It’s been one whole year since the release of robo-tea:1cup! and I had no idea that this small visual novel would reach more than my friends. The initial response to my game probably was way better than I expected, thanks to you friends for sharing it! Many people mentioned they played it to relieve stress and help them through anxious moments, and it was nice to know I met one of my goals: creating a safe space within this game.

With all your responses and encouragement, I had the chance to see that even though I’m just a small robot, I could make some impact! A month later, I made an update with a Vals route, which hadn’t been a set goal for the project. I had played with the idea before release, but thought that I wouldn’t be able to do Vals justice. It was the interest others showed in her that helped me feel like I could do that.

(I also interviewed for a job about a month after releasing robo-tea:1cup, and started working in April.)

I got the chance to show my game at a local event, Sacramento Indie Arcade, and my game received a lot of attention from kids and young adults. I’m always happy to see that I did make a game that would’ve been good for high school me. One of the reasons why I pushed so hard for this game was because I needed calm queer romances, back when I was super impressionable and looked up to the media I consumed. I don’t go over it much, but I messed up a lot of relationships in high school because of that.

In June 2016 I released robo-tea:1sip, as thanks for appreciating my game and wrapping it around you when you need it most. I knew that there were people who wanted to play robo-tea:1cup, but weren’t able to pay for it. I tried to make it so anyone could pick 1sip up, and understand the characters and relationships from the main game.

After that, the next major event for me was GaymerX, aka GX4. Going there was a goal/dream for me. I told myself in 2013 that I’d go there someday with a game that I’d made, and 2016 was the year! Meeting so many people and seeing them enjoy robo-tea:1sip right in front of me was both embarrassing and moments of pride. Seeing people who I didn’t know, playing my game and smiling at all the silly things I put in it, filled my head and heart with happiness.

Inspired and encouraged, I worked on robo-tea:2ndServing right after that.

What I hadn’t expected was the difficulty of keeping up the same schedule I’d had back when I was unemployed. Being a full-time graphic designer took a lot more energy than I’d originally thought, too. So when the 2016 election results came in, it felt like another thing sapping up my strength to do anything.

That night changed the course of this project. The immediate change? robo-tea:1cup! stopped requiring $1 for access to the game. The long-term changes are still being uncovered and discussed with friends. I realize that where I’m at in life right now, I can probably make things on a pay-what-you-want scale, which I couldn’t have imagined back in 2015. Thanks to my friends and their concern for my well-being, I also need to reconsider the pace at which I create. There’s not much point in planning a long-term game series if I’m not alive to see others enjoy it.

I attended a smaller con in December 2016, Sac Gamers Expo, and once again... I keep seeing kids enjoy my game. I also saw a coworker there, who bought my game! That was awesome! And while I was inspired again to work more on 2ndServing, the fatigue and stress I’d gained from November still there. I can’t believe that I managed to get a demo out for it, to be honest.

And that’s kind of where I’m at right now.

A lot of the time since 2017 started, I’ve been tired and sick on-and-off. I don’t have the same time and energy to put into a game like I did when I was unemployed.

No matter what, I still want to finish the series I started. I want to do it right, though.

I look forward to sharing many cups of robo-tea with you, and hope you’ll stay excited for the 2ndServing, whenever it is ready. (and also that Misten game that was supposed to be the Valentine’s game.)

if you just wanna know what to expect on 2/14, expect something short and sweet, a get-to-know the characters thing for the bots you’ve been waiting for, Misten!

and now, for a tiny refresher.

in 2015, I lost my job. During the down time between applications, I began working on my first full dating sim (robo-tea:1cup). because of ample amounts of time and desperation to not let myself wither away, I was able to complete an okay game within the span of 10 or so months.

in 2016, I was not prepared for balancing a full-time job with gamedev, all while trying to look after my own well-being. I also didn’t expect all the weird life-draining stuff that is still affecting me in 2017.

robo-tea2 is not where I want it to be right now, and will not be ready for valentine’s day. not even a half of it. if I’m going to do the queer poly robot romance game, I want to make sure it’s a full experience.

I also want to give you a date to look forward to, but I don’t want to let you down again.

what I can for sure say is that a beta version of robo-tea2 will be at QGcon in April, and that no matter where it’s at, I will bring it to that event.

(kinda hoping it’s done by then, but we’ll see)