12/13 Status Update

A lot of stuff happened this week. Remember those previews I showed of how Vashti could equip different modifiers for different skills? Well that's all completely different now. Not the skill modifiers thing, but how I implemented them.

Classes now have a core mechanical identity, something their skillset and items revolve around. So now Vashti's Sorceress instead of enhancing different skills is based around one main skill, Empower. Activating Empower enhances all her other spells for two turns gaining various effects based on what you have equipped. Essentially, instead of having different builds based on what skills you focus on, most classes are now focused on some kind of signature skill or ability that you can customize by having more tools than there are slots. For example, Slinger Shahrazad currently has 10 different options for skills and skill enhancers, but if she wants to get rid of everything else including her normal weapon, she can only carry 7 of them (I increased the max equipment count from 6 to 7).

One build you might do is something like this. This build gives up its basic weapon to go all in on her various shots. Oversized Ammo gives Shahrazad a 50% damage boost but a max ammo of one. But Frantic Reload lets reloading not end the turn, but with the downside of drastically lowering Shah's defenses for the turn. And for good measure, Scatter Ammo gives all her shots an AOE. So if you can keep her safe, this build turns Shah into an artillery piece, shooting her various buffed-up shot types every turn.

Or maybe you don't like using her shots and just want the good old basic sling? This build still needs a shot and reload to activate Flaming Ammo, but the rest of her slots can be used on equipment. Flaming Ammo gives Shah a whopping +10 Strength after she reloads. The downside being that her Strength doesn't affect her shot skills, so this only benefits her basic weapon. But with all her equipment and Flaming Ammo, she's getting a total of +15 to her Strength!

That's just one example, but every class has it's own thing. Assassin Shahrazad is completely different, instead focusing on skills that reset her movement. She can move, use a skill gaining a buff and more movement, move again, use another skill that gives a buff and more movement, move again... the catch is that those skills have limited uses and can't be used while the buff is still active. So you could use them all at once, fly across the map and attack an enemy. But you better be sure she's safe once there because getting back will be a bit delayed...

Azar has Conscript who's all about his stances, and Hunter who is focused on giving enemies marks and effects that trigger off marked enemies. Zaman has Guardian who has a bunch of faith skills and all his enhancers affect all of them, as well as having ways to refresh their uses. While Rebel Zaman can either focus on Call to Arms, making it last longer, more uses, buffing the enemy you change to your side, etc. or Making Rallying Cry have more and better effects.

So that's what most of this week was spent on making a LOT of skills and skill enhancers and putting them all in the game. The list of icons needed for all of these is 85 items long. And I still haven't done female Azar's Boxer or any of the villains yet.

I also have lots of new art to show off, so let's get started with the sexy one.

This is a sex scene on Shahrazad's POV if she stays together with Zaman. Now, this might not seem all that exciting, there's already scenes of them fucking in the game. But this one has something special that only is on Shah's POV...

A femboy Shah version! Yes, this is the first sex scene that shows something I've been talking about for a while. On Shah's POV, every sex scene is going to have both pussy and dick versions. If you use boy Shaha a lot in Act 1, she'll decide she likes it and stay in that form throughout Act 2. If not, she stays a girl and it's all still totally straight. But hey, if Netoria 2 is going to have lesbians everywhere, it might as well have a little bit of gay content peppered in too.

All the new character sprites for the villain art and Danya are done now, just in time to draw 100+ icons. Look at her dance! Just like her mother (yes, they are very cute when put next to each other).

And finally, those busts I talked about last week are done. So here's the colored and shaded version of the Sultan, Zaman's dad. He looks like a cheery fellow, I'm sure being Sultan is a great job. And these are finished just in time for the character artist to start working on the 18 new pieces of character art needed for the Act 2 classes who themselves will need another 100 or so skill icons. Hey, it's a big game, I knew that going in. I sure hope people like it, the last really big game didn't do too great...

Whew, long update this week. I had a lot to talk about and from the looks of it, next week is going to be just as packed. Everyone will get a chance to try out the new skill system and see all the fancy new art by the end of the month I'd say. That's my new target for that wider demo test.

That's all for this week. As always, thank you for your continued support.