A Message from the Heart
Added 2025-03-23 21:14:52 +0000 UTCHey everyone,
I want to start this off with a big note. After the release of the recent update, the reception really demotivated me—not just with Bright Lord, but also with my next project, The Lighthouse. I’ve been struggling to figure out what more I can do. It caught me completely off guard, because I truly felt I had taken my work to the next level.
Thanks to my recent collaboration with FoxxiedStudio, I’ve learned so much about what really matters in game development, and how things should be done. When I look back, I know Bright Lord was a mess early on. I made a lot of mistakes simply because I lacked experience. But over these past 13 months, we’ve worked hard to fix everything we could. And here’s what we’ve done so far:
Translated the game into six languages
Completely rewrote the first three episodes
Fixed many spelling errors and rewrote dialogue throughout the entire game
Added a new UI and new music
Added achievements
Gave Patreon supporters bonus images as a thank-you
Added around 2000 new renders after the rework was finished
Despite all that, I’ve still received a lot of negativity for reworking and fixing the game. Some people said it was going to be abandoned—but I pushed through, and now we’re here. I know some of the earlier animations weren’t great, and a few were just… bad. I admit it. But I’ve since learned a new program, and in Episodes 11 and 12, the animations are much better (at least in my opinion).
Yes, some of them are short looped animations—but keep in mind, longer animations can take over 24 hours to render. Add in mistakes, bugs, and crashes… and suddenly rendering a batch of animations can take a month. Meanwhile, we’re supposed to be releasing updates during that same time frame. I’ve poured my heart into this game. I’ve invested both my time and money to keep improving it.
I know some ideas may have missed the mark, and some weren’t fully fleshed out. But when you keep learning from your mistakes and the feedback still sounds the same—“Animations are bad,” “Story makes no sense,” “So many grammar mistakes”—it really breaks your spirit. It makes me feel like quitting, because no matter how much I put into this, we end up back at the same point.
And then, out of nowhere, the game gets bombarded with negative reviews on Steam. I’m not saying it’s an organized attack (even though it feels like it sometimes), but it’s crushing to see negative reviews pile up—both on Steam and F95zone.
I took a few days off to clear my head, and I realized one thing: I can’t quit. I won’t drop this project. But I am asking you, from the bottom of my heart, to leave an honest review on both Steam and F95zone.
It breaks me seeing negative review after negative review. It makes me feel like I have more haters than fans. And while I hate to rant and post something so downbeat, I can’t overstate how important reviews are. They help keep this project afloat. They help me get funding to keep working on the game and improving it for you.
I know it’s probably annoying to hear me asking for reviews again. But this is the sad truth of being a developer: sometimes, we have to beg for them just to get the visibility we need.
Haters tend to be louder than supporters. That’s why I’m asking—if you enjoy what I do, please take one minute to leave a review. It makes a huge difference and gives me the energy to keep pouring hours into this project and giving you my absolute best.
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for being here.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2906370/Bright_Lord/
Comments
The kind of users liberally using anonymity, keyboard and screen to troll the hell out of what they can troll until they're actively pushed back. Human but stupid at the same time. At least we know some of these reviews are made in bad faith. They won't be deleted, but they should. Review bombing should be counterbalanced.
Philippe Lam
2025-03-24 21:25:56 +0000 UTCMy man, I haven’t played the newest version yet: life’s been keeping me busy. But let me say this: it’s demoralising when others throw dirt at your work, your team, your company, and yourself, especially when you’re the one who poured your heart and energy into the project. You’ve pulled the late nights, taken an idea and made it real, done what needed to be done while others just talk. It hits hard and I’ve been there also. But know this: you will never please everyone. There will always be fans and there will always be critics - some who genuinely want to help, and others who simply want to tear you down. That’s life, and that's how we grow. Ask yourself: what’s harder? Creating something from nothing or becoming a keyboard warrior and criticising someone else’s work? What have these critics actually built themselves? What I’ve seen over the years is you taking full responsibility: the good and the bad - constantly improving and showing grit. Putting your work out there for all to see, knowing it could be torn apart, but doing it anyway - that takes courage. That’s a man’s strength, and I admire you for it. As for dealing with feedback: when I put content out, I ask my team to sift through the comments and give me only the constructive ones. A lot of people get their sense of self-worth from tearing others down, and their feedback isn’t helpful - it only risks pulling you down emotionally. Resist the temptation to read it all yourself. Let your team or someone you trust compile a report for you - that’s how big productions handle it. And I have no doubt you’re heading in that direction. Stay the course - you’ve got this, and my everlasting support.
Moon
2025-03-24 20:30:45 +0000 UTCGood guy !
RicardoS
2025-03-24 10:33:15 +0000 UTCI have only played part of Bright Lord but I have enjoyed what I played. Please don't beat yourself for showing a learning curve on your first creation. There will always be haters, esp. on F95, who will target AVNs they take for free and then just s..t all over them. They have no skin in the game and anonymous forums are notorious for allowing juvenile attacks with no consequence. If you want 'real' feedback, IMO - your $ supporters (especially those at higher tiers, which does not include me right now (budget constraints and supporting > 20 AVNs I found before BL) are your best bet. They have skin in the game and are more vested in your creation. If reading reviews crushes your spirit and damages your creativity, consider asking a trusted confidant to read the reviews/feedback and give you a condensed version, saving you the need to sort the wheat from the chaff and all the negativity that you suffer from that sorting. Finally - give yourself a pat on the back for a completed AVN. I see So many AVNs get abandoned that completing even a single one is a great milestone! GL on future creations and please don't give up! Cheers!!
Pax
2025-03-24 09:06:38 +0000 UTC
