So. Long story short, Covid really messed me up for a while. First it stopped me dead for a few weeks, then it kept me in a fog for an absurdly long time after, and… I’m still not sure I’ve actually completely shaken that off. That added a lot of problems and delays to what was already a pretty complicated process behind the scenes, and that’s put a pretty huge delay total on this update with not a lot to show for it.
It’s pretty wildly frustrating, to be honest. I tried to get back to work ASAP, but I was so out of it that for a while I was just making more problems for future me to fix. But everything finally seems to be working properly again. The big push with v0.04 will be that the interface got a couple big changes visually, and even bigger changes behind the scene to make that possible and prepare for the future. Honestly, when you see the new stuff in action it probably won’t seem all that exciting, but it represents both a lot of work and a lot of growth for me, working out how to actually make moving parts and such work and sync and act consistently.
That had already taken entirely too long, but I couldn’t stand to ship an update with just that change. So when I was past the worst of it, I turned to my supporters and held a vote for what little bonus should be added to the game! There were a lot of juicy options on there folks seemed excited about, but the winner by a large margin was: Knots! So that will be the big addition to v0.04 gameplay-wise, along with an extra bit from a runner-up that has some good synergy with locking hips with someone else for an extended period.
I just shipped the test version to my proofers today, so hopefully supporters will be seeing their copies in a week or two, depending on how buggy things are looking. If you wish you were playing the new version right now, consider becoming a proofer! If you can show you’d take it seriously and give helpful feedback, you can get early access to every new build even before my supporters! We always need more hands on deck, so if you’re even remotely interested, please do take a look!
I talked more about this before, but for a brief overview of where we are in development: I want to overhaul PWO’s AI, but it’s going to be a pretty huge job, so I want to divide all the supporting stuff into smaller jobs I can get done ahead of time. The change to the GUI will support a couple significant changes that are now next on my plate, which will in turn be an important foundation stone for the new AI. We’re one big step closer! I’ll probably keep squeezing in the little things folks are excited about (like knots and the things it beat out on the survey) here and there, but I’m still convinced that a thoroughly revamped AI will be the big improvement the game needs most to be a more compelling experience right now, and that it’s better to do it now before all the other crazy stuff I have planned for Project Wild One. Hopefully when you see it for yourself, you’ll agree!
But for now, there’s a lot more work to be done. Thanks for reading!
Well what can I say about this. I have also been ill with covid more than 4 times, but each time it made me stronger. The situation on my end is just catastrophic, but I’m not giving up and I have faith in you too, you’ll get through this.
I believe in you.
Glad that you’re alive and recovering, Covid can be a real pain in the butt to deal with and even after it’s ‘gone’ it still continues to be an annoyance with how long it takes for one to fully recover.
Damn, that sounds horrible. I was sick with covid once and it was absolute shit. Sorry to hear you’re sick with it, get better soon. All the best wishes!