Chapter Fourteen released...

Many of you have waited years for this moment. The anticipation and the weight of expectation is something I'm very well aware of.
Somehow it seems appropriate to launch on a leap day.
It's been two years since I re-emerged with news of the continuation of the Academy series, and about five years have passed since the original story left off.

Much has changed since then. The remake process was a very important one for me because I wasn't ever completely happy with the quality and structure of the old versions of the game.
I now see them as obsolete and a poor comparison to what I have created over the last two years.
The basic story is the same, but I've learned so much, developed my style and added so much more to the expanded Academy series.
The story content has nearly doubled in size.
All of which is the build up to the final act in the story.

I've been in the creative industries for a long time now, so I'm used to the pressure that comes with releasing a new project out into the world.
I'm also well aware of the internet forum 'Karens' for whom things are never enough/too much/not exactly what they want etc...
Of course they think I'm a terrible coder/person for trying to create and protect a sustainable business model and that I'm just milking it.
Come on guys... Talk to me... Tell me what's wrong... :)

I also acknowledge that most people won't be aware of just how much time, money and energy goes into creating any project, especially one as big as this one has become.
My neurodivergent brain is well equipped for much of what is required, even if it also means my time perception is somewhat skewed.

That said, I'm reasonably happy to have put out a new chapter at an average of under two months between releases since setting up the dsp3000.games website.

I haven't had anything resembling a vacation in over two years and I'm well used to working seven days a week. Mostly because I enjoy it, at least for most of the time.
I sometimes wish that things would move more quickly, but I make really big chapters in a really big and complex game. It sometimes seems to take forever for renders to finish...
I've probably said all this before, but there is quite a bit of stress and anxiety and that's part of the territory. Especially when having to deal with some behind the scenes bullshit recently.

I've also been very open about my mental health issues in the past. Depression and anxiety are also part of what makes my brain work the way it does.
I understand that much more now than I ever have before.

Of course, I'm also incredibly grateful for the support I continue to recieve, without which this project would have died out long ago.
I very much enjoy communicating with many of you, sharing ideas and generally being part of a community. It's both humbling and affirming.

Anyway... I've been writing this while the website goes through a rebuild process.
By now, everything should be live and ready to play.
Have a look here > https://www.dsp3000.games/chapter14Details

I'll keep monitoring everything over the next few days.
Firstly though, remember to use Firefox and clear your cache.
Details here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/faq-which-should-90838636
and : https://www.patreon.com/posts/faq-why-arent-my-90839507

If you do find any issues, want to give any feedback, or have any questions, then please don't be a 'Karen'.
Contact me here via direct message.

As always, have fun playing!

dsp3000