Status update Episode 9
Added 2022-08-19 08:45:53 +0000 UTC
I rarely have to post bad news, but today I must, so let's get it out of the way.
I've been asked to remove all songs from The Friday Prophets from the game.
When I downloaded their songs from Soundcloud, they were uploaded with the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, making them free to use commercially, but this usage wasn't what they intended.
I reached out to them four years ago about using their songs, and I got my reply this week asking me not to use their music and to remove anything I had added since.
It's sad for all of us, for me, the game, and fans, since the songs have grown to become iconic during that time. No replacement to Punk Rock Flu will give the same nostalgic feeling when you start the game or a new episode, at least not for many more future episodes and years to come.
I will respect their copyright and remove all their songs from Seasons 1/2, and 3.
Please, I ask you not to direct any negativity toward them because of this decision.
I truly believed I used their songs in good faith because of the licenses, and it's unfortunate for everyone that it came to this.
I tried my best to replace the songs with similar tunes to preserve the college feeling of the game. We'll see what happens in the future regarding the title song.
Patch v0.8.3 is live
I had to work with preparing new builds for Steam/GOG/Patreon this week, which isn't all that bad since it gave me the chance to include a bunch of other bug fixes alongside this.
This impacted the game development by a few days, but now I don't have to worry about patching Season 1/2 when it's time to release episode 9.
All work with the patches is now done, and I can go back to focusing on episode 9 again.
My team of testers and Discord staff have been awesome in helping out with verifying the bugs and builds, and they saved me a tremendous amount of time by helping out.
The new patches are live on Steam, GOG, and Patreon now.
If you want the latest bug fixes for the Patreon version, version 0.8.3 is available here.
You can patch your current Patreon v0.8.0/v0.8.1/v0.8.2 version if you'd like to receive all bug fixes. It is a smaller 415 MB patch for episodes 1-8.
If you can't patch your game, the full download (v0.8.3) is also available here.
There's no new content in v0.8.3, and I didn't post the patch as a big release post as I don't want to confuse anyone into thinking that episode 9 is being released with this patch.
You can find the changelog in the release posts.
Similar changes for Season 3 (Interlude) will come together with the upcoming v0.9.0 release, including episode 9.
Development news
Onto the development news.
Aside from work mentioned above with the patches, I started the week working on static renders.
I also wrote five more scenes for the episode, one per main girl.
I've started planning and working on the new main menu art for Season 3. I want the main menu to look as good as possible for the duration of Season 3. I have made nine new art pieces for the main menu and have 10-15 more to make. Next week's status update will show you a preview of the main menu.
I will continue my work next week to complete this task and then continue with static renders.
PCs have been rendering animations, and there has been no downtime regarding rendering this week.
Thanks for your support and understanding during this unusual time.
We'll get through this!
Have a nice weekend
Dr PinkCake
Comments
It took them FOUR YEARS to respond to a simple request? It sounds like they didn't care until the game got "big".
Brandon Golway
2022-09-02 19:52:23 +0000 UTCJust seeing this and ouch.. a piece of me got ripped out with this news. They were definitely a opener to this style of punk for me
Alonzo Kinchen
2022-08-31 15:29:03 +0000 UTCEsto duele muchisimo
Cristóbal Rodriguez
2022-08-29 18:18:37 +0000 UTCIt's so sad that you had to remove those songs, i think the 'Amsterdam' was the perfect song for the cutscene with Derek when you walk in the school in your jackets for the first time, but i guess it is what it is. The game is great regardless keep up the good work man!
2022-08-28 08:28:12 +0000 UTCI'm a lawyer and, depending on a couple of small details, I am fairly confident that you have a legal right to continue using their music, regardless of their attempted withdrawal of consent. I understand you want to be friendly, but I would personally argue it is nasty of The Friday Prophets to benefit financially out of this situation and then cut you out of it. If you change your mind about this and want to explore whether or not you have a legal right to use this music, please let me know. I am happy to help without payment.
2022-08-26 08:32:36 +0000 UTCfinally checked all their songs that were in the game... damn, liked them all; oh well, their loss
Ville Topi
2022-08-25 10:47:34 +0000 UTCI agree with you. It's got some of the same vibes..
ezPI
2022-08-25 05:59:01 +0000 UTCI always get this nostalgic feeling when I start the game after not playing it for a while. This was the first AVN I ever played, and for me it's still the gold standard by which I rate all the others. The intro song was iconic, simply the perfect song to set the proper mood for the game. I'm sad to see it go.. 😔
ezPI
2022-08-25 05:57:05 +0000 UTCJust throwing this out there, but of the songs currently in the game I think Summertime-My Heart would be the best replacement for the main theme. Punk Rock Flu captured the feel of the game so well, but I think this one would be acceptable.
Theralyst
2022-08-25 03:45:04 +0000 UTCCould you just let us know which songs to play for various scenes? Then we could stream them ourselves. Maybe make us some playlists? That way, the artist gets their 2 cents per song (or whatever streaming services pay these days) and we get our music. :) I assume Ren'Py isn't capable of telling spotify to stream songs, which is a shame.
Byron
2022-08-24 23:17:02 +0000 UTCI’m an audio engineer/music composer and punk rock is my specialty so if you want me to whip up a lil summ I gotchu 🤌🏽
Gaby A
2022-08-24 13:45:04 +0000 UTCI respect your decision to respect their copy right and avoid a legal battle, but after 4 years you have a strong case for implicit consent. After contacting them so long ago, implementing the songs into your game, and them receiving benefit from the usage, for them to now say they never intended for you to use it in such a way is unjustifiable. There is a difference between being respectful and allowing yourself to be bullied. It is like if you asked someone if they are going to eat their sandwich and if not can you have it. They fail to answer and walk away from the table. You take the sandwich they left behind and then a week later they insist you pay for the sandwich because they didn't intend for you to eat it. They now see value in a song that in large part you gave value to and now want to remove you from being able to use it.
2022-08-24 13:04:28 +0000 UTCWow, do they not realise the global reach this AVN has done for their music? They were literally unknown to me until I heard the songs in this AVN. Do they think they are some big main stream success and want big bucks for their music? Such a shame as I enjoyed the songs that were in the game for sure! Multiple great tracks that fit perfect in this AVN but hey it's their loss too as they will lose exposure to new players of B.A.D. I am sure you will find alternative replacements but I guess it still will be difficult updating the game with replacement songs that are right for each scene. Anyway keep up the good work DPC, I hope you realise how much people truly appreciate and love your work! I am a huge fan and can't wait for Ep9! All the best TJ (UK)
Thomas J
2022-08-24 12:07:41 +0000 UTC
