Hello tamers! It’s me, devotedtoneurosis! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/32418618/b8a4ddc6824c32cc1531961ad50d1878df6e2f24.png[/img] Today we launch version [b]1.0.5[/b] of Monster Crown across [b]Switch, PC, Linux and Mac[/b]. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, and been too long since we had an update! Here’s what you can expect in today’s update: [list] [*] Increased performance [*] Fixed crashing issues [*] Fixed loading issues on overworld [*] Updated sprites [*] Added 2 new monsters!! [*] Storklift feather (warp back to a safe location) [/list] Best of luck finding these two new monsters! One can be found in Scarred Province, and another is out at sea waiting to find you. We’ve had plenty of questions about our DLC plans, you’ll learn a little below about why the wait has been so long, but our plans to release DLC for Monster Crown in the near future remains the same. The DLC is sitting at about one third complete. Instead of releasing as three separate small packs, it will launch as one final “Content Pack” update, which might remind you of our schedule during Early Access. To be 100% clear, this is totally free DLC and will come in the form of an update for everyone. [h3]The Future of the Series[/h3] By now word may have reached you that [b]Monster Crown 2[/b] (code name Project NEXT) is in early production. I have identified a group of very skilled individuals, most of whom began as fans of Monster Crown or contributed to the first game. There will be a new director for that project, and of course, most importantly, a skilled programmer to re-establish much of what I built, along with a much more clear vision from day one and a cohesive artstyle. We’re not ready to share anything else at this point, but more will be shared in the future on this project. It’s very exciting and already looks awesome. Secondly, there will soon be a [b]Monster Crown TCG! [/b]It looks amazing, and you can learn more about it here: [previewyoutube=yxZIWDS2Tog;leftthumb][/previewyoutube] [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/808562247/monster-crown-trading-card-game]https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/808562247/monster-crown-trading-card-game[/url] The game is already fully funded and a success on Kickstarter - thank you so much to all of you that contributed to this exciting new project. While referenced above, I want to make it clear that the [b]MC2[/b] and [b]MCTCG [/b]projects are [b]not a focus for me at this time[/b]. While I oversee the design, choices, and help from a production/planning perspective, all of these future projects are being built and actioned by others, trusted partners who understand Monster Crown to its core and I couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve already built. The only Monster Crown work I do at this point is work on this game. Work on this patch, especially bringing it to consoles, has been significant due to a few technical complications, as well as my health. [h3]What I’ve been up to[/h3] As most of you know, I was struck with an illness in 2019. While the cause and continuation of this chronic illness is unknown to me and my doctors, I have managed to create my own medical regime to mitigate its effects as much as possible. I love Super Mario World, I have played it since I was 4 years old when my parents bought me a Super Nintendo, I even speedran it years ago and while I didn’t break any world records, I would come within 40 seconds of the world records for glitchless any%. This may seem like an unrelated tangent but when I became sick I could no longer jump over the first pit in the first level. My eyes would not focus, my thumbs could not coordinate with my brain. I was very, deeply sick, would regularly collapse, had to leave my job and would sleep for 16 hours, waking up even more tired than when I went to sleep. I even had significant bouts of amnesia that would leave me confused when even talking about the past day with my family. As you can imagine, my life was in complete shambles, but Monster Crown continued. With bouts of illness, I still am very proud to say that I was able to complete Monster Crown through random periods where a new medication would give me a month or so of near-normalcy, before sliding back to complete dysfunction. But did Monster Crown reach completion in a way I’m proud of? Somewhere in the fog of it I lost the ability to properly assess the game, I would play and not experience bugs or glitches that others would report, release day was not a proud day for me, instead, it was wrought with confusion. Regardless, I got to work and pushed out patches to fix major issues, and then the medium ones. To this day minor bugs exist throughout the game that result from areas of the code that, if changed, would require rigorous testing of every area, and every feature. One example is wild encounters/monsters that overlap sections of graphics visually that they should not, this is due to a flaw in the world/collision system that is not easily altered. Over the past year I’ve had major health struggles, but more importantly, I’ve done deep study of neuroscience, energy systems in the body, pharmacology, and developed a medical routine that lets me think and exist in a way that I have not in years. This was not a light undertaking, but each new medication or routine I found would open up a little more energy and mental power to find the next key in the chain. I’ll never be healthy (although the well funded research into things like long-covid may bring surprises in the future), but I’ve managed to reach a fairly normal state of mental function and my life feels truly changed because of it. I’m immediately appreciative (and emotional) that I can say this. Recently I’ve been making my way back into the discord and fan conversations, it’s very good to be communicating with you all again and it’s something I’ll continue to enjoy. [h3]The Future of this Game[/h3] Thanks to the incredible folks that have joined me, the future of Monster Crown is amazingly bright and the future of the series is being built as we speak. But as for me specifically, [b]I plan to stay on Crown Island[/b], this is the world I built and I’m not done with it. Today we bring [b]two new Monsters[/b] to Crown Island, and a much needed boost of performance and functionality to the Nintendo Switch. Next I’ll be bringing this patch to the Xbox One and PS4 players. As soon as that’s wrapped up I’ll be circling back to complete the DLC and bring it to all players. Beyond that point, I’m going to see what I can do to the existing systems of Monster Crown to bring improvements. How that manifests will be a conversation all of you are part of. Some limitations we have of course are mentioned above, the layering system only affects some visual aspects but to totally revamp it could bring considerable need for testing or re-rigging of large parts of the game. I’ll be staying tuned to your notes, and identifying aspects for improvements that are possible and don’t require expensive translations to add to make your experience brighter, and easier to enjoy. And of course all of these aspects have been a big topic of conversation between me and the development team of Monster Crown 2, who will ensure we have a very strong base there that doesn’t have these issues. [b]Thank you so much for playing Monster Crown, being part of our communities, and all of your messages expressing what you love about Monster Crown, from monsters, to lore, to the freedom the game offers. I know there is so much love, such devoted fans, and what everyone really wants is to be able to enjoy the parts they love easier and more fully, and that’s our north star.[/b] Thank you