I think it’s time to talk about Game 2, or the game that will come after Monster Layer. ‘Game 2’ as I call it will start development privately as I continue to do the last set of Monster Layer updates before a 1.0 release. That’s the gist of it, to learn more, continue reading.
I love Monster Layer. I love working on it, and I love it as a game. I love that it’s a simple and direct little roguelike. I love that it’s a porn game where sex is the mechanical focus and not just another side scene. I love that it’s a game about choosing things. How you can go from choosing the lays that are mechanically best for you, to the ones that arouse you the most. These are the aspects I focused on improving during Monster Layer’s development.
It’s because of this that I don’t want Monster Layer to be updated indefinitely and become bloated. After the current (Drip Inferno) Patch I’ll enter dual development of Monster layer and Game 2. This means that Monster Layer patches will come out a bit slower, but after Monster Layer’s 1.0 release Game 2 can be released the following month in a more substantial state. Then Game 2 will receive regular updates afterwards just like Monster Layer right now.
The Drip patch will be released next week, I was hoping for this week but it just needs just a bit more time to cook.
Monster Layer 1.0
So what will Monster Layer 1.0 be? Well the game itself will just be like it is now with a few more monster patches most likely. Along with a pink little surprise I have planned for players who have fully beaten the game. But it will also be a stopping point. When the free version of Monster Layer hits 1.0 it will stay there forever, and Monster Layer will no longer be the focus in development. This doesn’t mean I won’t ever do an update for Monster Layer again, but if it happens it will likely be in between Game 2 updates and will be Patreon exclusive forever. Game 2 however will release updates just like Monster Layer does now, with the Patreon release 1 update in advance.
Game 2
So what is Game 2? Well as you might guess from the name I can’t talk about it much in detail, largely because I don’t know which game I will go with. There are several ideas I have notes and even design docs for, and part of the thing I’ll be doing during dual development is trying to find which I want to go with. Which brings me to the elephant in the room.
Game Votes.
Early on when talking about the update Vote perk for Imp and higher Patreons I mentioned that I might set up votes for the next game. This seemed like a good idea when Monster Layer was one month into development. But as I continued developing Monster Layer, I realised how much of a role the game I was working on affected my mood and overall life. In a positive way for once too, I loved working on Monster Layer. And the choice of the next main game I work on is going to affect my entire next year most likely.
Now it’s super possible that I still make a poor choice in this matter, but I want to avoid a situation where I become resentful of my audience because of what I’m working on. This kind of thing has happened to me before.
Maybe game votes might come up if I ever decide to do another month-long project. But for these long main projects it’s going to be better for me to make my own decision about them. I’m sure most people reading this didn’t know this was a thing I ever said or wouldn’t care if it passed without comment, but I just wanted to be clear regardless.
Game 2 will still be months away, but I hope you're as excited as I am for both the end of Monster Layer, and the start of something new!