aftermathteam
patreon
For the record:
🕑 Added 2018-08-30 15:47:36 +0000 UTC Since I've been getting a message from one fan or another about every other day for the last couple of weeks now about this, I figure it's time to address this issue again (Then it will go back to one person saying something once a week and gradually ramp back up again. Maybe I should copy this post and schedule it to be reposted once a month?)
Some people have been expressing displeasure at the fact that I split my work time between more than one project. Sometimes when I receive a message about this, it's simply someone not understanding why I do it that way, other people can be a bit, . . . hostile, . . . about it.
Now, I don't work on multiple projects just to drive people nuts, there's actually a couple of really good reasons for splitting my time the way I do. There is a method to my madness.
1. I have ADHD, which means I'm a ball of energy with the attention span of a goldfish. By having more then one project, and more than one place in each project, where I can work, I can easily shift to something else any time I feel my attention slipping. This may look like chaos to most people, but on the grounds that BOTH of my projects have larger builds every month than most indie game developers can boast for a single project, it works for me. I've had ADHD all my life, and I know from experience that if I were to only focus on a single project, it wouldn't see as bug, or as often of updates as it does right now.
2. Wanton Cove is a dark and depressing place. I'm a bit of a "Method actor" when I write, I become broody and depressed if I work on Wanton Cove for more than a few days at a time. While I love the setting and enjoy creating for it, the long term implications of working on it ALL THE TIME are something I'd rather avoid.
3. Which brings me to Inheritance. With Inheritance I have a balance with Wanton Cove. Where as Wanton Cove is dark and depressing, Inheritance can be light and playful. It creates balance for me. It's the "light" against Wanton Cove's "dark" if you will.
4. The Therapist is an interesting deviation from my own projects. Rfpnj has been helping me out with my projects for a very long time now, play testing, giving feedback, and even learning a bit of coding to help run down bugs and improve my work. When they took over development of The Therapist, I volunteered to write some content for them from time to time as a "Thank you" for all the help they have given me over these last few years.
5. Having two projects (I'm talking primary projects, in this case Wanton Cove and Inheritance) with a range of elements in each, gives me a wide range of potential places to work between those projects. By having that diversity, it keeps me excited about working on these projects, and that excitement translates into a better work ethic related to them as well as more passion going into my writing.
So, until next time, always remember: There IS a method to my madness.
Comments
Aftermath Team
You are very welcome! And thank you for the praise. There are few things creators enjoy more than knowing people appreciate their work.
Wulren
you do nice work so thank you
Aftermath Team
Thank you very much for the kind words! Comments like these just makes me want to work that much harder to live up to such grand praise. :D
Auril
I came here for Wanton Cove, and its the game releases I'm looking forward to always. That said? I have nothing but good things to say about your way of running things. You're by far the most productive person on the patreon projects I support. I hope you'll keep up the great work for a long time still
Aftermath Team
No worries, just explaining things a bit. I know development on that project is pretty slow at times, and while I've created a bit of content for the game, I'd hate for people to think the lions share of the work is coming from me.
Troqu
Yeah I didn't meant it as a complaint, but I know it kinda sounds like it was. Just the after I noticed it recently made me wonder.
Aftermath Team
There's other work going on with the project (I converse with Rfpnj fairly regularly) but the hangup they keep snagging on is that they'll get a volunteer to work on something, then they drop off the grid before producing anything. As for the content I produce, they're doing all the coding to make it work (Which I'd argue is half the work.) I also know that they've been going through and improving the game in the background. Changing the game to an "endless" mode was no small undertaking. And finally, they really have been a HUGE help with my projects over the last few years. They offered to lend a hand back when I was writing The Puppet Master and have stuck around ever since. For all the help they have given in the past, and continue to give now, I don't mind helping create a bit of content from time to time. I do agree however that it would be nice to see some additional content from other writers. ;)
Troqu
The only thing that raises a bit of eyebrows for me is Therapist. It's not that you are working on it, that part makes sense with what you said, its that the last 3 updates of that game I've seen have been almost exclusively your character being updated. That just makes me feel like they're doing nothing but benefiting from your good writing.
Aftermath Team
We all have our coping mechanisms. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next, but I've been lucky that I found a couple of tricks when I was young that works very well for me. :D
Mystic
Hey, I'm aware of how ADHD can affect people and how, if they don't have thinks to keep themselves stimulated, things can get messy. WHile I have no interest in wanton cove, I fully understand your reasons and accepted them from the beginning. Do what works best for you, friend :D
