BONUS TRACK: Flat Injustice devlog

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

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.

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!