2020 in Review (Patreon)

This has been quite a year, huh? Thanks to all of you, I weathered the year okay, but I do find myself more tired than normal despite the fact that this year went pretty well by almost all metrics. Thank you all for letting me take a break, or the end of the year would have been brutal. I'm glad that the things I created could be positive notes for many during a rough year. ^-^

Growth

This year was rough for my audience. The number of patrons looks neutral, but that masks a large number of people leaving, both a significant number listing the COVID-19 option as their reason and 50% more than average listing financial reasons. We've lost contact with some long term players as well. I can only hope that they're doing well and keep working on content for them if they return.

We also launched the official artwork version of TLS, and I'm a bit sad it doesn't seem to have had a measurable effect. I suppose I've already put myself so deep in the minmaxing or story camps that it isn't what players are looking for. That said, if you all keep supporting me, TLS will continue to be illustrated with more lovely art. ^-^

For me overall, this year included a solid diversification of income, which means increased stability. Even if Patreon and Steam start nuking all adult games, it wouldn't mean the end of TLS. Given that there have been some serious moves against adult content this year, I think this was a wise decision for the long term. I know some would prefer I work on only one project, but I think given the baskets we've seen smashed, it's better to distribute my eggs.

Writing

Sadly, this was a year of financial success and personal disappointment in terms of my books. On one hand, it's nice to know that I could make it as a fantasy author, which has been one of my dreams since I was a child. However, though everything I put out was reasonably successful, the patterns of that success didn't make me happy.

I feel that I was actually too naive, which feels strange to say. When I wrote romance novels, I entered the genre completely clear-eyed about what I was trying to create for what audience. I've written before about being cynical when starting TLS, but being pleasantly surprised by the response. But because I've been passionate about fantasy for a long time, I didn't have a sober view of the audience and the industry.

My intention is to dedicate less time to writing in 2021. I have four books already written and prepared for release over the year, and those could potentially be all I release. I did fail to write a book scheduled for 2022, so I need to find time for that as well, and it would be logical to write the fourth TWC book at some point. I don't know, maybe I'll try some short stories if I'm feeling like I need a break.

Side Games

This year, I really wanted to finish up some of the side projects that have been on my plate for three years now, but I didn't succeed. DStP is in limbo waiting on artists, though hopefully there should be at least another demo release next year.

OEA, on the other hand, has taken major steps toward release. Most of the art is done, fancy new maps are being created, and major plugin obstacles have been passed. I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not finishing more, but I'm hopeful that this project can finally be released sometime this year.

I enjoy being able to change pace to work on side games, but I'll definitely change how I approach them in the future. I started a set of three games years ago, when there was another Patreon scare and financial uncertainty. One of them finished quickly (the second Crimson Gray), but the other two have really dragged on and on. I still hope people will enjoy their eventual release.

TLS in 2021

I can tell you how things will go fairly clearly. The next update won't be as far away as you might fear (work is well underway), covering another open world segment and some major character inclusions. After that, a quieter update with sidequests and a major country-based block for those who qualify (similar to Eustrin).

After those two, we'll launch into one of the last major events in the entire game. Don't want to overhype, but by the end of it, a lot more pieces will be off the board, and the true antagonists will finally be clear. My original outline had this penciled in to require two updates, but I'm not sure.

After that comes the final open world, which is more substantial than the others, comparable to how many JRPGs open up new content before the final boss. There will be sidequests, including a personal one for every harem member, but also some optional content that's important to the central plot and ending. This is also the stage where I'm sure some people will say that I'm dragging out the game for money, but all I can say is that I believe everything during this part is important for the game as a whole.

Once that's done, there's the climactic sequence, final optional dungeon, epilogue, and postgame, as I promised in the roadmap. Will this stuff happen in 2021? I wish I could say for sure, but I feel like I'll struggle to polish these final updates to the degree I want. So TLS is not almost over, but it will soon be obvious how close we are to the end.

My Biggest Failure

This isn't something I've really spoken about much this year, but it's my biggest disappointment: I still don't know what I want my next major project to be after TLS. I've thought about it, looked over the polls, and considered different variables... but not settled on anything. Some of the negative trends of this year didn't help.

I do know what I want to be my interim project between TLS and my next saga-length game. Most likely, it will be a strategy game with less emphasis on combat, trying to give the player more options that allow for a more truly branching plot. I'm not putting any time into it until TLS is much closer to completion, so there are many unknowns, but I think this would be a refreshing switch while also producing something that I hope would challenge me.

Beyond that, I'm not sure. I have more ideas than I could possibly create in my lifetime, it's a question of choosing the right one. I'll invest years of my life into my next major project, after all, so it needs to be considered carefully. Hopefully I'll have more clarity in another year, and meanwhile, you can expect my usual weekly updates.

That's all for this week! 2021 is set to be an eventful year, hopefully in a positive way this time. ^-^