Dev log 06.06.2021 + Announcement (Patreon)

Part 1: Announcement

Hello everyone, I hope you're having a nice Sunday.

I am taking this opportunity to make an announcement with regards to general development before we go to the usual dev update.

The support for this project has been climbing steadily over the past updates, and I am very thankful for that. Over time I have come to the realization that I lack one very important resource if I want to remain consistent in both pacing and quality of the work, which is an adequate work/life balance.

The way it is now, it's more work/work juggling, than any semblance of balance. A 40h a week job makes it nearly impossible to not be seriously stressed out by the time a scheduled release date comes around.  The simple time constraints limit my ability to experiment and improve on the things I would really like to try to do for the game.

0.05 has been the biggest update yet and has shown me this: if not for the help received by Paz, who almost singlehandedly reworked the entire UI of the game, and Cynical, who helped with script reading, playtesting and plot development advice, (not to mention the kind help of several of you who assisted with further editing), this release would have taken a non insignificant number of weeks longer to develop than it took.

Two concurrent solutions to these problems present themselves:

1) Hardware: I will start looking for a new, dedicated PC, to increase rendering efficiency and capacity. Your support has reached a level where allocating the money for it has become possible.

2) I have set myself a target for the end of this year, that target being switching my day job to a 20 hours part-time commitment in order to free more time for game development and production. For this to become a realistic plan, I hope that Desert Stalker will become a project that is financially viable, capable of standing on it's own legs, generating enough revenue to take care of both my fixed expenses (basic rent and such) and allow for further investment in the tools necessary to continuously improve the quality of the game.

I will still care for the project either way, but reaching that ambitious target would certainly improve matters for the game and how I approach it.

Turning this hobby into something more is both more exciting and challenging than my current day job, so I'm really stoked to give it a try. There is however no realistic way to know for how long the project will be able to captivate your interest and that of new players and supporters, so this decision must be made with caution in mind, which is why I will take this long a time to make it.

This is not a call for more support and I am not making any requests. I'm just being up front with the thoughts that come with developing the game and making it the best it can become in a sustainable way.

To help me make that decision and to be fully transparent with you about the actual numbers involved, I will make my DS related earnings public, at least until the end of the year.

Thank you for reading!

Part 2: Dev update

We are starting off development 0.06 in a different direction this time. The last release was focused outwards, developing the factions and setting the stage for the main story to both progress and allow the context to generate side quests.

This time we will be looking inwards, focusing on the home front, generating repeatable situations and meaningful conversations at home. This will provide some character development and expand on the relationship between characters. Some of the side quests that are part of establishing the general setting will possibly also feature in the next release. We plan for a shorter release schedule this time.

Lastly, a big thank you again for the interest and support for this game. Have a great Sunday, and until next week. ;)

Progress:
Home interactions: 5%
Scene A: 0%
Scene B: 0%
Scene C: 0%
Scene D: 0%
(...)