v0.20 is Live!

Yes, big 20! It's not actually the 20th update, as I skipped a few to jump to v0.10 when there was a big step forward in content. With that in mind, I thought I'd celebrate v0.20 by making another big step! With MVOL v0.20, full-female Lith is finally going public. I know this has been one of my most-requested additions, so I think I'm making a lot of people happy with this update.

The game isn't completely set up to support full-female Lith, as there are three scenes that will take tons of work and still need some more time, but the full story is available along every path, and all art supports any configuration of anatomy. This has been something I've been working on in the background for a long time, letting supporters get a peek in on what I had going so far, but it is close enough to complete to let everyone run around in it now. And to trade off, I've started adding more "advance" content to MVOL for supporters, so they can get a peek further along in the story. The Stone Door is nearing completion, so for v0.20 supporters are getting a little peek at what comes after!

For the main story, the big new addition is the completion of the Blue Collar path for the Stone Door. Now, with each of the collars, you made a choice early on that's had a profound impact on how the story plays out throughout the stone door. The blue collar has actually had the smallest difference, and with the completion of the last choice, you'll see a lot of identical or nearly identical material... Except for one very different ending. I think that folks will like the new addition. I put a lot of work into it, and I still feel like it could be a little better, but I'm excited to put it in people's hands.

I have to admit, though, looking back at the early stone door content, I'm starting to feel like maybe I'm letting some of this content stretch way too long xP I've created a story inside a story, to a degree, and it feels like it needs closure, but these are some of the earliest endings in the game, and I think it's important that they leave you wanting. From the reactions I've seen from my proofers, I think I'm doing well there so far. So! That means just two paths remain to be completed in Chapter Three of the Stone Door! It's been a long and crazy adventure, and I'm pretty excited to push on to what's coming, but we've got some pretty intense stuff to tackle first.

Along with the one new ending and achievement, I've tweaked the achievement display. I hope it'll make it a little clearer to folks when they've reached an ending, since I've gotten some feedback from confused folks running into "gaps in the writing" and not knowing what was going on. I think it makes it a little more satisfying to see the "Trophy" pop up right away rather than after the fact, too.

Also, two new pieces of art going in with this update! One is another piece for the stone door, available on half the paths through. The other is along the black collar route. The art is getting really diverse, and some folks have expressed concern that it's kind of detracting from giving Lith a "look," but to be honest, I'm digging it. Lith has always been a little bit varied, details of his appearance maybe shifting to fit the moment, and he's a different cat to different people. This diversity kind of makes every picture feel special, I think. I'm rather enjoying collecting pieces from lots of different artists, even if it is pretty stressful getting to know a new artist and their way of doing things every time, haha. It's definitely been a learning experience!

That about covers it for this update. I've taken on a new variant writer, but we've hit some delays getting him up to speed, so it doesn't look like any of his work will be going in this version. He's got strong potential, though, so I'm definitely looking forward to enriching a lot of the older scenes with his help in updates to come!

I ran into some trouble with the bi-monthly schedule trying to hit my stride after going all-out on it with v0.19, so I'm not completely happy with this update, but I'm going to be working on my process to find just the right balance of getting things done without letting the quality suffer. I'm honestly glad to be where I am, having these sorts of problems, because it means I'm doing something right, and I just gotta refine it. I really appreciate your support, everyone. I am incredibly grateful that I can get the chance to make a living making something I feel passionate about, and that you guys can trust me to do what I feel is right with this game to make it complete. I hope you guys will enjoy everything I've got coming up.

If you wanna know more about what's coming up, remember, I update on my Twitter about anything and everything I write. If you want to see it for yourself, supporters on Patreon get early access in a couple different tiers, whether it's a week-in-advance release, a monthly preview version, or straight up emails of the raw text straight from my keyboard as I pound this stuff out. There's also art and Lith's diary and other goodies, so if you haven't taken a look already, check it out!

One more big milestone in the bag. v1.00 is still far off, but I'm more confident every day we're going to get there, and that it's going to be fantastic. Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoy!