Dev update.
I hate breaking my promises. I also don’t really like talking about myself outside the context of the development process, mainly because it sounds like making excuses and whining. But no matter how hard on myself I am, I’m sure everyone understands that literally anything can happen in life and situations can be completely unpredictable.
It’s funny that whenever I do start talking about myself, it’s always something bad. That’s usually why I keep quiet, but lately I’ve been going through a really rough patch. My already fragile health has finally given out, and even taking sick leave hasn’t given me any extra time to work on the game because I’m simply unable to do anything. My day job is a total mess, the 10/5 schedule is draining what little energy I have left, and I don’t even always eat dinner - I just pass out once I get home. Just so the day can start all over again. A mere 19 months after my last PC failure, my motherboard decided to die and take the processor with it. That’s a $400 loss out of the blue. It might seem like a small thing, but not in my country with my salary.
Given all this, I’ve made almost no progress. In fact, I’ve completed 1.5 scenes out of the 7 planned, and there are only 3 weeks left until release. I could push back the release date - something I usually never do, but yes, I could do that. The thing is, I have no idea when any of the things I listed will get even a little better. And I don’t see any obvious solutions to my situation. Nor do I see any point in stopping work on my projects. Taking a break - certainly, but not stopping altogether. I’ve said many times that I enjoy what I do and I love my projects.
So I’ve come to the following decision. I’m not sure if it’s the best one, but I have to decide something anyway. So: starting today, I’m extending the current plan by 2 months for all active subscribers. I’d set it to “Vacation mode,” but I’m not entirely sure how it works, and I probably shouldn’t set an open date anyway, so we’ll work with what we have. As for PHPT 1.4a, I’ll do as much as I can and release whatever is ready by the release date. Whether that’s 2, 3, or more scenes - I really have no idea. And after the release, I’ll take a break from development. I’ll come back when the situation stabilizes even a little.
I’m truly sorry that things have turned out this way. I’m grateful to you for your support, patience, and understanding. No matter how hard it gets, I have no intention of giving up. And as always, I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening.