Dev Blog #105 - Ava, Dakota, and Beyond!

Greetings everyone!

It's been a... hectic month to say the least... but in spite of everything I'm dead set on making today's dev blog just a little more informative than recent entries. That low bar established, let's get right into it!

Update 3.3.2 - State of Development

So before getting into the gritty bits, let's look at how Update 3.3.2 is coming along.

Currently, all reported issues from Update 3.3.1 have been addressed. This includes everything from blatant bugs and errors, to dead ends in ISS routes, to missing passages, to unexpected transformation behavior. Actually, that last one is probably worth talking about a little more. One of the goals in Update 3.3.1 was to streamline the player transformation requirements a bit, specifically when it came to the Sissy and Bimbo gender states. The issue was less in triggering those transformations themselves, but rather in how they interacted (or more often impeded) with other transformations.

A prime example of this would be attempted to become a Sissy while maintaining a male gender. In fact, actually "maintaining" either of those states was challenging. Unfortunately, the recent changes also brought about some unintended consequences that lead to some bizarre transformation-related issues.

I'm happy to say that I think we've really achieved a good balance when it comes to all player transformations in the coming update, even when playing with accelerated or decelerated transformation rates. To further clarify matters, status dialogues are returning to the sidebar to help give some indication as to what transformation you might currently be heading for. My hope is that with this latest round of tuning we'll finally be in a place where the player transformation system feels good and makes as much sense is to be expected in this sort of game!

There's more than just bugfixes, though!

This new update has completely retooled Ava's serum route, introducing 11 new serum events, all adding new content or expanding existing scenes, and updates the six or so current serum events. New random events, conversations, and scripted events are all being added as well, and Ava's bedtime ISS is getting expanded to accommodate all of her new, erm, interests! Additionally, some of that existing content has been shuffled around a bit. For example, Ava's "Strange Strapon" related content is now exclusive to certain routes and will include its own introductory events once it's been made available. While this update will be making a lot of major changes and additions to Ava's content, I think it's all the subtle things that will really contribute to making this feel like a whole new experience.

Looking Ahead - Dakota

While I won't have a ton of details to share until development starts, I can still confirm that Update 3.3.3 will definitely be the Dakota Update.

Essentially, it's going to be very much a similar update to 3.3.2 only with the emphasis being on Dakota's content. Like Ava, Dakota will be receiving a fully realized branching serum path that will see expansions on existing events along with the addition of several new events and serum options. Most basic options include taking Dakota down either a more dominant or timid path, while more interesting options involve new takes on her MCS-X options, taking them from gameover events into full serum paths.

Again, not a lot to share today but you can expect to see a lot more information next month!

Looking Further - Chapter 4 and Beyond

Following Dakota's update next month, expect to see a... priority shift in terms of future development.

With the home content shored up, we'll be setting our sights on actually finishing the main story. This will start with the major Chapter 4 update, kicking off the Update 4.0 patch cycle. This update will move the main story forward by approximately four months, introduce a freeplay (no-story) mode, and put us in prime position to reach the conclusion of The Company. Chapter 4's implementation will span more than a single update, but the lofty goal is to have it fully implemented by the end of the year.

No spoilers, but Chapter 4 sets to seriously shake up the established status quo, bring many shadowy figures into the light, and see a number of background storylines come to a head in The Company's penultimate chapter!

That's it for this week. In the coming weeks I'll be releasing the recent anniversary comic strip to everyone to see, as well as posting a new feedback survey that I encourage everyone to participate in. As always, a huge thank you to everyone for the continued feedback, support, and just for bearing with me this crazy year!