So about one month ago...
I received a comment recently that stopped me dead in my tracks.
Julikaiba, you really have caught me by surprise. In six years of development, across hundreds of comments, nobody has ever asked to give the money back. I didn't even know that was an option. I didn't plan for it.
There is no money return button in the demo. I looked. It's not there.
The game could really have used that money.
There are a lot of places where a little cha-ching would allow me to hire freelancers to create WAAAY better art, sfx, and assets than I could ever create on my own.
And so, Julikaiba's comment haunted me. It kept me up at night. And after much deliberation, soul searching, and a conversation with my lawyer (my friend Reginald, who is in his 2nd year of law school and extremely confident about this), I've found the answer.
That's right. I opened a Patreon. It is, as far as Reginald is concerned, the only legally recognized method of returning stolen funds. I've told him it doesn't sound right, but he insisted, and I just can't bring myself to say no to this guy.
So here's the thing. If you've also stolen from me using the money button in the demo (you know who you are!!), I'm giving you a chance to make it right:
https://patreon.com/KingbladeGames
The more money flowing in, the better the game will get (and the easier I will sleep at night, knowing that I can finally afford a new pillow).
But not everyone is as precious as Julikaiba, and I'm not expecting you to do this just from the goodness of your blessed heart.
I've sat down to think about all kinds of perks!
Here's what returning the money gets you:
Devlogs showing where the game is at
Appearing in the game's credits
Getting a say in the process in a way that changes the game
There are lots of others, but my favorite one is for those of you who return EVERYTHING:
I will personally sit down with an actual pen and actual paper, which is something no one has managed to do since 1877... and I'll write you a handwritten letter, congratulating you on your outstanding moral code and frankly frightening loyalty to the cause.
So, Julikaiba, I hope I've finally given you the outlet you deserve.
And everyone else... It's your move now:
https://patreon.com/KingbladeGames
And let's be real. I know that a lot of you are just not ready to let go of my earthly possessions, that's fine. The first post is public and completely free, and it goes deep (and with much more honesty than I can muster in here) on why I actually decided to open this Patreon.
It would mean a lot if you check it out:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/art-of-showing-158893936
I sincerely hope that, if you can, you'll decide to join me on this journey.
Everything I make from this will be used directly to make this game real, faster.
And there is already a proper development update for Patreons only, where I introduce some characters you haven't seen yet, talk about exactly what I'm currently developing, and even an honest look at how I manage the production of this game.
Hope to see you there.
- The Developer