I didn’t do a development update in December, partly because I was too busy trying to meet a deadline, and partly because I wanted to do something a little special to celebrate this arbitrary but amusing milestone. So, I thought we’d take the opportunity to do a detailed deep dive looking forward to the next update and beyond.
As part of writing this development update I created some concept art for Chapter 3. I have since removed the images from this post as something got flagged by Patreon. I will upload 4K versions to the Development channel of the Discord (accessible to all patrons $5 and up; be sure to link your Patreon and Discord accounts for access). I will also post a few extra shots taken from different angles in the Headmaster's Study section for our top tier patrons.
Version 0.17.3
As we all know, I didn’t get to the point I wanted to with version 0.17. There are several scenes for Faye and a couple more for the twins that really need to be included. Therefore, I am planning a version 0.17.3 to fill in some gaps. I’ve got a lot to say about both the twins' and Faye’s storylines but I will hold off talking about them until after version 0.17.3 is out.
I took a little bit of a break over Christmas but I am back to work on this now. Hopefully, I won’t be keeping you guys waiting too long. However, I am not ready to set a date just yet. The main undecided factor is exactly where to make the cut for Faye’s storyline, seeing as it may be a while before we can come back to it. Plus, I have some technical work on my to-do pile (mostly for the dedicated Android build) and I have no idea how long that is going to take me. So, I’m just going to ask people to be patient for the time being. Give me a few weeks to get all my ducks in a row, then I’ll set a rough date.
Our next visit to Mykock’s Manor
I don’t plan on making another Mykock’s Manor special this development cycle. The next time we see those characters will probably be in the main game when the headmaster visits the manor himself at the end of Chapter 2. I initially created the manor girls and the environments for a scene in the main game and it’s very nearly time for me to use them for their original intended purpose. That said, if I have an idea for a fun poll and it isn’t too much extra work to make into a short special, I may put something together (no promises though).
Version 0.18: Completing Chapter 2
The problem with making a “sandbox-style" game is that events can happen in any order. That means that all characters need to be operating with the same common knowledge and shared experiences. For example; at the end of Chapter 1 all the students had the headmaster's disciplinary methods explained to them; all of them saw Priti being spanked and fingered by the headmaster; and a few girls were made to be completely naked in public for the first time. From that point forward in the story, every girl understood the headmaster’s twisted logic and they all understood that any of those things could happen to any of them. He was then free to do these things to any girl without having to re-explain his complicated pseudo-scientific justifications every time. Moving into chapter 3, we need to add to that common knowledge and shared experience to allow for character interactions and behaviours which would normally require a significant amount of preceding dialogue. As a prime example, during Rachel’s storyline the Headmaster convinces Miss Newman that having sex with the students is an effective means of discipline. This is a hugely important development driving the story forward. However, the problem is that the Headmaster now can’t have sex with any of the other girls in front of Miss Newman unless they first see Rachel’s storyline (which is currently one of the longest). By starting a new chapter, we bring all storylines back to the same place and we are free to advance the story further for all characters.
I realised some time ago that I had tried to fit too much into Chapter 2. So, all the way back after version 0.14, I set myself a list of the bare essentials that I thought necessary to get us to Chapter 3. You can read that post here. The items in that list of essentials were:
Continuing the staff training storyline.
Between one and three levels for the following girls.
Faye
The twins
Liz
Alice
A second date with Samantha.
Advancement for the group medicals.
An introduction of the new student antagonist, Zoe.
As you can see I have ticked most of these items off the list now. So our revised list (and the intended content for v0.18) looks like this:
The staff training storyline: Although Debbie and Claire completed basic training in version 0.17 we’ve still got a little bit more of this storyline to go before the end of the Chapter. I have some mini-scenes in mind for observing Debbie and Claire disciplining students around the school. Plus, we have one more “Class Punishment” for Chapter 2 with the girls in their underwear.
Alice: I am really keen to move on to Chapter 3, so I might keep Alice’s Chapter 2 content brief. As a bare minimum we need to see her being punished in front of the class, as well as some form of private and public punishments. I have not decided whether or not to make a punishment system for her at this stage.
Introduction of new student antagonist, Zoe. I don’t intend to have more than a brief meeting with Zoe before Chapter 3. The closer she arrives to the Chapter 2-3 transition the better. Zoe will be the last named student and will round off the cast for the remainder of the game.
I would also like to take the opportunity to polish up a few bits and pieces, fill out some empty parts of the game, and tie off a few loose ends before we close off the chapter. So version 0.18 is also likely to contain the following:
Extra Patrol Events: Once we move into Chapter 3, all of the school and weekend patrol events will be updated with new options based on the new rules and the headmaster’s new powers. Therefore, it makes sense to add more events now so that players can get the satisfaction of seeing the events change in Chapter 3. As an example, the art above shows three girls getting in trouble for littering, resulting in immediate public punishments with the available options changing along with the school’s rules.
Filling out some empty locations: I would like to add new locations in Chapter 3. However, there are plenty of locations in Chapter 2 which are still fairly empty. The pool would be a perfect example. I am also certain people would enjoy more opportunities to peep at the girls changing in the locker rooms. So I’ll be sure to add some mini-events there as well.
More chats around school: Going around the school and chatting with the characters going about their day makes the game world feel more alive. As well, of course, as giving the headmaster the opportunity to enforce the school’s rules and generally harass the girls. Most of the students can be found hanging around the school in various locations in different time slots across the week. However, some girls don’t have those little interactions. Now would be the time to rectify that.
More interactivity with the other teachers' classes: In the school’s map, we can click on the other teachers' classes. However, I have not expanded on this at all thus far. The behaviour of the students and the teachers do not change as the Chapter progresses. This is definitely something that needs addressing, particularly now that Claire has completed basic training.
Continuing a few minor storylines: On the whole, most of the storylines in the game are at a point where they can be left open and finished off in the next chapter. However, there are some short scenes that people request all the time that I’d like to include before they get completely forgotten. For example, spying on the girls trying on costumes after the D&D event. I’d also like to give Miss Chang’s storyline a little attention too if time allows.
The Chapter 2 Ending: Those of you who played version 0.17 all the way through to the end would have seen an important conversation at the school board where the headmaster proposes a new rule allowing him unrestricted authority to remove student’s underwear. Just as the rule allowing the headmaster to spank the students himself marked the end of Chapter 1, passing this rule will mark the end of Chapter 2. To unlock this rule, you will need to complete all the current main quests as well as Maxine’s fundraiser. This will bring all players to the same point. Just as Chapter 1 ended with a special demonstration in front of the class; Chapter 2 will be ending in a similar fashion. However this time, the Headmaster will be taking things a lot further. How much further you ask? Well, quite simply as far as I can possibly get away with! As discussed earlier, everything that happens in the Chapter 2 ending can then happen at any time in Chapter 3. Since we are approaching the final third of the game, it makes sense to really push the boat out. There is a lot to happen between now and then and I don’t want to give away too many spoilers. However, I will tell you that my current plans are for the girls to start a new advanced sex-ed course with both live anatomy models, practical demonstrations, and hands-on-experience as discussed with Liz at the end of version 0.16.4 (as shown in the concept art above).
So, in summary, version 0.18 will likely contain lots of small scenes of girls being punished around the school, as well as a big and dramatic multi-part chapter ending.
Plans for Chapter 3
I have not made a final decision on this yet, but I am strongly considering starting Chapter 3 as an entirely new game. In which case, version 0.18 would become: The Headmaster Chapters 1 and 2 - Version 1.0. The following update would then be: The Headmaster Chapter 3 - Version 0.1. It’s probably going to be at least a year before I need to make this decision though, and I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
Once we get to Chapter 3, I intend to move things along a lot faster than in Chapters 1 and 2. I know that the overall pace of the game feels slow. However, if you take any individual storyline, they all move pretty quickly. For all the major storylines that were started in Chapters 1 and 2, the student (or teacher) is already engaging in some sort of sexual relationship with the headmaster. Once we pick all the storylines up again in Chapter 3, there’s really no reason why we can’t progress to sex fairly quickly - especially if I set things up correctly with the Chapter 2 ending. So, I will make a bold guarantee that from this point forward the headmaster will be having penetrative sex with at least one new student every update.
It’s still a little soon for me to give any kind of summary for what I have planned for Chapter 3, there are a lot of things that I am unclear about myself. However, there are some important storylines that I will definitely be covering early on as a priority. As I explained before, it’s best to cover major events either right at the end or right at the beginning of a chapter. So, before we continue with any of the individual girl’s storylines we will be covering the following:
Uniform and Rule Changes: At the end of Maxine’s fundraiser, all the girls were given a new uniform - one that could be modified into different versions. It could appear the same as the original uniform or the skirt could be shortened and part of the shirt could be removed, leaving just a collar and tie. During the second Mykock manor special, we determined whether or not underwear would be kept the same, banned altogether, or changed to a more transparent version. People voted overwhelmingly for transparent underwear, so that is what we will be going with. The idea is that the transparency of the underwear will be variable depending on how excited the girls are (the same as Sally’s new dress). The underlying idea behind these changes is to allow for more variation in the girls' outfits, while also still allowing me to reuse older images if I need to. The art above shows how this might look in game, with the girls all wearing different configurations of the same uniform. Along with changes to the uniform I am also planning to add a new headmaster’s privilege stating that girls must stand up straight with their arms to their sides whenever addressing the headmaster. Effectively meaning exposed girls will not be permitted to cover themselves.
Stopping the supply of drugs to campus: In version 0.16, we finally discovered the source of drugs on campus when we stumbled across Samantha’s sister Lily’s secret grow room. The Headmaster decided to keep this information to himself and to wait for an opportunity to catch Lily delivering drugs to campus and identify her buyers. Of course nothing escapes the school owners' attention and they have already discussed what to do with Lily in the last Mykocks Manor special. It was decided that Lily would avoid prison and would be forced to undertake community service under the headmaster’s supervision. Whatever happens with Lily, Samantha will be in the difficult position of appearing guilty by association. It will then be up to the headmaster whether to take advantage of the situation to dominate his secretary or to win over her affection by defending her.
The next stage of the group medicals: During the last Mykock manor special, we ran through some options for the next stage of the group medicals. It was decided that the nurse will remain in charge with the headmaster acting as an assistant. So a priority for the beginning of the Chapter (and before the advanced sex-ed kicks off in earnest) will be to closely examine the girls' privates.
Access to the girl’s dormitory: We are approaching the later stages of the game now so it’s nearly time for the headmaster to gain access to the girls' dorm rooms. I am not talking about him sneaking in either - I am talking about school board approved access - to provide much needed bedtime discipline and to help the girls with their sexual needs.
A new antagonist and a new statistic: The game won’t be as much fun if all the girls are behaving themselves all the time. I set up for the arrival of a new student antagonist (Zoe) all the way back in version 0.9. However, after I introduced Olivia and Jasmine mid-way through Chapter 2, I realised that I had made a big mistake. Introducing characters midway through a chapter is a really bad idea, making every other storyline more challenging to write. So, I made the decision to hold off on introducing Zoe until the end of Chapter 2. My plan for Zoe is to have her as a bad influence whispering in the other girls' ears, undoing all the headmaster’s hard work. She will also be using the headmaster's methods as a way to control the other students. I intend to introduce a new school statistic in Chapter 3: Chaos. So, even as the girls become more accepting of the headmaster’s disciple, a build up of chaos can still lead to serious bad behaviour.
Once we have all those storylines set up, we can complete all the individual girls' storylines one by one (with an order decided by polling). Now, one major topic I want to address at this stage is the intended scope of the game. Going into Chapter 3 there will be 23 named students. So far, we have started punishment systems for nine girls (Debbie, Rachel, Amy, Cassandra, Priti, Liz, Faye, Mary and Louise) and we have completed it for one girl (Rachel). Based on this, some people have argued that the game is less than half complete. However, this is not the case. I want to be clear that we are about two thirds of the way through the game at this point. The answer to this apparent discrepancy is that the punishment game is only one aspect of this project and, more importantly, not every character is going to get the same amount of content. The amount of content each girl gets is, and always has been, based on polling. Rachel, for example, won multiple polls. In total over the course of a few updates, I probably spent a year and a half of my time getting Rachel to level 10; over 3000 hours of my focused attention. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if I were to write similar length stories for every student it would take me decades to complete this game. No matter what my trolls accuse me of; I don’t want that. No creative person wants to be working on the same project for decades. Plus, why would I spend years creating stories for characters that most of my supporters aren’t interested in? That just does not make sense. Therefore, I can not promise to give every character equal content. Once we get to Chapter 3, my intention is to get all the current girls’ punishment systems up to level 10 before I start any more (maybe with the exception of Alice, and possibly Donna). More girls will likely get a punishment system after that (possibly a simplified one), but it will depend on polls and what my core fan base wants me to be working on by that stage. It may be the case that some of the girls only get side stories of different lengths based on how popular they are. The only thing I can say for certain is that all the girls will be having some form of sexual relationship with the headmaster. The route there will just be shorter for some.
The End of the Game
The end of The Headmaster has always been such a distant prospect that I’ve never really discussed it before. However, all good things must come to an end eventually. My intention is to “end” the game at the end of Chapter 3, with a possible Chapter 4 as an epilogue if player demand remains high. Given that Chapter 2 will have taken us about five years, then it would be reasonable to expect Chapter 3 will take at least as long. So the end of the game remains well over the horizon.
Once the game does completely end I will likely release the models to supporters along with some instructions for making art and coding events into the game. If people want to mod the game to add more content they will be welcome to. By that point, I will be more than ready to move on. I think I’ve proven myself to be a good writer, able to create likable characters and engaging storylines. So, my hope is that eventually people will want to support me whatever project I am working on. That said, I have no idea what my next project will be. Whatever happens, I won’t be jumping into another sprawling epic. I’d love to spend some time working on some self contained short stories, maybe trying out some different settings and art styles. I have dozens of ideas in my head for what these might be. Unfortunately, my head is where those stories will have to remain for the time being. I’ll admit that I have toyed with the idea of starting a side project, however, the reality is that I simply don’t have the creative energy to have two projects on the go at once. My full focus will remain on The Headmaster for the foreseeable future.
I hope you all approve of my plans for the future of the game. Obviously, we’ve still got a very long way to go and I am under no illusions the path ahead of me will be easy. I know for a fact it’s going to be a very difficult journey. Fortunately, we are still going strong and support for the game remains rock solid. Where there is will there is a way; we’ll get there eventually.