Development update - 27.07.23 (Patreon)

Hello everyone!

I’ve mentioned it earlier that in the next development update I’ll try to give you guys an estimate of when the release will be and the time has come. I'm assuming that with the current state of development, we can say that Episode 2 will be out at the end of August/beginning of September. I’m quite confident that the renders and animations will be ready by the end of August, but the development is not only about renders, so I prefer to assume that the release will be closer to the beginning of September 😊

Besides the renders, I have to put the last scenes into the code, add music and sound effects to the entire Episode 😅 Also, I know that there’ll be dozens of renders that need fixing in post-work or even re-rendering. After finishing the renders, there will be a lot of work on the aesthetics of the game, which will also take some time. Beta testers also need the time to test the final scenes. They did an amazing job and most of the Episode is already very well tested and fixed. Of course, you should also remember about the release priority for the highest tiers Patrons. Champions ($100 Patrons) will get the game one week before others, Racers ($50) 5 days, Mechanics ($20) 3 days and Bookmakers 1 day. I hope you can hold out for a little longer, because we’re already on a final straight! 🥳

Today's preview is a bit different because yesterday I submitted Race of Life for a Steam review and I figured it'd be nice to show you how RoL's main screen in your Steam library will look like 😃 This render will be a key marketing image on Steam and will be used in the library as well as in the store.

And as always, a few words from Joshua:

With the race scene now complete, we're in the final stretch to releasing Episode 2.

As we've said before, there will be quite a bit of playtime in Episode 2, so while the development cycle has been long, I think players will see where the time was spent. There are two big events that play out very differently depending on player decisions, so while they took a lot of time, I think they'll be a lot of fun.

As for me, writing Episode 3 is continuing well. I've just finished another scene, and I estimate the script is about 1/3 done. The characters have been fleshed out well, and we're getting into the point where the story is picking up the pace. Jake will be leaning heavily on the people around him to help him reach his goals, which includes his love interest(s). How that plays out will depend on the player, and some of the girls are more helpful (and more open to adventure) than others.

Thanks to everyone that's been so patient. I understand that it's been a long time between updates, but we're almost there now. I appreciate everyone who has provided feedback (even if it was negative).

Special thanks go out to our beta testers as well. They're doing a great job of checking every detail so that the final result is even better.