Development update - Summer 2021

It has been a while since my last posting, and I wanted to take the chance to update all of you with what's happening around DD/DCL development and where it's going in the second half of the year.

From what I can tell from user feedback is that the current versions of DD and DCL work mostly ok. People have reported some quirks, particularly with the new major version DCL 9.0, which I have been in the process of fixing whenever I had the chance to. I am still currently in "summer mode", which for me means a bit less time in front of a keyboard, and a bit more time outsides. We're having a great summer in the Pacific Northwest (aside from that heatwave, which was a bit much even for my summer-loving self!). And with relaxed pandemic restrictions, I have been catching up on outdoor life a bit more again, after spending most of last year indoors. I still plan to fix all known bugs in DCL I am able to reproduce/track down before the end of summer and make a new DCL release, then!

As for the DD side, I am currently integrating a great many contributions from people, including new models and a cleaned-up Bodyslide archive. There will be many other little polishing touches, including a cleaned up installer and optimized textures! This should also result in the DD download becoming a bit less heavy! DD 5.1 seems to run very stable, so for the time being I will focus on polishing the framework and finally cleaning up a few things that really need some TLC but I haven't had to time to address yet.

A bit later down the road, I am going to look at adding new features again, probably focusing on DCL a bit more this time around. I have some ideas for new quests to add to the "Bound in Skyrim" quest arc, I am pretty sure you guys are going to like. I will try to stay away from slow-walking stuff this time, promise! :D

Over the past year, I have noticed a shift in forum activity away from LE and towards the SE version of the mods, so I have started to keep up with the SE side a bit more, to get more direct feedback from the SE userbase and a better feel for any SE specific issues people might have. That being said, I have no plans to give up or move away from the LE version. DD and DCL will continue to be developed with both LE and SE in mind, but future updates will make sure that the SE version will require minimal changes by our volunteer porters.

That's all for today. You all stay safe and enjoy the rest of summer!