Games by JimD Newsletter – Game Updates, Watch Party
Welcome to my 107th newsletter! Summer is almost over, and I'm looking forward to Fall. Halloween is only five weeks away, and this is one of my favorite seasons. I enjoy horror movies, especially re-watching my favorites like The Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and 28 Days Later. I'm also a huge fan of classic slasher films like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween. What are your favorite Halloween movies?
Game development has been pretty steady this month. I've worked on both of my WIP games and am finally getting towards the end of Stronghold. I will talk more about it below, but I'm excited that I may actually be finished by the end of this year.
In this newsletter, I will review my development plans, as I do every month. Let's get started.
Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4
The free update is now at 72,000 words, and I've added 9,000 words this month so far. I still have six more days, so I should be able to write another 6-10 thousand words. I'm currently working on chapter 17 and the Teenager Storyline. It's hard to say when I'll finish this part of the storyline. It'll probably take another 15,000 words, which means it should be done next month.
Originally, I thought I'd finish a free update by the end of this year, but I will need at least until mid-next year to include everything I want. It's looking like I could easily add another few hundred thousand words. Finishing chapter 17 will be the longest. That is a pivotal chapter in which the Silverthorne militia comes to the junkyard. With all the possibilities involved, it would be an extremely lengthy and complex scene.
I have also been thinking ahead to Part 5. I'm enjoying working on the evil character to add to the story. Patrons have chosen Renata Vasquez as the new villain. Renata is 29, five foot two. She comes off as warm and attentive and is the kind of person who remembers small details about you and checks in when you're struggling. A former pharmaceutical sales rep, she treats every relationship as an investment and tracks who owes her loyalty and gratitude. Underneath it all is a need to be loved above everything else, one that traces back to her father leaving when she was eleven and her conviction that her mother simply let herself become forgettable. Renata has spent every relationship since making sure that never happens to her, and if someone threatens her place at the center of a group's affection, she'll find a way to remove them and tell herself she was protecting everyone by doing it.
This month I have a new poll where you decide how Renata is introduced to the group.
If you'd like to try the new prologues from the free update, you can check out the public beta.
Zombie Exodus: Stronghold
Stronghold is up to 407,000 words, 25,000 more than last month. Chapter 14 is finished, and I have already moved on to chapter 15. It's an interesting chapter because it takes the MC and group outside of Stronghold for the first time. This is the only way for them to reach Zone 3 “safely”. This is also a pivotal chapter because it presents some new world-building. This is the first time an event is taking place that explains more about how the virus works. I won't give spoilers, but you can read it if you subscribe to the private demo.
Next month, I will finish chapter 15 and move right into the next chapter. The game should be finished at chapter 20, although I may write an epilogue. I haven't decided whether or not there will be a sequel to this game, but it will depend on how well it's received.
Future Watch Parties
On Saturday, August 29th at 1:00 p.m. EST, I hosted a watch party for World War Z. About 20 people showed up for the two-hour movie, and we had a great discussion about the movie and the zombie genre. Moviegoers also answered trivia questions, and everyone had a great time.
We will hold another watch party in October about a week before Halloween. We will continue in the zombie genre, so please let me know if you have any movies to recommend.
That's all for this month. Thank you again for all your support and patience!