At the moment I can estimate the update is 80 % ready in terms of script and renders. However, additional scenes may be needed. Around 800 renders are finished and the work has slowed down a bit, as the final scene is more complicated than those I did before.
The main character of the update will be Kilena. She was voted for on Patreon. Another character that will get a lot of content and possibly the ending is Fiona. She wasn’t that popular in polls, but she fits well with the theme of the update. She is like a story link. Londa got some content as well. Her story was completed, but whether to make a full-fledged ending with her, I haven't decided yet. She's a popular character, even on Patreon, but for a proper ending we would need a few more scenes that aren't the easiest to make. A couple weeks extra is the minimum if I decide to give Forlan the opportunity. Currently, the volume of the update is already like half of the entire DLC, and I don't really want to increase the volume even more. On the other hand, the character is popular, interesting. I haven't decided yet how it will turn out, how the mood and inspiration will be. Why will Fiona get an ending, and Londa is still unclear? Because everything is set for Fiona, I don't need additional scenes for her.
After the release, before I continue working on the new game, I'll take a month for additional translations.
Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese. Right now, one person is translating into PT-BR. One girl used to translate into Spanish, but she stopped contacting me a long time ago, as it often happens. So, I'll have to do it myself. And to translate such volumes of text, even with the help of auto-translation, is not easy at all.
Please note:
- This will be a machine translation. But it will be easier to find a native speaker who can proofread the translation.
- I won't be able to finish the translation into all the language within a month. These are just general plans.
As you realize, the only option to make translations of the game is to stop producing content for a while. I do most of the project alone, and the most important thing is the art (= the renders). Without them, there will be no game. There are quite a few projects with 2 and 3 artists, and they can work much faster. However, even there the developer often writes that he works alone😊, but my style is not that hard to recognize, even if I changed the name, I think an attentive player would recognize the hand of the “master” 😊
Saw a negative review recently that our game is not a novella, just pictures and text. More and more scenes have animations and apparently people are expecting the entire game to be full 3D animations instead of pictures. We live in interesting times... At this rate, soon we will be required to make games with the quality of AAA level games that cost 80 dollars.
In general, if I have to do something other than renders, all work stops. No one will do it for me. Even as I'm writing this post, I'm not making new renders. Same reason I'm not returning to and refining old games where you desperately need achievements. All that costs time. And if they weren’t added earlier, what’s the point of doing it now? It requires new code and that means new potentials bugs.
An important thing to mention, before the release of the update, I will raise the price of the DLC. For those who already bought it (which is probably everyone who reads this post), nothing will change. For new players, the new price will better reflect the amount of content in the DLC. I think this is fair, however, it is unlikely that there will be many new sales. The main portion of sales happens at release. But in the current time, every extra dollar helps.
That's all for now, all the best.