5.3 - Progress and Release Update

Greeting everyone!

Development progress on the 5.3 update has been moving smoothly and steadily, and I'm really happy with the pace at which things are getting completed. Pre-alpha testers have been invaluable in terms of reporting issues, and I want to express how grateful I am to everyone!

As usual, here's a general update in terms of overall progress:

• Integration of new TF system core - 100%
• Integration of new Paper Doll system - 98%
• Application of new TF system to existing content - 60%
• Second pass on Crafting system - 0%
• Second pass on Conversations/Explorations - 0%
• Implementation of player submitted content - 0%

Artwork Update

Those in the pre-alpha tier have had the chance to test out the paper doll system and provide some great feedback on. Unfortunately, I've had to temporarily disable it from the pre-alpha builds. The reason for this is that we've finally moved to a system that tracks and visually reflects crotch and chest size on your character! Part of this involved a minor redesign on the MC's lower body which means we're waiting on some clothing reworks before I can implement it again. The text representations for these changes, as well as the transformation implications, are already in the game and working well!

Moreover, I'm very happy to announce that 5.3 will see the introduction of character customization in the form of being able to choose your hairstyle! I know, I know, it's a minor thing, but it opens the door for more options moving forward. 

The reason it took so long to be able to confirm whether or not these kinds of customization options would be available is because we were still working out how the game would represent sexual activities between characters. Since these scenes are designed to be dynamic and change based on various game states, we needed to decide how best to handle the MC. Ultimately, we've chosen a player POV style, where all sexual activity involving your character will be represented from your character's point of view. The end result is that we can convey several different situations without needing to account for dozens of possible character variations.

This is something I hope to be able to preview soon!

Release Update

5.3 is shaping up to be a rather large patch, specifically in terms of scope. The core transformation engine of the game has effectively been ripped out and replaced, and there's several repercussions that have yet to be accounted for. Players will always find ways to break the game that I never considered, which is why I rely so heavily on feedback and bug reports from the community to get things addressed.

For this reason, as well as to avoid a content drought, I've decided to break the 5.3 update into to two parts.

The first part will contain the new transformation system, with all parts of the game updated to reflect it. It will also include the paper-doll system with the option to enable or disable it. This update will release with a slightly longer backer exclusivity window due to the scope of it before releasing to the public. My current goal is to tentatively release this update next Wednesday, the 30th.

Following that, work will continue moving on 5.3 as I address the various feature updates outlined above and it last week's devblog. This will include further character customization options, crafting and conversation updates, and player-submitted content. I'm hoping to have that update out in late June.

Looking Ahead

I'm excited to start getting this new content out to everyone, as it's been a ton of fun working on it. I'm also hoping to have a new art preview out next week to show off some new character models and the updated paper-doll system.

As always, thank you all for your continued feedback and support!