Poll: Update Split
Hello all, like we mentioned in our last dev diary, we wanted to do a poll about how to release the next update. Not to necessarily have you make the decision for us, but to get a reading on our silent majority's temperature. Please read the below context before you vote:
So, it's been roughly 8 months since the last update and we're coming up to a point in the story where I believe I can organically hang a "thanks for playing" sign. In more transparent terms, that means a place where I think I can put a cliffhanger that won't make the reader go "fuck you."
Where to end an update is a tricky thing. It's a balancing act between what we believe will make for a satisfying stand-alone reading experience and the existential dread that we'll lose relevance in the AVN world if things take too long. Basically, almost every update cycle ends with us going "man, we've got to get this out," but that is usually at the tail-end of the planned content. In this case, the 2300+ images and 77 animations we currently have is probably like 60-70% of what the update will take.
I personally believe exhibition 3 as a singular update will offer the most satisfying experience, but if we push on, it is a very real and likely possibility Ch4Up6 will release early next year. Honestly, since our last update was in December of 2024, that hard reality makes us both panic. Taking more than a year on a single dev cycle is a club of AVNs we don't wish to join. For one, the more we update, the more likely we are to both grow and hold your current interest. You guys graciously support us, and as much as I say “it takes as long as it takes,” there is a line of decency.
On the flip side, even if this one does take a year, I consider it an outlier. Exhibitions are big events we base the entire week around. Exhibition 2 took 6 months, which was our longest and biggest update at the time. And in proportion with our growing standards, that will be true of a full fledged exhibition 3. There is also the technicality that turning this into two updates will actually take longer in the grand scheme of things. Putting out the 60-70% we have now, will mean the remaining update will drop later than the singular full day one would have when you factor in proofing time and administrative tasks that come with a release.
Now, what we have so far isn’t lacking. Hana has multiple scenes, there’s something for Mina, Lucy, Kat, Sophia, and a new character you’ll meet. Plus various club girls are in the mix, both in minor and significant ways. There’s some Vicky video content too, depending on your choice at the end of last update. And that’s just the sex stuff, which I know isn’t as important to some of you. In addition, every scene leading up to Edwin getting to the club pretty much has an alternative scene or branch. Then comes the free roam, which is a whole other can of worms. While not as extreme as the lead in, it has some very distinct choices and endings.
All of this to say I suspect cutting up the update will be less satisfying for those of you with singular play throughs. Those of you who like to see everything, you’re more likely to feel like it was worth your bandwidth and time.
Anyway, I know that was a lot, but I wanted you to have a full picture of what we are considering. We’re indecisive bitches like that and are hoping you guys can help. Thanks.
Comments (34)
how is it that the release cycles of this game and eternum have been identical from the beginning. 3 months updates for both to start, slip to 4...then 6-7. Now both a year + They have released within a week of each other every single update.
weird
I would like it to be one update but do what you think is best for the project as an entity.
I voted split for business reasons (I found you via F95 where the 'abandoned' tag looks really really bad meanwhile an update gets more eyes and potential supporters). But you folks have proven yourselves so I'll be here either way.
My own thoughts/feelings are the exact same as Bill Temple's. I am personally willing to wait for the full exhibition, but I worry that as a business decision, a regular update cycle provides both a better marketing benefit (i.e. more discussion attracting interest, more chances for fresh eyes) and better retention of existing subscribers. Ultimately though, you have the actual numbers on subscriber decay between updates and new subscriptions driven with each update, so I can only worry vaguely, you're the ones best placed to decide. So I've simply answered honestly above that I would prefer to get a complete ending to the exhibition, even if it means waiting until early next year for it.
Personally, I'm perfectly happy waiting for the full exhibition in early 2026. I'm a patient man and I stay subbed all year, so I'm not frothing at the mouth for the update. That said, I think the better business decision is to split it up. More people sub during and right after updates. The more often the title appears in front of people's eyes the more chances that some will try and the more chances some will subscribe. Furthermore, subs drop regularly between updates. More subs can be useful in driving down future cycle time. If finances pick up enough, it could even make sense for them to pay someone to help with some of the workload, or more someones if they already have assistants.
Amusingly one sided vote. I'd personally much prefer the whole week bought to a satisfying conclusion than a cliffhanger.
Come on guys, we could get content soon AND then shortly afterwards, giving the team resources and time to polish them! But you'd rather have both later?? I just don't get it. :(
I openly cackled out loud at the thought of y'all losing relevance in the AVN scene. You're setting the pace alongside Eternum, BeingADIK, Ripples, etc. to say that this AVN is setting the standard is a massive understatement. Your artistic vision/plans have gotten you this far, I trust your judgement regarding delivering the art you create.
If it was any other update I might have opted for the split but this is THE update (update of all updates, the one that will dwarf all previous ones) so full day would be better IMO. This will make the release so much more satisfying and people won't lose anything really (patrons who pay monthly would pay anyway the same amount and those who pay on release only will only benefit, hence I will go with the highest tier once the game releases, assuming there won't be a split). There are literally hundreds of porn games for those who feel the itch and have nothing better to do, this game though is art (in fact it's better than most contemporary "art").
I’m completely fine either way. This game is top tier and so are the developers and I trust their decision. I voted wait because it sounds like that’s what the devs would prefer to do and are only consider it because they are afraid of supporters being upset (no worries here guys) and I feel logically not breaking it up makes more sense. Keep up the good work guys and unless something drastically changes I’ll be supporting for the long haul.
I wanted to say, I know that joining the '12+ month club' might not seem like a good idea for a game, but given that you're creating a top-tier game and aren't intentionally dragging things out, the answer is pretty obvious to us! Go for it! I fully support finishing the entire Week 3 exhibition and releasing it all at once. Plus, if the update comes out early next year, it might be just in time for the Chinese New Year, which would be really nice—a Chinese New Year gift, right? Haha! If you're worried about the long wait (the '12+ month club' concern), then perhaps after this big update, you could consider shortening the release cycle. I know there are many smaller stories before the Week 4 exhibition, so you could simply release more of the 'Monday to Friday' content in smaller, more frequent updates, using one or a few of those smaller stories as milestones! Then, when the Week 4 exhibition is approaching, just give everyone a heads-up that a big update is on the way, and we'll all understand! Keep up the great work! We'll be eagerly waiting for you next year!
Movies cost less.
So I give you $60 a year for one update, seems expensive to me if the VN takes several years to make (that's $5 a month).
We appreciate your support, truly, but the game is free. You don't have to pay anything for it. We understand if you deem us not worthy of your continued patronage. That's why we try to be transparent with the development process.
Do you guys even read all this post? If they split this update, we will gonna get more content.
I stand by my view, updating now is the better choice. The longer overall time required is minuscule considering the long waiting time and guys who don´t want to play the split update can wait. As others in the comments I am concerned you will cut corners in the end to push the update out faster, you already mentioned this for past content. I don´t want you to rush this content, it is the heart of the game. But it appears I am on the losing side on this, same as with my choice of waifu. 😥
Take all the time you need to finish the update. I'm not a huge fan of dividing an update in two parts, so I'm choosing the option of waiting until the new update is fully completed, no matter how many months it takes. But whatever the choice you both make, I'm willing to keep my support.
First things first: I have full confidence in whatever decision you eventually make. With that out of the way, my advice. In a vacuum, I believe waiting to release the update in one fell swoop is the best choice, so that is my vote. But I do recognize that this probably means the update wouldn't be released until February - if not later. That's a long time to wait, and the risk of damage to your financial base, your fanbase, and your own burnout is very real. IMHO, the key question you need to answer is whether you think you will be tempted to trim down the stage portion of the Exhibition as the development cycle grows longer and longer. If not, I'd say the risks of a long cycle are acceptable and it would be best to stick to your original artistic vision. On the other hand, if you think you will be constantly worried about the long cycle as you approach the one year mark, then I think the partial release strategy is probably the way to go. Even if you stay strong and cut no corners on the full release, the mental effort you'll have to expend resisting that siren's song likely isn't worth it. I realize the decision to split the update will also be stressful, but ultimately I think it will be easier for you to focus on making each half as awesome as possible than it will be to worry about just how awesome you can afford to make the combined whole. But as I said, I trust you to make the best choice, whichever way you chose.
I personally would prefer to wait for the full day and am happy to wait for a game of this quality but I also know from experience that if a find a game I haven't played before has taken a year+ for an update that I assume its basically in life support mode and lose any interest in trying it so might be better for growth to just release what you have. Either way looking forward to the content to come
I'll be happy with whatever you decide, but something tells me that splitting the update would be better. If you think about it, this option has more pros than cons, but since I'm not in your shoes, I don't know how much you want to release a full update. If your desire to release a full update prevails over the fact that you will most likely get less growth, complaints from not very patient people, time pressure, which is not yet clear how it can affect the quality, etc. - then so be it. As mentioned before, people who want the full update can simply wait for the second part and then play it through completely.
"We’re indecisive" It's hard to choose here, really... So, I've just got some help from the CPU and bash shell: xDDDD If unsure... throw the dice on da mice :) # echo $(( RANDOM % 2 + 1 )) 2
Personally, I would prefer the partial day. I'm concerned that if you're feeling panicked now that feeling will only continue to grow as time passes. If you release the partial day you'll be able to devote yourselves fully to the rest of the day without worrying over how long it's been since the last update. I wouldn't want you to release a full day update which you're not completely happy with just because over a year has passed since the last update. With that said, I'm sure it'll be excellent either way.
Take your time guys! Just add a "Previously on Pale Carnations" so we remember the heck we did a year ago haha. Jokes aside, I think everyone that has given this game a shot knows this is worth waiting for. Best of luck!
Take your time. We'll be here either way.
There is a difference between joining the 12+ month club because you got lazy and joining the 12 month club because you are making the best AVN out there. I might suggest making the next couple releases after a bit shorter though.
I would prefer the full day, I like my updates big and girthy. If it means you join the "12+ month club" then so be it. The result will without doubt be worth it and you can balance the karmic scale with a more normal sized update next cycle.
I will always prefer the full experience and don't mind waiting for it. That being said, I fully understand your thoughtprocess and should you decide to split it, then I will support that decision as well. The dev logs and previous updates have proven a good quality and you keep us up to date (this being a good example). I don't mind waiting for the full exhibiton, but like it said earlier, choose what gives you both the best feeling, in terms of the game itself, but also what makes you able to breath and not have every day be about pure stress. Much love and looking forward for the udateret, when it comes!
I would prefer an option of "do what you think is best", but failing that am gonna vote for the full day, as that sounds like it's what the creative vision is. The quality is all I'm really concerned about, not so much the gap if you have a reasonable timescale in mind to finish it (which it sounds like you do). I'd rather wait a bit and get it as you want it than release because you feel pressured. But tbh, the stuff about taking a full year to drop it making you guys panic is the most important thing in there. If it's bothering you that much, release. If it's not, go with whatever you think best. My two cents
I am sure a situation like this is never an easy decision to make. Personally I don't mind waiting, but I understand both sides. So whichever one gets done, wish you all the best of luck and thanks for your work
Full day, take your time. It would feel really bad to end in the middle of an event/scene. We can wait, we love your game.
You can please everyone by releasing the split update, the people voting for the full day just needs to not download it until its fully released 🤷🏽♂️
I will say for so far as when you cliffhanger the ending if you do release it early there will be people saying "Fuck you" anyway as you have a happit of timing those perfectly.
I don't mind the wait myself, since it's exceptional and you guys have been amazing about regular updates and communication all the way