February Update #1 + Release Date

Hi Patrons,

We just started animating the Outro of the main song sequence, which puts us at the 5:40 mark in the animation.  Once that's done, there will be the Ending and Credits to finish, and then we'll be done! There's still a lot to be done, since polishing and putting out trailers can take extra time. The animation is 77% done overall. Our composer, PowerMeep, is hashing out ideas for the ending score, and the new merch order will be going into manufacturing later this week!

Release Date (Patron-only)

The (unannounced) release date for Story #0 is March 24th!

The next several weeks will be very busy for me, so I apologize in advance if I miss any messages. Behind the scenes content will also be reduced, since the further we go into production (and post-prod), the less I can safely reveal without giving away the story.

To make up for this, I'll be giving more updates about the premiere event we've been putting together, tentatively named Gildedguy's Grand Gala. I outlined the basic premise of the event in the previous Patreon update: A (free) online red-carpet film premiere that you, the viewers, can join in, and interact with others. The virtual venue will feature other animations in the community, and will have a focus on community, exploration and fund-raising. The main event of the gala will be the premiere of Story 0.

We aim to support 50 concurrent players per room, maybe even more. This is a photo of PowerMeep's automated bots populating a test room. It works by coding his laptop automatically move the mouse and click in specific areas of the screen, simulating active players.

I have to admit I've been really enamored of the idea of an online convention, but gamified in a unique way. Programming is one of my side-hobbies, and, even though it's hard, the activity has given me a nice break from drawing. I'm recruiting help from our Discord Server Moderators and the production team to help develop this GildedGala app in time for the March premiere.

If you'd like to help us secretly test the app, please join the dedicated development server:

https://discord.gg/t27BvX37Xa

Back to Work

This has to be a short update, since I have animation and some more programming scheduled for today. Thanks for checking in.