Status update (08/25/2024) + Work schedule 2024 Q3-Q4 revised (Patreon)

I'm happy to announce that The Zeta Sector 1.0.7 is out to get people!

Version 1.0.7 is actually two updates instead of one, 1.0.6a that adds the new framework to the base game, and the actual 1.0.7 version that adds a new slave cycle.

The changes 1.0.6a makes are the following:

- Removed Helcion IV and Alescia as starting locations.

- Removed swords from the game.

- Removed the holovid store from Jafar.

- Added Elizabeth to Jafar.

- Modified the Elizabeth slave path so the characters would move to Helcion IV after Elizabeth is done on Jafar.

- Expanded the hangar area on Jafar with Neil and a group of slavers.

- Added the possibility to get captured by the slavers.

- Added the slave market as part of the slaver capture event chain. Right now Adelyn can get sold to two parties: Rita and the catlady (hereby named Mistress Catarina).

- Added slight modifications to the Rita and Catarina slave paths so they would comform with the auction.

- Added a new quest where Adelyn needs to find a way to repair the ship's reactor. This quest can be completed through Elizabeth.

- Extended the dialogue box in the strip club so you could get the Caregiver's location from the manager.

- Tied the two missions on Alescia to the Jafar Caregiver.

- Rearranged the order of missions so the ones that come first are easier.

- Changed a possible start of the Elena romance path so it could be initiated with the Hoch mission, which will be the first one.

- Removed the ambush from the Neil event chain so the player could skip the mission without the game having problems with it.

The changes 1.0.7 makes are the following:

- Added a new purchaser to the slave market, Mistress Sapphire (in the 1.0.6 version she was the woman who wanted Adelyn and Elena to become her ponies on Alescia).

- Added new slave cycle for Mistress Sapphire, where Adelyn has to pull carts. The cycle is written with an algorithm that ensures that it always plays out a bit different. This way you can keep pulling the carts a long as you want, experiencing the cycle of pain, pleasure and hopelessness.

- Replaced the image of the slaver on Jafar to a better one.

- Modified the choice "Just... Go back to the ship" with the Jafar slavers so the player could actually go back to the ship.

- Replaced the render in the slave auction for one where you can see their faces.

Work schedule 2024 Q3-Q4 revised: 

In other news I decided to revise my work schedule from 2024 September until the end of the year, so the output would be 75% in the favor of The Zeta Sector and 25% for the other games. The reason for this decision is that I spread myself too thin between the respective titles, and I found myself in the situation that I can’t process any of them in a meaningful way. As for Nel's Misfortune and Stellar Justice, they will have to share that 25% slot, so technically one time you will have one update for Nel’s Misfortune, then one update for Stellar Justice, and there will be three Zeta Sector updates between them.

Now this might sound confusing. But(!) I still have Crude Awakening 0.2 to throw into the mix, so the final schedule should look like this:

September 8 – Crude Awakening 0.2

September 22 – The Zeta Sector 1.0.8

October 6 – The Zeta Sector 1.0.9

October 20 – The Zeta Sector 1.1.0

November 3 – Stellar Justice 0.5.

Originally I wanted to release Crude Awakening 0.2 at the end of the month. But as I kept looking over the text I realized it would be better if the mc wakes up on Helcion IV instead, so she would have to discover her newfound femininity in the embrace of the mistresses, and naturally this will take a bit longer to implement. After the 0.2 release Crude Awakening will return to its slumber, and I will only spend time with it again after either Stellar Justice or Nel’s Misfortune is completed.

Closed votes: 

As for the vote front we have two votes this time that reached their respective end dates.

One of them is The Zeta Sector 1.0.6a feedback vote. In this case every vote counts the same, so the „I think the foundation is great but it has a long way to go” won by far. Which is basically how I interpret the situation. But now that I will have 75% of the output to throw at it, I think I will be able to make good progress.

The other vote that came to a close is the Stellar Justice 0.5 capture event. In this case the Deserters had 3 votes, 1 Captain and 2 Vice Admirals, so it received 5 points total. The Infiltrators had 6 votes, 1 Grand Admiral, 4 Vice Admirals and 1 Captain, so it received 13 points total. The Pirates had 2 votes, 1 Vice Admiral, 1 Captain, so it received 3 points total. This means that with 13 points the Infiltrators path if the clear winner, and this is the one that gets extended in the November 3 update. (Note: I attached both .csv files to the Patreon post in case you are curious).

And finally a note of thank you for everyone who is still bearing with me at the end of such a lengthy post :D I know, I’m just a small dev among the great many, and not everything is perfect. But with each passing day I feel like I’m making progress in comparison with my past self, and your support means a lot to me on this journey! :)