Posted August 17, 2022 by Melancholy Marionette
Well, now that June and July are over for the year, it's about time I posted an update on here! I'll try to split it under different headings to make all my rambling a bit easier to read x3
I'm pleased to say that after taking a month away from my projects to participate in 30 Days Wild throughout June, and then being very busy with general life stuff and family occasions (my cousin got married and some of our relatives came over from abroad to stay awhile and make a holiday of it) for most of July, I'm finally back and actively working on DD again! I don't have much to show for it yet, but for now, I can at least reveal the sprites for one of the new characters that will be turning up in the update: Cana :3 I put these on Patreon & Kofi a while ago, and we had a poll to see if Cana should keep or ditch their glasses in their alternate outfit, wearing contact lenses instead. The consensus was that Cana will keep the glasses in both outfits :3 I'm currently working on adding them to the game along with Castor/ia's new content.
Thanks to the awesomeness of SandStorm, we now have a Discord server for my projects that you're welcome to join if you want to :3 https://discord.gg/KQKc5wR689
Now, I'm like a grandma when it comes to social media stuff, so, of course, I had literally no idea how to set up something like this x3 It only exists because SandStorm was kind enough to take the time to make it. I will try to post bits and bobs there when it's just little things that aren't worth making a full post update for, and you're welcome to just chat about stuff in general in the suitable channels (please don't post any game spoilers out in the open x3) I already dropped some random pictures of moths in there xD So I guess I will probably also use it for stuff like that which isn't necessarily related to my projects!
Just know that if you happen to message me or anything on there, it might take me a while to get back to you because my brain doesn't handle instant messaging/interaction very well xD I tend to respond to everything as though it's an email, haha. I'm just not very good at replying to things if I haven't had the time to think it over first. So if I drop in there and say something, please don't think I'm ignoring you if you say something back and then it takes me a few days (or longer) to appear again cos that's absolutely not the case x3 It's just me being my derpy self!
So, if you've been reading any of my previous rambling, you probably already know that I have struggled with mental health problems all my life, and have been largely unemployed as a result >.< Well, the only reason I can survive is because I have the world's best dad who doesn't mind his crazy autistic daughter still living with him in her thirties + government aid in the form of a very small amount of money each month to go towards bills and feeding myself.
Over the years, various people have told me I should try and make a living from my hobby of making VNs, and I genuinely began to believe that I might be able to start having commercial releases, with the possibility of earning enough to support myself at some point. Surely there had to be a way for me to try and get started without losing my safety net because surely any government would want to help unemployed people with disabilities do some form of work... To try and find out, I decided to ask an expert from Citizens Advice! Here's what happened:
The TLDR version is - it seems as though it's not to be.
He told me that it's far too risky because the moment I release a project commercially, any money gained from it, no matter how little, will be seen as profit, and I will lose my aid immediately. For that reason, he said I should only consider making something commercial if I have high confidence that I'll get enough consistent income from it to be able to live, because once the aid is taken away, he said it's near impossible to get it back. I certainly don't know many indie devs who manage to earn a living from making VNs alone, so it's highly likely I'd be screwed.
On the bright side, he said there is no issue with continuing to make VNs as a hobby and accept donations here and there towards funding them, but to stay away from things like Kickstarter (because, if successful, the lump sum of money would be seen as income rather than funding for a hobby, so would create big problems) and commercial releases.
It also means I had to decline an offer I received from a Korean games company for a profit share. Basically, they wanted to buy the exclusive rights to a mobile version of DD. They would edit the game and make it fit their model (less choices, no VA, users have to buy tickets/gems to unlock extra choices), and I would get 10% of sales related to the title. I discussed this with the advice guy also, and he told me to stay well away from it. He said that again, it would be considered income, no matter how small, and so it wouldn't be worth the cost of potentially losing my aid money over something where I may get very little in return. He also told me that 10% is a pretty awful cut anyhow, and a perfect example of how big companies take advantage of indie devs. He also told me to look out for a copycat version on their platform, as he said he's encountered cases of theft of gaming-related property when foreign companies don't get what they want >.< I highly doubt they'd want to steal my idea for DD, but even if they did, they have no clue where I'm planning to take things, and their model wouldn't allow them to make the game the way I plan to make it anyhow!
In an ideal world, everyone who creates things that others consume would be paid for that work, but in reality, that's just not how things work, and I'm stuck in the situation I am because of the way the government works here. All I can do is try to make the best of things! At the end of the day, making games is a hobby I enjoy, and while I continue to get enjoyment from it, I'll keep sharing what I've made :3
I'll be updating the following old post to reflect the above anyways: https://melancholy-marionette.itch.io/darling-duality-winter-wish/devlog/271784/...
Aside from the daily drawings for the challenge, I was super immersed in nature, which definitely helped me feel a little better :3 I may never be cured of my depression, but spending time in nature sure does help make it easier to cope with life!
Anyways, thanks to the generous folks who supported me for the fundraiser, I'm pleased to say the £100 target goal was met (and slightly exceeded at £108!) to go towards my local Wildlife Trust + an amazing additional donation to the equally incredible WWT \^0^/ So thanks so much for supporting me with that :3 The DD x 30DaysWild wallpaper reward is still being worked on by the awesome LPB!
So that's that for this not-so-little progress report! I'll be continuing to work on DD throughout August (in a healthier way than before, haha) and I might end up participating in Spooktober VN Jam again this year. But don't worry, if I do, I'll try to make something related to DD like a spinoff or prequel story, so that even if the main DD project is paused for September, something DD-related will still be going on :3 For now though, I'm just gonna keep doing what I can towards the main project and see how I feel when September comes!
Hope you're all having a happy August so far ^-^ I'm just trying not to melt in the multiple heatwaves >.<"