Games by JimD Newsletter – Game Updates, Tentative Dates?

Welcome to my 81st newsletter!

It’s the end of July, and this is been a productive month. I am continuing to beat my word counts for both of my games in development, and I have a clear picture of the timeline for each. My goal is to finish ZESH Part 4 around April. I have no idea how long it will take for CoG to edit and publish the game. Their queue looks pretty long, but I can try to get some estimates closer to next year.

As for Stronghold, I am considering about the same timeline. I may hold back Stronghold so its release does not compete with ZESH P4. I’m estimating that Stronghold will be around 400,000 words.

It’s exciting to think that two of my games will be published next year, and thank you to all my supporters and patrons for helping me stay focused and develop these games.

In this newsletter, I will go over my game updates and my timeline.

Let’s get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 is 605,000 words, with over 20,000 words added this month!

I just finished the mission where you go scavenging with Kelly and Parker to a campground. If you have been following the development of this mission, you will know that you can also do this as a solo mission if you want a more challenging experience. There are also several steamy scenes with Kelly if she is your romantic partner. Yes, several scenes.

This month, though, I am focusing on more romantic content. If your MC is romancing two different characters or flirting with another, you will experience the first bit of conflict between your romantic partners. Some of the confrontations may be aggressive and explosive. Others may be simple conversations to understand the MC’s interests in dating multiple people. It will add drama to the junkyard.

Starting next month, I will write and code a scene where you finally visit the River Dogs across the lake. This will be the last major group in the area that you will encounter in this phase of the game. There may be other smaller groups, but after this scene with the River Dogs, the game can progress towards the ultimate finish of Part 4.

Over the next few months, I will reveal more about what I hope to achieve with this part of the game.

Zombie Exodus: Stronghold

Stronghold is up to 97,000 words so far. That means I have added 17,000 words this month. If you are interested in testing each new chapter, please check out the link below:

https://cogdemos.ink/play/jimd/zombie-exodus-stronghold-public-beta/mygame/ 

I finished chapter 4, which was the largest chapter to date. It involves going through Zone 1 to escape the zombie horde. Chapter 5 brings downtime and a chance to get to know your companions. I love chapters like this because it makes the game more intimate and personal. You get to learn the backgrounds and motivations of the other main characters. I also introduce the last romantic interest, Jasmine, an educator at Stronghold.

I should be posting a revised beta this week, and I hope you all take the time to play it.

That’s all for this month.