Apologies for the delay on the v0.9 update
I'm making this post to apologize for the delay on the v0.9 update. I owe you all an explanation for why it's taking so long and an update on my plans for the game moving forward.
I'm eternally thankful for all your patience and support despite the huge delay on top of an already long development cycle. As usual, feel free to leave a comment if you have questions or suggestions.
Why is it taking so long?
The biggest reason is, without a doubt, my lack of skill compared to what's required to get the job done. It's been years since I started working on MMDES, but the skills required for creating a competent, enjoyable experience haven't really improved. I feel like I'm always just barely winging it. Writing is always painful because I have no idea how to unravel the ideas in my head cohesively, the game is full of if/else statements because my coding skill is bad, and animating takes an ungodly amount of trial and error.
The initial script for the v0.9 update's main story events was more packed with complex scenes, but I had to constantly rewrite them because my animating skills aren't enough to bring them to life. I've been constantly headbutting instead of learning the required skills for the job since the first release of the game. It gradually burnt me out, making my already bad efficiency even worse, and I believe I'm at my lowest point right now.
In some ways, I feel like scope creep is catching up to me. I set the scope of the game too high. A fully animated sandbox VN is just beyond my skillset. There hasn't been a single day I didn't regret deciding to make a fully animated game instead of just doing short animations.
With that said, I'm not going to give up developing the game or animating. I just wanted to explain what's going on on my end and how I've been feeling.
Another issue is that I'm financially constrained, and I've had to work a day job for the past few months. Patreon income definitely helps, but it's not enough for me to survive where I live. I plan to move to a smaller place to save on rent so I'll be able to work on the game full-time again in the future.
How much progress did I make?
New H-scenes and features for them are complete. There are 24 main story events currently written and being animated. 18 of them (mostly just conversations or simple scenes) are complete, and the rest, which are going to be the highlight of v0.9, are nowhere near completion, sadly.
The v0.9 update will be bigger than usual, but it won't be as big as two updates combined.
ETA and future plans
I'm afraid to say, but there is still no ETA. Originally, I wanted to release a smaller update back in March, but I proceeded to bite off more than I could chew and ended up here. My personal goal was to release it before October, but it seems impossible at my current speed.
I'm planning to rewrite the remaining events to make them easier to work on, and I've postponed parts of them to v0.10 so that I can at least deliver v0.9 without a cliffhanger.
Comments (61)
Part of what drew me to this game initially was that I thought the animation was quite possibly the best I've ever seen in one of these types of games. Then I was drawn in by the story which I think is also top notch. Keep at it and take all the time you need.
MMDoES IS THE REASON THIS HEART STILL BEATS. MY PATIENCE HAD REWARDED ME😭
Hey, I just want to say that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The fact that you've kept working on this game for so long, despite all the difficulties, shows how much you care about it. You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to rush the update just to meet people's expectations. Your health and well-being matter too. Please don't think that your efforts have been for nothing. There are people who genuinely appreciate your work and are willing to wait for something you've put your heart into. Take your time, keep learning, and don't forget to take care of yourself along the way. Even if progress is slow, you're still moving forward. Thank you for all the work you've put into this game. I hope things get better for you, and I'll be looking forward to the update whenever it's ready. Keep going, you've got this! ❤️
When is update coming out?
Hey, first of all, you need to understand that you are enough just as you are. People appreciate the game you made for what it is, not for what it "could be if you were better." Your programming skills might not seem that great to you, but I think very, very few of us here are going through your code looking for mistakes. We enjoy the game you gave us, with all the things you created. You're amazing. I'm sure there are things you can improve, and you should never doubt that, but you're you, and what you do, the way you do it, the results you achieve, and the QUALITY of your work are things only you can bring to the table. Others might be "better" in theory, but we like what YOU made. You're awesome. Take as much time as you need, whether it's months or years. Whatever you need. But NEVER doubt yourself or what you do, because you've already done it, you're doing it, and you will keep doing it. Good luck, and sending you a hug from Argentina.
This game really touched me deeply😭
😭😭😭
😭
This is absolutely phenomenal! Please don't apologize for the release delay.It feels so much better than any game I've ever played, and I' m genuinely blown away by it.😊🥰
What a fantastic game! No apologies needed for the delay. It’s easily one of the best I’ve ever played.😊😊😊
Can I add a Chinese translation? All my friends want to play.
Take all the time you need this game is wonderful and we would rather have to wait long for you to be able to fully bring out the ideas you have for this and that shows how good of a creator you are
news？now is about the end of the month
Was lange währt wird gut. Wichtig ist doch das es mit liebe gemacht wird und manchmal braucht es mehr Zeit. Ich Stelle es mir wie in den Kampfkünsten vor. Man hat eine Zeit in der alles gut läuft und es schnell vorran geht. Dann kommt eine Zeit der Stagnation wo nichts laufen will. The Key is to keep going. Du hast bisher so viel tolles geleistet und viele Bewunderer. ;)
your game is packed with so much love and detail. you doing great work and we trust you in your decisions. we know you would never present us a half-hearted update. we love your game and we trust you. take all the time you need
This game will definitely become a legend, it worth waiting.
No froblem our lovely developer, we will always waiting for the new storyline of our lovely maid Ako and everything on it hehe, and keep your body healthy when working for the game and on your reality
In China, we often say, “Strive for excellence, pursue perfection, and take the time to do things right.” Making a game is a challenge in itself, and it’s also a challenge to yourself. So take your time and keep improving. As long as you don’t give up, I’ll always support you. Keep going—you’ve got this!
It's better to focus on the story than on 18+ scenes. The game is great because of its story and depth. Creating a game worth playing takes many years, and I, as a user I don't mind waiting
Saw there wasnt an update in a long while so figured id go snooping only to find out you're in pain over your set goals. Genuinely whatever youve already done has been insanely well made and polished beyond what anyone traditionally should expect from a VN. Keep going brother, youve got this. Hope youve been treating yourself better.
OMG, as a fan of the game, I'm just glad that you're okay and continuing to develop the game.
arigato gosaimas, creador gracias por tanto y perdón por tan poco..
Never feel bad and never downgrade your skill, from my experience, your game is wonderful, every event, the complete storyline and all are just fantastic, it's normal for it to be hard as a one man thing but just to tell you, THANK YOU SO MUCH to have started and still being developing the game, even if the game comes out months to a year from now I'll always enjoy it!
Hello how are you. you make a great game.
No matter where you go we will follow you. Take your time and take a breathe, man. We all wish you can pass through this difficult time smoothly🫂.
Im fine with waiting with the condition you don't drop the proyect
This game boasts a unique storyline, style, and characters. Of all the games I've played, this one is the one I always remember; it left a deep impression on me. It's great to see the latest news about it. Supporting you, and wishing you all the best!
Don't forget MAKA pls
Dear Dodonga, thanks for your messange. Please don´t push yourself to hard and you don´t have to apologize for a delayed update. Game development can be very challenging, especially for indy game developers. I think you have alot of talent for animations, the fluid motions reminds me alot off the video games from the company Oddworld Inhabitans. Take your time, stay healthy and all the best. We are suporting you to make your dream come true. Your game is really good and I´m excited for the update.
Dont worry Mr dodonga, no matter how excited I am right now I can wait for the update, take your time! This game is so good, I hope there would be some more romantic scenes with Ako, The convenience girl and the book store girl, And maybe show a little backstory of the MC since I'm kinda curious, But even if this won't happen yet in this update, I'm still happy
You don't have to apologize for this. Everyone's life is not easy. We have to learn to tolerate each other.Just like Ako and the protagonist enjoy each other's warmth and happiness in the cruel world.
You posting a coherent apology rather than ghosting the patreon is a lot better than most. Love the work youre doing. take as much time it is to takes to have the robo-maid dream fulfilled.
Es un grandioso juego. No hace falta que te mártires tanto. Sin problemas puedo esperar hasta que esté hecho.
You have as long as you need. :) What you've pulled off so far has been something quite special, and the heart you put into it really shows. Take a breather and take care of yourself, we'll be here.
Honestly take as long as you need, I'm very excited to see how things go in MMDES :>
Todos lo esperamos no te preocupes roms te tu tiempo ÙwÚ
Wild to me that you 'don't have the necessary skills' yet still made one of the best games in the niche (imo). Don't be so down on yourself man, I think most of us here are happy to wait for an update, whenever you feel it is ready.
First of all, I actually had an idea after reading your post. If you ever need help translating MMDES into Spanish, I would genuinely love to help. I’d be happy to translate and proofread the Spanish text for you if that could take even a little bit of weight off your shoulders. I know it’s probably not the biggest part of development, but if I can make one thing easier for you, I’d really like to help. ❤️ And please don’t worry about the delay, Dodonga. After reading your post and all the comments here, I just want to say that I really hope you take care of yourself first. Your health and happiness are much more important than getting the update out quickly. If you need to take a break, take your time, move somewhere cheaper, change your plans, or even step away from the project for a while to avoid burning yourself out, please do it. We will still be here. I also really hope you consider letting other people help you with the parts of development that drain you the most, especially coding or QA. You don’t have to do everything yourself. There are clearly people in this community who would be happy to help with coding, proofreading, grammar, testing, or whatever they can. You should be able to focus more on the things you do best, like writing the story and creating the animations, instead of exhausting yourself trying to handle every single part of the game. MMDES is honestly my ONE favorite H game. I’ve played other games, but none of them have made me care about the story and characters the way this one did. I admire you and what you’ve created more than I can really explain. The fact that you’ve managed to make so many people this emotionally attached to your game while doing so much of it yourself is incredible. So please don’t think that you have failed just because development is taking longer than you wanted. We are proud of what you have already created, and I think a lot of us would rather wait for something you are genuinely proud of than see you destroy yourself trying to meet a deadline. Thank you so much for giving us this update and for being honest with everyone about what has been happening. Knowing that the game is still being developed and that you don’t plan to abandon it already means a lot to me. Please believe in yourself and in the people supporting you. We’re proud of you, we believe in you, and we’ll wait. We are all proud of you and the work you do—both for the game and in keeping yourself going. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you reply and accept the help. WE ARE ALL PROUD OF YOU AND THE WORK YOU DO, BOTH FOR THE GAME AND FOR KEEPING YOURSELF GOING. I THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR EVERYTHING YOU’VE GIVEN US. I REALLY HOPE YOU REPLY AND ACCEPT MY OFFER TO HELP, BECAUSE I’D LOVE TO TAKE EVEN A LITTLE BIT OF THE WEIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS. 🥹❤️ (Sorry if the Google translation is bad.) Take your time, Dodonga. Take care of yourself first. ❤️🫂
feliz 3er aniversario, aunque fue hace algunos dias xd
Bossman it is a-okay. The important thing is that you're taking care of yourself. If you think you should take a step back and change some things, I say go for it. If you think it would be beneficial to step away for a bit to avoid some burnout, go right ahead. So long as you don't kill the passion that made you start the game to begin with, the passion that made you strive to polish the game as well as you could, then please take it easy. I like to say it's good to make something exist first and make it good later, so if you want to release stuff that isn't complete yet like some unpolished scenes that you can fix up later that would be fine with me if you think it would help you keep the ball rolling. On the other hand if it makes you uncomfortable to not put out something that you're not 100% proud of, I get it, I only hope you know your limits and how much that kind of mindset can wear you down over time. (Sorry if I'm sounding preachy or pretentious, I just care about some things way too much.) Either way, take care of yourself big dog, your health and wellbeing matter most at the end of the day.
All good boss this is deff in the top 3 h game I've played so I'm cool to wait for your amazing update keep up the good work but don't push yourself to hard over it
I’m sure you’ve considered this in the past but it may be worthwhile reaching out to those in the community on providing you with some sort of support or QA work on a volunteer basis. I know I would be happy to assist in grammar/proofreading flow work myself having assisted with large novel length fanfiction projects.
I think you could collaborate with others, delegate the coding work, and focus on story writing and animation production instead, since coding really drains your energy
Quizás tenga que usar traductor para este mensaje dodonga, gracias por tu juego, aún espero tu actualización, y es grato saber que le das todo tu esfuerzo por querer cumplir metas y sobre todo la ambición de tus seguidores, gracias por tu juego
You're doing great, dodonga!!! Take your time and don't rush!!!
It’s okay Dodingle. Take your time
Hey, dont even worry about it! This is the best H game Ive ever played. You need to take care of yourself, if we need to wait a while longer for a new update thats completely fine. Also, I had no idea that you were basically doing everything yourself, that incredible for the scope of the game and how well its made! I dont know shit about coding or anything but if you ever need someone to review your writing or anything like that to help you dont hesitate to ask me! I'd be happy to help this game in anyway I can!
I don't care how long it takes, I'm just glad you're alright and that the game isn't going to be abandoned. Please take your time and make sure you are always in the right head space! Don't burn yourself out! You are doing an amazing job already, so keep up the amazing work!!!
* Isn't 😉
Artists are always their own biggest critics. When I come up with a bassline I feel the same way. Wanting to improve is fine and dandy but always remember to be kind to yourself.
First of all, my brother, it’s completely alright. Please don’t take any stress or tension about the game. I personally love your game, and I’m sure everyone who is genuinely interested in it feels the same way. So please don’t feel pressured because it’s taking longer than expected. We can wait. Take your time and, most importantly, take care of yourself. Remember, you are the game. If you’re not doing well, there’s no point in forcing yourself to make the game. Get yourself together first, take care of your life, and then come back to it when you’re ready. We’ll still be here. And about your lack of skills—my brother, it’s completely fine. Nobody starts out knowing everything. You have a big vision, and if you need time to develop the skills to achieve it, then take that time. We would rather wait for you to make something you’re genuinely proud of than see you destroy yourself trying to meet a deadline. As for the financial situation, I personally have tried my best to support you, and I know many others who love this game have done the same. We’ll continue supporting you however we can. And if you need to make the game smaller or do a few upgrades step by step, that’s completely fine too. It doesn’t have to become everything you imagined overnight. Just don’t lose hope. Believe in yourself, believe in your game, and believe in the people who support you. We love the game because of the passion you’ve put into it, and we believe in you. So please, be happy, stay chill, and don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Get your shit together, take care of yourself, and then come back stronger. We’ll wait. Take your time, brother. ❤️ Keep going. I believe in you.
I came for the Maid but i‘m staying for the story. Never in my life I would have thought that this game would take a hold of my heart so strongly. At this point i can wait longer with the knowledge that you are doing your best and rest easy that its gonna be fire. Take your time and don’t forget about your health. A healthy dodonga is the best kind of dodonga.
Neigh (take your time)
this game is the only VN ero-game I play for your story and cute character, and trust me I know tons of ero-game as well as normal game. so do not worry. your works so far is fantasic. we love your work. my advice is that you can try to use AI to rework, rehaul your source code structure, maybe after 0.9 release, to make everything straight, and easy to work on. I myself works for Japanese IT company and now all the industry is forced to use AI for it is really powerful.
What you're doing is great! I'm rooting for you. And you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself or push yourself too hard, otherwise your mental health will suffer. The game you created is fantastic! I'll be looking forward to your future game developments. 🫂💖
I love the story, and the characters are all very cute! The only way to eat an elephant is one small bite at a time. You got this!
Don't worry brother Take your time. I know everyone has to go through difficult times in life. Just don't forget that we're all here supporting you and we love what you do. ✋🗿🤚
Listen, your game is very interesting, but it would be painful for me (and others, too) to realize that you are overexerting yourself to create it. If possible, please ask someone to help you with the development. The most important thing is for you to be healthy and happy. (Sorry for the rough Google translation, comrade.) Спасибо и удачи в жизни :)
Take care of yourself and take all the time you need, I'm grateful enough that you gave an update on the situation regarding the game and look forward to hearing more in the future whenever you're ready.
Even though a lot of people might get frustrated by the long wait, it’s better to have an update crafted with love than a half-baked one. If it’s necessary to wait another four months so you can be in good health and the update is done right, then go for it! :)
The game is wonderful. The experience feels different from what I’m used to, and honestly, it has one of the best stories I’ve seen in a game in a long time. I’ve even cried during several scenes, and every new update gets me excited. Thank you for all the effort you put into it, no matter how difficult things may be.