What's behind the paywall? 🫦 (Patreon)

Hello everyone, and thank you!About 10 days ago, I reached out for your opinion and got a lot of answers, both on the poll, the comments and via e-mail. First of all, thank you for taking the time to share your views. It helps a lot in shaping the page and establishing some rules and guidelines from now on. And, since there’s a lot to talk about, we’ll tackle one at a time. Even though today is just about the main result of the poll, it’s going to be a long post, because, by the end, you’ll know what you’re paying for and what you get in return. So, grab a coffee (or something cold and refreshing from the fridge) and let’s dive in! Issue #1 - Unclear benefits behind the paywall (44%)Right from the start, the main issue, based on the results, is that people don’t know what they will find behind the paywalls. Some brave souls venture into the unknown, but most don’t, and it’s understandable. The tiers were designed back when the vision for this entire project was different, based more on heartfelt contributions to a community. A social experiment that failed, to be more precise, because the world, unfortunately, doesn’t work like that. Big dreams and ideas don’t become a reality based on just sharing a common goal and sparing some change from time to time. It’s about supply and demand. I won’t linger on the demand part because it’s relative, so I’ll focus on the supply, because, after all, it all boils down to what I’m doing here.First off, to summarise everything you can find on this page, so you don’t have to, I’m developing Project Bounded, the biggest and most ambitious game in the adult genre. For more details about it, just scroll through the posts and you'll find everything there is to know.I’m making the game in Unreal Engine 5, and I’m using the latest and most advanced tools the industry can offer (both vanilla and self-made or improved) to create a gaming experience you can find in the mainstream industry. I’ve been diving for the past years, into almost every corner of gaming development, from modelling, texturing, animating, programming, all the way to creating my own offline AI-powered NPC components for Unreal. All this to gather the knowledge and the tools to create this amazing world of Bounded.We’re talking large-scale environments that stretch miles wide for you to explore, eye-candy visuals, realistic game characters, voice acting, and, most importantly, a story that stretches over 200 years, from the sunny beaches of the fictional Nemo’s Cays, in the Bahamas in present day, to the farthest corners of the galaxy, in 2180, when a flight to the Lunar Base is just a taxi ride. A story about love, lust, complex family dynamics, sprinkled with betrayal, sacrifice, pain and a hero’s journey of revenge, where your mistakes and misuse of the superhuman powers you have been given will leave a trail of flames and the ashes of billions, humans or aliens, behind you.So, if you need just a small reason to join, I think, for a start, supporting the development process of this ambitious project and being part of it could be more than enough to convince you. But I’m not that kind of developer who wants to reach out to your pocket just for exposing a great idea, some words and pictures on a “development update” post or for a 15-minute demo, once every 6 months.If that’s your thing, ok, I don’t mind. But I’m more for engagement and sharing. On both sides. That means if you pay a certain amount, you’re with me on this journey, and you get to play with the tools that I have or develop. Think of you as a junior developer who is either testing or actively participating in the development process. I know, it seems confusing, but I’ll explain shortly what this means, for every tier. So, let’s talk tiers, money and benefits, shall we!Tier 1 - 1$/monthDesigned for people who already empty their pockets on other developers or simply think it’s enough for the stuff they find here. For this, you’ll get to dip your finger in the whipped cream and have a small taste. And this means you’ll get:

Access to SOME of the posts I can’t put on for free due to the nature of the content. And I think you know what I mean by that;

General support, which includes answers to your questions, general discussions and so on;

Tier 2 - 3$/monthTake the first step into the amazing and lustful world of Bounded! Here, you’ll have access to ALL the posts, news and the spicy behind-the-scenes stuff. Also, you’ll get to experience early on the future game builds.This means you'll get:

Everything included in Tier 1 plus additional posts and exclusive behind-the-scenes;

Early access to game builds

Tier 3 - 5$/monthHere is where things get a little more interesting. Entering here gives you a game tester status. This means you’ll get access not only to the game builds but also to the tools we are developing. Get to test them and give feedback on their functionality, fun factor and performance. This means built versions of Developers Bay and Lewd Metahuman Creator. And, since I'm not doing just gaming here, you also get full access to the other apps I am developing, such as the AoraX offline chatbot app.So, if you decide to join, you'll get:

Everything included in Tier 2;

Developer tools test builds;

Full access to AoraX adult chatbot app and updates,

Tier 4 - 10$/monthYou are now entering the VIP area. You’re not just a tester, you’re a junior developer. Here, we’re starting to talk exclusives. And that includes being an active participant in the game development process. This means everything included in the previous tiers plus some benefits you’ll definitely love, such as:

Access to exclusive content in the game builds such as scenes, dialogue and locations;

Access to the Developers Bay project files. This means you can play around with it yourself, just as I do, not just test it. It may be the start of your journey as a game developer, who knows...

Voting power for future updates;

Name in the game credits and in monthly reports, if you desire;

Tier 5 - 15$/monthThis is the ultimate Bounded experience, by far. Here, you get absolutely everything, no strings attached. If you choose this, you’re my partner and co-creator of this experience. This means early access to all updates and releases, be it for the tools or for the game. The only thing that I’ll keep for myself… is the story.So, just to break it down, if you join this tier, you’ll get:

Everything included in Tier 4;

Full access to the Developers Bay and Lewd Metahuman Creator Project files, with exclusive locations, custom-made characters and animations;

Early access to game builds, with exclusive content;

Full support on my behalf, regarding the tool and usage;

Option to add your custom assets to the game (signature collectibles that can be integrated in the game lore)

A special place in my heart ❤️

Now, to be fair, I don’t know if it’s a lot or if it’s too little, considering the price tags. But, since I really like to engage you all in my work (a normal approach, since you’re paying me to do this, duh…), we’ll probably do a member’s research study to see if I’ve missed something or if I should cut something off.Or, if you have proposals, please send them to rofireblade185@gmail.com. I'm all in for your feedback! 🙂 Proposals can be sent by the end of August, when the tier description and benefits will be changed so, if you have time, spare some and give your opinion.Until then, as always, I’m eager to see if I’ve (partially) answered your questions and if I’m going in the right direction, based on last week’s poll results.See you soon!P.S.: The rest of the results will be tackled starting next week, and I’ll do my best to answer all the e-mails I got.P.S. 2: The next major update to Developers Bay and Lewd Metahuman Creator are scheduled for the first week of September so... keep an eye out for them! 😉 Thanks!Fireblade!