Release Plans + Aka's Transformation (Patreon)

$10 backers, you will definitely want to weigh in on this one! Two big questions today, in brief:

1) How the next section of the game should be released.

2) Exact resources for Aka's condition.

Issue #1: Release Timing

This next section of the plot is big. I can either split it into two segments (like I did with Stineford, one update establishing the city and the next filling out the remaining quests) or I can wait longer and release a larger completed section (no precedent for this yet). It is probably not a full two months of work, perhaps six weeks?

I'm not sure which is the better choice. On one hand, people definitely complain about long periods without releases, but on the other hand, people equally complain when releases feel less than complete in any way. I'm going to keep working steadily for at least a week, since there's lots of groundwork to lay, but eventually I'm going to need to focus my efforts in one direction or another.

There are other options, of course. I could make the interim release be a Patreon-only one, for example, which both potentially avoids and incites ire in different ways. I may put this question to the public later, but I wanted to ask you guys first.

Issue #2: Aka's Transformation

By the end of Chapter 2, the spell to transform Aka will be complete. I'm really not sure what people are expecting - some people's expectations are flying pretty high. I've attached a copy of the faceset I intended to use for her post-transformation as a preview.

That's the faceset I've been planning to use from the beginning of the game (it's existence was part of the design of Aka's character, actually). While her transformation is a big deal to her, I never intended it to be a massive design change. People have grown to like Aka, after all, we don't want her to become unrecognizable.

If people want something more dramatic, though, I can try to commission a brand new set. That has the potential to slow down the release or not mesh perfectly, of course, which is always a risk. But I wanted to raise the question in case you guys clearly favored one option.

Those are the two issues I'm looking at right now, hope to get some decisions made within a week or so in order to ensure the next release comes out in a timely fashion.