Act 3 Progress, Demo Tweaks, and Some Big Decisions Ahead

Hey everyone, it's time for another DRIFT update!

A lot has happened behind the scenes lately, so I wanted to give a clearer picture of where things currently stand, what’s coming next, and some decisions I’m still wrestling with as development continues.

Act 3 Progress

The biggest news: most of Act 3’s writing is fully drafted, start to finish. All major scenes, arcs, and transitions are in place and consistent with the outlines in my earlier design documents.

That said, none of it is implemented in-engine yet.

Before I move into scripting, I’m still doing a lot of cleanup passes, restructuring transitions, and making sure the emotional beats line up. Act 3 is much heavier the 1 and 2, so I want to get it right before anything gets put into TyranoBuilder.

About the New Artwork

A quick but important note: the new character art is still extremely early. Like… “not even close to presentable yet.” We’re still at the early sketching phase, and nothing is cleaned or finalized.

Because of this, I’m debating something:

Should I…

• Release Act 3 with the placeholder art, just like Acts 1–2 were originally released? OR

• Hold back Act 3 until the new art is finished, even if it means a longer gap between updates?

Releasing with placeholder assets would keep momentum going and let more people experience Act 3 sooner. Holding it back would present a more polished experience and avoid having to re-release later.

I’m still on the fence, and I’d love to hear what players think.

Act 2.5?

While reviewing Act 3, I also replayed the current demo from start to finish about 20 times: line-by-line, scene-by-scene, checking tone consistency and character decisions.

There are a handful of scenes in Acts 1-2 that I now want to tweak or expand. They’re not major rewrites, but they do help smooth out Act 3’s setup and address some issues I noticed in hindsight.

If I decide not to push Act 3 out right away, I may release a smaller Act 2.5 update instead. This would include:

• Polished writing

• Some tone and grammar fixes

• Better setup for Act 3

• More visible endings for each act

• A revamped UI, if I can swing it

Not a huge content drop, but enough to tighten the experience while everyone waits for the next major chapter.

Specific Tweaks I Want to Make (Mild Spoilers Ahead)

If you don’t want to be spoiled for anything in the demo up to the end of Act 2, please stop reading here!

The Act 2 “decision” needs better buildup.

Players who’ve finished Act 2 know exactly which decision I’m talking about. Ellian’s initial refusal makes sense, but the emotional lead-up needs more pressure, more foreshadowing, and more weight behind it. I’m rewriting the lead-in to make this moment land harder.

Roan’s wardrobe logic needs clarification.

He has two outfits: “casual” and “work.” There’s actually an in-story reason for this, but it isn’t communicated well yet. I’ll be editing his scenes to explain the choice and tie it into future events.

Noah suddenly understands diving gear is... not consistent.

He admits early on that he barely knows anything about gear, then a few scenes later, he’s using it like a pro. I already have a rewrite planned that resolves this smoothly and supports his Act 3 arc better.

Some of Noah’s choice prompts are unintentionally harsh.

There’s a line at the end of Act 2 where Shark is worried, and one of the options is “I don’t need you to worry about me.” Narratively, Noah means “I’m managing, you don’t have to carry this for me,” but some players understandably read it as Noah being cold or dismissive.

I’ll be rephrasing this part so the intention comes across clearly.

The Act 2 epilogue needs strengthening.

Right now, it’s too short and doesn’t emphasize the branching outcomes enough. Each act technically does have three different endings, but in the current demo, they’re subtle enough that many players probably never noticed. I want these variations to be more visible and meaningful going forward.

The joke cameo scene is getting replaced.

Right now, there’s a silly “secret” scene where I personally show up and give Noah a hard time if players make a very specific sequence of choices.

It was a fun joke during early development, but it’s a little too self-indulgent for the final story. Before release, I’ll be rewriting these scenes to feature different characters instead.

Closing Thoughts

I want to release this game in the strongest form possible, even if it means navigating a few tough decisions about timing and assets. Let me know what you think about the placeholder art vs. waiting for finished art dilemma, and whether an Act 2.5 update would be valuable in the meantime.

As always, feedback is welcome, and I appreciate everyone sticking with this so far.

More soon.