*GENRE TAGS WILL BE UPDATED AS CONTENT IS INCLUDED*
Here it is after almost seven months, the release of Version 0.3. Most of the changes are under the hood, as I have codified most of the game’s mechanics. With the code streamlined and the various modules in place, I can focus on adding content exclusively. The following changes have occurred:
The Interface now has a nice, crisp window that is no longer the default RPG Maker window. While not too intrusive, it is aesthetically more appealing than the generic box.
Many locations have been expanded or relocated outside the hotel and a world map is now implemented. The magnitude and scope of the game made trying to cram everything into one building both clumsy and unfeasible. It would have been a navigation nightmare to keep it that way. The project is becoming its own living world and it demanded the same level of breadth. This will come into play later in development as more NPCs and other functions are implemented. Thus, Mel’s Bar now exists as a separate room in the hotel, rather than a shared, generic asset on the 2nd floor landing. Mel will become significant to the main story and it was not feasible to keep her in a generic location. Penny’s shop have been moved to a mall, which is a new area to explore. Penny also has the beginnings for her quest line started, which will be updated in later builds. The Carnival is now in its own location outside the hotel. The Lab has been relocated to its own building and its quest revised to reflect the fact that the place is no longer a secret. It became absurd to keep it a secret when one of the core elements of the backstory is people getting body mods. Locations for major fetish content have their own hotspots on the world map for easy access.
Game Mechanics have been rectified. While there is still work to be done, the coding needed to stabilize the game’s handling of stamina is in place. While not fully implemented as of this build, the foundation is in place to allow for easy insertion of new events.
Game Options have been simplified and rectified. The worst part of the prior builds was how the early code handled turning controversial fetishes on and off. It was clunky, confusing and just plain terrible. With a combination of Yanfly’s scripts and my own hand at coaxing RPG Maker, I have created a much easier, user-friendly means of toggling options on or off. It could be better, but the card system was trash and it had to go.
New NPC: Simone. The generic front desk clerk has been replaced with Simone. Simone will have content added in later releases. She was previously the unnamed croupier in the casino. The casino will receive its own NPC at a later date.
Smartphone Mechanic. The Smartphone is given to the player at the beginning of the game and is in the Key Items menu. Multiple functions are available and are planned for the device. At the moment, it is used for the Fetish Options mechanic and replaces the Training Log from prior builds. Players can now check on the experience levels of their body parts without the need for a separate item. In future builds Tutorials will be replayable from the Smartphone for easy reference.
Streamlined Introduction (in progress). The interactive intro was nice in theory, but I grew distracted with it, compared to the main game. I can only imagine the player feeling the same way. Thus, I am reducing it to a series of cut scenes. This release does not have the full intro as of yet, only the final scene. The intro will give the full backstory in future builds.
As stated in the title, this release marks the 1 Year Anniversary for the project. I have put in hundreds of hours and spent a great deal of money on assets to get the project to this point and open the doors for future development. However, I must admit that my year has been rocky to say the least. Personal affairs prevented me from dedicating the time I wished to on the project. I also jumped the gun royally earlier this year by activating Patreon before having a big enough fanbase to justify the effort. In retrospect, should the fanbase expand, I will most likely go with SubscribeStar Adult to avoid the Moral Guardian hypocrisy of Patreon. Advertising the game has been a great challenge for me. The forums I normally peruse that would help me advertise the game are in the doldrums, which I blame the COVID nonsense for. The pandemic has wrecked everything. The greatest challenge to my project is, of course, finding an artist that will stick through the whole development cycle. The ugly reality is that my project will never leave beta without art. I am not an artist. I am a writer first and a programmer second. I cannot draw. This game begs for custom art to match the colorful characters I have created and those I still have in development. I won’t get into any details regarding how genuinely difficult such a search is, just know that it has been brutally hard at the moment.
With the magnitude of changes in the game, it is IMPERATIVE that all players MUST start a new game. OLD SAVE FILES ARE NO LONGER COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEW BUILD AND WILL CRASH THE GAME. The reason for many of the backend changes is to minimize the number of times a player must start over due to code revisions. Hopefully, this will be the only time it is needed.
With the beginning of the second year of development, I am cautiously optimistic in regards to the future of the project. My releases will be somewhat irregular due to other responsibilities, but I do not plan on another seven month gap between them. New features are in the works and I plan to flesh out the characters in the upcoming releases. The main story that I have advertised will also appear over the next few releases. To the handful of people that are watching my project, I thank you for your support and I hope you continue to support the project in the near future as the game continues to evolve.
Dxasmodeus