I know you take your time for the creation of a new episode that you need and the results prove that it is the right way. But i must admit that roundabout one year between episode 9 and 10 was a long wait for me. Do you think about strategies to shorten this time without pressuring yourself?
I always try to optimize my workflow, but I can't work more or faster than I already do. I'm working at full capacity, and this is what it will be like until the game is completed.
I can't create the same quality episodes without cutting content or rushing the development, and I don't want that. The long development times don't bother me. Making games of this quality takes time and even back when I made Acting Lessons and released one episode per month, some players wanted me to put out episodes even faster - it's ridiculous when you think about it.
At first, from a developer's point of view, it makes you feel like you never will be good enough. Despite working on and thinking about the game all day, there is somehow a way for you to work harder. But with time, I realized that impatience is the players' problem to solve, not mine, and it shouldn't be allowed to cause me stress, so it doesn't.
It is a long time to wait, but games are made by humans who have their own lives on top of work, and that gets lost when you're waiting for a product. I'm guilty of doing that, too, with games that I am excited about. I don't think about the people creating the games, how hard they are working, or what they are going through; I only want to play their games. It's something worth reflecting on, but it can be hard to relate to if you're not working in this business or under a lot of pressure. I can only recommend finding ways to fill your days so that the wait time doesn't feel too long. Find more things to do that you love, and time will pass faster.