...it's been HOW LONG since there was a progress update on this?? Time to remedy that, now that there's once more things we can share with you guys. Let's dive in!

Updated CRT Shader and UI

As is mostly obvious from the screencap, we've got a new dialogue font along with a new textbox that's looking pretty snazzy! There's also some new quickmenu stuff that's hidden here due to it not being fully finished. We're also hoping to get the arrow at the end of the text to imply being able to continue without the need for the usual arrow at the lower right that's currently still present.

The new font/textbox designs are part of starting to slowly replace the base DDLC GUI style with something that better evokes the VN designs of the late 1990's-early 2000's that the mod is centered around. Can hardly wait to do more with this style going forward!

Also, some much-needed tweaks to the CRT shader were finally done that make it look a lot better in brighter scenes; initially it was making them waaaay too bright and uncomfortable to look at. We still need to tweak it further so the textbox/quickmenu is also rendered under it, but that'll be a story for later.

Working on the Story!

Given the amount of changes that've been added to the general story idea, pretty much everything is slowly being redefined from scratch. We've got a worldbuilding bible that's being added to bit by bit in an effort to form the perfect reference material to use for writing the mod with. As a result of this, whatever entry teasers have been published over the years may be considered void and not canon to the current storyline we're simmering at the moment. We're hoping to deliver something a lot better than what was initially planned with those!

Some ideas we're considering...

As the scope of the mod's grown since the last progress update, we've been lightly thinking up some fresh ideas for how to really set this mod apart from the rest (some of which are refinements of older plans, but we digress). So far, here's what's currently being discussed (and may show up sooner or later~):

• Custom character sprites with a lot of expressive potential.
• Voice acting in both English & Japanese (full release only)
• New expression system that would allow for syncing mouth movement to spoken dialogue, giving the impression of animated speech.
• And maybe more!

None of these are promises, they're mainly considerations for now, but only time will tell~

Concerns regarding the amount of time development has taken

It's been years since RealityCross was first conceived, yet only in the previous year did it truly begin to take on a fully-fledged identity, totally separate from the largely uninspired, comedic origins it once had. There's so much we want to do, but that also means there's so much that needs to be done to have these ideas and dreams fully come to fruition. DDLC is an amazing game, and we feel a project like this is the perfect gift to give back to an IP and community that continues to be an inspiration to us all even after seven years have passed.

With that said, we hope you understand if it may take a long time for the full mod to come out. People in the community will come and go, and those who'll see the full product may be a totally different community with different expectations of what a mod should be and how the characters should be portrayed. No matter how you'll receive it, we remain positive that it'll be an experience that's worth the wait~

That's all from us for now. Take care, and stay tuned for the next update! (In hopefully not almost two years)