Floating three

It's pretty obvious that this is the third 'floating' post, and you've probably noticed that they've all been one after another. Given the years-long tradition of coming up with semi-random post titles and images, this may have some of you wondering what's going on. Basically, nothing. This is pretty much the result of me randomly deciding to make three images instead of one. I have to admit, it does save time. Perhaps I can name version 0.37 the "Floating Release" but with a new model. In any case, I'll probably go back to my normal randomness after the release because it's fun. :D

The good news so far is that Besty and Anenn have been faithfully chugging toward a happy release next week. The bad news is that I've been falling more and more behind. I'm hoping a last-minute death march will get me caught up by release time. Unfortunately, I've been slammed with things like filling out 200 pages of paperwork (literally, thankfully mostly digitally) and getting fingerprinted. Taking care of things that depend on local offices/services is extra slow because of covid, and it's already Guam I'm dealing with...

The worst part is that it's a rush to get all these tasks done as soon as possible, only to wait for other parts of the bureaucratic process to be completed. We'll be flying away from Guam for good in about 4 weeks, but we have to wait on our travel orders to get finished before we can really do much like start real estate paperwork or schedule the movers.

The process of moving sucks, it's basically some sort of unwritten law.

Our freelance erotica writer has been having some writer's block, which isn't great news, but she also has a tendency to come through once pressure mounts, so I'm hopeful. We've also found another freelance writer to help us out with some sexier content, but she's just starting now so her words probably won't make it into version 0.37. That brings our stable of freelance writers up to 4, though we may go back down to 3 soon.

Freelance writing has been working out for us, especially when it comes to adding conversational content and more generic things. We pay pretty standard rates for freelance writing (with rate bonus for erotic content), so some people get to make some money, and we get extra content. It's a win-win. If you're interested, you're always welcome to drop by the discord and ask about it. You're also welcome to submit whatever kinky content suits your fancy, and we'll be happy to add it to the game as long as it follows some very basic rules.

Anyway, we should have a fun release for you guys in a few more days. The scheduled release date is the 5th. Because of my tight schedule, I haven't had much time to check over everyone else's work, so a lot of bug checks will be left until the last minute, which I hate. Rather than needing to do a bugfix release though, if it's bad, I'll just push the release back a day or so and let you guys know. I figure it's better to wait a day for a better release than get a buggy version and have to wait more days for a fix.

Thanks for reading my rambling, and thanks as always for your support!

ThaumX

Floating Two

Hello everyone, it's already time for another blog post... time really flies.

We've all been hard at work on version 37 as expected, as well as working on the reported bugs. I discovered an issue caused by the earlier changes I made to improve save stability, because of course changes to make saves more stable would result in them being broken. That's all fixed up now though, and I've loaded a ton of saves from random places and via backward compatibility to test. Everything seems to be working exactly as it's supposed to for once.

Anenn has made good progress on his work, so now he's able to start writing the surrogacy content for version 37. His tastes run that way, so I have high hopes for some fun content.

We also got some bonus writing done by Shadowkeeper for the Double Donger sex machine. It was originally supposed to have an insemination function, but that ended up not making it in. Thanks to Shadowkeeper's writing, we were able to make the Double Donger function as intended. You can now even buy bulk semen from the Prude store to refill your machine.

Besty has been adding a slew of neat things all around town, particularly when it comes to some of the stores we have downtown that have always been closed up until now. Nature's Treasury for all-natural supplements, the Squash Store for your ePhone needs, and others. He's also added some new job content for some of the main jobs to help keep things interesting at the daily grind.

I also think we'll have some fun interactions with the player's children, possibly including some fun things like breast feeding, coming from our freelance erotica writer. I'll be adding that stuff in as it gets written, I know it's something many of you have been interested in for a while now.

In more personal news, it seems my promotion and relocation is now official. We'll be moving from Guam back to the continental U.S. toward the end of August. Moving basically always sucks, but we're excited to live somewhere new. It's also good news for my family, because we'll finally have access to the medical resources we need.

In terms of game development, I'll probably have to limit myself to a more supervisory role for late august and early September. I expect things to return to normal once we get moved into a new place sometime after that. We'll still have two full-time developers and our freelance writer/s, so there shouldn't be a major drop in productivity; it won't be like work will grind to a halt or anything. Still, I'll be doing some planning and prep to keep things rolling forward smoothly. :D

I'll share some more details as we learn more, of course, but that's all for now. See you next week!

ThaumX

Floating One

We had some issues with the version 36 release, with some v35 code not being included in the builds which caused a plethora of bugs. Once we had the git issue resolved and some new v36 bugs fixed, it was time to get started working on v37. This month Besty and I are going to be focusing on content, content, content. :D

Anenn will also be working on some finishing touches in different areas, and then pivoting to adding some more content if there's time.

• We're going to expand the main story/quest line with more activities and dialog. 
• New events all over the place, focusing on jobs and game areas you see often to improve variety.
• Interacting with your children at the Appletree creche!
• A full stable of premade characters to choose from.
• Game Statistics to view from the menu or after a bad end. Now you'll know all the crazy things you got up to during your play through.
• Updates to the outfit selection controls after sleeping to remember your previous choice and make them look a little more attractive.
• If time, some of the surrogacy content.

It should be a fun update! 

On a more personal note, we're still waiting to find out more info on my potential relocation, we just have to wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to grind forward a bit more. We're preparing as much as possible so we can try for a smooth move; if it does we won't be moving until late August, perhaps early September. I'll likely be taking time off work, and we'll be using a moving company to transport our household goods back to the mainland, so it shouldn't have a giant impact on my AW time. It'll be really good in the long-run though, so it's definitely worth it.

That's all for now, thanks for your support and take care!

ThaumX

The Special Forces Bugfix Release - v0.36.1

There was a problem with the version 0.36 release, so here we are with a bugfix release. The issue stems from mistakes that Anenn made in git when he started working with us. Basically, he was switching back and forth between the development branch and master and pushing everything to the master. This caused no shortage of headaches for me at the time, but it also returned again to mess up our release. 

After we got the master branch under control, Anenn pushed some changes to the version 36 working branch that basically reverted it to the very beginning of June (because he didn't properly pull [update local files] from version 36, and instead pushed his out-of-date source into the branch). This resulted in our work from the last few days of version 35 development, including bug fixing, to be excluded from version 36. This, of course, caused several bugs to reappear that had been fixed in the version 35 release, but it also caused several new bugs because it had unfinished work for version 35 as well.

This bugfix release addresses all those issues, fixes the reported bugs in content new to version 36, and adds a few minor new things. Oh, and Anenn didn't listen and probably broke premade characters for now. He's a new code kitteh, so... it's a learning process.

Thanks for your patience with the buggy release, and thanks for your support!

New Stuff:

• New minor job events at several jobs (institute, poll riders, fairy tail)
• Some new location event text items
• Updated full-screen Muschi Valley map

The Combat Release - v0.36 Change Log

Hello everyone, it's finally time for the version 0.36 release!

We've got a bunch of new stuff for you in this release, a mixture of relationship content, world content, and new game functionality. This release also marks the end of the relationship phase we've been working on. There are some minor things that will see some attention and possibly some assorted relationship content added, but we're mostly done with relationships for now until we revisit them for marriage and other material at the beginning of next year.

The game functionality we've added is a mixture of things, all planned, but none considered critical. The biggest item is the addition of the NPC Template system, which allows you to create NPC templates by setting individual NPC variables, which the game can then use when generating NPCs instead of using the procedural generator. We've also cleaned up the settings menu for the NPC Generator, added some premade characters, and added banking to the game for savings, loans, and credit cards. We also made the changes to the AI discussed in this blog earlier in the month, improving the experience in dates and hangouts. 

Content-wise, we've added a variety of new things. A lot of it is related to relationships, kinky and otherwise, like some BDSM activities as well as marriage proposals and making vows. The "psycho in the woods" event had erotic content added, and Hanna the drug dealer now has a quest/storyline involving the owner of the SlavSquat Academy. Anenn has also fleshed out the cam-whoring side job with content to explore.

We spent a lot of time the last 4 weeks working on code, for both relationships and the game functionality additions. Still, we're still getting back into the swing of tracking time properly (or learning, in Anenn's case), so take these numbers with a grain of salt. Our goal for next month will be to actually track all of our work time :D

We hope you enjoy this release, and thanks for all your support!

ThaumX & Team

Change Log

Details:

Content: 2,421,604 words,  14,745,303 characters, 3,037 images

Code Lines: 202,638 Lines O' Code

Body Portraits: 64,880,640 combinations

Changes:

• Added the NPC Template system to the game.
• Allows players to create and edit templates of most NPC variables.
• Template groups can be exported as a single file for sharing and reuse.
• Templates are used to generate new NPCs using the same exact variables, rather than using the procedural generator.
• You can set the ratio of new NPCs that are created from templates rather than the procedural generator.
• Templates can be disabled and enabled during gameplay from the game settings menu.
• Individual templates can only be edited before starting a game.
• NPC templates will not be available in public releases prior to version 1.0.
• This is partly to reward our generous supporters, but also because the system allows the player to create all sorts of chaos if they wish, and that isn't suitable for a public-facing release yet.
• Updated the NPC Generator Settings Menu.
• The menu has a nicer appearance and is hopefully somewhat easier to use.
• The menu will remember the settings when you leave the menu and return.
• NPC Generator Settings can now be changed during the game!
• Players can now have their IUDs removed at the Gestique Clinic in the Medical District.
• The Government District of Appletree has had area descriptions and "look around" content added. 
• Four new logos for important facilities such as the public school system and creche.
• NPC class structure adjusted slightly to add on-demand calculated personality information.
• Premade Characters are now a thing (in a temporarily limited way).
• Currently, you can choose from three pre-made characters to start the game with rather than creating your own character in character creation.
• More options are planned, this is the first part of what is necessary for "Roleplay Challenge" modes. 
• A new Camurbate advertisement can be seen when using the "read something" activity in your home.
• Banking has been added to the game.
• The player can perform banking actions at the Faust and Indigo Dragon banks located downtown (east of the corporate park).
• The player can open three different types of accounts, each with its own functionality.
• The savings account will keep the player's money safe while slowly accruing interest.
• Like with a normal savings account, this interest rate is quite low, only a little over 1% annually.
• Currently, there are no events or situations where the player is robbed, this will change in the future. Savings account money is safe from such events.
• The player can apply for a credit card account, which works much like a normal credit card.
• Your credit card is used for purchases automatically when your funds are low,  and can also be used for cash advances.
• Interest is charged weekly, and paying off your balance before the end of the week will prevent interest from being charged on it.
• The interest rate is quite high, though the specific amount depends on your credit check results.
• The mandatory minimum payment is quite small, it will take forever to pay off your card if only the minimum payment is made.
• The player can apply for a personal loan, which gives them a one-time lump sum of cash.
• The loan is paid off with structured payments over the course of approximately one year.
• The interest rate is a good deal lower than with a credit card, but mandatory payments are likely to be higher because of the fixed loan term.
• The amount that can be borrowed, along with the interest rate offered, depends on your credit check.
• Added a credit check to the game that simulates the bank checking the player's credit score. 
• The player has a brand new identity and thus little credit, so the final credit score is largely based on existing assets and the player's income to expense ratio.
• There is no significant difference between Indigo Dragon and Faust, except that their offered rates and such can vary slightly from each other.
• Banks in Appletree definitely don't collude with each other, because that would be illegal. Perish the thought!
• Addiction has been modified to improve realism and playability.
• Addiction levels for non-drug addictions will decrease a limited amount every day. This will make it less likely for normal behavior to cause an addiction to cum/sex/creampies.
• Heavy sexual activity will still cause addiction, as intended.
• Drug addiction levels will decrease at a slower rate each day, but only while the addiction level is below 50.
• Addiction levels 50 and above must be reduced by going through withdrawal.
• Will allow the player to sample drugs for their benefits on an infrequent basis without starting an addiction.
• This hopefully will help solve the issue where players unintentionally end up with addiction despite fairly ordinary behavior. We will likely need to tweak the rate of decline, which is based on a math function.
• Downtown events will no longer occur while in Lily's basement and should be much less likely to occur in the area outside Lily's house.
• When making a move to a new home from the Apple Cleft Realty office, the moving robots will now pack all your home items back into your inventory. 
• You will need to place your home items in your home again from the home inventory menu.
• This prevents certain errors from occurring due to potentially decreased room size and rooms not being available in all home tiers.
• Tier 4 home added to the game.
• Available only to players who move in with their romantic partner.
• Has three bedrooms and additional storage space. 
• You can now live together with your romantic partner.
• You can suggest moving in with your lover once you've reached the "lovers" stage of your relationship.
• You will have to go to the realtor's office to fill out paperwork and perform the move into your new tier 4 home.
• As long as your romantic partner is not poorer than you, you will see a reduction in your weekly rent amount.
• A wealthy NPC will decrease your rent by a larger amount.
• The quality and traits of your new home are based on your existing home at the time you move. Your partner's financial status can modify the quality of your home from there.
• A wealthy NPC will increase the quality level of your home the most, and also increases the quality cap somewhat so you may end up with a home nicer than it's possible to find while single.
• An average wealth NPC will give a modest increase to your home's quality.
• The player is still responsible for keeping the home clean.
• Interactions and setup for sharing cleaning responsibilities haven't been created yet.
• I forgot to do this, it's not a design decision, lol.
• Normal interactions with your lover are possible from within your own home, and your partner will move about according to their own schedule.
• We will probably need to add a "Hey You!" function to call the NPC from a different room so you don't need to chase them around or wait on them... Let us know!
• Added some NonCon events to home dates.
• If you have the BDSM stocks from the Prude shop in your apartment you can trick NPC into getting in them and torture them.
• There is a strapon option (requires possession of any dildo).
• There is a caning option.
• NPCs will now visit your apartment occasionally.
• Various interaction options are available such as starting dates or hanging out with the NPC.
• The Player Character's "self-thoughts" have been expanded with new things to think about.
• 3,200 words of new situational character-based contemplation.
• The new CB System has replaced the old AWAI System in hangouts and dating.
• I don't know what CB stands for because Besty came up with the name.
• It has been suggested that it may mean "Cock & Balls System", but I can't confirm this.
• It may actually stand for "Cognitive Behavior System", but this seems too reasonable.
• The system uses traditional game AI methodology combined with detailed character data to make decisions.
• The system is also used in some other locations as well, such as determining whether to propose advancing a relationship (or accepting a proposal), as well as vow negotiation.
• While the AWAI system (learning software) hasn't been deleted from the game, links to the AI training have been removed.
• Marriage can be properly proposed by NPC or PC now.
• Details of the marriage can be discussed right after the proposition or on the next date.
• You can set the date for the wedding.
• NPC will list some vows they want you to follow through the marriage and you can propose some too.
• You can't actually get married yet. A nice sexy ceremony and other fun marriage-related things are slated for 2021.
• Some earlier blog posts discussing the poll results explain what's going on with marriage in more detail.
• The Screen-Reader-Friendly Interface option was improved for our players with vision difficulties.
• Breast size slider which is hard to use with a screen-reader software is accompanied by simple [smaller] and [bigger] buttons.
• PC preferences now replaced with simple drop-downs instead of the standard fancy selector element.
• Added final scene for the Psycho in the woods event chain. (1300 words)
• A Skin color chart is now available during character creation that shows the skin tone associated with the various words such as "fair" and "light".
• Hanna story expansion, new quest (2500 words)
• Besty didn't add any information about triggering this, so it probably follows on from the previously-existing Hanna content.
• The available cam girl content has been considerably expanded, with a number of basic shows and special request scenes.

For making it this far, I figured I'd share a sneak peek at some art that I wasn't able to get finished in time for this release. It's a map of Muschi Valley, which will occupy the entire map screen rather than having the current square map. There will be saturation gradients and such applied in the final version for a nice-looking screen, this is a work in progress.

Muschi Valley is located in West Virginia, in the Laurel Forks area. This places it about 225km (140mi) west of Washington D.C., which is the identity of "the City" in the game.