Post by Melancholy Marionette in Darling Duality comments

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That's so nice to hear :3 I'm really glad it comes across that way and that you had fun with it so far!

I'm not 100% sure what's actually going to happen when the full game is eventually available cos it's gonna be quite some time from now, and it's possible it might not even be a commercial release in the end because it really depends on what my personal situation is like at the time. But anyone who gets it as part of the queer games bundle, or any other bundle absolutely won't have to repurchase it :3

And in the event that the full game release winds up being free, I'll probably still have something like an exclusive route/character for anyone who supported the game's development either through something like this bundle, as a donation to the project here on itch, or by supporting over on ko-fi or patreon! ^-^

Jellogz1 year ago

Totally understandable and appreciate the response! I hope you take as much time as you need with this game as usually deadlines and stress affect the project's end result. Good luck with the process and cant wait for the official release (way further down the line ofc)! ♡♡

Melancholy Marionette1 year ago

Cheers for the luck cos I will absolutely need it x3 and an even bigger thank you for the patience and understanding :3 Honestly, you have no idea how much it means because I've been through stages of immense guilt with some of my projects (this one included x3) for not being able to get things done very quickly and feeling like I'm letting myself and others down because of that >.<

I gave up setting myself deadlines and such for long-term projects this year because so many things kept happening that meant I'd repeatedly fail to hit my own targets, haha. It's definitely less stressful to just make progress when possible rather than trying to force it when it's not always possible x3

So yeah, again, a big ol' thank you ^-^

Jellogz1 year ago(+1)

Of course! Ive never done game design or development so I cant be one to talk but Ive always noticed games thag get abandoned are usually always the ones that push for consistent and fast updates. Especially as you have your personal life to deal with and this game along with the others youve made are stuff that you chose to put free time into, its important us consumers and a part of the community at least do the decency of being understanding and patient for something we're not owed. It shouldn't be super stressful for you so please take as much time and rest as you need so youre happy with your efforts and also in general content with your work versus personal life balance.

Melancholy Marionette1 year ago(+1)

Yeah, I can see how it would be easy to burn out pretty fast if you’re constantly going at it >.< I’ve followed the development of a few games I was excited for in the past where it was only small teams of like 2-3 people working on them, and they wound up abandoned cos of stress and stuff, like the project work was basically destroying their friendships until they were forced to stop to actually save what was left of their friendships >.< And solo devs who have just had to quit or slow right down because of different life circumstances.

I think for me personally, the big issue is that I put a lot of stress on myself x3 Even if no one at all was trying to hurry me, I’d still wind up feeling bad about working slowly or feel like I’m letting myself or others down somehow >.< It’s like I’ve been sucked into the crunch culture and it’s kinda hard to get out because I do enjoy working on stuff a lot.

But then when I do get the odd comment where someone actually is complaining about how slow updates have been or the like, that winds up kinda validating the guilty feelings I’ve already been generating by myself, if that makes any sense >.< So it’s a bit of a vicious cycle because it then takes someone saintly like yourself to come along and remind me that actually, it’s okay for me to work at my own pace after all!

Because it’s a hobby that I treat like work, I find it super hard to actually switch off, haha. My brother keeps saying I should just not go on my PC at all on one weekday so that I’m having a complete break from projects to actually spend time doing the other things I enjoy. My dad reckons instead that I should get off of my PC when he comes home from work to sort of use that as a schedule, like the working day is over now, so switch off and relax. It’s not as easy as that though x3

“so you're happy with your efforts and also in general content with your work versus personal life balance"

That’s where I really struggle, haha. Because it seems like no matter how much or how little I get done on my projects, I never feel satisfied that I’ve done enough, so then I feel like I don’t deserve time to relax or do other things >.< It’s something I’m trying much harder this year to work on though :3 And hearing what you’ve said definitely helps a lot! I definitely need to keep your words in mind the next time I’m sitting here beating myself up about not doing enough.

Thank you again and I hope your week is going well so far :3

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