Plans for the Future.

This is an open post for all patrons.

After talking with one patron I have, I noticed that maybe you guys don't know what are the plans for the project of Just Friends and beyond. Since my last post about this was a long time ago, I decided to come here and talk a little about it with you guys.

The project has three phases for me, I'm actually with 85% of the first one done.

Lemme explain about those:

The first part of the project is the game Engine. I don't use Ren'py or VN Maker to create this game. The objective here is to make a game that I can track any issues with the story as fast as I can without letting the final version with duplicated text or texts that one character should be saying but another one says. This is fairly common on games created both with Ren'py and VN Maker. To that end, I'm editing and creating the entire engine of the project alone on Godot. Godot is a platform that lets you create 2D/3D platforming games. But it's so flexible that you can create anything with it. The major difference between a Vn maker and Godot is that I'm the one responsible for every single feature inside the game. For the save files to the menus, I have to create every single thing you see on the screen put together. Every time a character fades-in or out of the screen, it's something I had to code.

The project is 80/85% coded already. I still need to code some stuff like creating a gallery for the future inside the game, or creating a system to play sound effects too. All of those things will be added to the game and will add me extra work re-editing the day scrips again. But that's not something out of the world to do, it's something I can do for you guys in the future. Since these things are things I can only do when the project gets bigger, I finished the important parts of the game, such the spelling/text corrections suggestion window, for example which give you as a patron of tier 2+ to send your own corrections for the text and if I accept them your name will be placed on the "Text Revision Team" at the end of the game.

So when I finished every single essential thing I decided to finish the other things like animations and galleries etc, at another step later on development. 

The second part is what I'm working right now, it consists of two things: Create a good story for the characters thinking of better ways to add more fun to the story and making the game more enjoyable for everyone to play creating propaganda at the same time to attract more patrons. This part is where I am. The first part here is to finish the third day for Wagner and Karnal's, finishing also their assets so I can build a demo with the currently added content to it and release for everyone to test.

This part will take some time however since it depends on how much I get from patreon and apply this on time to work in the game. 

And then there's the third part:

After the DEMO is released, (the next one, there's already a Demo for people to play on the main page), and hopefully it will be enough to attract more people here to help, and I'm having enough patrons, enough to actually be able to pay for music, art, etc (Right now I'm having difficulties to pay for the art with the amount I'm getting so I need to save for months until I can pay for something), so when I can afford to pay something regularly, I'll be opening two types of Tiers on Patreon:

The fifth tier will be a tier with limited numbers and the value. The numbers of slots will be set to the numbers of NPC currently working on the game at the time, that being said, if I need at least five NPC's to work on the game as the receptionist or someone else, the total of slots will be the same as the NPC's. This tier will work like this: You'll pay that tier for an X amount of time (constantly). When you finish paying the X months of that price, your character will be added as an NPC on the game. Your character will retain all of your personalities but, the story, placement and what they will do on the story, it's something I'll decide. I will explain this in detail when the time comes.

If you pay, for example, three months out of five, and stop paying, I'll take notes of what you paid to that point and when you come back you'll resume from the point where you stopped, however, if someone else grabs your slot you will have to wait until someone stops paying and loses his spot, then you'll be able to re-enter that tier. Take note that: If someone pays almost every month but can't pay the last one, and then someone else grabs the spot of the first person and actually can pay for all the months necessary, that slot will be permanently closed. So if you pay every month but one, and then all the slots finish before you could come back and pay for it again, you'll lose your character as an NPC forever. That means I will take note of how much you gave on that tier to have your character in the game, yes, but It's only in case you come back while the tier is still enabled with a slot free. Then you'll resume where you stopped. Like I said I'm just explaining how I will make things works but when the tiers are actually opened, I'll create a post about it and I will contact every single person who starts paying it to explains better, and I'll send an email when that person has to stop paying for that. The price of the tier will be based on two things: The time I'll have to insert that NPC dialog and timing on the game, and the costs to produce the art for that NPC. You'll also receive the full quality of your character to post anywhere you want, so don't worry about it. 

And the second tier will work just like the last one, the sixth tier will be a tier with only one slot to add your character into the game as a route to be played. You have to understand that this is a pretty tricky thing to work with so there will be conditions: Your personality and sexual orientation will be preserved, your character will have only one type of sex scene just like all the characters in game (so nothing of being top in one situation for the end game or bottom in other because this cost double the money to make), but all the story locals, etc will be created by me, and all my creative skills will be put on it. So you won't be able to choose locations or to choose kinks in the game unless it's something necessary. For example, You won't be able to play the game and decide that the third day isn't good enough because someone didn't lick your toes or something like that. Like I said, your personality will be intact and I'll try to put it on the game, but you're also giving me the right to write whatever I want as long as I don't destroy your character personality and tastes. When this tier finished being paid you won't need to pay for it anymore, you'll be able to continue helping on it if you want on other tiers, and a formulary for you to answer will be sent so we can start working on the character portraits and his tastes and personality to be put on the game as long as it fits with the story.  So, kinda big this part huh? It's all too soon and I'll explain this with a lot of detail when the time comes. This sixth tier will have a more expensive price than the NPCs because an NPC only will have one portrait and only one expression, but an actual route has more than five expressions. The more expressions the main routes have, the more expensive it is to pay Wagner to make them. Don't forget, he's not working for me for free, I'm actually having to pay him for that, so if you're reading this and want more drawings to come here, ask some friends to help too because art is expensive and necessary to a visual novel. 

The third part will only happen when: I have enough patrons, or the current ones actually want to pay more to be in the game. I can't open those tiers yet, because I still need to work to finish the game, and my time, for now, is limited. If I open those tiers that means I need to work on the game every day for every week and to do that I need to be able to pay my bills only working on the game!

And that's why I ask all of you, please: Remember to share this project page to anyone you can, but try not to leak the content. People who like to check leaked content doesn't want to help to begin with, and that only makes people not to help at all. As long as people have interest in the game they'll help unless they can get it on leaked sources. And, the only way for me to finish this game is actually to be able to work on it every day, so I will need more help. But don't worry, even with the help I'm getting right now the game is advancing, every month I'm being able to give you guys at least one alpha with new content, but it will be faster if I can abandon everything just to work on the game.

So that's it: If you wondering when tiers to add your character in the game, it will happen when I have enough condition to work on the game full time and have enough money with it (and the tiers must be self-sufficient too, so the money you'll pay with them will cover both mine and Wagner's work), so I will be able to deliver the end game without delays or problems.

Right now I'm on the second step process since the first part is something I'll finish later, after the first DEMO perhaps, I don't know yet. But I do know my patrons of tier 10 do prefer me finishing the story than adding pretty stuff on the game so that's what I'll do for now on.

Again, share this project page with your friends, send them the link for the demo on the main page and let's make this a great game every day! 

Have a nice day guys.