Now on Patreon! v0.7.0b1.0

Hiya to anybody still checking out this little corner of the internet!

As you may have realized, the blog has fallen into a state of lesser use - mostly because I started doing updates on itch.io and now because I'm doing updates on Patreon and SubscribeStar!

Patreon and SubscribeStar offer the latest, exclusive version of Erisa's Summer along with exclusive weekly special renders and updates while the game is in production.

Why the change? Because I realized the main thing holding me back from getting the game done is my day job. And the only way to escape that constraint is to make money elsewhere. It'd take quite a lot, but I need to start somewhere. If you're interested in supporting me in that quest to become a dedicated developer, I'm sincerely appreciative. If not, I totally get it too.

I'll be looking into expanding onto Steam and selling interim versions on itch.io, so keep your eyes out for those avenues as well if that's a hold-up!

In any case, thanks for checking in! I'm still active here and there on Twitter @erisasummer so keep in touch!

-IM6

It's here! Version 0.6.0 Out NOW!

I don't want to say too much, but... well, I feel pretty proud of this update and I hope you enjoy it.

v0.6.0 will carry the game through the end of Day 3.
There are four different dinner dates with multiple options within them, one group event, and six separate sexy endings!
I did a fair amount of image remastering (as noted earlier in the thread) on images prior to Day 3 as well.

On the technical side, I've also added a gallery function and the ability to name your saved games.
I also tweaked the UI so that the speech text overlay is less intrusive and doesn't hide as much... but please remember that if you want to hide the UI and just look at the pretty pictures, the button for that is 'H'.

Please enjoy, share, review, and give any feedback you'd care to share.
I know this is a long time coming, so please celebrate a little with me

I'll start working on Day 4 (v0.7.0) within the next week or so at the writing phase!
I have lots of ideas, but probably need to settle down a little after all the polish work from this release to really get them moving.

Again, thank all of you wonderful people for your support.
Consider providing a little support to a local animal shelter if you like the game.

Cheers!
-IM6

PS - If you're feeling like I've mostly abandoned this blog... Well, I have!

Most of my updates are short-form and posted to Twitter these days. Follow me there @ErisaSummer

This blog's focus moving forward will be on big announcements like this and on big development assessments and deconstructions. Honestly, there haven't been many of these as I try to keep my head down and build the next update in-between work commitments. But I do see the blog having a few articles here and there in the future. Just make sure you're not relying on it as your primary source of news on the game!

v0.5.0 is out (and has been out) and also I'm working on v0.6.0

 

Hi all!

I'm going to keep things brief here, as I normally do my long posts about the deep creative process and whatnot on this blog, but I made a little post about current development on my itch.io page which you can read.

v0.5.0, which contains the first half of Day 3, is available now! You can find the links on the game's F95zone landing page or you can download it from the itch.io page.

v0.6.0, which will finish Day 3, is in the works and all four planned dinner dates are entirely written as of this posting.

Also, I've been neglecting this majestic .blogspot.com domain since taking to twitter for my brief updates and my itch.io and F95zone pages for the more intermediate stuff. I'd update my Discord, too, but I realized the link I shared in v0.5.0 is a dud... (fixed for the next release, rest assured, you can complain about the lack of dicks directly to me when v0.6.0 is released!)

As for the longer stuff? I've been trying to keep it in and channel that energy into the actual game writing a little more. Not that there's anything wrong with getting that energy about explaining the process out, but... It's not as interesting right now. 

Rest assured I'll share and archive special content like the Christmas renders here, though! I'm sure some fun cosplay renders are in my future with that upcoming FF7 remake installment almost CERTIAN to get creators making Yuffie outfits (finally!) Of course, I won't let this eat into my production (too much).

Anyway check out the post in the link at the top  of the post and keep your eyes on those other, more frequently updated channels until I decide to rant more here! Thanks for playing!

Happy 2021! - Xmas Renders & Update

Hi and Happy New Year everyone!

This is my first, long overdue, update to the blog - and possibly one of the few long-form posts you'll see from me here. For the most part, I've moved to making longer updates on the game's f95zone page and shorter updates on my Twitter (@ErisaSummer). I also actively monitor the game's itch.io presence and reply to any comments there.

First off: good riddance to 2020. Though I was able to complete day 2 and do the remastering work to integrate the old RPGM day 1 content (at higher quality) into the modern Ren'Py client, I was medically debilitated most of the year and any time I pushed myself to work on the game, I made things worse for myself. Naturally, everything was compounded by coronavirus, including my day job. I still feel very fortunate to have secure employment, but things have just gotten busier and busier there as well, which has cut down on development time.

In short: I was able to put out a few releases (hooray!), but global and personal problems prevented me from doing more (boo!). I don't expect things to get better from the job perspective, but I'm optimistic that COVID will get better at the end of the year now that vaccines are being distributed and I'm in the late stages of recovering from the medical procedure I underwent to correct my own non-COVID troubles. So, things are getting better for me.

I also went ahead and upgraded my rendering situation by purchasing an RTX 3090, which is capable of doing amazing things like fully converging the image below in 15 minutes. Previously, it had to render on CPU for over 8 hours. 

This is helping me get higher quality images and (especially) more complex images done at a more rapid pace, so I'm hoping this will help me be more productive and weigh against some of my other limitations. It should also help improve animation quality.

As for where things stand right now, I've changed my process for day 3 and am writing and rendering concurrently, where I used to make a bunch of images and then write around them. I think this new way is working out better and makes more sense now that things are more set in motion and there's more to keep track of from a writing/coding perspective.

I have all of the images and text completed through three morning mini-events and four primary breakfast paths, each of which has about three sub-paths. Last night I also completed transitionary scenes into what I call the "midday" portion of the day - this is where you would have your pool/casino/gym/bar/peeping options in day 2. It'll be a bit of a different setup in day 3, but I think you'll still enjoy the different experiences of getting to know different girls.

I'm still not sure how far into 2021 it'll be before I make a new release, but I intend for v0.5.0 to comprise day 3 and all possible routes from morning to evening. Depending on how things go, it may be still be a while, but I'll keep doing my best to push forward as quickly as I can and will keep my channels updated.

Thanks for staying interested in this long-developing piece of work - I hope to make it worthwhile and I'm hopeful 2021 will deliver on that.

Here as an added bonus are a few fun Christmas-themed renders I did for the holidays:

Erisa and Chrissy getting into the Christmas spirit

Liz doing a pin-up pose by the tree

Grace and Abby exchanging gifts

Allison, Nina, and Erisa exchanging some... other gifts

Amanda preparing to unwrap and enjoy some special presents (Rey, Olive, and Merri)

The twins (River and Sandy) share a family tradition - to Whit's surprise!

Happy New Year and a late Happy Holidays!
-[IM6]

Erisa's Summer v0.4.0 is LIVE!

 

Hi everybody!

As of this moment, v0.4.0 of Erisa's Summer is live and available for download!

Direct download from my itch.io page
Or, use one of the filesharing links from the F95zone page

All day 1 content from the RPGM version of the game has been remastered and added in to the Ren'Py client. Several new scenes have been added and existing scenes have been expanded to enhance gameflow in the new client. A few new scenes may have been added to the end as well...

An Android version has also been added. If it sucks and/or is broken, I do not intend to provide support for it beyond initial build. I apologize, but Android support is above my (free) paygrade. You'll have to start from the beginning to enjoy this update, but I hope you'll download and do so!

Support: As always, this game is released totally and entirely for free! Some folks have offered to support me through a Patreon or download fee in the past, but I'm simply not interested.

Instead, if you want to support and motivate my development efforts, I ask that you identify and donate to an animal shelter or charity of your choice. If you do and would like to share confirmation withme, it will definitely make me feel good and motivate me to keep going! Also, as further incentive, I'll gladly provide a 4K still of any existing game image for any confirmed charitable donation.

Of course, if you just want to play the game, that's fine too! Enjoy! If you do feel like leaving a few words of encouragement or a positive review, that's great too!

Ren'Py Day 1 & 2 - Coming this Friday!

 

That's right, you read correctly! Be prepared to get off your couch and run like Chrissy to grab the latest update to Erisa's Summer this Friday!

This update focuses on unifying the content previously only found in RPG Maker with the content for Day 2 released solely in the Ren'Py format. From now on, everything well be Ren'Py only - with everything all in one place!

The update also sees many (if not most) of the Day 1 images remastered or retouched to enhance quality. There have also been a handful of brand new scenes added to the game (starting with the intro!). These new scenes either add new information or optional information into the natural game flow, or fill the cracks that were previously open world gameplay in RPGM. I know, I know, you're all bummed that you can no longer find out about the stoner bros next door or read the Mitch Hedberg joke about Dufresne Hall, but the experience, I promise you, is both more seamless and better motivated.

I've finished proofreading and technical checks today and am upgrading just a few more renders that didn't pass my quality playtest. I'll continue to spot check and work on a few other odds and ends, but the full Erisa's Summer experience (through Day 2!) will be released on Ren'Py this Friday.

And from there - we head to Day 3!

Thanks as always for your support and enjoy!

-IM6

Houston we have an update - Version 0.3.0 is Live!

That's right, it's been less than a year and we have an update to Erisa's Summer!

Version 0.3.0 picks up in the midday of Day 2 and offers several paths to explore before bedtime.

Check it out here:

Win/Lin : MEGA - MEDIAFIRE - FILESUPLOAD
Mac : MEGA - MEDIAFIRE - FILESUPLOAD

I've been working on the update without much of a break since the last release (v0.2.1) and I'm glad to finally have it out in the wild!

The next update is where things get interesting - I'm still making a few decisions on how to model the mechanics for day 3+, but my intention is to currently move the game off rails and into free-roam.

Well, to a point. There would always be a dinner date and an evening event. But other events would fire off of conditional triggers based on where you go, who you meet, and how you treat them (and how they treat you!)

I'll be brainstorming, listening to feedback on v0.3.0 (and making bugfixes as needed!), and maybe even posting a few polls in the weeks to come! There's also consideration of integrating Day 1 into Ren'Py... Though I haven't started to explore this yet.

Anyway, nothing crazy to ramble about this time - I just hope you play and enjoy!