Maids & Masters (& Maps for v0.13)

I'm now (mostly) caught up with outside work, so I was able to dedicate the weekend to creating a new set of maps complete with a new set of puzzles that lead to a challenging new enemy that awards a new trophy. It's nothing too special, nor a mechanic I had originally intended to include, but now that it's done, we'll see how far I go with it. For now, the only use is digging out the ore you can reach in the caves leading from the west forest into the south mountains, but there is another secret to find there. 

I've also gotten a good start on the maps for the new Estate. I'm hoping ya'll don't hate locked doors, because otherwise the new village (which is closer to a small city) would have something like 30-35 additional maps beyond what's needed for the story. There's a good reason for all those doors to be locked (there's a murder mystery afoot, after all) and I wouldn't mind making those maps, but I know some of you get frustrated when you have a map to explore and there's not really anything to find, and I don't have 30 maps worth of stuff to hide. Skipping making those "unnecessary" maps also saves me a bunch of dev time, too.

 

The cult scene is also complete. Well, the first one is, anyway. The big thing that's done now is the "investigation" portion of the mini-segment. It was tricky getting Willow to correctly track all the information you uncover, but after spending a couple more days on it building it out and testing it, I think I've got everything working as intended. You're able to approach anyone to begin your investigation, and they'll shoo you away if they don't have anything new to share. So now it's just writing out the scenes themselves and pushing that story forward. Plus any other bonuses I decide to hide in there.

That's about everything there is to share this week, though. I do have the scene set for how the murder mystery will be introduced when you enter the Estate, but the event itself isn't built yet. I also have a rough outline for how the mystery will unfold, but I'm not sure how heavy-handed to be with player direction. Same goes with how Melissa and Phoebe will play their roles. There are a few ways I could set it up, but I want it to be clear that calling on Phoebe to help you turns on "easy mode" and will not only lock you out of the trophy, but will also take the interactivity out of the mystery. Even if I limit Phoebe's help to a scene-by-scene basis (so she only helps if you're stuck and you tell her to) it'll be tricky to make a mystery compelling while also giving everything away.

I like what I have so far, though. Here's hoping it holds up to what I have in my head when it's finished.

Maids & Masters (& Getting Started on v0.13)

I'm a little surprised with myself. I actually managed to treat my vacation like a vacation. Of course, I did still continue checking my socials and responding to comments on itch and Patreon, and I spent one day working on a scene for a special project that may or may not ever see the light of day, but still. I got some good sleep, I eliminated a couple distractions, and I spent some time away from my computer. I don't feel quite as refreshed as I was hoping to, but I don't feel like I'm dragging myself forward anymore, either. I'd say that accomplishes the main goal of stepping away from work for a while. I'm going to need the energy.

While I didn't exactly specify this anywhere, the Bancroft Estate segment is a big one. Attached to the Estate itself is Magach, one of the two "cities" on Commorance. It was built during the war against the slain Queen as a sort of refugee camp for the Folk that were fleeing battlegrounds, but Masters being Masters, it ended up being actual homes instead of something more temporary. It's Magach that gave Farquhar the idea for Roich, as the previous Master Bancroft used the city as his "recruiting grounds" prior to his death. The difference being is that Magach is significantly larger, and has a standing population of Folk, rather than being filled exclusively with Folk that are technically Servants on paper. It's this that led to the current Master Bancroft, as well as all of his half-siblings, and having so many potential heirs led to the recently resolved succession crisis.

And it's not just the physical size of Magach I have to worry about. While I've tried my hand at writing a murder mystery before, I've never presented one to the public for critique. On top of that, since MnM is the ongoing experiment that it is, I want to try layering the "whodunnit" underneath other mystery tropes, like the locked room murder, red herrings, twist reveals, and of course, the big reveal at the end that lays everything out, all balanced in a way that gives you, the player, the option of solving the whole thing yourself. The trophy for the segment will be solving the mystery correctly just between you and Melissa, but I know that not all of my players can wrap their brains around all of my puzzles, and I don't want to leave anyone behind because they don't know what they're looking for. That's what the mind maze was, and I don't intend to do that twice. At least not within MnM.

 

Phoebe will play the "easy mode" role, from pointing out evidence and connections to just doing all the work for you - if you choose to call on her. I'm less worried about that part so much as I am Melissa's part, who will play a role closer to your Watson, simply reminding you of what you've already done and giving you the opportunity to run your theories by her to make sure you're not missing something that should be right in front of you. The combination of player agency, the limitation of only having a set amount of actions that can be taken, and the complexity of what I want to do here will be quite the challenge.

Which makes me wonder if a v0.12.1 might be a good idea. Before I get to all of this, I need to make sure the cult segment works as intended and finish building that. While that would make the new update fairly small, it would allow me to get something out during September, which won't otherwise have a release (unless you count v0.12, since that released on the 1st). I fully expect the Bancroft segment to take 6+ weeks to create, so having a smaller update that takes a smaller step forward might be a good idea. I've also got some work for another project to catch up on before I get too lost in working on MnM. We'll see where the next two weeks take us.

Maids & Masters (& the v0.13 Development Poll)

Let's get this taken care of right up front - the Patreon poll for v0.13 is running right now! If you're interested in voting and want to support development, or are already a Patron and haven't left a vote yet, you can find the poll on my Patreon page.

If you want to do some reading on each segment, you can find that (as well as forum signatures, if you care about that sort of thing) on this post right here or keep reading, as I've got a little more info to share. I'd mentioned previously that each segment will focus on interacting with one Maid in particular, with another Maid playing a secondary role, so that the Maids can get some individual character development. For example, in v0.12, Ella was the focus, and we got to learn more about her past and see how she's grown, with Alice playing a smaller supporting role.

 

At the Bancroft Estate, which has recently gone through a succession crisis thanks to a mysterious murder, should have things calming down now that the new Master Bancroft has taken up the title of Master - but the murders haven't stopped. This segment will focus on Melissa, not just in her role as your right hand, but also as your best friend, and someone who has survived this sort of violence within an Estate before. Phoebe will also be around to help Master, just in case you're having trouble keeping the evidence straight.

Master Stebbing, who is probably a little too proud of his ability to turn nearly any Servant into a force to be reckoned with, will be trying to get his measure of you through engagements, the "friendly sparring matches" Masters use their Servants as proxies to hold. While Kala does have some history here, she'd much prefer playing a background role rather than reliving the parts of her past she'd prefer stayed in the past. Katrina, on the other hand, has something to prove and has no intention of backing down.

Lastly, Master Beckett is a bit too secretive to have much of a reputation outside of his talent as a vintner, and while Master hasn't actually been drunk before, it seemed like the girls had fun when you were all in Bianca's room celebrating your ability to irritate Griselda. Maybe it could be fun? And with Phoebe's help, maybe you'll even learn some of those secrets Master Beckett has collected. And who knows? Maybe you'll even meet someone new.

If you don't see a Maid here you were hoping to see - don't worry, they'll get their time to shine, too. These are just the segments for what's left of the first half of Act 2. There's still at least 4 more segments left before Act 2 is finished, and there are some big reveals coming for a couple of the characters as we get closer to Act 3 and the end of the story.

Shilling For My Fellow Devs - Romance Games Bundle

Not all adult games only focus on sex, and Maids & Masters is definitely one of those. I, along with more than 20 other devs, have put together the Adult Romance Games bundle, full of games focused on building relationships with characters you care about and telling stories with a healthy level of romance. So draw your bath, light your candles, and get ready to enjoy some romance games. Warning: handholding may occur.

The bundle has been running for a little over a week, with nearly three weeks before the bundle closes, and we already reached our first goal! A huge thank you to those who have made contributions to the bundle! We never expected the bundle to be this successful, but clearly players are in it for the love. 

With that in mind, we decided to add a new goal of $2500. If this goal is reached, fans can expect a series of custom renders and images from the some of the devs participating in the bundle. These will be brand new renders and drawings from the devs that will be created as a reward for reaching the new goal. 

What can you expect from these renders? What else but gorgeous girls, gratuitous nudity, and more sappy romance than you can handle in one sitting. So if you're in the mood for even more loving, then help us reach our new goal of $2500 to encourage devs to keep the romance coming!

You can get the bundle entirely for free - which now includes v0.11 of Maids & Masters - on itch.io by clicking here. That's more than 20 games that are yours forever with a single click!

Maids & Masters v0.12 Release

The cult segment is gonna have to wait for the start of v0.13, because it ended up just a smidge too complex for me to make without delays, so I ended up making the Hold maps a little less empty instead. The speed with which my remaining energy left me once I finished making that decision tells me that doing some sleeping in and taking some me time is definitely not something to put off. Just as well, because I didn't want to delay this release any more than I already have.

Keep an eye on my Patreon for the poll for the next Estate. There's still three options left, so that poll will go up next Friday (the 8th) for all Patrons to vote in, and I'll announce the results publicly the following Friday (the 15th).

Until then, v0.12 is available to Patrons right now, and will become available on itch and more later today. Here's your changelog:

v0.12
Added the next main story segment - Ella’s first Master. Including:
- Two new areas to explore - the Read Estate and the village of Roich.
- A new scene for Ella, a new potential mother, and new random Estate events for Vicky.
- Two new trophies and a new Hold with the biggest payout of any Hold so far.
Added a bugfix feature to correct the East & North Swamps Locations image (for real this time).
Added the gift system, allowing the affection scores of Maids that stay at the Estate to be raised.
Added “invisible walls” to prevent potential crashes from encounters triggering simultaneously.
Added more Trophy 23 encounters to existing maps.
Added a “spring festival” to Cumhaill, which is only active during the Grow.
Fixed a bug where Green With Rage may complete instead of The Color Green in the Task List.
Fixed a bug where the Scrap Wood in the Village Ruins fireplaces would ignite then extinguish.
Fixed a bug that caused the mountain path fast travel options to appear before being unlocked.
Fixed a bug that duplicated Teely’s Escort options in the final phase of the Estate.
Fixed a handful of bugs that allowed the player to stand on wall and ceiling tiles.
Fixed a handful of bugs that affected progression near the end of Viridius’ Aggression path.
Updated Summer’s face sheet and character bust to better match her character.
Updated Viridius to actually be gone after meeting him in Act 2.
Updated Trophy 23 encounters to not make the player jump, potentially trapping you in a wall.
Updated the incorrect description for the Heavy Duty Bottle Contract to be correct.
Updated region map border events to not cause Folk camps to disappear on interaction.
Updated Vicky’s room in the Servants’ Quarters to have unique interaction dialogue.
Updated Quinn to acknowledge when construction efforts have concluded.
Various other minor dialogue and event updates.

Maids & Masters (& Looking To v0.13)

I meant to have this up yesterday, but the past two days were very busy. 

Jumping right into it, once v0.12 is released, I'll be taking a short break. The last break I took was mostly a creative one, and I took that time to make the demos for Love/Loss and Redemption Harem rather than actually taking the time off. This time I want to actually take some time off. I've been working on Maids & Masters for exactly two years as of this month, and I've never once gone through a day without at least checking socials to help people troubleshoot potential bugs or make a post here or on Patreon during that time. If I worked less than 50 hours in a week, it was a slow week. Most weeks were over 60 hours. As much as I love this job, my body doesn't love being worked so hard.

So, what does this mean for the coming weeks and v0.13? Hopefully, not a lot. While I do want to take off a couple of weeks, I've become something of a workaholic, so it's unlikely I'll completely stop working during this time. I've already got posts planned for both this dev log and Patreon, including the next vote for which segment v0.13 will be (though based on the last poll, I have a good idea of which one is going to win). I'll keep posting things on Twitter as I have been, and I've still got new promotional material (like a new Patreon banner and a couple things to spruce up the itch page) that I'll probably be getting done during this time as well. It's entirely possible I won't even be able to convince myself to stay away from work for two whole weeks and will end my little vacation early. The only real impact will be on the dev cycle, which means v0.13 will likely take roughly as long as v0.12 did.

In the mean time, v0.12 is still set to come out on Friday, which means v0.11 will still go public on Friday. I'm down to finishing touches, play testing, and bug fixing now, so that won't need to be pushed back unless something goes very sideways. Even then, it'll only need to be pushed back by a day or two at most.

 

I'll talk more about it next week, but Maids & Masters did join a bundle, which you can get for free on itch.io. We passed our goal so quickly, we've started discussing possible stretch goals, like bonus renders, possible sales, maybe even paid version giveaways. If you don't want to wait until next week, you can check out the bundle right here. There are more than 20 games in the bundle, so there's more than enough to keep you busy while you wait for v0.13.

Maids & Masters (& A Release Date For v0.12)

It took longer to get here than I wanted it to, but we got there. There's still a handful of things to do before the build is actually finished, not to mention a few other random bits and bobs that I want to include in v0.12, but it's close enough to done that I'm confident in locking in a release date.

The test build will go up on Patreon on Friday, the 25th to VIPs. Once play testing and bug fixing has had some time to happen, v0.12 will go out to all Patrons on September 1st. I know that technically means there's no release this month, but there's only so much I can do about that - and I really don't want to give you something so broken and/or incomplete that it isn't worth your time. 

 

Like I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm trying to offer multiple paths that will dynamically adjust to how you're playing the game for Act 2. For v0.12, that means two negotiation segments are entirely different based on your actions - not just what choices you make during the negotiation segments. While this update won't be as large as some previous updates, it's easily just as (if not more) complex, with roughly 40 quest steps compared to the 20-30 that the larger updates have had so far. 

 

Though as a slight disclaimer on that last point - that's 40 quest steps in total, not in linear progression. The Task List, if you follow it to the letter, has significantly fewer steps. It's the tertiary path where most of those steps are, accounting for roughly 30 steps of varying complexity. Like with most updates, I'm trying something new there. The Task List won't tell you exactly what to do next on this path, you'll need to go back and talk with NPCs like in the VX Ace version of the game if you need a reminder about what you should be doing. However, as this is the "hidden" path, it also represents the greatest rewards, including the largest payout of any Hold in the game so far, as well as a trophy.

I hope you're looking forward to v0.12 as much as I am, though the reason I'm excited to get this out is that v0.11 goes public. Since that's the most stable remaster build so far, I'll be doing a big marketing push. If you want to help out with that, I'd appreciate it if you left a rating on itch (or anywhere else you happen to find the game) - it helps me out.

Maids & Masters (& A Lot More Progress on v0.12)

I managed a bit of a development sprint over the weekend. I finished a bunch of scene posing, finished one new scene entirely, and got the first big conversation done. The follow-up to it is also much better organized, and fits into the less linear progression I'm trying to design around. 

Adopting this new design philosophy of allowing you to progress through methods that aren't listed out for you in the Task List at any time as been quite the challenge. Not only can you turn around and do something else when you're expected somewhere, if you decide you really hate this guy and go out of your way to antagonize him (instead of the usual balancing act of getting what you want while not putting yourself in a bad situation) you won't end up screwed over or backed into a corner. And I want you to be able to do any amount of all of this, give your actions a meaningful effect on things, and not trigger any bugs that might break progression.

Hopefully now that I've figured some of this out, future Act 2 segments will be developed a little faster.

As for what's left for v0.12, there's still one more scene for me to finish posing and rendering, a little bit of side content for Vicky to build out and add to the Estate, all the versions of this second major conversation, a few versions of a final conversation (which will largely serve as a fail-safe in case you don't use the hidden path to end the segment early), puzzles for a Hold, and the cult segment that will serve as the through-line for Act 2. All in all I'd say v0.12 is about 70% of the way done.

So, release speculation. If I manage another development sprint during the week, I might be able to get a test build out this Friday and have a release ready for the 25th. However, I have work for another project to do this week, so v0.12 might need to get pushed back a week to give myself breathing room and time to test and fix things. The way development has gone with this update so far, I may just need another week in general to get everything done. In a worst case scenario, that means I won't have a test build ready until the first week in September. While the overall structure isn't that different from Lothario's segment in Act 1, the addition of this 'hidden path' meant a number of things had to be un-complicated and rebuilt before it got into the game so the segment as a whole would work as intended.

As always, take these projections with a grain of salt, but here's hoping everything goes smoothly and I'll have something to share on Friday.

Maids & Masters (& A Little More Progress on v0.12)

Motivation has been low lately, so progress has been fairly slow going, but the maps are now mostly populated. I just need NPCs around, and to build out the story structure - which I've already started on. The first few steps are in place for both paths, a "negotiation" path and an "exploration" path.

Speaking of NPCs, this section does include a new mother, and the preview for her is available for Patrons as a behind-the-scenes look right now. If you're interested in checking that out, you know what to do. I had a lot of fun writing her, but I get the feeling that just as many of you will find her supremely annoying as those of you who will agree that she's a bunch of fun. Only time will tell on that one.

For the story bits, I'm trying to keep each of these segments focused on two Maids, with Melissa and Vicky playing a background role in all of them. For this one, the two being focused on are Ella and Alice. Ella, after all, has a fair bit of history with Master Read, and Alice is about as attached to Ella as ya'll are. This being the second act now, it's time for active growth. If you've been feeling like characters have been a little stagnant, this is what I've been waiting for to get those character arcs moving.

The story so far does require you to progress a small amount through the "negotiation path," but the two paths do function as completely independent otherwise. That means you can turn around to start on the "exploration" path at nearly any time. The overall plan here is that you'll be able to make progress however you see fit, whether that's trying to negotiate this guy into a hole, keeping yourself as far away from him as possible while giving a few minimal platitudes, or trying to do both just to see what happens. It's complicated trying to keep it straight so you can continue like that through the whole segment, but so far, so good.

The bad news is that I have no real estimate on when this update will be available yet. Aside from finishing the story segment, there's still content Vicky needs around the Estate, a gift system I need to build, at least one new trophy I need to construct and implement, and the next batch of shop Contracts to be added once you clear the segment. Not to mention the extra story bit concerning The Order that'll appear once you're done with the Master. 

 

Good news - that's lots of content to look forward to!

Maids & Masters (& Progress on v0.12)

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.

Maids & Masters (& v0.12 Poll Results)

For those of you just getting here, v0.12 (as well as the next 3 major updates) are non-linear. That means you can complete them in any order once they're all in the game. Since I like involving my community however I can, I thought it'd be fun to have my Patrons vote on what order I develop these segments in. The first poll closes now in a tie between the murder mystery and Ella's first Master.

After trying to figure out how tie-break this thing, I thought the fairest way to do that would be to give more weight to my VIP Patrons' votes... which still resulted in a tie. No matter which way I go, there's an extra Folk village to build as well as a new Estate, so I can't really justify one thing taking less work than the other and using my own vote to break the tie. I don't like randomness making decisions, so we're not doing a coin flip. I think what we're going to say is the squeaky wheel is the one that gets the grease, and I'll go by the comments on the poll, which makes the winner Ella's first Master. Well, I say winner, but I doubt he'll feel like a winner once you're done with him.

 

Once v0.12 is done (which, going by my usual dev cycle, will be in 3-5 weeks), the poll for v0.13 will go up with the options that didn't win to decide the next segment. If you want to be the tie breaker for the next one, I'd appreciate it if you considered supporting me. All tiers get to participate in these polls.

As for what else you can expect in v0.12 - I've spent this last week fixing bugs and building things out for the content that isn't dependent on which segment gets developed next. Thankfully there weren't many bugs to fix, so now the Cumhaill Vernus Festival is a thing that exists. The Grow affects farmland the same way it affects trees, and the Folk use this as a means to stockpile food. Since they don't have a way to easily preserve all of it, they have a feast, trading some of it away for things like beer, and using the excess wood from all the extra trees to build a fire as a centerpiece. You can even ask the elders about playing tag with the village kids if you want, but fair warning, they'll team up on you.

The other bit will be starting on the thing this story has been building up to for far longer than I initially intended - infiltrating the cult and investigating your parents' murder. There will be one of these sections after every introduction you complete, which will serve as a through-line to further the story of the second act and answer some lingering questions left over from the first act. Things like what Griselda actually wants with you, what Lothario's role in all this is, and maybe even where your uncle has been this whole time.

While all these politics won't be quite as dense as they were back on the Amaira Estate, all that experience with Griselda will definitely come in handy. I hope you're prepared, but more importantly, I hope you're looking forward to it.