When I first started this project, I had no idea of the changes that would occur within myself because of it. Working on this has been like real life cultivation. The number of times my outer shell has crumbled, allowing me to grow anew are innumerable. Today is no exception. A few weeks ago, in response to the comments that I largely see and read here on Steam and other places, I made a post. In terms of which comments I'm speaking about - "This project is dead', 'Heavenly Peaks dev is scum', etc. (And, if you don't believe those types of comments exist, here's some proof for you:
In that post, which I mostly made to address people who think like this ^, I discussed all the things I've been working on in the past 4-5 months, and also pointed out exactly why there hasn't been much news previous to that. In that post, I also asked you - the Steam community for one thing. For a game that you've played for free and seem to enjoy - to contribute if you can. First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to those of you who decided to contribute. From those who viewed the post, approximately 3 of you decided to contribute to the project's development since then. Regardless of how much you contributed, you hold a special place in my heart that cannot be replaced. And I mean that sincerely, it is a sentiment that I share with my patrons often and consistently - in fact, they are probably tired of hearing it by now. The amount contributed came to 45$ / 30,000$ I'd need to create a polished, finished product. In truth, I only set the goal at 5,000$. So, less than 1%. While that sounds absolutely abysmal - I'm grateful for that 1%. In fact, I consider it a blessing. With it came a melancholy sense of enlightenment. And that's why I'm going to offer you a different perspective - those of you who seem to have a lot of harsh words for me. I'm a gamer myself, and I often use Steam on my other account. I see it all the time, the "gamer rage" in the comments, the idea that developers deserve less and that all of them are scummy people who are just in it for cash grabs, or to milk players. To that sentiment, I will point to the current situation with me as some evidence as to why that may be. The summary is - no one wants to be in my position. Think about it, I don't demand anything, I don't use any "carrot and stick" methods, I ask - and then rely on your conscious, reason or logic to guide you. The ask was non committal and simple. It's summarized below: If you like this game, contribute to it's development - no matter how small the amount you have to give because everything helps. That's it. That was the request. And of those who read that post, just 3 people stepped in and contributed. Why am I mentioning this? First, let me be clear - I'm not shaming any you for that. In fact, I expected that reaction. In reality, you could say I'm an idealist. I like to bet on people - and I like to see the righteousness in them, even when they don't see it in themselves. And, honestly, so far in life, I've not been rewarded for that very often at all. But I digress, I desire for you to do exactly what you feel - nothing more or less. Because I desire genuine nature above all else. I want the content of your heart based on what you've played here - nothing more or less. That means, I'd rather you not contribute at all rather than feel obligated to do so. And I stand by that. I would have rather believed that then use methods that I know actually work, like appealing to your emotions. So to summarize, the last post wasn't a cash grab, rather it was just an idealistic hope. It would have been a poor attempt at a cash grab, which you can see from the results. In fact, if I actually wanted the money, I'd have sold you dreams, showed you pretty/attractive/stimulating things and told you everything you actually wanted to hear. That's how the big companies do it, and it works to great effect - enough to leave many of you angry. But I didn't. And what did I get for respecting you enough not to do that? Well, you've learned the results. I'm bringing this up for one reason only. When people are ruled by the emotions, they are often easily swayed or manipulated. I find people who do that to be kind of manipulative, and I believe in informed choice. I am receptive to people so I actually listen to what they say - and one of the biggest gripes gamers have is that developers constantly play to their emotions rather than giving them something of substance. That seems like a reasonable gripe but...there seems to be some inconsistency in what is said and what's meant. If that wasn't the case, people would be more receptive to logical appeals like the one I made a few weeks ago. Instead, they almost always bend to their emotions on matters like this - and that's exactly why I expected the results I actually got. Basically, because I wasn't willing to manipulate you - nothing came of it. And let me just say, this actually worries me. Because some of you clearly seem to think I'm still trying to just funnel money out of your pockets. The reason that worries me is that if you think I *actually* am, you can't see the people who are doing it in reality. The reason I didn't want you to feel pressured is, quite simply, I think that ideal of emotional manipulation for gain is a bit too present in the world. I wanted to rely on the benevolence of man. And that's the opposite of the behavior that incites so many of you. But the reality is, if game developers and companies could just rely on benevolence, people wouldn't respond so well to emotional appeals. I don't want to be the person forcing your hand, or using methods that appeal to your emotions to manipulate you into spending your money. It's clear that some of you have gotten me all wrong which is why I'm here explaining myself so that there are zero misunderstandings. I'll also go a step further and say that I'll never ask you for anything - ever again. So now you know the motivation. That's why people do it - precisely so. And when I say "people" I mean the companies that so many of you "love to hate", "review bomb" into oblivion, and ultimately may even be transferring dislike to my situation and this project. Some (just about all successful )companies / devs practice preying on your emotions to get sales. The ones who don't, fail. And truthfully, I hoped at some point that people would stop buying into this trend but, reality just keeps proving me wrong at each turn. At this point, I simply need to believe the human nature that is being revealed to me. They know that showing you something cool beats a logical conversation every time. And they are right. I'm the one who's wrong. If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it. In that regard, I believe that I am an outlier. And, most likely a fool. Or, at least I was until now. I've taken the hardship of collecting most of this money at risk to myself, my finances and often times my ability to eat specifically because I believed that one day enough people would acknowledge my work and , as a result, I'd finally be able to create comfortably. That is a facade, one I created myself, an illusion that I've practically been kicking and screaming to cling to. I do all of this without asking anything aside what your heart is set to give, because I was desperate to make that ideal a reality.. I also purposely avoided attempting to manipulate your heart, because I wanted a true response. Well, the response is this and today, out of many years I'm finally ready to accept that. In response, I get called "scummy", a "cash grabber". I wonder if you know how that makes me feel? I'm aware my point of view is uncommon. And that's exactly why I'm explaining it to you, the small percentage of you who seem to want to vilify me. Lesson learned. And while it saddens me a bit, I'm going to accept it. The next time a update for this game hits Steam, it will be 2.0.9. This fixes and upgrades the game in a major way. After that, there won't be another free update here, this will become a product people can purchase if they choose. With that in mind, I have just two more things to address from some of you here. 1) Stop being dramatic. The project isn't dead and it isn't a cash grab. If you visited the discord server where I'm at EVERY single DAY, the project page at Patreon (that has updates EVERY single WEEK) or virtually anywhere else outside of Steam - you'd be able to easily see that. I have enough on my plate, and at the moment between working 50-60 hours a week to survive, I simply don't have time to moderate Steam community on top of that. (I barely have time to moderate discord) I do all of this by myself. 2) Stop spreading falsehoods. It's detrimental to other players - not me. Frankly, I could care less if you lie about me. I'm going to continue doing what I've always done every step of the way. But, I will occasionally take time to address and correct you, so consider this the correction. I can only assume you're doing it because you'd like to play the game. However, it's not going to get you anywhere. I don't ignore negative criticisms at all, I always dissect them to see if there is something I can use to improve the game. I am just again one person. No amount of complaints or nasty remarks you make will get me to "work faster" (I already work very, very quickly compared to just about any other indie or professional developer I know, especially for a team of just one). I've noted just about every negative aspect of the game that's been bought to my attention (always have). For the most part, I usually already know it needs improvement and have already moved to implement those fixes and changes according to my plan for the game. I have yet dismiss any c.c unless it doesn't align with the vision I have for the project. That's not changed since the 2 years I've begun working on the project, and it won't change any time soon either. That's it. That's the post. Thanks again to those of you who see the potential with the project and have contributed to it's growth. The next post I make here will be for 2.0.9 of the game where all the features I previously mentioned are present. That will be the last free update of this game on Steam. I tried relying on benevolence of man, just didn't pan out. It's an ideal, one that I've upheld for nearly all of my life. Unfortunately, the benevolence of man is fleeting , like the halcyon days of youth. I can't rely on something like that to reach the next level. It's obvious that many of you also want me to reach that level as well, despite the contrary. So that's just another part of me which I'll be leaving behind. In order to grow, for both myself and you. Live and learn. - My Big Little Brother