Thoughts about November and December -
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Hey there!
This is a big news post about how UoP development is shaping up for next two months and what you can expect for the rest of the year.
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So, let me start by saying that back in October, I caught COVID. It was a pretty tough experience, probably because it was my first encounter with that disease. But the good news is I'm totally fine now. However, what really matters is that I had to take a break and stay in bed for nearly two weeks because of the illness. As a result, the update will be a bit delayed compared to the original plan. I had initially set it for the end of October, but now it's looking more like the first half of November.
Next up, UoP is about to turn 3 years old at the beginning of November. It's been quite a journey, and I'm sure there's more to come. In one of my previous news posts, I talked about plans to celebrate this milestone with some special events. I also intended to take a short break from development right after I finish with them, lasting until the end of November. But then I got hit with COVID, and you can imagine how that messed up my original plan.
So, to sum up what's happening in November/December:
- First and foremost, I'm putting the final touches on the 1.3.5 update. I should have it wrapped up by November 10.
- Next, I'm diving into a special anniversary update, consisting of one my event and two events chosen through special polls. I'm aiming to have this update ready at the crossroads of November and December.
- After that, I've got one or two more special events in mind, this time in honor of Christmas and New Year's Day. They'll be the final pieces of content for 2023.
- To cap off the year, I'm taking a 2-week break at the end of December (which was originally scheduled to take place in November).
- Custom renders, wallpapers, and news will continue to roll out as usual. Patrons at the $5+ level will have the chance to vote for the first-anniversary event, and those at the $30+ level can also cast their votes for the second-anniversary event. Details about voting events for Christmas and The New Year will be coming your way later.
I understand that not everyone is into special events
(since they're not considered canon) and want to get regular updates ASAP. But honestly, I'd prefer not to dive into development on the 1.4.0 update this year. I've got less than 2 months to pull it off, and I also need to create at least one special event for both the UoP anniversary and Christmas/New Year's. Plus, there are big holidays coming up, and I'd like to enjoy them instead of being glued to my computer, desperately trying to meet an update deadline. Of course, I could start the development of the 1.4.0 update in December and finish it in January, but I don't want to do that because it might get chaotic with the holidays.
On top of all this, I still have a ton of work to do on redesigning the early UoP updates. I need to dedicate at least a week in December to tackle this task; otherwise, I'll never finish the remake. By the way, once it's ready, that version will be published on Steam.
I'm also not ruling out the possibility that during these two months, I might find the time and motivation to start working on the 1.4.0 update.
Ideally, I'd love to pause my Patreon page so that none of my current patrons are charged for subscriptions in November and December. Unfortunately, after switching to charging every month on the subscription date instead of the 1st of every month as it used to be, I can't pause my page without affecting new subscribers' access to paid content. They just can't make a pledge while my page is on pause. It's a Patreon rule that I can't change. Some of UoP fans had significant issues with this last year. So, it makes more sense to me to not pause my page and keep it open for new patrons to subscribe. I mean, if you're a current patron and you're not on board with my plans for the next couple of months, you can simply cancel your subscription and come back later.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback on all of this. Maybe you have questions, thoughts, or anything else to share. Feel free to drop them in the comments section.
Just in case I might have forgotten to mention something important here, be sure to check out this post in a few days. I'll be adding any new information right at the very beginning of the post.
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Best wishes,
Dream Now