We need to talk about Patreon.
First things first, if you're already a Patron, don't worry; nothing is changing for you. You'll still get the same benefits you're currently getting.
If you're not a Patron, and you enjoy my work and have been considering supporting me, now might be a good time to take a look at my Patreon and consider supporting me.
I don't want to get too deep into things, but I feel context is important. I'm currently in a situation where I can work on my creative endeavors full time without needing to worry about bills getting paid. The reason I've been working as hard as I have is because I know this situation won't last forever, so I'm trying to accomplish what takes most creators 5-10 years as quickly as possible. The reason I need to make some changes is that the first signs of my personal situation changing have arisen. In a perfect world, I could continue as I have been indefinitely, but we all know the world is far from perfect. This is why the demos I'm releasing are exclusive to my Patrons. This is why there are more changes coming.
If you aren't a Patron, the most noticeable change will be in my release cadence. Starting with v0.7.1, all of my releases for Maids & Masters will become available to the general public two weeks after being released to my Patrons. With the start of Act 2, all of my releases will go public a month later. If you're a Patron, you'll get releases the same way you always have; announcements and download links will go up on Patreon and Discord the day things are ready.
The change that my Patrons might notice is the tiers. I already reworked some of the benefits for the various tiers - more to better explain what the benefits are than actually changing them - but the two lowest tiers are going to become limited. Again, if you're already a Patron, nothing changes for you. If you aren't a Patron, this means you might miss out on the current tier pricing.
There are reasons besides money for these changes, but I have a policy of being as open and honest as possible - the money is a deciding factor. I really wish the money didn't matter, but it does, and I have to make some choices regarding money or I won't be able to do what I'm currently doing anymore.
Anyway. Enough of that. On to v0.7.1.
Most of v0.7.1 is setting up the customization system. Most of it will be locked off until v0.7.2, mostly for the sake of time, but the garden is already working beautifully and the rest is definitely coming. The Love Shack may need to get pushed off a little longer, or get partial implementation, just because it's so many renders. Some of these renders are already done, and some of the scenes are already mostly written out, but currently none of that lines up. It's a lot of work for a side thing that is relatively hidden and may not be found by everyone, so it's the easiest thing to de-prioritize and implement over time.
The content for the non-seasonal interlude updates is going to be relatively minimal, but that's mostly only compared to my full story releases. There are still two new Holds coming, both of which are already built, and other little things here and there to keep things fresh. Plus, I've been looking forward to this coming Haunt update since I first started working on Maids & Masters. It's a bit different, to be certain, but I think it's a ton of fun.
The current plan is to get enough of the background stuff (maps, npcs, enemies, etc.) done in between the updates for v0.7.1 and v0.7.2 so that I can release the Haunt update two weeks before Halloween so that it goes public Halloween weekend. That does tighten up my dev time a bit, so it's not a sure thing, but it's not like I want to leave you non-Patrons in the dust without a second thought.
Speaking of, one last thing to mention before I call this post done: I've finally got an itch.io page set up. It's currently only the Arrival demo there, but v0.7.1 will be going there once it releases to the public, and more will be coming as I figure out how to use everything itch.io offers. So if you can't or won't support me on Patreon for reasons that are your own, take a look at my itch.io page for an alternative.
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