Development news
Hi guys,
I hope you had a nice Holidays with family, friends or even by yourself. I haven't posted in a while and it was about time.
I'm still working on revamping ORS' nine chapters, adding and modifying stuff here and there, as I've been talking about in the past: redoing all Stan scenes, updating some crappy drawings and tweaking or expanding on some particular scenes. And when all that's done, I'm planning to move forward with my plans to release on Steam.
On a more personal note, I already talked about the burnout I was feeling after releasing chapter 9, and I took some time off during the holidays to recharge. Working on ORS is a real challenge and the pressure is real, especially now that I have to manage many things aside from just writing and drawing.
I feel like I'm taking way more time than I should, and that gets kind of stressful, since I was used (like you were) to a constant and steady release cycle. I've been keeping a very consistent work schedule during these past 4 years and it's allowed me to push out update after update, and I need to get back to that, but I've also become aware that I need to make it sustainable for myself too. In any case, I guess I'm afraid to lose all the good will I've cultivated during these past few years if I start slipping, and that's something I can't allow myself to do.
In any case, my plans and commitment to the project have not changed and I'm eager to share with you what I create. As always, I just want to keep things transparent with you guys, even if sometimes I have to talk about some personal issues that don't have to do much with the game itself. I know I've been taking longer than usual to engage and release new content, and I'm sorry for that. Work still goes on, though, and I hope to make your wait and support worthwhile once again :)
I can't say when the revamped 9 chapters will be completed yet, but I'll keep you posted.
Can you guess which scene is getting a complete makeover judging by the picture above?
Comments (21)
no... please don't burn out yet we are will waiting for that ivy X ian moment :P
The famous artist Malevich also somehow "burned out" ... and in desperation he simply drew a "black square" and put it on public display! The audience was so delighted with the novelty that someone bought this "miracle" for a lot of money for their house! Eva show character and act! Eva, tell your husband that your lover has it now! She tells her lover that she is now with her husband, and draw herself...draw! It's just a joke! We are waiting for the continuation of the story ! I want the drawings from the game to decorate the walls of my room!
I've been of fan of your work since I stumbled on GGGB. You're one of the best creators and one of my favorites. Your creations are fun, captivating, and compelling work of art.
I can relate to your troubles Eva - I m a retired-semi pro has been musician - so burnout is real, mental blocks are real. You have created a plenty of good will and really hope you maintain that. I have few hours to spare every week and I can code python and other languages - I do that for a living. Let me know if I can help in anyways which would allow you to focus on important artsy stuff.
Just gonna pile in with the rest - Eva, you're one of the most consistently awesome creators out there. But we all know you're human, and not some smut-churning machine. You're an artist, and good art takes time. So go at a pace you enjoy. We'll still be here. 👍
Glad to hear from you Eva, take as much time as you need, glad to hear you had a little bit of time off, we arnt going anywhere because its always worth the wait when you do post, and you have a dedicated community, personally im much happier knowing your not overworking yourself than i would be rushing to play the update :)
As long as you keep up the honest communication and keep putting quality content when you can people will support you. It’s too common with these things that a dev gets burned out, doesn’t communicate and disappears.
Is anyone else concerned about the number of Devs that seem to end up delaying updates as they get more supporters? I have lost count on how many post similar scenarios of burn out etc. I do understand that people have personal issues to solve and I would never dismiss mental health... Just find it odd, that it happens so many times.
It's easy to start a project, and harder to finish it. Most creators here on Patreon seem to be newbies which would explain it further. Eva has actually finished a game so she's an exception to the rule. I think that her delays the past updates are more about that she tried to put too much content into each update, together with the fact that she hasn't had a real vacation for several years. The latter is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Most jobs have several weeks of time off every year, so it's only natural that you take time off as well. It's only beneficial for your mental wellbeing and your creative output in the long term. But I think it's fair that you tell us that you take time off before you do it, and not after. You're a reliable creator, but it's still better to let us know. I have a feeling that you feel a need to outdo GGGB with ORS, which might've caused a bit of a feature creep. Not only do we have two protagonists instead of one, but also several romantic partners for each with variations for each path. So even with the hired help, learned experiences from your previous game and improved work pipelines it's no wonder that each update takes longer and longer. It's still an indie project, so don't try to outstretch yourself (and burn out for real!). I've mentioned it before, but it might be a good idea to have ORS Part 1 as a separate game, and streamline a few paths for ORS Part 2, just like going from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2 (or Baldur's Gate 1 to 2, the Witcher series and so on). Since each update is getting more and more complex, each update would only increase your workload. And at some point it'd become too much for an indie project to handle - if there are 10-12 updates left, and each update took 5 months to finish (without any delay or fail), then you'd have 5 years of ORS left. That's a lot of time. I'm not only talking about project completion, but also about your own creative desires - do you want to work on ORS for 5-6 years or do you want to do something else in a couple of years?
Just so you know, you put out actual content updates faster than any other VN creator I support through Patreon. I would say that even if you cut your pace in half, you'd still be faster than everyone else. It's very important to handle burnout - I speak from personal experience. People will understand slowing down, particularly in light of how fast you already are going.
I get the burnout Eva, you probably are more critical of the game and story than any of us are, in terms of reacting to criticism of the game/story and being critical on yourself I think it's good to be thinking of ways to improve the game, like repurposing Stan seems like it makes a few things work better That being said, taking a step back, other than you, who this world is creating massive branching storylines, with a massive amount of characters, with as much detail to character arcs and consistency as humanely possible with payoffs coming Chapters down the line? Eva, in this space with regards to writing branching story arcs objectively it's literally you in your own league, and then there's everyone else. Of course hold yourself to your standard, that's how you got here, but also just so you know, you're amazing!
Hey take your time. There's too much pressure on content creators to pump on products fast & high quality, even at the expense of their health. I'm glad you're giving yourself some time off. I'm sure the wait will be worth it
How nice to read from you :) . I wonder how it feels to go through all that already done content once more. I could imagine the small chances feeling a little unfullfilling, because they are only corrections, but no real creative stuff or remarkable improvements. But the fine-tuning of scenes, enhancing images and changing complete parts of scenes might be very satisfying. I myself am really looking forward to the reworked edition of this already second-to-none visual novel (even though being afraid of losing a loved scene or picture). Thanks for sharing the personal note as well. I am at a loss for the right words, but your performance and output are really great. It is really good that you have realised a over-working problem and that you are trying to protect yourself from it. And remember: You have a lot of "good will" in stack to cope for a bad time :) . For the picture: I really like it but I have no idea where it could fit. Later Seymore? Not really and the golden shoes are missing ;) . Painting-session? The stool is too posh for this. A new Stan-scene? Also too posh of a stool. I give up, but I am really proud I even realised there is a stool in this picture... what lines, nice stockings, hair and a phenomenal center of the picture...
Looks like Chapter 4 shoot with Seymour...
Eva, it's good to hear form you again. We have been just wondering on Discord if you're going to post any news soon. So talk about timing (or lurking ;)). Anyway, I'm glad you took some time off. As for your question: it doesn't fit Danny, so it has to be Seymour. I'd say it is his first photoshoot.
I wouldn’t worry about a slower pace. You have consistently proven yourself with your work on GGGB and ORS. The Steam release will be a big hit and is a smart move. Hmmm, The new art must be for a Seymour photo shoot. 🤔
Maybe the sudden break from the neutral studio environment to the personal Seymore shooting will be flattened with another Seymore scene inbetween? Delaying the final Scene in chapter 9 a litte? Would love that.
By the picture and knowing Stan is getting an update, it should be the scene where he takes your pictures right? I've never seen that poof in the apartment before though. And you're wearing the lingerie from Seymour. Your teases have too many possibilities! Lol
Happy new year Eva ! Long term quality is better than short terms fixed deadlines. Fixed deadlines will make you take shortcuts and not deliver what you -really- want. And then you'll have to comeback on this or, like you said, lose your interest in this work and treat it like a "normal" work and therefore lose your energy & interest in it. Like Julian said, defining the places where you can delegate some work & hiring a small team for limited scopes & defined objectives could help you with that :) Anyway, take care, that's the most important thing.
Glad to hear you took some time off, I hope you’re feeling recharged and ready to go. I can understand the feelings of burnout, is there any part of the development which you can delegate? I know working with a small team, and limited budget, limits your options but anything you can offload will help