Games by JimD Newsletter – Game Updates, New Game
Welcome to my 108th newsletter! It's been a busy month, as always, but very productive. The big news is that I've redesigned my development plans again. I posted a poll asking how I should focus my time, and I was surprised that 70% of the 284 people who responded voted to prioritize Safe Haven. I truly thought everyone would want me to focus on Stronghold to get it out. Then again, so many of you follow me for Safe Haven, and many have not even tried Stronghold.
Before this poll, I spent most of my time on Stronghold. I've decided to keep working on it but prioritize Safe Haven again. That means I should add around 20,000 words to Safe Haven each month and around 15,000 for Stronghold. I really want to release both games, but I can only do so much.
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 85,000 words, and I've added 13,000 words so far this month.
The teenager storyline is truly taking up a lot of my time, and it's becoming one of the most complex scenes I've ever written. You can truly approach this mission in many different ways with numerous outcomes. Multiple paths are possible, and each one feels unique. You'll learn more about the main character's parents and meet an interesting group of survivors. You can interact with this new group, try to befriend them, fight them, rob them, kill them, or try other approaches. You could succeed and walk away unscratched with new loot or die in the process. I'm truly excited to read feedback on this mission.
It's hard to say when I'll be finished, because I keep adding more to this storyline. I hope to move on by next month and start the next phase of the free update.
In the meantime, I've also been fixing bugs and improving the published game's code. Thank you very much for joining us today. I hope to release a new patch later this month.
For those of you who would like to try the new prologues from the free update, you can check out the public beta: https://cogdemos.ink/play/jimd/zombie-exodus-safe-haven-free-update-public/mygame
Zombie Exodus: Stronghold
Stronghold is up to 427,000 words, 20,000 more than last month. Chapter 15 is finished, and I have already moved on to chapter 16. The main character and companions are still outside Stronghold, searching for a way back in. They meet another group who are survivors living in the area around Stronghold since the start of the outbreak. All this while, the dead wander the nearby woods, and you can probably guess what happens next.
If you haven't tried this game yet, please consider playtesting. In some ways it's simpler than Safe Haven, but I've added some features that make it a complete experience.
Zombie Exodus: Outpost
This is a hobby project that I am making with a friend who is learning how to code. It's a graphic game, similar to a tower defense simulator with group and base management. I've borrowed concepts from Safe Haven and recently started adding story elements for each character. I will eventually release it on Itch.io for free, but I'll add features for my supporting patrons. I'll also let you try new features before they are released. So far I have a few ideas for the future:
Seasons and weather (such as snow, hurricanes, and floods)
Other groups who may want to trade, ally, or take over your base
Vehicles (including military vehicles), which will make it easier to travel
Mutated zombies, such as hooking brutes and exploding zombies
That's all for this month. Thank you again for all your support and patience!