That's just me being honest. (Patreon)

I wanted to give you an update on how things are progressing.

I’m about 65 to 70% done with the playable teaser. Almost all of the animations are finished, and what’s left now are the in-between renders. That leads to the big question: is it as good as I imagined it would be?

Unfortunately, no.

I’m a little disappointed. It feels like I’ve reached the limits of either the studio I’m using or my own knowledge of it. After talking to other developers, it seems this might simply be the ceiling when it comes to dynamic action sequences. Ironically, there are endless options for things like physically realistic breast movement, but much stricter limitations once you try to choreograph complex action. I guess that makes sense, given what the software was primarily designed for.

So I’m at a crossroads. I could switch studios, or I could spend an unreasonable amount of time and/or money on specialized action assets to get closer to what I imagined. But I really don’t want to spend ten times more on something I’m already investing so much time and effort into. In the end, I think I’ll accept it as it is and move forward. At the very least, I learned a lot in the process.

That said, I’m still a bit disappointed, and I’m not saying this to lower expectations. That's just me being honest.

Still, it is what it is. You win some, you lose some. I don’t think the teaser is worse than my work in Chapters 11 or 12. Animation-wise, it’s on the same level. I was simply hoping to reach a new one, and I don’t think I quite did.

Once it’s out, I’d really appreciate your feedback. For a bit of context: the playable teaser is not the beginning of Chapter 13. It starts roughly 30 to 40% into the chapter. A certain pearl reaches a prisoner, and what happens next is what the teaser focuses on.

I still think it’s going to be a cool moment. I’m even planning a proper announcement, because even if the animations aren’t some next-level, mind-blowing upgrade, the scene finally releases and pays off the tension that’s been building over the last two chapters.

That’s also why there’s no preview image today. I don’t want to spoil anything.

That’s it from me for now. If you have any questions, my DMs are open. I do check Patreon regularly, but I’m usually quicker to respond on Discord.

Have a good time, surround yourselves with good people, and take care of yourselves.

Berki