A very short delay + More News

Here's a post I didn't want to make, but it must be done. Perhaps a new laptop pic of Haylee will help ease the burden.

This will be a longer post, so I've highlighted the pertinent parts in case you don't feel like reading a few paragraphs.

The update is being delayed by a few weeks. I can 100% guarantee it will be out in April. And I genuinely mean 100%. Right now, the update is about 80-85% complete. 

The reasons for this are plenty, and I will list them below in a minute, but before I do, I want to talk about the people who've subscribed this month in the hopes of playing the game.

Without the support of my patrons, this game definitely can't get made. I can't say enough how much I appreciate each person who believes in this project.

With that said, I know there are some people who can only lend their support during the months the game is actually set to come out. Meaning, subscribe the month the game comes out, then unsubscribe  until the next time Stranded in Space is updated.

I can respect that. That you're willing to support the game at all is a blessing. So for those people, or for the people who upped their support in the month of March, this delay can't feel good. And I don't like that the delay is causing this issue.

If what I've said applies to how you planned on supporting Stranded in Space, fret not, send me a message on Patreon and I'll send you the version of the game you're currently subscribed for when it's finished/released, regardless of whether your month of March support is matched in April, or withdrawn altogether.

I sincerely apologize for the delay. I'm fairly aware of the erotic visual novel industry, and that delays are kind of commonplace, but when I set out to do this project I was like, "Not me."

And to be honest, I still kind of feel that way! The changes I've previously outlined going forward are to alleviate this very issue. I want this to be the first and only time a content update is delayed for Stranded in Space.

So why did it get delayed? This fucking update is massive! Seriously though... we're closing in on 2,500 images! 

The mistake I made was twofold. 

A) I really never counted what I was adding to the game until March. Turns out when your image count more than doubles your wildest estimation, your roadmap for a release window gets thrown into disarray as well!

B) And even with that, I knew it was bigger than I thought it was going to be. I mathed out the render times back in January! And the thing is: this is not a rendering bottleneck issue! I have nothing left to render, my math was accurate! The mistake I made was forgetting that more images means more writing/programming. 

Right now I'm just adding polish, fixing typos, and making the game beautiful. I care a lot about Stranded in Space, and if this was just a "Here's the story, I don't care" kind of situation for me, I could get it out by March. But yesterday I just spent the entire day coding a ton of optional dialogue/minigame with Paige that results in a bonus laptop image. These bonuses are why I enjoy making Stranded in Space! 

The game will 100% be out in April.

On to the news, which will get its own post in the coming weeks.

With the release schedule being changed up after this update, I want to add value to the subscription tiers. The first of many value additions is being implemented after this update.

Stranded in Space will release 2 in game days every 45-50 real world days. In each of those 2 day blocks, I'm going to have a poll that lists a few sets of girls. A random made-up example would look like:

A) Gigi and Ishani
B) Alina and Haylee
C) Raegan and Zara

Voting ensues, the specifics of which will be detailed later, and the winning choice will have that scene in the 2 day game block. After that 2 day game block is released, a new poll with different girls will be added! Sex scenes will apply here, though I will still follow the story, because these aren't dream sequences or fantasies! 

Again, more of this will be detailed in a future post, I just didn't want the theme of this current post to be strictly disappointing.

Thanks again for supporting Stranded in Space, and I'm sorry about the delay.