Development Update 55

Hey guys,

I am pleased to report that, since the last development update, I have had a really productive spell of writing. After a long winter and a slow start to spring I was pretty desperate to get out of my office and spend some time outdoors. So, when the UK finally got its first spell of decent weather this year, I knew I needed to get out in the garden, soak up some sunshine and get some serious writing done. I always feel much more creative when the sun is shining and I managed to get through several creative blocks I’d been suffering from over the last few months.

Setting myself up in a comfy spot in the garden I had a list of scenes I needed to write to fill in the gaps in the version 0.16 storylines. Unfortunately, what I’m supposed to be thinking about and what actually goes through my head are rarely one and the same (a problem that has plagued me throughout my life, and the reason this game exists in the first place). So, although I got a significant chunk of content written over the last couple of weeks, very little of it got me closer to completing the update. In fact, I’ve written a bunch of extra stuff I’d like to add, moving the goal posts for myself even further. I think you will all forgive me though, as I have finally made some concrete progress with the group medicals and I am pleased to confirm that a new scene will be included in version 0.16.

A first look at the second stage of the group medicals.

The group medical storyline is something I've had on the back burner for a long time. I've done a little bit of work on it here and there, but I kept changing my mind on some of the key details and I always kept pushing it back until later. The nurse is a kind and warm-hearted character and she doesn’t come across as the kind of person who would willingly embarrass the girls. The headmaster was always going to find it difficult to gain access to the girls' medicals. Therefore, I always planned for this storyline to involve some form of external pressure on the nurse’s decisions. Which I have decided will come in the form of a legally compulsory sexual health screening program. Given the long list of required information, all the female staff will need to be brought in to help the nurse out. The headmaster will also be forced to attend as an observer, allowing him access that the nurse would never normally allow. I decided on a bottomless look for the second stage of the medicals, which I think works nicely as an alternative to the more obvious topless progression, plus it still leaves me plenty of options as to where to go from there. Seeing the girls awkwardly shuffle around in just their t-shirts trying to keep their exposed crotches covered with their hands makes for a nice image, and I think people are going to really enjoy the new scene.

Several staff members will need to lend a hand to meet the compulsory new screening requirements

I've spoken about wanting to do a poll regarding the future direction of the group medicals, and that is still the plan. Therefore, the scene will form the groundwork for even more intrusive and embarrassing screening procedures still to come. The specifics of which will be decided by you guys (on the $10 teacher and above tiers). I already have a list of poll questions in mind and I have a few thousand words of a Mykock's Manor special written to present them with (set in Mr Mykock’s private spa). So everyone will get to benefit from that time, even if they can't vote. I will finish that off later in the year after the next update is released. Then, we will come back to the medicals again early on in Chapter 3 with people’s preferences in mind.

I released some new image previews a couple of days ago, and some of the more eagle eyed among you may have noticed some changes to the nurse's character model. I regularly tweak my models and all of the characters have improved subtly over the years. However, this is probably the most significant change that I have made. The nurse will play off her change in appearance by saying she's wearing new makeup. However, the truth is, she is a completely new model based on the original.

This change first came about entirely by chance. A year or so ago I thought the original’s save file had been corrupted and I couldn’t find a backup. So, I spent an hour or two making her again from scratch based on still images from the game. I must have gotten a lot better at designing characters over the years, because the new version ended up looking way more attractive. I discovered a working backup of the original almost immediately after completing the new model. However, upon reflection, I decided that I wanted to stick with the new design. The nurse never scored particularly highly in polls and has only ever been in a handful of scenes so far, so I feel that making a change like this might be for the best. The new model has appeared in previews and custom art several times and so far no one has noticed. So, without the old model there for comparison, the change isn’t too obvious. Those on the Head of Department ($20) tier should check out the Headmaster’s study area of the discord where I posted some pictures recently, be sure to link your Patreon and Discord accounts to gain access. I'll try to post some more there soon.

Since the medicals have been on hold for so long I am very relieved to finally get that storyline moving again, and I don’t regret dedicating a chunk of time to it recently. However, I have slightly shot myself in the foot because I still have a key scene to write for Samantha which I really should have been working on instead. Normally in this situation I would just hold her content back until later. However, the scene in question is set before the vast majority of the stuff I’ve already made for both Sam (and for Liz). Therefore, I have no choice but to get that figured out before I can start wrapping up version 0.16. Nothing kills my creative buzz quicker than an impending deadline, so, I’m going to hold off setting a release date just a little longer. I'm going to try to spend the next week or so laser focused on writing what I need to get version 0.16 finished. Then, once that's done, I will estimate a release date and I’ll shut myself away in my office to get the remaining renders and animations done as quickly as possible. In any case, we are approaching the final straight and the next update isn't too far off now.

Altos