Happy August!
Before I get to the progress update, I have some not so happy news to share. One of the projects I've been working on is now on hold, and future plans for it may end up canceled depending on whether or not it's able to make back the money that's been invested into it.
This means, rather predictably, that I no longer have that source of income. I'm already looking for other opportunities to try to make up the difference, but as joining established teams is never a sure thing in this industry, I've decided it's also a good time for me to switch gears a little bit and take promoting Maids & Masters a little more seriously. There are a lot of things I could be doing to try to get the game in front of more people that I haven't done yet, and while I'm grateful beyond words for the support I've already been given, it's still far short of enough for me to be able to live on.
So, if you like what I do and want me to keep doing it, please consider supporting me, whether that means making a monthly pledge on Patreon, buying early access on itch, or even leaving a tip on the free version. It means a lot to me, and every little bit counts.
And if you can't afford to support me financially, share it. Leave a review. Follow me on Twitter (or whatever you want to call it now). Even just leaving positive comments can be helpful - if other people see how much you like my work, they'll be more likely to give it a chance. All of this matters more than you might think it does, and not just because it tells me you want me to keep going.
With the melancholy out of the way, I do want to say that because I'm switching gears a little, it's possible v0.12 will encounter some delays. At the very least, it likely won't be ready until closer to the 5 week end of my 3-5 week estimation.
The maps are (mostly) done; there's still a couple I need to make for the segments that'll happen between the new Estates, but it's mostly down to populating all of the new maps with interactions and NPCs. Then it'll be on to building out the progression and designing all the puzzles.
Since I can't stop myself from experimenting and trying to learn new things, these segments will also be less linear than they have been in the past (in addition to being able to complete them in any order). While the easiest way to do things so I can avoid potential bugs is still to lock you into a given segment once you start it, which way you go about things will be less of a binary choice (like Viridius, where you outright chose whether to be aggressive or diplomatic) but still different from the negotiation segments (like Lalita and Griselda) where the choices you make affect the outcome.
Instead, the outcome will be based on a combination of choices - like those in the negotiation segments - and the actual actions you take. For example, turning around and leaving when you're expected to be somewhere.
I've never designed a segment in quite the same way before, so it might be tricky (and therefore time consuming) for me to get right, but it should present a much more dynamic gameplay experience once I figure it out.
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