It's Saucy Time: Year 2 Wrapup (Patreon)

Greetings, lovely men & ladies of culture! Lucid-chan here 🍸❤️!
Hijacking the dev blog from PDD for a sweet wrap-up of Lucid Realm's rollercoaster year. Buckle up, darlings! Shred & Tear just finished its second year in the oven – challenging, but full of love. It's been a wild ride, never backing down, always adding that secret spice. Here's to more gaming adventures and a sprinkle of magic in the mix! Cheers! Let's get right into it~

💥CHAPTER 1: A YEAR TO REVAMP TO THE SYSTEM FOR SCALING UP!

Q: How do you feel, ending year 2 already!

PDD: Procrastinating is my middle name... just kidding! lol. Two years in the game-making kitchen, and oh well, it's been a feast. Learned more than I did in college (no offense, professors). Made loads of mistakes – call it our secret sauce (& pains too). Delayed some deadlines, but hey, it's all for that fine dining experience we're cooking up for you players. Stay hungry, stay foolish right? Kajun tastes best when it's done properly. So hopefully I could wrap it up this year 2024!

Q: What have you done most of this year?

PDD: I've been hard at work fortifying the game's backbone and reinforcing the core system to ensure a seamless experience and scalable gameplay. Picture it like giving our game a sturdy exoskeleton – fewer bugs more fancy skills and gameplay, and of course - compatibility across various platforms and devices. I've delved deep into Unreal Engine wizardry, optimizing the visuals, and fine-tuning the structure & architecture so it can handle various aspects of the gameplay from damage handling, moveset design to AI behaviors. It's not just a game; it's a full-course fine dining experience, and I have to ensure every dish is served carefully and in harmony. With the scale-up of Shred & Tear's world, I'm doubling down to maintain stability as we still have new levels, gameplay types, and experiences. It's like crafting the perfect recipe; each ingredient matters for the overall flavor. Oh and the most complex system I have been working on in 2023 is the way Kajun gonna "gory-kill" those poor Tentamons, making these sweet eye-candy QTE blend seamlessly with gameplay.

Q: We have quite a lot of new attacks, can you list your top 3 this year?

PDD: If I had to pick my top three moves, they'd all be the jaw-dropping Gory Kills.
First up, the Tentamon Gory Kill – it's like a dark, twisted rendition of that famous "Dumb Ways to Die" episode where eyes end up as juice.

Then, there's the Squalomon Gory Kill – you know the saying "break a leg"? Well, she literally did it.

Lastly, the Salumon Gory Kill – Kajun's got a knack for breaking things, and this one's a masterpiece in mayhem. It's like turning chaos into an art form.

Q: What do you focus mostly on during the revamp of all the enemies of Lucid Realm?

PDD: Initially, I thought about making those tentacle monsters cute – you know, the kind you might find in a quirky anime or cheesy cartoon. But then, I felt the urge to turn up the intensity with more gore and cysts. It just made sense; Kajun needed enemies that matched her intensity. The juxtaposition of the grotesque against a fiery mecha girl adds that extra layer of challenge. Some say they are too cute to kill, so I gotta make them into the "hideous" realm.And let's talk bosses – whether it's the Witch, Shark Girl, Overlord, or the big bad boys Salumon & Squalomon, they're all rocking the badass vibe. It's like assembling an all-star team of formidable foes.The Millennium Witch

Salumon

Squalomon

💥CHAPTER 2: A NEW ERA OF VILLAIN (Featuring Shark Girl)

Q: Sharkieeeeeee

Shark Girl (SG): Stop that, it sounds like "shake it"! My official name badge is NOT supposed to be revealed YET. So keep Quiet!

Q: Alright, no more jokes. Are you surprised with the love & support so far?

SG: Suprised? Nooo, I have the pretty privileges, used to it for YEARS, thousands of them. Femme fatale flows in me. I have no doubt that my followers (mainly Tentamons and Squalomons) always admire me and shower me with all the love they have as if their lives depend on it (literally). But I NEED MORE !!!

Q: What is your favourite part of being a shark-based MERC?

SG: I can end lives on a daily basis, even without the equipped armor. My sharp teeth really make it really easy to chew things! *sending love hickey to all my supporters!!!*. But my armor is really what makes things spicy. Look at those laser blades!PDD: add note*: well Shark-chan design is not based on a regular shark, but a tiger shark to be precise. That's why she has the blade design.

Q: One last question, what's your favourite dishes Shark-chan?

SG: Fresh Crawfish of course, with cajun sauce *smirk*. I gonna crush that little Kajun like a lollipop.Bring it ON!

💥CHAPTER 3 - UPCOMING PLAN FOR S&T (back with our PDD)

A: What do you have in mind for the new year 2024?

PDD: My New Year's resolution? Well, it's not full HD, that's for sure, I just bought myself a 4k monitor just for coding. Oh you mean New Year plan right? I'm aiming to turbocharge my programming skills and Game Design architecture stuff. It's time for some finesse in the gameplay and mechanics. Because let's face it, no one likes a game that's as glitchy as my morning coffee maker and as frustrated as my Piano teacher teaching me. I have almost done the core system so what's left is the level design and content populating, I'm trying to Release the FINAL GAME this year (cry of a perfectionist) !!
I can't wait to jump in and shred those Tentamon again in full scale!

A: What will be introduced specifically *eagerly nods* - Is it what im looking for?

PDD: How can I forget haha, just want to see if you remember ;). Lucid Studio mode is about to be served on your plate, and it's a small sandbox mode as a small gift for our beloved supporters to play with our Kajun-chan while waiting for the main course. Picture this - a small, relaxing sandbox mode where Kajun kicks back, unwinds, and has an absolute blast. I might sprinkle in a few extra goodies down the line, but let's keep the main course focused on Shred & Tear. Lucid Studio is like a delightful side dish, perfectly complementing the main gaming feast. So get ready for a taste of both worlds!

You can do some maintenance work with Kajun-chan in this mode!

Or even scrubbing blood stains off Kajun-suit after battles! (well given you haven't taken the suit off, have you?)

Or you can just sit back and enjoy the full OST of Shred&Tear.

A taste of personal me!💥CHAPTER 4: OUR FRIENDS & ACHIEVEMENTS!

Q: Who joined hands with you this year to build Lucid Realm?

PDD: Good old folks!
It's Lily, my full-stack assistant (she is doing both the front & back office work!).
Shady and his lewd kart, have been such a great support system for my game.
Ohara-san, the artist doing the base works for all our Omake-comic so far !
Lucas Tuttle - the composer behind the badass Music of Shred & Tear.
Ribbonizer - our beloved dedicated mod!
And you *pointing to the camera* my beloved supporters, ladies and men of culture!


And you don't even thank me? You can't spell awesome without ME you know?

Q: Let's go through the numbers, shall we?

PDD: Why not, let's go!

We gained 637204 impressions on the Steam storefront and a total of 113,064 visits!
Total wishlist at this point of Dec 31 - 38,000 - A HUGE NUMBER for an indie game like us - thank you so so much!- thank you so so much!

And out of that 38000 wishlists, there are 275 people decided to support us on Patreon. How good is that? Honestly, I didn't know what I did to get this much love!

That's our year two wrap! Looking forward to the journey with you guys~
-Lucid-chan <3