Dev Blog #69 - What's Next?

Greetings everyone!

I sure wish I had a cooler post for Dev Blog #69, but, what can you do? I think this one's pretty good though! Update 6.1 has been out in the wild for a little while now and somehow avoided causing any major catastrophes, so I think things went pretty well overall. Of course, with the release of any major update comes the question of what's coming next. Lucky for you, that's exactly what today's post is about!

Development Cycle Changes

So the biggest change starting with the release of Update 6.1 is going to be how we handle development and release cycles. Before I get into explanations, let's just take a look at the new Road Map!

Looks a little different than some of you may remember, huh?

So, there's a few things to talk about here. First, the initial impression is that the 6.2 John Update is getting delayed. I assure you, that's not the case. Rather, instead of making everyone wait months before getting new content, the updates are going to be broken up. What you're seeing above is actually "all" the 6.2 John Update, as all of those features, as well as the to-be-announced 6.2.X update cycle, all make up the completed version of that update.

Some background changes on my part will start allowing for more development time, and in conjunction with the new release structure, my hope is that everyone will have more to play and look forward to more often!

Later today, the above road map will be posted to the Patreon's main page for easy reference, and updated as new updates are released.

Quality of Life in Update 6.1.1

The next release for The Company is going to be Update 6.1.1, which will bring the entire platform up to date, as well as make some decent QOL changes for players. Update 6.1 changed the way the game handles a lot of back end functions, but only applied them to Penny. Update 6.1.1 will be expanding these changes across the board.

Specifically, this changes the way Conversations, Dreams, Notes, and Random Events are handled. The way these items are being managed right now is... archaic... and as a result they are very hard to modify from one update to another, and very limited in terms of their functionality. The new system handles all the above items in the same way, and allows for easy additions and removals on the fly, can track cooldowns on a per-item basis (As in, one event can have the standard 3 day cooldown while another can have a 5 day cooldown), can track whether an item has been encountered, and can better lend itself to manual activation. More on that in a bit!

These changes won't mean much to you as players, at least not up front. There will be some minor content tweaks where appropriate, but the biggest takeaway is that this is a huge step in maintaining save compatibility from version to version!

Additionally, 6.1.1 will see both a backer and a public release, as well as a shorter development time... which is to say it will be out in a week or two.

It's a bit boring, sure, but it'll be well worth it moving forward. That said, there's a couple other additions coming in 6.1.1 that players should be excited for including:

• New character creation scene
• New debug menu accessible via cheats
• Interface tweaks

I'm also going to see about incorporating the first stages of the new image directory system depending on how we're looking on time. Ultimately, the purpose of this update is to solidify the foundation for future updates moving forward, like Update 6.2!

Oh, and saves from 6.1 will totally be compatible, albeit a little wonky in the dreams department, but hey, dreams.

Commenting on Update 6.1.2

Following the release of Update 6.1.1, we're going all in on the new comment engine. Update 6.1 acted as a bit of a tease of what's to come, what with all the stat tracking announcements, but here is where all that finally pays off.

Characters will remember the clothes you wear, the length of your hair (and other things), the size of your various attributes, as well as what attributes you did and didn't possess, your gender qualities, where you store you, um, personal belongings, and a host of other information. They'll also remember the things you've done together, and how frequently you do them.

Update 6.1.2 will be incorporating these systems throughout all existing content, as well as developing the large dialogue databases needed for the system to function. As a result, this will likely have the longest development time of the upcoming updates. In the end, it'll be completely worth it!

Additionally, during this time work will begin on a new flowchart-esque walkthrough guide for The Company! You can check out an early preview of that HERE.

Penny's Back for Update 6.1.3

The 6.1 Update had some... unfortunate roadblocks that occurred behind the curtains. This resulted in not only the delay of the comment engine, but also a lot of wasted development time. What that ultimately meant for me, was that I had a choice of extending the development time for Update 6.1 by a potentially significant amount, even after it was in development for an already significant amount of time, or release the update in a mostly complete state.

I chose the latter, as I'd already been keeping everyone waiting long enough, but the result was some noticeable content gaps.

Specifically, shouldn't Penny be acting differently towards you at her apartment depending on how you dose her? Or the day trips? Or just in general? Shouldn't she be taking a little more advantage of her newfound dominant nature if you're not quite on her level?

The purpose of Update 6.1.3 is to address these shortcomings and essentially get Update 6.1 up to the standard it was meant to be at.

A Wild John Appears in Update 6.2!

Just as Penny was the focus of Update 6.1, John will be the focus of Update 6.2! He'll be getting much the same treatment as Penny did as well, with new branching serum routes as well as refinements to his existing content. Highlights of this update include:

• Streamlining Dom John route and extending the impact to other coworkers, as well as his interactions with you
• Branching out John's serum routes allowing for various interaction possibilities
• Turn John into Chanel!
• Turn Chanel into John... Sorta!
• Turn John into your BFF, or your lover!
• Or, choose to punish John for all of his general horribleness!
• Of course, new events, conversations, etc.

It's going to be a big update, and as always I'll be keeping everyone up to speed every step of the way.

Upcoming Content List

Those who saw the old road map from a few weeks ago will remember information for Update 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5 for this year. None of that has changed at the moment, but as we're focusing on my immediate updates that content has been moved to a new list, which will also find its way onto the front page later today.

Planned Content for 2019

• Update 6.2 - John
  • Revision and expansion of John's content
  • Addition of branching serum paths
  • Lots to love for M/M fans
  • Update 6.2.1 - Interactive Event Overhaul
  • Update 6.2.2 - Image Handling Overhaul
• Update 6.3 - Coworkers
  • Tasha content update
  • Diana content update
  • Lauren and Sean content update
  • Diana returns!
• Update 6.4 - Household
  • Reconfiguration of Ava and Dakota serum paths
  • New and revised content for Ava and Dakota
  • New home features
• Update 6.5 - Social
  • New content for store clerks!
  • New content for Chris
  • New feature and location - The Brothel

Planned Content for 2020

• Update 7.0 - Chapter 4
  • Beginning of Chapter 4, the longest story chapter yet
  • Thanksgiving scene with Community-Driven cousin character
  • MCS-3 serums

Artwork Update

The artwork is still chugging along nicely! Marketing Associates, as well as everyone in Discord, have had the chance to see the new dynamic intimate poses featuring Ava. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, these particular previews will never see the light of a public post, so if you want to get in on the saucy action I highly recommend hopping into our Discord server!

That's it for this week. It's an exciting time for The Company as we venture into the realm of meaty (and meat-filled) updates!

Until then, thank you all for your continued feedback and support!