Desert Stalker
patreon
RenPy, Steam and other musings.
🕑 Added 2024-05-04 21:26:02 +0000 UTCHi everyone, Paz here.
TL;DR: We probably have to migrate to a new RenPy version, poll link at the end.
As you may (or may not) know, we have been slowly gearing up for an eventual Steam release of Desert Stalker. While the actual release is probably a good few months away, there are a lot of things to be done beforehand and a fair bit of planning ahead.
This involves things not directly related to the game itself, things like setting up business accounts, store page, making promotional material, getting reviewed, etc. etc.
It's a slow process but we're chugging along. One thing that an eventual Steam release provides an opportunity for, is reworking the codebase, something that we discussed for a few reasons:
There are a bunch of underlying systems that were slowly developed throughout the last couple of years that could definitely do with a touch-up now that we have a clearer idea of how those systems should work and how they interact with each other. For instance, the quest log system was not built to have multiple concurrent or optional steps and whenever we wanted to add something like this, it had to be done in a "hacky" way to maintain save compatibily.
In order to support Steam integration, potential achievements or other things ranging from mandatory to nice-to-have, we need to revisit various parts of the code, so it provides a nice opportunity for cleanup and housekeeping.
The last and probably most important reason is RenPy itself. Desert Stalker is built with RenPy 7.5.3 which will become end-of-life as of this month (May 2024). That means no new features or bugfixes, which might not be an issue right now but could become one in the future, and we would prefer to be a bit future-proof. Moving to RenPy 8 is something that will eventually need to happen so this opportunity is as good as any.
Now, there is a slight issue with this last point. RenPy 8.x only supports 64-bit releases, and future versions of RenPy intend to only support Windows 10 and later, dropping support for Windows 7.
My suspicion is that there is quite a good number of players that would be affected, but I want to make sure.
So, in order to have a bit more informed view on the matter and see what the best course of action is, there's a link to a poll below about which OS you're playing Desert Stalker on. It also includes MacOS options due to versions after Catalina requiring apps to be notarized, but that is a lesser point.
Anyway, here's the link and apologies for the wall of text: https://forms.gle/SC5LcGRuPv76Yeok7
And of course, if you have any questions regarding the above, let us know.
See you tomorrow for the usual devlog!
Comments
Augustz
Yeah, its so nice to hear you reply, all we wish is to chance to play with the new story, and we believe the balance between new fans from steam and others maybe the same important for you ^.^.
Lilatentakel
Thats right. You only must find a official key shop, that sells this kind of games.
Desert Stalker
We will focus on more of the story (which is split into factions sometimes) in 0.17 indeed. This update is more for personal dates like that of Zahra. Also do you mean if supporters will still have access earlier than the rest? If so, yes, we don't plan to change that. Or do you mean if current supporters will have access to the Steam version before it's available to the public?
Desert Stalker
yeah true, but you can redeem codes of the games ;)
Desert Stalker
Damn that's a lot of AVNs :P. About the release model, seasons/episodes don't really work very well with the way the game is developed and the free-roam nature of it, there isn't a guaranteed good cut-off point. We're rather aiming towards an "Early Access" one but also retain the supporters' earlier access as it currently stands. We're still working out the exact details, but we'll post an FAQ with all the relevant stuff so you don't need to guess
Augustz
Wish you may have the chance to focus on the story, since the story is the most important for a ren'py game. Since you may get on Steam, is it possible for us have the early access?
Lilatentakel
197? Fuck, you are my hero :) I understand what you are trying to say. There are many possibilities here. With College Kings you have to pay for each new episode on Steam, with others you only pay once and then automatically have all new content and other releases time-shifted. But most Patreon supporters also buy the game on Steam and continue to support it on Patreon anyway
Lilatentakel
Don't say that. There used to be a Renpy game (I won't mention the name here) on Steam that had sexual abuse as its main theme. In the end, it was not only banned from Steam, but the developer had all sources of income blocked. You can google it.
felix sirs
Most of that unwanted attention is not going to affect a game like this. Its mostly the bigger games, like AA or AAA games that have the kind of censorship your talking about. While there are some indie games that are like that. Its nowhere near the majority of them.
Merlin
I do not use steam and I try to never use Windows. I use Linux for nearly everything. While it is highly unlikely that Linux will have any problem with RenPy 8.x there is always a slight possibility. Linux stopped even making a 32 bit version many years ago. According to RenPy there will be no problem and RenPy 8.0.3 has everything necessary for Windows, Mac and Linux. Android is a separate download. I would definitely cry if this game stopped working. Concerning steam, it is possible that you will make up to 1000 times more on steam than with all the supporters combined. There are games making more than $1 million per year.
Peter Moench
Unfortunately, German players have no opportunity to buy these games on Steam
playf100
Happy with Renpy and Patreon, v8 is a good move. I don't use Steam, so to me not relevant although a good move for you as it will increase your user base with a different pay structure. Also, am fully Mac based no windows machines at home or at work. You do awesome work, happy to support you!
His Shadow
I think moving to Steam is a good thing, as previously stated here it will give you another source of income to help towards future developments with DS, I currently have 197 AVN's on Steam, and a separate folder for Patreon and others. The issue you will have though includes how you want to release the chapters into Steam, most dual devs (Patreon & Steam) only release a certain number of chapters at a time on Steam’s platform, and never in sync, it should be, say a few chapters behind on Steam, so episodes 1-4 on Steam but episodes 1-7 on Patreon, that way your Patreon income and subscribers (which will always be a constant income unlike Steam's one off payment) will always have incentive to keep their Patreon to you active. Hopefully that all makes sense.
Steven Cowan
Good luck with the code update. I was frustrated going from Python 2 to 3. I haven’t programmed in ren’py but I hope it goes relatively smoothly:
Zeroone
Thats good to hear, thank you
Lilatentakel
Ok, of course Desert Stalker is different from other AVNs on Steam. The slavery and sexual abuse thing is of course tricky. That could bother either Steam or users. You're right about that.
Desert Stalker
It won't cut into my time that much. I will keep working on the renders as usual while Paz will take care of the migration.
Desert Stalker
no, because android users won't be affected anyway, you will be able to play it normally regardless
darlic
Not to mention the huge safety risks due to the lack of updates
Zeroone
Does the poll include android users too?
Schobbob .
I'm worried about slowed development if a whole bunch of code has to be rewritten
RMZ
Windows 7 has been EOL for 4 years, Windows 8 for over a year now and 64 bit processors were introduced around Vista, so I have no idea why anyone would even still run a 32bit system nowadays.
Sir Witchblade
True, but it also could attract serious unwanted attention, Im sure I dont have to remind anyone what ideology has been ruining gaming for about two decades. So Ive got mixed feelings about it, but I understand the move.
Lilatentakel
Several developers are currently bringing their games to Steam. This is a good idea because it allows you to reach a larger audience and gives you another source of income. You should also consider publishing on GOG and Epic. Of course, this is all very time-consuming, but it's definitely worth it financially. Many developers now have the problem with Renpy because not everyone has switched over yet. But you have to do it at some point, whether you like it or not. I took part in the poll straight away. I currently use Win 11 with 64 bit. I think cleaning up is good. That can never hurt.
