Cruel Serenade: GutterTrash
Update on the situation: Please Subscribe on SubscribeStar
Updates: I am writing this immediately after waking up from four hours of sleep because I want it to go out to my itch followers while I still HAVE itch followers. There may be any number of developments that have happened since that I am not aware of. I'll have to get to them second. Please read the previous post for context first if you haven't.
Edit: To those following me here, I appreciate your commitment to party till the walls cave in, but how the fuck are you finding me? The game is delisted! Also of course, be sure to follow on FurAffinity as well if you haven't. Probably won't be around here much longer.
Also wow, watching the games I've bought here slowly flicker out in my library like patches of reality in the Neverending Story is...dark. Soon, only a vast emptiness of "game suspended" pages will remain.
Also at this point, just about everyone is telling Visa to get bent.
The game pages on Itch are still up, obviously. My account continues to exist. The shadowban continues.
There is no way to know for sure how long this will last, or what the verdict will be on my page, but I am operating off the assumption that it will be pulled, which I think is a fair estimate.
Which is why I will repeat the heading of this post: I need as many people as possible to subscribe over on SubscribeStar. Losing Itch means losing half my monthly income. Yesterday, before all this started, I was at about 154 subscribers on SS. To patch the hole, accounting for fees and whatnot, I need at least 100 additional subscribers. I'm currently sitting at 160, so 94 to go. This is at a bare minimum: I have "runway" as they say for a few months, but medium to long term I can't continue operating without at least this much.
However, it's worse than that. I basically had a two-mode financial/income model. First, support on SS and a modest but steady flow of continued purchase of previous games brought in enough to cover basics and have a little breathing room on a monthly basis while I was developing the next game. But second, like a farmer, I would (as far as this second mode was concerned) work for "no" money for a while, coax a crop to harvest, and then publish a game and get very large (for me) payoff over the course of a few months, which I would then squirrel away and slowly sip from in case of emergency as I worked on the next chapter.
Do you see the issue? Even if I can stabilize the monthly enough to survive, without itch there will be no harvest. I will release chapter 3 to...nothing. Subscribers get it for free, as they should.
And it's even worse than that. Half the point of Itch was its network effect. People would just be browsing and see a CS game. Not going to happen anymore. People would buy another horny game, see CS in their recommendations, and buy it too (I got a little bump any time any new nsfw game came out). Not going to happen anymore. I have built up a network of my own of over 4000 followers on itch. Followers that see update posts. Followers that show up when the game comes out and buy it. How many of those are going to follow me over to Furaffinity or here? Probably not all.
So, this boils down to one thing. I am going to ask all of you, if you have the money, to do something you should never, ever do.
I'm going to ask you to pre-buy a video game.
If you want to play Chapter 3, "buy" it now by subscribing for a month. Because if enough people don't in the next few days/weeks, it probably won't happen. Tell any friends/enemies/family/etc you have that you know were also interested that they need to do the same. If you have any meaningful social media following on spaces that would care/be interested in these games, make a post. Get the word out, because Itch just silenced us all.
And let me be crystal clear, I can't guarantee shit on this. Making games is hard, and it's going to be harder with this added stress. I'd put my chances of finishing at pretty high, 80-90%, given my motivation, character and previous experience. But life, including my life, is chaotic. All I can do is the best I can manage. That's why I've doggedly avoided any king of pre-buy in the past. But we're past that now. We're into slimy Kickstarter territory thanks to the hell that is 2025. If you want CS 3 to happen, "buy" it now. Simple as that.
And of course, if you can afford to stick around long term, even better! Again, I need at least 94 more of you.
How many people will see this? How many people will actually sub? No idea. But again, I have about 4k followers on here. Presumably they all want Chapter 3. If we're optimistic and assume only 1k of that is dead accounts, and of the remaining 3k 2k are willing and able to go through the process of signing up and subbing, that's $20k (a little less after fees), which should be plenty to secure the completion of the game. Maybe they won't show up. Maybe more will (I got much more than my subscribers buying GT on release). Tell people. Spread the word. Subscribe.
(Edit 8/2/25: This offer is now concluded. The goal has been reached, and new subscribers from here on will now get the ordinary rewards, as detailed in the tier descriptions. That said, you can certainly still join, and support is appreciated, especially considering the way things are right now.)
That said, I'd also like to outline my situation, and why this is all...a bit dire.
For at least five years now, possibly a bit more, I've had "fatigue." NOT Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as far as I can tell, just a fatigue I can't pin down no matter how many things I have tested or lifestyle things I try to shift. It's physical, but triggered by certain kinds of stress in a really weird way. If you tell me "Hey, go dig a ditch in 80 degree weather for four hours", no problem (as long as it's alone and without any pressing deadlines). I actually was doing something similar to this earlier this year. On the other hand, if you shove me into a typical work environment with nightmare customers, boss, co-workers, constant fear of getting fired, rules that change every week etc, I struggle to last more than a few hours.
Five ish years ago when it started, pre-pandemic when I actually had two regular jobs, it was only a bite out of my normal working ability. Maybe 20% of the energy I could have spend racking up hours gone. But it's gradually become worse and worse, and it's at the point now where I'm not sure I could even work a normal "shit job" any more (retail, fast food, etc), which is all I can get.
I really, really didn't want to share this. I don't like talking about medical stuff in general, I was worried people would eye-roll as they often do ("what a baby, that's not a real thing, just stop being lazy"), I was worried I would hurt people's faith in my ability to finish the game. The games have been a godsend, because there are no co-workers (except for a few great people that help here and there) or bosses, and if I'm having a bad day I can just work less that day, and more the next. I'm fairly confident I can continue work on the game as I have been, assuming the money is there. And just in general, I didn't want people to think I was farming it, pity partying for cash.
But things are bad now. Gotta put the cards on the table. And we'll see where we end up.
Get Cruel Serenade: GutterTrash
Cruel Serenade: GutterTrash
| Status | Released |
| Author | bitshiftgames |
| Genre | Role Playing |
| Tags | 2D, Adult, Furry, Gay, NSFW |
More posts
- Cruel Serenade - GutterTrash 1.0.7 is up66 days ago
- Uh, why did the downloads for GT suddenly jump by 6x?76 days ago
- A quick poll: Where did you first discover Cruel Serenade?95 days ago
- No, using Paypal on Itch will not "Nuke" your account96 days ago
- Minor bug in previous version of 1.0.6Aug 03, 2025
- Heads Up: Itch will be complying with UK CensorshipAug 01, 2025
- Chapter 3 Progress UpdateAug 01, 2025
- Cruel Serenade - GutterTrash 1.0.6 is upAug 01, 2025
- Delayed updateAug 01, 2025
- Patreon adjustments (things are fine, just some tweaks)Jul 30, 2025
Comments
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The problem with SubscribeStar is that it is ruSSian... It has been created to bypass the law when ruSSians started getting sanctions for their horrific invasions of Georgia and Ukraine, just like Boosty is their alternative for PayPal and Patreon. Pretty much no one uses those services except people who want to dodge sanctions (usually ruSSians themselves, who still think they can support the horrific atrocities of their government and still be entitled to all the modern amenities of the civilized world) and those who have been shunned by the Western bloc, which now seems like fictional porn creators fall under (ridiculous and self-destructive) >_>
I wouldn't be bringing up "politics" and opposing this so much if I weren't from Ukraine myself... So by using those resources you'd be helping the ruSSian kleptocrat regime bypass sanctions and bring in hard cash into their economy so they can continue ordering foreign components to put into their missiles and kamikaze drones, which are then used on innocent Ukrainian civilians (like me) and most likely a few years down the line confused and unprepared Europeans too...
So yeah, I am pretty sure that THIS is why some banks will not work with those sites and payment processors - they flag them as illegal/risky according to the current regulations and sanctions on those countries, companies, and people in charge of those services. I hope that either the situation changes, or that you can eventually find an alternative that won't be paying transaction and currency exchange fees straight into Putler's pockets :\
Note: do not spam posts. I will let this one stand, and delete the others.
SubscribeStar is founded by a Russian. It is based in Wyoming, of all things, and does business via banks in the US and Europe. If it was a Russian business, it would be impossible for me to do business with it due to the ongoing sanctions.
It's fine, and understandable to have issues with Russia the country given what is currently ongoing. It is ignorant and destructive to broadbrush that attitude onto Russian PEOPLE. A great number of artists in this community are Russian, and have been severely impacted by the ongoing situation, both practically and by having their art incomes obliterated because of the sanctions. Cutting Russia off from SWIFT didn't just hurt the government (and actually the impact seems to have been minimal), it hurt ordinary people like you or me just trying to live their lives. It was a very dumb, very crude tool, and it mostly hurt all the wrong people.
SubscribeStar does not exist as a tool for Russians to bypass sanctions, and in fact even Boosty barely works for this anymore (again, I know this because I know Russian artists). SubscribeStar was created because many years ago a number of right wing talking heads were booted off Patreon and other platforms via coercion by payment processors for "reputational risk". Sound familiar? SubscribeStar stepped in to fill that gap, and also ended up doing a NSFW division because, even a decade ago, "platforms" were already starting to "deplatform" NSFW creators as well. A bunch of idiots cheered the "deplatforming" on at the time because "Right wing extremist bad!", "Degenerate porn bad!" etc etc, not realizing the knife would come for them too. Well, now it has. Censorship for anyone, INCLUDING YOUR ENEMIES is bad. Free speech MUST APPLY TO EVERYONE OR IT IS WORTHLESS. But idiots never learn this until the knife comes for them.
I am not SubscribeStar's accountant, but my assumption would be that a Wyoming company does not pay taxes to Russia, and cannot even process payments or payouts involving Russia for creators or subscribers at the moment. I cannot speak to the founder's personal finances. But to claim that to use SubscribeStar is to somehow fund the Russian government is inaccurate and inflammatory.
To repeat what I have said many times, SubscribeStar does not have payment processor issues because it is somehow a lackey of the Russian government, or funding them. It has these problems because it has existed, from the beginning, as a place to go for those unfairly targeted and denied business by the typical payment system despite doing nothing illegal, the EXACT SITUATION I and countless other NSFW creators currently find ourselves in. When you do business on a card network, you have to have a receivership bank. That bank sets the rules, not just (or even primarily) Visa. SubscribeStar has chosen banks that are more open to "risk", which allows them to continue to exist without being bullied every time a Karen throws a shit-fit, but it also means some small percentage of OTHER banks on the network will refuse to do business with them.
The problem here is not Russia. The problem is, again, the credit card cartel, in whatever manifestation it takes: Paypal, Stripe, Patreon and a dozen others. The fact that they INSIST on using their position to dictate morality to the general public. It's not about "excess chargebacks" or any other nonsense. They have appointed themselves a shadow-government over ordinary people, unelected and unaccountable, to ensure our "safety" by curtailing basic freedoms.
You are of course free to to business, or not to business, as you see fit. But it's exactly that freedom the payment processors want to destroy. From my perspective, SubscribeStar should be lauded, because it did what every other platform SHOULD have done but was too cowardly, greedy and ideologically stupid to do: support LEGAL creators and their right to make an income, even if certain groups of people disapprove of them. We do NOT want to live in a world where you can only operate a business 98% of the population approves of it.
This was posted in just one other place, since that is where I first found out about you using SubscribeStar, and later reposted here since it looked like a better fit for this topic... But fair enough, it wasn't my intention to spam.
I'll admit that I first did my research into Boosty, that one I dug real deep into and found a ton of dirt. I am happy that you also seem to acknowledge that what I said IS the case for that platform, so we don't really have a disagreement there.
As for SubscribeStar, you have some valid points. I started looking into it, quickly found out that it has russian roots (many russian businesses will register abroad and pull all sorts of tricks to hide their origin and allegiance, so registration alone doesn't really mean anything), then saw a few posts on russian-speaking forums with artists advertising it as a "domestic" alternative to all those "unfriendly western platforms and their unfair sanctions", and that was enough for me to blacklist the whole thing. I haven't looked into whether it operates in the same way as Boosty does, I simply assumed so since that is what people were advertising it as - a tool to bypass sanctions once they got removed from Western platforms after the new round of sanctions. It is possible that this is simply how russians are using it, and the few foreign artists on the platform see it completely differently. We'd also need to look into how they handle their finances, but I think ultimately this won't really change anything as from what I know there are no other alternatives.
The key difference and the thing I disagree on is that I believe in the concept of collective/shared responsibility. I know how their society works, I can speak their language and as such I see and hear what they talk about when it is just them. A lot of russian artists will pretend that they are "outside of politics" or are "too afraid to say anything" just to keep doing business with the Western audience. They get a lot of money and the westerners get a clear conscience and relatively low prices from doing business with the "good russians". But then the same artists will openly support the war if it is in a conversation with another russian (or someone they assume to be a russian based on the spoken language). I've had many russian friends like that, who showed their true colors only after the invasion has started... all the chauvinism and hatred when you refuse to bow down to their way of things, their world view. I am not saying there are no good Russian people, there certainly are. There also is a fair number of Russian artists who will put flags for Russian opposition, peace movement, or even "stop war" or "support Ukraine" slogans straight on their profile, or will at least state their opinion when asked, contrary to all the excuses from the ones who simply lie and dodge...
That said, it is still my belief that russian citizens are totally responsible for the atrocities of their government because it is their outright ideological support, profit-driven cooperation, or at the very least silent indifference that allowed all of this to happen. It isn't a million Putlers who are invading Ukraine now, but rather over a million russians who signed contracts with the Ministry of "Defense" and who are fine with slaughtering innocents for money... not to mention tens of millions who are voluntarily donating funds to keep their military going despite the wide-spread government corruption, and just about as many people assembling weapons and directly working for the government to prop up the current kleptocrat regime. So no, I totally believe in ALL sanctions that were placed on the russian people, effective or not. This war will end only when the population of the invading country PERSONALLY feels enough discomfort to stop supporting this slaughter or alternatively just start caring about "politics" enough to end Putler's rule. Remember, they can stop this at any moment and just go home, but every day tens of millions of them chose to sacrifice their own lives and futures to satisfy ambitions of their beloved "uncle Putler"/czar, most often because those ambitions coincide with their own >_>
But hey, that's just me... obviously this topic is very important to me as it directly affects myself and my family. Ultimately, I think we two have an understanding, so I'll just stop before this becomes even more political than it already is. You certainly have enough BS to deal with right now, so apologies for bringing up this mess too.
No problem. I appreciate the reasonable response. You also, obviously, have a lot to deal with right now, so best of luck to you as well.
I'll just clarify one thing: When the sanctions went into effect, they didn't happen all at once everywhere. There was a gradual cutting off of service, different places at different times. SubscribeStar was, from memory, one of the last to do so, but not by a meaningful amount. Maybe a month or two. This may have given the appearance of them being some kind of bridge, but they were not, at least for any meaningful amount of time. Their banks are willing to court higher risk, but they're still not going to flout US sanctions.
Itch should record all sales of games and send a bill to the payment processors for reimbursing customers of products that have been removed and 'stolen' Every game or piece of art you purchased in your library has a monetary cost, and credit card processors have essentially stolen that product from you, therefore you should have them repay you for the theft of said product.
They don't care.
Itch is a (MAYBE) one million dollar company. Valve is a 7 ish BILLION dollar company. Visa is a FIVE HUNDRED FOURTY BILLION dollar company. And effectively the ruling member of a cartel.
It's like petitioning the mighty pharaoh, living incarnation of the sun god Ra, because the shade from his new temple killed your crops. He'll probably just have you whipped or something.
That's not to be entirely fatalistic. It is certainly still possible for congress to regular VISA, albeit a SMALL possibility. It's also possible enough people being mad might make them back off a little, like the annoying sound of an insect in your ear. But lawsuits are kind of pointless. Itch has (in terms of being meaningful here) no money, and Visa has all the money in the world.
Itch may not be able to directly do something, but they can basically go to the government and detail the situation as Grand Theft by a Pair of Massive Multibillion dollar companies, do this in every country this can be involved in, and Visa and Mastercard will not be able to ignore the cost of their actions.
There isn't really a generic "go to the government" option. The options are either a. Take Visa to court or b. lobby congress to pass regulation. Both of these actions are fueled by money, and Itch doesn't have any of note. They can "barely keep the lights on", figuratively. Ross's Stop Killing Games initiative only cleared its petition goal due to a well-timed miracle, and that was at attempt to act on a massive systemic defrauding of consumers across the whole industry for a decade or more now. No one is going to care, on a broad scale, about itch being shitty to a few of their customers property rights. Now of course in theory you could sue ITCH, rather than Visa, but again, kinda blood from a stone. Not worth it even if you could win.
Personally, MY armchair lawyering angle is that a case could be made for tortious interference, against Collective Shout and possibly dragging Visa into it. Interfering in a contract basically. But again, that would require money. Lots and lots of money, that Itch doesn't have, and that the creators effected certainly don't have.
Well, I signed up for SS, I hope it will help somehow and the game will continue to live.
Thanks! Appreciate people coming together on this, it's not a trivial ask, especially these days.
i'll have to wait for my pay but next month i'll probs sub, keep up with the posts to remind people but since it's end of the month maybe less people are able to do it now but if you remind them again in maybe a week they might be able to.
EDIT: Itch is still sending out emails about these posts so for now that's how me and probably others can keep up.
Problem is I may not be able to remind anyone in a week. If I'm banned, there's no listing on itch, no itch followers, no itch posts, no way to send out emails to said followers. Time matters here. Obviously if you have to wait for things to line up that's understandable. I would recommend "watching" me over on FA, again, in case this page, and notification system just disappears suddenly (such is the way itch does things).
I wonder if a game gets taken down, can the creator put up a new page with the same name (but a "safe" game or collection of screen images) so people who are out of the loop, maybe come back and search the game name can still find the creator?
Leave a trail of breadcrumbs for the future?
No way of knowing, no info from Itch. I'm operating under the assumption that if my games get banned, I am also banned, or at least put in the no-no box where I can't do much of anything. But even if not...notifications go out on a game by game basis. If you haven't downloaded the game, you don't get notifications. So my entire follower count would effectively be wiped once the games were nuked. Even if I made a placeholder as a way to get info out, I'd have to start from zero (and they probably wouldn't be happy with me doing so anyway, even if it wasn't otherwise against the rules.)
Unfortunately I can’t support you cause my stupid Visa card won’t allow me to. All I can do is watch for now since I’m unable to change my card for now. I wish you all the best and even though I can’t pay you for your hard work I’ll still keep an eye on you through Furaffinity.
Appreciate the effort. A question for you, as this comes up frequently: are you able to use that card on Patreon?
I use PayPal with patreon so I’m not sure if that is what allows it to work.
But are indeed able to to pay on Patreon with paypal? Yeah, paypal is suuuper repressive/censorial with their service, furry artist have had to tip-toe around them for decades now. And that's why they won't go anywhere near SS. But certainly something to consider.
Yeah I’m able to pay on patreon. I checked during my last response by subbing to Hyao, the creator of Lustful Desires and it went through fine. Maybe you try patreon as well.
Yeah, I've stayed away as Patreon is a lot more vulnerable to being nuked than SS is, and I was concerned most people would sign up there if I offered it, which meant if it got nuked, most of my sub base would be gone and I'd have to struggle through trying to rebuild it. But potentially something to consider now.
So this game that I already paid for by Itch is not sponsored additionally by SubscribeStar or I can't get any more updates on the game?..
So a few things.
1. Both the original Cruel Serenade and GutterTrash are complete, and have been for a while. Hopefully you already have a copy of the most recent versions.
2. Both games are delisted, but not banned outright, as of yet. I have VOLUNTARILY disabled the files for GT, as I don't want people buying the games on Itch right now. There is uncertainty about whether, if a game IS fully banned, itch will still allow a creator to withdraw the money made on that game. There are screenshots circulating suggesting this is not the case (IE, when a game is banned, they just keep whatever money they're holding on it). If you need a copy of the most recent version for whatever reason, "watch" me on FurAffinity (you should anyway to make sure you can keep getting info on the game when/if it's fully banned here) and "note"(dm) me there. I'll work on getting you a copy.
3. The third game in the series is currently under development, and for it to continue I need as many people over on SubscribeStar as possible, as, if banned, I will lose half my income. If you can't sub longterm, consider a simple one-time, one month payment of $10. If I can get a ton of those, that helps too.
4. Despite Itch denying it, there is significant evidence that once a game is fully banned it functionally disappears from the library of those who bought it. This was definitely the case with No Mercy, the game that sparked all of this. Those who bought the game on Itch now have a default thumbnail entry in their library, and no option to download.
Wow, okay, removing it from search results is one thing but actually removing the game we actually paid for is nothing short of criminal here. Looks like I ain't going to buy anything on itch anymore.
It's all kind of obscured by the fog right now. They've definitely completely removed at least a handful of games, but a whole bunch more, big ones, are just...sitting.
Meanwhile, if you need a copy of MY games, toss me a note/dm over on Furaffinity and I'll set you up.
On an instinct I backed up your latest updates but it's still baffling to see I was right about that. It's one thing when a service is completely cancelled and shut down - like the entire page. It would be more understandable. But a select handful of products? Is you car also gonna get blown up as soon as new regulations make it illegal? Ridiculous.
Ah, good then. Yeah, it's been interesting to watch unfold. Although honestly, the way they make cars now maybe it would be better if they did blow them up. Put them out of their misery.
I sadly can't support through Substar, my bank throws a fit about it, but is there any other way I could help support? Whether through a Ko-Fi or any other donation route? To add onto this though, I saw that you had to remove the main game's download, is there any way to download the game on another site if I've already paid here?
Are you over on FurAffinity yet? Toss me a "note" (dm) there and I can set you up with a copy if you've lost yours. 1.0.5 is the most recent version for GT.
As for other ways to pay, nope. They've all been cut. No more gumroad, no more ko-fi, no more paypal (I'd get nuked from orbit if they understood the nature of the stuff being sold, and I need paypal for other things.) Nothing else exists. It was just Itch, through various means, and substar. Now it's just substar. Technically crypto exists, but people are superstitious about it, and it's an enormous hassle to onramp and offramp all the time, for both me and my customers/fans.
I wish I knew why some banks just don't play ball. What are you on? Where are you located (generally)? Debit or credit card? I think the vast majority of people using a credit card in the US don't have any issue, but there are a significant number of people whose banks just refuse for whatever reason. Big bank, or credit union (they usually seem to care less)?
I did actually watch you on FA I believe yesterday, should be the same user name, I'll shoot you a note lol. As for my bank, I'm in the midwest and my bank is more small town local stuff. They nearly had a heart attack when I set up a PayPal and called me nearly every time I would commission an artist lo
Oh god. Something you may be interested in looking into: there are actually a variety of banks now that are fully online. They're not scams, fully FDIC insured and all (or the credit union equivalent in some cases). Many people use them for their high-yield savings accounts, as the fact that they don't have to maintain physical offices greatly reduces their operating costs and they pass on those savings, but you can just use them as an ordinary bank as well, complete with debit card in some cases. I bring this up because assuming you have at least mediocre credit, you can sign up for and use them from anywhere in the US. Obviously you're not going to go to all that just for my silly games, but I get the impression your current options are somewhat lackluster in general. Good terms, very competitive with each other, so it might be a way to get a less shitty bank, especially for operating in the modern world with things like Paypal and so on. Just google high yield savings account banks and you'll get a bunch of listings and rankings for the ones available at the moment and their offerings. Just a thought/possibility.
All that aside though, I'll take a look at my FA notes.
I'll have to look into it a bit more later on, being in small town USA in the middle of farm country tends to limit a lot of my options lol
Its probably only going to be for a couple months but I did the 30$ tier hoping to make up what little difference I can so you can get the next chapter out atleast.
Definitely appreciated!
i upgraded my tier on substar, i wish i could do more but my own financials are already hard to keep up with. but what i have been doing is spreading the word to everyone i can, i want the mainstream social media people to pick up on this and cause such a crapstorm for those corpo assholes and the puritan cult supporting them that the companies are forced to reverse their decisions based on stock prices alone.
as for those collective shout jerks, i'm tempted to learn how to properly use twitter and fb and all the other social media for the first time in my life just to try and dig up dirt on them. guarantee the individuals behind the logo are all scummy examples of human beings if they're trying this hard to control other people. tyrants always are
but there are petitions going on right now trying to gather support, and there is even a Bill slowly going through Capitol Hill since February this year that is designed to address this exact problem, (which no-one really knew about until this crap hit the fan of course but at the very least it exists), and we can refer to it in our arguments against Visa, Paypal, Mastercard, and anyone else who tries to tell us how we can or cannot spend OUR money
https://www.change.org/p/tell-mastercard-visa-activist-groups-stop-controlling-w...
https://action.aclu.org/petition/mastercard-sex-work-work-end-your-unjust-policy
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/401
Thanks, and definitely, only pay what you can actually afford. I appreciate the support though. Like I've said elsewhere, there has been some reporting from the typical youtube news channels, so that's something at least.
This whole situtation is terrible, and I really hope it gets resolved soon and in a way that supports creators. I'll be subscribing shortly, and will try to keep doing so as long as it's feasible for me. Especially as someone in a vaguely similar situation, and someone who loves your work.
But I am curious as to how the "pre order" thing will work out. How're you planning on fulfilling that, especially for those who're only able to stay subscribed for a short amount of time. I apologise if I come across rudely or insensitive (which is definitly not my intention I am legitimately just curious on how you'll go about doing so, especially with the concern for which storefronts could be used in future).
It's just a leap of faith (which is really what Kickstarter etc are anyway). Tried to be clear on that. If you mean "how will people who 'pre-bought' the game collect it once it's out if they're no longer on the substar?", my plan is probably something like wait a few days to see where all the new sub stuff lands, then reach out to everyone on the substar and ask everyone who "pre-bought" (ie, just planning to sub for a month or two) to send me an email saying so with their substar username. I'll put that in a list, and then email everyone a copy once the game's ready. Something like that. And of course everyone who's in the substar when the game is finished will get it automatically.
Subbed on star! <3 i hope you continue your amazing work with this game.
Thanks!
Absolute nightmare, genuinely sorry you're having to deal with this, and to hear about your health issues. I've subbed.
By the way, I've always wanted to say what great games Cruel Serenade & GT are. There's genuinely nothing else like them.
Thanks, and appreciated. When you're making something it's easy to see all the flaws, and I always say the games are about 50% of what I'd actually want to make (but even that is good!) But I'm glad they have that "hit" to them that makes them stick in the mind. A bunch of people have said "I thought of you as soon as I heard the news"...you guys are gonna make me tear up again.
just wanted to say i will be subbing to your SubscribeStar again i used to been supporting for about 2 years but paused for a bit. just have to wait till end of month. was really looking forward to third chapter so i do really hope it comes out. Also yes it does not allow people who buy it on here to download form my library it just says "nothing to download" .
was the 3rd chapter meant to finish the storyline between the 1st and 2nd as well or was more planned
Thanks, much appreciated! Cruel Serenade is actually planned as a FIVE part series, 3 is the halfway point, featuring a bunch of subplot stuff in haven as well as a somewhat unusual (but still very filthy) setting this time (spooky spooky, magic, and big werewolves that manhandle you). It's a very boo halloween kind of thing. The news posts on it are still up for now, take a look if you don't mind being spoiled a little beyond what I've said here.
We will win! #SaveItch.io!
Well, let's work on saving the games and the creators. Itch can...deal with the consequences of their actions, as we all must.
help, I can't download the game anymore and I bought it a few months ago
Where can I get the game again?
Replied to your other post, please refer there.
It's been a while since I bought your games, suffice to mention I greatly enjoyed them in all aspects, though I'll openly admit I kinda forgot about them or that part 3 is in development. You know how it goes.
Where I'm going with this, I feel like I've had more fun with them than I had with many other (more expensive) games, indies included, so I won't mind supporting you over on whatever platform remains open.
Appreciate it. https://subscribestar.adult/bitshift. Hop on over when you can, if you haven't already. Gotta see how many make it to the bunker, and if it holds.
Already did, just using a slightly different nick there
From what I've read, you're itch followers probably wont go anywhere, your game just doesn't come up in search anymore.
There are multiple ways to interpret this, so I'll cover them all. If you mean "no one will see this", obviously you and others did. My understanding is posts like this send out an email notification, at least for those who have them on.
If you mean "they won't do anything to your followers, page, or games, you're just not in search anymore", I urge you to read up on the situation a little more. All (almost all, some 20k) NSFW games are currently deindexed PENDING REVIEW of whether they match the new draconian guidelines. Most almost certainly will not. Mine probably won't. Some have already been nuked, and more will doubtless follow.
Third, meanwhile having no network effect effectively kills the game here anyway, because there's no discovery mechanism.
I know one page that could work for nsfw games, but since it also hosts pirated content I won't drop names (I know few devs drop demos and free version of their games there instead)
Lol, I'm probably thinking of the same one, and that's an interesting idea. Actually I think some devs have already been exploiting it for network effect for a while now come to think of it. But man, rough crowd there. They kinda resent anyone for charging for anything ever (which makes sense, it's a piracy forum after all).
Still, like I said - a few devs kinda "hijacked" the threads to post the demo and free versions of their games instead of the pirated ones (which in most cases are released in other places too. If you release chapter 3 gradually you might get some use out of it).