Dev Update #39 (Patreon)

I feel I need to mention this, as there seems to be some confusion: To Be A King is very much still in development. It is not being put on hold for me to learn Blender, develop the next game, etc. I hate that the next release is taking so long to get everything ready, but it is purely a combination of a busy life away from development, some major story issues to work out, and those burnout symptoms. I believe the story is worked out well now for this next release, and I'm going to try and stop second guessing myself on all these decisions I'm making on it. On that note, let's talk about 2022.

One of the things that I realized while evaluating my plans for 2022 is just what a massive time investment I've made in To Be A King. It has been consuming nearly all my free time, and even some of my work day. While one could say that is the norm in visual novel development, it isn't something I'm willing to do in 2022. 45-60 hours a week is just too much for this "hobby." I think the high end of that range is too many hours in any job (except for very short periods), and, as I try to remind myself, this is still very much a hobby. With my day job not going away anytime soon, and my desire to get together with friends and have a life outside of VNs, I'm adjusting my schedule appropriately in 2022.

As of now, I plan to invest about 20-25 hours a week in development. Customs, special renders, and the Q&As will not come out of this time as those add just a few extra hours each month. Th 20-25 hours per week do have to cover the story, renders, code, etc. This means that, with the large releases that are To Be A King chapters, I expect my output to be about 2 releases a year. If I'm speedier than that, awesome stuff.

As for YouTube, I'm going to give that about an hour or so a week, with longer tutorials planned a bit more infrequently. No more twice a week videos, unless I happen to do something shorter, but I hope to delve into more complex things like advanced dforce. The podcast is definitely going to be just when I have something to say (though there is a new episode coming before Christmas).

To Be A King's Chapter 7 story has been through so many changes that I've had to upgrade my methods of keeping track of story elements, what different characters know, and where paths diverge. I've been back and forth on many things with it, including some final LI adjustments. Had a bit of a breakthrough when I realized there were so many ways I could finish out this story. As long as it is believable, I have to make some decisions and move forward. I haven't locked in the complete ending now, but I feel better about my choices for this chapter. If nothing else, I'll learn what not to do for the next game.

Thank you for reading this far. Our MC faces some challenges in the next chapter. I'm continuing with the more light-hearted harem tone of the game, but that doesn't mean that we don't have obstacles. You know, beyond keeping Valentina happy. Have a great weekend, and I'll see my $10 & up patrons tomorrow for our special Q&A.