Progress Report #129 & Poll - Project's & Android's future
Hey lads!
The project has achieved a new record of 500 paid patrons, 1800 followers, and 2200 Discord users (although Twitter is stuck at 300 followers for ages). That's super motivating to see years of my hard work being appreciated and my game being played by thousands of people across the world! Thanks a lot!
So, for the last few days, I've spent dozens of hours, basically from dusk till dawn, trying to fix multiple problems with the Android version and see what more I can get out of it. I read a lot of stuff and even contacted fellow indie devs, and... There's stuff I can't do anything about...
Basically, the highest I can target is Android 11 and 32-bit, and once phones entirely stop supporting either of these, it's the end of my game on Android. It's hard to estimate market share on Android, but it's getting bigger each year and it's currently around 20-40% of all downloads for my game. For comparison, Linux & Mac are 1-2% each. I'm getting more and more questions about support for the newest phones or refunds because the game isn't supported on the newest phones.
So, what are my choices?
Either I leave it as it is and keep working on new content normally; nothing really changes. I follow the roadmap, and in a few years, nobody will be able to play Unaware in The City on Android. I might encounter other limits I'm still unaware of.
Or I spend the next few months upgrading the project to the newer Unity version. You won't get any new game releases for a long time (it might even take half a year if things get really ugly), but once I'm done, the game will run on the new Unity version, smoother, better, making it compatible with future devices and systems. However, I'll also remove and swap old tools and mechanics. For example, getting rid of the old animation system and replacing it with Spine, while re-making all old animations. Using Spine will let me hire a proper animator in the future. I will most likely add some stuff from the roadmap along the way, like diner or kinky nymph updates. It all sounds great, but I know that a lot of people will leave, some will even get toxic. But, most importantly, if too many people leave, I might get in financial trouble again, which will force me to take a loan with high interest that I will have to pay up next year. Although if it doesn't get too bad, my graphic artist will still be able to work on art for the game in the meantime. But even if it would be for the better in the long run, it's still quite a risky bargain... Yes, I did a similar stunt last year with re-making Unaware of the World into Unaware in The City, and everyone who played my previous game would agree that it was for the better, and that I will deliver.
Anyway, it's a now or never situation. With each new update, added features, animations, art files, it will only get harder to port it to the new Unity version, and I need to do it before the Steam release because I can't release the game and disappear for such a long time... So, I either start in the upcoming months, or I stay on Unity 2019 forever.
I'm interested in your opinion about the matter, so I'm attaching an open poll. I need you to help me make up my mind, so even if one option gets more votes, it doesn't have to mean that I'm going to roll with it. Any feedback and criticism are more than welcome!
Cheers!
Comments (16)
You should work on 2 versions. Keep updating the current version to what extent that you can and secondly create a ported version to the new Unity. Because on one hand you need to keep the current supporters and on the other you need to the newer Unity so that the game is future-proof for many years to come. If porting is a lot of work then u should hire someone to do it faster. When the porting is finished then you can discontinue the old version.
Trying to write a progress report, but kid is getting in my way a lot today... Basically, as you said, I'll be working on 2 versions - continuation of UiTC (but without new animations or art, I'll re-use old files), and engine update. And there's nobody who can port the game beside me. Cheers!
I'm new to the game so my opinion might not matter much. I say take the time to upgrade the engine. It sounds like it'll be worth it in the long run.
While it's true that feedback from players supporting me for years is the most valuable to me, all feedback counts and is much appreciated, so thanks a lot :)
Selfishly I guess I would vote for continue working on it anyway. Since I don't have any Android devices. But you know your user base better than I do. So..I would go along with any decision made by you and your Patreons.
It's actually more than just Android support, because it also includes better compatibility and stability on all devices, but also forces me to swap all existing animations with Spine, so I won't have to work simultaneously with 2 totally different animation tools, what would hurt performance and cause some issues for sure. Basically, whole game is outdated as hell and source code is a mess, and the only way to fix it is to take my time and fix it all at once. Cheers!
I just voted and I see that I’m the 100th vote. I’m happy to see there is a clear majority of likeminded Patreons. Having seen Spine be implemented in other games, I am excited to see the possibility of Spine being brought here. I think it will only enhance the gaming experience.
Indeed, I watched tutorials, read documentation, tried playing with it, and it's mind-blowing how powerful (and complicated) it is. Despite multiple tweaks and additions to my current animation tools, the gap between it and Spine is incomparable. I kinda regret not doing it earlier.
I know it sucks and I am sorry, but I would cancel my support if you decide to update the engine. I have only a limited amount of money for patreon available. I would rather support another project that needs more support and I get something out of than supporting an engine update that does nothing for me. In the end it is the same situation for both of us. We do have to make the choice which makes the most financial sense.
It's totally understandable, but it's more than a mere engine update, as it will allow me to re-make all outdated animations, speed up animation process, hire animator in the future (if I can afford it) and update old tools & mechanics that get in my way and slowdown whole dev process. If I could do it partially, I would, but I have to do it all at once, since engine update will simply break a lot of stuff. Nevertheless, I really appreciate the long-term support, and you already helped me more than I could ask for, so thanks a lot, mate!
Too many unknown variables for me to vote. I would stick with the current engine and find out exactly how many subscribers are affected. The number of Android downloads does nothing for your current situation of pay-to-developing-game - only subscribers. I'm all for continuing the game now for PC/Mac until it reaches Steam, and only then consider making it Android compatible. A major redesign - with nothing to show for a few months - may (probably will) directly affect your income, making the future of the entire project delayed due to lessening the amount of time available to develop it when you procure other employment. I understand that you have quite a few balls in the air now, but you only have 2 hands to work with. Continue without putting any down would be a better option than putting them all down with a promise to pick them up again, especially to a crowd that has been burned by other devs before.
I've been observing the stats from various sources for quite some time, so 20-40% (despite being a wide threshold) is pretty accurate, and these numbers still rise. Yes, I don't know how many people can and will switch to PC if they can't play on phones, or how many already switched, but still, 1/4 or 1/3 of the player base is a lot, especially if those numbers further increase. And it's much more than just saving the Android version; the project would benefit from it a lot, although Android was an ignition point.
I voted for upgrading the engine, but would recommend meditating on where the game is currently and whether there is anything you might be able to add in the short term (like 2-4 weeks' worth of work at the absolute maximum) to move the current state of the game into it's most ideal holding position. Are there any scenes or scenarios that are close to completion (or at least close to a good stopping point)? If there are several, pick the most popular ones up to a reasonable amount and wrap those up, just to give players the most complete experience you can before switching resources to the engine upgrade. This won't stop people from making insensibly hostile remarks over any pause, but there is no reasoning with such people anyway. It could help build up some good will among the remaining player base and help them feel better about supporting you during the rework though. In the end it's a judgement call on your part. If you don't think any parts of the game are close enough to an ideal stopping or completion point to warrant extra work before the upgrade, then you're probably right (you're the only one who can judge roughly how much work this would take anyway). If that's the case, best of luck! This game has a lot going for it, and I'll support what I'm able to either way.
It's not like I'm gonna drop everything and move onto updating the engine. Naturally, at least I'll finish v36. And even while I'll be working on new engine, I can still release some bug fixes for v36. But creating any new animations or art files would be duplicating the work now. I don't plan to start this month on it anyway, so fastest would be June. Cheers!
you must do what you believe is the right call You already know i have a large reserve of patience and i will wait if it means we get a better product at the end on it all
If I want to make the project better and support it for years, then upgrading an engine seems like an obvious choice, but it's still a very risky move, and I might be swimming in debts again... And it's not really only my choice, as I get paid by the players. I can't give people promises on monthly updates, the roadmap, and then tell them there won't be any updates for half a year, but they have to continue supporting me... Well, I'll wait for more feedback. Cheers!