Development Update - March (Patreon)

PSA: It has taken much longer than planned between updates due, in no small part, to my unscheduled surgery in January. As such we're going to release the update to all game access tiers simultaneously. That said we don't want to penalise our Ascended+ supporters, so there will be a chunk of exclusive content for Ascended+. This content is in addition to what's detailed below

The Ascended+ content includes;

• New Genitals (vote over in the Ascended+ section of Discord)

• New Outfits (chosen by poll in the Ascended+ section of Discord)

• More (I'd rather under-promise and over-deliver, I trust you'll enjoy it)

This content will remain exclusive to Ascended+ Patrons for at least a month.

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EDIT: when patreon ate the original version of this post I rewrote the entire thing. Somehow I missed off the date of the next update. The next update will drop by the end of April.

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Hey Everyone!

This is the second time I've written this post as Patreon decided to eat it when I first hit publish. You know what they say; if a job is worth doing then it's worth doing twice.

We've been working hard on the next update and honestly we've allowed perfecting content to get in the way of keeping you all up to date with what we've been doing on and what content you can expect imminently.

I had planned this as a single blog, but it's just too long. For this post I'll just deal with the next update, then I can touch upon what's coming down the pipe in a separate post. So here's what you can expect in the next update, which we're planning to come out by the end of April at the latest.

New Equipment / Cosmetics

Given that we're introducing so many new NPCs in the next update we've added multiple new clothing options to help flesh out the world and avoid things becoming too repetitive.

Some existing cosmetics have been updated for use by players. The Bloodseeker equipment is now usable for players and features a male variant.

Both of the Centaur Helmets are also now usable items, bringing the armour of Lybos into play for the first time.

We've also been careful to ensure that there are lots of subtypes of faction-specific clothing. That means you shouldn't find too many Anubites wearing the exact same version of the exact same dress. Whilst many will have similar outfits, minor details will vary to keep from a "clone army" appearance.

The image below is a bit like a "spot the difference", but each of these identical Felian ladies has a slightly different outfit;

The new clothing will allow us to make characters more distinct from each other, especially key romance or quest NPCs potentially having unique clothing variants to help them stand out at a glance (as well as to help build the environmental storytelling around the character).

It should be more intuitive who someone is from their appearance alone.

These dresses are the first phase and they'll have some complementary components for the other slots which will help to make the NPCs ever more diverse.

Main Story Update - Amara & Sorcery

We felt that where the main story currently leaves players is a bit confusing as it's missing the transition to the next phase of the game. As such we've added in a crucial story NPC - Amara. Amara is a mysterious white Jackal who will unlock not only Character Customization but also the arcane arts, namely sorcery.

Magic in CI has been teased for a while and in the next update you'll get to play it for the first time (technically the second if you figured out how to access the test fireball). This first set of abilities allows you to wield the unstable magics of the void to destroy your enemies, though there are numerous other abilities already in development.

Quality of Life Improvements

• Shade Sight

  • Tap into the power of Kethra's echo and use the eyes of the void to view the world to better find enemies, treasure and quest locations.

• Essence drops added to enemies

  • Essence is a crucial resource for Customization, Sorcery and more to come. Rather than limit player to only gaining essence from Bosses, Quests, and Kethra's Gifts, we've added small amounts of essence to most enemy types. Those beings with a stronger tether to the void, the original source of magic, will drop more essence than mundane enemies.

• Levelling

  • Based on player feedback we've removed the campfire requirement for levelling. You can now level up at any time via the Character Menu.

New Faction - The Gilded Fold (Slavers)

Coming along with a map expansion and the slavery mechanics, the Gilded fold are the next faction to step into the growing world of Sabu. These followers of the demigoddess Anashai control slavery in Sabu, subject to the necessary bribes (and free samples) for the Merchant's Guild.

Players will get their first look at the walled-gardens of these flesh-traders, hinting at the questline to come. Initially you'll be able to sell slaves to the Gilded Fold, eventually gaining enough reputation to make use of their cages and chains to obtain slaves of your own.

The initial slavery tutorial quest will be part of the update, with the rest of the chain arriving after DSS 2.0 (for reasons that are fairly easy to imagine).

Side Quest - Pleasure Villa

Safiya and her Harem of lusty handmaidens have been having a dispute with the local Anubites at the nearby Temple ruins. Helping to resolve the dispute will enable players to make use of her villa and the services on offer.

Side Quest - No Rest for the Wicked (Revamped)

Mesahtnofret and her doomed village are making a comeback in UE5. Help her bring a cure to the worsening curse with a new Dungeon, enemies, NPCs, and rewards.

Side Quest - Depths of Kab'Alrah

Near to Shipwright's Encampment (home to Alkippe, Khyras and Iva) Tomb Robbers have been hard at work exploring an ancient ruin. Delve into the forgotten hallways of this tomb and take their ill-gotten treasures for your own. But beware, these dark caverns are not without dangers of their own.

Side Quest - New Point of Interest NPCs:

• A hermitess with a mysterious past living in self-imposed exile.

• An aging warrior that seeks a fitting end.

Worldbuilding - New Enemies

The "Beasts of Sobek" have been sorely missed in Sabu since the move to UE5 and they're making a comeback with a vengeance. The name shifted over time and these creatures are known by the locals as "Subaq" (sue-back). A single large eye adorns their head and, in some large specimens, will have the ability to mesmerise potential prey.

Only the common, smaller Subaq (pictured) will drop in this coming update, but larger specimens with more developed abilities won't be far behind.

Worldbuilding - Fishing Mechanics

You're not going to win the heart of a lusty fisherman without proving you can haul in a catch yourself. Well, Moswen is actually fairly easy to please so you probably can. Either way we wanted to broaden the interaction with the world and we've done that with the inclusion of fishing spots.

Once discovered these locations will appear on your map and can be used to catch various fish, with each spot being better for a different type. Currently only Glimmerfin Snapper and Sandscale Minnow are available, but there are numerous others in progress.

Fish are a commodity and can be sold, but once cooking drops (in a post-DSS 2.0 update) they will be used in crafting a variety of dishes. These aren't just for flavour (pun intended) but will give various gameplay benefits.

UI Updates

As we've been updating the Sorcery UI, we've gone back and updated the visuals of the Inventory and Character screen.

We've also added new UI elements for the new "world events", including reward popups to better detail what your efforts have achieved.

Ongoing Development

There will be another post detailing exactly what we're doing for the update after April, i.e. Dynamic Sex System 2.0. To keep it simple, whilst giving at least some insight, here's a brief summary;

Freecam and Lovense enabled. Scene progression from initial foreplay to getting it on. Support for everything from erotic bathing and oiled massage to full-frontal snogging and bed-breaking romps.