Game Update #41 (Patreon)

Hey, October's here! Which means I got a new game status update for you. In addition to details on where I am in the creation process, I also have the results of the final Grind'm poll. Let's get into it!

Art

There's so much art. SO much art. But I'm getting closer and closer everyday to completing revisions for all of the CGs in the game plus wrapping up the new Grind'm hookup set.

First, how 'bout the new menu screen? I always love finalizing them since it means a new update is almost ready...

I mentioned in a previous post that I've been tweaking some characters to smooth out some problem areas with their models, and it's slowed me down just a tad. But I figure if I'm redoing all the art anyway, might as well get this done for some of the guys so I don't have to remake the CGs again in the future. 

Plus there's my usual pickiness - I want everyone to look as best they can, so I've been adjusting cameras and lighting more than I'd originally intended. But hey, it just means when you revisit the CGs, it'll be a much more polished and possibly hotter experience than before!

I've also been planning ahead to what art will be included in the Morning After Update - the next big story update that's coming after the New You Update. This update follows up with all the main characters, and I want to make sure the wait was worth it when you get to play. So I've been carefully planning out how many CGs each of the guys get so everyone gets at least 3, with some especially hot CGs that can only be unlocked if you got as far as you could with some of the guys. My reward to you for all your dedication to specific characters.

Some guys have more CGs planned for them by virtue of having longer scenes. For Matt fans, there's a sequence with him if you wake up at his apartment that... well, I don't want to spoil. I'll just say you should look forward to it 😉 Will also has quite a few planned - this update will include the first time in-game you'll have the opportunity to go further with him than just polite chatting...

Also needing the be planned soon - everyone's clothes! It's been a long while since I had to dress all the boys, but it'll be a new day, so they need to change their fits. I've had a fair number of outfits planned for a bit, but I'm still scouting assets that fit each guys' vibe. Luckily, Daz is having a bunch of sales right now.

Coding

I mentioned this in the last sneak peek, but I figured out how to code the new Grind'm menu so it works how I intended. I thought it'd be super complicated, but turns out I learned more coding the past few years than I expected. It's essentially just a series of screen overlays and hover effects, which I already knew how to do because of making the main menu. Simple!

Here's the final layout after you click on Jordi's unlocked profile. If you're a Junior, Senior, or Graduate, you can see other screens as well as Jordi's profile pics in Sneak Peek #25.

As a side effect of making this menu, I learned something about using screens that I wish I'd known from the very beginning. In brief, Connor's face in the bottom corner as you play is a screen overlayed on top of the other images. All this time I've been typing code to first hide the prior screen and then show the new one each time I changed his expression.

If you ever saw multiple Connor faces overlapping each other, it was because I messed this up - a total pain. But turns out you just need to add a tag to screens of the same type and you don't need to do that - showing a new screen auto-removes the old one. This is very handy going forward. Figuring out how to code as you make a game is certainly a journey!

Writing

I mentioned previously that the point of the Grind'm updates is to give us something to play while we wait for bigger story updates - which means I'm working on both the New You Update and the writing for the Morning After Update simultaneously.

I have most of the immediate events planned at this point with each significant character's path through the morning laid out. There are four different locations you can wake up: Matt's place, Griffin's place, the frat house, or your dorm room. The first three are relatively simple to figure out what alternate versions there will be - for Matt, you either passed out drunk or hooked up with Leo; for Griffin, you either hooked up or just slept over; and for the frat house, the only way you can wake up there is if you had your awkward hookup with Julian and stayed with Owen after.

The real tricky section is the morning after at the dorm. There are so many events that lead to you going to bed there, and all need to be accounted for. But as I talked about in Game Update #39, I assigned specific relationship flags for each character, and that's gone a long way to helping me keep track of everything that needs addressed. I recommend reading that update if you'd like more details.

So all this to say: I'm doing my very best to make sure your favorite guys get great content after you've waited so long and so patiently to see what happens next. I'll be sharing more details as I get further in the process!

Looking Ahead

So when, exactly, is the New You Update actually coming out?

I've said before that I more than learned my lesson about giving a specific timeframe without knowing for sure I'd make it, since I so often missed the deadlines for the Club Update. So I've been cautious about specifics for the New You Update... until today.

I'm so close to completion that I'm committing here to having the next game update released in early access later this month. That means if you're a Sophomore, Junior, Senior, or Graduate, I'll make sure you have something new to play before Halloween ends. A nice little treat before we head into November 🙂

And the winner is...

When we began voting for who will join Jordi in getting an unlockable in-game hookup, we had 18 guys to choose from. That got narrowed down to 8 and then the final 2: Blaze and Trevor.

After two weeks of voting, the Graduates have made their choice. The second Grind'm guy is...

Trevor! NC17's sporty twin edged out Blaze for the win, and it was close, too. I suspect what I proposed as a potential scenario for the hookup tilted things in Trevor's favor - but I'll leave the specifics of that as a surprise for everyone else 😉

We'll be doing another Grind'm vote after the Morning After Update is released. Blaze and all of the other contenders will be back to get another shot at the prize. I'm looking forward to seeing how things shake out next time!

That's what I've got today - I hope everyone's week is off to a good start!