There’s a lot to cover in this update, but first, we owe you an apology. We’ve been silent on rewrite progress, the Patreon alpha, and the open alpha release schedule for the past few months. Between real-life obligations and managing the intense bug-fixing demands of the Patreon access period, we simply didn’t have the capacity to keep everyone informed. We’re sorry for leaving you in the dark.
Now, let’s dive into what’s been happening and what’s next.
What We’ve Learned from Patreon Alpha
The Patreon alpha has kept us incredibly busy over the past few months—and it’s been invaluable. We discovered several game-breaking bugs along with countless smaller issues. More importantly, watching players interact with V2’s new systems revealed design flaws we hadn’t anticipated, giving us the insight we needed to make crucial improvements.
Rollovers
The most frustrating and persistent issue has been rollovers. Due to their complexity, it was nearly impossible to test them as thoroughly as we needed before the Patreon period began. They’ve caused the most headaches, though we’ve fixed many of the major problems. A few optimizations still need to be resolved as well.
Show System Redesign
We also discovered issues with the new show system design. Our V2 changes were intended to let players start their horses’ show careers younger, but in practice, we made some important miscalculations. The good news? These are fixable with targeted tweaks that we believe will create a more engaging and enjoyable experience. These changes are currently in development.
An Important Announcement: Temporary Shutdown in January
We’ve made the difficult decision to temporarily shut down the alpha V2 game for the month of January. We’ve already informed our active Patreon members and are providing alternate in-game compensation for the lost access time.
This wasn’t a light decision, and we want to be completely transparent about why we made it.
Our Journey
I (Whitney) recently looked back through our old messages to find when Lydia and I first discussed what would become Legacy. That conversation happened on October 30, 2014; we’ve been working on this game for 11 years. Active coding began in September 2020, with the major rewrite starting in April 2024.
Throughout these 11 years—especially the past 5 years of active production—neither of us has taken more than a week off from the game at a time, and those breaks have been rare. We’ve poured everything into this project because we’re deeply passionate about it. But working nearly non-stop on something as complex and mentally demanding as Legacy will eventually take its toll, no matter how much you love what you’re doing.
Where We Are Now
Both of us, but especially myself, desperately need a real break. I need to be honest: I’ve lost most of my motivation and enjoyment for working on Legacy. For the past several weeks, I’ve been doing the bare minimum and making very little progress. Occasionally, I’ll have a week where I feel more energized, but overall, my output isn’t meeting my own standards.
I can’t continue down this path. What used to bring me joy has become a chore and an obligation. I’m even starting to resent the time I spend on it, and that’s not fair to the game, to Lydia, or to any of you. Something has to change.
We truly believe this break is necessary for both of us to recover and rediscover our passion for this game we’ve spent over a decade building.
What’s Next
We’ll be posting another update in early February with:
- The status of the game post-break
- Our plans for the remainder of the Patreon access period
- An updated public access release schedule
Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and for being part of this journey with us. We’re grateful for this community and excited to come back refreshed and ready to make Legacy everything we’ve envisioned.