Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you've had an amazing December, even if you don't celebrate!

As the year was coming to a close, I thought it would be fun to do a little reflection. 

There were many things I wanted to do but ended up not being able to, and sometimes you really beat yourself up over it. I've been able to accomplish many things I'm proud of this year, and I'm trying to be kinder to myself as I work on things on top of work and college. 

So, I thought it would be valuable to run some numbers, and they kind of knocked my socks off.  Bear in mind, DOAS' Demo was only released six months ago so all progress here happened within 6 months alone!

• I've written 175,640 words including the demo, and 150,568 on the routes alone
• 4.5/7 Routes complete! The writing is almost ENTIRELY done, I just have to finish up with Ren and then we've got Leo and Morgan's routes remaining! (I had wanted to finish before the end of December, but life got so busy T-T)

That's not all the good news, I've also:

• Improved my art, even slightly! (Fun fact: I was NO artist before DOAS. I'm specifically learning for the game!)
• Gotten back on track for releasing the full game in June! (fingers crossed! If all else fails, half will be released in June and it will be updated  later THAT summer with the other half.)

...But I'm also just one person.

Like I said, there were many things I wish I could have done but just am not going to be able to. 

First of all, I am sad to announce I'm removing NSFW from the base game of DOAS. I did try and weasel it into a few routes, but sometimes it felt like the story was forced to go in an unnatural direction. I also felt like it would be too easy to misconstrue the situation into the men taking advantage of the MC just based on circumstance, and  I just didn't have the time to reconstruct the outlines and rewrite in a way that allowed it. Above all, I want the game to be fun and I'm careful to make sure it never gets too dark as is - despite it being a game loosely based on the Italian-American Mafia. 

BUT!! That does not mean there won't be NSFW in future games, or that DOAS will be stripped of NSFW entirely. Once DOAS is complete, I plan to release an in-depth NSFW Sequel-ish DLC! For Ace folk, don't worry, you'll still get some cuddles and be able to enjoy the sequel substories going on!

I will say, however, that the DLC will likely not be free. The main game for DOAS will be free, as always, and is on a "pay what you want" basis -- even if its $0. It was always intended to be that way, because my goal behind the game was to learn new things while being able to give another free to play dating sim out to the people who might not be able to afford to support every launch (shout out to younger me!).  

The reason the DLC will not be free is because of a few reasons. Mainly, I want to be able to afford some QoL updates for games going forward. Not only does this take A LOT of time to do alone, but it also costs money - especially for things like backgrounds, which I had to outsource because of time constraints. Additionally, I worry that by making it free it would make it too easily accessible to minors - especially because I hope to go spicy even in the CGs for the people who were looking forward to NSFW and had to wait. I know a lot of creators just opt to put warnings up because people will find a way regardless - and perhaps I will adopt a happy medium in the future to avoid this back and forth -  but for now this is what feels both comfortable and fair to me. 

All that aside, I wouldn't have been able to stay sane without the help of my friends.

This year has been a year of growth. I've learned new skills, made new lifelong friends, and gotten better at enforcing my boundaries, asking for help, and only allowing people in my life who have my best interests at heart. Two people in particular have been by my side every day, even when I'm freaked out and stressed - Joy and Lacy. To both of you, I wanted to thank you for everything you do. You're both amazingly talented individuals and two of the best friends I've ever had. I won't get all mushy here, but I wanted to recognize all your help for keeping my motivation up and helping with DOAS. 

These two are amazing people, and definitely deserve more attention on their own games. Joy's releasing Lord of Lies over on M2B Studios literally within the next two days, and Lacy's working on Ardency and plans to release it around the same time as DOAS! If you like fantasy games, I highly recommend both.

I'd also like to thank Chimeriquement, Chattercap, and Pri Karin. Chatter and Chime, you two have been friendly faces from day one, and I'm thankful to have met you! You made this space MUCH less intimidating, and the level of talent both of you have is a sight to behold. Even if we don't talk everyday, I consider you two among my good friends! And Pri! You and I only started speaking recently via Where Winter Crows Go, but you're a joy to interact with (and thank you for the help you've given me in return)! You're so very kind, and I'm happy we got the chance to get to know one another a bit and become friends! (BTW, Chimeriquement hosted Once Upon a Time Jam this year! He's submitted his own game, Chatter has a game to submit, and Joy's LoL is also a submission for it! Please go show them some love - lots of fantasy and fairy tales!)

These aren't the only good friends I've made this year - in fact, there are too many to mention (otherwise I'd just be mushin' on all of you all day)! I never thought I'd be in a situation like this when I started, as the solo dev life can be lonely, but I've really found my people. 

Speaking of getting better at asking for help...

I posted on Twitter (@Snakkberry) with an interest form for anyone who'd be willing to volunteer help with the beta/proofreading process. As I'm approaching finishing the routes (I hope to have them done by the end of January by the latest), I plan to start reaching out!

I'll be messaging a few of you who showed interest over the weekend (29-31st) to see if you're still interested, answer any questions, and confirm with you. Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I probably sound like a broken record, but I really needed the help and I am forever grateful.

If reading is not your thing, the form was also for interest in Beta Testing! It's a few months before I would need to contact anyone for that, but if you're interested when the time comes, here's the link.

As the year comes to a close, 

I just want to thank everyone who has been a part of it. DOAS could end up never being in someone's top favorites list or anywhere close to a "magnum opus" or even complete in a way I'm totally happy with, but it would still be one of the most important games I will ever make. 

There's a lot of pressure to make every game amazing, abundant with features and polished to absolute perfection, but at the end of the day that's physically impossible. Not everything can be your best. It's okay to just enjoy what you do. That's something I need to remember going into 2024, and I hope anyone who needs to hear it reads that again - just enjoy what you do. There's too much pressure in this life, and you don't need to bog down your enjoyment as a creative by bringing that into your hobby space too. 

The game brought me experience and allowed me to be in the same community I've met so many great people. That alone is perfect.

-Snakkz