Well, I had a much longer update for you all about what's been going on. But then my (borrowed) computer shut off saving none of those few hundred words. I had previously elaborated on the following points, but I just can't bring myself to do it again right now so here's the gist of it:

• We went broke but not bankrupt (yet).
• We licensed the game over to a Canadian developer.
• We got the license back after gutting the company.

The last update I wrote was probably a bit pessimistic, but what can I say. This project has been like an abusive marriage that I never got out of, just separated from. And now I'm back, because I love the support we've gotten for this in the past. And frankly, this project is our baby not mine or even just the people who worked on it. I always told people this was more of a "community" project and I mean that. So thanks. Anyway, I not only released V3 in March (to backers) but also ported the entire project over to Mac where it had never been before. This is huge and will be added to Steam as well as a new demo I plan to roll out before this quarantine is over. Then I need to go figure out how I'll be able to afford a new computer because I don't even have one. And that government stimulus barely put a dent in my bills. Fuck! The Trello changelog has been updated too. So you'll be able to keep up with some of the changes coming down the pipe. Lots of bugs have been fixed, a huge chunk of the economics engine have been improved in the time since the last update as well. There's also been some talk about multiplayer but it wont be what you think. The entire feature set for that is based on the idea of having a more open "global" game economy. So if you become a distributor for example, you'll come up in a list of people who can distribute products in-game. In addition to that, and starting with the next patch, I plan to add a lot more depth to the performers themselves. This will be emphasized with networked play since I'll be allowing folks to trade talent or for the talent themselves to maybe start a studio to compete with yours and so on. Here are some excerpts from a write-up on the matter: Performers are generated dynamically and will age with the passage of time, thus lowering their value, a commonality in the adult industry. This, naturally, effects their contract values. The player is under no obligation to initiate long-term contracts with A.I performers. Likewise, the performers have no obligation to perform with one, about as much as they may be willing to. What this creates is an environment in which the talent may choose to act as their own representative whoms needs may change based on their own standing (i.e clout) in the industry as a whole. Of course, lesser-known performers may be more willing to work with player-owned studios that have a higher renown and more resources. In addition, more obscure studios may be willing to pay more for performers who may elevate the status of the studio. Its up to both parties to agree on working together. In addition: The game economy will also effect negotiation power. So if you have a blue chip performer working with low-value talent this may or may not effect the former or the latter depending on their traits, host studio appeal/renown and other external factors. However the players/studios themselves will have equally as decisive a say on the actual value of these contracts since it is them who are ultimately paying the bills. To clarify, what we have at this point is the ability to generate performers who (can hire agents) may be entering the talent pool with a certain rate in mind. This rate, their stats and ambitions were calculated in response to market conditions created by the players/studios. These performers age and accrue dynamic stats like fame which in itself may increase the longevity of their career thus ensuring a longer store of value for whoever owns their contract. And so on. The source material was actually based on some plans we had to turn contracts into a form of currency themselves. But more info on that later. In the meantime, if you have more questions, feel free to contact me via Discord. If you'd like to read many years worth of dev-blogs those have been re-published and can be found here. Enjoy and as always, spread the love.

[ 2020-04-29 20:09:40 CET ] [ Original post ]