carnal_instinct

v0.5.13 Is Available Now for Avatar+ Patrons!

Hey All!

The Special Christmas Update has arrived bringing Centaur Shaped presents for you all to enjoy!

This update is our most Diverse Sex Update to date, with the ability to have an intimate encounter with Female, Futa and Male Centaur. 

This comes on the back of our Stocking Stuffer Poll which you all voted for Centaur! so we hope you enjoy!

I can confirm that you can have Intimate Relations with all three Centaurs as any Form (Minus Formless), head on over to the new Island Located off the coast of Medhen.

We've also been working away on some troublesome bugs and fixes which are included in this update, a full changelog will follow tomorrow :)

From all of us on the Team, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks for your support! Here's to 2024!

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.5.102 Is Available now for Avatar+ Patrons

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All!

The latest UE5 update is now Available for Avatar Patrons! Please check out our full update blog on this update here. 

We've also been working hard on some new bug fixes, mostly related to our move to Unreal Engine 5.3 which we mentioned in our October Dev Update, we released our first bug fix patch for this update a few days ago and we've fixed up some more bugs before we released this to you all!

We hope you all Enjoy fighting the Kravenrook, seeing our new Point of Interest Interactions in Heifer's Reach, Tal'Senet and Medhen Island and getting your hands on what we've been working on!

For those who don't follow our Discord, we've already announced we're working on a bonus December Update(v0.5.12) before Christmas, the poll we did for that is now closed, thank you for all who voted!

Full Changelog for v0.5.10 is Available here 

Bugfix Changelog - v0.5.101 is Available here 

Bugfix Changelog - v0.5.102 is Below:

FIXED

• Fixed issues with Chests and Items in Chests and Vendors Duplicating
• Fixed issues with Jamila and Rashan not having all Dialog Options Available
• Fixed issues with Nenu not having voice lines for some players after save/loading
• Fixed issues with players loading in under the map
• Fixed issues with "Hide Balls" not saving/loading correctly and I've added the option to hide/show in the Equipment Menu same as Flaccid/Not Flaccid - at least Temporarily.
• Fixed issues with some new Assets Causing instability/crashes for some players.

v5.101 Hotfix Changelog

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fixed

• Fixed issues with the Footjob Scene
• Fixed issued with Ameni's Sex Scenes
• Fixed issues with various quest objective Markers
• Fixed issues with Ambient Lines on four NPCs
• Fixed auto-save not working on Dungeon Exit
• Fixed an issue the Kravenrook Dungeon Objective step
• Fixed an issue with an invisible block being in the way during the Mother/Father cutscene
• Fixed an issue with the lever in the Kravenrook dungeon
• Fixed various issues with Farak
• Fixed issues with Cursed Horny Villager
• Fixed various interaction issues with "Behold"
• Fixed issues with Jamila
• Fixed an issue with World Partition
• Fixed an issue with the Camera in Ameni's Sex Scene

Changed

• Changed the torch Icon
• Changed a minor UI font issue on the loading screen

Christmas Stocking-Stuffer Poll

Avatar will get the November update fairly soon and we want to add a bit before the next big content update (so we can give it to you guys some early access to the goodies as a Christmas stocking-stuffer). That said I'm bloody awful at choosing gifts and I can't send out Christmas hampers to all of you...

So this poll will run for maybe a day, two tops, and it'll decide what we aim to include in your Christmas presents. I'm aware this spoils some of the excitement, but it's better than a lump of coal. I'll see what pick-and-mix I can assemble from the votes, but some are bigger than others so ultimately it'll depend how the votes stack up.

It's running on our Discord as well, but to give Patrons more influence we're using this poll to get your direct input. Feel free to vote both here and on Discord.

v0.5.10 Changelog

ADDED

• Added Dungeon System, including cellars, Dungeons and Tombs
• Added new Quest - "If It Bleeds", including the Dungeon and Kravenrook boss fight, adding new choices to "Shipwrecked Anubites" conclusion
• Added new Quest NPC to "Behold" - Anubite Captain now walks you through the initial part of Heiffer's Reach and shows you the way to safety (and the new POIs)
• Added new Point of Interest Interactions to Heifer's Reach (Farak & Ashalia, Frustrated Cursed Villager, Lone Villager, Mother & Father, Trapped Villager, Bickering Fruit Hoarder, Wise Old Woman, Cursed Poet, Couple in search of Lost Pet)
• Added new Point of Interest Interactions to Tal-Senet (Lovers Jamilia and Rashan, Fruit Farmer)
• Added new Point of Interest Interaction to Mehden Island (Ophyx Farmer)
• Added a new UI radial Menu for Masturbation, summoning the Aadi and more in the future
• Added Immersive HUD UI mode
• Added toggle HUD keybind
• Added "new items" icons to the Inventory & Equipment
• Added additional dialog and quest options to Shipwrecked Anubites including a new sex scene with Ameni and new endings with If It Bleeds
• Added the option for the Player to have any voice on any form, so you can have the Male or Female VA from the start
• Added shader pre-compile to improve smoothness as players experienced new content
• Added the option for Motion blur to be turned off : NOTE: this does not effect all cutscenes
• Added new POI Minimap icon to help you find the Point of Interest NPCs around the world
• Added some behind the scenes time tracking for future content
• Added climbing system, including mantling and scripted climbing events along ledges, up tall walls etc.

CHANGED

• Changed the RIG and Mesh used by every single model in the game to fix issues with movement, scaling, current and future sex scenes
• Changed behold to fit with the Anubite Captain walkthrough of the quest
• Changed Masquerade to be much better experience with the escort from the house to the Market with new locations and layout
• Changed Loading Screen system to work by waiting for all assets to load
• Changed player movement while in the air to give better air control
• Changed the Player preview in the Inventory & Cosmetic screen to work with Off-hand and Two Handed weapons
• Changed minimap indicator code to improve issues with discoverability
• Changed campfires so you can't be attacked while using one or near one
• Changed particles during Masqurade boss fight to improve performance
• Changed auto-save slots to 5 autosave, 10 quick
• Changed item description & Item comparison UI
• Changed the boat speed to be faster by 100%
• Changed Dialog UI icons for Return, Exit and more
• Changed the player UI to add damage numbers to attacks and crits
• Changed the equipment system so new consumables picked up will go directly in the use potion slot
• Changed the quest reward system
• Changed many UI icons including mount
• Changed the layout and location of "The Prodigal Son" quest
• Changed the combat targeting and lock-on system to aid players based on feedback

FIXED

• Fixed issues with Jeivad and Tekem
• Issues with performance related item duplication due to level streaming/world partition
• Fixed issues with custom waypoint markers
• Fixed issues with Hakor's dialog
• Fixed an issue with allowed formless to interact with Adept footjob sex scene
• Fixed issues with the custom mouse marker not working
• Fixed issues with leaving the campfire
• Fixed issues with Stamina depletion on directions other than forwards and backwards
• Fixed issues with the pause menu in Dialog
• Fixed an issue with being interrupted while dismounting
• Fixed issues with Swimming
• Fixed issues with the pregnancy shrine
• Fixed issues with the Fertility/Pregnancy shrine options
• Fixed issues with Hakor's Presence checks
• Fixed issues with Masquerade
• Fixed issues with Kemma's dialog
• Fixed issues with chests (NB: 02/12/23 - Dungeons have caused some chest issues under investigation)
• Fixed issues with male lipsync
• Fixed issues with HFH not auto-completing on all subobjectives being completed
• Fixed issues with Nenu & Damaris dialog and interactions
• Fixed issues with MyBrother's Keeper steps
• Fixed issues with Samia
• Fixed issues with Pregnancy debuffs/buffs
• Fixed a number of issues with Sailing
• Fixed issues with monitor scaling at higher resolutions/screen aspect ratios
• Fixed issues with getting in and out of the boat when swimming
• Fixed issues with aadi in deep water, water interactions with the Aadi should now be smoother - Aadis are still deathly afraid of water though
• Fixed various issues with swimming and deep water
• Fixed speaking animations with Nenu
• Fixed various issues with the worldmap
• Fixed issues with Asim and Ameni dialog and quest objective steps
• Fixed issues with stacking Objective and Quest notifications
• Fixed issues with morphs and morph interactions with clothes especially on female models
• Fixed issues with the cock tint not working for all forms
• Fixed various issues with existing DSS Scenes
• Fixed issues with DSS scenes moved from UE4, especially related to Male players

MISC

• Performance optimizations throughout
• Huge map changes to Heiffers Reach Village
• Huge map changes to Medhen Island
• Map expansion to areas outside Medhen & Tal-Senet including block-out for future quest locations

v0.5.10 is now LIVE for ASCENDED+

It's been a while. More than a while. But we're finally here with the next UE5 update. Those of you who kept an eye on the Patron-exclusive #BehindTheScenes channel over on our Discord may recognise a few details.

Because it's gone 5:30am this will be a somewhat shortened post, with full patch notes to follow when we've had a good sleep.

In addition to the large dungeon for If It Bleeds, the Shipwrecked Anubites have received some TLC and it's now possible to save them - if you play your cards right. They're not the only Anubites who are given hope by this update however, and the adepts now have a much more established encampment from which to spread their message of lust.

To this end we have brought multiple DSS scenes over from the UE4 build, along with a boatload of the more basic sex animations to help flavour the environment. The Anubite encampment should finally feel a lot more like the stronghold of a lust-cult!

It's not all happy news in Sabu, and there are some tragic new stories to explore in the fallen land of Heifer's Reach. These particular quests are only accessible before completing Behold (i.e. on a new game) because they're in the starting area, but should give existing players a lot more content to discover in the starting zone, setting the scene and fleshing out the world. Your actions in Heifer's Reach will have consequences in future, so choose wisely.

There are over a dozen new POI (point of interest) encounters to explore, and you'll now be able to do so as a Male Demi-Jackal and Male Demi-Draconid. Girls get a new option as well, in the form of the Temple-Bred Jackal Subtype.

There are hundreds of new art assets, large and small. From the entirely new tomb kit, to the statue of the Bovine fertility demigoddess Hatha, bringing more fidelity to the world than ever before.

In this latest push we've included a first taste of caves. Whilst we have made many more than we've released, we want to be certain there are no technical issues before we fully set you loose on them.

The next post will detail the December update and our next steps for DSS 2.0.

Right, it's late and I need a sleep. We'll post a FULL list of what we've added tomorrow (today?) or possibly over the weekend. For now just sink your teeth in and face down the Kravenrook... perhaps bedding a few Anubites along the way.

Team Carnal Instinct

Need to Download the Game? Patreon Launcher Links Here

Micro Dev Update

It has already been too long between news posts, a few people have raised it and I have to say that I agree. I tend to be the one doing these posts and, when I'm working flat out, they can fall by the wayside. I can only say that I'm sorry for not making enough time for this and that I should be doing a better job of keeping you up to date with the hard graft we're putting in.

As soon as the "core" content for the update is ready, it'll drop. That said, it doesn't take all of our time to work on the remaining parts, so we're doing other things at the same time. I don't want to leave everyone in the dark, so here's a micro-update of what we're working on...

• Populating the playable area with more content (including Pleasure Gardens)
• Prototyping "Paying Tribute" at Shrines (yes it means what you think it means) in return for a blessing
• Prototyping "Ambient"/"Quickie" Sex Encounters
• Adding more enemy types over from the UE4 build
• Working on "Subtypes" system for forms
• Added "Temple Bred Jackal" Subtype (for Anubite Priestess/Player)
• Added new plant types to flesh out the more lush areas of the world and to bring more colour/variety to the environment in general.
• Remastering various cocks from the UE4 build
• Refining the "If It Bleeds" dungeon
• Blocking out the surrounding populated areas near to Mehden/Tal-Senet (we need somewhere to fill with potential partners)
• First Pass on the Shrine template (very, very, early version with zero set dressing)
• Bugfixing (there's a lot more of this than is covered in a single word)
• Further clothing tweaks for particularly large badonkers
• Material and Texture optimisation
• Design passed for various sex poses (blockout, not full animation - Will fold into DSS 2.0 scenes)
• Sidequests (Slavers Cabal/Guilded Fold early faction quests are written and Pleasure Garden side-quest is being worked on next)

Please note that this is what we're working on in greater detail than the roadmap post, only things that are ready will ship in the updated, the rest will come in the next update. Moving forward we're going to try and keep the updates slightly smaller in scope - we always want to add more and let this bloat into a hefty chunk and so things were more impacted by my absence.

As far as everyone being in the loop - I'll keep the mini updates coming frequently over the next week or two as we wrap up the next content update.

- echo

Team Carnal Instinct

Development: Patron Progress Update

Hi All,

We're currently working toward the release of the Kravenrook update, though that hides a lot of the precursor work going on behind the scenes.

Roadmap

We've had a lot of requests for an updated roadmap. Whilst we do have an internal one, we're now working on the visuals for a new patron-facing roadmap - giving you an idea of what to expect and in what order.

Unreal Engine 5.3

Because we just love updating the engine so very much, we made the move to 5.3.

All joking aside, it brought through some major improvements we couldn't miss out on (mainly visual/performance improvements).

Gameplay Overhaul

We felt that some of the gameplay was feeling a little flat so there are a whole host of new improvments that will ship with the Kravenrook update.

Minor elements such as immersive UI and damage numbers (toggle in menu) complement the new softlock system. We've also improved parrying and added dynamic camera effects to execution moves.

Animation/Mesh Upgrades

In preparation for DSS 2.0 we've upgraded our rig, enabling some better deformation out of the box. This new rig takes advantage of the new breast, butt, and tummy jiggle-bones. All of these bones are also enabled for dynamic jiggle effects in-game.

Additionally we're midway through the process of rebuilding the body morphs from the ground up. This cascades through to clothing and allows "underwear pulled to the side" during scenes, as well as many other essential improvements to our clothing system.

These improvements resolve the long-running issues with cocks not showing when clothing is equipped, and now full "packages" will be visible - bulging beneath any revealing clothing.

You can expect to see some more "dynamic" poses for scenes in future, including the one pictured below, and particular improvements to the scenes involving exotic NPCs (Naga/Centaur/etc).

Solo Play

Along with the Kravenrook update we're adding the first set of "solo play" options. These enable players to 'keep the curse at bay', even if they don't feel like getting down to business with a partner. For now other NPCs won't react, though this won't the the case for long (I'm sure Damaris will be thrilled if you make a mess on the Taberna floor...).

These can be triggered anywhere in the world from a new radial menu, for all body types and for male and female genital options. PSA: The world carries on around you, jerk it at your own risk.

Toys will arrive in a subsequent update, allowing additional solo play options.

Ambient 'Quickie' Scenes

To help flesh out the world - forgive the pun - we're in the process of implementing some flavour content that sits outside of DSS. This adult content can act as an introduction with some NPCs, but mainly it enables players to indulge in brief trysts. These "quickie" scenes will become available based on the players CI level, meaning that the greater your carnal knowledge, the more opportunities you find to use it.

Feedback

Around 1/3 of Mehden Island and 1/4 of Heifers Reach has been redesigned based on player feedback. There's now an introductory NPC that helps guide the player through part of the initial area, as well as all the new POI (point-of-interest) content to make the zone much richer.

Lovense

Exactly what the title suggests; we're in the process of integrating Lovense at the moment. It will drop along with DSS 2.0.

Patron Only 'Behind the Scenes'

The next patron-only post will delve into some of the new features questlines that are in-development, including The Gilded Fold (Slavers Questline), as well as a look at how the  upcoming mechanics for capturing/selling NPCs for sale to the cabal (or in fact for your own purposes) will work. 

Because of the "a bit of everything" nature of the groundwork at the moment, this post only covers a portion of what we've been cooking. We've used the increased time between updates to do an awful lot of housekeeping and cleaning up, fixing shedloads of minor development issues that could have become big problems over time.

Thank you for your support, and yes, we do intend "danger wank" to be an achievement eventually.

Team Carnal Instinct

Public Progress Update: Upcoming Update, Content & Fixes

Hey All,

After our initial Unreal Engine 5 release and bug fixes we released a Public Progress Update which featured our Work-In-Progress quests and what we had planned for the next few updates. Today we're expanding on that and let you all know what to expect next and what we've been working on to this point.

Unreal Engine 5.2

In the lead up to our initial Unreal Engine 5 release, Epic Released Unreal Engine 5.2, which brought some much needed lighting improvements, performance improvements, some new tools and we were hoping it would fix some of our most frustrating bugs with the engine.

We had to wait until our update was out and we had time to release bugfixes. Following the  release we decided that we couldn't pass up the benefits of the new version; we're happy to report that we've now completed the upgrade to 5.2 (after great difficulty and many four letter words directed at epic). We can confirm that this did fix two major bugs with the engine that drove us and you all crazy:

• Video Settings & GameUserSettings now Save & Load correctly
• UE5 Prerequisite installers are now working and should resolve issues some people had with the C++ distributable (and others).

This has pushed back our major content update a little as it took more time than expected and with the engine changes we're taking some time to make sure everything is smoothed out before you get your hands on it. (For those interested, here's what Epic Added)

Incoming Content Update

Due to the number of fixes we have ready, the time taken to upgrade to 5.2, and the game ready content we have to hand, we've decided to split a chunk off from our originally planned large update and release a medium update coming sooner.

This will include all of the below, as well as the first implementation of caves and some general Tal'Senet & Medhen Island Polish.

The Seeking Metamorphosis and DSS 2.0 updates are still in development and we'll be demonstrating some of the new changes and content in future development updates.

'If It Bleeds' & 'Shipwrecked Anubites'

Shipwrecked Anubites is getting a big update with a new member of the group, Nefera being added, along with some new dialog choices, interactions and improvements which needed the both 'If it bleeds" and caves to be completed.

The horrifying creature that roams the south of Medhen Island, slaughtering many of the Anubites, must to be stopped if they are to survive; no longer do the Anubites have to fall to the talons of this abomination - their fate now rests in your hands.

Climbing

The first stage of the new climbing system is also arriving in this update. As we discussed in the Public Progress Update in July, this isn't exactly the same as in UE4 but we are bringing back climbing more around the world. Don't expect to be able to climb everything, as we still need to keep some areas off limits for puzzles.

This implementation of the system also introduces the interaction based climbing system for shuffling along ledges, squeezing through gaps, and climbing larger blocks. 

Sailing Improvements

There are some major sailing improvements since initial release including the ability to get on the boat while swimming, get off while swimming without issues, some collision fixes and now the punting animations have been completed and implemented.

Heifer's Reach

This area of the game felt a little empty, despite being intended as the Pompeii of Sabu, as such we've now filled out this area with numerous additional characters and interactions to give you all a better feel for the world and the untold catastrophe that's befallen the inhabitants. Fleeing your home isn't an easy choice, and few - if any - will make it out alive.

More Male Options

Males will finally get access to the demi variants of the currently implemented male forms (Jackal & Draconid). Additionally males will get access to the new style hair options that are available to the female Jackal form.

Bug Fixes

Since our last stability patch we've continued to work hard on bugfixes to gameplay, quests and the launcher. We've appreciated all of your continued help in tracking down bugfixes and our new bugfix forum on the discord we feel has been really helpful. Please continue to log bugs there and for the things we've already fixed, I'll be marking them as "Upcoming Fixed" and locking/closing the threads. Thank you so much for your ongoing support in helping us make this a better game.

Upcoming Fixes Include:

• Aadi Interactions with water
• Quest fixes
• Sailing fixes
• Saving fixes
• Dialog interaction improvements
• Ambient line improvements
• Visual Bug Squish
• Much More! (The update post itself will include a full changelog)

Thank you for your continued support!

Team Carnal Instinct

Development Spotlight - Genital Deformations

Some of what we're working on now won't have much of an impact until we get onto DSS 2.0, as camera control is limited and the old animations need to be upgraded to take advantage of these changes. That said we wanted to share some images of the deformation possibilities with the improved skinning and deformations for the UE5 versions of the character that we're working on.

Even the larger insertions "fit" now, not that they won't potentially need to rearrange the insides of the person accommodating them.

These improvements will appear for the first time in the upcoming tentacle scene, though every new and updated scene from there out will make use of them.

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.5.04 is Available now for Avatar+

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All,

This update brings the painter Tekem to Tal'Senet and the Aviator Jeivad to Medhen Island as mentioned in our dev blog here. This is mostly a stability/bugfix patch and the patch notes for this can be found below.

BUG FIXES

• Changed the load order so variables and NPCs around the world are loaded after a delay to fix issues some players were having with interactables & pickup weapons
• Fixed an issue with the incorrect body for Demi-Jackals in DSS
• Changed the morph label for the Equine ball morph
• Fixed an issue with the Carnal Instinct level not save/loading correctly
• Temporarily removed the ability to open/close the world map with M to prevent some soft-lock issues
• Fixed an issue where you could open the inventory/worldmap while in the camp screen, causing issues
• Fixed a texture issue on the cursed anubite in Heffer's reach
• Changed loot bags to only last 30 seconds
• Fixed other various issues with campfires
• Fixed an issue where pregnancy dialog & pregnancy events now happen AFTER climax is completed instead of interrupting the scene
• Added Samia Pre & Post sex dialog to flesh her out more as a Character and progression of her Pregnancy Fetish
• Fixed issues with some NPCs not loading their dialog properly due to an Identification bug
• General Performance Increases via changing load radius on some NPCs and crushing some unecessarily large textures
• Fixed issues with ambient player lines being played with the wrong label or no sound or the wrong line
• Added subobjectives to Masquerade to assist people in finding the Shaken Villager & Hakor
• Added Tekem, the painter to Tal'Senet
• Added Jeivad, the Aviator to Medhen Island (NOTE: Missing Player Voice Acting)
• Added player skin tints to the cock
• Fixed various swimming bugs
• Fixed an issue where "New Quest" icons will remain on the minimap after accepting the quest (Note: This will not change this being an issue on existing saves, sorry)
• Fixed bugs with incoming attack damage
• Fixed bugs with the player sometimes not loading nearby a campfire
• Fixed issues with player health not loading correctly after a save/load

Team Carnal Instinct

Development: Public Progress Update

[PSA: THIS POST INCLUDES MINOR SPOILERS FOR "STRANDED ANUBITES". READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

Hi all,

Welcome to the first of our public development progress updates. How frequently we post these will depend on precisely what we're working on at the time, but they'll be more frequent than previous updates.

Additionally we'll be posting exclusive subscriber-only progress updates with the more juicy details as we get to them. So when you read about upcoming intimate content below, that's the sort of thing that'll get a much more "in-depth" coverage in the exclusive posts.

So in addition to several tonnes of bugfixes, we have been working on...

A tiny bit of content for the next Stability Update

We're adding two minor NPCs back into the UE5 build and these will ship with the next stability update. They're nothing major but give a little colour to the world, literally in the case of Tekem the Painter. These are only small parts but they may branch out ("Paint me like one of your Sabuthi girls...") if there's interest in them.

There are some player lines mysteriously missing in one of the conversations. I blame everyone but me. They must have slipped behind the sofa (the missing lines are with VA now and will be ready for the next major content update).

Next Quests

Many Minor Miscellaneous Missions

We're fleshing out the Heifers Reach starting zone with a range of minor encounters to help deliver the "Fall of Pompeii" vibe that the zone is intended to have. These will introduce the player to some of the new mechanics that we're working on as well as providing the setup for other quests that take place in Mehden, Tal-Senet, or the wider world.

"If It Bleeds..."

We're working on a tie-in quest for "Stranded Anubites", enabling players to face down the horror that will otherwise feast upon the unlucky followers of the Jackal god. "If It Bleeds..." will see players track down the beast, uncovering its hidden lair, and entering that subterranean maze. Success will mean a more positive outcome is possible in the "Stranded Anubites" quest.

The thing that lurks in the darkness below, a Kravenrook, is a formidable foe. This magical monstrosity was a priest of Kethra before her fall, long since twisted and mutilated by the ancient power it has drawn upon to unnaturally extend its life.

P.S. Yes it does have genitals. No we're not planning for a sex scene with this particular Kravenrook... I just remember the requests to get it on with Ranno and I'm planning ahead this time.

P.P.S. It will have feathers, I don't author these in ZBrush however so they're not in the image.

"Seeking Metamorphosis" (AKA Footsteps of the Dragon 2.0)

The first pass of our Footsteps of the Dragon replacement quest has been written, as has the design draft for the overall flow of the dungeon. This initial quest will now see the player making their way through a particularly deadly ruin. Puzzles must be solved and pitfalls avoided as party members risk death with every step in this sealed Inquisition burial site. Various traps will mean a grizzly end for the unwary, but greater dangers lurk in the shadows tunnels below the dunes.

Those that continue with this endeavour will be rewarded however, with Ahmes making an all-new appearance in the UE5 build. She's got all-new dialogue but she's the same lusty dragon girl. 

This quest is intended to introduce two DSS 1.0 scenes;

• Ahmes "Study Session" (solo/partner play)
• Writhing Darkness of Tua-Akorest* (new type of non-goo tentacle scene)

*Tua-Akorest is one of the Five Hells

You may have noticed the 1.0 after DSS, which brings me to...

New/Upgraded Systems Development

DSS 2.0

So this is a longer term development than the rest, but we're starting the overhaul of DSS to bring it up to standard. The current DSS was useful for the "basic" interactions of UE4, but doesn't really cut it with our romance system and how we want scenes to develop organically.

The new system will enable scenes to become longer and more complex if you read the signals of your partner. If you give an NPC the experience they're looking for then, instead of saying cheerio and waving you off, they'll pull you into a further stage of the scene. Add to this a series of visual and camera control improvements and we think it'll make the experience far more immersive.

It's still early days on this, but we expect to entirely replace DSS by the end of the year, if not before. It's worth noting that this isn't just about sex, DSS 2.0 will be used for everything from oiled-up massages and bathing, to - and I joke not - touching fingertips and even holding hands (who wants to watch the sunset whilst holding Damaris' hand?).

Jiggly Butts

Not only butts, but tummy wobble too. We're in the midst of making the characters get a whole lot more wobbly. We already have a prototype "butt-ripple" that's game-ready for the reaction to hard lovemaking and the tummy jiggle is also essentially ready to implement.

It's important to us that every ball slap, impact shudder, nipple suck, and giggling wiggle feeds through visually... it just helps make everything more organic and intimate. Especially when you'll be controlling the action so directly with DSS 2.0.

We're now feeling out how much more squeezy, wobbly, jiggly goodness we can add... there may be votes... watch this space.

Traversal and Interaction Systems

Whilst the "freeclimb everywhere" system we used in UE4 gave a boost to early gameplay, it limited our options for bottlenecking the player. Whilst this sounds desirable, it meant that it was more challenging to know where players would approach content from and severely restricted the freedom we had as developers.

The updated system could be seen as a downgrade in some ways, primarily in that you won't be able to mantle every prop and static NPC in the world, but it opens up so many additional opportunities for us creatively that we think it's actually an upgrade (or at the very least a 'sidegrade').

The new traversal system is out of prototype phase and nearing the stage where we can release it in a shipped build. It'll feed into the next thing on this list...

Caves

Caves are a step closer to implementation now and we have some small examples of the basic tier. Caves, as a name, is a bit of a misnomer, as this system encapsulates all enterable spaces. The same system is used for shrines, buildings, dungeons, tombs, etc.

Having these enterable spaces enables us to massively increase the density of content without the world feeling cluttered. Some of these spaces will have little more than loot, or quest objectives. Others may harbour unsavoury characters with hostile intent, or even amorous would-be lovers. The screenshots below show a range of examples, from a wine cellar beneath Mehden Island, to the entryway to an ancient tomb.

With a trusty torch to drive away the shadows, who knows what you'll find in the lost places beneath the dunes...

Please note: these are very early screenshots and do not represent final visual quality

That's not everything we're working on, not by a long shot, but it should give some idea of direction of travel. Romance is a system that's been intentionally left out of this blog, as we're intending an entirely romance-centric update after the first UE5content update, but suffice to say that Damaris won't be the only choice; there will be male, female, and futa romantic partners, available to all irrespective of form (i.e. Gay, Lesbian, and Hetero will all be playable options).

The next development update will be an general roadmap of what we intend to implement in 2023.

Thank you for your incredible support, not solely financial but also in terms of bug reporting and playtesting the game. It would quite literally be impossible for us to make this game a reality without the dedication of this community and we are so incredibly grateful for it.

If you aren't on there already, consider joining our Discord server. It's a great place to get tech support, report issues, share smut, and chat with other members (as well as the devs).

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.5.035 Hotfix is Available now for Avatar+

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Fixed the missing haircards on the Felian
• Fixed an issue where starting a new game carried over some variables from a loaded game, meaning some items were missing
• Fixed an issue with Kethra's Gifts being consumed multiple times giving you unlimited essence
• Fixed various bugs with pickup weapons duplicating causing many issues with performance over time with multiple saves
• Fixed an issue with the Masquerade fight invisible walls not disappearing after the fight
• Fixed some morphs not initially applying on load
• Fixed some materials incorrectly applies to cursed ones
• Fixed an issue with the campfire so you can no longer open the inventory or map while in the campfire, causing a softlock
• Added the ability to press escape to leave a campfire
• Fixed an issue with the Masquerade cutscene which made the player look blurry
• Fixed issues with Samia's pregnancy not always working and not loading correctly
• Fixed an issue with Asim's overlap not stopping the player running
• Fixed various map collision issues
• Fixed an issue with Nenu's dialog to prevent some issues with here getting stuck on an overlap line branch
• Changed game slot count - temporarily increased to 20 until I add a proper autosave fixed slot(s)
• Changed the save slots so they say the current active quest on the slot to help players better find saves in the list
• Fixed other general pregnancy bugs

Additionally, launcher patch note fixes released 17/07/23

• Changed initial install process, this should fix a loop issue some users were having
• Added Auto-show error log on errors
• Added Auto-Login Changes to fix a bug for SubscribeStar users

Wiki

Also for those who are a bit lost, we've been working on some Wiki pages to get some walkthroughs and information there, you can check that out here it's complete yet but we'll be adding more information in the coming weeks.

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.5.031 is Available NOW for Avatar+ Patrons!

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please checkout the post last week for the full details of the Ascended Release and our notes on the new launcher and this initial release of the Unreal Engine 5 build of the game.

Avatar can now get their hands on the Unreal Engine 5 release, along with a whole bunch of bug fixes for Ascended+ patrons. Please find the bug fixes/patch notes below (As always this is not a full list, just the highlights):

Patch Notes:

• Fixed various issues with Saving/Loading
• Added invisible walls to Behold and Felreq Bossfights to prevent the player from breaking the fight
• Fixed an issue with the player missing a penis/hair in the cosmetics menu when wearing a helmet/skirt
• Fixed an issue with Pregnancy Buffs not being properly removed after pregnancy, causing stacking pregnancy issues
• Fixed loading/spatially loading issues with various NPCs around the world
• Added additional markers/waypoints in Behold to aid the player
• Added additional markers to Until Death
• Added functionality to quest tracking so that once a quest is complete, it will automatically track the next quest in the chain
• Fixed an issue with Lipsync on various NPCs
• Changed a shader value setting which should improve performance for users and reduce some ghosting issues in custscenes/DSS scenes, however this will cause some stuttering in the morph screen
• Added icons to the Character Screen to indicate if Virility/Fertility Content is enabled/disabled
• Added Icons/Buttons for Show/Hide balls & Set Aroused/Flaccid states for Genitals
• Fixed an issue where player heads were incorrectly hidden during some sex scenes due to a helmet being equipped
• Fixed a modelling issue with Female mesh not being weighted properly
• Changed the Felreq Boss Fight particles to imrpove performance
• Fixed major issue with pickup interactables being duped on load for some users causing major load issues
• Fixed collisions on many meshes around the world
• Added the ability to Press "M" to open the world map
• Changed some Felreq AI behaviour to improve the bossfight
• Fixed Felian hair so the hair will automatically match the Felian skin you have equipped and change colour
• Fixed the quest Objective text for multiple objectives
• Fixed a bug which prevented right clicking on quests to track
• Changed Anhur and the fieldhand's materials to better suit two dead Jackals
• Fixed some gaps in the map and missing foliage

Hotfix v0.5.02 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

• Fixed - an issue with Cosmetic Shrine not being interactable after completing Masquerade
• Fixed - an issue with Cosmetic Points not showing on the World Map after completing Masquerade
• Fixed - an issue with saving the game from the Pause Menu
• Fixed - an issue which made campfires non-interactable after use due to an issue with the Auto-save system
• Fixed - an issue with the Utnas interactable that made it impossible for some players to re-attempt the Fel-Req fight
• Fixed - an issue with an uncecessary Auto-Save on the Behold boss-fight
• Fixed - an issue with Moswen's sex scenes which resulted in the player being in the wrong position
• Fixed - an issue with some Draconid Skins being missing from the Cosmetic Screen
• Fixed - an issue with some horns not appearing in DSS
• Fixed - an issue with the Game Launcher not recognizing some Ascended Subscribestar Patrons as Ascended
• Fixed - a typo on the Post-Pregnancy popup
• Fixed - an issue with Felian Hair not appearing in the cosmetic list
• Fixed - a material issue with NPC mouths
• Changed - Auto-Saves generated by major quest Objectives or Campfires now show as Auto-saves in the load Menu

Unreal Engine 5 Prototype Build is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the new Unreal Engine 5 Launcher? Grab the new launcher here. 

PSA: The new launcher is only for UE5 builds of the game and therefore is not accessible to Avatar tier patrons.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's finally here, the first Unreal Engine 5 build of Carnal Instinct - v0.5.01 - is now LIVE.

The first section of the initial story quest is in, and the game will now progress in much larger elements; we will no longer publish a new build every month, instead larger chunks of the world and story will release every few months.  In order to give you a much better idea of how development is progressing, we're going to be posting in-depth development and behind-the-scenes blogs on a more frequent basis.

New Launcher

The all-new launcher for the Unreal Engine 5 version of Carnal Instinct allows for patching with each update, rather than a full download every time. This means that we will be pushing bugfix updates more frequently than the larger content updates, so you will still get game fixes and performance improvements between the chunks of gameplay, "intimate encounters", and quests.

You will need to extract the launcher to run it, please don't try to run it from within the compressed archive! 

Expectations & Pre-Alpha

We know there is a lot of excitement about this move, but please remember that this is essentially a brand new game. There will be bugs, probably a lot of bugs, and issues. Little content has been ported across from Unreal Engine 4, so whilst it'll expand quickly, the world is obviously lacking depth in comparision to the existing builds.

Please help by reporting major performance issues, along with hardware specs and graphics settings, as well as show-stopping bugs. At this stage we don't need reports of floating models etc, as we know well that there will be lots of these and we're not onto solely cosmetic fixes for a while.

Whilst we finalise our new traversal system climbing has been entirely disabled. This decision wasn't taken lightly, but a half-implemented system had the potential to cause more harm than it was worth. More ways to navigate the world will return in a future update.

Once the disabled features are reenabled we will consider this version of the game as the Alpha Build of Carnal Instinct.

Known Issues

This build has some systems, like magic, gated simply by the point in the story where the game opens. However some mechanics, such as setting romance paths and the mess/cleaning system, have been temporarily disabled for technical reasons. These will be restored in the next couple of updates once teething issues have been ironed out.

More Music

We have new menu and in-game music, as well as raunchy limericks and bawdy ballad's by our boisterous bard, Nenu. You can listen to Nenu's second song here. 

Pregnancy

Pregnancy content is not for everyone, so it's disabled by default. You will have to visit the virility and fertility shrines on Tal-Senet to activate this feature.

Feed Pakhet the almost-tame Mau

Damaris' tamed Mau, "She Who Scratches" doesn't take kindly to attempts to pet her, she will however devour food when offered. This is an important feature. It deserves this paragraph. I will die on this hill.

ACT 1: Traveller in and Antique Land

This build represents the very beginning of act one, you find yourself on the shores of Sabu and begin your journey. Soon you'll share the lands with Drakes, Sphynx, and all manner of exotic creatures... for now though you'll need to shed your mundane form and learn to fend for yourself in the fallen lands of Tal-Senet and Mehden Island.

There's too much to talk about in a single post, so fire up the game and give it a go. Lots will be broken, but with your help finding the issues we can stomp those bugs.

Thank you so much for your incredible support, keep your eyes peeled for more info and behind the scenes in the weeks ahead!

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.71 is now LIVE for AVATAR Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Howdy All, The v0.3.71 update is now available for Avatar Patrons! If you missed the v0.3.70 notes you can find them here this also comes along with some bug fixes that we caught since then.

Thank you all for your support!

Team Carnal Instinct

Development Update: Desert Mau

"I was in the southeast of Behid-Heq, making my way west towards the Queensroad, when I first laid eyes on a Desert Mau. I had stopped to rest in the shade of some forgotten temple, a ruin half-swallowed by the fine desert sand, when the beast sprang from the dry grass and fell upon my Aadi. Though related to the wildcats of the Dahmur Wastes, these feline hunters are much larger than their mountain-dwelling kin.

I spent the rest of the trek on foot, ever vigilant for the slightest glimpse of those eerie, red-white eyes."

Ehkos, A Guide to the Desert Kingdoms

Reintroducing a reimagining of an existing creature, now ready to slink through the arid foothills of Sabu in UE5, The Desert Mau. This agile predator will be a common threat in the early areas of your adventure. Descended from a more conventional wildcat, the aura of Kethra's domain has increased both the size and appetite of these desert killers.

The Desert Mau is primarily an ambush predator, its dark mottled coat providing the perfect camouflage as it stalks prey through the dry undergrowth. Though solitary in nature, these cats are extremely protective of one another; a mother will frequently have overlapping territory with one or two of her juvenile offspring, ensuring they're properly fed.

Amongst the more superstitious types, the unique eyes of the Desert Mau have led to a reputation that the creatures can see through walls. In actual fact the cats have an extremely developed sense of smell, enabling them to detect prey within a dwelling, and feeding the myth of their x-ray vision.

Their red-white eyes are an adaptation to their environment however, and grant the animal the ability to actually see essence as it lingers around ascended beings and charged artefacts. This makes a tamed Desert Mau invaluable as a "truffle pig" of sorts, hunting out ritual vessels in the depths below the dunes. It also means that a humanoid with even a minor gift of ascension will find it incredibly difficult to hide from the beast. 

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.70 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

"See how your friends have fallen... they did not die well. Your precious path brought only your doom, step after relentless step led you to this place. The mutt led you to nowhere but the point of my spear. I wonder if you see now, see that this twisted web of unchained lust was no greater path at all... you have done naught but wallow in corruption and the indulgence of temptation. For what purpose does your life end here? The bitch queen will not rise, nor will her mongrel offspring take her accursed throne. We will scour this land of your blasphemy. The stain of your sins will drain away as your blood spills into the thirsting sand. Now... time to join your false god... rise to meet him!"

Unknown Inquisitor

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hi All,

We're finally here with what - barring a meteorite impact or tsunami - should be the last non-UE5 Ascended update.

UE4 Content

For this update we've finally revisited the artwork for a key boss and faction in the world; they've been left out in the cold for too long, and finally we've updated the Inquisitor of Bast, along with her trusty Zealots.

This means that there are impactful decisions to make at the end of her fight now. Spare the Inquisitor and take her captive, or kill her and obtain her armour. She is now potentially interactive in DSS scenes, should her devotion to the Inquisition crack in the face of her needs. She doesn't have a unique scene right now, but she's fully voice acted.

All the new gear is available in the colours of the Inquisitor (gold/white) and the Zealots (copper/grey). Only one of the planned head variants is currently in-game, however the other will be come in a future update once we're into the IOB questline. 

This release also has some quality of life bug fixes to DSS, some NPCs around the world have some texturing issues fixed and the Scribe from Blood Script now has a DSS Scene enabled.

Release Dates

Finally there have been a lot of questions about whether the normal delays between Patreon tiers will apply with the UE5 release. The answer is that no, due to how long this has been delayed we have shortened the timeframe on this release.

• 30 June 2023 - Ascended Patrons/Subscribers [and above]
• 10 July 2023 - Avatar Patrons/Subscribers
• 31 July 2023 - Steam Users [opt-in beta branch only]

We've done as much testing as we can behind closed doors, but it's not unlikely that UE5 has the potential to be a particularly buggy release; many systems have been rebuilt from the ground up, there are many new mechanics, and some elements have been disabled until the artwork is finalised. There will certainly be a vast number of fixes required in the first week following release - once these come to light and are resolved we'll begin reenabling some of the hidden features, such as magic and tomb puzzles, in the following content updates.

v0.3.69 is available NOW for AVATAR+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All, we have a *Nice* update for you all the v0.3.69 update is now available for Avatar Patrons! If you missed the v0.3.68 notes you can find them here this also comes along with some bug fixes that we caught since then.

Thank you all for your support!

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.68 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

"Of course your grace, I only wondered if... It's just that we have orders from the High Priestess and we're already short of warriors. The hills are teeming with Inquisition forces and... I see. Well perhaps we can have her back once you're finished here? I... but my orders... very well. I meant to say that of course you can keep her... I'm certain that the Jackal will still guide our path to victory..."

Last words of Captain Karum

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We're finally here with the Ascended update for April - this addition to the UE4 build brings with it some content that's spilling out from the UE5 build;

New Content - Male Armour [Unreal Engine 4]

Finally male-bodied players are able to don the armour of an Anubite Warrior; there are four options to choose from (with female players also now gaining access to the grey Elite Guard variant).

As with the female variant, the head and skirt elements are separate and allow for mixing and matching to customise your look.

New Content - Female Cosmetics [Unreal Engine 4]

We've also rounded out our array of reptile skins with the addition of the Deathmarsh and Albino Crocodile options. Though it'll be a while before you meet Nepthys' handmaidens in-game, we thought you should have the chance to get your hands on them sooner rather than later.

Release Date [Unreal Engine 5]

We had initially hoped we'd complete the move to UE5 within May, however there were a few more bumps in the road than we anticipated and that date has slipped a little. We're not greatly behind schedule however, so we're now at the point that we're able to confidently put a firm date on the Patreon release of the new version of Carnal Instinct;

The Unreal Engine 5 version of the game will go live for Patrons on 30th June 2023.

Thank you all for your incredible support. We know that the date is a little later than we were aiming for, but we'd rather be safe than sorry and we don't want to ship something that's not up to our quality benchmark.

Team Carnal Instinct

Development Update: The Formless

"Though I have heard it said that no untainted humans exist in Sabu, this is not entirely true. Known by the pejorative moniker of 'the Formless', the lowest social cohort of Sabu are the entirely mundane descendants of the kingdoms original people. To have no mark of ascension, even something so minor as the eyes of a cat, is considered outrageously taboo among those that dwell here.

So strict are the social rules that the formless are almost always clad from head to toe in tightly woven wraps. Often the faces of these people - considered grotesque by many - are obscured by masks, though some are covered in bindings only. The cruel twist is that powerful enchantments are woven into the very threads of the garb, rendering the wearer unable to ever remove them. These enchantments suppress the underlying form of the wearer as well, concealing all sexual characteristics and giving all formless an androgynous, though slightly more feminine, appearance.

The formless appear condemned to a life of servitude, their entirely mortal lineage taken as a sign of disfavour and a divine justification for their enslavement. Perhaps even these most downtrodden of peoples may one day gain their freedom via the ancient gifts left behind by the God Queen..."

Ehkos, A Guide to the Desert Kingdoms

Introducing the lowliest social rank in Sabu, The Formless. Though they are to be found in countless villages, towns, and cities throughout the land, these people are rarely spoken of; such talk is not considered polite or an appropriate subject for discussion.

Those that will speak of their nature reveal that The Formless are said to be the descendants of those people who shunned, or were never offered, the gifts of Kethra. Entirely human in every way, their existence is considered an affront and they are forever trapped within enchanted wraps... at least until such time as they are able to gain some fragment of ascension.

Many, perhaps most, of The Formless live out their lives as slaves; untold numbers of this mostly unnoticed people have fallen beneath the harsh whip of the Anubites in their endless thirst to recapture the majesty of the God Queen's ancient empire.

This is a look at the basic Formless appearance, though there will be other variants for specific factions such as the Anubites, Merchant's Guild, and others (as well as a range of masks). Like other forms they'll have customisation options, enabling players to push the appearance into a slightly more masculine or feminine direction, as well as to adjust the general proportions.

Though they are the lowest of the low, The Formless have a big part to play in the story of CI... this will be the very station in which you find yourself as you begin your journey.

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.67 is available NOW for AVATAR+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All,

v0.3.67 is now available for Avatar+ patrons, this brings the new scenes included in the last Ascended update and all of it's fixes, if you didn't read that post, you can find it here. We've also added a couple of extra fixes to NPCs that wander around the world that waZ broken (by someone who will remain nameleZZ) in the last update and some fixed dialog choices.

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.66 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

v0.3.65 is now LIVE for AVATAR Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All,

The March update brings with it a scene for all our penis-equipped players; a first-pass foot-job scene. For now it's been both added to the general rotation of DSS scenes and also to another Adept at The Great Temple of Anubis.

Players are able to indulge in the graces of the Jackal god as one of his devout followers massages their member to completion. There's also a sneak peek of some upcoming fetish content; a BDSM/sounding scene with a higher ranking warrior of Anubis will test the capacity of the player's member. If she finds it suitable she may put it to use for... other purposes. This will not be mandatory content and will be enabled/disabled via the preference settings.

Whilst we don't publish change lists for UE4 anymore, we have fixed a fair few bugs in this update. Most of these issues related to Liquid Gold/Blood Script, though we've also resolved the issues with some (but not all) of the DSS NPCs having the wrong skins and/or mesh in DSS scenes.

For those with more vanilla tastes have no fear; there's a make out session/foreplay scene in the works. Intended as part of the romance arc in UE5, the scene will also be made available in the UE4 build.

We're still on-track so follow us here and on the patron-exclusive section of Discord for all the behind-the-scenes changes as they're revealed (Next Development update post coming mid-April)

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.65 is now LIVE for AVATAR Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"The manhood itself was vast, easily eclipsing that of any equine I had happened upon in my journey. Though the surface looked like the carved stone of a statue, it twitched with the vigour of lust, deforming as if living flesh.

Those that had retrieved the relic from a nearby ruin found the pride of discovery to be short-lived; the elders berated their foolishness. They seemed convinced that the colossus, to which this member belonged, would return to claim it. The supposed vengeance such a brute would deliver varied from speaker to speaker; some were certain of the thieves imminent demise, others that the creature would put its stolen manhood to use on the entire village.

I dismissed such speculation as little more than idle superstition. At least at first... until I was awoken by the growing thunder of heavy impacts..."

Ehkos, A Guide to the Desert Kingdoms

Hey All,

As we near the middle of the month it's time for our Avatar Tier patrons to finally get their hands on the new Male Jackal skins. But what's going on in the UE5 build?

UE5 Development - Stone Watcher & New UI

Those of you that follow the #behind-the-scenes Patron section on our Discord will already have seen the latest addition to the UE5 version of Sabu; The Stone Watcher. These huge statues are infused with antediluvian magics, the stone itself becoming malleable and lifelike. But despite their sluggish approach, these sentinels should not be taken lightly.

Stone Watchers were crafted by followers of Bast during her treacherous coup against the God Queen. Created to eternally stand guard over the sealed essence of slain demigods, these titans were originally unarmed. After the slaughter of the Kethra's loyalists during The Battle of the Sacred Steps however, Bast armed them with the very blades once wielded by those same slain demigods.

They now guard the sealed souls of those whose weapons they wield. Whilst many have crumbled to dust, or the void shard powering them has depleted, some still keep their endless vigil. Approach at your own risk.

Another change to UE5 is a complete overhaul of the character customisation screens. This will both enable greater depth of customisation in future, as well as help to keep all of the available forms visible at a glance.

With the new system players will "discover" forms which they can then unlock with essence and then transform into. Within each form there will eventually be an array of subtypes to unlock, passively expanding the lore of our world whilst giving players ever more ways to express themselves creatively.

We have some new behind-the-scenes of specific areas, items, and enemies coming soon, so keep an eye on the update feed (especially for upcoming polls).

As ever we're incredibly grateful for your amazing support!

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.65 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Members of the lowest social caste within the greater Jackal hierarchy, Painted Lyca eek out an existence on the margins of their society. The passing resemblance to Anubis should elevate this canine people, however their irregularly patterned coat has given way to an unfair reputation as ruffians and rogues.

It was rare that I encountered these mottled canines living as anything other than as blades for hire or slavecatchers. The Painted Lyca, it seems, have managed to survive only where they remain within the furrow that the social order has carved out for them."

Ehkos, A Guide to the Desert Kingdoms

Hey All,

UE5 development is continuing at pace and we're rounding out the mechanics some of the new enemies you'll encounter including the ancient Stone Watcher and of course the [FILTHY SPOILERS]. We've also made some significant technical strides in overcoming an issue that has plagued many other UE5 developers and we're excited to give you a juicier slice of our progress in that department in the coming weeks.

So UE5 is going well, but we still need something to spice up the UE4 content! Thus far there have been more cosmetic options for female/futa players than for males, so we wanted to tip the scales a little the other way in this update. We've now added two new skins for the Male Jackal form; the Fennec skin is a male version of the existing Jackal skin, however the Painted Lyca is currently exclusively for male players.

We've also added some ambient fauna to the UE5 build in the form of the humble Dunebug, also known to the Sabuthi locals as Fool's Emeralds. These large insects are non-aggressive and will keep to themselves if left alone. Exclusively herbivorous, the beetles are quite content to spend their days foraging amongst the fallen leaves of beneath the paper reeds or date palms. When provoked however, as in the case of coming under attack, a Dunebug will release pheromones to rouse its slumbering kin from their nests. Though weak individually, a nest of these creatures is more than enough to overwhelm the unwary.

Stealthy players will be able to use the beetles to their advantage, perhaps by provoking a nest close to an enemy encampment. The Dunebugs are not intelligent enough to know who the aggressor is and will simply attack the guards on sight, causing an ideal distraction to sneak into the camp.

Next Ascended update will bring with it a new DSS scene, so you'll be able to put these new cosmetics to even better use. As always, thank you for your amazing support; thanks to you Sabu grows ever more detailed - a fully realised place we never dared to imagine at the start of this journey. We can't wait for you to try out the UE5 build will play once it goes live in May.

In our next development update we'll introduce you to one of the new plant species that will soon arrive in the desert kingdom. Not into flowers? Think again. Looks can be deceiving and... does the air smell really sweet to you? Sorry, where was I... Oh wait, where am I? I'd have sworn the path was this way but... when did these vines get wrapped around my... oh.. OH!

Team Carnal Instinct

AVATAR Update (v0.3.63) is now LIVE + Development Roadmap Updates

Hi All,

We wanted to publish some new sections of our development roadmap, giving you some idea of what we'll be working on in the coming months. We don't attach specific dates to things, but the rough timescales are published in the previous development update.

Avatar

v0.3.63 is now live for Avatar tier patrons, so our female players can finally equip the Serpent's Tail and put it to good use!

The World

We gave you a bird's eye view of Sabu in the last update, here we're fleshing out a little more of what you can expect to see in the second phase of world development (the initial UE5 release represents phase one).

There are summaries of each territory including the most important feature as a gold triangle, such as The Great Temple of Anubis in Wased-Heq. Additionally the other major landmarks are included, though it's important to stress that these are only the most substantial areas in the zone, such as estates, and we haven't included every dock, farm, or hamlet.

Relationships

There's also a preview of the next set of planned romance NPCs, hopefully enough to give a taste of what's to come. This document also includes which UE4 npcs will make the jump relatively early on, becoming full romance options. Please be aware that, due to their relocation, some of these characters fit differently into the overall story (though their personalities will make the jump unscathed).

Features & More

We'll be publishing a game features roadmap covering the next phases of development, along with development blogs showcasing some of the juicy new visuals in UE5.

Watch. This. Space.

Development Status: Full Scope & Timescale

Hi all,

So we're finally ready to put some dates to our release schedule, as well as giving you a peek under the hood. This post should help explain our decision making as well as what we want to achieve with the finished game.

When we started making CI there were no end of limitations we imposed on ourselves; we had to try and design our ideal game without knowing what level of support we could expect from the community. This led to our initial plans which - whilst broad scope - were very shallow. They had to be, as we had no guarantee that we could fund the project beyond our initial timescale of 18 months.

Those constraints fell away over time and we began to expand the scope of the game, both to bring it in line with our own ideal vision as well as community suggestions. We're in a position where we're now able to fully realise that vision of CI without the limitations that held us back at the start of this journey. 

Timeline Until "Finished" Game

So what does this mean for development timescales? Well we want to overestimate our times from here on - having had to delay one we don't ever want to be in that position again. We think that we're realistically looking at around 4-6 months of development time until we leave Pre-Alpha, with a further 6-8 months until we leave Alpha. This then leaves us Beta and final release content, so in total we think that the Pre-Alpha/Alpha/Beta to final release will run for approximately 18-24 months from today. After that time the game will continue to receive some content expansions however we'll consider it a complete game, with the expansions representing the equivalent of DLC but not "core" content. We would also intend to be working on whatever our next project is at that time, with patron subscription gaining access to the builds for both projects.

As for specific dates on when each phase will end, these will be announced 2-3 months in advance. 

How Will The Map Expand Over Time?

The total playable area of the map (excluding the Helios Archipelago) is approximately 50 square kilometres, that's 1 & 1/3 Skyrim's in old money. The map development will roughly follow the boundaries of the eight ancient Nome, key provinces of Sabu;

• Amentet-heq aka “The Westlands”
• Behid-heq aka “The Throne”
• Ephos Tjeb-heq aka “The Breadbasket”
• Inebu-heq aka “The Pale Walls” (home of the Inquisitors of Bast)
• Khaset-heq aka “The Bull’s Shield”
• Khensu-heq aka “Hefer’s Reach” (or sometimes “Hefer’s Rump”)
• Ta-Ur-heq aka “The Great Dunes”
• Wased-heq aka “The Sceptre” (home of the Anubites)

The map is colour coded, with the hues approximately matching the development phases in which we expect to deliver each section. Yellow is the zones which will release with the initial UE5 launch, green covers the areas added in the following 9 months, brown is the areas which will be delivered following that, and finally red are the areas which will unlock up to the "final release" (Helios Archipelago is out of bounds on this map but would be red).

Development won't follow the boundaries precisely, as some areas are needed for earlier quests and other areas are for late-game content only, but this gives a rough guide. The two-tone areas are those which will start in one phase of development but will be revisited later on.

Additionally the areas won't just appear all at once, rather once province at a time will be added along with quests, tombs, romance NPCs, and other content.

How Will This Impact the Main Story?

Unlike in UE4, the UE5 build of the game breaks the faction quests into their own questlines. The main story will unfold in a linear fashion as the world expands, with the side factions becoming available as their territory is made playable. The first of these will be the Merchant's Guild, as their "free city" resides in The Bulls Shield.

UE5 will also feature the "story intro quest" rather than dumping the player unceremoniously on the docks. You'll have a chance to uncover the world anew, with far more lore to discover, enemies to encounter, and secrets to obtain - there are countless rewards for those interested in the history of Sabu and keen to explore.

What Features Will Be Available From UE5 Launch?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, however the following will ship with the first UE5 build;

• Intro Cinematic/Quest
• Multiple Additional New Quests
• RPG Stats (Including Fertility/Virility)
• Sailing (Single Option at Launch)
• Riding (Single Option at Launch)
• Upgraded DSS
• Player & Romance NPC Pregnancy
• Multiple New Enemies (Several Desert Creatures, New Cursed Beings, Enchanted Constructs, and Boss Fights)
• Additional Genital Customisations (Including Piercings)
• Flaccid/Erect Genital States
• Tal-Senet and Mehden Islands (Yellow on Map Above)
• Upgraded Item Interactions
• Shrines for Buffs (Enable/Disable Pregnancy, Combat Boons, etc)
• Enemy and/or Consumable Applied Debuffs (Poison, Bleed, etc)
• New Harvesting and Plant Types
• Romance NPC
• Form-Based Bonus Attributes
• Overhauled Combat AI
• New "Fluids"/Mess System (Including Washing).
• Magic Casting (Including Mana System)
• And More...

What Content From UE4 Will Be "Missing" At Launch?

There will not initially be as much playable content in UE5 as there is in UE4, however the UE4 build will remain available indefinitely so nothing is lost. The UE5 build will start players at the beginning of their journey, rather than at the midpoint (as in UE4). The weapon options are far more limited to begin with, as are genitals; these things will be earned and discovered over the course of the game (alongside all-new ones). Forms must be unlocked with essence and various other content simply lays outside the playable area for now.

We want it to be more significant when the player obtains an enchanted longsword, or an heirloom khopesh, so these won't be littering the dunes in the starting zone; in UE5 the tombs will serve as the primary source of powerful unique items. As these are added it will mean players only enjoy the rewards once they take the risk. The same is true of rare forms, which can only be found in the most dangerous depths of forgotten catacombs.

UE5 should be considered a large chunk of new content that will gradually expand to encompass all of the UE4 content, as well as bringing the new story quests and other playable additions to the world.

When Will Players Be Able To Get Their Hands On UE5 CI?

That's the real question we expect people are here to have answered, so we want to avoid equivocation and provide a realistic date we know we're able to meet. To that end we intend to launch the UE5 build in May 2023.

This is clearly longer than we'd initially scoped, and for good reason, so we'll cover that a little here.

• Firstly, once we make the move to UE5 we don't want two months of "nothing but bug-fixing". This version has been in the works for a loooong time and has a lot riding on it. The last thing we want is performance issues or broken quests in what should be a fairly polished release. Obviously it'll still have issues, but we want to take far more time than usual to squash what we can ahead of time.
• Secondly we really want UE5 to wow everyone from the get go. Not a "oh that looks better" but a "f*ck me how is this even the same game?". This means we want to carve a solid month for our art team, including our new dev, to add a wealth of new environment details. These things aren't strictly necessary, but they make a massive difference to how alive the world feels and elevate the experience immeasurably.
• Thirdly we need to still release playable content for UE4 in the meantime. We don't push features to UE4 any longer whilst we build UE5, but we still need to give our supporters something each month to get your teeth into!
• Finally we're simply waiting on a massive amount of new voice acting (not the aforementioned recordings, this is even more new stuff). There are a host of new NPCs that we haven't yet had delivered, as well as some new player audio (both male and female). We want the game to be as close to a "vertical slice" as we can make it. This means we want to put the icing on the cake before we serve it, rather than slop some icing on your plate whilst you're already eating; it's a clumsy metaphor but hopefully it makes sense.

We're not yet going to pin to a specific day, there's too much movement this far out, but we will give you a specific date approximately 30 days ahead of time. Plenty of room to get hyped.

Devblog When?

In around a week's time. Expect beauty shots.

I know it's further away than we'd hoped for our "expedited timescale", but we plan to deliver a much more polished upgrade than we'd otherwise be able to. Thank you so much for making this possible - it's entirely down to you that we now have another seasoned artist on the team along with a junior writer.

We're on the cusp of an incredible step-up in quality, scope, and depth.

Team Carnal Instinct

v0.3.63 is now LIVE for ASCENDED Tier+

Need to download the game and can't find the launcher? Grab the launcher here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hey All,

If you caught the Discord announcement then you know it's been a rough week, with a bereavement and a much needed pause. There's never a "right time" for these things to happen, but it came just as we were finalising the order of the roadmap and - I'll be honest - knocked me for six. I'm back at work (as you can probably tell from this post) but I've been more on art/tech than blogs - I wanted something I could just shut my brain off and work to.

As tough as it's been, life goes on and it's important not to wallow in grief. So, as I say, I'm back to work; I intend to finalise the roadmap and get it up for you all in the coming weeks, so watch this space.

New Cosmetic Options 

We've finally added the new cosmetic type; piercings. The set we've started with is the Minoan Livestock Tags. These come in a range of options and can be toggled in stages; for now only the "head" and "torso" options are enabled in UE4, but there are "genital" options available in UE5.

This set works for Males and Females (though the Void Daughter is currently excluded). Adjustment is available in the 'Forms' screen.

New F x F Option - "Serpent's Tail"

There have been numerous requests, since the start of the project, for a "strap-on" option. It seemed to us that there is a lot of content which would become accessible to our female players with such an addition, and so we've now added one to the game.

The Serpent's Tail will allow player's without male genitals to access all those scenes. There are a few scenes with slight bugs (like climax SFX) but these are resolved in UE5 so it's only a short-term issue.

The content roadmap and UE5 release date announcement (along with confirmed feature list) will be the next post we make on Patreon, so - as I mentioned up top - watch this space.

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for the messages of support, loss is never easy but it's comforting to know that the community is so understanding when I needed to take a breath. A few people have suggested I take more time off, but honestly I love my job and I just want to be back making cool stuff for everyone (though I obviously appreciate the sentiment).

Team Carnal Instinct