Status Update #84

Hey, everyone! I have August's first real status report for you.

Today's cover boy is our good buddy Matt. This image has nothing to do with anything in the game; I was just looking around for reference pic, saw a similar selfie of a hot model, and was inspired to remake it using Matt. I thought you all might enjoy seeing it, too 😉

The big news of the past week is, of course, that the Trevor Grind'm update is now in early access! If you're a Junior, Senior, or Graduate (or would like to become one), you can click here for the post with details and download links.

Sophomores, your early access period will begin in just a few days on 14 August. Freshmen, you'll get to play when the release goes public on 4 September.

This status report is gonna go over a few odds and ends before getting to my to-do list for the next build of the game, the Getting to Know You story update featuring Matt and Evan, plus Marco and Leo in less prominent roles.

If you'd like more in-depth details about what this story update will entail, check out Status Update #82 from last month.

Odds and Ends

Writing

The most recent scene I scripted actually won't happen until a few updates from now. Occasionally, I'm hit with inspiration for future scenes that go beyond just ideas to note down. When that happens, I don't let the inspiration go to waste.

That led to me writing the first scene where you and Isaiah will be able to hook up. There's something about him and Connor both being confident guys on the surface but secretly anxious about losing their virginity that I find really fun to tap into.

Anyway, this scene is on the shelf with others I've written for future updates. The primary focus for this next sprint will be writing the scenes that immediately follow the "to be continued" at the end of the current release.

Art

There's a classmate character that pops up in the Tomas scene at the end of the current version of the game named Duke, who you may recall as the guy who walks in wearing pajamas.

Originally, he more or less had Corvin's role as the guy thirsty for older men. But when I saw Duke's sprites next to the other characters, he looked off to me. I kept him around, but he was cut down to just two lines. The rest of his dialogue all went to Corvin.

If the content related to getting with an older man is toggled off via the new content settings, Corvin basically disappears. I want 21CA to feel populated, so I'm gonna let Duke fill that void. Which means he needed a new model!

Here's what I came up with, with the original Duke on the left:

I still wanted him scruffy with a rounder face, as well as wearing what he jumped out of bed in. Other than that, I decided to go for a different look. I was inspired by Darren Criss; obviously, the new Duke looks nothing like him, but it was Criss's racial makeup and features like his eyebrows that I played on.

I think he turned out really cute! And since I know you all are fans of naked guys, I would be remiss if I didn't show you what he's got under those baggy clothes:

He now has the honor of being the shortest guy in the game at 5'6". (The previous holder of the title was Wes at 5'7"). To show off his size, I thought I'd place him between two new characters coming in the next story update: Professor Zeno and Henri, Matt's former roommate.

If you happen to be a fan of swarthy guys with body hair, you're in luck!

These designs may still change, especially dick size. (I found out when making a bunch of blowjob CGs that it's hard to make someone look good when they have to open their mouths suuuuuuper wide.) But I like how they all look as of now!

The Getting to Know You Update, Part 1

Planning

As I talked about in prior status reports, the next story update will have a few in-progress "dev builds" before the final release goes into early access. This is so I can share playable previews with Senior & Graduate patrons as well as have something tangible to act as milestones showing significant progress.

There will be two dev builds before the update is totally done. The first will cover the rest of the day you started in the Morning After Update, which will open with some playtime with your new toys. The second dev build will focus mostly on Evan, and the final release will add in the Matt and Leo content.

To keep things easier to follow, I'm going to focus primarily on the first dev build in these posts until it's completed.

Writing

This first section of the Getting to Know You Update, Part 1 has a number of different ways it can play out. The two main versions begin after:

• Ending the last update racing to your room, super horny

• Ending the last update in a more low key fashion

That then branches out into two different paths once you reach your room:

• Playing with your toys (this is automatic if you raced back horny)

• Deciding to chill out and maybe start working on assignments

Then playtime will have three paths of its own depending on which kit you took.

This is followed up with a variety of different scenes and conversations you can have with Marco. There are many variations of how this can play out depending on your earlier choices—by my estimation, 8 main branches that contain smaller variations within each.

Lastly, there is the opportunity to follow up with the other guys you may have been with. That could be to set up hangouts/dates, sexting, or following up on awkward situations.

The one convo that will always happen is with Matt in a scene that's already written. It involves your mutual friend from high school, Lacy, aka Connor's former beard. It has a few differences as well, including confronting flaking on hanging out if you haven't already talked about it, confirming plans for the next day, and/or telling him some details about what you'll be doing if you don't hang out the next day.

Including some end of day transition stuff, that's around 6 major scenes with 46 variants among them. Your choices in action 😉

I've written two of those already. Only 44 to go!

Art

There will be a lot of new art coming in this update. That includes new characters, new sprites, new environments, and of course, plenty of super hot CGs. (If you're a Junior, Senior, or Graduate and want to read a preview of what some of those CGs will look like, check out Sneak Peek #37.)

Art-wise, this first dev build will mostly have CGs, some new sprites for Marco and Xavier, and a model for Lacy.

The new Grind'm scenario has nearly 200 CGs, and how long that took was a good reminder that I don't necessarily need a million CGs for each scene, no matter how enthusiastic I am when I'm first outlining. So I revisited my CG plans and culled some unnecessary ones to make the workload more manageable.

It's still a lot, though! There are currently 58 CGs planned for the playtime section plus 7 others, for a total of 65. These are divided into 34 different camera/pose setups for CGs that are framed the same way but have some differences; think the Grind'm CGs where you have two images back to back to add some faux animation.

There is the possibility of a bunch more fantasy CGs to visualize who Connor is thinking about when he tries out his toys, but those are currently in the "nice to have" category rather than something set on the schedule.

TO-DO LIST

Here is my current to-do list for this next sprint. If you're a newer patron, I decided to no longer guess at release dates since I'm very, very bad at guesstimating. Rather, I list out what all I need to do in these status reports, and then in subsequent status reports show what all I've completed.

This list has some remaining stuff I need to do for the Trevor Grind'm Update's final release, some general stuff I need/want to do, and what I need to do for the first dev build of the Getting to Know You Update.

Trevor Grind'm Wrap-Up

Isaiah restored scenes

Reinsertion of scenes that were cut from the Morning After Update.

• CGs (2/2 completed)

• Scenes (2/2 written)

• Coded (0/2 completed)

Relationship Guide

Creation of the upcoming Patreon-exclusive guide.

• Writing (13/19 sections written)

• Layout in InDesign (9/19 sections completed)

• Section covers (1/18 completed)

• Final edit (0/19 completed)

General Work

Sprite Code Conversion

Coding changes to simplify how sprites are displayed.

• Connor (partially done)

• Main Characters (5/16 characters completed)

• Side Characters (7/45 characters completed)

Revised Art

CGs updated to use the most visibly changed character models; not a top priority.

• Alex CGs (3/32 completed)

• Leo CGs (5/50 completed)

Restored Content

Scenes that were missed when making the Morning After Update.

• Revised Evan pondering scene

• Marco pondering scene post-Julian hookup

New Art/Writing

"Nice to have" fantasies to go along with Connor's Morning After shower; not a top priority.

• Morning After tease CGs (8/36 completed)

• Morning After tease inner monologue (1/36 written)

Getting to Know You Part 1, Dev Build 1

Writing

• Opening (1/2 variants written)

• Playtime (0/3 variants written)

• Playtime ending (0/6 variants written)

• Marco scenes (0/8 variants written)

• Afternoon convos (0/21 variants written)

• Matt convo (1/2 variants written)

• Transition scenes (0/4 variants written)

Art

• Marco sprites (0/? completed)

• Xavier sprites (0/2 completed)

• Playtime CGs (0/58 completed)

• Other CGs (0/7 completed)

Character Design

• Lacy, new model (needed)

• Matt, week 1a outfit (needed)

• Xavier, week 1a outfit (needed)

Patreon

Lastly, I have some stuff I want to do for Patreon now that I have a little more breathing room!

First will be the full Pride gallery that I teased in Status Update #81, later followed by the bonus hookup gallery that will feature guys voted on by Seniors & Graduates. There are only two CGs left to make!

I'm considering doing a second Sneak Peek post that'll have the script for some of what happens after things got started in Sneak Peek #37. If that's something you'd want to read, let me know...

Lastly, I'm thinking of reviving my Behind the Scenes series to go over all the stuff I've learned since I first wrote those posts. Part of this would be demonstrated by following the creation of a CG beginning to end, and I'd like to know which two guys you want to see used in that CG.

Matt is pretty much guaranteed to win any poll I put up, so he'll be one guy. I'm curious who you all might like to see as his partner. I may put it up to a vote, but we'll see if I get a good consensus in the comments first!

Anyway, that's the end of this incredibly lengthy status report. I'm very, very excited to finally be able to talk more in-depth about the next story update. You've been waiting a long time, and I plan to make the wait worth it!