v0.2.3 Update

Patch Day

Hey everyone, it's time for the final release of the Public Feedback month! That doesn't mean we don't still want feedback, of course, but it does mean that next week will be the official Patreon launch of the project! The first Patreon release, 0.3, will also be free to the public, but for more on that, read on after the jump. In the meanwhile, let's talk about today.

This week's update features the introduction of the Codex function, along with a few starter entries. There's a number of dummy entries for future content in the list, if there's any confusing topics in the game that you think would be helped by a Codex entry, let us know! This week also features Errata's first contribution to the project, as mentioned in the previous post.

v0.2.3 Change Log

Game Functions:

* Codex UI implemented. Most Codex entries are unfilled at this time.

Scene Content:

* Roboticist Director Scene 1

Art Content:

* None

Codex Entries:

* Races - Harians

* Gameplay - Progression

* Gameplay - Citizens

Bug Fixes:

* Corrected issue where the Options button would not appear after loading a save game from the introduction screens.

* The list of director names is updated and is now dynamic to gender preference settings.

* Corrected pronoun switch in Hellfire intro.

* Various typo fixes.

Known Issues:

* The background image disappears in fullscreen mode.

* WebGL Issues: Be warned that save game data in WebGL mode is less permanent than PC standalone. May also be more prone to memory and other issues.

Downloads

Windows Download

Itch.io WebGL

Project Plans

So, here's what you can expect for the update schedule for next week onwards. Next week, hopefully, will see the official launch along with the 0.3 update. 0.3 will also be a public release, although my main priority for the next week will be getting things ready for Patreon. After that, the plan is for two supporter-only releases and one public delayed release each month. As I work a day job, these releases will likely fall on Fridays or Saturdays, as they have been.

An example release schedule (for demonstration purposes only) looks like this:

March 3: 0.3.0 (Public)

March 17: 0.3.1 (Supporter)

March 31: 0.3.2 (Supporter)

April 1: 0.3.1 (Public)

April 14: 0.4.0 (Supporter)

April 28: 0.4.1 (Supporter)

May 1: 0.3.2 (Public)

And so on, from that point forwards public releases will be the supporter release from ~4-5 weeks prior (0.4.1, 0.5.1, and so on). Dates subject to change based on my schedule, the appearance of critical bugs, etc. 

Expect further updates here with more info as the launch approaches!

Race Feature: Harians

Hey folks! This weeks' focus has been on getting the game Codex up and running, and I thought I'd share with you one of the first codex entries: Harian overview! This entry was largely put together by guest writer Errata, who will be doing some of the codex work so that I can focus my time on programming in bugs and writing about dicks.

Harians

Species Name: Harians

Homeworld: Harman

Expedition Assignment: Special Forces Commandos

Physical Description: 

Height: 6'6"/1.98m Male, 5'10"/1.78m Female

Weight: 220lb/100kg Male, 175lb/79kg Female

Appearance: Covered in short, fine brown fur of varying darkness, marked by thin white or brown stripes. Possesses claws and fangs, and large, vertical ears. Eyes come in several color types, including both white and black sclera, and blue, brown, and yellow irides. Exceptional strength, agility, and endurance by GPU standards. Sensory abilities slightly above average. 

Overview:

Harians are a bipedal, mammalian predator species integrated early on in the history of the United Galactic Hegemony (predecessor organization to the GPU). With their keen senses and strong pack loyalty, they rapidly came to encompass the 'tip of the spear', taking their place amongst the GPU's elite military and peacekeeping units. The pack, tribal, or colonial affiliations of a Harian citizen may be displayed in the form of markings on their skin; however, this usage has diminished with the advent of GPU, being largely constrained to diplomatic or ceremonial use, as well as more codified usage as rank markings within all-Harian units. 

Pre-contact, Harian governments were essentially representative democracies along the tribal model. From individual families, representatives would be chosen for a 'pack', then a 'tribe', then a 'nation', culminating in an assembly of representatives chosen by the members of the lower groupings. This form of organization, while informal in comparison to human democracies, proved flexible yet stable enough to persist for centuries prior to Contact. 

In civilian life, many Harians find success as athletes. Hundreds of teams play in dozens of sports on Harman, and Harian athletes are popular on many other worlds as well. In terms of military organization, Harian units follow the Terran model of hierarchy for easier integration  with GPU operational doctrine; however, there are certain significant and critical differences of which Administrators should be aware. 

Firstly, while Harians share the standard GPU rank system, the divisions between ranks (outside the officer / non-commissioned divide) are largely an indicator of seniority rather than an indicator of chain of command. Thus, what might in a Terran unit be consider insubordination may simply be a reflection of the 'pack behavior' typical of tightly-knit Harian units. 

Secondly, Harian units tend to be organized along the lines of traditional pack groupings. While it is rare that a unit will be composed solely of members from a single tribe, subunits such as platoons or fireteams virtually always have at least a national link in common. 

Lastly, Harians can be very aggressive in pursuing military objectives. While this is controlled to a certain extent by the suppressants administered by GPU, the decision of GPU's military administration to maintain higher aggression levels amongst Harian troops means that their suppressant levels may require careful monitoring, and are ultimately under the control of the local Administrator. 

***********************

This is just one of the eight featured races in the game, so you can expect more of these in the future. Your regular update is still planned for Friday, but in the meantime, a little Harian design bonus:

v0.2.2 Update

Patch Day

Time for the second weekly update of our public review month! This week was mostly focused on putting in the foundation for a few systems that won't be fully activated until content hits closer to the 50% mark - the use of skills and recruits you find among the station citizens to help you unlock certain advanced scenes. The recruit assignment UI in particular isn't fully functional as yet, but it'll give you a heads up for what requirements will be in the future. For the moment, you can simply continue on with the game. Right now you'll find these checks in the Commando and Roboticist Department plotlines, but you can expect to also find them in Office Upgrades and Director plotlines in the future.

One other note is that this is the first update to require some compatibility updates for old save files (a whole two updates in, woo!). This should be handled, and bug reports would be appreciated if old save files break on anyone. But this is a good time to note that save file compatibility won't be infinite in the future, I'll work towards guaranteeing the past two months worth of version updates but probably not more than that. I currently plan to implement some functionality to warn you when save files are getting stale.

As February is a short month, this likely means only one more public release update next week before I begin setting up the 'official' launch. While there will always be a free version, check back in the next week or two to get more updates on what the launch means for the project!

v0.2.2 Change Log

Game Functions:

* Impersonation Skill Checks: The game now informs you when a certain scene requires a certain level of impersonation skill. This check is not currently enforced, but will give you an idea of where and what the requirements will be when they're turned on. Currently implemented on Commando and Roboticist department scenes 4.
* Recruit Assist Checks: The game now informs you of when a certain scene will require citizen recruit assistance. Assigning recruits is not currently functional and is not enforced. Currently implemented on Commando and Roboticist department scenes 5.

Scene Content:

* Roboticist Department Scene 5

Art Content:

* None

Bug Fixes:

* Corrected ability to choose director and department NPC genders from option screen (Note: This option will not always be freely available)
* Minor typo fixes.

Known Issues:

* The list of director names is not dynamic to gender preference selections.
* The background image disappears in fullscreen mode.
* WebGL Issues: Be warned that save game data in WebGL mode is less permanent than PC standalone. May also be more prone to memory and other issues.

Links

Windows Download

Itch.io WebGL

v0.2.1 Update

Update!

The first weekly update is here! Not that it will always be weekly updates, but that is my goal for this initial trial period, as I attempt to iron out any and all functionality issues. That has been the focus for 0.2.1, as you'll see in the patch notes below. With any luck, by time the "official" launch comes around, the game functionality should be fully complete, and it'll just be a matter of slotting in content. Thanks to everyone who's played and given feedback so far, keep it coming! Along with Roboticist content, other things on my current to-do list include setting up a Codex and setting up the interface for unlocking advanced scenes. Currently those are all unlocked by default, given the lower level of content currently in the game, but I do intend to add just a bit of gameplay to the game as more content is added.

v0.2.1 Change Log

Game Functions:

* Players can now load games without going through the introduction screens.

* The ability to exit the game using the ESC key has been added (Note: has no effect in WebGL).

* You can now change the font size in options.

* Text option settings are now saved in save games.

* Credits/Info Panel added.

Scene Content:

* Roboticist Dept Scene 4

Art Content:

* None

Bug Fixes:

* Corrected advancement issue with visiting departments for non-implemented races.

* Corrected pronoun switches in Commando Director Scene 1.

* Minor typo fixes.

Known Issues:

* Options setting to change NPC gender preferences during gameplay is not working correctly.

* The background image disappears in fullscreen mode.

* WebGL Issues: Be warned that save game data in WebGL mode is less permanent than PC standalone. May also be more prone to memory and other issues.

Links

Windows Download

Itch.io WebGL

Art Preview

I won't always post all of the art here on the blog, but I'd like to start everyone off with a bit of a taste of the Harian Commandos, by artist Phall:

Public Launch!

First public release is out! I'll be calling this v0.2.0. Please leave comments letting me know what you think!

Windows Download

Itch.io WebGL

The Coup Project

Goals and Direction

So I suppose I'll start off with a bit of a description of what all is going on here. I'm a programmer by trade, and for the past several months, off and on, I've been working on this little project in my free hours. Between my schedule, skills, and interests, the result is the text-based Carnal Coup, to be presented here shortly. I have ambitions to take the project further, though, particularly in the artistic department. Lacking in that department myself, I have brought a few artists onto the project (who will get special attention in a later post).

Good art costs money, however, and so I've decided that the time to take my little hobby project and take it live is at hand. So with that said, I'd like to lay out where I'm taking this project, and where you, the players, can play a role.

• For starters, I'll be offering the game for free to all for the next few weeks, and some version of it will remain free. I'm looking for player comments, bug reports, anything that can help turn the game into one worthy of putting a buck down on. The game will be offered for both PC and online via WebGL, but I will say up front that PC will be the primary target; WebGL often tends to be a bit more finicky. Even so, bug reports are always welcome.
• Once the game's had some time for polish and further content, I'm planning to take it to Patreon, which I currently have slated for March. The exact rewards structure will come later, but I am planning to follow the model of a delayed public release each month, and one or two releases a month with the latest for paid Patreons, among other bonuses.
• Content wise, the game will first be focusing on the Commandos and Roboticists. Following them, a second pair of races will be chosen. These will be taken to somewhere between mid- and end-game level. Following that, I'll go back and fill in some of the gamification currently kept out in order to make what content the game has more accessible. Citizens in particular will get a heavy focus around that point. Then I'll fill in more of the endgame, and then on to the rest of the races!
• Note: The scheduling priorities are subject to change, particularly depending on player response. I'm not currently prepared to put a "final release" date on the schedule, but I anticipate this keeping me busy for at least a good year.  

I will say that I'm planning to keep my goals for this project modest. I'm not anticipating being able to quit my day job based on Patreon, therefore the objective will be largely focused on paying for game expenses, in particular art. If the game breaks even, that'd be a win for me!

And that's probably enough of the nitty-gritty for now, I expect I'll be talking Patreon again in a month or so. Until then, I expect to have some more interesting things to talk about. 😉