Hello everyone,
This week has focused on expanding interaction systems, improving performance, and refining core gameplay features players use most often.
💔 Affection & Disdain System
This week also saw major progress on the new Affection & Disdain System.
While attraction has existed in NeonStrip for some time, NPCs can now also develop negative opinions about the player through the new Disdain mechanic.
NPCs will remember when they are:• Disrespected• Insulted• Treated poorly• Harmed by the player
These actions can now negatively impact relationships and influence how NPCs respond during future interactions.
The goal is to move relationships beyond simply increasing attraction and create a system where player choices have meaningful consequences. Building positive relationships will require more than just selecting the correct dialogue options, while treating NPCs poorly may result in resistance, hostility, or other negative outcomes.
This system is still being refined, but it serves as an important foundation for future relationship progression, social reputation, and NPC behavior systems.
🎭 Expanded NPC Interaction System
One of the biggest areas of development this week has been adding more interaction options between the player and NPCs.
The interaction system now includes additional actions that help make NPC encounters feel more dynamic and responsive. These interactions are designed to create a smoother progression from meeting an NPC to building a relationship, entering dialogue, and transitioning to more advanced interaction systems.
This is part of the ongoing effort to make character interactions feel more natural and give players more options when engaging with NPCs throughout Moon City.
More interaction actions and relationship features are planned in future updates.
💻 New Development Hardware & Major Performance Improvements
I have some great news.
I recently upgraded to a new development computer and am now able to work comfortably at 4K resolution. This not only improves development workflow but also allows me to better test and optimize the game at higher resolutions.
Alongside the hardware upgrade, I've been working on significant performance improvements.
One of the largest performance gains came from replacing strand-based hair with hair card technology.
Benefits include:• Better overall performance• Reduced rendering cost• Improved scalability• Better performance at higher resolutions
The results have been very promising so far, and performance is getting much closer to the long-term goal of maintaining smooth gameplay around 60 FPS.
🎮 Intercourse UI Improvements
I revisited an earlier version of the Intercourse UI and modernized it with several improvements.
Players can now navigate interactions through both:
• The radial wheel interface• A dedicated menu interface
The updated UI provides easier access to available positions and controls while remaining more flexible during gameplay.
Additional tools have also been integrated into the interface, including:
• Position selection• Camera controls• Animation controls• Dialogue controls
The goal is to make the system easier to use while providing more control over the experience.
🖥️ UI Scaling Improvements
Another area that received attention this week was user interface scaling.
Several UI elements have been adjusted to better support:
• 4K displays• High-resolution monitors• Different aspect ratios• Various screen resolutions
This should help create a more consistent experience regardless of display setup.
🔧 General Improvements
In addition to the major features above, various smaller fixes and quality-of-life improvements have been made throughout the project.
A lot of development time is currently being spent improving existing systems, refining gameplay flow, and preparing the foundation for larger features planned for future updates.
Thank you all for the continued support, feedback, and patience.
The project continues to grow every month, and I'm excited about the direction NeonStrip is heading. More updates soon. 💜
— Blast