Maids & Masters (& A v0.6 Release Date!)

I cannot put into words the amount of joy and relief I am feeling right now.

v0.6 is functionally done.

Everything is implemented. The final event works, which is something I'm not sure I was able to accomplish ever, never mind in time for this weekend. I managed to figure out not one, but two things that should make scripting in the future much, much easier.

There's even a new feature I've implemented. Due to the structure of MnM, it sadly isn't something I expect to be able to implement across the entire game, but I'm glad to have learned it and I'm hoping to make good use of it in the future.

I do still have some testing to do. My test save is bugged because apparently one character's class data is something that was lost when other files got corrupted, but that has since been fixed. I just need to go back to the save that's set before the v0.6 content and get a few fresh test waves done, fix any other issues I find, and put it in your hands.

I intend for it to be in your hands this Friday. I'm really looking forward to what the reception will be like, and figuring out the new things I have has re-kindled the fire that had been so thoroughly doused by the recent difficulties.

I can't wait to hear what you all think of this update, because I love it.

(inb4 thx I hate it)

Maids & Masters (& And Some Overdue v0.6 Optimism)

I'm finally nearly back to where I was before technical issues led to lost work. I'm still a little shy of where the main story was at before, and I need to finish up the alternate ending that ties into a different side quest for one of the side quests, but I have lots of other work done that wasn't done before.

Since any kind of deadline was completely thrown out the window when that work was lost, I took the opportunity to implement something that I had initially skipped due to time constraints and not really liking the way it was coming together. Now I'm a little happier with the side quest in question and a version of the cut content is properly included. If you're curious about what that content is, I made a post of related renders on my Patreon, and those renders are available at all tiers.

In addition to that, all of the renders are done, and all but one of the repeatable versions of the scenes have been written out. That's usually some of the last work I do, but with everything that happened and the effect that had on me, I used that work as a sort of springboard to get back into working on everything else.

Being totally honest, I'm still not quite 100%, but things are mostly back to normal. If I don't run into any other issues, I might be able to convince myself to put in a few longer work days to get at least the side quests and main story done. If I manage that, v0.6 will be out for supporters this Friday, with the remaining content (as there are things outside of the core progression that you should be able to do, but you currently can't go do them) coming in v0.6.x releases.

If I can't manage to get a release out this weekend, there will definitely be a release the following Friday.

Maids & Masters (& Recovering v0.6)

Continuing work on v0.6 has been considerably slower than I'd like it to be, but shortly after posting last week's update I encountered issues with further data corruption. As if that wasn't bad enough, after posting the cut scene renders on Patreon on Friday, I discovered a hardware issue that I needed to address, as if it ended up being as bad as I feared, I wouldn't be able to continue working until I replaced the hardware in question.

Thankfully it ended up not being as bad as I had feared, but it did put a near-complete stop on my work in the interim. All of this on top of the damage to my motivation has made recovering the lost progress on v0.6 an excruciatingly painful process. I still feel like I owe an apology to anyone who has been following me through all of this and is currently waiting for v0.6 to come out, but I promise I've been doing what I can to keep working.

Things should mostly be back to normal now. I just need to get back into the swing of things, find my groove again, and v0.6 will be out soon(tm). I do also have a few other things in the works that I had intended to wait until after v0.6 was released to the public and I maybe had a bugfix update or two out, but that apparently wasn't in the cards, so the release cadence for the other things will be really weird.

I just hope all of these issues are more or less behind me now. It's really soul crushing losing all this work, and I'm way beyond tired of finding new ways to circumvent potential issues from occurring again, especially when they're completely outside of my control.

And a special shout out to my Patrons. You've been really patient while I've been working through all this. You're my favorite people. Thank you.

Maids & Masters (& Lost Progress on v0.6)

I genuinely don't know why this update has to be so painful to work on.

I was initially ready to get back from my week-long social obligation having brought some work along with me to say I had completed most, if not all, of the renders while I was gone, put up a Patreon post to share progress, and spend this update informing everyone that all of the side quests were done, all but one of the trophies was implemented, and the main story was between 80 and 90% done. Then I actually got back.

It turns out that somewhere along the line, the portable hard drive I keep the majority of my work on had gotten partially corrupted. I've only just exhausted my last attempt to recover the lost work. It is my incredible displeasure to report that none of the attempts bore any fruit. I do still have a backup I can work from, so all is not lost and the update will still be complete eventually, but this is yet another set-back. Given the nature of the corruption, I can't say for certain exactly how much work was lost. In terms that are relevant to those who have been waiting for v0.6 to release, we've gone from v0.6 possibly coming out this weekend to having no idea when it will be ready.

For the sake of my Patrons - I do still have something to share. That post will go up this Friday. As for v0.6, that will hopefully be available to my Patrons the following weekend, but it may be another week or two afterwards. I will keep working, and v0.6 will come out, but I need some time to reassemble the broken mess that is the remains of my drive to continue.

Here's hoping that process isn't as arduous as all of this has been.