Lewd Town Adventures Two Year Anniversary Special!!! 

Lewd Town Adventures is officially 2 years old!
Technically, tomorrow will be the two-year anniversary, but I never thought we would make it this far. I also never thought that the game would become so big, both literally in file size, and in the Lewd Games community.
From the start, my goal was always to make one of the biggest, lewdest adult games; seeing that we're actually accomplishing this goal is a strange feeling. Time flies because I can still remember vividly messing around with how to get things to work.
A lot of stuff has happened for the game itself since the beginning because we've been putting lots of energy and time into its development.
This week is a bit of a special post; let's call it Anniversary: 2.0.
I think it might be fun to begin by flashing back to the past, then forward into the future plans for the game.
For anyone who's interested, here's last year's post where we talked about many things: https://subscribestar.adult/posts/410865

Let's dive in:
What have we accomplished since last year?
  • The game doubled in content. (To put that into perspective, every single day in the past year: more than 20 images/animations got added to the game. That's pretty nuts and doesn't even take into account all the coding, testing, etc.)
  • A new and significantly more professional GUI was implemented.
  • The amount of code doubled.
  • Sound effects got added throughout the game.
  • The game went from 65 songs to 125.
  • 50% of outdated (lower quality, poorly lit, odd camera angle) scenes have been updated/remade.

Basically, we've made constant improvements across the board. For anyone who didn't know, here's how things looked back then and in earlier versions:
One of the first menus in the game. There are no options for some reason. Before this menu there was another one that was absolutely ridiculous but hilarious at the same time. I'm not going to upload movies here because of size issues but it can be found on Discord.
The second logo ever made and the load/save interface. The MC's first dick looked like a breadstick. I changed it later.

The first worldmap.
Nighttime visit to Sophia's house. Got some NES action going here, lol.
Your old home. If you check it out more closely, Mia and Natalie were already planned back in 0.1
LTA 0.1 had no journal or icons. After feedback the first thing implemented in 0.2 was a journal that looked kinda meh. The problem was that I did monhtly releases that we're pretty damn big already back then. I only had a few days to spend on the coding/writing/graphics for the journal itself.

Night time, no Shelly. It felt empty to me so she got added in 0.5. Top right corner also got updated and improved.

Well, there's a lot more history, I'll save that for another time since this post is already getting quite big. The point is that it looked pretty bad back then but with hard work and dedication things got a lot better.

To get back to exactly a year ago...
The Boss wasn't yet implemented a year ago. I kind of like to call that moment when you meet him the key decision that launches part two of the game.
What's interesting about it is that - from that moment onwards - images, animations, and the scenes got a lot better quality-wise.
I'm very happy about this; it's a lot of fun but it's also a lot more work than it used to be.
On last year's post Xo Mo wasn't creating images and animations yet. The first scene Xo made by himself was a little bit before the Christmas release and it was pretty damn good, especially for a first scene.
First Xo Image with some nice details. What's especially interesting is that the parents of some of the university girls are already in there. They've only made their debute recently, one is still someone that we still have to meet.
From then on, Xo slowly began to make more scenes, which encouraged me to step in quite often to ensure consistency and coach Xo where his technique needed improvement. After lots of practice and several deep dives into the whys and hows of Jamleng Games style, things got a lot better.
Fast forward to now: Xo Mo has become really good at what he does with a fantastic eye for detail. He's taking on certain scenes that I would never even begin with because of the time it would take to do such things. It's really awesome and I hope you guys are as excited as I am.
One of the coolest and most uplifting things Xo has done for Lewd Town Adventures is to create new maps piece by piece. By redesigning or crafting rooms and environments from scratch, Lewd Town has multiple new, unique places seen in no other game that utilizes our rendering studio. The attention to detail is astonishing. See for yourself:
Nina's house, the second floor as seen from afar. The babyroom is located here as well. Never forget to live, laugh and love.
Natalie's room that finally got added in V0.11, yes that took 10 versions. Lots of cool little details here that define her character.
How things started...
How things become after making lots of edits. There are quite a few easter eggs in ere as well.
As you can see, in just one short year, Lewd Town has seen huge improvements overall. And now...
A word from Xo:
Hi everybody! Happy to be here.
Glad you're still reading because that's what visual novels are all about: to read a novel with amazing and unique visuals.
Starting out as just an editor for the script, to becoming a more-or-less 'equal' partner within Jamleng Games has been life-changing. I've learned a ton, fulfilled several fantasies, poured my heart into every emotional moment (some of it true to life, unfortunately), and tried to make the game as good as it possibly can be.
In the past year, it's been fun, but rough at times. Planning out and writing over 150 events can be tricky, especially when my wild imagination goes somewhere Jamleng either doesn't expect or does not wish the characters or story to go. Most of the time, I get it right. But sometimes, I go so far down a rabbit hole, it takes some serious heartbreak to let go of the tangent my mind took me on. 
Perhaps someday - after the final event in the game is rendered and coded - we can do an out-takes special event. Or - if it's good enough and we have time - maybe we'll slip one of the 'deleted' scenes into the SS CEO Access folder.
I'm in no way dismayed nor perturbed by having to abandon something that either inverts a character's personality or goes against the grain of the storylines. This inspires me to do better, make it work, and many times slice and dice dialogue into a better event.
What I've learned:
Crafting a game of this quality and magnitude is very time-consuming. Being in the trenches with Jamleng, rendering, bug-fixing, and grinding through the process of assembling all the characters, places, objects, and story elements have made me appreciate the art of game development.
In general, for every five minutes of gameplay, Jam and I tend to spend a solid day - or even a week - on every aspect of that five-minute segment to make it the best it can be. That's why it has taken two years to arrive at the hours of gameplay currently in the game.
I've learned how to position, animate, and render so much. Yet, I still have much knowledge to gain about the rendering studio as well as eventually mastering RenPy code - to assist Jamleng in that department as well as for my future planned game ideas.
Gratitude to everyone:
For those players who have been with us from the start/early on, thank you for your continued patience and persistence. We hope you have enjoyed the steady growth and refinement of the game in every possible way. For those who have only recently stumbled upon Lewd Town and the wacky adventures of its residents, we are pleased you have chosen to stick with us so far, and hope you enjoy what the future brings...
Now, back to your regularly-scheduled Anniversary 2.0 Celebration!

Plans for the coming year:
  1. Aesthetic improvements... I want the game to be as good as possible and for that at least 2000 images/animations have to be remade.
  2. More interesting content, and more custom work on various parts of the game.
  3. A new and better-looking world map.
  4. An achievement system.
  5. Adding a few new girls to the journal.

The Journal:
I think adding a half-empty journal page won't look good. Instead, Nani and a few of the nuns (most of whom share the same exact tasks, making them entirely redundant) will be replaced by Matilda, Natalie, and Grace. (This change will very likely be implemented in 0.12.)
For the moment, we won't add the extra characters, as there are already more than enough and their stories don't require it yet. 
Eventually, we will consider adding a third set of journal pages, if the game progression requires it.
Talking about 0.12: (which will come out at the end of the month)
Things are going well; we're actually not doing much on the main story this time. It's mostly improving the core game, making sure there are enough things to do in every location around Lewd Town.
We're making sure there are no empty places on the map, dropping in easter eggs, small character-building scenes, a couple of remakes, and all that kind of stuff.
Next Sunday we'll be done with what we promised to add. From then on, we'll focus on some other aspects of the game that are also very important, followed by lots of testing and then the early release.
Since we've only had like 2 months, we hope players will understand to expect 0.12 content to be about half the volume of our previous updates. However, it's still pretty damn large, with lots of things to do and discover, with fewer empty places.
0.13 and beyond:
For the rest of the year, we'll do a few smaller-sized updates that come out on a more frequent basis. In general, we hope you guys won't be disappointed by the smaller but more frequent releases. Truthfully, the overall content will actually be greater than if we stuck with the previous huge game drops 4 months apart.
As far as what will happen? You have to play to find out. 
As a tease, on the dark path - how will the MC make more money? How many and which girls will be added to the Mansion? How twisted and wild will the lewd scenes get? On the good path - how will the MC keep up appearances that he's still on board while trying to find a way to fix everything? Can it be fixed? Who might help him? Who might betray him? And how many babies will this harem have by the end of the game?
It's all planned, but flowing like water, flexible and able to penetrate every crevice of probability. We simply hope you stick with us as we continue to develop the adventures.

And now... This:
I was planning on making this a 'filler post' at some point but I thought it could be interesting to add it here. It's a pretty general story that's not very in-depth but it at least explains some of the basics.
The reason is that I get this question almost on a weekly basis; another thing is that it tells of just how much work actually goes into a project like this. It might be an interesting read and - if not - just skip it.
"I want to create my own game"
I often read or get questions: "I want to / am going to make a game myself so I can make tons of cash money."
At a glance, that might be a good idea, but in reality, it's not that simple. 
First off, you're competing with loads of other games - literally thousands at this point. It's difficult to find a foothold, to make people notice your work; that's why I personally think a game can only succeed as long as you're in it for the fun! You have to bring something truly unique and original to the table, which is only possible by seeing what's already out there, perhaps playing hundreds of those competing games. And most importantly - you cannot under any circumstances - be in this to make money.
To put this in perspective, the app stores alone list thousands of new games and apps every day - of which the vast majority are bad. It's very hard to be seen in the massive cluster of garbage and legit original content out there.
Reality Check:
But since we're talking about adult games, let's put that into perspective. Only 5% of all adult games on Patreon make over a $100 bucks a month. If you count the amount of people that can actually live off their work? Less than 3%. That's the truth, and no matter how much you wish for it, you likely will never be included in that 3%. At the same time, the top 1% - like everywhere else in the world - own almost everything, lol.
Aside from that, being able to live off an intellectual property is not really the first thing you have to worry about, since there are many other aspects that you kind of need to learn first.
The most important element of game development is that you need to like what you're making, you need to have some skills/creativity, you must have an original concept that is different than everything on the market, and - just to get noticed - everything surrounding the game must be nearly perfect from the beginning, which most first games rarely are.
Inability to meet these basic essentials will likely result in you getting bored, frustrated, or spending more money than the game will ever make to promote it, ending inevitably in another abandoned project (of which, there are thousands).
Coding:
Starting out to make your own game takes some serious effort. The first and most important step is to figure out the format your game will take. That all hinges on the choice of code or platform you choose. You can code in Renpy(Python), RPG maker, TWINE, or another engine, regardless of preference - most are generally more difficult to work with for various reasons. 
I would suggest you begin small stuff, write a very small story or even random text, then make images and dialogue text appear. Work out how to utilize and alter menus, the user interface, transitions, etc. Make a short game, a demo, or just something no one will ever see but yourself. From there you can build something bigger.
Once you've come that far, that's when you can expand on it, add new pieces of code to it, and experiment with more complicated systems. Don't rush it. Learn as you go and slowly move towards the kind of game you want to make.

Renders/animations:
Download a program like DAZ/Koikatsu/Honey Select/Blender or something and start creating characters and scenes. The learning curve is not that big for basic use but it will end up being the most time-consuming process of them all by far. Literally 80% of all game production time goes into this. But be careful. Some of the 'assets' and 'resource packs' may get expensive if you choose a rendering environment with DLC that costs money.
If you're able to do it, making your own art or having an artist do the work for you is even better, but again probably not possible because of the cost, a very simple standard game will probably cost you upwards of $2k on art alone.

Writing:
Stories, character development, worldbuilding and all of that take some serious thought, effort, reworks, rereading, etc. And a really good writer.
I am fairly good at this myself, but it's been my biggest weakness ever since I started creating my game. I acknowledged this and got very lucky by finding Xo Mo who helps me out tremendously, especially on the writing part.
Finding a good writer or editor for your written content is key. Some will do it pro-bono (free) or for simply a credit and a free copy of the end game. Others will charge per word or per page, which can get pricey. And yet a few will just ask for a percentage of subscriber/patron donations. How you compensate anyone who contributes to your production is up to you.

Other Aspects:
We could list out all the aspects that go into game development, but - in short - time is the most consumed aspect of game design.
Then there are many other time sinks like photoshopping images/art, finding/buying licenses to music and sound effects, promoting the game on social media, learning how to code and use the rendering environment properly, managing files/uploading to various hosting websites, bug-fixing/play-testing to make the game work as it should, and lots of other stuff.

Conclusion:
"I want to create my own game" might look easy, but it takes some serious effort. You must study diligently to create a game, endure lots of trial and error, and again, you will spend time, lots and lots of time on everything. In fact, all of your time. I'm thousands of hours into developing Lewd Town Adventures and still learning new stuff regularly.
Nonetheless - if you still think it's something you really want to do with your life - give it a go! There's never anything wrong with learning new techniques.
Just realize that - if you want to make a game that people will play (and pay for) - be prepared to lose all of your free time and a part of your sanity. It's A LOT of work.

Lastly:
Thank you all for all of the help, and thanks for being a part of the history of a game in the making. We will ride it out through to the end no matter what. 
Lewd Town and all the people, places, and stories truly mean a lot to us. We feel very privileged that the game has evolved so much in the past two years. Although we can’t always grasp what it exactly means to the outside world, or how it makes players feel, or how many times anyone laughs (or jizzes)... We’re very happy to work on the game. As much sweat, sleepless nights, and effort as we put into it, it’s always been a joy.

I always said when this game came out (despite a very rocky start two years ago) that I wanted to make one of the biggest and possibly lewdest adult games out there. That’s still my plan. We’re on the right track, we’re motivated and we’re not stopping till that’s a given even the top 1% can't deny.

Over the next year, we’ll do our utmost best to make Lewd Town Adventures as good as possible on every single level.
Lewd Town Adventures is still growing. We've got many more tales to tell, characters to explore, and places to go that will leave you rolling on the floor, shouting in surprise, or emptying your box of tissues ;).
We're constantly writing, rendering, animating, coding, and bug-checking the game. We're very active on Discord and open to discussions from all who choose to join our huge community of fans and critics.
Finally, please know that we rely on all of you to support the game - either financially through subscribing - or - as an advocate in online communities and forums, talking about the game, promoting it, then dropping a link to SubscribeStar or itch.io, where the most up-to-date versions and bug-fixes can be found immediately.
So that's it for this year's anniversary post. I hope you guys had fun. I hope you enjoyed the read. There are some special one-time wallpapers up scattered around the post.
Feel free to ask for something special and I'll make it happen in one of the future posts. 
Thank you all for continuing to support us when and how you can. You are the reason Lewd Town Adventures continues to grow. Your feedback and questions drive us, just as much as the momentum of existing character stories do. So please feel free to leave a comment below…

We're going back to work. Have a great week everyone and see you guys next Sunday!
Kind regards,
Jamleng & Xo Mo