DEVOTION QUEST – KILLI If your devotion level is high enough, you can talk to Killi onboard the Mary Celeste’s bar and initiate her devotion quest. DEVOTION QUEST – FORTUNE If your devotion level is high enough, you can talk to Fortune onboard the Mary Celeste’s bridge and initiate her devotion quest.
Tweaks
Updated Killi’s equipable “Crimson Cuntbeards Patch” stats. Now increases damage and mobility but reduces armor.
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where Killi’s equipable “Crimson Cuntbeards Patch” could cause her primary attack to not work.
Known Issues (Does not include all issues)
Devotion Quest dialogue sections currently are listed under Sidequest with the Intro/Outro tags when replaying archives from the Captain’s Quarters.
VFX Poison sometimes lingers after the unit who had it is destroyed in Grid Combat.
Some instances of speech bubble VO still playing during the end mission screen.
Not all anomalies in Navigation update visually after a specific event takes place. WIP.
Clipping issues during dialogue sections for some newly introduced characters in Fortune’s release.
Some characters' animation pose transitions are not in place yet during dialogue sections for this release.
If multiple enemies are stunned, when it is their turn, the arrow above their head still renders even after their turn has passed in Grid Combat.
Visual bug, when a mantic reaches max level of 40 a white icon will appear the first time you enter the lab, as if there were more levels but goes away after selecting another mantic.
Mission log filter inconsistency if you filter out finished missions, then filter out on Nebula’s, the filtered Finished missions will be in the list again.
Waifus active, passive and ultimate icons do not always render in the same order from Locker room to selection screen.
Visual bug, unlockable abilities/passives not showing up or showing as locked in the Laboratory or Selection screen after the character has reached required level (some known characters Napholeon & Chodestool passed level 30).
Character upgrades based on level are not fully implemented for all characters.
Imperium’s Shocktrooper Purify status remains on character after Shocktrooper is killed.
Visual bug, if a unit has shield and armor and receives damage while the preview damage animation is happening on the health bars, there’s a chance it will show shield or armor remaining on the bar when there is not after the attack (In most cases remaining shield but in the character info it will show zero shield as intended).
Alt-Tabbing potentially can cause the game to crash, especially during areas of the game where high loads take place.
Report stating Rekall's passive can cause a softlock if an enemy counters with low health and dies from Rekall’s passive.
Low texture resolution rendering for some users during dialogue sequences throughout the game.
Some users reported odd textures when loading Ela and Taron in PANDORA and Gallery.
Framerate drop can cause Mary Celeste to shoot out of the jump-gate in Navigation.
Bridge projector fails to update the color scheme throughout Mary Celeste consistently.
Physics on dangling pieces such as tentacles or hair (i.e. Huntress or Killi) may clip through the character's body or rapidly vibrate during dialog sequences.
Yellow/White screen flashing artifact during space combat when using the FXAA aliasing method. Most likely due to the lens flare and or high bloom values.
On rare occasions, an unintentional song plays during some areas of the game.
On rare occasions, clicking the ‘Help’ button in the dialogue section of the game can remove the help text but can't be re-enabled until restarting or starting a new scene.
Potential stuttering when playing back cinematics for some systems. Note there is an option to disable 4k videos from the graphics tab under settings. This has improved performance for some users.
Reports of performance issues on some Space Combat random scenario maps.
Animation in You’re Mine Now scene needs finalizing.
Replay icons and navigation icon concepts are a work in progress, inconsistencies are known.
Completion percentage counters in Navigation are a WIP and may have some inconsistencies.
Notes
Grid Combat equipables are currently disabled during devotion quest.
Here are the latest diary entries from the team as we head into a busy holiday season. We are aiming to release the next update with a target of 12th December.
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
What you’re seeing here, apart from naked Killi, is the physics asset for her.
A few particular scenes involved clothing, not shown to avoid spoilers, and they were creating the greatest headache of this year for me. I believe I have mentioned a lot of the time as an animator, you find workarounds when something doesn’t turn out the right way. Clothing physics needs to settle down for a few moments before render, since they start from their originally modelled position. So in this case she was bent over making the clothing reach high above her. But the clothing needed to rest on her back. With the huge cylinder sticking up in the air, the clothing could safely slide down onto the back and not down to her feet, hiding her treasure.
Manski
This week I'm working on a couple of safe for work cinematics in the distant reaches of the Prodigium Galaxy.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
This last month I’ve been working entirely on Cinematics! I’ve been switching between Lily, Killy aaaaand Demi, which is giving me a lot of fun while animating her! I won’t be too detailed about it 😏 I’m not feeling particularly bad anyway 😂 so I’ll let you admire a couple of pics! What’s happening in there? Well, keep your imagination high!
Yagskie
For this month’s diary, I finished animation on Killi’s devotion quest. She and the captain were having fun inside a room full of treasure!
Mendez
This month has seen the start of Taron's devotion quest cinematic begin in full. Once more, I can't share much about it due to potential spoilers but I think it's shaping up to be pretty intense and fun! Also, pin-up work continues at a steady pace and I've started working on the images for Killi now.
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hello,
This past month has been busy with all the new things added to the next devotion quest release. I managed to complete the mini space combat mission discussed in the last post as well as the Grid Combat mission. The Grid Combat mission has a mini faction based on an existing faction which will have some new attacks. Currently I am tackling the last clickable scene for Fortune and there are lots of bright lights!
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone,
Recently I've been getting to do what I do best, which is collaborate with the VAs on some freshly recorded content. Our beloved Captain, Steve Hamm, has returned to the booth for a very tender scene with the Huntress- a piece of her devotion quest that got revised along the way in development, since we decided the original script wasn't warm enough.
I myself have also just finished recording for Sova’s audiotape content and her devotion cinematic! Time for some 🎵riiiicolaaaaa🎶
BillyGrande
A very productive month for me, as I keep working through the changes in the Event Planets system, as well as giving the enemies not only their skillsets... but a voice as well? Well, at least one of them.
ART & MODELING
WTX
This month I got to work on another outfit concept: the classic virgin-killer sweater. It was quite fun to make and honestly a bit more challenging than I initially thought. In the end I think it turned out great.
ErinTheSketchy
Another creative month for me too. One of my favorite parts is that I keep working on the new outfits, like the one WTX presented the previous month. If you are curious about the background work behind the amazing modeling, here is a part of the direction sheet for the outfit currently in development, and more specifically the color exploration.
We’re working on the next set of Devotion quests, which will feature the fiery Killision and the sexy Fortune.
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
I present to you, the cinematography. The whole set of cameras used for a particular cinematic, but in an empty level.
During the blocking phase of a cinematic, the cameras quickly pile up and look like this mess. One camera for each scene is better in the long run, since with one camera for the whole cinematic, you have a lot more things that can accidentally alter the look of a different scene. Alter the exposure in scene 8, and forget to add a key for it, the previous 7 shots would be wrong and you only realize until you’re several scenes ahead.
This could also just be fool proofing measures for fools like me, we’ll never know..!
Manski
This week I’ve been animating some NSFW scenes, and adding visual effects and lighting up environments for SFW cinematics such as these.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
This last month I've still been working on the next batch of devotion quests with the addition of extra cinematics such as the F3N1X landing on various very exciting environments! It's always a pleasure dealing with solid/static objects, in which only the applied physics can make the difference between realistic and fake!
Now I’ll directly dive into the animation process of one of the most complex but appealing, enjoyable and sexy Cinematics that we’ve prepared for all of you! Guess who I’m talking about from the sneaky picture I've taken ;)
Yagskie
As of this month, I’m doing some finishing touches on the last few of the Pandora scenes.
Mendez
Another month, another devotion quest. Currently focused primarily on Fortune’s devotion quest climax cutscene and moving on to Taron’s next week.
Got off a call with DC a couple of days ago about some last-minute changes we’re making to Taron’s scene and I had the dumbest grin on my face when I heard about it. I think it’ll be a hoot.
Also, since I can’t show anything from these scenes due to spoilers, here’s another little pin-up.
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hello,
Lately I have been working on Devotion Quest missions for the next two characters Fortune and Killi. There are two Space Combat missions and one Grid Combat mission. We also have some more clickable lore sequences and a new minigame you can all experience.
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone, Hope you are all having a great month of tricks and treats!
I’ve been getting to work with the voice cast again, most notably on the Audio Tapes; an unlockable sound file reward for the player as they level up their favorite crew mates. They range from sweet to spicy, and require quite a bit of care, from both a performance and SFX standpoint.
And of course, I’m still hard at work on the visual novel scenes.
Billy Grande
This month I've been working on fight mechanics for the upcoming Devotion Quests, going over the specifics of the interactible background sequences, and developing the first stages of change for our Event Planets.
ART & MODELING
WTX
This month I began work on a new outfit for the waifus, starting with this gothic themed lingerie designed by ErinTheSketchy.
ErinTheSketchy
Hello again! Always here, you can find me under the pile of creative tasks. This month the list included some concept art, an idea of 3D, lots of graphics and a new cinematic!
DEVOTION QUEST – DEMI The first devotion quest is now playable! Talk to DEMI onboard the Mary Celeste to begin her journey towards transcendence. Please note your devotion level has to be at least 30 to start this quest and have reached the completion of Blythe’s story. DEVOTION QUEST – LILY If your devotion level is high enough, you can talk to Lily onboard the Mary Celeste’s laboratory and initiate her devotion quest. NOTE: As outlined in DevDiary 26, the DEMI and Lily devotion quests are now fully playable but the reward cinematic will only be released in its entirety in version 1.0
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where the anomaly Aelfric would get stuck on the loading screen.
Fixed issue where Lily’s hair was purple during the Grid Combat tutorial.
Known Issues (Does not include all issues)
Devotion Quest dialogue sections currently are listed under Sidequest with the Intro/Outro tags when replaying archives from the Captain’s Quarters.
Clickable items during room navigation sometimes become out of sync and can no longer be clicked, may require level restart.
VFX Poison sometimes lingers after the unit who had it is destroyed in Grid Combat.
Some instances of speech bubble VO still playing during the end mission screen.
Not all anomalies in Navigation update visually after a specific event takes place. WIP.
Clipping issues during dialogue sections for some newly introduced characters in Fortune’s release.
Some characters' animation pose transitions are not in place yet during dialogue sections for this release.
If multiple enemies are stunned, when it is their turn, the arrow above their head still renders even after their turn has passed in Grid Combat.
Visual bug, when a mantic reaches max level of 40 a white icon will appear the first time you enter the lab, as if there were more levels but goes away after selecting another mantic.
Mission log filter inconsistency if you filter out finished missions, then filter out on Nebula’s, the filtered Finished missions will be in the list again.
Waifus active, passive and ultimate icons do not always render in the same order from Locker room to selection screen.
Visual bug, unlockable abilities/passives not showing up or showing as locked in the Laboratory or Selection screen after the character has reached required level (some known characters Napholeon & Chodestool passed level 30).
Character upgrades based on level are not fully implemented for all characters.
Imperium’s Shocktrooper Purify status remains on character after Shocktrooper is killed.
Visual bug, if a unit has shield and armor and receives damage while the preview damage animation is happening on the health bars, there’s a chance it will show shield or armor remaining on the bar when there is not after the attack (In most cases remaining shield but in the character info it will show zero shield as intended).
Alt-Tabbing potentially can cause the game to crash, especially during areas of the game where high loads take place.
Report stating Rekall's passive can cause a softlock if an enemy counters with low health and dies from Rekall’s passive.
Low texture resolution rendering for some users during dialogue sequences throughout the game.
Some users reported odd textures when loading Ela and Taron in PANDORA and Gallery.
Framerate drop can cause Mary Celeste to shoot out of the jump-gate in Navigation.
Bridge projector fails to update the color scheme throughout Mary Celeste consistently.
Physics on dangling pieces such as tentacles or hair (i.e. Huntress or Killi) may clip through the character's body or rapidly vibrate during dialog sequences.
Yellow/White screen flashing artifact during space combat when using the FXAA aliasing method. Most likely due to the lens flare and or high bloom values.
On rare occasions, an unintentional song plays during some areas of the game.
On rare occasions, clicking the ‘Help’ button in the dialogue section of the game can remove the help text but can't be re-enabled until restarting or starting a new scene.
Potential stuttering when playing back cinematics for some systems. Note there is an option to disable 4k videos from the graphics tab under settings. This has improved performance for some users.
Reports of performance issues on some Space Combat random scenario maps.
Animation in You’re Mine Now scene needs finalizing.
Replay icons and navigation icon concepts are a work in progress, inconsistencies are known.
Completion percentage counters in Navigation are a WIP and may have some inconsistencies.
Here’s what the team’s been working on this past month, in preparation for the next game update launching this week.
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
To avoid some spoilers all I can show is the behind the scenes of working with clothing. The clothing assets are baked and defaults to the standard nude model.
Can’t wait for you to see these cinematics, and see if someone can guess which shot this was!
Manski
After months of working on cinematics, I went back to a relatively simpler task of animated smut. Things get freaky here tho, but I can't spoil it until release.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
This month has been incredibly challenging, switching between Cinematics and Cinematics! Despite I can’t talk too much about it until release, I’ll let you have a look at this beautiful and emotional piece of a shot! Where is it from? Well, Stay tuned ;-)
Yagskie
For this month’s project, I worked on some devotion quest movie content. It’s good to be back doing what the studio does best.
Mendez
Been working on probably the biggest and lewdest thing I’ve done so far for StudioFOW, which is super exciting! Certainly climactic in more ways than one. I think it also includes some of my best character animation I’ve done so far.
While I can’t show anything from it or talk about it much just yet, I have also been working on some pin-ups of the girls to use for the revamped progression system (yes, they send you selfies of themselves)
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hello,
Since my last post, I have been focusing on the Devotion Quest system. The plan is to release two quests per update. Devotion Quest will comprise of dialogue sections, combat and a brief clicking minigame that provides some additional lore tidbits. One quest focuses on Grid Combat with some unique tile layouts and combat and the other has a lengthy Space Combat mission. Visually the Space Combat mission will look much different and provide a lot of lore.
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone!
Are you looking forward to making your favorite crew member’s dreams come true? I’ve been hard at work setting up the new VN scenes for the devotion quests. Each girl wants to journey to a unique location, so I’ve been experimenting with different lighting scenarios to match the new planets!
I’ve also been sound designing for the cinematics to appear in DEMI’s and Lily’s quests. Some of these cinematics are quite tender, from the atmosphere, to the music, to most importantly the spoken dialogue, so I’m hoping they’ll provide some warmth to your hearts. The animation team really put in a great shift. The most interesting challenge I’ve faced for this content was creating 3 unique voice effects for DEMI’s creator. Excited for you all to hear it soon!
Billy Grande
Besides tackling the details of the Captain's new adventures alongside Lily and DEMI, I've also devoted myself to the fight mechanics and enemy kits in said devotion quests, to make sure each feels unique and thrilling.
ART & MODELING
WTX
Recently I got to go in and give a few of our yet unseen environments a final detail pass. Among then was this cluttered mess of a bedroom, somewhat inspired by the dwellings of your typical, neck-bearded, internet forum user. Needless to say I felt right at home.
ErinTheSketchy
Hi guys!
The last couple of months were exceptionally busy in the most creative way! Besides my standard work for UI and testing, I've worked the storyboard, shots and image editing for a lovely backstory cinematic, made quest-specific graphics, a couple of 3D assets, pin-up photo samples... That's only for the content already announced btw ;) Overall, the team is on fire and we are getting sexier by the day!
Hope everyone is having a great summer! Since the release of Blythe, the team has been hard at work on the remaining narrative content. With our next content release just around the corner, we thought it would be time for a “creative catch-up” with the game director, DC and the designer Billy Grande, as they lay out what’s in store in the near future.
NEXT RELEASE
We’re happy to say that the next major content update will be launching at the end of September. This update will contain the playable devotion quests for DEMI and Lily. For those that need a quick refresher, Devotion Quests are lengthy narrative-driven missions that conclude the romance arc for the characters. Upon reaching devotion level 30 and having gone far enough into the main storyline, you will get a message from your companion to go visit them onboard the Mary Celeste. This optional (but highly recommended) quest will then begin. In line with the tradition of CRPG’s, if you’ve been paying careful attention to the romance dialogue up to this point, then you’ll know that each of the girls has a particular problem that they’ve alluded to – and guess what, during the devotion quest you get to solve that problem for them! Each of these quests will lead you to a new location in the galaxy, and much like the recruitment missions, has some narrative content interspersed with boss fight gameplay along with some new surprises!
Once you’ve completed the devotion quest mission, the big reward will be a 4+ minute, contextual sex scene in the format of a short film, created by the talented animators of StudioFOW. Please note that for the Early Access version of this quest, we will NOT be including the full film in the update, it will only play a short teaser before fading to black. The full cinematic will be included in the game files of the 1.0 release client. We’ve done this because we really don’t want these cinematics ripped and then uploaded to sites like Xvideos and Pornhub before the release of the full game. From a dev and business standpoint, it feels really bad to have worked on something so hard, putting all the blood sweat and tears into crafting something epic and character-specific, only to have it reuploaded to some porn site after a day and spoiling the conclusion of the romance for everyone else. We’ve had to endure a trend with people ripping the Pandora stuff already and we don’t want a repeat of that for what is arguably the best sex content in the game. Therefore players wanting to see the full experience, you are better off waiting until the 1.0 release where you can play through the Devotion Quests AND watch the Devotion Cinematic the way it was meant to be intended.
FUTURE RELEASE SCHEDULE
Our current development pace looks to be about 40 days per quest, which means that we should be able to release 2 quests per content update. As mentioned above, DEMI and Lily are up first at the end of September, at which point (probably in the next diary) we will reveal who the next two girls to receive their quests are. Once all Devotion Quests are released, we can then go back and wrap up the main storyline and final boss fight for the 1.0 release sometime next year. It doesn’t really make sense to progress with the ending of the game just yet (final chapter) until all other content is in, because of the spoiler drama related to having the conclusion of the game out there. It’s like if another notable RPG that recently came out Early Access had their Act 3 included in the early access, it would be kind of weird. There should be some mystery left for last, right?
SAVE FILES
At some point towards the launch of 1.0 next year, save files will be wiped for technical and practical reasons. Simply put, with the amount of overhauls and revamps going into the eventual 1.0 client next year, it would make the previous saves incompatible. The game has evolved a lot during its early access (and will continue evolving) so a fresh playthrough for 1.0 is highly recommended for the best experience. We will notify you ahead of time when the save file wipes will be happening.
JUICY BITS - OVERHAULS / FIXES
Once all the supplementary narrative content like Devotion Quests have been released on Steam and all of the story (bar the final chapter) is intact, we will commence on the systems overhaul piece by piece. As stated in previous diaries we do have a strong vision for the game, and currently it is not meeting our high expectations. With that in mind, we also have to be smart and realistic about the overhauls to be attempted. There are limited resources and time available, and we MUST launch 1.0 next year for the financial viability of the project, so we do have to prioritize certain systems over others. NOTE: The order of these improvements are subject to change, and not everything may make it into the 1.0 build.
PROGRESSION
Besides making progression for all waifus more streamlined and less grindy, we plan for leveling up to feel meaningful and be something to look forward to, with perks and surprise gifts. The first order of business will be a Progression Hub screen where you can track the devotion level (a streamlined, all-encompassing xp bar). Besides the existing rewards like trophies, we’re also adding several new rewards along your journey to the cap of level 40. These include:
AUDIO TAPES
The voice talent has recorded over 2 hours total of brand new, hot dialogue for this system which includes everything from sweet little “I miss you” notes to full-on-filthy JOI’s for you to fap to. The tapes get steamier as you level up, and may also include some surprising revelations about the characters. Each character will receive 5 tapes total which can be played in the Captain's Quarters at your leisure once unlocked.
PIN UPS
No Captain quarters is complete without some sexy pinups of your favorite waifus, so the girls have made sure you are covered! Expect to see some tasteful, old-timey pinups adorn your rewards screen as the girls fall more and more in love with you.
HAIR/COSMETIC STYLES
We’ve been experimenting with different hair/eye combos for the girls, and we’re pleased to offer some of this customizability as part of the progression system. For those ladies without erm…hair, don’t worry we haven’t forgotten about you! Being able to tint your very own squid-girl must be every cephalomaniac’s wet dream, surely?
UNIQUE EQUIPPABLES
Part of the Grid combat tweaks as well, but we thought it would be a nice touch for each waifu to have their own unique item to equip in grid combat, to change up their playstyle ever so slightly. These thematic items come with a bit of lore and makes wielding them a bit more meaningful!
OUTFITS!
Yes we will have outfits in the game! We’re going to be pushing hard to make sure they are all Pandora-compatible in some form, so that you can enjoy the fruits of your progression during the sex scenes. As part of the reward for completing the girls’ devotion quest, AND reaching the final tier in our revamped progression system we will be awarding a special lore-specific unique outfit to the waifu in question. We will share more details on outfits in later dev diary but rest assured it is one of our highest priorities after narrative content is iced.
MANTICS
And finally, we want to minimize the pains of level discrepancies, so as part of the new streamlined progression we will look into a system where we average out the mantic levels so that you don’t have to painfully level each of them one by one, and they are always relevant and ready to fight.
DEMI PROGRESSION
Our companion from the start, DEMI, will have her own unique progression, as hinted at in our earlier Dev Diary, as an intimate way to help her reach her full potential. Along that journey, her improved capabilities will come with several Quality-Of-Life improvements we really wanted to introduce.
DEMI's progression will include Augmentations, upgrades to her systems that can be found throughout Prodigium and will act as breakthrough items for her level-ups. Our vision for this is to have an engaging and more intimate way to progress DEMI's devotion levels, rather than just calculate them on a weighted average.
While the Augmentations themselves will not carry an immediate gameplay benefit beyond bringing DEMI closer to the Captain, they will contribute to a bigger plan; every few levels, DEMI will provide bonuses such as boosting XP gained for other waifus, increasing the navigation speed and efficiency of the Mary Celeste, reducing upgrade costs, and some nifty customization options.
TARON'S SHOP
Economy is a bit of a mess right now as a result of not having enough gold sinks. We want to make spending TEK/BIO/Credits worth it, so towards the end of 0.9 we will look into adding a fluff shop where you can buy some collectibles and random items.
EXPLORATION/PLANETS
The final part of the overhauls will be tying the new progression system into the navigation module. Gone will be the placeholder events currently populating the planets, and in their place will be meaningful, contextual content that makes exploring Prodigium an exciting prospect, instead of a chore. We will have an entire diary dedicated to this very important goal, and try to explain the philosophy behind our proposed redesigns. This will probably be the very last thing to get overhauled as it is literally the glue that will hold the game together, so stay tuned!
GRID COMBAT
With General Blythe and her combat prowess as the vanguard to our vision, we're looking forward to tuning up the skillsets of allies and enemies, in a way that makes their abilities impactful while remaining faithful to their style and character. This includes the specifics around DEVA mode, enemy tactics and target priorities in combat. Our vision is for party choices and strategies to matter and for Grid Combat to be as engaging and exciting for you to experience it as it is for us to design it! As our first priority to Grid Combat revamp, we will be reviewing the combat tempo and how that affects both allied and enemy units. This includes a revamp in Initiative and turn order in general, as well as making targeting a more thought-out process for our enemies (making room for tanking and healing to be viable tactics).
After securing that our baddies perform up to our expectations, we’ll be revamping our biggest outliers in our mantic roster, making sure Trisha, Equicox and other less favored ones receive some love as well, and bringing all mantics to a uniform capability that you will enjoy playing through, no matter your choices.
DEVA mode is something that will be revamped after these changes, so that we will be able to accurately calculate risk vs reward. At the moment, especially in later levels, we acknowledge that combat is heavy-hitting and fast-paced, so removing two very capable allies for three turns while the enemies pile on is quite difficult. Once the overall tempo of Grid Combat is determined, it will be easier to set the rules for DEVA mode.
We’ve also made plans for generic equipable items, as well as consumable items, that can change the tide of combat to a way that suits you better. Healing, defensive and offensive upgrades and incurring special buffs and debuffs will greatly increase the variety in feel between two missions.
Specifically for Devotion Quest encounters and boss fights, we’re putting extra effort on making sure each of them is a unique experience, mechanically as well as narratively.
SUPPLEMENTARY BACKER-CONTENT
Studio 69, a special DLC nightclub event, for KS backers will be launching with the 1.0 version of the game.
REMAINING PANDORA SCENES
There are still a few straggler Pandora scenes to come, both to even out some of the girls who’ve received less love (looking at you Taron) and to finish off some SpaceWhale kickstarter requests. These scenes will be sprinkled into future devotion quest updates, or the 1.0 release client.
UI REVAMPS
We are going to be continuously updating the UI as we get closer to 1.0 and systems get overhauled. These include but are not limited to
Further improvements to quest log UI
New and improved UI for all the leveling-up and devotion related screens
Captain's computer UI
Revisions to make the access in all areas of the game faster and easier
DIALOGUE SYSTEM REVAMPS
You will see improvements to the earlier visual novel scenes, as we retroactively apply what we’ve learned over the years to the legacy content. You can see these improvements starting with our next September content update.
TLDR
The plan is to release two devotion quests per content update until we finish all quests. Following that, we will release the remainder of the main story and the progression system revamp. The 1.0 client will include some minor overhauls alongside the conclusion of the main storyline, and is targeted for release in 2024. We will communicate more indepth about overhauls in the future once we wrap the devotion quests. We understand that it’s been a long journey, and luckily the second half of this year is absolutely jam-packed with excellent games to keep you entertained. It’s a bit of a blessing in disguise to have so many excellent titles showing that they are worth the wait, and we hope to be one of those titles too when we launch our 1.0 next year. By then hopefully the skies will have cleared and we can find a good nesting spot on the shoulders of these AAA titans! In the meantime please remember to get involved with our Discord and leave your feedback there.
NEW WAIFU – BLYTHE Help Blythe out of a pickle and she may repay you in her own way.
NEW BLYTHE NSFW SCENES The Blythe update comes with 28 new Pandora scenes for the sexy warlord! She is also available in Gallery mode!
NEW SIDEQUEST Three new side quests have been added to the game.
NEW ONBOARD DIALOGUES All your crewmates have new dialogue onboard the ship to reflect the latest exciting developments!
Tweaks and Improvements
Glitch line on top of Entering Screen (Pandora and Gallery) fixed.
Reduced Raenos Mercenary’s initiative in Grid Combat.
Yahgot’s anti-stun passive now working in Grid Combat.
Yahgot now has skill icons in Grid Combat.
Added a UI SFX when the alert speech bubble pops up on screen.
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where a barrel spawned on top of a hole on Tandov scenario in Grid Combat. This caused the game to crash if targeted.
Fixed issue where Kino news segments required a specific gameplay event to update the news. I.e. progressing the story to the next section or speaking with a waifu onboard the Mary Celeste.
Fixed issue when clicking on the Jukebox or Gallery, then exiting screen back to the Bar, DEMI appeared on the far table in a T-Pose onboard the Mary Celeste.
Known Issues (Does not include all issues)
VFX Poison sometimes lingers after the unit who had it is destroyed in Grid Combat.
Some instances of speech bubble VO still playing during the end mission screen.
Not all anomalies in Navigation update visually after a specific event takes place. WIP.
Clipping issues during dialogue sections for some newly introduced characters in Fortune’s release.
Some characters' animation pose transitions are not in place yet during dialogue sections for Fortune’s release.
If multiple enemies are stunned, when it is their turn, the arrow above their head still renders even after their turn has passed in Grid Combat.
Visual bug, when a mantic reaches max level of 40 a white icon will appear the first time you enter the lab, as if there were more levels but goes away after selecting another mantic.
Mission log filter inconsistency if you filter out finished missions, then filter out on Nebula’s, the filtered Finished missions will be in the list again.
Waifus active, passive and ultimate icons do not always render in the same order from Locker room to selection screen.
Visual bug, unlockable abilities/passives not showing up or showing as locked in the Laboratory or Selection screen after the character has reached required level (some known characters Napholeon & Chodestool passed level 30).
Character upgrades based on level are not fully implemented for all characters.
Imperium’s Shocktrooper Purify status remains on character after Shocktrooper is killed.
Visual bug, if a unit has shield and armor and receives damage while the preview damage animation is happening on the health bars, there’s a chance it will show shield or armor remaining on the bar when there is not after the attack (In most cases remaining shield but in the character info it will show zero shield as intended).
Alt-Tabbing potentially can cause the game to crash, especially during areas of the game where high loads take place.
Report stating Rekall's passive can cause a softlock if an enemy counters with low health and dies from Rekall’s passive.
Low texture resolution rendering for some users during dialogue sequences throughout the game.
Some users reported odd textures when loading Ela and Taron in PANDORA and Gallery.
Framerate drop can cause Mary Celeste to shoot out of the jump-gate in Navigation.
Bridge projector fails to update the color scheme throughout Mary Celeste consistently.
Physics on dangling pieces such as tentacles or hair (i.e. Huntress or Killi) may clip through the character's body or rapidly vibrate during dialog sequences.
Yellow/White screen flashing artifact during space combat when using the FXAA aliasing method. Most likely due to the lens flare and or high bloom values.
On rare occasions, an unintentional song plays during some areas of the game.
On rare occasions, clicking the ‘Help’ button in the dialogue section of the game can remove the help text but can't be re-enabled until restarting or starting a new scene.
Potential stuttering when playing back cinematics for some systems. Note there is an option to disable 4k videos from the graphics tab under settings. This has improved performance for some users.
Reports of performance issues on some Space Combat random scenario maps.
Animation in You’re Mine Now scene needs finalizing.
Replay icons and navigation icon concepts are a work in progress, inconsistencies are known.
Completion percentage counters in Navigation are a WIP and may have some inconsistencies.
Notes
Equipables for characters in Grid Combat are a work in progress and may not work as intended. In addition to this, we are considering moving the equipable items menu to the character selection screen where choices can be made right before battle.
Blythe testing is completed and we aim to release the next chapter in Subverse’s story, Patch 0.8, on the 3rd of July 2023. Thank you for your patience and continued support of the project. We will communicate the remaining release schedule in the next diary, which will also feature notes from the designers and the director.
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
It was a painful push to finish off Blythe’s remaining Pandora scenes, just something about her that is distracting.
But it is very refreshing to go play with big toys in the cinematics again, got some wonderful things to show you in the future.
Manski
Finished the final lightpass to the Pandora scenes included in this release. Everything I've learned so far in Unreal goes into lighting Blythe's ginormous tits and hips. I only hope I'm worthy of you now, mommy.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
This month, after spending a bit of time performing lipsyncs, I gave life to two new animations, a sweet moment between Blythe and the Cap, and a new one for Taron and the Captain. I’ll keep moving into sex animations before diving into cinematics :D
Yagskie
We haven’t forgotten about Taron, shes getting some new scenes for 1.0 This month, I’m animating a scene of Demi and Captain tag-teaming Taron on the couch.
Mendez
I’ve been knee-deep into setting up scene blocking for a whole heap of awesome cut scenes, many of which occur at pivotal narrative beats of the story. It’s been a good time applying some storytelling skills to really have the moments land the way we want.
I’d share screenshots of my work for the month, but I don’t want to spoil anything of course ;)
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hello,
Today I would like to share some screenshots for 3 new side quests. Two are Space Combat and the other is Grid Combat. Nothing too major as far as changing gameplay but we were able to customize them a bit to provide something more memorable and unique. Also, I have been working on getting the anomalies in game for navigation. It’s always amusing reading the different descriptions provided. The one that stuck out this time is a planet named “Peabhe N'Jae”, I did my best to achieve the look described 😊.
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone!
Recently I had the pleasure of getting back in the booth and recording some fresh content for Sova (ooh yes, some of it very spicy…). I’ve also been working on the sound design for Blythe’s set of pandora scenes. She has quite a lot, so long time fans of her will hopefully feel she’s been worth the wait!
Billy Grande
Hello everyone!
I couldn't ask for more exciting content to include in my first Dev Diary entry! For this month, it has been an absolute pleasure to work out an upgrade system for our favorite mainframe (to be included in 1.0. I’ve also reviewed Blythe’s skillset to make sure she can assert dominance, and gave an obsessive fangirl enough toys for her closet! I'm really looking forward to showing you what's next.
ART & MODELING
WTX
Having worked on so many… phallic implements over the years, it felt very rewarding that this month I got to build a museum environment to house some of my unholy creations.
ErinTheSketchy
Hi guys!
Here we are again to show you the new things we are making for the upcoming updates. Very cool stuff is in progress, and one is our girl DEMI's proposed leveling system that Billy talked about. I'm very excited that we are now ready to share this WIP UI with you! Hope you enjoy it!
LoeJigma
Hi everyone, The upgrade system took me by surprise as well, I'm looking forward to how it would affect the game!
Tibor
I continue to work full time on the project. I'm busy with improving usability, adding new UI elements, implementing new modules, fixing issues, and optimizing the code, etc.
Development continues on the next part of the story, as well as the underlying systems needing an overhaul. Testers should have the final Blythe build in early June, and we will make an announcement about the release schedule once testing is complete. Thank you for your patience as our team continues to work hard on the project. We want to deliver a great experience for everyone.
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
From kawaii princess cinematics to girthy double penetration and gaping holes. Also’ talking dog’ people.
I am blessed this month.
I have also been following the latest trends in animation software, UE5 facial capture, and artificial intelligence rigging. It’s a good feeling to see how much the tech is developing!
Manski
Work on the 10 cinematics for Blythe’s story has concluded for me this month. I hope the audience will be moved by the plot’s high stakes and anilingus. As of this Dev Update, my days are busy helping the director with cleanup and lighting/VFX of the remaining Pandora scenes.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
My goal this month was to keep running through the devotion quest scene setups. After completing Killi, it was time for me to move on with the Huntress! Without spoiling anything, the conclusion of her story is probably my favourite cinematic in the game! It has a lot of emotional moments and sweetness; and the environment will also play a huge role. The team did a great job conceptualizing everything. Can’t wait to finish this one up and get it fully animated! Here’s an image of another, more current cinematic that I also worked on.
Yagskie
I’m working on the last of the Kickstarter spacewhale scenes this month. It involves a BJ scene of DEMI with a Mantic. Currently trying to figure out how far his third leg can fit in her throat.
Mendez
I’m working on probably the most expansive sex scenes I’ve been involved in with FOW so far. Pretty excited about these ones I must say. I’ve met with the director and am currently helping him with translating the storyboards into Unreal Engine. It requires a lot of planning before we can start animation, so that we don’t run into any unwelcome surprises down the line. The way they’re ending the stories of the girls is shaping up to be really cool I feel. I really don’t want to spoil any of them so I’ll just say they’re climactic in more ways than one.
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hi,
This past week I finished creating some of the new Grid Combat missions. For the most part they are standard combat missions with a unique way of storytelling. While these missions get some initial testing, next on the list is to create the anomalies for the next batch of solar systems that open and then integrate our PANDORA scenes. They’re looking really good.
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone,
It’s been a very busy month for me, working on many different areas of the game. I have assembled the necessary VO selections for Blythe’s new pandora scenes, assisted Hungry JJ in sound designing for an upcoming space combat boss fight, and polished the upcoming visual novel scenes more. Each patch of the game I try to one up myself. I will eventually need to re-visit older scenes and clean them up to the latest style of visuals to keep things looking consistent, but that will be something to look out for in the 1.0 release!
ART & MODELING
WTX
This month I had quite a blast modelling this set of bespoke cyber sex toys to feature in some of our lewder scenes, including a very special ‘prop’ that might be best kept a secret for now.
ErinTheSketchy
Hi guys!
Between finishing Blythe's content, testing and planning up for what's coming next the month was busy and the next one will be too. However, working on different things such as cinematics, new UI, maps and everything in-between is always a creative delight. I'm looking forward to sharing the results with you!
The bad news is, to create a great user experience and develop quality contents takes time.
The good news is, it seems we have the ability & resources to implement all our plans, user requests, and potentially even more. I have been working on the tasks that were announced already to make sure the promises are fulfilled. My work is mainly C++ and quite technical. Once the visual elements are integrated we will publish some previews. All together, in my opinion, the project is getting into good shape in terms of content as well as the existence of our software engineering capability. Thank you all for the bottom of my heart for your support and enabling the team to deliver this (hopefully) entertaining game.
We’re hard at work on the next important chapter of the story. Things come to a head as the major players in the galaxy set off on a collision course of jizz-tastic proportions! The next update will feature Blythe heavily, so all you Blythe fanboys better prepare!
ANIMATION
Moneyshot
BIG HUGE MASSIVE HONKING NURTURING BOMBS OF TITS was on my tasklist this month, posing Blythe up for the gallery. Further preparing some more scenes for work by others and then finalizing a couple of important cinematics.
Manski
This month I'm working on further cinematics for the game. Our kinosseurs in the team will show me work by J.J. Abrams, Ridley Scott and other old farts to better guide me through the storyboard process. Then I move on to animation and lighting, getting feedback in-between, so I can deliver rendered files before a deadline.
Massimo Decimo Meridio
All my energies in this month, are being given to posing and setting the timeline for two differents cinematics, Fortune and Blythe Devotion Quests! Both of them will be long and very challenging animations! Can’t wait to directly move into the animation and give all these shots beautiful appeals!
Yagskie
For this Month, I'm working on an prone bone animation scene of Elaisha and Captain where he roughly chokeholds her into submission. It was a spacewhale request. I hope he likes it!
Mendez
I had some vacation time this month and went to Norway and Sweden with some friends and family, so I'm back and fully charged! Having finished a major round of Pandora animations, I am back to work on cutscenes. The one I'm working on right now has me giggling to myself like an idiot and I look forward to having you all enjoy it as well.
PROGRAMMING
Hungry JJ
Hi,
Lately I have been working on Grid and Space Combat main quest missions related to the next characters storyline. As far as the space combat mission goes, the closest thing I could compare it to in the game is the Kloi Armada Run. Also, I have been incorporating assets for the dialogue sections of the game and eventually a couple of newer characters.
Samantha Flowers
Hello everyone,
This month I’ve been hard at work whipping the visual novel scenes into shape. It’s been quite difficult due to the amount of upcoming group conversations, combined with the limitations of the system! At the very least, Celestina and Erark fans (such as myself) will have something very “fun” to look forward to.
ART & MODELING
WTX
This April I've worked on [REDACTED] which will be the [REDACTED] where you'll [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and hopefully [REDACTED] before you get to [REDACTED]. Hope you'll enjoy it. : )
ErinTheSketchy
Hi guys! Blythe's graphics are ready and now I'm working on some storyboards and still-shots to be used in the storytelling. We are currently planning those and I'm very excited for the moment they will start taking their final form!