YummyTiger

YummyTiger Gaming (The Elephant in the Room edition)

Added 2016-06-17 18:10:18 +0000 UTC

Hello again,

I’m going to make a serious post, because I feel a few things need to be addressed (Sorry Stoper!). There’s been far too much misinformation floating around, a number of people have gotten pissed off, and I think I’ve been unclear along the way as to how this whole thing works. Feel free to vent away after you read this.

First and foremost, Patreon pledges are not to pay for content. I tie pledges to releases because I feel it is a far more fair way of doing things than monthly (unless the creator shows monthly progress). That does not mean you are paying for that release. Patreon pledges are always donations towards development. You DO NOT ever have to pledge anything to play my games/projects. I will release the game and the translations for free once they are ready for public consumption. Does that mean you won’t have beta access? Yes, but we are talking about BETA access, not the final product. When people say that a pledge is for this or that, it is technically incorrect, the pledge is a donation. It means that I plan to release something soon, but you are NOT paying for that product. Please, only pledge if you want to donate towards development because you like what you’ve seen so far.

Second, to everyone worried that Aylia’s Story will never see the light of day. If that is the case, rest assured that you will never pay another dime. I ran a single pledge prior to chapter 1’s release because I felt Aylia's Story and Hunter’s Quest could be released soon, and I wanted to get things rolling (move part time). I’ve accomplished some of that, although Hunter’s Quest is still not in v1.0.0, but it will be. You must realize, that the Patreon setup I’m using is all the accountability you ever need. If I don’t complete game updates in a reasonable amount of time, I don’t make any money, and this whole thing can’t work. Therefore, eventually, if I want to do this, I HAVE to get things moving faster and more efficiently. This is a fact. It could only change if I switched to monthly, and I have no plans to ever do that. If I did switch, Hell, I wouldn’t trust me without further evidence to contradict what we’ve seen so far. So, the notion that you have to see progress regularly to ensure that the game is being developed is false. If I’m not developing the game, then I have no chance of ever making money, and this will never work. I am working on the game. I try to post updates and teasers for you benefit and to make this place more “fun.” Not to use them as an accountability mechanism, because it is not necessary.

Third, what has Patreon accomplished? I can almost guarantee that without the support I’ve received, and the rapport I’ve built with all of you, that Aylia’s Story would either be on indefinite hiatus or would be a far inferior project. I’m shooting for the stars because of you guys. It is not the money, it is the sheer level of support that has led me to say, “Nope this is not good enough, I want to add more.” THAT is what your pledges accomplished before I ran the first charged update. After the charged update, what did your money accomplish? It allowed me to assume a true part-time role in this development. I AM working nearly every day (yes, I took a vacation last week), and I’m still putting in the hobbyist hours as well. That is what your single pledge has allowed. Thank you!

Finally, in regards to the delays and people wondering how I could have a release estimate over a year ago and still not be done. The biggest reason is time, which I’ve tried to say over and over again. Prior to April 2016, I was only working on the game in my spare time between a full time job, raising a child, and other family obligations. There were long periods of time last year where I simply did not get anything done, because I did not have the motivation to work on the game after all of it. I didn’t post that here, because I didn’t think you guys wanted to hear it—if you did, then my mistake. Unfortunately, I made a few release estimates to appease the large number of people who wanted to know when it would be done, and in making those estimates, I planned as if I were going to work on the game every day. I made the estimates also figuring they would light a fire under my ass and force me to work. They didn’t, and I continued to work at that same leisurely pace. If that pisses you off, I’m sorry (and, I don’t mean that in a disregarding way. I’m truly sorry that I misled you).

It was with this knowledge that I decided I had to move part-time to succeed in developing Aylia’s Story. I ran the update, made another optimistic release estimate, and you know the rest. Why did I fail? Well, life didn’t help, but even with that, I once again underestimated how long things will take. It’s going to take more than a day to get the sounds/music setup. There are going to be art hiccups like the last few days where I simply don’t make progress, even though I am working. I’m going to have to waste a day research or designing an event structure that is new. I SHOULD have planned for these, but I didn’t. As I said, I’m done with release estimates, and any release date you receive in the future means the game content is done and in testing. I’ll put up a progress chart instead so you can follow along.

This is not meant to be rant, but I want to address a few concerns. I also want to reiterate that you don’t have to pledge if you’re not comfortable doing so. If you think I’m cheating you, or that there is no chance I’ll even finish, PLEASE don’t pledge. Watch from the sidelines until I’ve done enough that your trust is restored. I hope that occurs later this year as updates start coming out more regularly and I start meeting release dates. I don’t begrudge people for getting frustrated, I would be too. But, the notion that I’m not working or that I don’t care is absolutely not true. I do care. I’d hope that my history of posting frequently and answering comments/messages would at least support that.