UnknownError
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Non Bitch Breaker News: Future Plans
🕑 Added 2023-01-22 08:33:20 +0000 UTCI've been getting a lot of messages asking me to expand the scope of Bitch Breaker in a lot of really creative ways. Some people have asked me to add additional characters, others have asked to explore more of the world, and a few you have persistently asked for content involving Max's landlady. You guys have no shortage of amazing ideas. And honestly, it's been really flattering how much a lot of you seem to dig what I've been doing. In case I've missed any of you, let me just say thank you to all of you. It means a lot to hear that you guys are enjoying it, and your feedback is always incredibly helpful.
So what's the deal with the American Dad stuff? I'll get to that, but first I'd like to take a moment to write about one of the most valuable lessons I've learned from Bitch Breaker: the importance of preproduction. What do I mean by "preproduction" and why is it so important? This may surprise you, but Bitch Breaker is the very first game I've ever made. It's also my first programing project, and my first big art project. My background is in writing. It's one of my great passions and I think I'm pretty okay at it. There are two different kinds of writers: Architects and Gardeners. An Architect meticulously plans everything before writing the first sentence. They account for every character and plan every scene. By the time they start writing, they have the entire project planned out to the last detail and all that's left is to actually write it. Then you've got the Gardeners. A Gardener starts with a seed, an idea. It can be complicated or it can be simple, but it's the core idea of a project. Now, while the Architect plans every detail, the Gardener really only plans the basics. They may write a few characters or very basic plot details, but they start writing much earlier in the process and let the story grow as they write. Tolkien was an Architect. GRRM is a Gardener. And as for me, I've never really had the patience for meticulous planning. I'm a Gardener through and through.
Which brings us back to preproduction. When I began work on Bitch Breaker, I really didn't know what I was doing, so I approached the project like I would any other writing project. I didn't do any real planning. I had a rough idea in my head, and I knew how to use google. Over the course of a week I created the first release of Bitch Breaker. It was very crude back then, and the code was painfully simple. I didn't know how to use layered images, I barely understood variables, and my art... well, it's been called "charming." My original idea for the game was something fairly short. I really only envisioned 4 Favors, with limited NPC interactions. As I worked on the project and my various skills developed, my ambitions grew significantly. But it was a painful process. I've written and rewritten hundreds of thousands of lines of code, and drawn and redrawn thousands of images. And while each time I've improved, gaining valuable knowledge and experience, it was incredibly inefficient. I've wasted so much time on mistakes. One of the reasons the gaps in releases have been so long is that I kept going back to rewrite and redraw scenes multiple times. I spent hundreds of hours drawing some truly shitty art, only to go back months later and replace it with something less terrible. And I spent hundreds of hours writing spaghetti code that I only half understood, only to eventually go back and replace it all after learning a little more. It's a vicious process that has utterly destroyed countless games from Duke Nukem Forever, to Anthem, to Cyberpunk 2077. I can't tell you how much I regret not doing any real preproduction work with Bitch Breaker.
So what is preproduction? Preproduction is being the Architect. It's planning the project out in its entirety before you actually start making the game. During preproduction you decide on the scope of the game, design characters, plots, gameplay, and plan out all the work the project will require. It's a lot of work and it's brutally boring, but it's the most important step in any game's development. Going through the process of preproduction keeps you from spinning your wheels mid-development because you don't know what to do next. You know how many characters you have to account for, what variables you'll need to track, what the gameplay loop looks like, what art assets you'll need, and you know approximately how much time you'll need for the project.
Now a bit of history. Due to the nature of the work, most Western H Games that came out in the early days skipped preproduction, which is why so many are caught in this cycle of constant growth and feature creep. I don't want that to happen to Bitch Breaker. It's tough to say precisely when I'll be finished with the project, but I do know that that day will come. I know, some of you will be bummed to hear that, but don't worry, Bitch Breaker won't be my last game. And thanks to modding, anyone who wants to can continue to expand the game long after it's "finished."
That said, let me be clear, Bitch Breaker is, and will continue to be, my primary focus until it's finished. But while I work on Bitch Breaker, I'm going to start preproduction on the next UnknownError game. During this process you'll have the opportunity to help determine what that game looks like. You'll get to weigh in on every aspect of preproduction from character design to gameplay. Which brings us back to the American Dad stuff.
One of my ideas for the next game is an American Dad parody. Enough people have been asking for landlady content that I thought I might lean into it. I've got some ideas for interesting mechanics that could bring something fresh to the genre, and I thought I'd gauge interest. I see it as a slave trainer like Bitch Breaker, rather than an open world harem game, but I'm open to feedback.
Comments
Dread
is there something update?
Krackers
hey man you still about somewhere? hope all is well
Lacrimosa
bro, u still alive?
Chocolate1837
Hey UnknownError would be nice to have some insight on what's been going on in the past few months. Even some of your ideas on what you would like the game to be like and include. I can see that you wrote alot for the new game idea you announced but feel it would be fair to have some knowledge on BB which is why we found you in the first place.
MeTheMe
Hi, sorry to bother, but ist there any plan, when the new update will drop? Can't wait to explore more of this :) Have a good one
lostraven
My advice as a fellow developer would be to focus on BB first and hopefully grow your audience and patronage a bit more, look into using twitter, reddit and other things expand your games reach, and consider running (two) cross promotions monthly with smaller users. I think, while pre-production is great, (Really - pre-production should start with designing an actual developer doc going through all the feature aspects of the game/what you have planned - this will help greatly in the games long run development), focus first on finishing BB as a priority still. Also, consider posting more regularly to engage with your audience. If you hope (presumably) to make this more than just a hobby, even though its often painful and drags, you do need to look into the marketing side more. Hit me up on discord if you want to chat more: lostraven#1726 (P.s Open a discord for BB, it's one of the best things you can do).
Death_the_Tactician
BB is definitely enjoyable for what it is worth. Wish we can actually see some anal scenes and more oral gameplay. Maybe add some ruined hole status.
Twisty Ninja
Been really enjoying Bitch Breaker and genuinely enjoy how the focus of the game is mainly set on training one female character. I do enjoy harem games but your game is a nice breath of fresh air. I don't mind the sharing and cheating options, however I do like that they can be optional in games. That way both parties can enjoy the options in said game. The amount you've learned from working on your first game is really inspiring for the rest of us who are trying to create our own games some day. In regards to the American Dad parody, I personally dig the idea. And especially love the mock up images you provided in this post. Especially the potential of transforming the landlady into a thicc muscle lady. I do hope that it ends up being focused more so on a singular character like in Bitch Breaker though. Anyways, look forward to the future of Bitch Breaker and whatever you end up going with for your next game!
UnknownError
You've got some good ideas in there. Reactive gameplay is something I've been really working at with Bitch Breaker, and it's something I want to focus on in the next game, regardless of what that ultimately winds up being. That said, I think it's important to note that Bitch Breaker still has a long time left before it's done. Preproduction takes a LONG time, which is why I'm starting now. Nothing is certain at this point. And even after I "finish" Bitch Breaker, the mod system makes it relatively easy to just keep stuffing content in there. So I may well continue "working" on Bitch Breaker well beyond that point.
Crisbr
Wow, you are amazing at expressing yourself with words, I was very interested in your game for the possibilities it opens up and when I saw the character's mother and that he already works there and his father said he was going to end her holy shit I was excited to see more of this character too and I'm very happy that you I'm going to put more scenes of her in the game and that it won't be just a harem I hate games that all have just one character and he gets all the women, I love being able to share xD or they cheat... I'd like to see people change dialogues if you notice her changing and becoming different please do not give up on this game because it has a lot to offer because if you have fun between one and the other you will end up focusing more on one than on the other and I love busty and ass women more realistic and, I don't like cartoons just like this blonde I found her uninteresting sorry to give my opinion I know how much you are dedicating yourself but that's how I feel
