doubledeadstudio

[doubledeadstudio]

Hi again, I was wondering if you could perhaps share the font you used for your characters sheet? Thank you a lot in advance, have a good day/night.

Typewriter Condensed!

[doubledeadstudio]

Will immediately be repurchasing the Pygmalion's Folly remaster as soon as it comes out. Can't wait to see Florentin again *salute emoji*

Thank you!!

I think you'll find the remaster worth the money... I'll be adding a new "Extra Scenes" tab in the Gallery that adds standalone vignettes exploring MC and Florentin's relationship~

[doubledeadstudio]

have you look up JAST Blue they're accepting R18+ otomes and VNs

Yes, I am currently working on a remaster for both Pygmalion's Folly and Another Rose so I can start submitting them to places like JAST Blue~

I will update you guys when I'm done. :)

[doubledeadstudio]

Hi!

Regarding the itch bans, would it be possible to receive the game files of Another Rose/Pygmalion's Folly if you are not a patron but had paid through itch?

Thank you for your time and hard work!!

Yes, email me with screencaps of your receipt and I will give you the files.

[doubledeadstudio]

Re: The Itch bans..

In light of the recent Itch ban targeting NSFW creators, I have currently Restricted Another Rose & removed the NSFW "Full" Version of Pygmalion's Folly. I have also removed every option to "tip" on Itch as well.

Considering Itch is not letting other NSFW creators receive their payouts for restrictions they created WITHOUT NOTICE, I am no longer accepting payments for my games there until this situation is resolved or I find alternatives ways to upload the full versions of my games.

For now, they are all only available in Patreon. If you are a Patron and wish to receive the game files, DM me here, on Discord at 'brokemycrown', or my email at reanimatedheartdrive@gmail.com.

[doubledeadstudio]

Hi! Will we learn more about the tree and its origins as the story goes forward or will it stay a bit mysterious like we’ll never truly understand it? Thanks in advance!

I will say right now that the tree isn't just a symbol or a marketing image... Just like how it's at the center of the map, how it's omnipresent everywhere, it's extremely important to the narrative & this will be explored. :>

[doubledeadstudio]

Hi hi! I was wondering how long Vincenzo has been in Evergreen Hollow because I don’t remember it being mentioned in the game and I don’t know if it’s left ambiguous on purpose. Has he been around for a few years or around 2 years or something? Thanks in advance!

It is meant to be ambiguous right now but it's around 2-3 years!

Vin isn't that sure himself...

[doubledeadstudio]

Hi! I just wanted to ask something real quick. I know that only the demo is free and that the full game is (and will be) paid, which I totally understand and agree with, dev work definitely deserves support! I was just wondering if the completed version will eventually be available for purchase on itch.io as well, or if it’ll remain exclusive to Patreon. Sorry if this has been answered before.

I will put the full out on Itch, Steam, and any other game client in the future!

The full will even have content that wasn't in Patreon.

[doubledeadstudio]

"Evaded Capture"

[doubledeadstudio]

UHM… I forgot the bottom lashes.

This is soooo good! You got his face down so well!!

[doubledeadstudio]

what exactly is beyond the mountains? The void where you would keep falling forever or is it more like the edge of the map in games where the flat land just keeps going on infinitely?

Definitely void. It's a bit of a riff on the flat earth thing where they think the earth is flat and surrounded by mountains so they make sure you don't "fall off the edge." You can fully fall off the edge in EH and just fall forever LMAO

[doubledeadstudio]

I love this part so much that I had to draw it (it's not as accurate as the descriptions in game but I tried)

"Noel, you poor thing..." says the creator (me) who made her backstory tragically angsty, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

Found the reference pic on Pinterest *wink wink*

[doubledeadstudio]

Vincenzo Maria Fontana + Jennifer Check? But, of course~😘

[doubledeadstudio]

Yay!! I'm so happy the packages are arriving! :DDD

yeeeeees!!! my keychain and stickers arrived (also a little plastique l'enfant????)

thank u @doubledeadstudio keychain black is gonna go right on my epipen case :)

[doubledeadstudio]

I'm sorry you've had people treat you the way they have. It's a shame that those developers have questioned your motives as well. You've shown that you're not all talk time and time again, you have completed games under your belt too. I discovered you through Pygmalion's Folly and I adored it. It's not as if you have no proof of the things you've done/can do and you're asking for people's money. This is obviously something near and dear to your heart and you show that in so many ways, the time/money/effort, the way you speak about it, etc.

Thank you, anon!

To be honest, sometimes I think trying to be transparent is useless online because people can just say anything. And, as someone who puts their creations for sale, there's always going to be doubt in people's mind if they're being tricked in some way because of the profit incentive. (And, on a fundamental level, I think it's wise to doubt any creator. You should be looking into the people you invest money in.)

But, I really hope that my consistency & transparency is enough to speak for itself, and I'm glad that some of you can see that. Honestly, I feel like I've found the "thing" I realized I want to do for a long time. I'm very, very passionate about making games and I'm happy that I've reached an audience that love my work enough to support it. I never thought I'd get this far!! :>

[doubledeadstudio]

in general I think I have a weak spot for sunk cost fallacy characters. no point in trying to change because there's no going back! can't stop now because the possibility of being wrong is too unbearable to face head on and would destroy me if I tried!

[doubledeadstudio]

So, you guys are probably curious… What is the future of Reanimated Heart in its current state?

I've been quiet about this for a while because I wanted to get a bulk of my work done. Considering I'm working on the last and final Chapter One update, I am now formally announcing that the whole of Chapter One will still be uploaded in public for free.

Considering harassment issues I've experienced, however, I will only be doing it when Chapter One is fully wrapped up. That means that it'll be after the next update and after a final polish. I'm uncertain when I'll be done with all this, but my hope is to put it up in December on the same date the initial demo was posted.

After that, what then?

When I initially created Reanimated Heart, it was with the intent that it was going to be a very longform, serialized thing.

For context, before I started getting into game dev, I was a freelance artist with a background on Language and Literature. I did my best to post art to please an algorithm, but my true passion was writing. I wanted to write stories and novels, but the exhaustion of drawing and vying for some sort of online influence was draining to me.

I concluded that this type of work flow was 1) Psychologically damaging and unnatural, and 2) ultimately, unsatisfying.

Even when I had pieces that would do well, it didn't make me feel good because my heart wasn't in it because I had no time to make the things I wanted to make, I had no time to do what I actually wanted, which was to craft stories about my precious characters that I've had for years and were near and dear to my heart.

And then, I decided to create something that was, essentially, antithetical to this ritualistic pattern of clout chasing I've developed… and that was Reanimated Heart.

Given my background in Literature, I was very fixated on the concept of creating a "visual novel" in a serialized format, like how certain novels used to be published. (For example, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables is only as long as it is because it's a story told in a by chapter format over a long period of time.) I thought that, if visual novels were really to be novels too, then it should be allowed to function in a way novels used to.

I also had this belief that, despite the never ending barrage of corporate shortform content vying for the attention economy, there's always going to be a part of human beings that yearned for something personal, emotionally intricate, and created over a long period of time. People want to invest in something. They want to learn about characters and the settings they live in, follow elaborate plotlines, and watch mysteries unfold. At least when I immerse myself in stories, I want it to really grip my attention like nothing else and have it live in my mind like it has a home there. And so, when I decided to make the game, I decided to stay the course of my original intentions and publish it on a semi-regular basis, with enough content to justify the months of work. I have my update schedule to prove it.

After years of working on RH, my belief has been proven completely correct. More and more people discover it over the long time period, and many of them react like I thought they would… They want to know about the characters, the plot, and the lore. They want more length and more secrets to discover, and I'm more than happy to provide that.

And so, I'll be continuing this update schedule, just in Patreon until the base game's full release in different platforms because, like I said, as much as I want to provide this content for free, its costs and the constant harassment isn't enough to justify uploading it for free.

But, because I've chosen to do this format, I've been asked…

Is this just a grift to get people to invest in your Patreon?

I have been accused of this by many people, including some devs in the so-called "yandere" VN space. Let me make this very clear now…

I am losing more money making this game than not making it.

Before I decided to make this game, I had more time to focus on doing freelance work which earned me significantly more money on a monthly basis. By focusing on gamedev, I've lost a significant amount of my regular clients. Not only that, I also put a significant amount of the budget on other contractors (such as music from Claira, art from Tay, and voice actors) and I've also put other career prospects on pause.

So, why even make something that just loses me money and invites harassment from entitled "fans" anyway?

Passion, as lame as it sounds. This is something that I want to make and earnestly believe in, something that I'll be satisfied with making later in my life. With each update, I'm thrilled by how much the narrative blossoms on the screen as much as you are. I can't keep putting money incentive over my art, because I'll end up right back where I started, which is chasing a number either in followers or my bank account. This isn't even remotely about the money for me. I will keep making this until it finishes or I die randomly.

I want to make something I'm proud of for myself. Signing up for the Patreon is more just about ensuring I can make the highest quality of game possible.

Now that I've made my intentions clear, let me get to some FAQ…

I don't agree with this model you've chosen for the game. It still feels like a grift. How do we know you mean what you say?

Check my update schedule.

I've been consistent and I intend to continue being consistent. When I stop being consistent, then you should react like a responsible consumer and stop supporting the project. If I stop intending to upload, I will make a formal announcement here, in the page, and on Patreon anyway.

If you want the updates but don't want to pay me, there are ways of getting it for free by being active in the server community.

If you only want to pay full price for the game, then wait until it's done.

And if you really don't want to pay anything at all, then don't do it. I am not forcing you to pay anything.

Can I pay only when there's an update?

Yes, that's always allowed. No, I don't think that's scummy. Everyone should be able to do whatever they want with their money.

How long is the time period between updates?

My intent has always been 3-4 months between updates. Usually updates take me a month and a half to write, then a similar timeframe for assets and coding. There are also some stuff irl that I can't help, so I put that leeway there.

Will you let us Subscribe on other platforms?

Yes, but I'm still looking into it. I'm going to do research on what the best websites are for this. I'm going to be looking into Ko-Fi soon.

Will you still be making other games?

Yes! But their uploads will be random and sporadic.

I know there are a lot of people wondering about the drastic genre leaps with my other games (coughs Another Rose coughs), but my justification is that, while I view Reanimated Heart as the novel, my other games are more like… short stories. If you've ever read a Stephen King novel and then get shocked by how random his short stories are, well, that's about the same logic I have. My "other games" are less thoughtful, sprawling stories like Reanimated Heart, and more like experiments for me to break out of my shell and have fun. While some short stories get sequels, others don't. They're pretty non-committal.

Will you ever be opening Reanimated Heart's comment section again?

Yes, I will open it again when Chapter One is finished and uploaded. I only turned it off because people annoyed me so much that I didn't want to work on it. You guys can have discussions again when I'm not releasing updates publicly anymore.

...

I hope this puts a lot of your questions to rest. If there's more, send them to my Inbox and I will add them here.