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Hi everyone,
this is going to be a longer post. Here's a TLDR if you only want the most important info:
- I will pause billing for next month, i.e. you will not be charged for June
- I will keep working on the game without interruption
- I will post development updates, previews and so on throughout June, albeit on a less regular schedule
- I will release the next game update shortly after the Patreon 'pause'
The overarching reason for this one month semi-break is that making the game like I have isn't sustainable long term. Since about December, it's been pretty apparent that I'm grinding myself down. Financially, but even more so in work-life balance.
I think I could keep going in the current fashion for another year or so, perhaps long enough to bring Estate to the finish line, but I also think I would never develop another game after this. And that would suck, because I do enjoy making games a lot and I have tons of ideas for future projects.
So, the question for me is: how can I make games (at least semiprofessionally) without driving myself nuts in the process?
The obvious answer is to not neglect everything outside game development. Sounds simple, but is very difficult when you have a minor case of perfectionism, and you combine that with a strong feeling of indebtedness to the people supporting your work. It's essentially a permanent feeling of guilt whenever I'm not working, which ends up ruining whatever I try to do for fun.
Most likely I'll need to set clear boundaries between work and free time, and then force myself to stick to them. Perhaps I also need to adjust the time I spend on the various components of my work. I guess I could test most of this out without pausing the page, but since my work-life imbalance hinges on my inability to judge how much of my day I 'owe' supporters, taking out one side of the equation for a month will hopefully help.
Game development will go on. As will updates on what I'm doing, previews, my Discord presence, just about anything. No promises for the frequency of posts though. At some point during June, I'll write a post enumerating whatever changes I intend to make.
I can't release while the page is paused, so R6 will come out shortly after. I hope that's ok with you.
All the best,
Henissart