BONUS TRACK: Flat Injustice devlog

Surprise motherfuckers, it was real! (Sort of).

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the context: https://itch.io/blog/707454/flat-injustice-new-game-release-date

I know you guys are very respectful and wouldn't say it to my face, but I'm sure you're wondering why I put so much effort into these April Fool's Day jokes, and why I don't put that effort into the game. I appreciate that you take it with humor, as its main purpose is to decompress a bit, but they are all projects that I would like to do if I had the time and skills, and I have done each of them with a clear goal and multiple purposes in mind.

WAR ENTITIES

WAR ENTITIES is the most unlikely one to make, as it would require a lot of resources and gameplay that I can't code, it's just a dream project that I wanted to materialize in a way to get it out of my system. The other reason I did it was because I wanted to grow an audience on Twitter as an artist, with those characters as my OCs... of course that never happened, I never found the time to make them together with AL so there's that.

STATE-MANDATED GIRLFRIEND

STATE-MANDATED GIRLFRIEND is actually doable, I could do it in Renpy, and it would have a wider appeal than AL. I had two goals in mind when I made it, the first was to test if the new popular thing in town (AI) could help me develop the game faster. The test was a failure, its uses are very limited, unreliable and soulless, I have nothing against it, and I still use it as a tool for some things, but it can't replace me unfortunately.

The second reason I made SMG was as a backup in case AL failed (and there is always the threat of getting banned), so I could continue to work as a developer. I have all the skills to make it happen, and it could be sold on steam, but if I get banned/lose funding right now I would probably work as an architect and try to finish AL in another format (Like a light novel).

FLAT INJUSTICE

As for Flat Injustice, the April 1 post is all real (in what I wrote and its release date). Obviously, there is no working game, but I made the assets not only as a joke, but also as a viable project that I could animate. Flat injustice is a feasible game that could provide me with the funding I need to continue developing in the future, and I could do it within a year without getting in the way of AL.

One of the reasons I switched to Spine Pro instead of Live2d, is because Spine has a runtime to work with Unity for actual game mechanics. The assets I made for Flat Injustice are usable and I could turn them into something playable if I knew Unity.

I'll go into more detail later (next month or after the 0.4.3 release) with a more detailed white paper, but for now, just know that I intend to turn it into something real... IF all goes well.

The reason I made such a distant release date is because there are factors that I don't know if I will be able to overcome, and I don't want to hinder AL's development. The biggest hurdle is learning Unity, other than that I can do everything (resource wise) within a year without getting in the way of AL, but since it's an uncertainty (and I don't know if the game loop would be fun enough) I put the release date for April 1 in case I can't make it.

Of course, I always do these things with multiple goals in mind, that's why I used the MC for the doctor and a Kana look-alike as one of the patients, If all goes wrong, assets and animations can be added to AL as content with a little tinkering, so what you're seeing now is a possible future scene for kana, Emily or Luna (Since the parts are interchangeable). So I hope this alleviates the disappointment some may be feeling right now for me not focusing on Android Life 100% of the time. This alternative project is meant to fund future development, even with piracy, a lukewarm success on Steam could provide the funds to commission things to speed up development.

Truth be told, I probably won't be able to devote my full attention to development next year, and this is not just a money issue, I have other obligations and I am being pressured to take over the family business as I am an only child. I am now working a couple of days a week on something else to supplement my income and help my father, and I am doing it in such a way that it doesn't interrupt too much with Android LIFE development. If I start working only part time in AL I will let you know so that you can cancel or reduce your pledges if you consider it necessary.

Android LIFE mini-DEVLOG

As for Android Life, I have been finalizing the assets for the minigame, and working on the systems, now I will concentrate on finishing the scene to animate, as soon as I have it ready I will show it as a sneak-peek. The coding part of the minigame turned out to be quite complicated, I promise not to do anything so complex again. I will bring you more news about AL soon.

I realize that people who are not on my Discord server or do not follow me on Twitter may not know the current state of development, so here is an image that I haven't posted here.

TL:DR

Flat injustice is real, I plan to do it over the course of a year so that it does not disrupt the Android Life schedule and its purpose is to fund future development. If I fail, the assets can be used in AL, so it's a win-win.

That's all for now, I was supposed to post this closer to April 1st but I had to concentrate on the game rather than writing this long post. See you soon with more news!