Progress Report #126 - Steam release, upcoming content & more

Hey lads!

Firstly, thanks a lot to everyone for pledging lately, especially to those who tipped me some extra on itch.io, chose the highest tier on Patreon, or pledged for a whole year. As I'm currently struggling financially, it was a huge help and allows me to continue working on this project. Cheers!

I'll start with the poll results. I used weighted votes and combined results from multiple platforms. Not gonna lie, the winner was pretty obvious, but I'm surprised a bit by other votes, especially the sex shop beating the hospital.

I've already started working on the exhibitionism and asking random NPCs for sex, since I plan to use a similar system for both features. This will overwrite old dialogues and trigger new scenes based on the NPC and location. For example, flashing to the customer at the table will result in a short touching scene while a man is sitting (similar to the Bald Guys event at the diner), while flirting with him will end up with a quickie in a toilet. There's a lot of NPCs and locations, and they need to be somewhat distinct from each other, so it's a lot of work. Some of it you will get to see in v36, but I won't be able to finish it for all locations in one update, since I have other stuff to work on. However, I aim to release one major update each month.

Since NTR ranked high in the poll, I'll focus on expanding current scenes with NTR, starting as early as v35b. Lesbians is a significant feature, but it received fewer votes than the majority of options, so it will be delayed until the summer (or later?). Eating and sleeping, as well as clothes and local shop jobs, received the least number of votes, so I won't prioritize those for now. Streaming/dating app ranked pretty high, so it will likely be the next thing I focus on after introducing exhibitionism and flirting. Working at the sex shop and hospital are also on the list, but creating new workplaces is a significant endeavor, so the sex shop might be introduced in the summer, while the hospital will have to wait until late summer or early autumn. Adding the possibility to work somewhere is one thing, but adding multiple events to make it entertaining is another. So that's more or less how the upcoming months are going to look, although other features will come along as well!

I can't upload videos directly on Patreon, so here's a short preview:
https://mega.nz/folder/SnoGyRQS#b1tCwrgSfzP4P4Ni4mXlzw

v35b will be delayed a bit (up to a week). Initially, I wanted to release it this Monday, but as I work on v36 simultaneously, I won't make it in time. What will it offer? Quite a lot - Gynecologist check-up event, updated female feet art (still WIP), gym shoes, multiple tweaks or remakes of existing animations (idle, walk, run, glory hole sex etc.), mini NTR scene where Jane's boyfriend calls her during sex at glory hole, visible buff duration & current weekly buffs, tweaks to trait experience, mother backstory, birth counter, traits, perks, weekly buffs and more. I'm not sure if I overdid it with the content for this update, but I'm not a fan of holding back finished features for larger releases when they're ready and can be released earlier, so enjoy :P

I forgot to apologize for the lack of communication lately. As my wife's pregnancy progresses, I find myself constantly running between my PC and our child, especially when she gets a fever or decides to throw a tantrum, which requires a whole legion to stop her. And it will only get worse, but in August, I'll finally have a son :) I'm not planning on having a third child; I'm too tired :P

Another reason for the lack of communication is that I've spent the last few days trying to set up my game on Steam. Yesterday, I finally managed to send them my game for verification, and it might take from a few days to a few weeks. It will follow the same rules as on itch.io, so for $20, you will get the latest non-beta Extended version. It will use automatic regional pricing (with my small adjustments), so expect the game to be much cheaper in some poor countries. The only exception is Poland, since Steam charges us 15% more, while we aren't richer than the USA, so my fellow countrymen will pay only half the price.

All in all, Patreon devs rarely release games on Steam or itch.io because it's totally not worth it. Steam charges REALLY a lot, then add regional pricing, and for selling your game in some countries, you can get less than $1. It totally doesn't work if you are working on one big project for years without any DLCs or microtransactions. That's why Patreon & SubscribeStar work the best (and charge the least). But that's what a lot of you wanted, and I listen, so here you are :)

I don't need millions, and I will keep working as long as my family can make a living out of this project. The release is scheduled for this summer, as I need to polish the game more. Don't mind the screenshot; it's just a draft.

Changing the game release schedule. Steam & itch.io will be released together with the beta release on Patreon/SubscribeStar, but downgraded by one major update. The public Basic version will be released a week after Steam/itch.io and also downgraded by 1 major update, and the Cheats version will be downgraded by 2 major updates. So, if v37 comes out on Patreon/SubscribeStar on April 1st, v36x also becomes available on Steam/itch.io, and then on April 8th, there's v36x Basic and v35x Cheats released to the public for free.

It was another long progress report, so I guess I'll stop here. Sorry!

Cheers!