Hello everyone! I am still here! This is going to be a long post - but I'll try to cover everything.
Overview of what I answer:
Where have you been?
What is currently happening with the game?
When is the next release?
I signed up a while ago and haven't really received anything. Anything you can offer in return?
Will I keep having to restart the game?
When are new characters coming?
Who are the new characters?
Any new features?
/// Where have you been?
Look, I'm gonna be honest - times are hard. The economy has taken a downturn, AI is getting rid of a ton of jobs, and companies are using both of these as excuses to cover poor financial practices. I am not immune to any of these things.
At the height of Edgeville (when I was consistently updating the game frequently), I averaged $1,800 / month.
While this is AWESOME as a side hobby, this is nowhere near enough to pay the bills. Currently, the project has dropped down to around $800/ month.
I say this only because I am opening up (which I seldom do about my private life) and helping you understand that for a while, Edgeville has been my ONLY source of income. It's been painful.
Then why haven't there been more frequent updates? Paradoxically, having no consistent income meant I spent most of my time looking for a job. And if you're in the same boat as I am - you already know how soul crushing of a shit show that is. I have a solid resume and experience. I should not be struggling. Yet it's been an impossible undertaking. I can't imagine how people who are just starting their journey into the working world are doing. My heart breaks for you.
So, I haven't abandoned the project. But unfortunately, most of my time went into trying to keep my finances afloat, taking on odd jobs and spending a lot of wasted time looking for a job.
For the time being, I have decided to stop looking. While I will be trying a few things to pivot my professional career, I am going to try to develop Edgeville faster, and ideally smarter. I'll bring in more help. Hopefully, I can get development on Edgeville to a point where it's easier to make updates so that I can even start a new project on the side (maybe University girls? Futanari world? More MILFS?? You guys tell me).
In short, I haven't left - I'm still here plugging away and adding my contribution to the world of gooners.
/// What is currently happening with the game?
Okay, now about the game.
Edgeville is not the same game that I started making a few years ago. It has gone through a lot of iterations and changes. I think I'm finally comfortable enough now that I can build on top of what I have.
On some of the last few updates, I let you guys experience the new Relationship Manager. The last two releases were the "Experimental" builds. They weren't meant to be played from beginning to end. They were only meant for you to experience the latest game loop change.
(Just so that we are all on the same page, these were the builds that allowed you to immediately level up the relationship with the girls, and allowed you to "command" them. You could tell them to give you a blowjob, or a titjob, etc..)
It seems that you guys understood it, and more importantly, that you liked it. I got a lot of good feedback from it.
However, after playing around with that version, I saw a flaw.
Each animation unlock required 2 things: that your relationship level with the character was high enough, and the 3 jewels needed to unlock that specific perk.
There are 32 unlockable perks for each character. If each one required 3 jewels, that's 96 jewels that I would have to hide somewhere in the game world (or allow you to buy them).
With 10 characters, that would be 960 jewels needed. Ouch - I think I may have overdesigned.
So I'm making a last, and hopefully final change to the Relationship Manager.
Going forward, 3 jewels will be needed to unlock each relationship level instead of each perk.
That means only 10 sets of 3 jewels required. 30 is much smaller than 96, and much more manageable.
The perks for that level will be immediately available when you unlock the relationship level.
For example, Unlocking Level 5 (by burning 3 emeralds), will immediately give you access to 4 sex animations.
I will be incorporating the changes PER CHARACTER. The easiest way to do that is to release one version with only Dexter's Mom, then another version with Dexter's Mom + Elastigirl, then Dexter's Mom, Elastigirl + Sara Bellum...
This shouldn't take too long. The bottleneck was mostly the design, not the development. Figuring out what worked well and still gave you meaningful progression was a lot harder to achieve than you would expect.
/// When is the next release?
I will re-release Dexter's Mom this week. The rest of the characters should happen quickly after that.
/// I signed up a while ago and haven't really received anything. Anything you can offer in return?
Yes. The new system allows me to create versions of the game that have more sex animations.
If you have followed me for a while, you know I try to make it up to you guys whenever I fail. Please give me the chance to do that again - and if you're not happy, DM me. Please.
But I will be making sure to give you cool freebies somehow. I'm going back to see who signed up in the last year and didn't really receive the rewards promised. I'll also take a look at who the most loyal members are, the ones who have given the most, the ones who are most engaged, etc...
I'll think of something fucking cool.
/// Will I keep having to restart the game?
For now, yes. Sorry - I know that's a pain in the ass but I'm constantly reworking the save file data.
/// When are new characters coming?
Okay, big question. If it all goes well, I'm hoping to have a new character for you by the 18th. That's a little less than 4 weeks away.
/// Who are the new characters?
I am still planning on Francine Smith, Marge Simpson, and Donna Tubbs. For now.
Soon, we'll go back to voting characters in.
/// Any new features?
Yes! First, you will have the ability to save at any point in the game. No longer will you be required to find a computer.
I am also playing around with new sex features. But I want to stay focused on releasing more characters, so I don't want to keep adding features. New features ARE coming, but they will be added in slowly.
/// If I forgot to go over something, please ask it in the comments. I will respond.
I love you guys. Seriously. Thanks for keeping the project alive.