Grunt Pin-up Sketch (NSFW) & Specialists Talk

Hey folks, a little bonus design sketch for you today! Artist Phall is currently working on the design for Commandos Specialist  Sgt. Arne "Grunt" Vansen, and doodled up this little pin-up! This particular piece will probably not go into the game itself, other than the gallery, but we are aiming to have the official Grunt portrait art finished soon.

 I'm posting this art update to all supporters so I can use it as an excuse to talk about Specialists a bit, which I probably haven't talked about as much as I could. I've mentioned in a few places now that I intend to move to a Phase 2 'gamification' phase once enough basic-level content has been added to the game. The obvious parts of this phase will be things like turning on unlock requirements for various kinds of scenes, revamping the points system to help branch the game into Liberator/Infiltrator endings, adding some more choices to guide the game down those paths, and so on. What I probably haven't talked about much is that this phase will also include a heavy focus on the Specialists.

My goal for these characters is to set up something of a Mass Effect-style squad of game companions. While other characters are self-contained to their respective storylines and exist as targets for your schemes, Specialists will be much more interactive. As Specialists are one of the few character types to be gender-locked, you'll have the option of pursuing a romantic or platonic relationship with each, with both options being valid in terms of game progression. While these designs are still subject to change, the current plan is to create various 'away missions' where you can choose to take a pair of Specialists (including Hellfire as the Terran Specialist) into various sets of challenges where success can win you prizes like recruits, points towards one or both ending types, or special scenes involving one or more Specialists. These may also include special 'Loyalty' missions for each character. You can expect to see more information on this in the months ahead, and as this will represent a significant time investment away from standard storylines, this will likely enter into the Liberator poll options at some point (ie, 'should we work next on race X, Y, or Z, or move ahead into Phase 2 for the current races'). Outside of polls though, feedback through other means is always still appreciated as well!