of VN scenes, or worst case, a single flyable mission and a planetload of VN scenes (where those missing flyable missions would just become cutscenes/more VN scenes depending if I can't deliver the flyable missions).
I had plans to do a lot more, but looking at the original plans, if I did them as intended, it would probably take me years and years. Who knows if I'd be able to make it before FreeSpace 3 really comes out (or the franchise is bought out by EA and rebooted into a MOBA F2P e-sports game). I know JAD is known for the original and silly-fun missions you all love, but JAD2.23 is going to be dedicated to wrapping everything up.
Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. But despite all this depressing text above, we're not headed for End of Evangelion levels of ruin and "wtf did I just play". It might be the logical way forward, since you know,
Evangelion, but there's already enough FreeSpace campaigns about doom and gloom and unknowable cosmic forces and the insignificance of man. JAD's always gone in the direction of "absurd happy fun" and telling off unknowable cosmic forces because they're gloomy jerks, so it'll end that way.
My current work right now is helping Spoon with Wings of Dawn, so there won't be any real dev blog updates for another long while.
But just to give you something, here's what will be answered/explained/shown in JAD2.23…
- The secret of Alpha 1 (who is a lot closer than everyone thinks)
- The secret of FRED and the Beta Testers (with amazing amounts of metaphilosophical mumbo jumbo)
- STEELE's True Identity (no, it's not me) and Ultimate Plans
- Recipe for some awesome cookies (seriously, you'll love them)
- The exciting lineage of the Eschenitzsholkphf family line
- Something about Alex
- Something about Epsilzzzzzzzzzz...
- Delta 1's most dangerous and hidden secret (The one that isn't that he likes teen girl pop music)
- Anna's most dangerous and hidden secret (The one that isn't that she likes the original Silent Threat)
And most importantly…
- Holley's first kiss (and all the gory mushy details)
So in the meantime, you can discuss or guess that stuff, or continue to post neat anime music remixes. It's all good.
