[Vampire+ Release] Version 0.18.0

Hello everyone, Corintio here!

Today we are releasing the first part of what will shape to be version 0.18 of the game. It has the first half of the puppeteers' questline but.... simplified. 

How is it simplified?

• In the future, we plan to use the Ambient Conversation system we implemented recently while working on the Can't Have it All questline to make Kalyska learn about the guild through the gossip of the NPCs around her. Unfortunately, since last month we had to push a patch to fix other issues we couldn't add those triggers on the AI yet.
• Another thing that is currently simplified is our toysystem. In the future, the sex simulator will actually give the NPCs a bit more life during the scenes and learning what they like will be a fun part of the gameplay. Right now we still have the player as a director with a timer (stamina, that can be recovered by taking a break) to reach the NPC's maximum arousal when a scene starts.

So yeah, there's a long road ahead of us, especially when it comes to the rebuild of the toysystem, but all things at their own time. Until we rebuild the simulator we will keep triggering it on the scenes that eventually will have a huge step in both quality and replayability once everything is done.

Something else to keep in mind is that this is the first time the player is interacting with this plotline, this few minutes of quest we are adding is a very small part of the whole.

About the hairstyles:
The review on the new fringe is actually done already, but I have to make an emergency trip (nothing serious, actually good news in my family) and I'll be back on Sunday. I was planning to add the new hair tomorrow and then release it but unfortunately, since I learned this morning that I had to take a plane on the next, we'll add them after I'm back.  And don't worry, while I'm gone for 4 days the whole team will keep working and next week I should post here some pictures to let you all know what's new =D

Now let's get to the patch notes!

Changelog - Version 0.18.0

Fixes

• Inventory UI: fixed rendering stripes in the hair

• Fixed issue where if the player got enough XP to advance multiple levels it wouldn't work.
• Fixed issue that sometimes would show that Kalyskah is Level 0 instead of her actual level.

Enhancements

• Better camera controls on the new inventory. The player can now zoom in and out, and also drag the mouse up and down to drag Kalyskah and also rotate her around. 

• Texture optimizations in world assets
• Rocks and cliffs are now a bit darker to match the same colour and blend more seamlessly.

• We deleted all the references to the old inventory system, which should improve the performance slightly since nothing from it will be running in the background.
• Improved text when you try to interact with objects:

• Kalyskah will now start the game in Level 1 instead of 0.

Features

• New poses for the toysystem: Missionary (With arms up), Missionary (Catapult), Missionary (Chocking). All with transition poses, although those might not work 100% perfectly all the time.
• The very beginning of a new quest added, The Puppeteers!
  To start the quest, go to the part of Milhaven next to the big castle where you can find a statue, it's the same area where the husband from the Can't Have it All quest lives:

      Then knock on this door:

Download

If you are not a patron, you can download the public demo by following this LINK. But we recommend you to get it through the itch app since it will auto-update the game when you have a new version to download.

Follow these instructions if you are a patron, you can download it through these links.

• First, you need to create an account on itch.io.
• NEONATE: Link your account HERE, and download the game HERE.
• VAMPIRE: Link your account HERE, and download the game HERE.
• ROYAL BLOOD: Link your account HERE, and download the game HERE.