Routes, and Growths, and Game States, Oh My! (Patreon)

Hello all you wonderful supporters!

One of the things I worked very hard on was figuring out the route pathing for the next two updates, so I wanted to share with you a node graph detailing how the different routes and choices will flow in v0.17 and v0.18. Be not afraid, the graph should be pretty easy to understand with a little explanation.

So, what do all the circles, lines, colors, and numbers all mean?

The nodes and numbers indicate the game state, specifically the sizes of the girls. The numbers in order are (Elena, Jessica, Mia, Sophia). For example, (1211) has Elena at size 1, Jessica at size 2, and Mia/Sophia at size 1.

The color of the nodes indicates which route that particular game state is available in, with Blue/Red/White/Black for Elena/Jessica/Mia/Sophia respectively. For example, a node that is colored both White and Red means that specific game state (1221) can be reached in Jessica's and Mia's routes.

The color of the lines indicate changes in character size (via growth sequences), with the same color association as the node colors. So, the first line from the starting game state is White for Mia being the first test, followed by your first choice of either Jessica or Sophia, and then Elena/Jessica and Mia/Sophia, etc.

As you look at the graph, you'll notice that there will be a lot of different game states that can be achieved over the course of the next set of experiments under Dr. Fletcher's advisement. The fourth row with ten nodes is all the different game states available after the first experiment, the fifth row with eight nodes is all the different game states available after the second experiment, and the last row with four nodes are the four available game states after all three experiments.

The different game states converging down is intentional, as reaching parity between the different routes allows writing more sharable scenes that are dependent on game state and choices rather than having to write entirely separate routes. Trying to write two different routes, let alone four, with separate timelines and events is very difficult, so reaching a convergence of routes and events will make writing content going forward significantly easier to manage.

So, "What's in the next two updates?" I hear you ask. Well, the upcoming update (v0.17) will contain content for the next two experiments. This includes two days of content, each with a class scene and scenes around the experiment taking place. The update will end at a game state in the second to last row. The following update (v0.18) will continue from there and contain the last experiment. There is no class on that day (since it's a Friday in game), so there will be unique scenes for each of the eight game states. The update will end on the last row of the chart.

Okay then, "How do I choose who grows for the experiments?" An excellent question! Who is selected for the experiments is determined by your relationships with the other three girls of a route. Whoever has the highest relationship value that is still size 0/1 is automatically chosen. If there is a tie, you get to choose. This means that if you want full freedom to choose who grows, you will need to make choices that result in having the exact same relationship level with the other three girls of a route. There are ways to achieve this with a little trial and error, and the skip function should help you here.So for example, in Mia's route, the game will check your relationships with Elena, Jessica, and Sophia. If your relationships with Sophia and Jessica are equal, and also higher than Elena, then you get to choose between Jessica and Sophia for the first experiment. If you choose Jessica, she will grow to size 1. Then you get to choose between Jessica and Sophia again for the second experiment, because they are both only size 1. If instead you choose Sophia for the first experiment, then Jessica will automatically be chosen for the second experiment because Sophia will be size 2.

That's all for this bit of behind the scenes game development stuff. The progress on the update is proceeding very well. The scenes are mostly all blocked out and I should be starting on the actual dialogue very soon. I've also updated the End of Update screen to show the current state of all the girls and give you a choice menu to either return to the main menu or start a new game. Can you figure out which route the End of Update screenshot in this post is from? It's only possible in one route and one sequence of experiments. As a hint, I've added code to make sure the girls' outfits and Mia's tan change dynamically based on when girls grow.

Thank you as always for your continued support! - K. Bro