Development Is Going Very Very Well, Actually

Firstly- thank you for your support. I wouldn't have been able to make it this far into development otherwise!

Magi Officially Joins Development!

Magi, the artist behind the new logo, the key art, and the tileset, background and decorations for Big Beginning, has officially joined development! He enjoyed working on the game so much that, despite a lack of publisher funding, he’d still like to work on the game.

He’ll be taking care of static art, while I’ll be tackling the animations. It’s kind of a perfect partnership where we cover each other’s least favorite kind of work. Currently, he’s cooking up some awesome new visuals for the next bonus level. I really love the work that he’s done so far, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it.

Oh, and he did a bunch of variations for checkpoints too!

Like any good indie dev, Magi is a man of many talents. It turns out that he’s great with sound effects too. In fact, you’ve already heard some of them via the icicles, checkpoint, and menu navigation sounds in the C.SAGE ‘23 demo. There’ll be some new sounds for tires, toll gates, and more, giving the game some sorely needed audio feedback.

I’ve wanted a partnership like this ever since I started the project 4 years ago, and I’m so happy and excited to no longer be alone on this game. While I consider myself a competent artist, there was no way I would be able to spend enough time on environmental art to bring it to a level of quality that I'd be satisfied with. Magi is a more experienced artist that can fully dedicate their attention to the details- details that I’m absolutely in love with.

If you haven’t already, be sure to follow them on Twitter! 

Cherry Carry Cascade Flavor might be too long now

There's 10 subsections now. (Number of bottlecaps not final)

When I first announced that the build was getting close to release, the level had just over 40 rooms- which puts it on par with the length of a main game level. (30-60 rooms)

Today, the level has over 80 rooms.

The main design goal of this bonus level was to explore interesting interactions that didn't fit into the main game. As it turns out, that involves some really interesting and crazy concepts, and the design space of those mechanical interactions is way bigger than I anticipated.

I’m really enjoying working on this level- and I feel like I’m doing great work at the moment. So I’m going to keep working on it! I’m still not sure when the release date of this build will be, but I’ll be pausing billing until that date. Additionally, any member who received the Randomberry Rush build will also receive Cherry Carry Cascade.

My Financial Situation Has Improved

With previous build delays, I opted to wrap up the level early and release it; I had to fulfill the promise of tri yearly builds, after all. Pausing patreon billing wasn't possible either, as I depended on the money to cover the regular expenses I had.

However, I've received a good sum of money via inheritance, and... for the first time in years, I'll be financially okay for a while. It’s nowhere near what the publishing costs of the game would be, but it’s just a huge relief for now. Finishing the game feels more possible than ever!

Patreon Feedback Survey

This is something that I have been wanting to do for quite a while; I want to make sure I’m doing this whole Patreon thing right, so I’d appreciate it if you could fill out the form and let me know.

Here's the link. 

Once again, thank you so much for the support on this game- I’m so thankful I’ve been able to work on such an interesting project for this long.