Development Update 47 (Patreon)

Hey guys,

In my last development update I explained my plan to divide my time equally between rendering the unfinished content left over from the last few updates, and planning / writing ahead to the end of chapter 2 and the start of chapter 3. I am pleased to report that we are making steady progress on both fronts.

Progress on version 0.15:

After getting version 0.14 and the fundraiser storyline out of the way, I was finally able to get back to work on the staff training / class punishments storyline, plus the various other bits and pieces that were cut from recent updates. I usually have a pretty good sense about what content will go down best with my audience. Looking through everything in the works, I have a very good feeling about pretty much all of it. It's going to be a real crowd-pleaser. Not only is it great content but it's all in a fairly far advanced stage of development and I've already begun the process of capturing the final renders.

I've explained my creative process in detail before in a previous development update. Essentially, all content is created in three distinct phases; 1. Planning, 2. Writing/story-boarding, 3. Capturing the final renders and editing the draft script. I already did most of the planning, writing and story-boarding for the staff training storyline, plus I have a ton of other content at the story-boarding phase. Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that I am months ahead of where I would normally be at this stage in the update cycle, and that v0.15 is over half finished already. It's a really great position to be in. Going into the update cycle with so much work done means that there are a lot less unknowns about my workload and it's taken away a lot of the stress I usually feel at this point.

Claire has a surprise waiting for the headmaster on his next visit

The update is going to start off with a bang (figuratively and literally) with a choice of two very different sex scenes with Miss Potts (both of which can be seen in a single play-through). I've already made most of the final animations for these scenes and they are looking amazing. The new soft body model (that I previewed in version 0.14 with Ada's spanking) is a real game changer; improving jiggling for the buttocks, and also adding a slight jiggle for the thighs, arms and belly. It is a finicky process, however, the end result is definitely worth the extra time and effort. Claire's punishment from the twins will also definitely be in version 15, the script is finished and some of the draft animations have already been made (with lots more beautiful jiggling). It's going to be a very visually pleasing and memorable scene, setting the tone for the twins' future punishment sessions (which are not far away now!)

Debbie will also get plenty of action, with a lesbian threesome in the dorms and also another threesome in the headmasters office with Rachel. The animations for both those scenes are made and just need to be recorded. There are obviously all the staff training scenes themselves with you teaching Debbie and Claire using Amy as a training dummy. Plus, there will also be a ton of little mini scenes around the school featuring lots of random girls getting punished.

Looking ahead to version 0.16 and the end of the chapter:

I want to dedicate a significant amount of time over the next few months to writing ahead to the end of chapter 2. Ideally, I would like to be in the same position going into version 0.16 as I'm in now, i.e. with the bulk of the content written and story-boarded. Obviously, this will slow down development on version 15, but this approach should speed things up in the long term. This will allow me to better balance my work loads, follow through on my story commitments, and generally drive the game forward at a faster pace. As a reminder this was my list of essentials to get done before we moved into chapter 3. I have a personal ambition to get everything on this list done by this time next year and I think that is achievable:

• Completing the staff training storyline
• Between one and three levels for the following girls:
  • Faye
  • The twins
  • Liz
  • Alice
• Second date with Samantha
• Advancement for the group medicals
• Introduction of new student antagonist - Zoe

Most of the things in the list above are still only at the initial planning phase. I have several scenes written for Faye, Liz, and the twins but I haven't yet figured out the specifics of how their storylines fit together. So, I have been doing a lot of thinking and planning these last few weeks. I don't talk about the planning part of my development process all that much. Generally because spending an entire day fantasising about naughty schoolgirls doesn't sound much like work. However, it is a crucial part of my job and is the basis for everything else that comes afterwards. In the crazy world of porn game development; daydreaming is something that I need to specifically allocate time for. It's also much harder than it might sound, with life's many distractions constantly competing for all important head-space. Fortunately, we had some nice weather in the UK over June (not so much in July, sadly). So I had some time to sit in my garden and get some quality thinking done. Although I don't have a huge amount on paper to show for this time, I did manage to solve some really tricky problems that had been bugging me for a while. Faye's storyline is now clear in my head and I've started writing that out. Plus, I think I'm finally ready to introduce the new student antagonist Zoe. I have had about 10 thousand words written for Zoe's introduction for well over a year. However, I was never happy with any of it. I've finally come to the decision to scrap the lot and start again. At the time I didn't have Zoe's character motivations clear in my head. I do now though, and my second attempt is going much better.

I'm not going to lie and say I have everything figured out already. I've got a lot more thinking and a ton of writing to do for my list of essentials. Unfortunately, this part of the process can't be rushed and any attempt to do so would be counterproductive. I am feeling good about the progress I've been making recently though and everything is going well.

When can we expect the next update?

It is still too early to say, unfortunately. At my current rate, dividing my time between writing ahead and rendering, I hope to have version 0.15 ready to release around October/November. However, I am not going to set any kind of firm release schedule for at least another couple of months. I've got a lot of creative writing to do at the moment and nothing kills creativity faster than a looming deadline. Plus, I want to prioritise my medium term goal of getting to the end of the chapter ahead of my short term goal of completing the staff training storyline, so I could do with as much flexibility as possible about the release schedules.

What are our plans for the next poll?

My last couple of Patreon polls have been in the form of in-character messages from Mr Mykock. I’ve enjoyed doing these, however, there are limitations on how interactive I can make a Patreon post. Next time, I thought it might be fun to make a short special (either as a standalone or as a patch for the main game), featuring Paul Mykock and Riley Goodhead (plus some surprise characters). The poll itself will have to be in a Patreon post, but all the details can be given via a short interactive special. I've only just started work on this in the background to all my other work, so it will be a while before it's ready. However, I just wanted to let you all know that something fun is brewing.

Altos