First off, guys, I'm way behind in my email. If you've sent me mail and haven't gotten a response, I do apologize, I'll get back to you within the week, I promise.
Second, I was asked four questions in the comments section of my last post... which is pretty appropriate for this time of year (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, well, obviously you're
goyische.) Answers:
1. Does this mean no more updates until the fall?Maybe. See below, in the "future in your hands" section.
2. Is this the end of the free material?Maybe. See answer to previous question.
3. Will we be seeing more of Ashton?Yes. In addition to the Operation game (which I still may release as a video), Ashton and Mia played Strip Twister, Strip Battleship, and Strip Jenga. Plus, I got material for an interactive RPS with Ashton similar to Mia's. All of this will be produced at some point... probably.
4. Will SGU be free?Definitely not, but it'll be cheap. At least part of it will be. The "branching storylines" part of the trailer is no joke; in just the footage I've already taken there are dozens of different outcomes along different paths. (For example, the "go outside" forfeit is offered by Anna if you are losing pretty badly. To make her venture outdoors in the buff, you'll need to stage a comeback.) You'll be able (for free) to play the games right up until they get interesting. For a very modest fee, you'll be able to unlock the game to full nudity. But all those branches (and forfeits) need to be unlocked as well. You unlock them with "tokens". You win tokens by winning games, but you can also purchase tokens.
So what of the remaining free content? Well, that brings me to the subject of donations.
Now, I absolutely
hate begging for money, and I'm not going to do it for much longer. I think perhaps I haven't been very clear what I've been trying to accomplish by asking for donations. What I'm
not trying to accomplish is to make a profit. The pace of donations has been a little disappointing, but even in my most optimistic wildest dreams, I'd never collect enough donations to even come close to covering costs, let alone compensate me for my time. I'm asking for donations as an experiment, so I can learn something about my target audience and its willingness to pay for this content.
The experiment is coming to a close.
Wednesday, April 11 will be the last day I will solicit or accept donations. If you've wanted to donate but have been putting it off, this is your last chance. After next Wednesday, I'll look at the number and amount of donations I've received and decide the future course of LostBets.com. The more donations I get, the lower I will set my eventual price... and the more free content I'll produce. It's up to you guys.