These past two months have been some of the hardest for me. I took on more than I could realistically handle in such a short amount of time. I do not regret that decision, but going forward, I will try to set more realistic deadlines for future updates.
This Friday, update 0.1.8 will enter early access for subscribers at the ⛧ Adept ⛧ tier and above.
For subscribers at the ⛧ Cultist ⛧ tier, the update will become available one month later.
This is the last update focused on Chapter One. Version 0.2.0 will move on to the first part of Chapter Two. I do not want to say too much too early, but I can already tell you that it is going to be incredibly dynamic.
As for version 0.1.8, its main goal was to break up the routine near the end of Chapter One. But I did not stop there. I also reworked the balance of the card game. It now depends much more heavily on your Luck stat, and save-scumming your way through it should be noticeably harder. On top of that, I fixed several bugs that were getting in the way of normal gameplay and added a few useful features. For example, you can now enable hints that show whether a choice will raise or lower your relationship with a specific character.
I also added a gallery so you can check whether you have unlocked everything you wanted.
And probably the biggest addition of all. I added a secret good route for Vogel. Why is it secret? Because unlocking it is hard as hell. Of course, that is only if you do not use the hint menu. But I am genuinely glad I decided to give her that route. It gives a little more freedom both to the player and to Vogel herself. Now she has a chance to get what truly matters to her. You. Ha ha.
Overall, this update turned out to be fairly experimental. I added several new mini-games, and I honestly think one of them is the best mini-game in the entire game so far. The new quests are not there just for filler dialogue either. I tried to approach them like proper side quests, with actual events, tension, and meaning behind them. Maybe that does not sound especially impressive on paper, but personally, I am happy with the result. The quests may not be very long, but they are dense and eventful.
I am really looking forward to your feedback, because it truly matters to me. I just wanted to speak my mind a little, and I am glad I finally did.
And one more important thing. I improved the censored version of the game. Now, instead of simply showing a message like “upgrade to the uncensored version,” it includes small but fully realized censored events. So now the game can genuinely be played for the story as well. Although, to be honest, I put a lot of effort into the erotic scenes too, and at this point, I am not even sure which part I love more.