Sunday, March 30, 2014

Alpha Build 4.4 and $3,000!

We made it to $3,000! You guys have no idea how psyched I am right now! Thank you to all of our generous supporters, you rock! This means, of course, that I'll be working on Breeding Season full time from here on out. This should lead to a huge improvement in the amount and quality of content that we can get into each update.

As for this update; it's now up on Patreon for everyone who pledged at least $1. For everyone who pledged $10 or more, the debug codes should be up shortly after. If you don't want to/can't pledge, you'll have to wait until the 6th when I'll make the public release.

This is another one of those updates that has a high chance of being pretty unstable. I plan on hotfixing this one throughout the week, so keep up the bug reports and let me know if anything is REALLY broken. Also, we make some pretty big changes to the UI; this is very much still a work in progress and it's still pretty rough and you should let us know what you like/don't like/what we broke so that we can get to fixing it ASAP.

Regarding the game balance changes; I still intend on doing a very significant revamp to the way the stat system works, but for now I'm playing with balance to help me decide on which directions to go with it. Do let me know how you feel about the balance changes.

Additions
- UI Overhaul: The monster shop, the consumable shop, the building shop, the clients menu, the breeding menu, the monster menu, the inventory menu, and many of the small menus have all been overhauled. The UI overhaul is a work in progress - Not all of the UI has been finished and much of the new UI is still in a rough state; we're looking for as many bug reports and opinions on the UI changes as possible. I'll be supplying hotfixes throughout the week as necessary.

- Random events: 2 large sex scene events, 2 small character events, and a handful of overheard
conversations (frequency on these events is still being balanced)

- You can now be introduced to Kay and Levi

- The Marquis and Marchioness finally remembered their housewarming gift

- There's a couple new consumable effects to play around with

Bug Fixes
- Consumable ratings can now go all the way to five stars

Balance
- Removed "less than" Client Requirements
- Consumables raise mod by four times as much
- Consumables sell for slightly more
- It now takes 10 minutes to enter any of the pens from the ranch or enter the guild from the town

Debug Codes
- You can now use debug codes to unlock gold and silver traits
- There is now a debug code to generate new clients
- There is now a debug code to change particular monster stats
- There are now debug codes to change both monster and player pregnancy rates
- If you want access to these debug codes, become a patron :P

Known Bugs
- Pregnancy still doesn't correctly display on a lot of animations (waiting until new PC sprite is done to fix this)
- The Feral trait is not yet in the game and as such can't be selected

54 comments:

  1. Where can we get debug codes?

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    1. To get the debug codes you have to pledge $10 or more. When you do, you'll be able to see them under Creations on the Patreon page.

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  2. Woaaaa! !!! So this means we will get many art done this month I hope.. I am waiting now to play!!!

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  3. I think there might be a problem with the download ending prematurely.

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    1. Try the mediafire link and see if that works better.

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    2. where is the mediafire link?

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    3. The mediafire link is in the Patreon post for the releases. You have to be a patron to see it.

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  4. Anyone else have a problem with all the images overlapping? anytime i talk to a npc all i can make out is the alrune, that carpenter guy and bits and pieces of other characters and i cant get the monster pens to work at all.

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    1. Try using the mediafire link. Some people have been having problems with incomplete downloads.

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  5. Sorry I couldn't pledge, but I'm glad to hear you'll be spending more time on this! Best of luck.

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  6. Meh, it's really annoying how patreon doesn't take WebMoney transfers. I'd like to pledge but there's no way I'm going through the whole creating virtual debit card mess for mere $10. Any other payment options planned in the future?

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    1. Derp. Now I've read previous blog post. Nvm.

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  7. were i can play 4.4 ?

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  8. Good to hear you're working on this full time from now on. I love the idea behind this game. Looking forward to your exploits. Kudos to the artist too. I like how he uses pen instead of brush.

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Dude it's only a week.

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    2. Well, I went back and read the original Patreon post, and (surprise) some of my concerns have been addressed. My statement stands, but I want to clarify that I am mostly just whining that I have to wait a week. I am very leery of automatic payments, so I hope some alternative method can be worked out. Perhaps a one time $15 contribution for a year of updates?

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    3. I feel abit of the same way on those types of payments. I to would enjoy a one time fee for a year of updates, lets hope they make it a alternative soon.

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  10. You didnt mention which art you were currently using for the monsters. I remmeber in last update, Harista's art was still being used, but is that changed in this update?

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    1. No, its still using the same art for the monsters, but the vast majority of the rest of the art is now S-Purples

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  11. Hey, I have a question, since givememoney ins't working anymore from this version. My patronage is set to 10, but I still haven't changed it since the last time you asked people to, so if I change it now, will I get the 10 dolars tier rewards, and, will I be charged again if I do?

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    1. You'll get the $10 tier rewards and you shouldn't be recharged.

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  12. What is the best way to report bugs with the new versions?

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    1. Go ahead and report them here on the development blog.

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    2. When you have to release monsters from their pens because you have bred too many, the message that pops up is cut off: "Who would you like". Even worse, when you go to the releasing selection screen the name for the fifth animal does not show up and the stat box for the monsters, that I assume is supposed to be on the right side, is invisible.

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  13. This might be a bit ignorant since I'm just putting this out here, but, when exactly does everyone else get the new version? I mean, is it just going to be a few days, or just a specific amount of days/weeks/months? I mean, I'm getting a bit anxious to play the new version, and so has probably everyone else who hasn't gotten a chance to play for not donating at least a few bucks. So how long do I have to wait?

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    1. Says right in the post. April 6th.

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  14. I know the pens are under construction, but one of my harpies is invisible. It was the first one i got. Fortunately, you can still click her, but you can't see her. Perhaps I'm the only one who has had this problem, but what the heck. Running windows 8, if it helps.

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  15. I love this game!

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  16. Just a note: currently it's not simple to find the Patreon URL. I had to go through the old posts to find it, but a newcomer wouldn't have found it. I guess it would be a good idea if you give with every post.

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    1. It's right up at the top of the page (under the game description,) and has been for a while. Right between the blog's news feed link and the link to the latest public build.

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    2. Ah true, my bad.

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  17. A couple of things I had noticed, and which you might have noticed yourself, since you said you're already planning hotfixes:
    - Clock is displaying minutes incorrectly, when there is less than 10 minutes after full hour (ie. 21:4 instead 21:04),
    - clock is being covered by the breeding panel,
    - when monster is born, of the kind that you already have five of, on the panel where you can release one of old ones, stats are invisible, as well as parts of monsters' names and higlights. From how it looks, it seems that there is a layer of background put atop of all others,
    - for monster that have more than two traits we could really use a indicator, that trait list can be scrolled (especially important when monster has 'human intellect' trait),
    - we could use other method of selecting monsters for pairing in breeding panel, two buttons (blue and orange) for each perhaps? Would be really helpful when list of monsters will get long.
    - often in buttons/action confirmation windows text gets trimmed, ie. when asking Cordelia about how monsters breed, the word "mechanically" is cut off, and when releasing newly born monster, the visibly text is trimmed to "Are you sure you want to release this monster? You".

    This much I noticed for now.
    Big thanks for both of you for your hard work. I would wish you luck, but I think we should rather rely on your skills and dedication :)

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    1. I appreciate the bug reports; I plan on doing a hotfix later today.

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    2. Ack, didn't have time to get to it today; got caught up in e-mailing donors for rewards, etc. I hope to get a hotfix up later this week, though.

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  18. Hi H-Bomb,
    I'm getting used to the new UI. Wasn't thrilled at first but it grows on you pretty quickly.

    I also need / miss the scroll buttons on the sub menus. the scroll wheel on the mouse works ~almost~ but you have to point at the trait to scroll, and the pop-up more or less covers the window so your reading the pop-up not the trait. It's really important when selecting consumables ... clicking the down and up arrows is a bit of a pain once you start dealing with GeyserX

    I also recommend putting the character name next to the face in the breeding windows... now that the pictures are not part of the selection menu I find myself getting lost with who is who. When the entire NPC graphic was displayed it was never an issue, but when you only see a thumbnail of the face it's hard to tell a cat girl from an elf if the hair color is close unless you're maximized.

    I also noticed what might/could be a simple fix to the "back taxes" calculations. I think you're basing the generation of the next payment on the "total made" amount ... if you switch it to calculate based on the current gil amount, (and the player was careful) it could become part of the game strategy to keep a tighter control over spending. I realized this when I used the debug code for 5000 right at the beginning of the game just to build the pens, and was told my second payment was 24,000+ even though I only had 1050 in "the bank" on the 1st. I'm not a programmer but it might help.

    I also noticed some of the other UI issues listed above... no need to repeat them.

    All in all I'd say you got a lot done... I can't wait to see some of the new animations.

    Thanks

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  19. Enjoyed the new interface, the visual presentation is a great blast of color and I'm loving the new NPCs. My 2 cents though,

    Is the Alarune going to be a catchable monster or a random encounter?

    How does the player pregnancy option work?

    Unlocking the gold and silver traits seems to push basic traits like added value and stronk very far down the queue when you refresh monsters at the breeding store. This makes it difficult when some high level contracts demand a certain trait that becomes harder to get as you go along. Is there going to be a way to cycle contracts the same you cycle sale monsters for a small fee or do you guys have another fix or tweak in mind?

    Either way, it's really coming to together nicely and I can't wait to see more.

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  20. so 5000$ İS coming.. do you have plans to hire ppl for project? I hope you can handle all artwork in this month..

    As suggestion.. at breeding screen when you choose monsters, i think we need to see portraits of them... becouse i mostly remember what their stats are, from their portreits.. now i should check them everytime... or i need to name them with stats and its killing the atmosphere of the game...

    When the animations began please let it make to "pass next animation with click to anywhere" rather then only "close".. when i need to use only mouse, its realy hard to press close per animation everytime...

    My fav monster is butthorse... How will you do our new horse? Will you make both furry and feral versions? Would be a standart horse or a draft one? I am waiting to see the drawings of horsy without patience...

    Thx for great game and answers...

    And by the way.. this game needs a forum for sure...

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  21. where can i play this alpha 4.4?

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  22. Which creatures will you add for that 2 300$ donators... i am realy curius...

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  23. I've been playing 1 month and for now this is my report:

    Game Version: Alpha 4.4
    Mode: Executable
    Played on: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bits - SP1

    Bugs & Issues:
    -Harpy on the right and top corner can be selected but can't see.
    -When you're on the "breeding" section the clock is no visible
    -Marquis say "Now now, Claire,..." maybe must be "Not now, Claire,..."

    Suggestions:
    -"Delilah"'s flag on conversation need more contrast, a bit hard to read.
    -Close button on the "list of monster / client's quest" section is covered by the background.
    -Restock button on monster's shop don't look like a button, I think it need a more visual effect like the buy button.
    -The fonts in Carpenter's shop need a different color, too blue, people with color blindness or other vision problems may have trouble distinguishing them.

    Questions:
    - Did you think on translate the game in future versions? I think a lot of people can help you to translate texts. I don't know if translate a flash game is easy, like an android application or a pain in the ass like Java app.
    -I became a patron around 25 of march using Visa, today I checked my account and can´t see the extract from patreon. I need to wait a few more days? I'm afraid there is a problem with payment, though I doubt there is any problem with Visa as with Paypal.

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    1. EDIT: Forget the last question, today Patreon took my money ^^

      PD: HartistaPipebomb I've a couple of ideas, very simply to implement, but very funny, not hard thing like battles in pokemon style or things hard in code, I'm "software maker" too. We can make suggestion here? on Patreon contact form? or just wait to the future "vote site"?

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  24. When my character gave birth, it showed my new dickwolf, but at the same time the wild dickwolf event occurred. I overpowered the wild wolf, but its stat page didn't pop up for me to decide if I wanted to keep him or not, and no new wolf(other than the one I just gave birth to) was in the wolf pen.

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  25. So I changed my donation to 10, the same amount as before, and they tried to charge me again. Is it supposed to go like that?

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  26. Hey--I don't know where else to say this, but you should get a Dogecoin wallet to accept donations. 50,000 for your project if you do!

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  27. were can i play this 4.4 alpha?

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  28. Hmmm, currently at a $1 contribution, going to go up to $10 now that I have the money.

    I can't say I'm happy about the taking 10 minutes to look at a pen, what with all the double checking I like to do before doing any action.

    All the other updates look excellent to me, going to play test the rest now.

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  29. In the content list it says "two large sex scenes" and here's my question. Which large scenes is this referring to? I never got any large scenes. There's only the breeding sex and the new, short scene with Alraune but that's not animated and well, short.

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    1. Can someone please answer the question? I also want to make sure that this is not a bug. I experienced situations where certain scenes would never trigger.

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  30. For some reason, the up and down arrows for the consumables aren't working. To get to consumables lower on the list, I had to use or get rid of ones already showing up on the screen.

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  31. Where can I download the public release? Can't find any link... :S

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  32. Atthe top duh

    moneycheat moneybags.123

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  33. So..as I was saying. The current problem with the store is that it's damn hard to find a good monster, even if you only have 2 pens.. Let's say you are looking for futa catgirl. You can easily refresh the store several times before gettign even one (who might have bad stats).
    Imagine how much difficult it is to find one when you have more pens. And given the cost of refreshing goes up and up it become madening.

    So, proposed changes for store:
    http://s2.postimg.org/rj1hneu95/BS_1.jpg

    1) there are tabs for each monster type. Each monster type has 8 monsters in stock. Refreshing can refresh the entire stock (all mosnters) or jsut the specific monster type (cheaper). Tabs of monsters you dont' have pens for are greyed out.
    This way, you know that you'll ALWAYS have 8 catgirls, 8 dickwolves, 8 elves, etc... to choose from

    2) Keep the faces, not the monster icons. they can be used for mosnter tabs, but are unnecessary within a tab. In fac,t given that many people purchase monsters because of the specific look, a face is more informative.

    3) Same applies to the breeding window. Faces, no icons. Use the sceen space avialable.

    http://s27.postimg.org/xsk45nsib/BS_2.jpg

    As seen above, use the screen with. Move the monster filter to the top row, and push both windows to the sides.
    Add locks so the monster in the window is locked and any click will only update the unlocked window.
    The free space you gain in the center could be used for aditional info (like parents for a monster)
    AND the very center you can use to dispaly stats of the monster your mouse is hovering over. That way one can easily browse trough the list and have all relevant information.

    Also, do something about the color/contrast. The current UI lacks sharpness.

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