A Vacation Mode enabled

Howdy... I'm exhausted. ／(=´x`=)＼

Unfortunately, I must confess that I bit off more than I could chew, pun intended. New job, overtime, way more school than I anticipated, and family issues have put me in a rough spot, and I'm really struggling to find the mental energy to make more progress. I hate to say it, but honesty is the best policy, and I'm floating around two options in my head:

1) I could shut down the SubscribeStar. I'm not happy about it, but the last thing I want to do is mooch off you subscribers with barely any updates because I'm so swamped. I cannot in good faith claim that I can add the burden to my workload right now, even though I previously thought I could.

2) I extend vacation mode to the end of my degree program, which would be sometime next year. This seems kind of lame to do, as it would just sit here gathering dust, so to speak. However, I wouldn't have to make it again once my ridiculous workload lightens up.

I'm really sorry for potentially 'leading y'all on'. I want to reassure y'all though that I haven't lost my fervor about completing this project, it's just a lack of time that I can't seem to find. Bills to pay, and all that. How do y'all think I should proceed? Regardless of whatever route I take, when I manage to make good progress with the game, I'll mainly operate on itch.io, I reckon.

In other news, I've rebuilt the framework of the project for modular additions. Based on the last poll, I've also been trying to change up the introduction sequence, and the preds for the first levels will be more same size. Also, I'm going to run a poll about anthros, as the player character is one, but some of my vore-enjoying acquaintances don't care for them much.

Howdy! ／(･ × ･)＼

Been working on reformatting the game's foundation, and that led to effectively reworking the animation transitions, and then to the animations altogether...

I'm making progress, and with the (complex, yet simplistic) way that things are now, the player should now be customizable. It will still be a while before anything is completed, and I'm busier now more than ever.

Honestly, I wish I could say more has gotten done towards releasing what will be an updated 1.0 version, but it just takes time. Especially when you're a perfectionist that doesn't want to repeat this reconstruction project. In other news, and it pains me to say it, but I may need to shift my focus to a game jam for a bit, in order to add to my portfolio. Not sure when that will be, but I'll post some vague details here... maybe.

Stay tuned,
Antebuck

P.S. Here's a poll about something I'm curious about.

Howdy, everyone! *Important Announcement*

With the start of the new year, I've thought a lot about the future, such as enrolling in my Master's Degree program, quitting my second job, some later events at the end of this month that I'll have to attend, and of course, the most relevant subject to you all, the future and direction of this game.

As you all know, I've put out a multiplayer poll, and while some are interested in multiplayer (which has incentivized me to add that to my 'long-term goals' list), the majority of y'all do not, and I agree that such an addition might inhibit my progress with random bugs and whatnot. I will be focusing on singleplayer, and polishing that experience, although you may see a multiplayer button as a 'More to Come' option in the title screen (even though it will be a long while, probably).

However, a sobering realization did arise from that poll (or rather, from theorizing how I would implement multiplayer)- the foundation of the game's programming needs a strong update, with some of my more advanced methods, even if I'm not incorporating multiplayer, for two reasons:

So here's what I'm thinking about doing: I will release my next build soon, and work on the current version of the game to add in new features, until some time around the end of this month, then I will rebuild the programming base of the game in the latest version of Unity to accomplish these goals. But since the game wouldn't have noticeable updates for a while, I will put this SubscribeStar on a 'vacation mode' (it would not be a vacation- quite the opposite), meaning that you'd guys would not be paying for any subscription until I turn it back to 'regular mode', later in time, probably around May.

It does not feel right to charge you kings and queens when the newer builds have nothing new.  It would also guarantee that I'd be acclimated to the lifestyle change after starting my degree program. I will still be updating you guys here with my progress, of course (I'll try to make it biweekly).

Thanks for all of the support and understanding, you legends. Let me know what you guys think.

With much love,
Antebuck ／(^ x ^)＼

Howdy!

Been out of town visiting relatives this past holiday season whenever I wasn't working. Lots of time was spent away from my main computer, but I did get to draw a ton. Currently, my main drawing project is going to be the boss of what I'm calling 'Chapter 1' for now. She's taking a while because she's well... substantial. I'll post her on Eka's as soon as I get her basic animations ready.

During the family gatherings, it has been discussed that I would financially able to pursue my Master's in Computer Science Degree... I would be leaving my second job for that, so it wouldn't affect the windows of time I spend doing this, but I'd still need to have more subscribers here before I could fully invest more time. I'll try to get my game added to the main vore game thread when I get a chance, and make more posts on Eka's for attention.

As far as game creation is going, I've been focusing on adding elements based on the feedback I've gotten from the Eka's forums, the comments on my Eka's posts, and here, of course. Pred attacks are currently the focus. Been pretty keen on adding in player abilities that refresh after a little while, and can be upgraded in a shop or something in a main hub level type area. Sound design is tough to find time for, to be honest, but I know it's very important to some, so I'm chipping away.

Also, I'm really keen on making customizable player characters, but I didn't frame my initial animations around that idea, so that would take some time to remake. Let me know if this is something you're really interested in, or if it would be wasted effort. Should I run a poll on the Eka's forums maybe?

Finally, I'm glad to see there were a lot of votes for multiplayer. Pretty much half said no, half said yes. I'm curious what y'all think. If almost all of you said yes, I'd bite the bullet and do it. It would probably be quicker to add in customizable characters if I did. It has been voiced to me that there are concerns about the safety of multiplayer, and I understand. I'm looking into getting future iterations of the game to run inside of itch.io, so I think that would eliminate that potential issue. It would have random matchmaking, but also room codes. Again, let me know what you guys prefer.

Hope to post a new update soon!

Thanks,
Antebuck

EDIT: Added the Multiplayer Poll

Howdy!

Here is another build featuring a new pred, Twila! Been working lately on animations mostly, which is taking a decent amount of time, but I hope to chip away at it quickly, and get to implementing other things I have in the works, like big attacks at the minute marks...

Also, I've been working on making background music. Hope it sounds good to y'all when I post it here, as I'll probably have you guys listen before it's in a new build. ／(=･ x ･=)＼

Hope to post again soon,
Antebuck