If you just want the most recent builds of the game, you can just pick the lowest tier (3USD). The higher tiers give you more goodies like streams about the game's development (5USD), unpublished prototypes, short stories (10USD), and access to play test builds (15USD). These are just some of the most noteworthy benefits, you can find more on our Patreon page.
Yes. Some stuff in there is no longer accurate as we have changed how some systems work. We will get to it later down the road when things are more consolidated.
Build 9 (and 10) are out for patrons. We'll release Build 9 on Itch when the Chapter Select feature is presentable -- which has been going forward at a great pace ever since Creeples joined the team to help us with that. No release date yet, but it's going as fast as we can manage.
I'm going to do some minor tweaks in the writing as we implement the new sprites, but I don't plan anything major. Mind you, the Leader background will have a big benefit going for it somewhat soon.
We're going to have a "portrait" in the player character's text box to help differentiate his lines from the narrator's. Though his "portrait" won't be showing his face or anything like that, it'll be a symbol representative of him.
All tiers give you access to the current build (as of this moment, Build 0.9) but the Good Master tier also gives you access to the playtesting version of the next build (0.10) before it becomes available for all patrons.
This is certainly a chapter that due to its size could have been split into two, maybe even three, but during production we framed it as just one chapter with a few internal subdivisions (that's why I mentioned that we're publishing the first "act" of Chapter 20).
These builds will not cut cut off during the actual scenes. Perhaps a more accurate way of describing it is that I envisioned Chapter 20 being played more or less without long interruptions, and I would consider that the best, 100% way of enjoying it. Right now, in this new format, I'd say that for the readers there's a trade-off. The transitioning between scenes will be, let's say, at 80% quality instead of the the 100% I envisioned, but I do think there'll be a new kind of fun to taking it one update at a time and being able to discuss with others. I think some people will like that, but I can also look back and see my original vision and how it was supposed to play, see the pros and cons.
My suggestion to you: when Build 0.8 comes out to the general public, check out the first scene. See how you feel about it. If you'd rather wait for the entirety of Chapter 20 to come out, that's fine and I'm sure you'll have a great time!
For backgrounds, Humanities helps you with the puzzles at the start of the game, while Arts lets you recruit an extra staff member. If you pick Arts I recommend you recruit the cook, Khenbish, because his route is already implemented.
As for "route", just treat Asterion kindly and you'll be fine.
Minotaur Hotel will continue as usual. In our most recent DevLog I said that not even civilization collapse could stop me, and it sure as hell isn't going to be platform shenanigans that's going to do it. Regardless, I've been following the situation closely and I'm hopeful that this situation will be reversed... Soon, I hope.
Besides, the SFW Mode has not been affected. Even if things remain like this, with adult content essentially shadowbanned, we have that as a way to bring in people.
That said, we'll probably look for backup plans soon and it's pretty much certain that we'll try to publish on Steam ASAP.
Minotaur Hotel will not die. The current situation is difficult but, to bring a personal thing to the mix, during the pandemic I worked with COVID healthcare. I've pushed through the direst situations imaginable. We all survived that.
So, everything will be alright. We will find a way.
The main obstacle, if I can call it that, is that I'm trying to setup a company first so that all the accounting is done competently and so that the money goes into the game at the most advantageous tax rate.
I've been informed that Patreon will soon be raising their share of creators' earnings, so I want to get it out before that happens so we can secure a more advantageous split.
That said, before I go and do that I'm working on setting up a competent business structure to support the game's development both financially and legally. Patreon or not, I expect the costs to finish the game to be significant and that means dealing with taxes, deductibles, finding the best way to categorize Patreon/Subscribestar earnings, etc.
As a little piece of levity in these times, yesterday I had to talk with my accountant, a nice Brazilian woman in her 50s, to explain to her the exact nature of this work and our situation. She was much more enthusiastic than I could have anticipated and I'm still processing that.
I am, indeed, from Brazil! And the game has not been forgotten, we're hard at work to release the next chapter. I think people will like what we have in store!
Thank you, I have forwarded your compliments to the chef!
And glad to know it had that effect on you! That's exactly what we wanted, a soundtrack that goes so hard that people just might leave it playing on the screen!
I'm really glad to hear that. In the leadup to this release I was very worried that I wouldn't be able to convey the ideas I had for EUROTRIP well enough, that it would fall flat, or that it wouldn't be digestible in the wider context of the game. Reading your comment was immensely reassuring, and I'm so very grateful that you took the time to write it. Thank you very much.
For a while I actually thought it could be neat to include a Desert Bus-esque minigame, but I stopped myself because it'd be very stupid and it'd kill Eddio.
Do you have any previous version of the game installed on your device? A previous demo, perhaps? If so, uninstall it and then try installing it again. Android versions tend to necessitate a full re-installation sometimes.
It may take a while for us to identify the problem, but we're working on another workaround. In the meantime, what we can suggest for now is that you delete your save file again, necessarily through the in-game SETTINGS menu, then go through the previous stories without turning any kinks on, just to eliminate the possibility of other issues being the cause.
