The State of the Game (Patreon)

 Succubus Stories has launched and is now available to play. Check out the free edition on Itch.io. The current version is v0.1.4. It features one and a half to two hours worth of content according to play-testing. Here’s some additional metrics about the release version:

• Over 40,000 words. (Note that this word count does include some scripting.)
• Nearly 160 individual encounter scenes.
• Nearly 50 unique events.
• 14 perks.
• 43 traits.
• 10 potions.
• 6 explorable areas.
• 15 unique CGs.

The game has been in development for about one year, but I took a few breaks and the first month or so was preproduction, planning, and looking at engines and tools, so you could say I only worked for about nine or ten months total. Most of that time was spent working on programming the game, not on content. most of the programming work is done.

The Patron Edition

If you like the game, you can help support the development financially. Doing so will give you access to the patron edition of the game, which features cheats and convenience features. The patron edition will also receive new content and updates first, at least one week in advance of the free edition. Note that for right now, the content in these versions is identical, however. In the patron edition, you can:

• Increase experience or stats.
• Get money and ingredients.
• Shut off rent payments.
• Shut off “emergencies.”

You will also gain additional benefits, see the tier descriptions for more. One of those benefits is access to the devlog. The first devlog post should come on Monday morning.

The Future

I want to have monthly content releases until the game is done. I don't have a great sense at this point for how much time it will take me to completely implement a full chapter, but I doubt there will be a new chapter each month. I plan to have five chapters, plus the prologue (currently available) and an epilogue. After the story content is complete, I will turn my attention toward supporting user mods, custom art packs, and additional game content, like a new game plus mode or official expansions. All of these plans for when the story is complete are very much up in the air, so don't take them as promises at this point in time.

Goals

At some point in the near future I will be adding some goals to this campaign. The first one will be for the commissioning of a new default art pack in a more traditional anime-esque style. The current art will still be available as an optional separate download, so if you don't like the new art, don't worry too much. I also plan to change the music, and may create a goal for that so I can purchase the rights to or commission the creation of new songs.

Once I get a better sense for how much work I can do in a month with my current workload and schedule, I will also create goals related to how much money I'd need in order to dedicate more time to the project. I currently have two jobs, and I imagine that I could quit one and dedicate that time to development for about half of what I make there or less. 

I don't want to rush any of this though. As important as it is to strike while the iron is hot, it's also important to get these things right. The game has barely been out 48 hours, and I've already probably annoyed my few patrons with notifications ;-). Thank you so much by the way! It means a lot to have some support.

Support

Obviously becoming a patron is the best way to support the game. But times are tough. If you can't become a patron, you can still help by sharing the game and recommending it to others, rating it on Itch.io, and reporting bugs or suggesting features on the issue tracker. Don't underestimate how much these things help.