Dev Blog #106 - Back to Basics

Greetings everyone!

Apparently, my house is right in the path of a dragonfly migration, and as I type this out I'm being treated to the persistent pelting of large insects trying to break through my office window. That has nothing to do with today's post, but I didn't have a good lead in this week, so... dragonflies. Let's get into it!

Update 3.3.2 and One Half

As usual, before jumping into upcoming content I wanted to take some time to talk about the current state of the game. Without further ado...

It's a little busted.

Alright, moving on! Okay, okay, so there are a few things to talk about here. Ava's first major content update has gotten off to a bit of a rough start, and while feedback has been all over the map, there are a couple key takeaways that are worth discussing. From my perspective, the two biggest issues with Ava's content as it stands now is having too wide a breadth of content routes, as well as the fact that Dakota's content (which ties in heavily to Ava's) has not been updated yet. These two problems both contribute a perceived lack of actual content, and both problems are being actively addressed.

Let's start with breadth of content. Any time you make a non-linear game, especially when you don't have a whole team of writers, is that there's a reasonably good chance that any one player only ever see about 20% of the content you put into the game. The wider you spread the possible content branches, the thinner any content addition appears. This is just an accepted aspect of making a game like this, but I'll admit that Ava's update really kind of got away from me in this regard. Spreading the content so thin created a noticeable perceived lack of content. Add in the push for route-exclusive content, and it gets even worse with a perceived "removal" of content!

Update 3.3.3 will be reining in Ava's content a bit by connecting content unlocks to multiple serum nodes. An easy example of this is that Ava's "Mindbreak" serum event will now also unlock content that normally only comes with her "Dom" serum event. A number of these connections are being made which should result in a much more coherent experience regardless of which path you choose for Ava.

Up next is the fact that Update 3.3.2 was effectively only half an update. With Ava and Dakota being so intrinsically linked, updating one character but not the other was always going to leave some expected (and some unexpected) content gaps. To be clear, no, Futa Ava x Dakota content has not been removed from the game nor will it be, and neither has group content with the two. The problem is that right now that content, or to be more specific the original unlock requirements for that content, is just missing. With the release of the Dakota-focused Update 3.3.3 later this month, these links as well as the associated content will all be restored.

To sum everything up, players can expect the home content to feel more coherent and dense with the next update.

So Let's Talk About the Next Update

Right, so about Update 3.3.3! Just as the last update focused on updating Ava's content, this update focuses on doing the same for Dakota.

As you might have guessed from the above section, there were lessons learned from Ava's update that will be applied to Dakota's. We're taking a much more back to basics approach to development this time around, working within the existing scope of Dakota's content rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, while still adding some clear diversity (and granularity) to her routes. While Ava's serum route branched into 8 different directions, Dakota's will be relegated to 2, with 3 different possible outcomes. The result are clearly defined "Dom" and "Loving" routes with Dakota with different ending potentials for each.

Speaking of potential endings, many of you will be happy to hear that Dakota's current MCS-X content has been split, allowing you to partially explore either MCS-X path without triggering the Bad End that normally comes with them. Of course, you can still choose to commit fully and take her all the way down the MCS-X... You monster.

This update will be adding a number of new scenes and interactions with Dakota, including a few new repeatable events depending on what route you decide to take her down. Depending on how you play, you'll have opportunities to get better acquainted with Dakota's boy toy Jack, engage in a bit of petplay, explore the camgirl life, or if you're feeling particularly lewd, even hold her hand in public. In addition to new content, her existing content is getting touched up to accommodate both her and Ava's new content, and Dakota will be getting her very own ISS. Finally, as mentioned above, this update should be filling in all the content gaps created by the previous update.

Odds and Ends

Finally, I just wanted to touch on a few points before wrapping up the dev blog this week. In no particular order and with as little context as possible!

• Dakota's webcam event wasn't removed, or at least it shouldn't have been. Investigation ensues
• Ava's Mindbreak serum event was meant to act as her "Futa Dom" route. This update will be emphasizing that by unlocking additional content from other routes
• All former Ava x Dakota interactions are coming back, nothing was cut here
• Well, except the old interactive minigame scenes. I know there were some people that enjoyed them, but managing, expanding, and recreating them was an absolute nightmare. Playing them was a repetitive slog that just didn't fit into the game's design philosophies
• After Dakota gets her revised serum route, that will only leave Diana and Tasha for route revision
• The Arcweave route guide for Ava wasn't meant to set a precedent. Creating maps like this for other characters isn't a priority, but I'm not saying it'll never happen
• Update 3.3.3 is testing a revised transformation system that hearkens back to original versions of the system while still applying modern sensibilities. The end result should be something that feels much more fluid and intuitive and is being actively tested
• After Dakota's update, all efforts will be focused on Chapter 4
• The game isn't doomed... probably... I hear we got banned over on 4chan and if that isn't a success milestone then I don't know what is!

That's it for this week! We got lost in the woods a bit this summer but I'm confident we'll be back on track by the end of the month. Until then, thank you all for your continued feedback and support!