Mind Drop #4 (12/29/2020) (Patreon)

This is a long one. 😊

Game related stuff:

- Update will be out on the 31st
I have family in town until tomorrow and I'm spending as much time as I can with them while they're here. Updates can have issues that could pull me away from family and I don't want that to be a possibility. More on this in Dev related stuff.

- Week 1 redo is going very well
I'm through Day 3 at this point (though I have some touch ups to do from earlier days). But man, things are happening quickly here. I hope to have it out in the first half of 2021.

- "A day in the life of" subgame has legs now
Work on the little minigame that will have all of the "aditlo" sets has begun. Albeit this is absolutely not a large priority of mine right now and is really just something I'll work on when I have the time. With that being said, most of the layout for it is planned and the first few sets are planned. The first four sets will be "Emiko, Kimmy, Harp&Nat, Jasmine" in order.

Dev related stuff:

- I will not be pausing pledges for this month.
This hurts a bit as I don't feel great unpausing before I have solid consistent releases but I have had a solid month of work and I have the content made for the next few updates and I will have released everything intended for this month. The sort of plan regarding pledges going forward is if I release the content I say I'll release for that month then I'll leave pledges unpaused.
For January that content goes: Two updates that are both at least 200 renders long.
If I don't deliver on that, pledges will be paused in January.

- Apologies for the end of month release
I didn't originally plan to have the update be this close to the end of the month but the holidays / family made me want to slide it back. It's important to me to spend time with some of my family that I don't get to see a lot and I've been worried that having an update while they're here could cause me to miss time with them. There could be some game breaking bug or huge oversight that I'd have to spend time away from them to fix.
Starting with this release I'll be having "update patches"(For pc/mac) that you can download and place in your game file if you don't want to have to download the whole game every time. I'm worried about potential issues with it that could also cause me to spend large chunks of time away. So it's easier to just wait until they leave.
I know I'm still hitting the goal but I just want to be as transparent as I can be since I haven't been consistent as of late. It's not an issue with anything other than the fact that family comes first.

- The Jasmine renders are now available for tiers 2-4. And will be available for tier 1 tomorrow. 

Personal related stuff:

- Not much to share this week. I've just been spending as much time as I can with family / friends. 😊

Mushy-Gushy time:
I warned you guys last week that I'll be getting mushy this week. This is also very rambly so prepare.😁

So, 2020 was a fucked up year for I think just about everyone. We all have our experiences and we all had to get through some fucked up things. I'm not one to think much about new years as ultimately it's just a date but there's obviously hope that 2021 goes at least somewhat better. And as I've experienced this year things will not get better if you sit and focus on the negative.
So this is essentially a reflection back on 2020 and me talking about how crucial the support from you guys was to me and how I'll never forget about it.

Let's rewind back to mid 2020 which was easily my lowest point. I had just lost my best friend and this came after losing my aunt earlier in the year and I was not doing well. When I made the patreon post where I talked about it I was very numb, I had no clue what my next move was and it felt like I was going to lose everything, including you guys.
So I was very shocked when I came back to check on the post later and saw the overwhelming support you guys were showing me. From the comments to personal messages, it was a lot and it was the first moment where I felt I could get past what I was going through. I may not have responded but if you messaged me or commented during that time, know that I saved all of that and I look at it often. Thank you guys so much.
So I took some time and tried to get back to work on finishing Day 7... I had no clue that it would lead to 5 months with no updates. Every post I made where I talked about needing more time was soul crushing. You guys were showing me so much love but I wasn't able to make something that I'd like long term. I would make something, think it was good and then start it all over when I realized I didn't like it anymore. It felt like it would never end, I was working so hard but had nothing to show for it and it was so fucking frustrating.
But it did eventually get done. At this point I had been pausing pledges for half a year and felt very poorly but man it felt so good to finally get it out. Even through that really strange time you guys showed me support and love. You guys told me to take as much time as I need and that you weren't going anywhere and I had trouble understanding how 95% of you guys were chill about everything but fuck it really helped me not implode. It was constant motivation for me to get things done for you guys.
The issues weren't over and I ended up trying to fix some personal relationships with friends that took a hit during that time and had issues finishing an update on time because of that... then I got covid and had issues because of that... then I had issues because of poor planning and adding things that didn't need to be added to try and make up for earlier issues...
So things are a work in progress and I'll never be perfect but you guys have stuck with me and you'll never know how grateful and thankful I am for that. I've had many issues but I swear things are getting better. I have a strong desire to deliver for you guys and I don't want to let you down. Consistency is the goal.
"That seems like a lot of negative for someone who said they weren't focusing on the negative" Heh, true. But it's just setting me up to talk about why I'm okay those experiences have happened and why they aren't impacting me negatively anymore.

Everything that has happened... happened. There's no changing it and we have to keep going. We have to accept the past for what it was and we have to learn from it. I'll never forget the people I've lost and I'll think about them every single day going forward and that's okay. Things get better.
There was a long portion of time where I only focused on the bad that was happening... even if I tried not to. So it's important for me to talk about all of the blessings in my life and the good that came from this year.

Before I started WVM I was a broke 21 year old who felt stuck, I started working on WVM on a 1060 and an fx8350, I could barely support myself and my grandpa, I was living paycheck to paycheck, I had no clear future, and I didn't care much for my job.
Now, I have a beautiful fiancée who I love to death, I have three super render machines, I'm able to support everyone I care about and even help family back at home, I don't stress about whether I'm able to pay the bills this month or if I can buy my grandpa his medication, I have a large support system and a community that I adore, and I fucking love my job.
I'm so fucking blessed and I'm the happiest and healthiest I've ever been. And I wouldn't be even close to where I am without all of you. No amount of words can express how thankful I am.

And I know there are many of you who are still in rough times and I really don't want it to seem like I'm trying to rub it in or anything. I really hope things get better for you and if you ever need someone to talk to please reach out, either me or this community can help.

I love you guys and the fiancée wanted me to add that she's very thankful for all of you guys too. 😊

This really was a mind drop, I kinda just typed for a bit and lost my train of thought multiple times and I'm close to retyping it but I think I'll leave it as it fits the title.
Seriously though, thank you guys for everything. You've improved my life in so many ways and I'll be the dev I know I can be for you guys.
I still feel the same way I felt when I started over a year ago. I'm hungry to learn and get better and I'm ready for whatever happens next. 2021 here we come.
<3

POLL: at this current point in the story, who is your favorite teammate?