DISCLAIMER: Before you vote, please read the options properly. Don't just vote for the headers, make sure you know what you're getting.
So as you guys know I like to do a big Christmas release every year. It used to be the case, a couple years ago, that for a release on the 25th of December I could start producing on say the 5th of December and just crank out renders for 20 days straight. Usually that would net me a set in the 80-100 render range and it'd be fine to publish that same day as I finished it.
These days, things are different. Not only does A3D need my sets earlier, the amount of content in a set has also inflated. And each render has become more intensive to produce, often requiring me to run hair and clothing simulations on a timeline in order to get everything looking right. So the amount of time I spend per image has gone up substantially. This means that if I want to release something of acceptable quality on the 25th, I need to get to work on it basically on November 1st and just spend the next six weeks on it.
And this year, there's an extra curveball.
As I've mentioned, I start October a little bit on the back foot, since I need to spend a day in the hospital following surgery and I can't predict how fast recovery will be. It might well nuke a full week off the entire month, leaving me only three effective weeks to do work in. Alternatively I might be completely fine, back home on the evening of the 3rd, and ready to get back to work. Third scenario, I feel fucking great! The goal of this surgery is to get my energy back, after all, and I might be way more productive than I've been these past two years.
So October is sort of a could-be-anything month. First off I need to spend it wrapping up the Taylor/Jordan set, and then after that I probably have a week or two left in which I can do just about anything. So this poll is about how I want to spend my time. What do I do with October, and how do I work towards the December release.
There's a few options, and I'll let you guys vote:
Option 1 - Go big for Christmas on a brand new hardcore set
I add whatever time is left in October to my production for December. This means you'll basically get a period of about two and a half months where I do nothing but work on the same set. I imagine this would be something similar in size to ONS/ACE I did two years ago, but rather than spread that out from August to March like I did then, just hash it out in one go from October to December.
Option 2 - The first part of the Breanna/Mari wedding set
This is one I've been considering but am not sure about. For one, because a part of me prefers to save this for spring 2025, because I like to release summery sets during summery times. But secondly, I could not get the entire set done by Christmas 2024 even if I started in October. This is going to be a HUGE set in multiple parts.
Why? Because it features the entire Lust Unleashed cast. I've never done a set this big. The logistics of it are insane. Plus, it has a story element, so I need to make the comic as well. I do think it's a big landmark moment in the LU story so it'd definitely make a good Christmas release for that reason, but it wouldn't be super hardcore. That's probably part two. This would be more erotic.
Option 3 - Work on Kayla's animation rig in October, do something more modest in size for Christmas
This is sort of the compromise option. I need to find time to work on Kayla's animation rig, which is almost impossible to do between the repeated deadlines of set production. I could opt to do this next year, but then in 2025 somewhere I will have to take the time to work on this. It would be posted here on Patreon is more technical WIP content, not as finished animations. Not trying to make this option sound unappealing lol but it just is what it is.
If this option is chosen I will start work on November 1st on a more conventional set that isn't super ambitious in scope. Still big but stand-alone. It could have a story element but it wouldn't be from the wedding arch. We can discuss that further if this one proves the most popular option.
Option 4 - Two sets, a smaller one and a bigger one
So instead of working on Kayla's rig, I would spend October working on something a little more fun. Just a little creative thing off to the side. I've been thinking about doing some instagram style glam photography with the ladies, show off their curves and their bodies in fancy lingerie in luxurious settings. Would be a lot of fun to make, for sure, and also give me a chance to really show off my rendering more than focus on sex. This is actually the type of content that I love to make but feel I don't make enough of.
And then starting November 1st I would start working on the bigger set for a Christmas release, same as in Option 3. We could further define what that is if this is the most popular option.
That about sums up the choices I think. Let me know!