Patreon games are developing too slow

[Staimh]

Isn't this just the same effect as any other software development

If a project has a well defined specification with a well understood end point the likelihood of being finished on schedule is significantly increased.

If a project has a loosely defined specification, allowing for adaptation, and then a customer base starts making requests, a number of which are integrated into the project, it becomes unwieldy and stages of development become less focused. New work also starts necessitating modifications to earlier code for backwards compatibility. So the whole development cycle slows.

Solution - to keep schedule on time - have a well identified and specified end point.
PS. (and ignore customer requests - that will go down well)

 

[Droid Productions]

Scope creep means you get "slower" development. A lot of the most common requests all tend to add significant time to development. Meaningful options, different branches to the story, animations and videos, replayable sex scenes, a new render for every line of text... each of these options ramps up the cost of content development. In time, since that's the only currency most of us can pay in.

So as a developer:
1. You spend the same time as you did before you added all the animations etc (and get dinged for the update being too short)
2. You avoid adding new things to keep the same scope as before (and get dinged for being old-fashioned and out-dated)
3. You try to hire more people to divide the work (though... how many patreon games pay enough for one person's fulltime salary, never mind a team. And a team is rarely as effective as one dedicated individual).

Love of Magic is my hobby; initially I didn't have a Patreon, and only set it up as a tip-jar. 2020 sucked, along every every axis, and without the income from the Patreon I would have had to go flip burgers somewhere.

I also make games for my 'day job', and during the dark times I convinced them to make a porn game. It's called Paradise Lust, and has an actual writer, scripter, QA, artists, etc on it. It can scale horizontally a lot easier; the 30+ animating rooms in the game so far were done in ~8 weeks as a number of artists contributed to them, and there were 3 artists involved making the characters. Between that, and there being paid people working fulltime on it, it's of course moving faster than Love of Magic. But it's not moving 5x faster just because there is (currently) a writer/designer, a scripter, an artist/animator, a programmer and a QA/tester on it. Part of that is just overhead and communication, part of that is the difference between something that's a passion project and something that's your job. It's a fun job, but it's still a job.

 

[Deleted member 769954]

Yes, you are alone, like in everything else.

I smell some strong projection

 

[C_Cullen]

Pretty sure someone mentioned it somewhere, but developers of "these" games are getting paid for patches and updates. Not for finishing the game. So it's best to postpone final release to oblivion, the kind of early access that would make EA proud. Obviously that's not everyone, proper games just take a long time to complete. And not everyone can hire as many professionals as Wild Life. So either former or latter.

 

[marmaduke]

but developers of "these" games are getting paid for patches and updates. Not for finishing the game.

Only the case if you limit your view to just what patreon brings. If you check sales and performance numbers on even mediocre games who get a steam release youll see that they overshadow patreon earnings by a lot. Now im not saying all devs are genuine and aware that them making a good and fun game, finishing it, putting it on steam, enjoying the growth in community and moving on to the a new game with bigger support and more experience.
Im sure there are some that really have no interest in doing all that, they just want to make the minimum work possible and have some patreon income to pay bills and do whatever. But generalizing too much based on "patreon is enough, they just stretch it on" is just forging your own version of the matter which doesnt match the reality of game dev.

 

[anne O'nymous]

[...] Now im not saying all devs are genuine and aware that them making a good and fun game, finishing it, putting it on steam, enjoying the growth in community and moving on to the a new game with bigger support and more experience.
Im sure there are some that really have no interest in doing all that, they just want to make the minimum work possible and have some patreon income to pay bills and do whatever. But generalizing too much based on "patreon is enough, they just stretch it on" is just forging your own version of the matter which doesnt match the reality of game dev.

You are also generalizing, assuming that all dev on Patreon are doing this for the money, which is far to be the reality.

Of course, none of them would refuse more money, but if they choose to go with Patreon business model it's because, before anything else, they are fulfilling a passion and try to have a part of their expense payed back. Having been entertained by the games made by others, they decided to give a go at the story they themselves want to share.
Selling on Steam need way more works, something that they aren't ready to do, or just don't want to do for what they just see as "their silly little story with some porn inside".
They aren't indie dev, therefore people who need to sell in order to live. They are pure amateurs who do this on their free time because, despite it being difficult sometime, it's a pleasing and entertaining occupation they like to have. What interest them at first isn't to see the sell number, but the pleasure took by the players. What, once again, doesn't mean that they wouldn't be happy to sell more, and so earn more money. It's just that this isn't their primary goal.

And this also explain why those games take longer to be finished. Not because it make them earn more money, but because it continue to entertain them to works on this game.

 

[marmaduke]

[...]

And this also explain why those games take longer to be finished. Not because it make them earn more money, but because it continue to entertain them to works on this game.

Very true indeed. Thats an aspect I completely overlooked but youre right.