HardLife v0.25603 (private beta)
Added 2018-09-06 07:42:27 +0000 UTC* New Preview Character: Susan G Marien (high school athlete)
The writing is a bit rough, but she should be a fun addition to the roster.
Why this character, and why now? Well, it could be that I'm looking to get some of the simpler powers into the game soon... you know, the ones like Super-Strength. Not that I'm saying she has that (she totally will, though)...
Several other updates are in progress, so don't be surprised by the missing link for adding weight with karma. That will be back soon, once its changed fully to the new muscle/fat-weight system. It requires a complete overhaul of the karma-spending interface, so it may be a couple of days.
Once implemented, the powers are going to be on a semi-firm cap (I know, I hate that word, but there is a method to this). Powers for Cindy, Tammi, and Sue start at rank 1, and can be raised up to rank 2 right away (for 2 levels, which out of a single stat means 12 points-- for more general powers it would be 2 from each stat instead).
In order to raise stats to rank 3, the girls will have to complete part of their own story arc- each will have a quest. Likewise for ranks 4 and 5. Once their full arc is complete, the cap will open up to the max (current caliber).
For converted slaves or other 'generic' characters, there will be an achievement style quest instead of an arc milestone (such as max-out muscle-tone).
Lisa starts of with rank 1 in 3 stat-powers (STR, END, PHY), coincidentally the exact 3 powers each of the other girls has. Lisa has, however, already unlocked her potential up to rank 5. She does have a quest planned to go beyond that (discover what really happened to her mother), I don't yet know what her next mini-cap will be, perhaps rank 10. Her Caliber at level 120 would otherwise allow her to reach rank 15. (I'm thinking of keeping it single-ranks up to 5, then in 5's for a little while, then one final arc quest to fully unlock their potentials)
Now, as grand as all this sounds, you probably guessed the quests, and quest system, aren't done yet. That's the painful part about these caps as they'll be around for many weeks, but take heart, I will likely add a cheat option to bypass them, as well as one that treats all powers as already 'discovered' and available to learn on any character.
Let me know what you guys think.
