Games by JimD Newsletter – Publishing Updates, Random Events (Patreon)

Welcome to my 72nd newsletter! It's been another busy month, but I have made progress on all my games.

I'm constantly thinking about the future and planning to publish each new part. Readers of my games always want to know when the next part will be coming out or when a new game will be released. So many unpredictable factors go into releasing a game, but I try to be transparent about each step. The queue for publishing through Hosted Games is at least six months. If I submit Part 4 sometime next year, it could come out at least six months later. Also, note there is no jumping the line. Even if an author of a popular game submits to Hosted Games, they do not move ahead of less popular or new games. It wouldn't be fair if I got preferential treatment, and it would limit new authors from publishing their games. It's just part of the timeline I have to consider.

My goal with Part 4 is to keep writing and produce a substantial release while keeping you aware of everything happening.

In this newsletter, I will let you update you on all of my current games in development.

Let's get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 currently stands at 398,000 words, with an additional 15,000+ words this month so far. I still plan to add 20,000 words this month.

I have been considering two main things about ZE:SH this month, progressing the timeline and random events.

When I say "progressing the timeline," I am referring to the time since the start of the outbreak. In the current chapter (14), it has been roughly three weeks since the outbreak started. Chapter 15 will jump to month 4, all the way to September 2012. This may seem like a significant transition, and it will be. There will be considerable changes, but you can direct some of those changes by your choices. Most of my readers are looking forward to this change, and we will see how it plays out in testing.

The other major new feature will be random events. By "random events," I'm referring to unforeseen incidents that could surface unpredictably throughout gameplay. These could range from surprise attacks on the junkyard by other groups, unexpected encounters with survivors during journeys, sudden zombie onslaughts, or wild animal confrontations.

I have always been cautious about including random events in my games. It becomes difficult to test the game because automated testing routines can't guarantee they will check random scenes. There are ways around this, but it isn't easy to replicate how real people experience the game. Random events could also introduce errors and balancing issues. For example, in one game, you may have access to more resources than another time you play through.

The pros of random events outweigh the cons. These events create a much more realistic experience for readers. Such things as weather events and animal attacks provide real-world challenges. Encounters with zombies and other survivors offer even greater challenges. I'm excited to start writing these events and will let you know when they hit the beta version.

Also, someone suggested adding an option at the very start of the game to turn on or off random events. I wholeheartedly agree with this suggestion and will be implementing it. In this way, you can choose whether to have random events in your game.

Deadbury Academy

I have worked relatively consistently on Deadbury Academy this past month and will update the game again at the end of this month. The current beta version stands at 51,000 words. This next update should be around 20,000 words.

I have received lots of feedback on the game, especially suggestions to add choices or comments related to challenges. The pregnancy challenge and father challenge are two of the more popular ones. I hope to provide more content for those challenges in the next update.

If you haven't tried the public demo yet, here's the link:

https://moody.ink/play/jimd/deadbury-academy/mygame/

Zombie Exodus: Stronghold

I have been steadily working on this game all month. So far this month, I have added two more chapters. My editor at StoryLoom thought that my chapters were too long. This is based on feedback they have received in which readers like to read a chapter for around five minutes at a time. My chapters were over double that. Going forward, I will produce four chapters per month instead of two but cut them down to five minutes of playtime.

If you follow the story, your group is trying to escape Stronghold. I'm excited for these next few chapters since you will be battling against the infected again and trying to survive against the spreading swarm. It's back to zombie survival horror, and I couldn't be more excited.

You can download the official StoryLoom app for iOS or Android (https://bio.site/GetStoryLoom) or play the game directly through your browser on PC or mobile at:

https://storyloom.com/stories/jimd-zombie-exodus-stronghold?id=dec44624-b3a3-0f8b-d7b9-b278fa380b91

That's all for this month.