It's the "20,000 renders under the C...."

"...hapter file structure if we include animation frames" update.

I know, I know. A bit weak but I couldn't resist doing at least something with 20,000 in the title? For yes, following the additional work and some animation tweaks the render count is now north of 20,000 with a current score on the door of 2,200 stills and 134 animations - only one of which is of a door opening too!

Given that this lot was largely made on a single machine until the middle of last month that is a somewhat staggering number, and reducing the production time here is going to be key to faster delivery. If we give the 2080 machine (the one I did most of the work on) a production value of 1, having the 2070 (which is half as fast) adds 0.5 to that. So right now I'm one and half times faster than when I started the chapter. Which is better but not as good as we all need, so before I start rendering anything for Chapter Five I'll be getting a 3090 card based machine. Around $5,000 (or £3,500), give or take . That beastie is twice as fast as the current 2080. Using all three together would give a production value of 3.5 and I'd be able to make those 20,000 renders in the same time it took to make 7,000 this time around....(I absolutely promise not to start making 40,000 render updates!)

But that's for the next chapter. What about this one?

Well, it's gone back out for playtesting so that's something. But I'm going to miss March so....refunds ahoy. I'm missing March not for the playtesting btw. There are a couple of the early lewd animations that I think need beefing up now I've got better over the course of this chapter (well if you make over a hundred animations I'm bound to improve I suppose. It would be a bit poor if I didn't, no?) and I also want to add yet more to the VR module. Both of which will take time.

So given that I need more time because I want to improve some of my earlier Chapter Four work and I want to add yet more features, I don't think I can in all good conscience take your money this month. It's not your fault that some of my early work was a bit ropey (actually it was OK tbh, it's just the more recent animation are more of a "Bloody hell, that's good" sort of level and so make the old ones look poor in comparison) and the new stuff in VR not everyone will want I suspect so it seems a bit off to ask you all to support something that only some will like. (You can also see at this point why I'm going to triple the production speed for the next chapter as making the animations is what is eating the time).

Y'see I can only release the chapter once, and I'd rather take the financial hit and give you a great chapter than take the cash and give you a good chapter. If I did the latter, I'd regret it. I know I would. The quality of this one means that much to me, for whatever reason you play H5, this chapter takes what you've liked about the earlier ones and dials it up to 11.

Mission with Sarah, Mission with Trisha, VR, A second VR, a huge CoC, the glam challenge dress up game for fem MC, free roam goodies, strip pool with Annie, an expanded Chris domme module, magic tricks, dinner parties, plot, plot and plot and some truly awful jokes. Oh and sex. Lots and lots of that too, with four heavily animated lewd scenes eating up over 100 animations....

You can perhaps understand why I don't want anything less than my best going out on this one. Especially as the recent lewd amendments are knocking out of the park. No, really. Many of you will know I'm always a bit down on my artistic efforts. Not this time. Not this time at all...

But let me show you what I want to do in expanding the VR as an example of why I'm delaying this month to do the extra work.

As of now the VR combat module is very much like the training level one in Chapter Three. A still render with the combat menu, a combat animation for the enemy, a still for the result, a still for how Sarah/Gloria is doing and then back to the still with the combat menu again. It works. It does the job.

But I want it to look like this... (Links to the video files are below the images)

Animated combat menu. 

Animation link here 

The combat animation.

Animation link here 

MC combat  result.

Animation link here 

Animation for how Sarah/Gloria did

Animation link here (and this one is WELL worth clicking on) 

....and then back to the animated combat choice.

Having played it that way, it feels entirely different. A totally different experience with a real sense of urgency and, in my opinion, looks a hell of a lot better too.

Although a pain to make this time around in terms of production time, with that increased production speed next chapter on, it's entirely sustainable (after all I'll be more than three times as fast in terms of render speed).

I'm sorry for the further delay, but I trust you'll understand why I want to do this. I know some of you will like the extra stuff a lot, but I'm also aware that some won't be that bothered - which is of course why I don't feel I can take anyone's money this month. But this is something I -so- want to add and would ask that you indulge me on this one. 

I'll be issuing refunds over the weekend.

Take care, guys.

Notty