What now, what next, where to?
Added 2025-09-18 18:57:00 +0000 UTCThe Roommate (latterly subtitled "Inheritance") was my first attempt at a visual novel. It was a huge learning experience and there were plenty of mistakes and missteps along the way, necessitating various fixes to avoid breaking saved games. I've also pissed a significant number of people off at times and I've been working to move some of the more contentious content into a free "DLC" that I plan to make available to those that want it.
It's also an ongoing story, and by definition never "complete" so the game inevitably grows with each build. Switching from PNG to WEBP helped but after a lot of thought, I decided to end the current game at the end of the first three months of game time and transition to a sequel or continuation game. Episode 2, if you will.
It gives me a chance at something of a fresh start, incorporating the lessons learned from the first game. I also plan to polish the original with a view to releasing it on Steam and there will be further builds made available as things go forward.
My main focus, however, will be on "Revelations", the next phase of The Roommate saga. There are a number of unresolved plot threads to be further explored and resolved, others that have only been hinted at and a lot more besides.
The primary audience for the game is me - it's a labour of love and I replay it endlessly, often finding myself tweaking dialogue that's been in place for years - I know my ''ongoing improvements" are a thorn in the side of modders, not that I'm losing any sleep over that!
Having said that, it's nice to know that so many of you are passionate about the game and I do listen to and act on feedback, even if it's not always as quickly as I'd like.
So come along for the ride as we press onward, I promise it won't be boring!
Comments
I agree with Kevin about steering your own course and especially his point that writing a literary novel you would be (healthily, in my opinion) inclined to be far more single-minded. I'm a pretty staunch believer that "too many cooks spoil the broth" and, in this context at least, I can appreciate just how difficult it must be for you to figure out what proportion of your overall audience the loudest and most opinionated voices actually represent. So I believe that a creator needs to be strong enough to feel free to write his, her, their or its story with minimal, if any, outside influence. Of course, I can see and appreciate some valid arguments to the contrary, but, nevertheless, in the grand scheme of producing a top-notch AVN like "Roommate: Inheritance" this is how I feel about it.
Huw Gryffin
2025-10-01 22:39:16 +0000 UTCI think what you have described is a very positive move for your game. It gives a number of advantages that 'plowing' on wouldn't, e.g. polishing ch1 for steam without worrying about future conflicts. Ensuring that any ch1 dlc doesn't break any scripts or choices within ch1. I look forward to ch1 being completed, and also what the future holds for our hero in ch2. One comment in your post that stood out for me, quote ”The primary audience for the game is me". unquote. Too many times I have seen game designers/writers crumble under the weight of their audiences demands. If you were authoring a novel, you wouldn't change it for an audience. I see no difference in distinction between writing a novel or writing a game with choices. I applaud your stance and pray you are able to continue with your vision as you see it.
Kevin Anstee
2025-09-21 20:37:27 +0000 UTC
