Games by JimD Newsletter – Safe Haven, Patreon Changes

Welcome to my 64th newsletter! This is a very important newsletter, because one of the main focuses is a change in my Patreon. I’m always looking to interact with my readers and patrons to find out what they want out of my content and their patron rewards. I don’t like to remain stagnant or guess what may interest you, so I ran a poll to learn the rewards you would like to see the most. I will share those changes below.

As always, I will also provide updates on my games. I’m also bringing attention to a contest I’m running on my Discord that relates to my new virtual novel, Your Trial on StoryLoom.

Let's get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 is currently at 240,000 words, over 20,000 more this month. My main focus this month has been finishing conversations the MC has with each member of the main group. I have also added quite a bit of content to the Jillian pregnancy portion. Next month, I am going to focus on finishing more of the romantic encounters that started at the beginning of chapter 14. Those should include Jillian, Kelly, and Lopez, at least. My goal is to include more RO content, since that is what people really enjoy. For those who don’t enjoy that type of content, there will still be a lot to do.

I’m also planning on making a lot of changes that will show up in the released app on February 2 when my Stories from the Outbreak release. This should fix many of those nagging issues you have been reporting.

Patreon Changes

As I mentioned, I recently ran a poll for patrons to vote on the rewards they would like to receive. Here is the breakdown of votes:

• 75 - Help name characters, shape the experiences of characters, and create achievements.
• 68 - Early access to the  alpha build of Safe Haven, updated once per month.
• 46 - Access to content teasers, updates, and sneak peaks.
• 41 - Creating minor characters that appear in the story.
• 28 - Ability to vote and decide on artwork for Patreon and in-game.
• 23 - Interactive story (for example, ZE: Aftermath) where you vote for each choice as we build the   game together.
• 22  Access to short stories, plus voting rights on new short stories.
• 21 - Monthly newsletter
• 19 - Your name in the game's credits (if desired).
• 17 - Access to a special role on GamesByJimD Discord server.
• 17 - Naming rights for characters and landmarks.
• 17 - Private Q&A, where patrons can ask any question about the game (including spoilers and   more).
• 15 - Private Q&A sessions with characters
• 5 - Video content

As you can see, helping to name characters, sheets the experiences of characters, and create achievements are the most popular rewards. Access to testing versions of Safe Haven is the second most requested reward. People also seem to be interested in teasers, updates, and sneak peaks, which is content I have not provided in the past. Patrons also wish to help create minor characters that appear in the story.

I was happy to see that my interactive, Patreon-only stories also did well in the voting, slightly ahead of access to short stories. This newsletter did not fare as well, so it may be going away in the future. I could convert the same information into quick posts on my Patreon instead of one long newsletter.

By the end of this month, I will be posting the full changes to my Patreon so you can see it before billing restarts. Many of you are still on the first of the month billing cycle, so I want you to pay for those were words that interest you the most.

Stories from the Outbreak

Choice of Games will release date on February 2, 2023. The release will be on sale for $0.99 for a week and then will go up to $1.99. These stories are available on Patreon but will be removed before they are released in the app.

StoryLoom – Your Trial

As some of you know, I am writing a game for a new platform called StoryLoom. It’s been a lot of fun to make a more visual game, though this will only last for a short time. This platform is set to go live in a few months, at which time, I am not sure I will be continuing with them. They asked me to create a story that can be featured when their system goes live. My focus is still on Safe Haven, and I don’t want to overextend myself on other games.

I still would love for people to play this game. It’s against the rules to run a contest on Patreon (anyone who is doing so can be banned if reported), so I am running a contest on my Discord for those people who will try the game. Playing it is free with the tokens you receive at sign-up.

If you would like to participate in the contest, visit my Discord: https://discord.com/invite/sF6SWER7PV

To play Your Trial, visit: https://storyloom.com/stories/72c2986c-7bad-404b-6d54-ca41d6d5e5e3

When you visit that link for the first time, you will be asked to sign up for a free account using your Google email address. When you successfully sign up, you will go to a new page that lists every game. You’ll need to find Your Trial or click on the link above to play it.

Playing this game will help me a lot. Even if you only play the first chapter, it would be amazing.

From my visually impaired patrons, I’m sorry to say that this game is not playable currently. They do not have a system to read the content to players, nor does it work with VoiceOver technology. I hope they fix that soon.

Vampire: The Masquerade — Out for Blood

VTM-Out for Blood's True Faith Patch released on January 12, 2023. It was a free update had added over 25,000 new words. People seem to be enjoying the new content, so I encourage you to try out the demo if you have not played yet.

https://www.choiceofgames.com/vampire-the-masquerade/out-for-blood/

That's all for this month. Until next time, stay safe, and thank you for your support!