Bobbyboy Productions
patreon
Dev log and Happy Anniversary! November 18th, 2024
🕑 Added 2024-11-18 13:05:38 +0000 UTCHey guys, it's time for another dev log.
Well, it's been a busy month and through all the hustle and bustle of wrapping up chapter six and continuing work on the very late Halloween special among other side projects, I completely forgot that we missed the anniversary of The East Block! Warning, this is a long one.
Skip the next several paragraphs for the dev log info at the end.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I released the first chapter of this game into the digital ether. At the time, I didn’t expect much—and for a while, that’s exactly what I got. Back then, I had just three followers on Patreon, none of whom interacted with my posts. I even began wondering if they were pity subscribers sent by Patreon itself to encourage me to keep going.
The day I launched Chapter One, I found myself obsessively refreshing both itch and Patreon every thirty minutes, hoping for some sign of activity. But there was nothing—no downloads, no comments, no likes. Secretly, I had dreamed of a smashing success, imagining dozens of people downloading the game and subscribing immediately. I had hoped for a result that exceeded my wildest expectations. Instead, reality hit hard.
Feeling discouraged, I shut down my computer and decided to use the last two hours of free time that day at the gym. Afterward, I met my wife and daughter for a late lunch and some shopping at the mall. As we walked, my wife hooked her arm through mine, pulled me close, and told me she was proud of me. That simple gesture meant the world because, truthfully, the last few years had been rough.
I had transitioned to a new career in IT, expecting it to be better than my previous role in sales, only to find myself regretting the decision more with each passing day. While the income was stable, the work was uninspiring. About a year before starting this project, my wife and I were playing an adult visual novel when she turned to me and said, “You should make one of these.”
My immediate response was disbelief. I didn’t know how to code, work with 3D modeling, or do anything related to game development. It all felt too overwhelming. But that night, she kept bringing it up, brainstorming ideas for the kind of game I could create. The more we talked, the more I began to think, “Maybe this is worth trying.”
I started researching—watching tutorials on Daz Studio, Renpy coding, and post-work techniques. Once I had a foundational understanding of the tools, I installed the software, invested a few hundred dollars in assets, and started experimenting. To my surprise, I quickly fell in love with the process. Bringing ideas to life through cinematic scenes, lighting, shadows, and posing was exhilarating. After a few days, I showed my wife my work, and she was blown away by how quickly I was learning, and so was I.
After months of practice and creating a test visual novel, I felt ready to start working on the real thing. I began on August 1 and finished Chapter One by November 1st. After some polishing, I decided it was ready for release on Patreon.
When we got home from the mall that day, I checked my Patreon again, not expecting much. What I saw left me speechless—37 new patrons! My heart pounded as I read through dozens of comments and messages on the release post. On itch, I had 19 sales, and notifications of new subscribers and purchases kept rolling in. It was one of the biggest highs of my life, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
One patron mentioned they found the game through a popular VN forum. Out of curiosity, I checked, and to my surprise, there were already several pages of discussion about it. People were engaging with something I had created. Sure, some hated it, but that’s the nature of any creative work. The support, however, far outweighed the criticism.
Over the next few months, the subscribers kept coming, and I started to see the possibility of recouping the thousands I had invested. Eventually, I broke even and began saving money. More importantly, I realized I could turn this passion project into a sustainable side career.
Fast forward to today: I’m incredibly grateful to all of you for your amazing support. Thanks to you, I’m living a dream I didn’t think was possible. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than creating this game, and I’m thrilled to think about the future—this is just the beginning.
Thank you for making this journey possible. Now, let’s dive into the dev log!
So, chapter six was a complete success, all things considered. Most people really seemed to enjoy it and I have received very few messages pointing out negative aspects. Having said that, if anyone has criticism or suggestions, please don't hesitate to message me or make a comment on this post. I welcome anything you guys have to say as it can only help with development in the future.
'The Halloween special is coming along great and it should be ready late this week. I apologize for not meeting release dates with this most recent dev cycle. I'll try to do better next time and have more reasonable time lines that I can actually hit.
As for chapter seven of The East Block, I have all the sets built and any new characters finalized and all the characters are dressed up and ready for posing for the scenes. The showcase scene for this chapter will be the beach. There will be a lot going on and a lot of different choices and outcomes will be possible. The other three scenes will be pretty big as well. The Rebecca scene will be pretty intense, and I'm super excited to work on that one. We'll also continue from the cliff hanger of chapter six as well as a scene with Nate coming over to spend some time with Luke and Kathryn. We'll also have one or maybe two smaller scenes to advance the story. This chapter will have full motion video like chapter six did and all chapters going forward will as well.
Anyway, I better end this now as it is getting ridiculously long. See you all in the next one!
Bobby
Comments
Melko Epeli
Later there should be chance to Kathryn cheat Luke. Also there should be chance that Kathryn can be impregnated by someone else (accident or not). We want to see bigger belly.
Buzz Killer
I’m happy to see the return of the workout outfit. 🥰
Marco
Sei davvero Bravo .... Complimenti ....👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤️
吾爱
非常感谢
Jonny Boy NY
Keep up the good works, my friend! I'm already looking forward to Chapter 7 with Luke and Kathryn's hot, wild and naughty adventures! Keep it coming! Cheers! 🤩🔥🔥👍
Redbear
Thx for sharing your story!
Redbear
Happy dev-birthday! I support few Devs and just after release chapter one I was sure you deserve it. Follow your dream is a bet but it's on ourselves so you can't fail. I feel you have also a great woman close to you so supportive. She is one of few. I still remember mine made same support when I changed my work to follow my own dream😉
EikSkaloe
Keep up the good work!
Ben Hill
Thank you for writing this, it's rare but extremely useful to get this quality of autobiography.
Spidey96
I’d like to thank you and your wife for encouraging you to make this game. I love the work you’ve put into this game so far and I’m always looking forward to any updates from you. And please try not to strain yourself during the development process.
Glenn Ross
Congratulations! I may have been one of the 37 but if not it was soon after. Happy with what has been and excited for what is to come. Great game and incredible engagement from our Bobbyboy. Looking forward to fresh Rebecca content and making more bad decisions for Kathryn. Halloween looks very very hot.
Pete
It’s great to read that your wife is so supportive and encouraging. She sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing the origin story of this AVN. I’ve been greatly enjoying TEB so far and I wish you continued success! Keep up the amazing work.
MickeyTwoT
Bobbyboy, I just want to say that I have been with you since chapter 4 and I have been very impressed by not only your coding and graphics, but the mystery you have put in the story! Keep going, you're doing an amazing job, and I hope that last chapter is a hint of the filth to come!
None300
Love it, especially the last update.
A M
Glad that I found your work, and enjoy the episodes and the artwork.
A M
Well, Happy First!
tw0m3k
Wow this is so cool, you really have a talent for this. Probably the best adult visual novel that came out in the last year, but unfortunately I lost interest in this story.
HikBenAkk477
Your game is top quality, it is a fact ;-) The Gym pic makes me think that Kathryn can have gym content with some muscle bound guys here (in the gym she can be helped stretching, lockers room and shower... mistakes about where to go can easily be made* evil grin *) ^^
Phil Hayes
Thank you for sharing. It makes me so happy to see how well this AVN is doing.
Sure, Not
Yeah I believe I found this one after looking through lewdgames.to. After playing it, I felt compelled to subscribe. It was a great decision on my part, I've really enjoyed playing the game and the interaction on patreon w/ the developer and other subscribers.
Bobbyboy Productions
Wow thanks a lot, I appreciate that very much! You're awesome no matter what level you support me at, even if you are a free member.
Bobbyboy Productions
Yeah I remember seeing you right from the beginning! I'm glad I reeled you back in lol. Seriously though, thanks for the support!
BeastMaster
Congratulations, I believe if I'm not mistaken, I've been following you since day one, also did pretty much advertising for your game in the past because after the first release I knew you had a winner, even though I was not always a fan of the slow buildup, and teasing, the last update made up for that. Hoping for. Many more years to come. Greets and Happy Celebration. 🎉🎂🎊👍
AlpinCZ
Hi. I discovered your game recently and I'm new here on Patreon. But I am very impressed. Not only with the game but also with your approach. I'm not very used to this approach from developers and thank you for it and thank you for what you wrote here. I'm very realistically considering moving up to the highest level of membership - you deserve it. Thanks again for your work. Good luck and stay safe - you and the whole family.
Bobbyboy Productions
LOL, well they will have one final interaction in chapter seven.
Pr0GamerJohnny
Now it makes more sense 😀
Seederot
You are welcome 🫡 Will Paul and Rebecca's attraction progress beyond their current dynamic?
Shaddo
Will do, thanks. I have one now, so I'll PM you
Bobbyboy Productions
Thanks Josh, you legend!
Bobbyboy Productions
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate that.
Bobbyboy Productions
Thanks man! Yeah maybe one day who knows!
Bobbyboy Productions
Thanks so much, send me a message if you ever have any questions about Daz or Renpy or whatever.
Shaddo
Thanks for that post, it was actually very inspiring for me, I'm sitting at the point you were at a year ago, studying DAZ3D and Ren'Py. Knowing I'm not the only one who suffered, motivates me to continue. Like you I love this work. The AVN is really excellent, characters, renders, storyline, and the coding is all top notch. I find the characters rich and believable. You've done an amazing job Bobby, all power to you and keep up the great work 👍👍👍
AmaraHmmm
Love this post. It’s important to remember there is a human behind our favorite VNs. It would be so enjoyable and informative to share a beer with you and talk more about your journey! Maybe in another life! Keep-up your good work!
Bobbyboy Productions
Yeah sure, just send me a personal message.
Jerry
Great post, if you don't mind can I ask you one personal question ❓ because I also planned to make an AVN soon
Seederot
I'm so impressed by your journey and the incredible progress you've made! Your hard work and talent are evident in every chapter. I'm eagerly awaiting Chapter 7, especially the beach scene and the continuation of Rebecca's storyline. Thank you for sharing your passion with us! 🙌🏼
Joshy92
This was a wonderful dev log. I'm glad you get to do something you love Bobby, and it shows in the game. Before your game came along, I was getting more and more disinterested in AVNs but once I played the east block, I was hooked It's truly an amazing experience.
perVpro
Geez...Do you have the short version of this? Lol
