0.57 Reflection, 0.58 Preview, and Later Plans

Hello, perverts! It's been four years since the first public release of Ruin Me, and I feel like I can see the 1.0 release in the distance. I hope you've been enjoying the latest update!

I've been polling the Center of Attention patrons on my plans as the game nears completion; there's an ongoing poll on how I should handle finale development. So far, folks have unanimously been in favor of my plans, so I'll summarize my thoughts here. This could still change, so I welcome any feedback!

I've started work on the finale for the main story, but it will take a long time to implement, and it will lock the player in, preventing you from doing other stuff in Barrowport. Because of this, I plan to work on it in the background and wait to release it until it's totally done; that'll probably be the 1.0 release. In the meantime, I'll be making other updates, fleshing out or sprucing up other areas of the game that aren't quite ready.

Part of those updates will be a change to how people can access the game. I'll give plenty of warning, but at some point in the future, the current free version will be replaced with a demo that ends at the start of Act III. If a free player has entered Act III by that point, they will be able to continue, but new games will pause there. Supporting me at the Play Participant level will gain you access to Act III and any other stuff that's left out of the demo. If I can make it work, I want anyone who currently has access to the patron version to keep it. Once there's a 1.0 version of the game, it'll become purchasable on Itch and hopefully other storefronts.

I've started to lay the groundwork for the game that I'll be working on after Ruin Me; it will be very different, but will still be kinky, queer, consent-focused, story-heavy erotic horror.

Reflection on The Crazed Imago

I'm pretty proud of this horror expedition! I did a lot of experimental things in it: it's mostly told in flashback, it has art for human NPCs, and it's got more complex and specific worldbuilding than usual around how the magic mirror works. I think those all worked out great!

I actually posted on r/AskScienceDiscussion for help with this one; the moderators removed it (presumably for being a bit too speculative), but before that happened someone commented with the magnet trick, which really helped ground the mirror for me as something with comprehensible rules.

Both of the characters for this expedition have their appearances based on historical scientists! Baz is based on a photo of young Guglielmo Marconi (generally considered the inventor of radio), and Midge looks like Rosalind Franklin (who discovered the structure of DNA).

As a result of trying out expedition-specific art for "The Crazed Imago" and "The Nostalgic Conjugation," I've finally decided to go back and add art to old expeditions. At one point I'd been considering commissioning art for these, but I feel like my skills have gotten to the point where I can do a passable job myself.

Still, I know I still have a lot to learn regarding art. If any of you are artists and have any specific tips on areas I can improve upon, I'd love to hear them! One of the tricky things about learning a craft is that it's hard to spot the systemic problems with your work until after you've gained more skill. I get a lot of randos saying my art is "bad," but very little that makes clear what areas I should focus on to improve.

Finally, Ren'Py Sync is out! I don't know how many people were actually clamoring for this, but I'm psyched that there's now an easy way to transfer saved games between devices. Let me know if you run into any problems with this feature.

Next Release

In addition to working on the finale in the background, I'm working on another feature that may take a little while to actually get to you. I consistently get requests and suggestions for ways the protagonist can be submissive toward Terry and others, and it fits well with ideas I've had for an additional side character with the same prominence as Arthur, Pappy, Meg, Esther, etc. It'll be a dominant cis man who can do a sort of reverse-corruption of the protagonist, including potentially having Terry join him in making you submit. I want to make sure to get him right before I release him, which might mean it will take a bit.

One thing I definitely intend to get in for the next release is a new play option where you go into town with Terry to fuck. I want it to have a similar array of options to the public graduation, where you'll be able to have public sex, share Terry, or submit with Terry.

In synergy with that, I'd like to expand and interconnect some of the side systems of the game with the play scenes. I think it would be cool if, when you visit Terry at night, you could transition into a play scene; for example, you could find them getting ready to head to town and choose to go with them. This would mean reusing existing writing in different places, but my hope is that it doesn't feel lazy or repetitive. There are a few other areas where this seems like a promising approach; I'll probably experiment with a few things.

I intend to keep adding art to places in the game where it's missing. I definitely want each curio you get from an expedition to have its own art. If I feel up to it, I also want characters introduced in expeditions to be visible as well. I've already added the creature from "The Mica Sign," and I think it would be cool if characters like Castille or some of the "birds" had character art. There are a few cases where I want to be careful: for instance, Cernunnos from "The Sacrificed God" is humanoid but has enough animal parts that he could run afoul of Patreon's mysterious and draconian content policies.

Finally, I'll be working on hairstyle options for Terry. Theresa and Terrence already have different default hairstyles, and I'd like you to be able to pick additional options for each of them. This does require drawing hair for pretty much every pose, so I'll have to do so judiciously.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the latest update or anything else about the game! You can comment here, post on the discussion board on Itch, DM me on Patreon, or email phanes@phanes.me. Thank you so much for your support!