Course of Temptation Dev Diary #38 (Patreon)

Hello friends! It's time for this week's dev diary.

This week has mostly been about preparing for the May monthly update. The relationships update is also getting very close, and I'm still hoping I can prepare it for some limited playtesting by the end of the month once I've packed some stuff into the May update. I really appreciate the patience as I work on these more complicated roadmap updates, and I hope the monthly updates are helping to tide you over until it's ready.

I did a bit of overtime over the weekend getting cheating mechanics implemented. As I've talked about in past diaries, being seen chatting somebody up in public will raise suspicion with your partner, and if you're seen coming out of somebody else's dorm room after an illicit encounter, you may really be in trouble!

Once suspicion is high enough, this can lead to a confrontation with your partner. This is where you get a chance to allay suspicions, with success dependent on your charisma and just how suspicious they are. Inclinations also play a factor: if you're inclined towards cheating, we can assume you're a practiced liar, but once the lies start to fall apart they'll fall apart fast.

This confrontation can lead to further disaster. If your partner remains unconvinced, or if you confess, then a sudden breakup is definitely on the table. You can keep arguing your case, but if you do get a second chance, don't count on a third!

Moving onto May update stuff, I started with implementing some user-contributed scenes. There's a lot of good stuff in here, and you can look forward to new variations on some quad party events, a new wardrobe malfunction hazard outside of Hallowell Hall, some new bus groper shenanigans, and more.

If that's not enough wardrobe malfunctioning for you, I also added the long-awaited "shorts upleg" situation. Naturally, this generally isn't as hazardous as wearing a short skirt, but certain circumstances (like working out at the gym in tiny shorts) can lead to somebody getting an eyeful.

I also went down a list we were given a few weeks ago by a screen reader user, doing what I can to improve accessibility. Anything indicated only graphically is not very accessible, so a few aspects of the UI stood to be improved, notably the needs meters. Players who don't use screen readers may like some of these changes too, which is an example of why improving accessibility is always worth the effort!

Seeking more control over encounters, I've given the player character the ability to ask their partner to be more gentle or more rough. NPCs will hesitate to truly go against their nature, but often they'll comply. NPCs asked to be rougher will tend to use the dominant-coded actions more, while NPCs asked to be gentler will refrain from those and tend to let you take the lead. If you're looking to improve your Submission skill or gain the relevant inclinations, asking your partner to get rougher with you will be a pretty reliable method.

Dorm room inventory is getting a pass too. Coffeemakers have been added, giving you a more cost-efficient and convenient way to boost your Rest need. And once you do actually get into bed, various decor items may boost your Relaxation, getting you more from your rest.

This comes with a new screen that will give you a full accounting of your dorm room inventory, which will make it easier to keep track of your streaming equipment too.

With this framework established, this gives us another area for easy additions. In the future, expect to get unique items as gifts, storyline rewards, and so on.

There's some other stuff in here as well, and maybe another contribution or two on the way that will make it in before the end of the month. As always, the release notes will give a full accounting.

I'm finishing out the week working on the Arcade side bets. It's commonly requested that the side bets should work the other way, too — that you should get a chance to punish NPCs that don't want to pay out. I agree, but it just hasn't ended up being a priority... until now! This has involved writing new events that mirror the punishments NPCs can inflict on the player, and today I'll finish up the logic that will make them work. This will result in a little more back and forth between you and the NPC, making the side bet events a bit less predictable.

As you can see, this is a whole bunch of little things, as the monthly updates often are! The next time you hear from me should be at the very end of the month, with complete release notes and an early access link for you. Once the May update is out, I'll be right back to work on the relationships update, which is very close!

But for now, that's all I've got! Thanks so much, as always, for your support!