Hi! So I just wanted to ask how far along you are, and maybe when a final release might be foreseeable? I loved the game back when I bought it in 2017 and also after I bought the glasses content when that came out, but I held off from playing it after that when I realized the content was quite short and the routes would end quickly. There were also huge gaps in updates between 2017-presently, so I figured this was a build at your own pace game, due to outside factors like school or work. With that in mind I figure the game still won't be finished just yet, especially since it looks like 2 more characters were added since I last played, but could you elaborate vaguely even on when you think all the routes will be finished or when there's another update? Thx so much and thank-you for your hard work!
Thanks so much for this really sweet comment, and for being there for us from the beginning, over such a long time. That means a lot to us 😭
We'd really like to finish it soon but it's not very possible mostly because of the size, and because of the other factors you mentioned. We both have full time jobs and our financial situation has for a long while not been stable enough to handle much turbulence, so when things go wrong we end up losing all our time to fixing it.
However, usually during that time there is still some work getting done on Monstrata even as we lose track of social media. In this case, we have the writing and new sprite ready for the next update, and it needs to be implemented with expressions and backgrounds. (We also need to make more backgrounds and silhouettes.) Usually that would be a couple of weeks of work, but it's unsure because of the training for a separate team member on implementation who we have brought on to get the updates out faster in the future.
It should safely be within a month, and then crossed fingers that the next one could be within another 2 months. We'd really like to keep up that rate if possible, but unfortunately it would still take six more months to finish chapter 2, and a year for each chapter after that. :(
Because of that, we resigned ourselves that finishing is not as urgent a goal as making regular updates and increasing their size and frequency over time. Size, we have, as the next one is 13,000 words! Frequency, we are always working on- We're hoping the latest process changes (and a little life stabilization) will make a big difference.
I hope that info is helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions. c:
No prob! Thanks for the reply and this is completely understandable. Tbh I figured the game had prob lacked somewhat in progress due to outside factors (which no offense hopefully, since there is nothing wrong with that! We have to take care of ourselves right? Plus life is life, so it's cool). I'm just glad you responded to let me know, I appreciate that. I love playing visual novels in general, so since it'd been a while since I last played your game and I just wanted to know where you guys were at. Once again thanks so much for the reply! Have a good week, and stay happy and healthy!