rnest

I Live

And I'm back. And I finally feel healthy.

And I'm fired up.

It seems that some of you completely lost hope at this point, so I'll see what I can do to change that.

Next Wednesday to Friday.
Keep your eyes peeled. That's all I'll say.

Also, the Poll. Please press it, it's important

In a long game with lots of lewd events, what would you rather have?

- Ability to unlock them all in a single playthrough[Option 1]

- Several branching(and very different) routes that require multiple playthroughs[Option 2]

Bad News and Some Good News

I wanted to post this image with the waiting room post with some clever title related to "buried in work"... Well I'm posting it anyway.

The bad news: Pledges paused again, no release in November either

The Good(?) news: I'm getting hospitalized until the end of the week. Hopefully by then I'll get rid of a chronic issue that's been plaguing me for years, and got worse since I got sick last month.

Until next post.

P.S. It's not life threatening, so don't you go thinking "that's it, it's the last we'll ever hear of him" :)
I'll be back next week.
....
*knocks on wood just in case*

Friday Micro-Post

Hello, and happy late Thanksgiving for those that celebrated it.

This is another auto-pilot post, and it's a day late, without a changelog, but next Tuesday we'll have a good proper one, as I will finally be back at my work-station.
High chance of good news on Tuesday too.

So until then.

Thursday Post

Still haven't fully recovered, still need more time.
Can't really take it easy and rest either, because the universe decided that November will be the month where all kinds of "real-life" urgent matters will fall on my head and will require immediate attention.

Feeling slightly better though, made some kind of mysterious preview to commemorate that.
Surely next Thursday will be the day.

Here's the changelog from last week:
- Assemble the events together(put CG's, sound effects and dialogue into cutscenes, add xp and gold/item rewards) <- 3.5 events left
- Test the events
- Calculate experience gains and level up thresholds <- Done, but untested
- Add items to shops and scatter loot around the game
- Add recollection room entries
- Test everything again

Also added a "spanked" status effect and some images for it, it will be useful later.

P.S. The page is in kind of offline mode now, because of my health issues, and the fact that I've transferred my work to my laptop that I carry around with me, so I'm mostly offline these days.
Sorry if I'm not responding to stuff, I'll catch up on it when the release is out.
And until it's out - it will be just posts like this.
Until next Thursday.

Still Need More Time After All

Still haven't fully recovered after my flu.
It's been a week since I've had any fever, but I still feel weak and tired, don't have any appetite and have trouble sleeping.
(Also lost 3kg of weight over 2 weeks, although I can't say I'm a fan of this weight-loss method).

Managing my real-time responsibilities and the development has been quite exhausting for the past few weeks.

Anyway, rant over.

Despite the never-ending nuisances, development moves forward.
All that's left to do before release is:
- Assemble the events together(put CG's, sound effects and dialogue into cutscenes, add xp and gold/item rewards) <- Some events are done already, but not all
- Test the events
- Calculate experience gains and level up thresholds <- Major headache
- Add items to shops and scatter loot around the game
- Add recollection room entries
- Test everything again

Basically, only tedious grunt work left, that should've taken less than a week, and instead it will take around 3 because I got sick at the worst possible time.

Next Thursday I'll post either a waiting room post for Tier 3/4 release, or a copy of this post with less entries on the "all that's left to do list".

Until then.

Recovered

You can expect the Tier 3-4 Release next Wednesday or Thursday(or Friday if there are complications).  So between 8th and 10th.
Release dates for Tiers 1 and 2 will be posted after Tier 3-4 release.

Poll about name for new release will be posted on Sunday or Monday.

Sorry I can't make it sooner, my release schedule for last week was pretty tight, and nothing got done because I spent all week in bed sick.

Until next post.

Flu Announcement[+ Delay]

I have an uncanny ability to jinx myself.

I've been hit with a flu on Thursday and spent last 3 days in fever-dream hell.

Still sick and recovering(but no fever anymore at least), so:
- Pledges for October paused because no release
- Release will be delayed by the amount of days I will spend sick
So if for example I'll recover by Tuesday, I'll post new release dates that will be 5 days late from the original ones, etc.

Don't underestimate the flu season.

P.S. Believe it or not, I actually figured out how to solve a bug with NPC dialogue speech bubbles while I was laying in bed delirious, with a high fever late at night. Just need to get well enough to actually implement the fix.

Mini-Poll[Technical]

Hello.

Dealing with a cold at the moment, so this post will be a short miscellaneous poll, and we'll have a big proper post on Friday or Sunday.

So:
I've been experimenting with adding potions that limit Serena's lewd levels, or temporary reduce it. It's purely a gameplay mechanic, but while I was doing that, I've had an idea.

What if there was a small event chain that leveled up along with Serena?

Meaning if Serena's Succubus Power is level 3, and event triggers, it will trigger "Level 3" part of that event.

And if you want to see Levels 1 and 2, you have to de-level Serena with a potion. or an accessory.

What do you think, worth it, or is it too tedious?

Note: It's possible that the whole "temporary reduce Serena's level" thing will get canned before release, and the event idea will disappear with it so the stakes here are pretty low.
I'll see you in the next post, hopefully I'll be fully healed by then :)

Succulence 2 Release Dates[version 0.x]

Sorry for big delay between posts, here are some release dates.

Tier 3 & 4: October 31(Tuesday)
Tier 2: November 2
Tier 1(public): November 5

Still unsure about the name of the release, so there might be a poll about that(I think we had one already, but that was ages ago). Version number will also come later.

Changelog will be posted separately.

Until next post.
Cheers.

Mini-Sequel News

Hello,

It's been a busy week, although this post will be short, with only 2 announcements.

NPC approach has finally been done.

Release dates for Succulence 2 will be posted next week.

Short list of features of NPC approach mechanic includes:
- Ability to sneak up on NPC's
- NPC's following Serena
- Cutscene trigger by bumping into NPC's, or NPC's getting too close to Serena

More details will be posted on Wednesday(release dates might also happen on Wednesday, but most likely later on, on Friday or Sunday).

Until next post.
Cheers.

Preview Poll: Dress Up

Link to the preview. 

Which one should be added to the game, left one or right one?

Sunday Preview: Dress-Up Accident

Hello.

Vote on which one to use in-game. 

This is a preview of a "limited-wardrobe" pose that will be used in events when Serena's taking off/putting on her panties(and possibly ambushed during it).

Limited wardrobe poses are poses that are only available for some outfits(work only, or home only).
I'm currently remaking some old events CG's to fit this format, to make it easier to add new clothing to these events in the future.

The "taking off/Putting on" pose will be only available for skirts/bottomless outfits.

This preview has 2 versions, which means that this post might be turned into a poll preview tomorrow, if I can't decide which one to add to the game.

Until next post.

Brief Sequel News

Hello!

No changelog changes this week, but there are good news nonetheless.

I finally finished re-formatting of all in-game image sets. I've been doing it in the background all this time, and the past few days were spent on the "final push".
Before re-formatting there was around 6.2k images in the folder, and after... there's just above 6 thousand.
And that's with 4 new image sets that weren't there before.

Big increase in memory conservation, and everything's neatly organized.

Only two more image sets to add to fully complete Serena's standing image folder.

One is the "picking up" image set, which is nearly done, and another will be revealed on Sunday.

So until then.

Changelog will be posted on Monday or Wednesday(NPC approach should finally be complete by then).
Cheers.

Outfit Experiments

Hello.

Over the past week when I was taking breaks from finalizing the upcoming release, I dabbled with some outfit experiments, and now there's a big enough pile of them to share with you all.

This post is a showcase of some outfit ideas, variations of existing outfits, and a presentation of a new feature that I think will fit into the game nicely(if fully implemented).
Also somewhat of a technical post.

Let's start with pictures 1 and 2:
Some outfit ideas, possibly for Serena, or maybe Mrs. Mollette.
Or simply - return of one of Serena's teaching outfits from the original game(the top half).
I tried to add some cleavage to those blouses, but it doesn't look pretty, so it's best to leave it as it is: A modest work outfit(when not transparent).

Picture #3 is simply Serena's business outfit with the shirt not tucked in. I've done it by accident and it's not too bad(easy to add to the game too, since the top half is already a part of another outfit).

And now, pictures 4 and 5, and a new feature:
Getting outfits from other heroines

There are many items of clothing in Succulence 2, and simply putting all of them in the shop would not be interesting.
So I've decided that some of them will be available as quest rewards from doing heroine quests.

Sounds pretty nice, but here's the best part - there are 2 heroines that have smaller chest size than Serena. And what if Serena tried to wear some of their clothes, and how would that look like?

That's why Serena's shirt in #4 is bursting at the seams - it's Yuko's shirt, and Serena's barely fitting in.
And in #5 Serena's wearing Ms. Stone's top, that also threatens to slip off at any moment(also she's wearing Elena's workout spats).

Note that these are just experiments at this point, so it's unclear when they'll be added. Especially the "Serena wearing clothes that are too small for her" feature, which sounds nice on paper, but it's not certain I'll be able to pull off the look of "stretched" clothes(Except for Ms. Stone's top, that one's easy).

Also, there's a bonus outfit I made for Mrs. Mollette:

My next experiment will be called "lewd outfits for all heroines". All heroines need some outfits that they can wear... let's say in the late-game.
So far I have this lewd teacher outfit, and a naked apron for Maria(not too unique, but it's a naked apron).
Still need 4 more outfits, so next Outfit Experiments post will be about those.

That's it for this post, I'm going back to work. Until Wednesday.
Cheers.

Sequel News

Hello.

I bring some bad and good news.

Development went on too slowly to wrap everything up this month, so pledges paused for September.

But the list is almost complete, despite the earlier setback.

The changelog:
- Big bug has been fixed with image display system. It started off as a simple-looking "Serena's selfies don't save clothes transparency", and in the end I had to change a big chunk of code, and  add some extra images to all image sets. Took me more than 3 days, but it's one less bug, and the system is more optimized overall.
Also, some side benefits from the bug-squashing adventure:
- New neck accessory added for Serena
- Pasties added to the bra slot(I remember trying to add them before, but I couldn't find the relevant code, guess it got lost somewhere. Either way it's added properly now).
- Extra CG's added for special status effects

- Ability to equip several toy accessories at once added
- NPC approach mechanic only needs one feature to be complete: line of sight detection. Once that is done I'll finally leave it alone

Things still on the list:
- Serena-focused Story changes(almost complete)
- Side job as Undercover Student(big event with several outcomes) - Some CG's in-progress
- TV investigation related to the side job

Also there will be some outfit previews later this week.
Until then.
Cheers.

Miscellaneous Preview

Hello,

Today was supposed to be a poll day, with previews, but there's been a hickup.

Yesterday and today I've been dealing with a bug I randomly discovered.  
It started off as a "Serena's selfies don't reflect the wet clothes transparency levels", and it's taking me a while to fix it.

So instead here's a selfie-themed bath preview, and the poll will be postponed until later.

Monday Sequel News will be posted on Wednesday instead, since I lost quite some time dealing with such an unacceptable bug.
Until then.
Cheers.

P.S. Also I said I'll post some map previews, so here's the latest update to the "Rich Mansion" map:

It has a tennis court, which will be utilized in the future(and a tennis outfit will be added to Serena's wardrobe too).

Sequel News

Hello.

The work is progressing at a good rate, despite some setbacks. I've started to package together all the events and features and began the playtest-marathon.
If the pace continues, by next Monday there should be enough done to warrant a release date post.

Also there might be a poll posted later this week.

Release Changelog:
- 1 more prologue event added
- Picking Up image set partially added
- More junk got removed and optimised
- NPC approach mechanic almost complete(just needs lots of testing)

Things still on the docket:
- Serena-focused Story changes(in-progress currently)
- Side job as Undercover Student(big event with several outcomes)
- TV investigation related to the side job

That's it for this post. I'll share some previews later this week too(also some map screenshots)
Until then.
Cheers.

Poll Results/Saturday Preview

Hello.

It's been a slow development week, and there's not much to report, but I didn't want to have the whole week without any posts, so here's a little preview.

Currently I'm working on a bunch of roadmaps(heh) that connect various sections of the town, and can be traversed by Serena on her bike. So the preview is bike-themed.

I have the whole weekend to myself, so I'll spend all of it working, and we'll have a sequel news post on Monday/Tuesday. That way the changelog will be a little beefier.

Also, the Picking Up poll has been concluded and here's the winning pose mini-preview:

It will be used in office events for now(meaning it will be only for work outfits), but will be expanded for all outfits in the future.

That's it for now, until next post.
Cheers.

Picking Up Poll

Hello again,

This poll is about deciding which "picking up" pose should be added to the game.

For full sized previews go here.

Ideally I'd like to add all of them in some capacity, but it would take too long. So the most popular will be added first, and it will be used during miscellaneous work events(for all work clothes).

The rest will be added later eventually(except the unpopular ones).

You may choose multiple poses if you like, in case you can't decide on just one of them.

So, which pose is your favourite?

Friday Preview: Transfer Student

Alright, I have some previews.

The first one is made to commemorate an undercover student event I'm working on.
And then there are various "Picking Up" image set variations I've came up with.

There are two standing positions, and two variations of crouching pick up.
I like all of them, so there will be a poll on Sunday about choosing the best one.

Also, Serena's O-face experiments continue:

After messing with the tongue for a while, I think I like the more realistic one better:

Tongue inside, eyes rolled over, and it's much easier to make(the tongue in picture above requires a lot of image-editing to look right).

This O-face will be used in many image sets, so it's important that it's good and easy to make.

And lastly, here's a sample of crowd of NPC's:

It looks alright, but this NPC cluster can't turn towards the player easily, so probably will be discarded, or it'll be put in large locations somewhere in the background.

And that's it for this post. I'll see you on Sunday, and more news and previews will be posted next week.
Cheers.

Sequel News

Hello.

I'm a bit late with the news post - caught a cold exactly on the first of September. I guess it works as a way to celebrate the arrival of autumn.

Anyway, I've recovered and here's a small preview, and some info about the state of the upcoming release.
Preview Note: I'm trying to make an image set related to picking up things for an event, so this is one variation. I'll share more on Wednesday/Friday.

Release changelog:
- 1 Prologue event added
- Optimisation of technical features almost complete(lots of junk got removed, and optimised)
- NPC dialogues complete(still working on sprites)
- Academy and surrounding areas finally available as in-game maps
- NPC approach mechanic in-progress

Things that remain on the list:
- 1 more extra prologue event
- Story changes focused on Serena(big one)
- Side job as Undercover Student
- TV investigation related to the side job

I'll see you on Wednesday or Friday with previews from new events, and more development screenshots.
Until next post.
Cheers!

Mini-News Post

Hello.

It's post number 500 under Succulence 2 tag, but there's not much to report.

Well, there was something to report - I've spent two days working on a pantyhose replacer for Serena, because I came up with a new skin-tight pantyhose.
I was preparing a poll for it with previews for the 500th post, but then I gave it some thought, and decided that the old one is good enough.

This game has been reworked enough, and I'll present the pantyhose at a later date, when there's a release or two out.

So you could say that there's been some improvement in my "rework-ism" condition.

In other news:
- Pledges for August have been paused(development will continue through September)
- The way images are shown has been optimised to have less image duplicates(similar image sets sometimes use the same accessories for all of them, and I don't want all those images taking up in-game space)
- I used the framework I made for "Lewd clothes detection" as a template and made a few similar ones that control Lust Frenzy and Body Writing(example above)

I'll make a proper Sequel News post later this week that will list overall release progress.
Until next post.

Preview Post: Workplace

Hello,

Not much to report in terms of development, so I made some previews while I was working on CG's for a new prologue event.

I'll share the event CG sample in my next preview post.

Also I'm working on Serena's O-face that will be available for her dialogue image sets.
Here's an example:

I'll see you in the next post with more news.
Cheers.

P.S. example picture looks like it could be Serena's ID replacement. Maybe I should make a small silly event for it.

Development News

Hello,

Took me some extra time to make this post, but it was worth it,

Because:
- I made Serena's skirt flutter from the wind when she's outside
It's not finalized yet: I'm debating whether to make a new weather mode called "Windy" that will trigger the effect, or to make some windy spots on the map
P.S. The tie flutter is only for the preview, in the game it will be stiff, at least for now

Other notable developments:
- Serena's Casual Top can be equipped over the bra.
Also, the top will not become disheveled when it's equipped with a bra, only without it.
- I made a system that detects how lewd Serena's outfit is.
Before it was a simple check of "is the outfit lewd, yes or no". Now the system checks if there's a cleavage, if the skirt is too revealing, etc. And this info will be used in events and NPC reactions.
- NPC dialogue database is being written. I'm also experimenting with Filler NPC sprites, will post a few examples later.

But the main reason for this post is the List of Things Needed To Be Done Before Release.

I spent some time thinking and experimenting with what is currently working within the game, and here it is:
- New events added to the prologue: Before and after Welcoming party
- Story changes: The first main quest of the game used to be about Ms. Stone's mark and the dream world, now it will be focused on Serena and her powers.
Ms. Stone's quest will still be there in the background.
- Relationship with heroines will be scaled down until Serena's personal storyline is progressed.
- NPC approach mechanic and Side Job as an Undercover Student, as was decided by the poll
- TV investagation storyline related to the Side Job
- NPC dialogues and sprites
- Optimisation of technical features(or removal of junk that doesn't work, but is in the game anyway, to put it simply)

Overall I would say it will take between 2-4 weeks from now, or whenever this list is complete.
I'll post more updates next week.
Cheers.

A Poll About NPC's[Technical]

Hello,
Sorry for a big gap between posts - I was supposed to post this on Monday, but life got in the way.
And I have another post I want to do this week about development, so we'll do the poll today, and Sequel News on Friday.

This poll is about a feature I developed a while back, and now that I'm sitting here wondering whether to finish it or not - I figured I'd ask your opinion.

So,
In the first Succulence each NPC had their own little dialogue, that featured jokes, some relevant in-game info, etc.
In Succulence 2, it becomes a bit of a problem, because locations are big - and crowds of people are needed.

I came up with 2 solutions to the problem, and(predictably) went with a more difficult one.

Solution 1: Make a filler "Passersby" NPC, or "Crowd Member" NPC that has a distinct generic look, and use them to fill out big locations. They all share same dialogue.

Solution 2: Make "Filler NPC's" have random dialogue, that they draw from a little "dialogue database". That way bumping into them will be slightly less predictable. But they still have the same distinct generic look so that you can ignore them in a crowd.

Currently "Solution 2" is ready for Office Workers and City Dwellers, but it still needs more databases for "Thugs"(Thug crowds at the pub), "Drunks"(Also pub, and park) and "Students"(For the Academy).
As you can see, it still needs plenty of dialogue text, and it's still not too late to turn back to Solution 1, which is slightly more boring, but also less headache-inducing.

Which Solution do you prefer?

Friday Preview: Mirror

Hello.

It has been a kind of boring development week.
I've been editing in-game maps pretty much all the time since Monday.
A bunch of maps got updated to adjust their layout, or got more points of interst added. All the changes will be utilized by events in the future.

I didn't want to make a post only about the changes, because there's no good way to show them off(in-editor screenshots look whacky), so I've made this preview instead.
It's an artistic representation of Serena's double life(which will be explored a lot in the upcoming release).

Here's one in-editor sample of changed Bareback blvd.

The inn, Desire Shop and the Pub/Motel all got changed, abandoned shop got removed, and there's another narrow back alley between the pub and Desire shop.

Full list of maps that got changed is pretty big(no screenshots):
- Park and park toilets(sneaking around the bushes reworked too)
- Pub insides got changed - strip stage was a separate room, now it's part of the pub
- Serena's apartment now has a closet
- Serena's apartment block now has a basement
- Supermarket and Playground toilets expanded slightly
- LusTV studio now has windows
- Elite Mansion is more interesting

I'll make a proper sequel news post will once I move on to more meaty development stuff.

Until next post.
Cheers!

Poll Results, With a Touch of Sequel News

Hello.

There's been two polls about unfinished features, and so it's time to conclude them, and show a little bit of work that had been done over last week.

First of all, out of the big list of unfinished features, two got many votes:
- NPC approach mechanic
- Side Jobs for Serena(Just one for now)

So I'll spend my efforts this month to get those two working.

The NPC approach requires a bunch of work, and there might be an extra poll regarding its functionality.

The Side Job for Serena has been chosen separately, and it's "Undercover Student".
I should've made a preview up top about that, but I was too excited about my little breakthrough with rain and transparent clothes.

Now, about new additions:
- There's a new building near Serena's apartment block, opposite of the parking lot
- It will be used for another side job in the future, but there will be a small TV event there

- The way clothes get wet has been reworked. Previously, there were only two modes for clothes: Fully dry, or fully drenched. It felt a little weird, especially because the effect was the same during the rain and when Serena was putting on her shirt right after the shower.
Well, no more.
Now clothes get wet dynamically. The longer you stand in the rain, the more it shows on Serena's shirt(there was a prologue event like that, but that was a scrypted cutscene - now it's a "game-wide" effect).
Putting on a shirt after a bath will not fully soak it in water.
And most importantly - it will gradually dry off, instead of going from "cling to your skin wet" to bone-dry.
This feature will allow me to simulate "sweaty shirt effect" during beach TV episodes.
Also, more outfits are succeptible to rain effects as a bonus.
And I've added a few hot-spots on the maps that can cause some moist accidents. So you better be sure this addition will be utilized to the fullest.

That's it for this post, more development news will be posted next week.
Cheers.

P.S. It would also be great if NPC reactions were different depending on how stained Serena's outfit is. I'll get on that tomorrow.

Poll: Side Job Choice

Previews for the poll are here.

Which side job should be developed first?

Option 1: Waitress
Will feature job-exclusive item: Waitress apron(and possibly a neck ribbon or something)

Option 2: Tutor
Will present an extra way of skipping rent payment: Tutoring landlord's sons instead of Mrs. Mollette(or doing a duo session with her)

Option 3: Part-time teacher/Teacher assistant
Help out Mrs. Mollette with her classes or step-in as her substitute when she calls in sick

Option 4: Undercover student
Disguise as a student and perform an undercover inspection on behalf of LusTV, and then... keep doing it.

What do you think?

Poll Previews: Side Job Choice

As promised in the Unfinished Features poll, we will do an extra poll to determine which side job will be available first.

Here's the link for the poll. 

List of Unfinished Features To Be Included In The Release

Hello again.

I gave it some thought, and I think that rather than listing ALL features from Succulence 2, I'll list a few that are the biggest AND the most unfinished currently(The rest will get a separate post.).

And you get to judge which ones you want to see in the next release, and which ones can wait until later.

The list:

- NPC Approaching Serena and triggering mini-events, when she's not dressed properly

This one is the most complete out of the features presented here, but it still requires a lot of work. It needs the following:
- Serena needs a way to escape when she's cornered by them
- They need different mini-events depending on clothes/fame/weather/lust frenzy
- Lots of dialogue required
- Needs a way to "attach" them to Serena and make them into temporary followers

Also this is the only one that has a screenshot associated with it. Next one is:

- Serena losing her apartment/Homelessness
Currently there's an event that lets Serena to get out of paying rent, but I want more to that.
Appeasing the landlord in various ways will be a chain of events of course.
But I also want an option to refuse, lose apartment and stay around in the inn.
And an option to sleep in Desire Shop(and get indebted to Mai even more).
And an option to join the city's homeless in a complete fall from grace.

- Losing job at LusTV
Failing to show up to work will result in a penalty, and repeating that penalty will get Serena fired. Or if she's famous, suspended from the job.
She can reaply for a job interview the next day though(a lewd chain of events will follow, with different dialogue depending on fame).
This one's probably the easiest to add, but without the Homelessness and Side-Jobs features it won't feel as impactful

- Side Jobs/Part-Time Jobs
I can start this one with one side-job to have a working synergy between Losing Job/Losing apartment and this. But eventually I want to have these side jobs for Serena: Tutor for landlord, Part-time teacher at academy, Waitress, Stripper, AV actress, Soapland worker.
Each one will be available in two ways: Naturally when Serena's not a reporter, or during an undercover investigation.
If this option is popular, we'll have an extra poll about which part-time job to choose as the first one.

- Motorcycle, Garage and Bike riding
Eventually I want Serena to be able to ride a bike to work, because it will compliment the leather spy suit. I already made a bike helmet accessory, but I still need bike sprites, Road maps, parking spots, etc.

- Accessing Recollection Room Through Phone
This is one of those that could be either super easy, or it will have so many bugs that it will be impossible. Going to recollection room will leave the map Serena's currently in, and doing so at random spots might prove too difficult. I could try to make designated spots for doing that though, to minimize possible damage.
Alternatively I could try to do an in-phone recollection room, but who knows how long will that take.

So there you have it. Below is a multiple-choice poll, and you can choose the features that you want to see developed immediately. Features that won't get many votes will be held back for a while, and we might have another poll in the future.

Until next post.

P.S. Pledges for July are paused, because it will take a while to get the development going.