Finally: a couple of very productive weeks! And this with the team spending a not inconsequential bit of time holed up with Link and the new The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release. The longer sessions of down time have proven to counteract the monotony of day-to-day slogging through render setups and execution.

Three more scenes to go. We passed the 900 mark yesterday in the number of renders for chapter 6. Given that there are at least 200-250 more to go, by release we will have created over 1,100 images, about evenly split between static and animations. And all this since mid-March! That averages out to about 40 renders per day. Chapter 6 is the longest of the 10 chapters, and certainly the most involved in terms of new sets and characters.

We know this is beginning to sound monotonous, but it bears repeating, again, given the way that some people are reacting to the unfolding story in chapter 6: Confusion is not a love story. It is not a slice-of-life “after-school special.” It is not even a cautionary tale, although the story has been presented in this way up to now. Things heat up: both the good, and also most notably, the bad.

For the writers in the audience, Confusion is very closely modelled on The Hero’s Quest, also known as The Hero’s Journey or Monomyth. If you know anything about this story structure, especially Christopher Vogler’s version of it, you’ll know that we’re finally at The Ordeal portion of the story.

There’s an excellent summary of The Hero’s Quest here, if you’re interested in learning more. That’s the last we’ll speak of this, promise!

Oh, and on Wednesday, the last part we needed for the server upgrade finally arrived (from Italy, no less!) So, if we can find a break in the rendering schedule for this weekend or next, we’ll finally start implementing the upgrades.

And now, a diptych of our recent biweekly efforts, for your eyes only. Bask in their splendor!