Hi all! Just an update regarding the 5.5 update and some of the things I’m working on.

Splitting up the character model

Specifically, I made some performance optimizations which, weirdly enough, also allow me to support certain additional poses (with some extra work, but not as much as a total resprite). This seems odd, as usually optimization is something that does the same thing, but faster.

In this case, the optimization was splitting the character model into various ‘submeshes’ adaptively based on the z-index of the component images. In simpler terms, it lets me bend and distort the model without having to bend and distort each sprite individually, which would have been prohibitively slow in the past. It also means I can batch the distortions more easily instead of assigning them to each layer manually.

The downside to adding a new pose, as always, is the random artifacts and errors that occur. Specifically, many of the game assets don’t contain information for parts of the model that would be behind the existing drawn parts. For example, you can see here that the maid socks aren’t drawn to the inner part of the thigh, and when the legs are spread out it shows a gap:

Part of the new update will require me to go over and tweak all the sprites individually, which will take a lot of time. But I think it’s going to be worth it, as this will open the door to many new features such as the long-awaited struggle animations in the future.

Other 5.5 plans

The last patron poll I ran seemed to show the most interest in two scenarios I teased as a future plan. Specifically, the bandit auction and the doll shoppe.

The auction itself is planned to be a vehicle to many of the other “endgame” states that don’t involve directly getting captured. The doll shoppe is one such state. The idea is a nicely cinematic experience that happens after staying imprisoned too long by bandits, and possibly replaces the bandit jail area altogether (which solves the problem of a supposedly fringe faction with minimal resources somehow having bases all over this treacherous dungeon). Naturally, not all players will enjoy the implications of this, so the auction itself is fully consensual (for the player). This is a model I have planned for a number of types of content in the future, such as tickling and pain related activities which I am aware are not every player’s cup of tea. Basically, when the scene would begin, a dialogue comes up asking if the player consents to the content. if the player accepts, it progresses as usual. If the player declines, the scene will be skipped, and the game pulls a different scenario from the safer pool. Given that this is a game about bondage, most players will be fine with a scene that just involves bondage, so there should always be at least one fallback.

For situations that can’t be resolved, such as an entire enemy type being inextricably tied to an event, this is what the toggle perks are for- making that enemy not spawn altogether. (Right now you can disable nurse NPCs and police NPCs, as not everyone is into those types of roleplay).

For the doll shoppe, the plan is to flesh out the Dressmaker faction, an organization devoted to all sorts of things frilly and stylish, and the player will be able to model for them! This will most likely involve at least some combination of display stands, glass cases, and devices that use the new ‘saddled’ pose you see above, with hopefully enough variety to have the player cycled between outfits and poses to keep things fresh. And, in the case where the player ends up in the shoppe as a predicament, an opportunity to escape while being transferred and restraints changed.

When next update????

At the moment I don’t have a clear idea of when 5.5 will be ready as these sorts of things are always subject to feature creep as is normal for solo developer projects >.<

However I am hoping to get another nightly release out in a week or so and possibly the saddle pose + performance improvements in late November to the official page. The performance improvements especially are probably something that will be appreciated, and the new pose will hopefully find its way in some new furniture and traps.