Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
Added 2018-03-09 03:02:39 +0000 UTCJust wanted to say thanks everyone for your thoughts on our earlier poll. Your comments and votes are totally appreciated. :)
FLSM : Glimmer Deck
"FLSM : Glimmer Deck" is not dead! I think perhaps my wording wasn't quite clear there. I'm still working on FLSM. In fact I've got it open right now in Unity. The only thing that is changed is that we sadly never reached the goal we needed to fully start in on the FLSM RPG mode*. I know that's disappointing to some of you, but we can't keep waiting around, hoping to meet that goal, and trying to develop the game accordingly with it in mind. An RPG mode is totally different from what FLSM has become over time, and with each change and update to the game, it became more and more difficult to align it with the goals of an RPG mode. With that said, we put a ton of work into trying to get an RPG mode going, and we don't plan on putting that work to waste.
Forward Momentum
Your voices have been heard. The idea of a retro-style 2D RPG was something we thought maybe people might want, but that's not the case, so think nothing more of it.
We're moving forward with 3D ideas, improving on and adding to the work we'd done trying to get the RPG mode into FLSM. But, FLSM won't be an RPG. We're going to be changing the page to reflect the new direction once we have things in place.
It's really, really hard to let something go that you've been hoping for and working towards, and harder perhaps to admit defeat when it needs admitting. I'm waving the flag here. I've begun to feel that FLSM is more of an anchor around my neck than it is a set of creative wings. I promise you all, if you like what we did with FLSM, you will like what we do moving forward. The lessons we've learned have been difficult ones, but lessons they are. And those will go a long way towards the next stage. I do hope you'll stick around with us as we march bravely forward.
If we don't have something new ready for you all by the end of the month, I am going to once again pause payment processing until we do, so please know that you're not going to be sitting around paying while waiting on us.
Thank you all again for your support. It means the world to us.
~ Giselle and ViV
* The goal for 410 patrons previously read: "When we hit this goal we'll be able to start introducing RPG-like elements, new environments, animations, characters, and more." Since we never reached that goal, we've edited it as of this post. It no longer has to do with the RPG mode but instead is more indicative of our current direction.
Comments
Can I also air a sort of off-shoot idea? The FLSM 'game' or engine if you will Can in theory be transplanted with alternative environment/scenery. If one could edit the world (or perhaps import a 3D scene - possibly easier to code); Surely this would open up the possibilities for the existing work done. Applying the same 3D characters manipulation in varied scenes would add so much and even potentially allow for a prehistoric environment? After that it's obviously more work, if there are various interactions with dinos and other life/scene features, but it would allow for a speedy move toward the goals and make the engine more accessible. Personally; I was never particularly attached to the space aspect of FLSM...it was more of a means to an end. (BTW: don't worry - I've got to do some real work now, so I won't clog the blogs up with any more of my waffle 😉) .
Trisha
2018-06-25 15:10:06 +0000 UTCI'd just like to add that I still believe in you (and trust you too). You have delivered some very unique features and quality to the FLSM project. I hung in there in the hope that some of those features that were close to my heart would come, and 90% has come through. I now have access to a 3D sex simulation with characters and an editor that can be anywhere along the gender spectrum. That in itself is amazing to me. The oral aspects of that project, and the possibility of fluids will be something I look forward to in future developments, but I want to state also (like Josh), about the way you've frozen donation processing when the going has been slow. It's really the reason I'm still here with my contribution levels untouched. You not only delivered the core of what you promised, but you put processing on hold while you did other things for survival. I'm a realist. I realise this level of income cannot pay the bills. It's not realistic. You have to do what pays the bills. This is somewhere between hobby and business. Maybe some day it can pay it's way, so just keep going guys. I look forward to your future work, and I will try to maintain my donation levels. If I do reduce a little; it'll most probably be because of hard times, and not for a lack of belief in your work. I hope you're both in good health and wish you the best xx
Trisha
2018-06-25 14:33:51 +0000 UTCOh. My bad, Even. I really was confused, so I kind of jumped the gun there too, I suppose. Good to see you followed up here, and hopefully you have a good one.
Josh Zehe
2018-03-13 12:39:37 +0000 UTCThank you. :) i will check back at random. Bye for now.
Even
2018-03-12 07:22:00 +0000 UTCThanks for your thoughts, Even, and the apology. Sorry to hear you had some life troubles. That's no fun. I wish you the best and I hope someday maybe you'll come back to see what we've been up to.
Ripened Peach
2018-03-12 00:19:58 +0000 UTCWell, seeing as i seem to have missunderstood several things here, i retract my statement about you two being crooks, as i thought you where gonna make a new game called the same, but with "glitter deck" added to it, and making it 2D. I also thought you where going through with it, despite the votes against it. But since you two are apparently STILL gonna make a 3D sex simulator game, but without the RPG stuff, which changes things. I don't know if or when i will become a patron again, as thid id not what i thought i was getting, but i'll keep an eye on this, and see what happens. And the reason for me not knowing all the changes, is because of real life troubles, i haven't kept up to date on the updates. And as for what would make ME happy, is an RPG or similar. Or a story/plot, and not just different characters, in different sex poses.
Even
2018-03-11 23:42:16 +0000 UTCI'm sorry if you were waiting all this time for us to reach the desired support level we needed in order to start working on the RPG mode. We were, too. It never got reached, so we can't make it. The game has been around for 2 years and it never got enough support to warrant making a full 3D RPG. I understand that you want us to wait around until we get enough patrons, but what if that never happens? Should we not work on anything new and exciting, but instead just keep our fingers crossed that things will come through? As for "Glimmer Deck" being a new thing, you are mistaken. "FLSM: Glimmer Deck" is what this game has been called for over a year now. It's a name we gave it to differentiate it from the possible RPG, which would have likely been a separate game built on this FLSM base. We're still working on the Glimmer Deck. Nothing has changed there. You seem to believe that making a 3D RPG for $800 a month to cover two people is a piece of cake. Please, I implore you, look at some of the other games on Patreon that are fully interactive 3D, and look at how much they make. Compare that to what they have already for download, and also compare it to what we make. Where we live (in California), $800 a month is not enough to cover two people full time. That's $400 a month per person, which amounts to about a third of what my rent costs alone. There's simply no way to work full time like that. We have been up front about possibly not being able to make the 3D RPG as early as last year in July, when we said we still hadn't reached the RPG goal yet and weren't sure if we would. We really appreciate everyone's support, but at some point reality has to be faced. The reality in this case is that there never was enough interest in a sci-fi based sex simulator game, which has been evident from the get-go. This game has never made a lot of money, but because we're stubborn, and because we like to work on it, we did, and do. It makes me sad that you're in here calling us thieves and liars and scammers. You say in your own post that a 3D game is what we've always promised, and I must admit that I'm super confused because the Glimmer Deck is 3D last time I checked, and the new game we're thinking of is 3D as well. I'm sorry that you spent your welfare money on this project. I hope that you at least got some enjoyment out of all the work we did and have been doing, and that you weren't just ignoring all of that in the hopes that some magical 3D RPG would suddenly appear at such low levels of support. I would advise that you strongly consider stopping your patronage. I'm not sure why you haven't done that long before now, to be frankly honest. With all of that said, I understand that you are upset, so, if you could please state as clearly as possible what would make you happy as a patron, I invite you to do so in reply to this post.
Ripened Peach
2018-03-11 22:47:04 +0000 UTCAnd there is also something about "don't say things you can't keep" ESPECIALLY when people are giving you money for it. And sure, they should be able to decide what to make, but without backers they couldn't do ANYTHING! or have to spend YEARS on even simple things! So, doing drastic changes, or giving up on something, because of unsatisfactory income, might piss people off. Especially if they don't HAVE that much money! So, my question, if they are still going to work on it is: why not KEEP working on it, and wait for more backers/money? They have managed so far, with LESS money! and 800$ each month, should be enough to work on something you enjoy. I think it's more that they don't wanna work on it (the RPG) anymore because it was hard and not fun.
Even
2018-03-11 20:52:02 +0000 UTCThen i missunderstood it. I thought FLSM glimmer deck was something NEW, since it had a partially new name. But they DID say "FLSM WON'T be an RPG" which is the 90% of the reason behind my backing. And i don't understand why they can't just continue working towards it, while waiting for more backers.
Even
2018-03-11 20:43:38 +0000 UTCAnd to be real with ya, It's their choice on what they work on. If they were to suddenly switch their focus over to a 2D RPG, then it's their choice to do so. The poll they did was to see what people wanted, to see if their original vision was still worth continuing for their audience. To say you wasted your money on their project is less about the quality of their work, and more a reflection on your opinion of what that money is worth. That said, they are a two-person team. Keeping ideas fresh would probably be much harder when the team is that small, so I honestly don't understand why you are so upset. What they have made so far is honestly quite a cut above the rest, all things considered.
Josh Zehe
2018-03-11 20:41:33 +0000 UTCThat was a bit rude, Even. I honestly don't know where you're getting the idea that they're abandoning Glimmer Deck since their above statement says the following: "Your voices have been heard. The idea of a retro-style 2D RPG was something we thought maybe people might want, but that's not the case, so think nothing more of it".
Josh Zehe
2018-03-11 20:34:29 +0000 UTCWell, that is a big kick in the balls. I was gonna ask for a refund, but i have no idea how much money i wasted on this. You are making me lose faith in early access stuff. And you might say you where only going to make it an rpg if you reached a certain goal, but a 3D game, was ALWAYS what you promised, hence the picture on your patron page, and your description (if you haven't changed that) and just to make things EXTRA sad, the money i have wasted on your lies of a 3D game, with possible rpg, was my welfair money. I doubt crooks like you have any compasion, but just so you understand what this meant to me
Even
2018-03-11 19:05:30 +0000 UTCI can't even begin to explain how much your post means to us right now. You're awesome, thank you, Josh. :)
Ripened Peach
2018-03-09 07:15:44 +0000 UTCIn terms of a transaction, you guys really know how business works. I'm really glad to hear you're feeling better again, so take your time. I'm personally amazed at the sheer dedication you show towards this project, and when your willing to pause your payment due to something out of your control like that? It brings a tear to my eye knowing that the only other dev I know of who might do such a thing is probably CD Projekt Red. Bravo, guys. We're all quite proud of you, and hopefully I'm not alone in recognising this. I will continue to support you, because that kind of selflessness is pretty rare in this particular industry.
Josh Zehe
2018-03-09 05:34:09 +0000 UTC
