09/14 Progress Report

The latest build, now available on Dropbox, features new systems related to the player's HUD, including multiple scenes for the HUD portrait and dialogues for HUD conversations.

A New HUD System

I've added a new system to the game related to the player-companion relationship. As some of you may remember, I mentioned this in a previous update. The protagonist's partner, who is currently in command of the ship, will now communicate with you via a HUD on the side of your screen, keeping you informed of various situations that occur during a mission.

The first communicator is Ash, who will inform you of damage, transformations, or wounds inflicted by attacks. Ash will continue to speak with you throughout Chapter One, after which they will be replaced by Kate.

Communicating with Kate will be a much more interesting experience. Her communication style is less formal, as she aims to offer support rather than mechanically reporting your status. However, this also means that if she becomes distracted, the verbal support she provides will be much less helpful (or even viscious).

Her behavior changes across three stages. The first stage is when her devotion to you is at its fullest, with her affection (or LOVE) score over 80. The changes will become noticeable as her affection score continues to drop, and you will see her become more distracted and ignorant of your status changes.

Update Plans Related to the HUD System

The HUD system is an initial step toward Kate's cuckoldry update. Currently, her facial expressions and lines change according to the affection meter. In future updates starting next week, she will actively try to sabotage the player if her affection for you drops too low. The HUD will also show provocative scenes of her with the Insectoid in certain cases (in the current version, she already reacts to the impregnation during excavation, so I will start from there). I used a similar point-and-click approach with Rey and the Xeno's relationship in Chapter One, and this is an attempt to make future content even better.

Future Plans with CG Scenes

You may have noticed that I haven't updated the re-watchable CG scenes menu since the last two weeks. This is because I'm trying to make the gaming experience with CG scenes more variable and engaging, rather than just being a CG scene viewer. The new skill system and HUD are part of this interactive experience I'm working to create. I'll provide an additional update this week once this side project is successfully completed.

This week's updates will be added shortly. I'll also add a poll this week after the new content is live.