Finally, version 1.5.5 is out. You can download it from the attachments box!
This version almost concludes Act 5, with progress in the office storyline and the day at the water park. In addition, there are two new special sprites for the workout day, new full-body sprites for Haruka and Shiori stage 4, improved back sprites, and lots of small fixes and improvements!
Unfortunately the new Azumi/Maki/Eri pool events are missing, but I hope the final CG will make up for it, and that chibi Shiori that has been tactically placed at the end ;) Below I'll try to write a long post to address some issues and what my plans are for the future. Feel free to skip the post, play 1.5.5 and come back here later if you want!
What happened during this last month?
(I apologize in advance for the quality of my language, English isn't my first language)
So, first of all, I want to thank everyone who supports the game. Honestly, the support has been incredible from the start and has exceeded all my expectations. This is an indie game made by a single developer, so as you can see, there are many limitations: from the use of AI to the many small writing flaws and the less than optimal quality of the software. When I released 1.0 in March this year, it was really a “nobody else is doing it, so I'll do it myself” kind of project because, as you have seen, “Fattening Office” is a classic romance visual novel from the early 2000s but with the addition of WG elements. Perhaps many haven't noticed because it's written right at the beginning, but the story is set in 2010, to give a slightly retro feel of a world that is not yet completely digitized and is more analog. Anyway, I really hope that what I've done so far has entertained you and made you laugh a little.
I wanted to thank everyone who shared their opinions with me. I've received a lot of encouragement, even though the game isn't in perfect condition. Most users seem to be lurkers (which is completely understandable!), but the comments really help and make me feel less crazy for developing a niche game like this one.
This last update was more difficult and slower to release for two reasons: because we have reached an important point in the story (I'll talk about that later) and because this month I had to assess the financial status of this project. I won't go into detail about my personal situation, but I would like to clarify a couple of things. I'm currently a university student and even though I'm lucky enough to live in a first-world country and have some financial support, the hours required for development are too many not to ask for financial compensation, also as a justification to the people I live with. Where I live (Italy), it is not exactly so easy to run a business like this as a self-employed person, and this month I have had to consult with advisors to figure out how to pay taxes and similar things (not fun!) even for small amounts of income. The situation is sustainable for now, so I will continue development at the same pace as always. Please be patient though!
Also, I have been posting on the Weight Gaming forum since I released the game. I have seen that some problems have arisen there lately but I have been very busy with development and my financial situation as explained above, so I don't have a complete picture of the situation but it seems that they are doing a fundraiser. I am not affiliated with that site in any way, but if you like to discuss there in an “old forum style” (which I prefer to other platforms), I invite you to support them. I'm bringing this up because that site undoubtedly generates traffic, but in reality, I don't pay much attention to these things; I just like interacting there, and my interactions with their community have all been very good so far.
Future plans
Okay, now for the most interesting part. With the next update, which I can already tell you will only add the missing pool events for Azumi/Eri/Maki, Act 5 will finally be complete.
Then we will move on to Act 6, which will be the final act. Yes, Act 6 will conclude the main story and there will be a total of six stages for each girl. You may be wondering what will happen to Azumi, Maki, and Eri after the main story ends, since they are still behind Haruka and Shiori in the stages, but don't worry, everything will proceed naturally (read below). I set up the story to have a decent (I hope) climax in the last act and a sentimental payoff with lots of fanservice. I also plan to add an h-scene at the end of each route, as is traditional in this type of game. Below are more details. I hope this is what you were expecting, and I am available for clarification!
Cut content:
Dr. Johnson's weight gain: she will remain only a side character with no stages
Rin's route: it will not be present in the main game but will be added later (you will enter her route from the main game anyway; to find out how to do this, consult the guide).
How Act 6 will work:
It will have a common part of the story.
It will contain other individual events for some girls.
Once the main story is over, based on your previous choices, you will have:
Haruka or Shiori ending: they will end here since they will already be at stage 6 and have had more space throughout the game. But don't worry, there is still enough content for them!
Continuation of the Azumi/Eri/Maki routes: these will proceed normally but now with a story focus on only one girl to reach their stage 6 and ending
“Common route” ending: if you did not prefer any girl
Special endings: ???
About AI
I would also like to say a few things about AI. As you know, the game uses genAI in the sprite generation workflow, in code assistance, and to help me with grammatical correctness. Backgrounds, music, and half of the food icons are handmade assets that I purchase. The dialogues are written entirely by me in my native language (Italian). I write them first in Trelby (a traditional screenwriting software) and then translate them, sometimes with the help of ML, but I basically edit every sentence manually (which probably WORSENS the final quality).
However, I fully understand that some people disagree with AI. It would be a long discussion, and I have my own opinions too. I like to think that I put enough creativity into it to justify it all, and I don't call myself an illustrator or a programmer; here I would be the “game designer” and the “writer.”
Realistically speaking, one thing I could do is try to hire a digital illustrator once I've finished developing this first version of “Fattening Office.” So first I'll close all the routes, so I'll know exactly what I need.
As you will see with the new pool CG at the end of 1.5.5, even using AI, I could add full-screen illustrations with fairly consistent characters. The reason I won't do that and will only add another CG similar to that one in Act 6 and some other close-ups of the characters at key moments is that I would like to try to make a “Fattening Office: Plus” with human-made art (sprites and CGs, while the backgrounds and almost everything else already is). I'll probably have to do a Kickstarter for this, and we're still a long way off anyway.
Well, that's all for now. I hope you're excited as we enter the final act of the game! However, it will still take a long time, and there is a lot of content planned. Let me know what you think!
I'll be back soon with some hotfixes. I've changed things in the old parts of the game and I know there could be errors. I still have to reread some routes to make them consistent with the new changes as well.
Happy holidays!
- eisenwg