Games by JimD Newsletter – Game Updates, Crossover

Welcome to my 98th newsletter! Welcome to my new patrons, and thank you for following the progress on my games.

Happy Holidays to everyone! This is a great time of year, as I take 10 days off from my normal job, which gives me some time to take a break and dedicate myself to writing.

I have been working on Stronghold almost exclusively so far this month, while preparing for next year and starting the free update for Safe Haven. I have also been using this time to plan out next year’s submission schedule. I would really like to submit Stronghold for publication sometime in the summer, so it could possibly be released by the end of next year. That would give me two games released in 2026.

In this newsletter, I will review my development plans, as I do every month. Let's get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 is 1,020,000 words. I am still working with several beta testers as I wait for the copyeditor to provide the updated files. I should be receiving everything back in mid-January, which gives me a few weeks to make updates, add some final content, and playtest a few more times to ensure everything is working well. The expected release date remains February 5, 2026.

I have released numerous stories over the past twelve years of writing these types of games, and I have come to realize that bugs will inevitably slip through the cracks in the published game. I typically use the first month or two to put emergency patches through the pipeline. Unlike traditional books that you might purchase in a bookstore, my games have the advantage of being digital, allowing for updates in close to real-time. If I push through a hotfix, it usually gets released within two days. Remember, we have five different platforms for release, and each has its own specific requirements.

I’m not hoping for bugs to happen after release, but I’d be naïve to think the game will be perfect. However, I will do my best to get things fixed quickly.

Zombie Exodus: Stronghold

Stronghold is up to 193,000 words, which is 30,000 words more than last month. I’m currently writing chapter 8, which is already huge at 14,000 words and will likely be one of the largest chapters. It’s almost three chapters in one, as it provides a branching narrative with three different paths to accomplish the same goal. As you probably know, I love games with replay value, and you’re going to want to try this chapter a few times.

During the testing phase, I have provided a table of contents, allowing you to skip to any chapter you want. I like this way of presenting the story, as it allows you to revisit any part of the narrative. Would you like to see this included in the final release, or do you think it should be removed? Please note that I will continue to provide checkpoints once the game goes live.

Next month, I will complete chapter 8 and attempt to finish up to chapter 10.

When I originally wrote this story for StoryLoom, each chapter was roughly 10,000 words. However, when I reached chapter 14, StoryLoom requested that I release shorter chapters. Although I have already written twenty-five chapters, the last ten are relatively short. Therefore, it should be much faster to convert them to ChoiceScript. Even with all the new content I’m adding, I believe I can finish the story by April, 2026 and submit for publication.

Safe Haven and Stronghold Crossover

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I’m going to write a crossover between Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven and Zombie Exodus: Stronghold. Because Stronghold takes place one year after the outbreak began, the timelines line up in a way that makes this completely possible. Survivors from Safe Haven’s early days could realistically cross paths with the Stronghold cast.

The following poll lets you vote on the character that will crossover between the two games. Every active patron will get a vote. Future polls will provide choices for how the person is involved in the story in Stronghold.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/safe-haven-and-146303598