Steam release + about future updates (Kind of a PoL, but not really)
Added 2025-02-24 20:24:25 +0000 UTCHello everyone! So, it probably won't come as a surprise if I say I haven't really worked on the new update quite yet. Update 19 will be about Lily's next side quest, and I have a very rough idea on how it'll shape up. That's all I can say for now.
Still, there's a bunch of other things I need to talk about, good and bad:
First of all, HC3 got approved for release on Steam. The store page is 99% ready, but I still need to do a few menial things, like change the screenshots' resolution and stuff like that, so it'll be a few days before it's out.
It'll be priced at 13.99$, with some changes based on where you're buying it from, and a 15% discount at launch. The steam version won't contain all the extra scenes, but about 60 to 65%~ of them, because I'd rather the 20$ version remains exclusive to Patreon. What extra scene makes it into the steam version will be chosen mostly at random, but I'll try to alternate the characters as much as I can.
I'll make a new post once the store page goes online so you can wishlist it. Wishlists go a long way to make the game more visible to more people on steam.
Second, I need to have a not-so-pleasant talk about the upcoming updates and the financial side of things. Since I always want to improve the quality of the game, I've been putting more and more efforts and money into it as time went on, which unfortunately translates into longer waiting time between releases. As a result, this Patreon's page monthly income has been steadily decreasing, while the cost of every update has risen exponentially. Still, all things considered, I'm still getting a lot compared to many other creators, but I so happen to live in a country where the median income is 7k$ per month with matching living costs, so money can be tight at times.
Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. I live very frugally, and I'm nowhere near bankruptcy nor am I facing any money-related problems, not at all, so I can still keep going fine. Besides, the Steam release will also help. But I'll probably have to try and shorten the length of the upcoming HC3 updates so I can hopefully release them faster and so they don't cost as much to produce. I'm talking 3 scenes (+1 extra) and 2-3 freeroams at most (with a few exceptions) per update. Some people might see this as a win. For the rest, I apologize.
PS: I have a tendency to sound overly depressed when I'm trying to have a serious talk. I just want to point out that I'm perfectly fine and content, and that I simply wanted to be honest with everyone~
Have a great week folks!
N_Taii
Comments
Thanks! I do plan on having a bit more of those mini-stories. for Eddy, I'm not sure. Most likely yes. I wouldn't really count on flashbacks from that far back in the game though, sorry!
N_taii
2025-03-03 21:06:20 +0000 UTCI'm ok with the shorter releases if thats what you need to do. but can you still squeeze in updates to the side stories like the mom +bully, the fish market couple and the two cards? also will we be seeing edy again? Its a long shot but wouuld their be a chance of having some flashbacks of the shenanigans that occured in the camp while leto was knocked out and Alys was defeated by Brutus
person321
2025-03-01 20:48:11 +0000 UTCPerfectly fair. I do remember taking note of the upgrade in quality - custom animations etc. - when booting up Hentaria 3 for the first time. So it doesn't go unnoticed.
Blue Fishcake
2025-02-26 22:57:25 +0000 UTCI believe it's less about pinging. Currently, with the amount of games that are being produced through AI and stuff, even pinging at the top means little when you're bumped down in a matter of hours. And at this point, without tooting my own horn, I've been around for long enough that most fans of western NTR games will have heard about my game at least once, or so I believe. It's mostly about patrons retention. The longer people have to wait without getting anything like a new update, the more likely they are to unsub and return later, or not return at all. As for the animations, it's also about my own satisfaction. I like seeing new, improved graphics for the scenes. Makes me feel like my game is improving^^ Even if, in the end, people often seem to prefer the basic, bald animations that were made with no particular character in mind so I could just add the heads of whatever characters were in that scene. The improved animations do cost more though, and take more time as I have to write an explanation every time I'm commissioning it.
N_taii
2025-02-26 19:52:50 +0000 UTCYou... monster...
N_taii
2025-02-26 19:39:10 +0000 UTCIt's funny, as things stand, Rose is of least interest to me - though still interesting. The last two updates have really made me more interested in Cyanna. I think the spread of characters and content is good, even if we all have our favorites who we'd rather see gaining more screentime at the expense of others.
Blue Fishcake
2025-02-25 19:12:41 +0000 UTCDo what you gotta do. If more frequent updates with less content results in more engagement, then I've no problem with it. And that does seem to be the logical answer. The more often you update (even if it ultimately just evens out to the same amount of content), the more you'll ping to the top of whichever sites are legally and illegally distributing your work, which means more people see it. Which means more people seek out the Patreon. That's definitely been the case for my own Patreon numbers. As a side note, while I definitely enjoy the animations, they're not something I value over sex scenes in general. Not even close. It is at the end of the day, pixel art. For me it's the story around the scene that gets things going. Whether animation time is actually a factor in the increased time frame for updates though, I don't know. The 'character' art in the menu is totally different though. Really loving the change over time there. That can not be scaled back on!
Blue Fishcake
2025-02-25 19:03:18 +0000 UTCPlease allow me to make a willful request. At the end, I still want to step on the blacksmith's flowers again. XD
Deadmautk
2025-02-25 15:15:55 +0000 UTCHmmm, I don't think the amount of characters has much to do with anything. I made more early last year and during the later half of 2022 than now, but I still had the same amount of characters as now.
N_taii
2025-02-25 11:40:14 +0000 UTCSwitzerland indeed. Crazy expensive here, although I'm in the countryside. As was said too, companies pay half of what goes into your pension system as an employee, but as an indie I gotta pay 100% so it's not helping either^^
N_taii
2025-02-25 11:38:43 +0000 UTCShorter content for more frequent update is fine for me. I think the decrease income on patreon comes from too much characters in HC3. For example Rose is 10/10 for me, but Cyanna and others do not charm me so much, so I have to wait for about 3 months for Rose's sotry.
2ws
2025-02-25 08:46:51 +0000 UTCSwizzerland. And most people in all countries forget the difference between being employee and working in an own company. Paying taxes and savings are making a hugh difference...
Iggie
2025-02-25 05:09:10 +0000 UTC7k a month, my god?? What European country do you live in. Here in Sweden it's like 3-3.5k euros a month, and people still consider it very expensive to live here.
Arnob Ljungqvist
2025-02-25 01:48:11 +0000 UTCCan't really have that, can we? Cyanna is one of the two main female characters after all~
N_taii
2025-02-25 01:10:31 +0000 UTCPretty reasonable change, I don't mind it at all (I just hope that in case of the main quest it will always be Rose who gets 2 scenes)
Kuronami
2025-02-24 22:06:55 +0000 UTCI've already taken a break, like 2-3 days in early January to take care of other irl stuff I needed to work on
N_taii
2025-02-24 21:43:29 +0000 UTCno, it's just that I never thought about it unti recently^^ Still, they would need to be modified, and it's quite a lot of work that I don't have the time to do
N_taii
2025-02-24 21:42:36 +0000 UTCOut of curiosity how did 1 and 2 not make it into steam is it subject matter
nyratholop
2025-02-24 20:41:02 +0000 UTCIf you believe that the change you will make will help you maintain a stable level of income, then no problem :). Some creators managed to maintain a stable income level with updates every 2 or 3 months, but they did it because they got their followers used to that line of work. I personally prefer you to take your time if it means more scenes, but if it affects the income I don't mind getting used to the new way. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
SFukuro
2025-02-24 20:37:42 +0000 UTCAll sounds well, if you can tell the story you want in a shorter development time then that's fine and having 2-3 freeroams also sounds very reasonable. Related to the post, you said you would like to take some time off since you didn't get much free time during December. When will that be? After the Steam release and Lily's update or are you also going to do the Haylen update before you rest up? Cheers to you and your work!
TSP
2025-02-24 20:35:31 +0000 UTCYou've been doing so well with the amount of content per update, so this type of update schedule doesn't sound so bad, especially with the quality of the scenes being so good
Alibaba
2025-02-24 20:35:26 +0000 UTCThank you for the News :)
N3xT
2025-02-24 20:32:31 +0000 UTCOne thing I've noticed throughout your releases & games, is while you've mostly kept the same number of scenes fairly consistent per update. They've gotten noticeably longer & a lot more to them. Personally I'm totally fine with dialing stuff down a bit as the quality of each update has increased a lot. I think it's perfectly normal for a quality over quantity approach. Excited for the next update, hope all is well!
Kazuma saitama
2025-02-24 20:28:55 +0000 UTC
