Temporary Pause in Development Due to Health Concerns

Hi everyone!

I've got bad news today that you won't like to hear and that I don't like to tell. To get straight to the point, I've met the proverbial wall, and I met it suddenly and with little warning. I'm on the verge of a catastrophic burnout that could cause me serious health and mental issues if I try to push through it, so I will instead go against every part of my natural instincts and temporarily let go.

I'm taking a break from Supermodel development for the next month, and I'm taking it right now. As part of this, I'm pausing the Patreon page and setting the SubscribeStar page to vacation mode, which means you will not be charged during this time. As an aside, I have also set the Patreon page to subscription mode, which I talked about a few weeks ago. This simply means that you will no longer be charged on the first of each month but precisely one month after your last charge, whenever it was. For existing patrons, this won't change anything. New patrons won't get charged double, however.

Anyway, I'm doing this with a heavy heart. I don't want to take a break. I HAVE to. And the money pausing the campaign will cost me means this will be one of my most expensive "vacations" ever. And just to rub it in, I still have to do my day job. I just can't do two jobs at once right now.

What Happened?

The signs have been there for a while, but I've felt that I've been in control. There were the subtle signs of a minor depression. It was hard to concentrate on my work (both jobs). I was tired all the time. Time passed quickly, and I began to lose interest in interacting with friends and family. It was like my body was in a type of survival mode where it was just making time pass while trying to insulate me from the things that hurt me. It's a vicious circle, and despite how alarming those symptoms might sound when listed like that, they can be notoriously tricky to spot when you're in the middle of it. But this weekend, something snapped. I mostly just stared at my computer screen for hours without doing anything. Trying to work led nowhere and made me feel uncomfortable and dizzy. Just writing Sunday's progress report took me several hours, and when I finished it, I could barely even remember what I had written. Ever since Sunday, the thought of work has made me nauseous, and I've lost all my appetite and ability to concentrate on anything.

I can't take the chance of pushing through this. If I let this go any further, I risk causing long-term damage to my mental health that will be far more disastrous to everything I'm trying to do here. For the game's sake and to make it the best it can be, I must be mentally and emotionally in a good spot. Right now, I'm neither.

This came as suddenly upon me as it probably does for you. I don't want to take a break, but I must, no matter what it costs me financially. Supermodel will be better for it, even if it gets delayed for a month. I firmly believe I'll work in that lost time simply by being healthier and refreshed once this is over.

What This Means for You

• No charges: I've paused the Patreon page and set the SubscribeStar page to vacation mode. You won't be charged during this break.

• No updates: There will be no progress reports or other rewards until June 1st.

• Community interaction: Although development will be on hold, I'll remain active in the community channels, which include Patreon, SubscribeStar, and the Discord server. Talking to you guys doesn't cause any damage (on the contrary), so I see no need to distance myself from that part of things. So, if you want to talk to me about anything, you know where to find me.

Looking Forward:

This is a setback, to be sure. In the long term, however, this break should likely be good for my health and the future quality of the game. Supermodel will benefit from a rejuvenated creator, which ultimately means a better final product. Suffice it to say, I had no idea I needed a break a few days ago. But now, my brain is practically screaming at me to stop what I'm doing and save myself from walking off a figurative mental cliff. I'm not going to fight it.

I appreciate your understanding and support while I work through this and look forward to resuming full development on June 1st.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. This isn't an easy step, but it's crucial for my health and the success of Supermodel.