About v0.14 (Patreon)
Content
So, I've already mentioned this, but I hope to have v0.14 of Succubus Stories out before the end of this month, or early next month at the absolute latest. I plan for the initial release of this update to be relatively small, it'll include Charlotte's romance (at least in part), some romance upgrades for Rais, and a brand new romance system that will first be introduced for Priscilla, but eventually come to all three romances. More on that in a future post, though.
In addition to the romance stuff, and some other odds and ends, like activity additions and improvements, v0.14 will also launch with one story branch covering about the first half of chapter 5. Only one story branch will be included in v0.14.0, so if it's not the branch you've gone down, you'll have to wait a little while for additional patches to cover your story branch (there are basically five-and-a-half story branches, which will lead into three groups of endings with two endings each for a total of six). I will release v0.14.1 with an additional story branch or two, plus some other content, within a couple weeks of v0.14, then v0.14.2 with another branch (or two), and so on until everyone is caught up, then release everything at once to the free edition with the final patch. Some of the story branches will be combined as they will feature similar content, so I actually expect this to only take three patches or so.
Version 0.15 will probably be structured very similarly, and finish up chapter 5 (and, for the most part, the entire story).
I think this is the ideal way to handle the branching narrative, as it allows me to keep up releases without compromising quality. I really want to stick the landing; I am terrified that people won't like the endings, so I want to take my time and do it right and make sure to give each branch and each ending the love it deserves. The endings are probably the part of the story I've become the least confident in over time, so I'm really tempted to deviate from what I've been planning, but I'm also scared to do that! I might end up needing the time and leeway to try something new and unplanned even if I end up having to toss that work ultimately.
As I've mentioned before, I'm focusing on romance and story content until the story is done. After the v1.0.0 release (which may end up being the version after v0.15, but we'll see), I'll go back and add some additional requests, activities, and features I've been planning, but the most important thing to me is to get to that point.
As for the new romance feature, I'll detail that next week so you know what to expect. I think it's gonna be pretty great, but I need some time to get my ducks in a row and make sure it works the way I want before I reveal it to you guys.