About 0.2.2a, Victorius, and 0.2.3

Hey 😊

It's around 10 days since the planned public 0.2.2a release date 😅😅😅, and truth be told, I had it initially done by then, but the traders needed more than just GUI change, they needed complete rewrite due to optimization purposes. 

Honestly, Ren'py is not the best engine to display a lot of images, and with the new GUI adding items with icons, the number of images being displayed at once increased a lot, the previous trader system's way of handling everything was... not the best. Traders were implemented near the start of my journey with Ren'py and python, with my skills limited, their implementation made the current, much more knowledgeable I get goosebumps when looking through this code, it was simply complex, unreadable, and unnecessary. At first, I wanted to just change some parts of it, but the more I have seen of it the more I disliked it. Even I couldn't understand this code in a reasonable time, much less people that didn't write it lmao. Talk about modding support 😅

In the end, I had rewritten it from start to end, 100% was rewritten with nothing salvaged, only some function names were kept for compatibility. Now it's something I firmly believe I will not have trouble understanding when I need to add something to traders after a year (for example card trading).

The trading has some changes to its functionality:

• left-click - move one item,
• right-click - open a slider that allows picking exact amount to move (right-click on plus there to move ten items at once)
• cost is no longer represented in $, now it's in caps
• There is a clickable coins icon above the trade balance, clicking it will even out the deal, preferably with a currency that has a static value
• Item prices will now fluctuate between restocks
• You can see current relations and preview increase of them from striking the deal

Doing it this time made me realize a problem with myself. When I realized trader was done so badly, and I can make it so much better, I just had to do it, I couldn't publicize it before doing it, I just couldn't get myself to just say 'fuck it' and just redo the GUI to make it on time. This in itself might not sound bad, but the problem is that I do it often, for instance, combat 2.0.

Don't get me wrong, I think the changes I do are good for the game, but the problem is that I can't stop myself from doing it even when I was supposed to finish the release. And even better I feel awkward telling you this before I actually finish it, I answer on Discord normally, but every time I think about posting here, I just feel I failed you, by starting the work that I didn't plan for now, just before supposed release. And ultimately I focus only on finishing it, before posting what I was supposed to before I found myself more things to do. I thought about it a lot and decided to try fighting with my awkwardness if I delay the release, I will just tell you, and compensate you with some more previews or curiosities about the creation process. I'm a human, I have my flaws, but I try to fight them. 💪

That being said, I get now why almost all games get moved release dates now, in the current game development, there are just so many unexpected things, things no matter how good you are - you just can't foresee. Sometimes it's a bug, that's really hard to trace, sometimes it's an optimization pitfall that needs patching. Sometimes it's also a design, where you make something that sounded good on paper, but in practice comes out as a nuisance and needs to be removed or changed.

I had such a situation, Trader redo was done on 8th March, before with Denker we did some tests (the game was first played start-finish, then all replays played one by one), we found some bugs and errors caused by changes to most events (animations implementation, on/off support). It was fixed soon after. After traders change, I tested it a lot again. Then I uploaded it at my aunt's place (my internet speed still sucks), but before the release on the 9th, I found an error with Alice Q&A trader implementation. Fuck... I forget to check Alice's event after the trader redone...  😣😥

Of course, I fixed it, did a LOT of tests on this event, changed it a little to fix some latent bugs that happened for some people, and uploaded it again. Then.. guess? After uploading it for the second time I found a problem again, it was not an error, but an exploit so big and game-breaking like Gracie's mom's issues. So.. I fixed it. Then I played all events one by one again, double-checked every trader, and everything trader-related, and once I found no more issues to fix, I went to my aunt for the third time. This time the game you see is this version. 0.2.2a v3 as I call it. I didn't count everything, but at least 40 hours of tests were done on this version. I even deleted my persistent data to check for any unlikely issues with it (the game was like first launched). 

I was supposed to release a Patron-only video of GUI 2.0 changes, but now that's 0.2.2a is out, there is no longer any sense to do it, you can just see for yourself. I started doing it, but faced a lot of problems, mostly with audio and video editor software (I wanted to record my *Cough* *Cough* beautiful voice), and after 4-5 hours of getting nowhere, I decided it's better I just focus on making 0.2.2a come out even a day earlier, rather than delay 0.2.2a by a day or two when I learn and set everything for the video showing new addition that's gonna be released soon anyway. That doesn't mean I abandoned videos or anything, I just decided to figure it out when I actually have spare time.

That's a long post I did today guys. I hope I didn't bore you too much. I know you care the most about events, especially the naughty ones, so for the next few releases, besides fixes, and more of GUI 2.0 (quite fast to do), I will not work on mechanics and only focus on events for now. The first I will do now is Gracie night naughty sleep expansion🥶, there's a footjob requested by one of you, but I want to add some mainstream fun too. 

Next, I want to make some more Rhainda and Savenia events. For Savenia especially I have something I wanted for some time already - going on exploration with her on the bike to distant places. Savenia likes danger, so maybe there will be some extra fun out there😘

As for Rhainda? Well, I would need to first consult my ideas with Rhainda lmao😊She's the model, so of course, she has her paws🦊 in the process. I can already tell you guys - no footjob scenes for her, like ever. Even if top-tier Patron requests it.

Feet are for walking.

Not for wanking.

~ Rhainda, 2022

Don't think I forgot about Gracie, Alice, Lexi, and Mina. I want story events for every one of them. Recently I focused on repeatable events, and it's time to advance the story too. I have some fun ideas about it. 

Now to the "to redo" part...  Easy there, before you start swearing at me - "You're not supposed to redo anything bast***!" 🤬 I would like you to read to the end (which you would if I didn't write the previous sentence lmao😇), I want to redo the prologue and first events for the initial main girls. Now, a year later, being a writer with some experience I find these events far from what I could write, be it in wording, pacing, or story. The new prologue will be so fuckin' intriguing I feel excited just thinking about doing it, hehe~ 😊

The events will follow the same storyline but will be expanded a lot, much more clear, well written, and intriguing. In the prologue, we will experience Asthar horrors in their whole horrifience, instead of just the quick sentence. The prologue will add a lot to the lore, giving you many questions, and perhaps answering some since you already know story events later in the game.  

*Codes for Valentine wallpapers and more info coming out tomorrow*

0.2.2a changelog

• added: Alice valentine wallpapers
• added: bright hover to wallpaper menu
• added: tooltips to wallpapers menu with wallpaper name
• added: disable animation support to all animations that didn't have it
• added: Animations ON/OFF setting to Video tab replacing old settings
• added: Notifications style settings to Game tab
• added: icons to the items
• added: crafting to the character screen
• added: updated translations for Spanish and Vietnamese
• added: a model info to Rhainda relations tab
• added: move items slider to vault and trade
• added: Even out function to the trading menu
• added: Good Profit mechanic to the traders
• added: preview of increased relations to the traders + relations counter
• added: Disable Fredericka font setting to the game settings
• added: scrollbar to the relations tab
• added: some more stuff from 0.2.2 (and 0.2.2a) to what's new
• added: notification to the trader's relations increase outside of a trade deal
• added: option to chose defeat in Rhainda's 1st event replay

• changed: Supporters about/credits font
• changed: Now wallpapers will be sorted, and unlocked wallpapers will show before locked ones
• changed: HP bars image
• changed: removed cumming animations from the most events that had them
• changed: minor dialogue changes in a few events
• changed: removed continue option from most prostitute sex scenes
• changed: notifications window
• changed: reworked the whole inventory system
• changed: interact 'Interact' font to Fredericka
• changed: interact menu buttons to follow new GUI style
• changed: merged character and inventory menus
• changed: inventory + character menu follows new GUI style
• changed: vault follows new GUI style
• changed: crafting menu to follow the new GUI style
• changed: optimized crafting menu performance
• changed: increased Mysterious Coin worth 10 -> 60
• changed: decreased chance to drop Mysteries Coin for most enemies (by 50%)
• changed: chance when looting treasure trove to obtain Mysterious Coin 100% -> 40%
• changed: removed obsolete tooltips from character menu
• changed: relations menu to follow new GUI style
• changed: help menu to follow new GUI style
• changed: story menu to follow new GUI style
• changed: decks menu to follow new GUI style
• changed: expanded menu icons to follow the new GUI style
• changed: outfit crafting menu to follow the new GUI style
• changed: outfit crafting will now happen on clicking the outfit
• changed: now you can use items in vault for all quests
• changed: now the items you gave to girls in event previously will not be there next time
• changed: now wandering trader's daughter trade will clean up bought things
• changed: wandering trader now will offer some items only after some relations reached
• changed: increased maximum Hollow Market discount 10% -> 20%, it's harder to increase relations
• changed: Hollow Market now allow to pay with everything, it restocks weekly
• changed: Hollow Market can now have more different items to buy, some require higher relations with them
• changed: default name for new players will be John now
• changed: notification side for code insertion
• changed: dream with the devil animation to the moving image
• changed: Patrons settings category will no longer show for non Patrons
• changed: what's new frame to more readable one
• changed: one dialogue line in the Grace's nightmare event
• changed: wandering trader's daughter is now not separate trader
• changed: Mysterious Trader will restock everyday
• changed: You can no longer continue Alice's Q&A game in replay after losing all caps
• changed: music in first Rhainda event is now positive after the fight
• changed: Sample Mod stickman dream is now off by default for new players
• changed: now Warehouse event replay will always have people inside the warehouse
• changed: In Roars in the Sky event you can now shot at the sky in replay, this option is no longer usable in normal gameplay without a shotting card
• changed: Prostitutes can now be priced at not full values
• changed: Madam Hof will display prices in caps now
• changed: Wandering Trader will display prices in caps now
• changed: discount from relations no longer applies to the wandering trader daughter services

• fixed: previous scene seen after battle when picking a card
• fixed: interaction menu's Lobby (view B) button, taking player to his room
• fixed: multiple healing notifications after sleep
• fixed: error on Treasure Chest events
• fixed: error on exploration on old saves under some circumstances
• fixed: a possibility of patches not applying correctly between some versions
• fixed: Alice's WC anal having an odd image with animations OFF
• fixed: wrong image after animation ends in Grace's 2nd massage event
• fixed: second Grace massage in clothes not raising stats
• fixed: a few weird transitions in Succubi events
• fixed: possible error at midnight kiss event
• fixed: suicide saying you lost cards
• fixed: Alice task error if it was taken before 0.2.1e
• fixed: Astral Lust dream triggering before meeting Kiara
• fixed: tooltip staying after clicking continue in the tutorial
• fixed: rare error at the tutorial end
• fixed: listed cards in deck were aligned to the left side
• fixed: Alice stranded outfit weaving not working
• fixed: could enter playroom before building it with the interactions menu
• fixed: Alice, Lexi and Grace showing in their room while being somewhere else after some events
• fixed: error at replays of midnight kiss event
• fixed: Alice sleeping in player's bed after Grace coming for a sleepover
• fixed: some translations not appearing due to \% and %% translation generation conversion
• fixed: trade save/load exploit
• fixed: Spanish translation sleep being smaller in bed dialogue menu
• fixed: in Spanish Rest icon text is no longer off icon
• fixed: Relations tab one person being hidden under the image
• fixed: updated/added entry not being translated
• fixed: weird spacing at the end of 0.2.2 what's new
• fixed: black screen in replay in warehouse exploration event
• fixed: Alice task related errors for people that didn't cancel her task since before 0.2.1e
• fixed: Alice not showing up first in the replay of Q&A event
• fixed: Alice changing outfit in Q&A replay
• fixed: some rare, latent problems with Alice's Q&A event involving not taking item rewards from her
• fixed: possible errors in building shrine replays
• fixed: items in Alice Q&A shared between saves on one playthrough
• fixed: no background in Mina's Good Ol' Bootle replay
• fixed: no background in Lexi's Trouble at the Market & Feet Massage replays
• fixed: no background in Grace's Play House event replay
• fixed: no background in Lola's event replays
• fixed: no background in the first three secret endings replays
• fixed: black/checker background in skip mode if animation didn't decode first frame before displaying them with some animations
• fixed: Amanda's default way of calling player not translating
• fixed: typos