Really liking the game so far
Hoping it doesn't get abandoned
The developer just posted an update on their Patreon, so I don't think you need to worry too much that it's being abandoned! I've copied the update here (it's available publicly on their Patreon page):
You must be registered to see the links
cover image: bluh bluh placeholder text bluh bluh
Despite the silence (more on that at the end), work has never entirely stopped. The new update is going to be significantly larger than usual (maybe 2x other updates). The story is finally at about the place where I can start loosening up linearity, which means that I can have more optional routes and more reactive content without bloating stuff up and slowing down the pace. As an example of how that works, all of the four upgrades in the cover image can be obtained immediately on reaching ♥ level 4, but 2 of them have additional requirements which that player might not have reached (and, uh, don't get too excited about the one with the potion icon, I added that as something most players probably won't bother with). If there are any the player has not unlocked, the quest description will fill its intended role of written walkthrough and spoil everything.
The current state of the update is that I've recently started drawing the visual content for the update. Usually that means I've finished writing, but this time, uh... the writing has been much less of a straightforward process. Not in the sense that I've been struggling, I quite literally mean that writing is usually a very direct step-by-step process for me but this time I've ended replacing every line and every story beat in a scene without ever actually making a decision to rework the scene. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh, and as can be seen from the image, the code side of new upgrades is now done. Adding an upgrade isn't necessarily difficult, but I had fun discovering that I had hard-coded the existing potion as the only possible potion in the game.
---
Okay, so, the silence - my mental health has been a lot of hard work for many years now, and I'm pretty okay with where I am, but... I can't really promise that I'm terribly stable. Which is not really a problem for me, but it might be a problem for you if you're considering supporting. If you want to support, keep in mind that I might occasionally more-or-less disappear (but never permanently); and it's *completely reasonable* if this changes your mind and you choose not to support because of it.
I guess that's a disclaimer I should have added a long time ago, but, well, better late than never. I want to comment that my cheery positive attitude has been entirely sincere, though - I always try to find joy wherever I can.
Hopefully I'll see you next week.