Development update - 09.10.2023 (Patreon)

Hello everyone!

There is not much news on my end as I just got back from my holidays. I tried to chill out as much as possible before my surgery that’s coming in 2 weeks and I think it worked! I feel rested and motivated though I’m still in the process of readjusting my workflow and it might take a couple of days till I start working at my normal speed.

For all the new people who have joined us in the past month, it would be greatly appreciated if you could click the link down below and add the game to your Steam wishlists! It will be a big help to us!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2454570/Race_of_Life__Act_1/

Few words from Joshua 😀

So, after almost a month post-release, we're seeing a lot of feedback from people that have enjoyed (or not) the game.

As I've mentioned before, I'm actually very happy that there are different favorite characters. I try to give each Love Interest a little different personality, including negative points to being with them, because let's be honest—some of us are like bulls, we see a red flag and we charge right towards it.

There's been quite a bit of feedback, mostly coming from a good place. As you can see from episode 2, we do action feedback, especially if it's a common gripe, such as the amount of texting done in episode 1. We converted a lot of that to phone calls in ep 2 to address this. It's a lot more streamlined than having Jake travel to every encounter, and I think people would get sick of all the necessary linking scenes if we did it that way, or the sudden scene shifts.

There has also been some feedback around some things that people dislike, and I don't really want to give too much away, but part of crafting the story is always going to be subverting expectations. Characters you dislike turn out to be quite likable, and vice-versa. Not just love interests, but secondary characters too. So sometimes, yes, I do want players to feel negative towards someone, and then through the course of the story feel less negative or even positive, and sometimes a character they like may betray them in an unforgivable way. Not that I'd do it for cheap impact—there needs to be a payoff for the player after all—but not every relationship (intimate or otherwise) can be smooth sailing at all times.

There will always be room for some level of "happily ever after", but part of the fun of choice-driven stories is the consequences of those choices. and the potential for disaster makes the triumphs all the more enjoyable.

Other than that, work on episode 3 is well underway. We've gone through initial script amendments and re-worked some scenes that were a bit clunky, including a lewd scene with a character that Jake hasn't had a lewd scene with up until now. From the end of part 2, the story will start to accelerate (pun intended) as we build up the momentum for act 2.

It's been amazing to see the reactions from people to episode 2, and some of the praise has been far more than we'd dared hope to receive. All I can say is 'Thank you so much', and that if you liked episode 2, I think you'll love episode 3 when it's released.

Thanks to everyone who spread the word about the game, all the players who provided feedback, and especially the patrons whose support has helped us push through some long editing sessions and getting outside help when needed.

Oh, PS: There's actually a secret render you can get that I don't think anyone has found yet. Whoever is the first would be a real OG.

Cheers everyone!

-Joshua