*Do you have a Discord server?*
Yes, consider this the official announcement!
*In one of your devlogs, you talked about the groundwork you've done to manage future releases in a timely manner. Could you explain what this workflow entails?*
I'll break this one down for the different parts of the project.
Planning: The entire plot has been mapped out. This includes villains, their arcs, general timing for major scenes with LIs, endings, etc. At a macro level, I could tell someone "what happens" in the game, so to speak.
Writing: Script-wise, I'm several episodes ahead of release. My intention is for this to remain the case, or at least give me a decent buffer, throughout development. For reference, I am currently writing episode 6.
Environments: Many environments that only appear in later episodes are being pre-built. In addition, I have set-up all of the assets I need for each district, so making new environments is a lot simpler than it once was.
Characters: This is the big one. For just about every planned character in the game, I have at least one rigged version of them created. Some of the later/less significant characters need some extra tweaks/refreshes based on updates I've made to shaders/textures since then, but they're effectively "made".
Many characters are essentially finalized (give or take how neurotic I'm feeling), including characters that do not appear in the first (or first several) episodes! I can tell you right now, that I have revealed, showed multiple renders of, and even shared smut of characters that are not in the first episode.
Overall: my goal is that each episode release is mostly contingent on finalizing posing, renders, and programming. Essentially, putting the whole package together. You're not waiting on me doing "art" for the game as much as just compositing it all together.
*What kind of Patreon tiers do you plan to have after the release, what kind of benefits etc. ?*
This is all subject to change, but currently I'm feeling the standard "X tier for early access, Y tier for standard release, etc." I think the exception will be the first couple of episodes, which will act as a free demo for the game. I wanted to do more than just the first episode, as that one is smaller in scope, and really acts as a prologue, compared to the second episode which gives a more accurate impression of what the rest of the game is like.
For other rewards, I'm open to suggestions! I've been doing the ad-hoc spicy renders for current patrons, but I was also thinking about polls for bonus/more focused content (ie. Hey we have capacity in this episode for an extra smut scene, which girl do you guys want it to be with, or also polls on kinks and such). 4K wallpapers are also an option.
If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in different tiers, please let me know!
*What kind of sound design will Pulse include? (Music, sfx, moans etc?)*
For music, I am currently working with a composer on coming up with a main theme for the game. I'm hoping it goes well and we're able to keep working together on more songs (ie. More ambient bg music, villain themes, etc.), as I've been really happy with what I've heard so far! This is all budget permitting, of course.
Otherwise, I have a pretty massive sound library at my disposal that I bought some time ago for other music, sfx, etc.
For moans, conversations are happening with some very willing VAs. Unlikely to be in the first release, but watch this space.
*Harem, singular LI or something inbetween?*
I would describe it as something in between. MC is a slut, but he's not hurting anyone by sleeping around, and is often encouraged by the characters in the game to get his dick wet.
*What is the development team behind the game, are you a solo dev?*
Am solo.
*Is release date more likely Q1 or Q2?*
I don't want to commit too firmly to a release date, but given my emphasis on having a consistent release schedule, my various neuroses with polishing the game, and some personal life stuff (I'm moving in the coming months), Q2 is looking far more likely.
*What will the main character be like? Is there a possibility of customizing them or changing the gender and/or sex of the mc?*
I would describe MC as a bit of a himbo. Not completely dumb, just often oblivious. He's the muscle of the operation, with Lydia acting as the brains. He has his heart in the right place, but has a fairly simplistic view of right and wrong (which will develop over the course of the game).
My current goal is that you can shape his personality a bit in both the Pulse and MC segments. For example, having Pulse either be more quippy/light-hearted in interactions with criminals (like Spider-man) or brooding and full of angst (like that other guy).
Visually, he has an established look. Aaaand here it is:
RE: female protagonists, the game has a secondary protagonist/POV character, with her own perspective, narration, etc. She'll give more insight on a completely different side of the city, and have her own arcs that intersect with the MC's. This is, however, a named/established character (and has actually already been revealed!!!)
*I'll raise the question again of the possibility of there being a fem male or trans character in the future.*
This is something I've given quite a bit of consideration to, and I'm still not completely decided. There's a character in the game who actually was initially conceptualized as being trans, and there is still room for her to be, but I want to ensure I portray that part of her identity appropriately. I think that, if I were to, I'd be doing a lot of consulting with the community in order to have her be represented well.
I think this is especially important in adult games, since fetishization is pretty central to the appeal of the genre, but is something that carries a lot more weight when you're fetishizing someone's gender identity.
*Should we expect to see a summary of our choices at the end of each chapter?*
I would say that during development/regular release, this isn't something that's currently planned, since choices may be subject to change, but I like this idea for further down the line!
*Will there be animations and when will we see them?*
Yes. Soon™️
I've done quite a few sex scene animation test runs with some of the older models. I'm excited to update those.
*There are a lot of characters who have been revealed. Are all of them romanceable? How do you juggle so many?*
Not all of them are romanceable, no. I have it pretty open to at least include some sort of hook-up/one-off sex scene with some of the more tertiary characters, especially if there is player interest in them. However, MC isn't going to be sleeping with every single villain or random civilian that he saves (though he does sleep with a couple of each of those.)
Characters greatly vary in terms of significance/screen time. Certain characters (we'll say primary ones, like MC, Lydia, and a few others) are pretty non-negotiable, as they have major roles in the plot. There are then secondary characters (Willow, Violet, Blight) that serve specific roles, but depending on how the story evolves/how people feel about them, could become more or less significant. Tertiary characters are more arc-specific, with roles revolving around the villain-of-the-week plotlines. These characters could come back, or they could only appear in one episode.
*Will characters have multiple outfits?*
Yes.
*How will the replayability be? Branching paths or just some missable scenes?*
Early on, pretty linear. Options will likely carry more weight as things progress, but I'll open that up to the community for feedback, as opinions can vary on the level of missable content in AVNs.
*How NSFW is the game?*
Very. Full nudity, with animated sex scenes.
*Does the game include darker or heavier themes?*
Yes, but to the level of, say, a darker comic book.
*Do you do any Blender/3D tutorials?*
I haven't yet, but I'm open to it! This art style has taken a hot minute to nail down, so I think it would be cool to teach people the workflow in the future if there's interest.
*What platforms will it be released on?*
Currently planned for PC, Mac, and Android.