September 2022 / Early October - The Long Cycle & Patreon Dilemma
Sorry for the extremely late update for September. It's one of those months where work explodes and there's little time left to do anything else. As a result, work on the game was very slow, but I have staged a few dozen more scenes and a number of animations. It was really good to get back into the swing of animating (a lot of developers hate animating in Daz... call me a masochist, but I love it!)
I'm trying to dedicate more time to art and be more consistent in fitting even a little bit in with my work schedule. It's been tough, but I'm happy if I'm making some progress here and there.
Well, happy from the perspective of managing what little time I have left over to devote to development. Not so happy from the progress angle. I'm smart enough to realize that it's been almost 8 months since the last update. If I go by the line, I have rendered up through line ~700/3600 of the written dialog and code.
Releases to this point have been split between the first half of the day (morning through afternoon) and the second half (dinner, event, and "bedtime"). I kind of like this pace, but I think there's an opportunity for a little more of a break in the first half of day 4 (and maybe the second when I get there). This would end this next release around line 1700, which would mean a quicker release, so I'm debating taking that approach.
Opinions are welcome! I know I've raised this "question" before and most have favored content over timeline. There is some nice content in the early portion of day 4 that I'm comfortable with leading with and a comfortable "cliffhanger" at that point which can lead nicely into the afternoon. And, for what it's worth, there is... a lot... in the afternoon.
The other dilemma on my mind is Patreon and funding. If you've been following this game you probably know I've been working for 4 years without asking for any money. I opened my itch.io to donations around the time of the v0.6.0 release and have made... $38. Some kindhearted folks have made animal shelter donations as I've requested, but to be honest, I've heard of very few cases. So, ultimately, I'm eyeing opening funding to recoup some of the amount of money I've put into the game. If I ever get to a miraculous place where I can leave my job (admittedly, it'd take quite a lot), I'd gladly do that. Really, that's the farfetched, long-term hope attached to this. But, thinking realistically, even if I can't achieve that dream, maybe I can put more toward the animal shelters after repaying myself for development cost.
The dilemma is tied to releases, though. People typically expect rapid development from Patreon developers and I'm certain I can't meet rapid timelines. If I speed things up as noted above, it might address that. I'm also hoping that given the amount of time I've been working on this game, most would know what/when to expect... But I'd also like to know if I sound like a total jerk for even considering doing this. I'm also interested in what other Pateron-exclusive content I could offer.
At the end of the day, it's really all a question of "how do I get out of this day job bottleneck?" And I can't see a way out without trying to get some support. I hope you don't see me or the project as any worse for that perspective, and maybe you'll even consider being one of my patrons if/when I launch a campaign.
I'm sure this is a little longer/more ramble-y than usual, but I just want you all to know how much I appreciate your interest and support. It's you who play and enjoy the game that make the long hours after long hours at work all worthwhile!
