Weekly Update 2018-04-23

Historically these updates have generally posted on Sunday but going forward we’re moving them to Monday.
 

So here’s the rundown, progress continues to move along very well. We’ve completed Cassie’s Act I, Jane’s Act I, and we are half way through Amanda’s Act I. So we have plenty of story, but no visuals yet to accompany them.
 

So after some long and arduous debate, we’ve finally reached a consensus on our hardware issue. Rather than dumping a couple hundred bucks and jamming a band aid into this machine, we’re going to spec from the ground up and build a rig optimized for this kind of work.
 

I’m talking an i7-8700K Intel processor, dual GTX 1070’s, and at least 16 to 32 GB of RAM (we’ll eventually cap it at 64GB but we can expand after the initial build). We’ve got all the parts spec’d, have the processor in hand, and are awaiting delivery of the case that will hold it all. To avoid future over-heating issues we’re upscaling to a full tower with 8 fans instead of reusing the mid-tower that turned into a raging inferno during our previous production cycle.
 

It’s a big deal for us because this is the machine that will not only help us jam out amazing high quality renders like a short order cook, but it will give us the processing power to begin experimentation with high-res animations for the beta when we get there. So all that is the good news.
 

The downside, is that our Patron contributions will not be enough to get us there quickly. Rest assured, every dollar invested in us is going towards this build, but until that time, we’re financing most of this out of pocket, and we have only so much disposable income each paycheck. So we are still several weeks out from completing the implementation of this new machine.
 

But our dedication does not waver. I’ve picked up some part time work on the weekends, the entire income from which is going straight into this machine. So since I’ll be working two jobs I will have a little less time to devote to writing and coding, but others are willing to step up and write a little more each week.
 

So in a nut shell, expect some continued lag time on the release dates. But look to the horizon because the minute this machine is built, we’ll be pushing out distributions faster than ever before. And believe me, the minute we have this thing up and running, I’m ditching the second job and getting back to working on this project during every minute of my spare time.
 

It’s a big hump we have to get over, but all of your support helps ease that burden. And believe me when I say we are grateful for every dollar. But I’m willing to do whatever needs done to keep this project moving forward, even get a second job to support it.
 

Because at the end of the day, I love what we’re making, and one way or another, I intend to see it to completion!
 

Cheers to you all, my mates!