Project transparency report
Hey guys,
After I pushed what I had out for an alpha test last week, I replayed it myself – and honestly ended up in a really negative place about all my work. I felt like I’d worked so hard on the writing, but what I was playing through was boring and underwhelming.
I know it's just porn, but...I don’t wanna make a game I don’t even like. Full transparency: the truth is, I felt like my writing just sucks no matter how hard I push myself, and I came really close to just giving up, or at least putting the game on indefinite hiatus. A little after midnight on Wednesday I even started drafting the announcement. ☹️
Some people I shared these thoughts with told me I’m overthinking it, what’s there’s good, I just need a break, I’ve been working too many hours on it and I’ve lost perspective. So I’d like to announce I’m going on holid– don’t worry, just kidding. 😂
A change is as good as a rest
I do need a break from writing to get some perspective before I go back and finish the Malaysia thing. So I’ve decided to polish up and release the first half of the quickstart – which is just the briefing scene. I made a list of outstanding tasks:
Tasks marked (m) are minor, i.e. they’ll take less than 25 minutes’ work. Other tasks are likely to take longer than 25 minutes.
I didn’t want to release this without Malaysia attached, because there’s no sex scene, and I guess my worry is that everyone will find it boring and pointless without that. But there’s no point polishing something up then sitting on it, so the quickstart will get released in two chunks.
My hope is that switching focus from writing to tech will give my brain the rest it needs, then I can go back and quickly finish the thing I was struggling with and make it good enough to release.
I’ll post an update on this task list in the next report. 🦀❤️🔥
Comments (19)
I’ll believe it when I see it - and it better not look like something hastily thrown together in a week. I stand by everything I wrote in my last comment: I’ll wait until my next payment, but by then I expect real proof that this game actually exists.
Could you put out the alpha version you are showing to the select group of testers? Just so we know this isn't all a rugpull
I just hope this becomes similar to Cube World issue and you'll "eventually" give us the finished product. Also, I say "similar" because Cube World's developer gave us a product we were not promised. The whole game had different mechanics and was really bad compared to the very first one. So take your time and share the product with the way we were promised. I'd rather you publish small updates so your supporters increase but whatever, do it the way you want.
I've been a quiet supporter/lurker for the last 3+yrs and I've got to admit its honestly getting extremely tedious. Ive stayed supporting because i like what youve already put together, the Zero Kate Thirty is phenomenal imo and i love the more explicit depiction of the game over you added there. But, its starting to get to the point where the last tangible thing we've had to chew on was pretty much 2 years ago now and im struggling to justify continuing my support as each week rolls by.
IMO you should just stop trying to defend them in anywhere including inside of your brain. Its a waste of your time, both mentally and physically. If you feel thankful for the work they put in the past, you have supported them enough so far. Even a single monthly subscription is enough IMO because the game was "free" in the first place. The first reason is enough of a justification, "Just give us an updated game." and they'd get many more supporters.
I'm along for the ride as long as it takes! I support you 100% and I know this game will be amazing when it's finished. To all the people being negative, you're free to leave any time. No one is keeping you here.
@Jerilyn No need to get emotional and anger yourself with this though. If you don't like it, just stop supporting them after the first time they didn't post any updates. You are %100 right in being angry, but it is also a waste of your time. The game had a free, public version after all. They weren't getting paid in the first place.
I think the people telling you you're being too hard on yourself are right. I've always enjoyed your work and would rather see you rework a scene then do nothing. At the end of the day, you need to be happy with your work, so I can't tell you to "just keep going" but I can say I love the game so far. Would have stopped being a supporter a long time ago if I didn't believe in the work you've done.
By this point I don't think there is any good course of action, it's a lose-lose situation. Crush clearly needs external control: some management and imposed limitations: maybe strict deadlines, maybe formal quality standards, maybe a manager who will tell him, that a certain task has taken 10x the estimated time and something is not right, maybe something else. I have a feeling, that he's lost and can't find the root of the problem and doesn't see a solution, so giving him more time and exerting no pressure ("take any amount of time you need, we'll wait, it's gonna be great" etc.) feels like a bad decision. On the other hand, I see that pressuring him more would only demotivate him further and bury the project. I don't think there is anything that the community can do at this point to help, it's a lose-lose situation. It's on Crush to solve this, to change something, but he's been searching for an answer for a long time and has not succeeded so far. Or maybe he did temporarily, but the problem always returns.
I dont know I been following you from the start. Before this page even. Existed, dont remember how I found it but I always enjoyed what you release. So I am really looking foward to this new one
Malaysia is not that important, it plays a very minor role. It is Bangkok that matters in the story 🤩.
The sentiment here has become very negative, but remember, Crush, that money is a better way to measure support for your project. There are many people wanting this game to exist and paying for it.
Some day I hope you'll be satisfied with your work, but I don't think I'll be around to see it.
Insert shocked Pikachu face. Maybe, one day, in an alternate timeline, a game will be released but its not this timeline.
mhm, are sex scenes really that important? In my opinion, sex scenes aren't that important. It's fun to flirt, to hit on someone, or to risk getting caught ;) The plot and characters offer more :3 A short description of a sex scene, with any text, can awaken our imagination :)
At this point I think the only way Crush can really understand how much his delays have lost him the understanding of his supporters is by those supporters showing him the only way they can. I work to hard for my money to continue to support someone who hasn't released a playable update of this game in over 14 months. I may re-up my Subscription if he ever does release an actual playable update.
Take your time! Look forward to whatever you put out
Oh dear. Here we go again. Now we will wait for another nine months for these minor issues not to be solved. Then it‘s back to alpha testing resulting in feedback about sone minor issues you need another nine months not to fix but just for the cycle to repeat itself. Well here‘s the way out: Release your statement and give it up
Honestly, if you need a holiday, take a holiday. If you come back with more energy, you’ll likely come out net positive. (And who knows, you may pick up some life experience for those sex scenes…)