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Dev Update: Patrons, Livestreams, Patches, Features, Oh My!
🕑 Added 2021-02-13 04:55:11 +0000 UTC
**Updated to add links to 0.2a with Linux Distro and Bug Fixes**
Predictably, Kent and I did a pretty piss-poor job taking a week off after launching our first chapter. I immediately got to work writing Chapter 2, and Kent began pulling together the asset inventory to build our scenes right away.
While this was happening, we broke a threshold we never thought possible. Between Patreon and SubscribeStar, our little game has over 300 patrons now, and we are still in a state of shock. We are consistently blown away by the support we get from each of you and from our friends in the development community.
With that said, and because (as is our habit) we ended on another cliffhanger of sorts, lots of questions have flooded in about when we will release the next installment and if we'll support other platforms.
I'll address the second question first: We released the PC version without a Linux distro by mistake. Here is how we will correct that:
In the next few days, I will release Chapter 1 v0.2a. Here are the release notes:
- Correct all identified spelling and grammar issues present in 0.2
- Restore the "S" key to the Ren'Py default Screenshot function
- Restore the "About" page to the main menu with keybinds clearly identified
- Restore the autosave to the end of Chapter 1 (Page 9, Slot 2)
- Linux distribution included
We have been asked if we will begin to natively provide an Android version, and my answer right now is an unequivocal "maybe." I'm looking into what it will take to do so and what (if any) UI elements would have to be re-engineered to do so. So, in short...We'll see if the juice is worth the squeeze and update you in the next post on our decision.
Our third Stone Fox Developer Livestream will be held on February 20th at 16:00 UTC on our Discord server in the #dev-livestream channel. As usual we will not spoil story beats, but we will answer questions about our development process, philosophy, design choices, and future plans, as well as share insider details on challenges and successes we had while developing Chapter 1! While the voice channel allows only developers and moderators to speak, drop your questions into the #questions-for-dev-streams or #voice-chat channels in Discord. We will do our best to answer questions posed in advance during the Livestream and post the recording later, so if you can't attend, you can hopefully still have your question answered.
Right now, we are working to add a few new major features into Chapter 2:
- Achievement System
- End of Chapter Summary
- Scene UI Enhancement
The Achievement System is envisioned to be exactly what it sounds like if you've ever played a Steam game. We expect to unlock achievements both through completing the game on a certain path or by unlocking images or scenes that showcase a specific kink.
The End of Chapter Summary is still going through an iterative process to determine what adds value and what does not. Right now, at a minimum we would like to show your current points (out of a maximum) and make a note of any major decisions you've made during the chapter which can influence either the ending, or the relationships you cultivate along the way. More to come on this.
The Scene UI Enhancement is something I'm not going to go into detail with here, however there is a scene planned for Chapter 2 that will allow for a somewhat different means of interactivity. This will be our effort to skin that particular cat, and will likely be necessary for some future scenes as well.
As to when we plan to release Chapter 2, once again we are not sure. We are definitely a lot further along with it than we were with Chapter 1 a week after the Prologue released, so if we keep the momentum without PC failures, illness, or family interventions, it seems highly likely to me that the wait for Chapter 2 will be somewhat shorter than the wait for Chapter 1. We will do our best to set expectations as early as possible and be transparent about anything that sets us back.
In celebration of 300 Patrons, Kent has made a special commemorative render, which you will find at the top of this post. Another version without Chasing Sunsets badging is attached to the bottom of the post in case you want to use it as a wallpaper.
We are reviewing ways we can reward our most loyal patrons with benefits that recognize their contribution to the game. We'll put some thought into how we can say thank you appropriately to our fans. We know that not everyone has a lot of spare income, and we want to make sure we recognize our most loyal supporters, not just the ones with the most spare change.
For those of you who have little to spare, but really enjoy our game, there are countless other ways you can help us out. Whether it's boosting the Discord server, using your world-of-mouth to share us with others, giving us constructive feedback, or reviewing us on sites that carry our game, being part of the team doesn't necessarily mean opening your wallet!
We are also considering a staggered release schedule to provide patrons a bit more exclusivity after content releases before it leaks to other sites. We'll obviously listen to our patrons, and evaluate any changes for effectiveness before adopting any permanent policy.
Update: Chapter 1 v0.2a is here:
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It is a well deserved achievement guys. Just don't burn yourselves out. This is a story I just really need to see out in full. Awesome work guys 🥳
