What I learned in my first year of development

There's so much that happened in 2023 both from released content and personal skill growth that felt worthwhile to share. I'll give a quick bullet point rundown followed by more details if you see something that piques your interest.

For developers who are interested in my journey and how it compares to theirs, or for aspiring new ones wanting to know what to expect, I hope you find some of this insightful.

For fans, supporters and other curious souls who'd like to know more about me and the project I develop, there should be a little something to gain from this as well.

• What is a healthy workload?

• Your learning will never end.

• What mistakes did I make?

• What is next?

Workload

This is something that I see talked about occasionally, but I don't believe most people understand. Developers put a lot of time into their work for a very small amount of enjoyment by players. It could take 1,000+ manhours of development time for you to play that 2-hour episode update.

Sounds ridiculously exaggerated? Consider the writers, actors, sfx teams, and everyone else that goes into making one episode of your favorite show. There's a reason we only get eight 1-hour episodes a year, if we're lucky.

Or how long it takes your favorite author to write the next book in the series. Planning, plotting, writing, proofreading, and multiple revisions over hundreds or even thousands of hours... just for someone to read in 1/100th of that time.

I released 2.5 episodes throughout 2023, and while I truly wanted to get a full 3 done I just couldn't fit it in. Sure, they seem to be larger than the typical episode of other similar projects, but it's still important to strive for quick release intervals that contain enough content that's worthwhile for the player.

For those looking to monetize their project (especially with services like Patreon), you'll find there are some people who love what you do and really want you to succeed so you can make the best game possible for them. They may even become a regular supporter. Most of them understand the workload constraints, but others may wonder what's taking so long.

My advice: be transparent and communicate your plans and your pace of work. And be honest with yourself about what you can realistically produce. Don't overpromise something you can't deliver.

Learning on the job

At this point I've been working with Daz for about a year and a half. In the beginning I thought everything I did looked so awesome. I was creating images with lifelike models with little effort out of the box.

As I was browsing around the internet to learn how to use different aspects of the software, I saw many people in forums talking about how you'd want to customize the settings to make your characters and renders look better.

Are you kidding? They look great already!

Well... Eventually I learned some humility. While I was able to make large improvements with my renders from 'simple' ways like increasing the iterations and not using the denoiser... I was missing out on the things that really made a difference, like those texture settings on characters' skins.

It took over a year before I realized how much things like that were holding me back. So over the last six months it's gone from this...

To this...

It's a quick example of a render I used to be proud of, to something I whipped up on a whim for demonstration. Not only have I started figuring out what all those texture maps and setting sliders do within Daz, but I also took a step back to look at what makes good photography. This is mostly dealing with ways to light your scene, fill the foreground/background appropriately, and the positioning of your camera. Also, finding natural looking poses for your characters.

It's very easy for me to overexaggerate expressions and poses because I want to make sure that emotion is conveyed. My early renders suffered from this. What's funny to me is that I usually see the opposite problem in so many AVNs where the characters are expressionless or have blank stares.

The lesson here is a little can go a long way. Humans notice the tiniest differences on others' faces. And some good advice (even though it's not something I do) is to search up images online to use as references for poses/expressions if you're struggling with getting the right look.

I do not consider myself an expert in anything related to art or photography, and in fact I know almost nothing, so I fully expect to look back at my work in a year and call it trash. Hell, I already do this every couple of months as it is lol.

Is there anything I would do over?

The answer to this is simple: don't rush the first release. We only get to make a first impression once, and I hate that I may have lost so many potential fans by trying to get something out as soon as I could.

This doesn't mean take forever to strive for perfection. It means finding people you trust that can provide honest critiques of your work early on. And if there are other projects you find inspirational, identify where they excel so you can model your own work after that.

I had a terrible beta release for TaH because I wasn't properly prepared, and it's sad to me that many won't give it another chance and find out it's something they'll like. There were far more negative comments than positive ones from the early release, and when you're dealing with people on the internet it's usually hateful remarks rather than constructive criticism. You're left trying to sift through mindless garbage to find the nuggets of truth that will actually help you improve.

What's in store next?

I am still moving along production to complete the third episode of Trouble at Home. I put out samples regularly that show how the art is improving, but I know that's not what keeps people hooked.

TaH was created using the severed relationship with Kayla at its core, and the character growth that both her and the protagonist will have because of it. The story will continue to progress in different ways, exploring deepening relationships and other unique events along the way. You can expect more romantic and intimate scenarios than before, as well as some darker themes that haven't been touched yet.

I hope to reveal a deeper story that will keep people wanting more, and make this something that will stand up to its peers in the AVN world.

-ckr