i haven't posted on GJ in a while and truth be told i've been putting it off for a while as, quite frankly, things have not been going well and i've been dreading having to give an update like this. however, seeing as it's been an obscene amount of time since my last status update, i feel like i atleast owe it to you all to be a little transparent

last year i've gone through a lot of life changes, both in regards to myself as a person and my life in general, and while i'd rather not get into specifics as it's deeply personal, all i really Can say is it's had me basically unable to really work on anything. both literally and mentally - alot of my free time now is spent less on personal projects like my gamedev or comic ventures and more spent towards doing work to pay my expenses, and even when i do get the opportunity to work on my personal projects, i'm too exhausted to Want to, and when i force myself to work on something when i'm not at 100%, quite frankly i end up making garbage, and i don't want to be *that guy*. i want CTI's final update to be a proper sendoff, not something made purely to satisfy an imaginary quota in my head.

as of late things have gotten somewhat better. i've worked on myself extensively, learned alot about myself and my fallings as a person and took a bit of initiative and worked towards surrounding myself with a setting that won't stress me out, and while things are still quite rocky (still jobhunting unfortunately), i'm at the very least not facing homelessness anymore. for what its worth, things are better, and i feel like that's good enough for me.

however to progress, i feel like i need to lighten my load a little. i've dreaded doing this. ever since CTI dropped i've dreaded making things to my own taste as now i have a lot of expectations to meet, and right now i've promised a lot of people a lot of things, and i'm unfortunately not able to satisfy everyone.

good news first, for like 99% of you this won't matter. even in my current state i've gotten CTI 1.2 to what is effectively its most finished state. every system is working and i've even added a lot of additional bells and whistles, some of which were things i didn't even know i could manage in a project i basically slapped together in a weekend 2 years ago. i'll likely have to skimp out on a cinematic ending cutscene for something easier to produce (also player skins are out of the question, they're kind of pointless with a game with such little replay value and with how easy the game is to mod pretty much anyone who wants a custom spritesheet can just do it themselves) but other than that, you'll be getting exactly what you asked for, minus the gigantic ending cutscene i had scripted out in favor of something a bit shorter and condensed.

bad news is spongebob treasure hunt's content patch / sequel, "The 2004 Patch", is going to have to be canned for the time being. CTI is an old project (hell, right now its project file is inaccessible due to GMS2 updating lol) but it was, at the very least, made in my current engine of preference. spongebob treasure hunt was made on an engine from 2011 using its trial license, made by a nix that had next to no idea what they were doing. the engine barely loads properly anymore without blowing up my PC with constant popups. i've ported it to GMS2 just fine, and it works great there - much smoother experience just by virtue of it being ported to a modern engine - but unfortunately the process of converting it wasn't perfect and alot of how GMS2 set up the project is pretty much alien to me, and the process of adding content to it is basically a gamble whether it'll break everything or not. not to mention - seeing as my mindset towards making creepypasta has shifted in the years between its release and now, its whole semi-ironic shitpost story isn't something i'm proud of, nor something i particularly want to go through with. i hate saying this as alot of what i've already done for 2004 patch is stuff i'm exceedingly proud of, but for the sake of my own mental health and time, it's a dead end, and it'd be best to just release it in its current state than try to salvage it. i'd rather start something new, and if i don't just commit to it now then 2004 patch will just be in a limbo where it'll likely never come out from, so i'd rather just outright move on from it instead of leaving everyone in the dark.

what you'll be receiving is two versions of spongebob treasure hunt. the first will be the updated version of the game, with all of the 2004 patch's content left inaccessible. this means you're going to be getting a version of spongebob treasure hunt with a much better framerate, a modified Inner Sanctum (i'm not proud of how Inner Sanctum is designed like a kaizo mario maker level, it's really unfitting) and a completely revamped final boss + ending cutscene.

the second version will be the unfinished 2004 patch. this contains a second 'campaign' accessible from the very beginning (the way to reach it should be very obvious) with a playable Patrick, new stages, better pixel art, new music, a new boss, and some terrible worldbuilding that i wrote on the spot years ago LOL. i think there's an f bomb in there so be careful for that.

i'll also be releasing the 2004 patch's OST on soundcloud too for those who, for whatever reason, listen to creepypasta fangame ost's unironically. no shade but the visual of that kills me every time i think of it lol

as for CTI, 1.2 will be happening very soon, and albeit with a single cut corner, you're getting what you want. achievements. new levels. new monsters. new music. a few secrets. achievements. it is, effectively, a sequel, and hopefully it'll serve as a proper sendoff for a dopey little game that so many people enjoyed. i've given myself a one month deadline to get the project fixed and the update finished and ready for release. you're not going to have to wait another 10 months - it's happening, for real. promise.

as for SSTH, after posting this update i'm going to package the two versions. the unfinished 2004 patch will likely be given its own page, while the other version will be released as an update to the existing treasure hunt page. i am sorry if this isn't a satisfying sendoff for the game, but i atleast want to give you all Something instead of just leaving what is effectively a 75% finished sequel to rot on my hard drive. at some point i want to go back to the concept and have another crack at it, making a new creepypasta game - something more fun to play with better controls, prettier settings and an actual attempt at a plotline - so at some point you'll have that to look forward to.

TL:DR - CTI 1.2 drops May. Treasure Hunt's 2004 Patch is put on indefinite hiatus. In its absence, I'm releasing both the unfinished 2004 Patch, as well as an update to the base game that adds 2004 Patch's QOL changes and revamped finale.

for those of you that stayed patient, you have my genuine gratitude. these projects are things i've promised to make and, given my status, i shouldn't have promised them and gotten people's hopes up. i am sincerely grateful for the amount of support i've received despite my absence and i sincerely hope you enjoy CTI 1.2 and Treasure Hunt's update when they're available, and i hope you'll all enjoy what i have in store afterwards. game dev isn't my calling, truth be told, it's just a hobby to me, but i do not plan on stopping my gamedev pursuit any time soon.

thank you for reading lol.