Happy Monday everyone!
Last week was the last part of my vacation, but I still did some work here and there with Artemis. I manage to complete the first checklist required by Steam. All that really remains is building the trailer and a functional Steam build (achievements as well). I also wrote a script for a trailer and look forward to piecing it together. It’s re-using existing art, so nothing too crazy. I also started converting characters from iray Uber textures to PBR textures. This doesn’t mean an appearance change but the skin will have more detail and respond to lights better.
Additionally, I’ve been doing a bit of scene blocking. Which in screenwriting means describing how a scene plays out. It’s what I do before writing out the actual dialogue.
I also want to give a big shoutout to the beta team. There were a lot of variable triggers this chapter, especially at the Halloween party. Most the reports reported to date have been spelling corrections and maybe one or two small visual bugs.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I’ll be back in the hot seat developing CH5. CH4 had a significant amount of hurdles that I had to jump. Now that I am full time, I hope this addresses the major one that I struggled with during CH4. As most of you know, I learned I had keratoconus at the start of my journey working on CH1 of Artemis. It’s been a journey obtaining my medically necessary contact lenses but finally got them just before CH4 began. Those who wear contacts or have someone close to you who wear them can tell you it can be difficult to wear for long periods. Being at my old job then coming home to work on Artemis for an additional 6-7 hours. So I’m excited to be able to pace myself and put in about 12-13 hours of development before giving my eyes a break, everyday. I’ll also be working a schedule for myself. Mondays mostly being customs days, Tuesdays dedicated to scene setups (retexturing, kit-bashing, dressing, props, etc), Wed-Fri posing days, Saturday catch-up days for things like coding, any scene corrections, etc. Sundays (try to) relax before the cycle begins anew. We’ll see how this schedule works out but I like the organization it presents. On paper at least, haha.
All that said, my goal is to get back on my 4-6 month release cycle while maintaining good health. Next week, I’ll share some behind the scenes to explore what occurs during development. At least for Artemis since all developers work differently. I hope this puts some aspects into perspective why certain parts of development take longer than others.
Next week I’ll discuss more about what Book Two means and non-spoiler plans for CH5.
Lastly, I want to touch base regarding the tier changes. I reviewed what other developers (those who are full time) who are also on Steam are doing. And I believe it will work well for me. Seeing how everyone at this moment has access to the full latest build of Artemis, the new system will be T-800 will get access to update patches only and will require you to already have the full game download. So when CH5 rolls around, you’ll get access to the update patch (granted you don’t delete the current full build.) After Nov 11 (when I update tiers) they will need to get the full build from TARS tier and if they downgrade their tier to T-800, will get access to CH6 (again, granted you save the full build+ CH5 patch for CH6 and so-on). TI-86 will be back to progress updates only. After reviewing the trends of CH2-4 releases, a large percentage upped their trier from TI-86 to grab the update and downgraded right after. Which is completely fine, I’m not trying to say that’s bad or anything at all. And since everyone right now has access to the latest full build, only means TI-86 would need to tier up to T-800 for future Chapter releases for those who want to stay in the TI-86 tier (granted you didn’t delete the game+patch updates). I want to be as fair as possible and believe this is it. Some may disagree and that’s fair to feel. But giving everyone a notice now of the changes, a few more weeks to secure the latest build before tier changes. This puts me in a safe place with Steam, gives you guys a fair notice, a chance to grab the game and for myself as I navigate this new way of supporting myself. The game is also currently available on
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One more thing. I will be adding another file host for those having issues with Mega or Google. Updates are generally under 5GB, but I’ve had many complaints saying Mega either hit a limit or the browser gave them issues. By the time CH5 rolls around, I sincerely hope I have my desired method up and running. Which is hosting the files myself. I would like to have servers located in West/East coast and overseas to accommodate speeds. I’ll be outsourcing this job to someone else so I can focus on development. I really hope to have this setup so downloads go much smoother for future releases.
Also, next week I’ll be sharing the three tracks composed specifically for Artemis. Which is the current main menu track and two DJ Kink tracks. I also have one more patch coming that includes spelling corrections and some content that I held off on so I can get Chapter 4 out the door. It’s a revised V intro, archives screen and LI menu. I’ll do my best to get this out by Nov 11. If I miss that date, I’ll send a link to all tiers who were subbed Between Oct/Nov.
Happy Halloween and have a great week!
-digi.B
