Course of Temptation Dev Diary #69 (Patreon)

Hello friends and happy Friday! In honor of reaching dev diary #69, let's talk about something that has nothing to do with 69: condoms!

First of all, let's talk about the pregnancy roadmap item. It's been there from the start, and some people really want it, some people really don't want it, and, probably, some people can take it or leave it.

I can understand why some aren't excited about developing this aspect of the game. After all, by its nature it applies strictly to PiV sex, and there's a lot of other stuff to explore in the game and many PCs who this would never apply to. I think that developing it piecemeal in monthly updates rather than dedicating an entire major update to it might be the thing to do, but we'll see how it goes!

So that's been the focus of this week, where I've added condoms and some other forms of birth control to the game and worked on underlying systems for them. For this update, that'll be as far as it goes, but of course the system will be extended in future updates. I hope that the people who have been looking forward to seeing this implemented will enjoy having this first piece of it in the game.

So, what is birth control without the consequence of pregnancy? Eventually that consequence will be real, of course, but for now, I think of it more as an addition to encounter preferences. NPCs already sometimes care about whether you pull out or not; using a condom will be another way to make sure they enjoy the experience. Conversely, risky sex is a kink and some NPCs have it, so you can better please them by foregoing protection and hoping that pulling out happens in time.

All of this involves a whole lot of complicated logic. Whether an NPC wants to have unprotected sex depends on relationships, attitudes, and inclinations. Some NPCs may care about it yet not bother to carry a condom. Some NPCs can be convinced to use or not use a condom even if that isn't their initial preference. And, of course, that negotiation has to go both ways, depending on whether it was the PC or NPC who initiated the penetrating action.

Like I said, it's complicated! But I think I will be able to get it done this week.

I have three methods of birth control currently logic'd out: condoms, birth control pills, and IUDs. I want to throw in vasectomies too; only fair, right? Vasectomy rate is extremely low in college-aged men, so you'd mostly see it in older townies, and of course it can also be an option for the player.

The addition of birth control adds a lot of importance to the campus clinic. You can explore at least some of these birth control options there, and they will also provide free condoms. You can carry some with you, but depending on your storage options, your supply will be limited. We do want to replicate that situation where two people are excited to have sex but neither has a condom, after all.

All of this also makes the Breeding content option much more important. Blocking that content will turn this whole system off and make it no longer a consideration. I have also separated out a Pregnancy content option for players who want to simulate the risk but don't care for simulating the consequences, which should hopefully also help to make it clear that, in any case, pregnancy itself is not yet implemented.

I'll get back to working on this presently, as I really want to get it done this week if possible, and there's still a bit more to do to finish off this piece of it. It's taken a bit longer than I thought — did I mention the logic is complicated? — and I want to be able to focus on River Rat stuff next week.

Next Friday, this update will be in early access! I plan to keep developing it until public release the week after, though, working on smaller items and checking off as many things on my shortlist as I can. I've also seen a lot of your suggestions regarding the dialogue system, particularly in encounters. That too is something I'll be putting more work into up until release.

That's all for now! Thank you for reading, and thank you, as always, for your generous support! I really appreciate it, and I also appreciate your comments and suggestions. Until next week!