Well maid experts, First off, obviously, I do very much apologize for the lack of any news since February of this year (2020). Development had stalled due to various setbacks, and there had been many months without any significant progress. Its been several years since the campaign launched and I came to the [b]dire realization[/b] that a large change was needed to finalize and get this game out. I reached out to [b]Belgerum[/b], the game's composer, for his help and to possibly bring him on-board to work on the programming for this game. Lo and behold, it almost seems like it was fate. Within the last month since our first discussion, I've worked out a new agreement with him as our programmer, and he introduced me to [b]Critical Bliss[/b]; who will now be publishing our game. [b]And we are planning to release in October. Yes, three months from now. [/b]And that's not all... We have a new, [b]updated and refreshed demo for you all to test out[/b]. It has the music that Belgerum created. It showcases the beautiful updated sprites that Shunkaku created. There's sound effects, character animations, additional CGs, sprite movements, animations, etc... Its an amazing improvement and been wonderful working with Belgerum as he works his magic to bring my maid vision to life, with his unparalleled attention to detail with all manner of programming things that just astonish me. Please Wishlist and test out the demo here on Steam!! That way you'll get the alerts are we get closer to our full formal release. Also, to make up for the lost time, I'd like to share as many examples of assets of what we're creating (some of which are even already outdated since Belgerum works quickly and is just as focused about high quality as I am). I do hope you enjoy the updated demo and would love to hear your thoughts, critiques, and general feedback on what you like or what you feel we could improve upon. [h2]UPDATED ASSETS EXAMPLES / PREVIEWS / GOODIES[/h2] Here are a couple examples showcasing the old sprites on the left, and the updated re-vamped sprites by Shunkaku on the right side. I know I've already shared many, if not all, of these sprite updates with you in the past, and you'll get the chance to see how much of an improvement they are in the new demo. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38310058/bf5cd1e490ddc252c18a3edbecc6c86f63d536fe.jpg[/img] [i]Old Takako Model on Left - - - - New Takako Model on Right (Play Demo)[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38310058/13989b301a077d2accd14a5d6d0a0839206150d5.png[/img] [i]Old Narumi Model on Left - - - - New Narumi Model on Right (Play Demo)[/i] [h3]Updating CGs (What'chu Talking About?)[/h3] Demo also has some increased variety in terms of our CGs. We're not going to add extra things to every CG since that would be lunacy, but I wanted to make some of the CGs more dynamic, so we've [b]added some additional movement (like arm movement) and expression layers[/b]. For example, Umeko in the "special" moment with Yuu that you can unlock in the demo, will have extra facial expressions, so hope you enjoy those. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38310058/961dc4bf2069ce03071f2c86da1522c255b24b2d.jpg[/img] [i]New faces created for Umeko for CG3 in the demo and in full-story. [/i] [h3]Updating Sprites[/h3] A few sprites needed an extra layer or two (like an extra outfit, or an outfit altered for... story reasons). What kind of story reason would make an outfit change like this one for Kaori necessary, I wonder?? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38310058/e59bc7b9682216cb5050ab81f75516487a355bd7.png[/img] [i]I wonder why Kaori (formerly Miyuki) has that large preggo belly... Hmmmm? [/i] [h3]In conclusion...[/h3] I hope this was a pleasant surprise for you all this morning. I look forward to you all getting this chance to play the new and improved demo, and hope it whets your maid-ly and maidenly appetite for a few more months as we work our way to the finished game. You all have been incredibly patient and accepting of these delays and setbacks, and all this COVID-19 nonsense, but I hope this brings a new light to the darkness of these times. Hope you all have a great day and enjoy the refreshed maids! :D [b]--Cactus Lord, Lord of Cactii, Maids and Ladies[/b]