Hey everyone,
alright, so:
TM update 1.05 will go live on itch io this weekend
The update is already done and uploaded, I just need to take care of a few things before publishing the files.
I might upload some mirrors here later.
Not much new content, but a lot of fixes and QoL improvements.
Sidegirl impregnation (1 scene each on the CC Fruity Futures after success)
Jenna added as wake-up option
Leyla headpat scene added in the library (requires relationship 2)
Carnal Crystal 1st-time launch options fixed and a new "disable all controversial options" choice added
New "right before epilogue" Skip To... entry point, with Abby+Cindy pre-unlocked
Fixed that 1 Melanie sandbox animation wasn't looping properly
some sound effects are now less loud
Several smaller fixes and QoL improvements
improved translation support for inofficial 3rd-party translations and possible future official translations
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CoK/NTS spin-off content
I don't know yet how much content this will get (more on that below), but at the very least, going by the poll results + what I feel I can handle:
No real NTR. The option got more votes than I honestly expected, but not enough to justify the backlash (and extra work) it would bring.The closest thing it might get will be the "open relationship", which only makes sense for a few of the more independent girls in the first place.
no humiliation/submissive content (at least, not towards the MC... some bulls might not be so lucky...)
focus on wholesome, respectful options; anything a bit dirtier would be strictly limited to an extra "spicy mode".Nevermind that I don't know yet how much of that "spicier" stuff I could even handle, both mentally and in terms of workload.
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Mansion Life and CoK progress
Not much progress yet, sorry.
I'll prolong vacancy mode at least until the end of the month.
Reasons:
1) TM 1.05 took more time than I had hoped, there were more remaining issues I stumbled over than expected. I literally only got done with it today.I also tried porting it to a newer Ren'Py version, only to find out that
this required some code changes that increased the risk of new bugs
all old savegames would throw an annoying, false-positive "this file was created on a different computer" warning when you'd load them, as this check was only introduced in a Renpy version after the one TM uses, apparently.And I fully expect we'd have gotten lots of worried questions and complaints.
2) Lately, my day job has also been more stressful and time-consuming.It's always like that during the winter months.
...But in all honesty, there's also some challenges with both TM projects themselves:
3) My motivation for "Mansion Life" isn't that high, admittedly.I'm afraid it won't live up to your expectations, neither in terms of quantity of content, nor in terms of speed of development.
That's also why focusing on this alone is completely out of the question; I'd rather drop it and do 1 or 2 more content updates for original TM, honestly.
4) While I'm in principle more motivated towards the NTS spin-off (which might get renamed again btw, to make it clearer what it's about), I'm worried that the raw number of characters is a big problem I somewhat underestimated, so I'm struggling to decide on how exactly to go about this project.
NTS needs gradual buildup and escalation to be good.But with 6-8 girls, I'll either have to rush it and sacrifice quality... or it may become a multi-year project, which was not the idea, in part because I know how unpopular it'll be.But if I ignored half the girls or something, ppl who wanted to see them in this spin-off would be disappointed, too...
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....Basically, I didn't think things through enough. Again... u.u
I know I need to give up on something here, because I can't do it all.I just struggle with that, since I also know I can't keep doing U-turns all the time.At some point, I need to make a final call and then go through with that, I know that....Or alternatively, accept I no longer have what it takes, and spare both you and me the constant disappointments.
If I decide to drop one or both TM projects, the only alternatives I feel I could maybe handle are:
Alternative Option 1:A more Eternum-style, more story-focused version of HHR, with sandbox reduced to a minimum, as previously suggested.If reality stops me before I can finish the story, so be it.However, in this case I might do a small NTS project on the side (with a new girl).I know some people would prefer I'd go all-in on HHR, but I know how my mind works.I need some outlet for my "twisted side", or we'd be back to square one soon anyway.
Alternative Option 2:An entirely new game, centered around having a bombshell girlfriend who gets off to seeing you do other girls (iow, a cuckquean).Not really a proper traditional harem game, but you'd get to do several hot girls, have the option to steal some of them from others, and at least it won't be you who has to share or get cheated on (tho I'm not ruling out optional Netorase for 1 or 2 girls later in the game, but it'd be just some avoidable "bonus" content, and probably not your GF).
Btw, this is the girlfriend and maingirl from the would-be new game in Option 2, because I know it's hard to picture the game and it would otherwise stand no chance:
FYI, I have another, really cute girl up my sleeve, that will either appear as main girl of the small NTS spin-off mentioned in option 1, or would appear as 2nd girl (and "main sidegirl") in the option 2 game.I don't want to show her yet though, for... reasons.
Anyway, apart from those 2 above alternatives, I'm afraid the only other options I can still offer are
a downscaled version of the TM NTS spin-off, + maybe 1 or 2 more harem-focused TM content updates, as compensation for shelving Mansion Life
taking a LONG break.Maybe some small, free TM and/or GoV updates during that time, if I feel like it, but no guarantees.
...or giving up for good, I guess.I don't want to, but maybe I'm already at a point where I have to, and just haven't come to terms with it yet. I don't know. Time will tell.
What would you do?