If you've read the community thread, you've already got a solid idea of what's going on. However, I'll share it to the general public (both here, obviously, and on Patreon/SS) who don't venture to those parts.

Why is the update late?

Those who read the post on the 30th might've read (and comprehended) the rather vague point near the bottom: "But it's because I have to go back home (family issues) for a bit. Depending on how it goes, I might share more. I might not. It's a bit personal, so I hope some of you can understand. I won't be back until the 3rd, though. So, it'll be released then." Obviously the 3rd came and passed. That family issue was my sister being hit on her way back from her kid's school. Was in and out of consciousness for a while, among a number of other issues. Our (biological) parents aren't in picture, so it's just me and her. That's why I went back home originally, and I didn't expect to stay this long. Or keeping an eye on two young kids being such a chore. Not a sob story, or excusing the lack of communication, but there's only so many hours. That being said, I'm done giving any specific dates. Which leads to the next point, sort of. Following the update, I'll be looking into a website (either made by someone or a cheap/free subdomain until I get something worked out.). This website will be used specifically for live progress charting (and links to downloads and such). Separated by early and late development charts. Both as something to link to people who ask when the update is coming and a show of transparency. It's not really a secret that I've had a hard time keeping to date I've mentioned for anyone who's follow. Maybe it's underestimating the amount of work, maybe it's being too optimistic, and it's obviously turning into an issue. But if I'm anything at all, I'm not here to scam or milk. That much should be relatively obvious, I'd think, but tis the internet where people assume the worst. Anyways. . .I have most of the update done, but can't really do anything with Steam until I get back. Which should be soon. Rendering and writing have been done. Remaining postwork shouldn't take all that long. From there, it's just coding for the gallery and adding the icons for achievements. That all being said, I understand the frustration. I take ownership for continuing to be stupid about dates. Sometimes it takes this thick skull a few tries to get it right. No excuses from me. Even if circumstances put things out of my control at times. I'll be posting live updates on Twitter/Bluesky for now Once again, apologies. Next time I post, the update should be out. :)

[ 2024-12-07 11:06:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

While it certainly didn't blow up, I'd call the launch of Move the Chains on Steam thus far a success. While I don't know if I'll be quitting my job just yet (I'll need to see what I'm making month to month before I start contemplating that.), this very much removes the financial burden of Daz assets and other purchases that need to be made (music/licenses, icons/svgs/etc., and things of that nature.). I've read all of the positive and negative reviews, and I've taken the criticism some have brought forward. All of it is appreciated, but it's nice to know many are enjoying it. Gives you that bit of extra motivation. So the basis behind this post is transparency, and something of a roadmap for what's going to happen in this release cycle.

Where are you now with progress?

Rendering was done a while ago, and there's about three more scenes to write (one being longer, the rest are shorter.). Postwork is no more than two or three days, if that, even with 2000+ renders. I'll need to grab the icons for the achievements (should only take a few minutes, though). Inserting music is also rather quick. Postwork and finding the music are the beef of the work left, but shouldn't take too long as a whole.

What will be missing from Episode 3?

For Episode 3, I'll do a quick skim for the proofreading and a few playthroughs to check for bugs/errors. However, I'll be updating the script/dialogue as the update rolls out for Patreons. Meaning, there will most likely be a few spelling errors. But they will be fixed sooner than later. This is purely for getting the update out. Think of Episode 3 when it comes out as something of a beta. Specifically for the artists/sfx being used in Episode 3, a smaller thing that'll be missing in the update is Attribution. It will be added, along with the an updated layout to the music page in-game that'll make it easier to implement the Title/Artist without a bunch of Photoshop work. The artist and song title will still be featured on the player that can be found by hovering over the top right corner of the screen. The character menu. I just lost time to work on this between work and just the general size of this update. It will be featured in a mid-cycle update that'll add this among a number of other smaller things. Updates to the Glossary book (button at top left of screen while in-game.). I'll be adding definition to the script/dialogue, but the glossary can be added to later. Hopefully that isn't too much of a pain point. Most of these are fairly small, so I don't think too many will be missing a lot of these.

When will this 'mid-cycle' update be coming out and what will it include from the above?

Working title for it would be something akin to an Episode 3.5. Either way, the proofreading and/or spellchecking will be done incrementally after the update. Everything else should be added to Episode 3.5. The longest part is going to be setting up the character page, and I'm also contemplating another small subpage to reference the Achievements you earned thus far. 3.5 should realistically only take a couple weeks if I'm working on it alongside Episode 4, though. So it won't be too long.

Will I have to start from the beginning for Episode 3? Why?

Yes. However, this should be the last time for Season 1 (or any other future seasons). This update is future-proofing a lot of the stuff that would cause restarts. From smaller stuff like changing the quick menu location to the censor toggles to broken code that may cause problems later. Nothing story-wise is changing, so you'll likely be fine holding down Ctrl for a bit. Apologies for the inconvenience.

When will Episode 3 be released exactly?

Episode 3 will be released on December 3rd on Steam, alongside the topmost tier of Patreons. A big reason why I wanted to make this post was due to the shift in date. No, it's not because I won't be finished. But it's because I have to go back home (family issues) for a bit. Depending on how it goes, I might share more. I might not. It's a bit personal, so I hope some of you can understand. I won't be back until the 3rd, though. So, it'll be released then. I'll be doing postwork on my way there, and likely some remotely. Any free time left will go toward proofreading/spellchecking.

Will future updates take this long?

Hopefully not. Unfortunately life is hectic for everyone, especially recently. It doesn't matter how well laid your plans are, they just don't go the way you want sometimes. If or when I go full time with this, you'll most likely see an uptick in speed and frequency of updates. And if it takes this long, you'll be seeing upwards of four or five thousand renders. Going forward, I'll be changing my development style a bit and try to find something a bit more efficient. Right now, I'm Prepping Renders > Render > Writing > Postwork > everything else. I'll be playing around with Prepping renders for a scene and writing that scene while they're rendering. That way, I'm not rendering hundreds at time and writing everything all at once. Might make the grunt work a bit less tedious. Anyways, I think that about covers it. if you have any questions, or anything else, don't hesitate to reach out or comment. :)

[ 2024-11-26 09:48:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

If you haven't read the Play Sheet posted on another site (that I can't mention here). I was unable to finish up Episode 3 in time for the release date. That being said, I'll be releasing the game today as planned with the already finished Episodes 1 and 2. Episode 3 will be out by near the end of November! 39 of the 40 scenes (2100+ renders) in Episode 3 are currently rendered and waiting for postwork. Of said 40 scenes, 12 are unwritten. Most of which are fairly short however. Should have them done in the next couple days and will send out for proofreading while I working on the music/postwork/etc. I hate to use work as an excuse for not hitting that deadline I set for myself, but the university > work transition into full time (especially during election season) was kind of brutal for me. Just trying to be transparent for the sake of transparency. I appreciate your patience and I'm super excited to get this update out to everyone as soon as possible. Super excited the for the game's launch today, and hopefully I can turn in this into a full time gig so I can get updates out to everyone that much faster. So, in short: Move the Chains will be released today with Episodes 1 & 2 with Episode 3 coming late November. While I'll likely be writing up a release post later on today (post-launch), it'll probably take a bit to write. If you end up buying Move the Chains before that and enjoyed (or have it enjoyed it previously elsewhere), leaving a review would be great as it would help Steam push Move the Chains. If not, that's totally fine too. :)

[ 2024-11-15 15:36:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Sorry for the spam to anyone following this. After having several reaching out, along with a couple comments about holding off the release until Episode 3 is ready, I've decided to push back the release date to the 15th for now. We'll see where I am with progress in two weeks and decide from there. However, the release WILL be soon after that. if not right around it. We'll see. Again, thanks for the patience and for the understanding. Wouldn't be able to do this without you guys! - MF.

[ 2024-10-09 03:08:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

The release date of Move the Chains is now firm. It will be November 7th. However, progress on the status of Episode 3 has been slower than expected. While it's still early, and I'm working my ass off, I fear I won't hit the deadline for Episode 3 meeting the Steam release. I'm currently writing quite quickly, but I still have 2000 made-render waiting to be rendered + music + graphic assets + postwork + proofreading + editing. So, while I'm working hard to meet the November 7th deadline, I might not meet it. I won't be pushing the release any further, however. Meaning, it'll be the game as-is. Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2. That all being said, even if I miss the deadline/release for Episode 3, it won't be long until comes. No promises. No hard dates. I just wanted to post this for the sake of transparency. I'm working at a pace that retains quality, so I won't sacrifice quality for a slightly late update. So, to clarify, the game will be released on the 7th. Just possibly without Episode 3. Thanks for understanding! :) - MF.

[ 2024-10-08 13:32:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

So, I've been going back and forth with Steam since June getting things right. Between the week-long wait times for each issue/message/etc. between us and working on the game, it's taken a bit longer to get to this point than I would've liked. That being said, the current build is finally approved. I've started reaching out to curators already and hope to gain at least some momentum from that before the October NextFest. I've had a fair bit of IRL drama the past couple weeks, but I'll spare you all from that since it's basically over with now. Below you can find the current process for Episode 3.

• We are at nearly 1600 renders. Leaving us about 200 more to go for the main story. Will still have an unspecified number left for the fundraiser game, but wanted to save that for last. Episode 3 is going to be in the ballpark of 2000 renders, give or take. The renders are rendered yet, as previously mentioned, but they're ready to go into batch rendering right away.
• We've still got lewd animations to do, but that should take no longer than a few days. Further, writing will start as soon as the renders are finished.
• Most of the minor tasks are finished. The Superstar traits should be fairly quick as far as image placement goes. Will be done during the writing process, most likely. The big task left is the character menu. It'll be worked on soon here. Will get the major characters done, at the very least. But the goal is to get it finished for good. Been working on it too long lol.
• Episode 3 should be up well before the new release date (see below). Key word here being should. Plans never go as they should. But the goal is sooner than later.
• Achievements and Cloud saves have been added.

We have much more thorough updates on the site that must not be linked here (starts with a P) for free. If you're interested in some of the more technical details. Now here's what you're actually here for:
My original release date was the same day as Call of Duty. I don't care how much it's fallen off versus its predecessors, I'm not arrogant enough to release alongside a AAA title lol. And since we can't release on weekends, the first Tuesday of November is looking about right. Plus it'll give me a little space in between the NextFest and the release day to prep/fix smaller things. As mentioned, I meant to do this some time ago, but going back and forth with Steam made it kind of hard to do. In addition to Move the Chains, there'll be a DLC with a walkthrough mod (hints and/or highlighted choices) along with a PDF version of the walkthrough that'll try to concisely explain the logic behind everything. Along with the walkthrough options, the DLC will be updated often with new wallpapers as the game progresses in both 21:9 and 16:9 options. Anyways, that about covers it for now. I should have more concrete information as we get closer to release. Thanks for all the wishlists and support thus far from everyone. - MF

[ 2024-08-17 00:51:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm aware I'm probably a little late in posting this, but better late than never, eh?
For those that don't/can't/won't follow outside of Steam, I generally post Play Sheets, which are generally just progress reports with current progress and what's in the pipeline. For the sake of not making you read an entire book, I'm just going to post the progress chart I update daily on my Patreon page (which is free to see, along with said Play Sheets.), along with some quick notes on a couple of the more vague parts (Note, if you can't see the full image, then Right Click > Open Image in New Tab should bring up the full image in another tab).

• We are currently at 627 renders (approximately 20-ish more after today, but not entirely done yet.). They currently aren't rendered yet, to be clear. They, however, are all posed, lit, and ready to be rendered in batches. Likely not overnight due to the heat and shitty air conditioning here.
• Currently, we have 4 short, SFW animations ready to go. These mostly act as pseudo-transitions to other scenes. There's currently one lewd scene prepped so far (though these will be actively done once all other rendering is done for the sake of time.). While there will be scenes to (largely) fill the lewd quota, the next couple of Episodes will be fairly story-heavy and lacking in consistent adult activity with most of the main LIs. This is due to MC-kun getting to know the LIs better. Most of them aren't just going to spread their legs for him.
• Move The Chains is currently going through a full, sweeping edit that's (thankfully) being made a lot, lost faster by volunteers reaching out to help with the typos/grammar. This leads directly into Steam, but more on that below!
• Music will be getting a facelift with Episode 3 as I'm finally able to afford some paid music. Hopefully with Steam, something like Universal Productions Music will become more plausible. This will coincide with the renormalization of the current music in Episode 1 along with the removal of Share Alike licensed (I plan to reach out to some of the artists with SA licenses to see if they're willing to work something out) songs as they kind of go against Steam's nature as a business. Move The Chains isn't Share Alike, nor will it ever be. Depending on the success of the release, MTC will be seeing a fair number of improvements. From translations into other languages, possible animators (to move things along while I'm rendering.), and potentially voice acting if the userbase is up for it. All of that hinges on support, though.
• As a side note, the UI's been updated a bit more than what's represented in the UI tour video on the main store page. I'll likely be reuploading that as soon as I fix the character menu!

A few weeks ago, I took the plunge into the process of uploading the Demo for Episode 1 of MTC. Despite a few quirks the process went fine. A week or two later, you might've noticed a small update (if you still had it on your system). This was a locale setting fix. I didn't know how broken locale was on older Windows systems. Linux was also having an issue. Thanks to LoafyLemon and shark_inna_hat (neither of which appear to be on Steam.), it got fixed rather quickly. But it was an issue present on the Steam demo. Now, what you likely clicked on the title for steammocking. . .
So, continuing where I left on the editing point, we're doing a bit of a full edit as the game will start going out to curators quite soon. While the curators are (hopefully) looking at the game, we'll be raising wishlists to an absolute maximum (hopefully 10k+) and roll right into the October NextFest, which hopefully will drive up wishlists further. By which point, Episode 4 should be nearly done and ready to go on Steam in Early-ish November - if not earlier. That all being said, if we hit our wishlist goal earlier than expected, we might make the forgo the NextFest and release early. But until then, we hope this clears up some of the silence (on Steam) about where the development of Move The Chains is at, and see you on the next Devlog! P.S. Discord coming very soon! If any curators would like a curator key (and no, I'm not giving you scammers extra keys for you to sell. So don't try.), reach out to me at MissFortuneIsDead@gmail.com or anywhere else you can find me! :)

[ 2024-05-20 02:54:10 CET ] [ Original post ]