Shuffle Me v0.5.0 - Big Update - Heels and Curses (Patreon)

(remember to start a new game)

Hey, it's Sifa :D

Monday is a perfect day to release a big update :D Though this release is only happening on Patreon, so maybe it's not that bad. Honestly, I consider this update a little unfinished, I haven't even changed the banner (want to make a new one).

I think it's better to test the game a little on Patreon before releasing to the public, because I hate releasing big updates straight into public. It's impossible to relax; I spend days monitoring all the places it's released while waiting for bug reports... Anyway, let's go step by step, and there is a gift at the end of the page :D

(download links are at the bottom)

Heels System

As I've said in previous posts, Spine added this cool "slider" feature that allows me to do way more complicated setup for our animated avatar. I've already reworked avatar to use sliders (and yeah, there were some bugs that I keep fixing, like missing penis). I decided to advance a little and implemented part of the High-Heels system.

Why is that partial? Because for now high-heels don't make the character taller. It's hard to explain it using words, so I think this gif should be enough.

So, currently instead of making a character taller, high heels make their feet lower xD Thanks to the 2D environment, it doesn't look bad. In a 3D game, doing this would have a character's feet clip into the floor xD

I have an idea to fix this, though. When a character in high-heels will interact with a character that doesn't, the shorter character will stand on their tiptoes :D But first, I need some time to test it well and implement without adding too many visual bugs.

And yeah, when you wear high-heels it's not another texture turned on; the character actually bends their feet to the right position. Maybe it doesn't look perfect, but I'd say it's quite cool. And that's exactly why those "sliders" are so amazing :D A complex movement like that can be controlled with just a single slider (if I set it up right), and even attached to specific skins (like high-heels & low-heels).

Now I even have a hope that Height TF is also possible. I even tested it a little. The issue isn't even height itself, but the length of the limbs. See, when hands and other body parts become shorter, they end up aligning wrong, not just vertically, but also horizontally... In theory I can find a way to deal with that.

At first I'll make a short unique NPC for events, so I can both test different looks on them and also do something for the game :D I even started doing their outfit during my free time.

(Obviously their skin won't be white, it's just a tech color)

So the plan is to make a tailor character that removes curses from clothes. And yeah, they'll be shorter than regular characters.

Curses and Items Rework

It was only a matter of time until we added item curses, but to add curses, we had to scrap our old effects on clothes and cosmetics.

First, all items give passive XP gain based on their rarities and gender. I didn't like that your appearance doesn't contribute into your experience as much as action cards do. Now that seems to be fixed.

Next, there is a new "coverage" system. For now it works simple, just "top" covers "bra", "bottom" covers "undies", and so on. The system is built so I can add or exclude different styles of clothes. For example, leggings cover your undies, but stockings or transparent tights don't.

The main goal was to reduce the amount of cards that are shown in "appearance" phase during combat, because the amount of different items we had was getting overwhelming. The hand was getting up to about 12 cards, all of them with the different effects. Most of that is gone and simplified now. I think I might have simplified a little too much, but I'll adjust the values in further updates, don't worry :D Maybe we'll even add some additional systems.

Also, this system should be quite expandable. The next thing I want to add is body part cards. When a body part is exposed - you could use it during the appearance phase. That will open a door into more mechanics and systems related to undressing and exposure.

In the end you should have about 4-5 appearance cards every turn. Forgot to mention that only 1 cosmetic item is added into your appearance hand at a time. In the end cosmetics now are less important than clothes, but can help to hold you longer in hard battles.

And finally the curses. For now, all items in the game have random effects on them. For common and rare cards there is just a small positive effect. But all the epic and legendary cards are now cursed (usually these cards look better than common/rare cards).

Mostly we made it simple just to test the "curse" system and events related to that. Later we might make a more advanced "cursed item" system, and more roleplay-friendly too. For example, an event that can transform you clothes and add a curse to them, while preserving the positive effect. Sounds nice :D

Other adjustments

Obviously we added a new module that allows removing curses. Currently it happens in "cleansing" event and when you advance to the next floor, if your look matches your experience - you can get this event too.

Oh, almost forgot, Appearance rating is becoming a thing. When advancing to the next floor, it's not just about your experience, but also about your appearance. They should match, otherwise you'll get some small punishments. And yeah, it might not be as punishing as I want it to be. It's too hard to balance it batter without proper playtesting and feedback :D

We also improved Upgrades tab in Character creator. I hated having to click on every single perk in the trees, so now there are "upgrade all" and "reset all" buttons to make that easier xD Ah, "upgrade all" doesn't upgrade the perks that affect stress/arousal.

There are also various fixes on Avatar side, there should be way fewer visual bugs now. And some other stuff that I probably forgot about :D

And won't write "plans" section today. The only plan - finish what was planned for 0.5.0 release till the end of the week xD

Shuffle Me v0.5.0 Changelog

Added high heels system (height isn't changed yet, will be done in next updates)

Added low-heels shoes type

Added high-heels shoes type

Added new items

2 lace thongs (black-pink and white-red)

Lace bras with simple recolors

probably several other things that I forgot about

Reworked item stats

All cosmetics and clothes now have randomized stats on them based on their rarity

Old saves roll stats for items at random (sorry if we broke your build)

Epic/Legendary items have "cursed" effects

...but cursed effects may be removed at a new event

Items grant passive XP based on their gender +/- color

Adjusted rarities & genders of most items

Adjusted some item IDs (removed a lot of internal "uniq" markers)-- old saves may have some items replaced with defaults

Reworked items hand and "coverage" mechanics

Only one cosmetics item is usable at a time (picked randomly, stays till you use it)

Only "exposed" clothing items are usable (e.g. have to play your top before your bra)

some items are more exposing than others

Added icon in "examine self" menu that indicates how some events judge your appearance

Added "max all" and "reset all" buttons in character creator upgrade trees (and removed per-row "reset" buttons)

Skipping a card upgrade also skips the "training" afterward

Floors campaign: Advancing floors involves an appearance check too

Adjusted some cutscenes to have 4 decisions

Updated road map

Fixed player's penis being missing in some animations

Fixed clipping issues when boobs and chest are big

probably something else

Body Transformation

Beta Tier Download Links

Body Transformation, Character Creation

Alpha Tier Download Links

Body Transformation, Character Creation, Cheats

Sigma Tier Download Links

And for those who open the posts - a link where you can grab a free alpha-subscribtion (can be applied 30 times)(all seats were taken already) :D 30 more gifts are shared for beta patrons :D (also, I have no idea if a gift pushes you to add a card or whatever, so make sure you won't spend the money you don't want to spend) It's my excuse for the delayed release :D

(remember to start a new game)