Progress update for 16-04-2023

Heya all! Once more, a progress update! Last week a big discussion was started with the other cooperators, regarding the future of the game. I'd love to share it with you! 

'So, peeps! This is going to be an important one, and I'd like @waffle, @Neochu-Hybrid, @Azazellz, @GabeCube and @Soviet the amazing artist to read this carefully. You're all my core team, and as such this post will be about the future development of the game. Where we stand right now is in an Excellent spot. With most of the NPC's we got to the point that we're pretty much mid-way the arcs that Gabe and I planned. The main story is still very early, but has the setup properly implemented.   Almost all the mechanics are in, with the most lacking ones being 2 skills and the potion making system. Beyond that, we also need the ending system, so the player can come across a natural ending to their story. If those systems are added, it will be a matter of tweaking and refining already existing systems.  When it comes to the story, a lot has to be done, but a ton has also already been developed and planned.   So, what does this all mean? That means that I plan to start working towards finishing this game. Summer Growth, even in its earliest phases where it was just a silly side project, was always intended to have a final product. This is not something I plan to work on indefinitely, bloating it up for the sake of content. And somewhere in the next year I want to finish it.  Scary.

What does this mean? Well, it means we'll be working towards a goal. The current core team I mentioned above is a highly competent one, and far better than I could've asked for. Gabe is an excellent writer, but beyond that a marvelous editor and sponge for ideas. Waffle manages to fix my broken code, which is NOT easy, let me tell you. Neo and Azazellz, well, without you and the other beta testers, we all know the game would be a buggy fucking mess. And then we of course have soviet, without whom the game would lack so much of its character. And I think with this team we can easily stick the landing.   Right now we're at version 0.7.9. That version number is not chosen on accident, as I plan 3 more major releases, the final one being, well, the final one. The releases planned are:

• 0.8.5: introduction of potion making system with new potions and transformations, main story content beyond the USB sticks, art and content for the rival, and introduction of the bodybuilding event that will provide the framework for the ending. Here we also introduce the ending system, to provide a more rounded experience. 
• 0.9.2: Here we will start tying up loose ends. New art for some transformations will be done for this, and the Visual Novel render style will also be done by this. Most NPC's will have their story done right until the ending, but will not include the ending. Yes, I am a massive tease. 
• 1.0. The full release. For this release, my plan is to focus on a single thing; quality. Here we will go over the entire game, adding references to other events, adding personality checks, basically polishing it to a mirror sheen. And, the player will have the full experience.

What lies beyond that? Who knows. But let's just say ideas breed ideas, and Summer Growth is far from the only game idea I had. But to focus on summer growth for now, what can we expect in the coming weeks and months? In the coming weeks, I'll be planning out the next release and doing so in a FAR more organized manner. I'll be discussing this with all of you, so we can work on this smoothly. I firmly believe we can do amazing work.  And finally, I'd like to close with thanking all of you. The funniest thing to me, is that I made genuine friends in this silly server, and made a supportive, and wholesome community that sprouted from some silly idea I had. Thank you. ^^'

It has sparked quite a bit of discussion regarding the followup of the game. And like I said, we are currently planning out how to stick the landing, as we say. Soon, soviet will begin introducing more art, and we're all looking forward to it. Meanwhile, Gabe and I are working very hard on setting up the next part of the story, which is quite difficult. But, we're hard at work, and making nice progress!