More frequent shorter updates or less frequent longer updates?
Hi everyone!
I am sure that many of you have noticed that updates have been less frequent lately. I used to aim to release an update for each tier every month (biweekly updates), but as the project has grown and become more complex, it seems to take about a month, give or take, to produce a full update which takes into account the potential sprites, story paths and other variables involved.
I adopted a schedule of "release when it is ready" because it allows me to produce more complete and satisfying updates, but I realise that this does not fit well with the monthly payment schedule and people like to know precisely when to expect updates.
For that reason, I am considering smaller updates post 0.62.0 which release monthly for each tier, focusing on making a playable release rather than a complete "episode" of the story (I am going to use the word "episode" to describe the more complete story segment from here on out).
Alternatively, I could lean into monthly releases, but it would mean that subscribers of the Snack Tier would have to pay monthly to only get a bimonthly early-access update.
Either way, I want to set specific release dates starting from May, but I am unsure about the correct course on frequency. I am interested to know what you all think and what kind of update schedule would suit you the most, so please take a look at the pros and cons and let me know in the poll. Also feel free to comment if you have an idea, or think I have failed to consider something important.
More Frequent Short Updates
Pros:
Meal Tier subscribers get two updates every month (Snack & Meal)
Snack Tier subscribers get one update every month
More frequent polls and potentially more influence for subscribers on the direction of updates
Cons:
Some story updates may be very short if lots of art is required
There will be more abrupt "to be continued" moments when choosing particular paths
More time spent polishing and bug fixing to make frequent updates shippable could lead to lesser productivity long-term
Less Frequent Long Updates
Pros:
Each update will be a more complete episode.
Although each episode will focus on a particular story path, branches within the episode will typically be covered.
Less time testing, bug fixing and polishing between updates means that I can focus on building more of the game before doing a polishing sweep. It also means that I spend slightly less time posting and more time working.
Cons:
Snack Tier subscribers will only get an early access update once every two months, which is not ideal considering the monthly payment plan.
Less frequent minor bug fixes - I tend to fix minor bugs soon after seeing a report, but I only release dedicated bugfix updates when there are major issues like crashes. With biweekly updates, the minor fixes will become available sooner.
Comments (14)
I think you should try to work off some technical debt and then try to opt for less complex logic/fewer possibilities for future storylines. Else it will eventually become unmanageable. I don’t think ren’py is built for projects that are this complex and ambitious.
The Chapter 1 finale brought this to light for me. I'll be much more careful with chapter 2. 😅
By the way speaking of Updates. How far are we from the Wanda Update?
I am aiming for late this month/early May. So far, new Wanda sprites are done and so is all of the dialogue. I have special scenes, different outfits and a few backgrounds to get done.
If you want to give more Updates to patreon Just Post the occasional Sketch or Promotional Sprite. I dont know.
Yeah, I was thinking about more things I could offer to subscribers which don't distract me from game production too much. Maybe I could put branching dialogue choices into polls and let subscribers pick which branch happens first.
Longer updates definitely will be beneficial long term especially if it means we can see some more wg on the girls. I've had to cut my subscription off for now to to financial reasons but I'll be back when I can
Tonbelly, you just do what works best for you and I'm damned appreciative of your work. Worth every cent! Also, I agree with Matt, except let's get Paige to Becca's size. Will hands down be the hottest weight gain on the planet.
We will get them all to Becca's size. 😈
I’d go with longer updates. I don’t mind waiting or spending money on the sub every month when the the quality of the game and updates are so good.
In my opinion longer updates are the way to go, even though it is not ideal considering the monthly payment scheme. I might be wrong but I think shorter updates could be detrimental for the pacing of the story if you can only do short activities but at least be able finish them in one update. Say for example you're finally about to go on a date with Wanda but due to the nature of shorter updates the date will be over before you know it leaving you with a lackluster experience. The only alternative to this being the special first date being drawn out over 3 separate updates to make it a full and rewarding activity but with constant "to be continued" cliffhangers throughout the date. As much as I want more content on a regular basis shorter updates will not do the stories justice.
Yes, it would be the latter, as ultimately I would not want the frequency of updates to determine the pacing of the story in the finished product.
I’m happy to wait longer if it not only means a more complete update but hopefully making updating a bit less stressful for Tonbelly and all the other developers
I don't care as long as I get to turn Paige into a ssbbw .