Development: Public Progress Update (Patreon)

[PSA: THIS POST INCLUDES MINOR SPOILERS FOR "STRANDED ANUBITES". READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

Hi all,

Welcome to the first of our public development progress updates. How frequently we post these will depend on precisely what we're working on at the time, but they'll be more frequent than previous updates.

Additionally we'll be posting exclusive subscriber-only progress updates with the more juicy details as we get to them. So when you read about upcoming intimate content below, that's the sort of thing that'll get a much more "in-depth" coverage in the exclusive posts.

So in addition to several tonnes of bugfixes, we have been working on...

A tiny bit of content for the next Stability Update

We're adding two minor NPCs back into the UE5 build and these will ship with the next stability update. They're nothing major but give a little colour to the world, literally in the case of Tekem the Painter. These are only small parts but they may branch out ("Paint me like one of your Sabuthi girls...") if there's interest in them.

There are some player lines mysteriously missing in one of the conversations. I blame everyone but me. They must have slipped behind the sofa (the missing lines are with VA now and will be ready for the next major content update).

Next Quests

Many Minor Miscellaneous Missions

We're fleshing out the Heifers Reach starting zone with a range of minor encounters to help deliver the "Fall of Pompeii" vibe that the zone is intended to have. These will introduce the player to some of the new mechanics that we're working on as well as providing the setup for other quests that take place in Mehden, Tal-Senet, or the wider world.

"If It Bleeds..."

We're working on a tie-in quest for "Stranded Anubites", enabling players to face down the horror that will otherwise feast upon the unlucky followers of the Jackal god. "If It Bleeds..." will see players track down the beast, uncovering its hidden lair, and entering that subterranean maze. Success will mean a more positive outcome is possible in the "Stranded Anubites" quest.

The thing that lurks in the darkness below, a Kravenrook, is a formidable foe. This magical monstrosity was a priest of Kethra before her fall, long since twisted and mutilated by the ancient power it has drawn upon to unnaturally extend its life.

P.S. Yes it does have genitals. No we're not planning for a sex scene with this particular Kravenrook... I just remember the requests to get it on with Ranno and I'm planning ahead this time.

P.P.S. It will have feathers, I don't author these in ZBrush however so they're not in the image.

"Seeking Metamorphosis" (AKA Footsteps of the Dragon 2.0)

The first pass of our Footsteps of the Dragon replacement quest has been written, as has the design draft for the overall flow of the dungeon. This initial quest will now see the player making their way through a particularly deadly ruin. Puzzles must be solved and pitfalls avoided as party members risk death with every step in this sealed Inquisition burial site. Various traps will mean a grizzly end for the unwary, but greater dangers lurk in the shadows tunnels below the dunes.

Those that continue with this endeavour will be rewarded however, with Ahmes making an all-new appearance in the UE5 build. She's got all-new dialogue but she's the same lusty dragon girl. 

This quest is intended to introduce two DSS 1.0 scenes;

• Ahmes "Study Session" (solo/partner play)
• Writhing Darkness of Tua-Akorest* (new type of non-goo tentacle scene)

*Tua-Akorest is one of the Five Hells

You may have noticed the 1.0 after DSS, which brings me to...

New/Upgraded Systems Development

DSS 2.0

So this is a longer term development than the rest, but we're starting the overhaul of DSS to bring it up to standard. The current DSS was useful for the "basic" interactions of UE4, but doesn't really cut it with our romance system and how we want scenes to develop organically.

The new system will enable scenes to become longer and more complex if you read the signals of your partner. If you give an NPC the experience they're looking for then, instead of saying cheerio and waving you off, they'll pull you into a further stage of the scene. Add to this a series of visual and camera control improvements and we think it'll make the experience far more immersive.

It's still early days on this, but we expect to entirely replace DSS by the end of the year, if not before. It's worth noting that this isn't just about sex, DSS 2.0 will be used for everything from oiled-up massages and bathing, to - and I joke not - touching fingertips and even holding hands (who wants to watch the sunset whilst holding Damaris' hand?).

Jiggly Butts

Not only butts, but tummy wobble too. We're in the midst of making the characters get a whole lot more wobbly. We already have a prototype "butt-ripple" that's game-ready for the reaction to hard lovemaking and the tummy jiggle is also essentially ready to implement.

It's important to us that every ball slap, impact shudder, nipple suck, and giggling wiggle feeds through visually... it just helps make everything more organic and intimate. Especially when you'll be controlling the action so directly with DSS 2.0.

We're now feeling out how much more squeezy, wobbly, jiggly goodness we can add... there may be votes... watch this space.

Traversal and Interaction Systems

Whilst the "freeclimb everywhere" system we used in UE4 gave a boost to early gameplay, it limited our options for bottlenecking the player. Whilst this sounds desirable, it meant that it was more challenging to know where players would approach content from and severely restricted the freedom we had as developers.

The updated system could be seen as a downgrade in some ways, primarily in that you won't be able to mantle every prop and static NPC in the world, but it opens up so many additional opportunities for us creatively that we think it's actually an upgrade (or at the very least a 'sidegrade').

The new traversal system is out of prototype phase and nearing the stage where we can release it in a shipped build. It'll feed into the next thing on this list...

Caves

Caves are a step closer to implementation now and we have some small examples of the basic tier. Caves, as a name, is a bit of a misnomer, as this system encapsulates all enterable spaces. The same system is used for shrines, buildings, dungeons, tombs, etc.

Having these enterable spaces enables us to massively increase the density of content without the world feeling cluttered. Some of these spaces will have little more than loot, or quest objectives. Others may harbour unsavoury characters with hostile intent, or even amorous would-be lovers. The screenshots below show a range of examples, from a wine cellar beneath Mehden Island, to the entryway to an ancient tomb.

With a trusty torch to drive away the shadows, who knows what you'll find in the lost places beneath the dunes...

Please note: these are very early screenshots and do not represent final visual quality

That's not everything we're working on, not by a long shot, but it should give some idea of direction of travel. Romance is a system that's been intentionally left out of this blog, as we're intending an entirely romance-centric update after the first UE5content update, but suffice to say that Damaris won't be the only choice; there will be male, female, and futa romantic partners, available to all irrespective of form (i.e. Gay, Lesbian, and Hetero will all be playable options).

The next development update will be an general roadmap of what we intend to implement in 2023.

Thank you for your incredible support, not solely financial but also in terms of bug reporting and playtesting the game. It would quite literally be impossible for us to make this game a reality without the dedication of this community and we are so incredibly grateful for it.

If you aren't on there already, consider joining our Discord server. It's a great place to get tech support, report issues, share smut, and chat with other members (as well as the devs).

Team Carnal Instinct