Straight?! v0.13.1 Release!! (Patreon)

So here it is:So after more than a month and a litany of obstacles, we have the next chapter of our ongoing saga. Download links are below. Please let me know if the crunched versions are not working, as I did these myself with Bossapplesauce's program. Specifically, I have no idea if the crunched MAC version will work so let me know. One major note I want to point out for this update specifically: You may notice light changes in CGs in the middle of a conversation. It may simulate somewhat of a "flash." This is known and unavoidable right now and we'll all just have to live with it. I'll explain more below but I wanted something at the top for those who don't read the entire post.As always, if you wish to discuss, you can in the comments. If you include spoilers, just please post a spoiler alert at the beginning of your post. I'm more than happy to participate and talk thoughts about the newest chapter so don't be shy.Normal Version (4.26 gig. This shit is getting stupid big)PC: Google DriveMAC : Google DriveCrunched Version with reduced image quality (422mb)PC: Google DriveMAC: Google Drive Dev Final ThoughtsSo I've been tripping about the amount of time it's taken for this update but then I went back to look at the release of the last one and it's only been a month and a half. Honestly, that makes me feel better considering this included planning time for the next 3 or 4 updates in addition to my writer's cramp. But, despite all the nonsense and me being a bitch, this update turned out better than I thought during my read-through. The testing feedback was a pleasant surprise and initial feelings were positive. Somehow the editing process at the end tends to really help with pulling things together. I will say it's not the best or my favorite update in the game so far, but it does move the narrative forward and it does drop some significant hints as to where things are going in this next arc. Plus, it sorta sets the mood that things are moving more adult than in the past. Some were anxious about the end of v012, others were concerned that too many doors were closed at the same time. This one feels sorta like a reboot, to me, and hopefully will peak your interest in where things are headed in the future. That being, said, there's a few moments in this one that I absolutely loved...just little nuisances and some of the exchanges were fun to write. Despite the obstacles this month, I feel good about the future and I'm optimistic about the direction. I also want to point out that I had some help on the interface in shrinking down the text box. The names are still a bit hard to read sometimes but I like the smaller box because it leaves more room to see the images. You eagle-eye peeps may also notice that the game finally has a taskbar icon that I'm pretty excited about. I got some help on this one from a folower who did the research while I was pitching one of my bitch-fits. Using the anniversary picture for the icon seemed like a no-brainer, for now. Of course, all this is a work-in-progress but feel free to chime in on the changes. Light FlashesSo I want to provide more explanation to the lighting changes. Basically, we've breached the 1,000 images mark now and my 3D art skills have improved since the beginning of the game. However, it is customary to frequently reuse CGs repeatedly during the course of the narrative. Thus, I still use old CGs that aren't up to speed alongside the newer ones. You'll see this quality difference more prominently in this update. Scenes like the bathroom used to be darker but the newer CGs are brighter. Thus, when I use an old/new CG side by side, you can tell and it's somewhat distracting. The obvious solution is to redo the old ones! But if I redo the old ones that are used in the new update, I still get the glitch in the older scenes. So basically, the solution is to redo 1,000 CGs. However, doing this right now would push the game back a month or more and I doubt anyone has the patience for that--I sure don't right now. Sure, everything would look better but I anticipate continuing to learn more before the game is complete. Thus, I would have to go back and redo them all a third time. To me, that delay isn't worth it. So we just have to deal with it for now. Once the story is finished, everything will be revamped and upgraded using what I've learned.As always, I appreciate the support. Specifically, this month, the game feels more like a community effort. The messages, replies, likes--just everything--plus a few of you doing things behind-the-scenes means a lot and helped pull me through this one. Hopefully, you enjoy the direction and the continuing story. Don't forget to leave your thoughts or recommend the game to others. Word of mouth helps me out a ton!Sincerely,-Aaryn-