Summary of S2E4 and the Future of IoM (Patreon)

Hello people! 👋 Today I want to share a summary of S2E4 and the future of IoM with all of you. 🙂

Overall, S2E4 has been one of the most well-received episodes 🥳, as always, with its pros and cons. I read every message from everyone who supports the project to draw conclusions and find out what IoMers like best and what you think needs improvement, so I can continue making IoM an incredible visual novel for everyone of you! 🤩

Generally speaking, I think what has stood out the most, and what has earned me the best feedback, is the new animations. It’s an incredibly big leap forward; about a year ago, I told you that I was going to take learning artificial intelligence seriously so I could deliver professional results, and I think that’s reflected in this episode. 🙂 I spent three months deeply immersed in learning how to create animations with realistic movements and facial expressions. It was tough, involving a lot of trial and error, but in the end, I achieved a level of quality that I’m happy with.

Although I’ve mastered the basics, with each episode I need to keep learning, improving, and creating unique AI models to use in future episodes.

I think that from now on, for each episode, I’ll dedicate a month to learning and generating new models. (The advantage is that every model I create will be useful in the future, but I still have to dedicate time to create and test them.)

The most negative feedback about this update is the same as always: how long each update takes... 😯 And on this point, I simply have to agree with you: a year is a long time, and it’s something I’ll always try to shorten. I remain confident that with the incorporation of AI and the models I’m creating, I’ll be able to work faster and faster. I’m not the type of person who likes to make excuses, and I’ll say it again: I admit the wait is too long for an update, and it is something that I MUST address to give the supporters the best possible experience. But during the development of this update, I spent three months learning about AI; my city suffered the deadliest earthquake in the country’s history; and early this year, we received some “little gifts” from Uncle Sam (democracy bombs) 😅, so this update has come with its fair share of setbacks.

However, it came together, and I was able to launch it, and I’m very happy that the feedback I’ve received has been great 🤩, which is very motivating for me to keep improving in every way.

As always, I’ll do everything I can to shorten the time between updates. 🙂

One problem right now is that the new animations are incredibly superior to the old ones. I’m thinking that once Season 2 is finished, I might remaster the entire game (Seasons 1 and 2) with new animations and features. It’s not a sure thing, but I’m keeping it in mind. (I think Season 2 will have between 6 and 8 episodes)

I don’t know which is better: starting with Season 3 or doing this remaster.

From a financial or business standpoint, it’s a bad, terrible, horrendous idea 😅 because during that time, many subscribers would likely leave; I wouldn’t be able to release new content here, on Steam, or on any other platform; those who support the project might lose interest, and so on.

And on top of that, I’d be taking on a titanic workload; however, if I do this, it would be out of love for the game, to ensure that IoM becomes a timeless classic of the genre, and that, to me personally, is of great value. But it’s a decision I have to think through carefully, since it’s so critical. (Probably in the future I will do a poll about this to know people's opinions)

Now that the new episode has been released on all platforms (Patreon, Subscribestar, Itch, and Steam), social media, and the game’s official website have been updated (both the website and the bot), and I know everything is working properly, I’d like to let you know that I’ll be taking a month-long vacation before starting work on the new episode (S2E5). You know I always like to be honest with everyone here, and for those who want to unsubscribe in the meantime, feel free to do so, I’m just here to keep you informed and be transparent. 🙂

Throughout November, I’ll be taking some time to clear my head and come up with new ideas, but I’ll continue learning about AI and running tests (technology is a hobby for me, so I love learning, and I’ll probably post little things on social media throughout the month, and you’ll still see me and chat with me on Discord). However, I want this to be a low-stress month so I can recharge my batteries, do some personal stuff, and also plan the best ways to move forward with the game, full of energy and enthusiasm to do great things for all of you. 🙂

I'm really glad you liked this episode, which, despite all the setbacks and issues, was able to be released, and that the release went perfectly, with zero bugs. The goal for the next episode is to make it even better. 🤩🤩🤩

I hope you're all having, or have had, a great weekend, and I wish you all a fantastic week! 🍺👋