Maids & Masters (& A Release Date For v0.4.3)

All of the new content introduced in v0.4 is now more or less what I originally wanted it to be. I still need to playtest everything to make sure it works the way it's supposed to, but the majority of the work is done with Ventire and Augalamh. That's side quests for both locations, four new trophies, a handful of new maps, and other updates to support those trophies.

Not to say all of the work is done. There's still a decent amount of follow-up work that needs doing with one of the trophies, and I still have at minimum one side quest that still needs to be added to Viridius' section of the game. Some of that may need to take a back seat to the main story again, as I don't want to rush myself with the winter update I have planned, and I want to get that out before the end of the year (which is now only about a month away).

So v0.4.3 should be coming out later this week, likely over the weekend. I doubt I'll have absolutely everything done that I wanted to complete, but v0.5 will likely need bugfixing and I don't have any deadlines for MnM until the next Halloween update, so I'll have plenty of time to get any missing content finished alongside working on the rest of act 1.

I am really excited to tell the rest of this story, and backing up to restore all of this cut content has been kind of a slog, so I'm glad it's coming to a close either way. I hope you're as excited for that future content as I am.

Maids & Masters (& Restoring Sidequests)

Having just finished taking a few passes over the maps introduced before v0.4, I think I'm happy with where they all ended up in terms of item and enemy density. There's still a bit of room in case any side quests or similar content ends up taking place in any of those maps, but I'd rather have that room and not need it than need it and not have it.

Speaking of side quests, that is where my focus is moving to. I've got a few in mind, but I want to take the feedback I've been getting (like not knowing where Viridius' Holds are, or having trouble finding the shadowy Maid) and working in some side quest content related to that. Sending you to various locations to complete side quests should help familiarize people with the different locations and encourage the exploration necessary to find the relevant story points.

 

There will be more besides that coming; things like more optional Holds and other hidden areas. That content may need to wait for v0.5.x releases due to time, but if nothing else, the trophies for v0.4 and the content relevant to getting them will be finished. Some of it has already been partially implemented in the test build, but it may not end up being fully implemented by the time work on v0.5 needs to start.

In addition to side quests, I'm working on adding more traders. My original intention with traders was to open up the possibility of trading certain items to one village, taking them to another, and trading items there for profit. The core functionality has changed - rather than earning silcrow it will serve as a way to get certain items instead - but I still feel that system is under-utilized in the current release. Some of that functionality won't be implemented until the second act for story reasons, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to introduce the mechanic before it becomes more useful. That also means that the idea I have for "easy" trading can be implemented after you're already familiar with how trading works. But that's getting a little too far into the future.

For the more immediate future, v0.4.3 should be on track to follow the same development cycle as v0.4.1 and v0.4.2, and be out for the first weekend of December. At that point, focus will shift to v0.5 so the winter update can be ready in time for your winter holiday of choice. The maps for which are already created, they just need a bit of extra attention to differentiate them from their normal versions.

And if you haven't yet, I'd appreciate it if you took a moment to check out my Patreon. I could really use the support. There's even a Discord server now (which will only be open to supporters after a few more days)!

Maids & Masters v0.4.2 Release

 Okay, we're down to just trophies and side quests missing in terms of cut content.

That said, I haven't really been counting secrets and other optional content as content that was cut from v0.3 and v0.4, since those things are usually the fun things I add in at the end of my development cycle. They've been getting sorely neglected as a result of my laser focus on specific aspects, and as v0.5 is going to be a much more lighthearted update that takes place in familiar maps, there won't really be anything in the way of new secrets to find in that update. So, as much as I'm eager to get development started on the next segment of the game, I think I need to make sure I take the time to get this game back to being as laden with secrets as I initially intended it to be before I invented deadlines. Shout out to the people who keep giving me feedback, I needed that reminder.

So, for v0.4.3, expect four new trophies to cover the new content available in v0.4, new side quests in Aimadh, Viridius' Ranch, and Adhauga, and lots of new stuff to find in the maps that were introduced in v0.3 and v0.4.

I've also got some math to do, so depending on how much time v0.4.3 takes and how much time I have left to work on v0.5, this might not happen until later, but I have some other changes in mind regarding trading with villages that should open up the world a bit and give you things to do besides run back and forth. And another idea that won't be implemented until probably act 2 of the story, so I won't talk about that much right now, but it's related to this trading business.

Anyway, here's the changelog for v0.4.2. The download page will be updated ASAP if it isn't already.

v0.4.2
Reworked Alice’s first scene - scene has been rewritten and has new renders.
Reworked wilds north of Ventire - it is slightly more difficult to solve but easier to navigate.
Added another treasure chest and a new secret to the wilds north of Ventire.
Added more yellow flower paths to various maps.
Added a basic spoiler-free walkthrough to the README.
Added more fast travel options.
Added three new issues of Stay Clean Quarterly magazines to various Estates.
Added some spare SCQ photos from Lothario’s personal collection to Lothario’s Estate.
Added an instance of the party Maids to the Beauregard Estate.
Added Emily’s first scene and an event triggering it, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added the scenes unlocked by finding trophy 6, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added Emily’s second scene and an event triggering it, restoring cut content intended for v0.4.
Added Quinn, the first optional recruitable Maid, restoring cut content intended for v0.4.
Added Willow’s first scene, restoring cut content intended for v0.4.
Added a dialogue option to Willow discussing her shadow powers.
Fixed a bug where the new items did not correctly pay silcrow after purchase.
Fixed a bug during the event explaining the war table where a transfer didn’t happen.
Fixed a bug that prevented boss music from playing at the top of Fekhacht.
Fixed a bug where it was possible to get above the transfer when leaving the trophy room.
Fixed a bug where one of Lothario’s Maids wasn’t properly polishing that wood.
Fixed Detail Brush having an incorrect icon.
Fixed certain trees in the wilds leading to Ventire displaying incorrectly.
Fixed item description on Servant’s Vim and Servant’s Vigor for accuracy.
Updated the Drowned Hold - fewer “parallel paths” and a new dungeon introduction event.
Updated several of the books in the player Estate’s library.
Updated the End of Version message and changed its location.
Updated some maps and events to accommodate future releases.
Updated Willow in the player Estate so that her scene can be repeated.
Updated the repair animation for headstones to match the scope of the destroy animation.
Updated the beds in the Edgerton Estate to allow sleeping there.
Updated several bookshelves in the Edgerton Estate to help facilitate Quinn.
Updated Melissa - she should now suggest checking on Emily after she arrives.
Updated the wilds leading to the north forest; new yellow flower paths, various other updates.
Minor enemy rebalance - enemies in the swamps should be easier to fight.
Various additional map and event updates.
Various dialogue fixes and updates.

Maids & Masters (& A Release Date For 0.4.2)

All the missing renders and scenes that were originally intended for the currently released content are done and implemented, they just need some final playtesting to make sure everything works. The renders for the various issues of Stay Clean Quarterly are also done, and just need to be implemented and tested. 

I'm aiming for another weekend release, so it's likely that the side quests for v0.3 and v0.4 won't be implemented for v0.4.2. There's a possibility for a few to be complete in time for the weekend, but it definitely won't be all of them.

There is one side quest that will for sure be done, though: Quinn. Quinn is the first optional Maid and can be encountered in the east swamps. I'm still working on exactly how the mechanics for the event that introduces her work, but I'm reasonably confident that all I need to do is a bit of playtesting and tweaking and she'll be all set. 

I'm also hoping to get the wilds north of Ventire reworked for this release, but how much time I have for that will depend on how much tweaking and fixing the other changes need before they're ready for release. That dungeon should be getting simultaneously simpler and more complex. It will be simpler in that it will be going from a 3-switch puzzle to a 2-switch puzzle. This means it will have fewer variations in the map to mentally keep track of, and it will be easier to avoid locking yourself in. It will be getting more complex in that I feel the current iteration is a bit too easy to solve. If my memory is correct, it's possible to solve the dungeon in two switch flips, not counting the first "tutorial" switch. Even attempting to playtest alternate solutions, I found it laughably easy to accidentally solve the puzzle before making a conscious effort to solve it. The rework should bring the dungeon closer to my original intention, and more importantly, make it more fun to work your way through.

Maids & Masters (& Monetization)

The shrinking list of quality of life changes and cut content additions is still quite long, but before I get into that, I put an elephant in the room and I'd like to address it.

If you're the sort that pays attention, you might've already noticed I have a Support page now. The big thing to know is that I intend to keep Maids & Masters free for everyone. Supporting me is as optional as it is appreciated, which is, in a word, extremely. My main goal is to tell interesting stories in interesting ways, and especially in the short term, payment becomes a barrier to entry more than anything else. Besides, this is the internet. People are already "stealing" my work. It'd be a lot of unnecessary stress and frustration trying to fight against that. I'd much rather someone get their content directly from me, even if that means giving it away.

That said, I'd like to do this for a living. By definition, that means this work should enable me to pay my bills, feed myself, and so on. That's where the support comes in. While I'm currently in a VERY lucky position to be able to do this without needing to worry too much about bills being paid and food being on the table, this situation is not permanent. My goal is to garner enough support that when the situation inevitably changes, the work I do won't be significantly impacted. If I don't reach that goal... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I do intend for my Patreon (and any other future support methods) to be more than just a tip jar, however. Things like content previews, special notices, polls, and so on will be made available to my supporters. Once I have enough support, there will also be things like test builds and other opportunities to be involved more directly with development. There may also be other benefits, as I do intend to create a Discord server at some point in the (relatively) near future so that I can be more directly available to whatever community emerges as a result of my work. There's also room for community suggested benefits. If people want something adjacent to my projects and it's reasonable for me to provide it, there's a decent chance I'll try to make it happen. The same goes for future projects. If I'm not sure which to start next, my supporters can help me make that decision. But that's assuming I get enough support to keep doing this long enough to get that far. It all depends on you, dear reader.

With that out of the way, development plans: There are still some bits of the v0.1 and v0.2 content I want to take a closer look at, but those sections are (for the most part) where I want them to be. The main focus will still be on cut content, this time mostly for v0.4, but there are a few things that still need doing for v0.3 (such as finishing Emily's scenes (yes, that's plural; it's possible to reach an affection threshold with her that unlocks a second scene already, so that needs doing) and adding in relevant trophy unlocks). 

 

Once the girls get the attention they're due, then it's on to optimizing existing content, then adding side quests and other optional content after that. I want to save that for last, because optional content is just that - optional. I don't want the main story to suffer because one little offshoot is giving me grief. I do still want to include all that content, but I would sooner make timely primary releases and spend time ensuring the game meets both my and my players expectations, like I'm doing now.

And if any part of the game isn't meeting your expectations, please let me know. I'm not one to shy away from criticism, and feedback is invaluable to improving the overall experience of the game.

But more importantly, stay cultured.

Maids & Masters v0.4.1 Release

Weekend release! The side quests I had in mind are being more difficult to implement than originally anticipated, so instead of making everyone wait until the middle of the week, I figured it would be better to get what feels like a rather improved version of the game out to people and the side quests can come after I've reworked them into something that is a little more cooperative.

I did a fresh play through the entirety of the game released so far, and found lots of little things that I felt needed a little more attention, and those things got that attention. There are also lots of things that could probably use a little bit more attention, but that's the point of holding off on story development for the time being; so I can focus on improving the overall quality of the game.

The changelog on this one is rather long, and where it gets vague, you can assume that dozens of things were changed that loosely fall under that "various" category. The newest version is uploading now, and will be available on the downloads page as soon as it's done. I'll get it uploaded elsewhere within the next 24 hours or so. Anyway, here's the list:

v0.4.1
Weapon and armor complete rebalance.
Reworked the quest for finding Maila.
Reworked the gates in the Aimadh Ranch Barn.
Reworked haystacks so finding a needle in them is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Reworked Viridius Aggression path - it is now possible to reach his headstone, among other changes and updates.
Added math so that Cumhaill reputation is awarded for extra wood gathered if the floor repair quest is skipped.
Added a choice for Deirlinn's scene when it is first unlocked.
Added new equipment options.
Added butterflies to various appropriate maps.
Added new yellow flower paths that lead to new hidden items.
Added secrets to find in various maps.
Added an event that informs the player of their progress during the floor repair quest.
Added various additional interactions to various maps.
Added Aimadh Ranch House and Ranch back yard, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added north-facing windows to Viridius’ Estate.
Added Jenny’s first scene, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added a secret scene for Jenny, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added Trophy Number 7, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Added Trophy Number 8, restoring cut content intended for v0.3.
Fixed a visual bug in Lothario’s ballroom.
Fixed a visual bug in the wilds north of Ventire present after completing the Hold there.
Fixed a bug where a render in one of Melissa’s scenes was off-center.
Fixed a bug where the new character did not correctly join the party.
Fixed a bug where the Cumhaill trader ignored the entered number but still made the trade.
Updated enemy positioning in various maps.
Updated Fondle to give more SP to the target.
Updated some early enemy stats to accommodate the changes to equipment.
Updated Adhauga and Adhauga Waterfront to be smaller, among other updates.
Updated wilds leading to Ventire to be smaller, among other updates.
Updated various item descriptions.
Updated various background game elements.
Updated end of Viridius Aggression to have special options if diplomacy was attempted.
Updated the README with a Q&A section to address common questions.
Various additional map updates for visual consistency.
Various additional dialogue fixes and updates.
Various additional event fixes and updates.

Maids & Masters (& Rebalances & Cut Content)

After all this crunch time, it's nice to not feel the need to work 15 hours in a day every day of the week. That said, there's still plenty to do and fix and add and everything else.

The first major change is to the equipment. If you paid any attention to the changelog, you probably noticed that "minor weapon/armor rebalance" was a fairly common note. After still not being happy about equipment within the same tier having some options be objectively better instead of being a choice for how you want to play the game, I made a spreadsheet and evened everything out. The difference isn't huge, so it shouldn't effect the overall balance of the game, but it does improve most pieces of equipment relative to their stats in the current release. I applied the same rules to future equipment as well, so there shouldn't be a need for further rebalancing going forward, but I'm always open to feedback and am willing to make changes based on it, so we'll see how things go.

On that note, how is the new content going for people? Aside from a single person, I haven't gotten any feedback about the difficulty of the game. Is the new content too difficult? Is the old content too easy? Is all combat tedious and you hate it? Have you mastered your Maid's abilities and your HP levels never drop below 90%? Are you from the future and none of this is an issue anymore? Let me know!

For the first bit of restored cut content, Viridius' ranch has been completed (short of playtesting and any final touches), so you will be able to explore the ranch house and its back yard starting in v0.4.1. I also plan to add some side quests to this area, which I hope to have added for v0.4.1, but my focus is on things besides side quests, so they might not exist until v0.4.2. It all depends on how much time these things take.

My main focus now for v0.4.1 is restoring the content that was cut from v0.3. Yes, that does technically include those side quests, but it also includes trophies (one of which has been added, and the other has been created but is not part of the test build yet) and the scenes with the new girls that haven't been added yet. I don't want to make those who are waiting for the adult content left hanging for any longer than absolutely necessary, but there are only so many hours in a day. On that note, v0.4.1 is slated to release next Tuesday at the latest. It might end up coming out over the weekend, but again, it depends on how much time these things take.

Lastly, a special shout out to everyone who has been sharing feedback! Even if it's just reporting bugs, being the sole person developing a game means I have to split my attention and time between every aspect of the game, and no matter how much playtesting is done, someone else will always try something I never even thought about and might run into bugs because of that. All the feedback and bug reports make it possible to improve the game in ways that otherwise wouldn't be possible. Thanks for doing that to those of you who do, and to those of you who don't: please don't be afraid to reach out. I do my best to check regularly and respond quickly, and I promise you'll never say anything about the game that's worse than the criticism I level at myself. 

 

Unless you're just trying to be mean. Don't be mean. Be cultured.