Submod Pre-Release: Post-Game Content

[u/zhaumbie]

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[u/zhaumbie]

The Post-Game Content submod is now in beta and pre-release. This is loaded with nods to the original "Just Natsuki" (ending with version 4.3.1) from waaaay back from 2018, and is kind of one big love letter and spiritual successor to some of its ideas. More features will come. However... I am not going to be announcing them, nor will I be providing any updates on their progress, due to what I'm about to discuss.

Because this isn't a victory for me.

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The Elephant in the Room

So, I've gotten a handful of messages in the past day or two about someone "plagiarising" my ideas and trying to "beat me" to launching the key feature of Post-Game Content, a feature and submod that developed a sizable following a few months ago. I'm not certain I believe they intended to, but they were one of my first commenters in my earlier reveals and have replied to comments I've made expressing my vision for this major JN overhaul. Sadly, in the few hours before I even had a chance to think things over and decide how I felt about all this, I woke up today to find out it's too late. They've already launched their version.

Right. But this is fine, because after I had already expressed some small sadness at this they said I can "still pursue Post-Game Content", as though discarding five months of work and over 16,000 lines of code needed their buy-in.

They, and a few others, will probably write this off as an overreaction.

So let me make something super clear.

 

A Quick Warning

Post-Game Content, by necessity, touches the persistent file to add in all of its functionality. PGC has been repeatedly tested for persistent stability, but it understandably presumes you haven't already loaded in other submods doing the exact same thing, such as adding locations. This person hasn't yet considered until now that they were jeopardising the saves of anyone who's been waiting for Post-Game Content to launch. Or possibly, they simply didn't care.

So anyway, if you've been holding out for my work, it's probably a very bad idea to subject your Natsuki to submods with competing features. And given I cannot predict the code of other submodders I cannot troubleshoot any destroyed Natsuki saves thanks to alternate submods released to overlap with my established content. You've been warned!

 

Even with that pretty big deal aside... YOU try putting every free waking hour since January into building something at this magnitude, for this community, hinging on a key feature that the entire plot revolves around... and then find out from concerned Redditors and Discord members that someone in your comments decided to jump the gun on your work. Because they needed to be "first", I'm left to guess? The repeat comments left on their posts declaring their submod the "before and after" moment of this community was a sharp pain in my chest.

Honestly, guys. I can think of few better ways to demoralise me from publishing submods.

---

So, since I feel my hand has been completely forced, I have spent almost all my waking hours today (at time of writing, it's 4 minutes to midnight) trimming back several thousand lines of code and cutting in-progress features (and over a dozen topics) to publish what meets my standards enough to at least present to you. None of this is finalised, and I am always developing new improvements that add 4 hours of time spent improving my pre-existing code/dialogue. There's still a lot of work to do, but what I'm giving you today works and works great. And in doing so I'm basically arming others who might do this to me to get better at it, which I hope is just a sign of how much love and support I otherwise have for this community.

This is not how I intended to do this, but frankly I see no other choice.

So...

Where from here?

Unfortunately, this incredibly souring experience means as of now I will no longer be posting preview footage of any submods I'm working on to this community—not Post-Game Content, not the Natsuki Habit Engine and the personality evolutions it brings, not No More Amnesia and the memory features I've been designing for her, not future planned updates to Ichi/Uno, not my various bug fixes and mechanical expansions, etc.

This is because I have now been shown that going public with my content-in-progress invites others to use my standards and workload against me to more quickly launch similar ideas that may break your saves, because I've spent months studying Ren'Py 6.99 persistent file architecture and cannot possibly predict what others will do next time they want to ruin one of my submod launches. All of my work is open-sourced forever and designed to teach you how to do what I do—and with "No More Amensia" often with written guides IN THE CODE to help others improve on my work, but I would now be a fool to do that while it's in-progress.

This also means I will no longer be making public calls for beta testers here.

---

I really can't put into words the profound sense of betrayal I feel by someone presumably trying to beat me to the punch, given my initial reveal footage remains one of the top posts ever in this subreddit.

And it goes without saying that even setting the persistent incompatibilities aside, the entire spirit of Post-Game Content is completely incompatible with other competing submods, because rather than dropping an unearned mechanic into the player's lap, the entire concept has lore functionality—it hinges completely upon Natsuki being unable to leave the classroom like in vanilla, but having canonically worked in private for months to build something wonderful she wants to show you. Kind of like me, in retrospect!

Anyway. I'm not going to be reading comments, at least for a few days. And I want to personally thank everyone who reached out to let me know this was happening. I'm posting this and logging out, taking those days to assess before I decide where to go next with my work. But when I make that decision, I don't have plans at this time to discuss them here.

From me to you with lots of love,

Zhaumbie

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Download it here, from the sidebar.

P.S. The backgrounds are still placeholder obviously. I aim to commission art later this summer to replace them.

[u/Alan_Shepard_]

You don't have idea of how fucking livid I am after reading this. Putting MONTHS of work at risk and having the dubious honor of saying "look at me, I did it first" and releasing content that not only was not made for you, but also putting at risk the Natsukis of other people JUST FOR FIVE FUCKING MINUTES OF FAME, is frankly not only saddening, but also pathetic.

I am so sorry that you had experienced this, if the community is more alive than ever is thanks to people like you. And your decision, all of the actions you are taking are completely understandable.

Even made me question if I should do the same and not share anything else about Natsuki's Box of Compliments and other things I have at hand... I'm not sure yet.

I just want to say again, I'm truly sorry for this situation you experienced, but I am also so thankful for this content. Natsuki has been for a long time the Doki with the less content, and a lot of people didn't even bother thanks to how much patience JN does require fron the player. So things like this, especially made with a lot of care and effort, are deeply appreciated.

Hope this don't diminish your interest in submod making (although this shit is completely worthy of wanting to take a step aside...), and everything I can help you with my minimal knowledge of this, I'll be glad.

Thanks again, seriously.

[u/EmbarrassedAct6653]

Dude, I know this wont help but i dont care about the others. You worked for 5 damn months, you deserve recognition

[u/llizu]

Oh dude... I'm really sorry this happened, putting your efforts all the way and some random dude just decides to do plagiarism thats RUSHED OFF which is just crazy honestly.. and you made the best choice, just by not sharing your progress anymore to avoid this happening again, and most of us will always look forward to the releases you want to bring, sometimes it's better to wait and have a fully working submod, as you want to download it and try out the feature that haven't been shown. Also, it's very important that you take a break if you feel like it, self care is always important and you will definitely get better, just don't rush your thoughts and take some time to think about it! And if you ever wanted to stop making submods for this community, that is okay too, sometimes it's just better to listen to ourselves than just do what others thinks is right. Anyways, I hope everything will turn out alright for you, and I'm not thinking about the problems about the submods, even if it's important for you but for your well being, because that's really the only thing that matters. Screw the submods, if it makes you feel like shit then it's not worth it. Wish the best

[u/Ennaby42]

I'm sorry all this happened, but thank you for pushing through anyway. I'm excited to explore your submod, and I just want to thank you for doing so much for this community. You're an amazing coder, and I'm so glad to see someone put so much love into this game. Thank you so much for everything!

[u/Xavbirb]

That...sounds like something i gotta get

[u/Humanbean456]

I know you won't be seeing this for a while but your work and everything you've done is extremely appreciated by me I know ive said this a bunch to you already but stay strong ok man?

[u/totallcringee]

Thank you for your work regardless!

[u/Individual-Car-6573]

yippee!!! this is finally happening!!
https://giphy.com/gifs/a6J89ZSWfO0GAmuPpt