V0.3 is here... and it's the last update
Cultist Crush was my first game, and I built it way too big.
A fully simulated world with hand-crafted characters is a massive undertaking for a new solo dev, and I underestimated that badly. Most of the past two months hasn't been writing content, it's been refactoring systems, fixing foundations, and watching builds fall apart with every new thing I add/touch. By the time I get to actually write or draw anything, I'm exhausted and working on unstable ground. It's not sustainable.
So I'm taking a step back. Payments are already paused, no one is being charged. The Patreon will stay open for a month so you have time with this build, then it'll close, and V0.3 will go public on itch.io.
What's in V0.3
I wanted to make sure I'm giving you a decent final update, so here's everything in it:
Feel: More traditional dating sim presentation. Big character image, text at the bottom, click to advance. Scenes feel shorter and snappier (even though they're not).
Interactions: Clicking a character drops you straight into a scene, when appropriate. Talk and Flirt replace the old interaction categories. Hookup is the new gateway to the sex minigames.
Scenes in the world: Tease, Touch and Strip scenes now happen naturally as you play instead of being picked off a menu. Replay them anytime from the Memories section in their profile.
Visuals and menus: redesigned location pages. Every character went from 5 to 14 facial expressions. New "Sex" tab in the Character profiles.
New content:
Eugene: 2 new bathroom scenes + 1 special scene (get him drunk) + 2 special handjob scenes.
Freddie: 2 new bathroom scenes + 1 special scene (get him energized) + 2 special handjob scenes.
Todd: 2 new bathroom scenes + 1 special scene (win him a prize) + 1 special handjob scene.
A prototype Hookup minigame for Handjobs. I was trying something.
I learned a lot building this game, and I'm genuinely grateful to everyone who played, commented, and supported it. Especially the people here 🖤.
I have some ideas about where I want to go from here, but nothing concrete yet. I'll need some time to put together something better, probably smaller (and more unhinged).
If you have thoughts about the game (what worked, what didn't, what you'd want to see in a game, etc), I'd love to hear it.
Feel free to message me privately.
Thanks.
— gloomineer 🖤
Cheats password is still mayflower.
Comments (7)
I think as all other people i enjoyed the game as well. It's a shame that it is ending so soon. I had some great time in it and i hope that you will change your mind and try to develop it in the near future. *(Error: <>: bad conditional expression in <> clause: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'interests') <><b>+ Discovery!</b><><> - there is a bug with Todd i realy hope you can fix :D )
I'm sad to hear the game won't continue, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bit you managed to get in up to this point. I also respect your integrity as a creator to take a step back when you feel the project isn't working out. I hope you had a bit of fun amidst the frustration and the experience helps whenever your decide to tackle your next game. I love your art and writing style, so I'll keep my eye out so that I can support! The characters were the main thing that made Cultist Crush stand out for me. Each of the guys felt different and each system you developed served to enhance their characterization. For example, my favorite character was Eugene. When you first interact with him he seems stoic, hard-working, and perhaps a bit cold. Once you've start helping around the house and showing interest in his hobbies he responds to those specific player behaviors and starts opening up. One thing you really nailed through the writing is that the characters still feel like themselves as you progress their stories. Eugene will maintain his poker face while he stands there naked asking you to choose between two shirts, which adds an extra bit of spice as you try to figure out what's really on his mind. The awesome character art supported all this, too. I loved poking around the world trying to get all the outfit entries in the journal. For what didn't work, I feel sandbox games in general struggle with delivering compelling stories. Usually the games that manage to do so will encompass a few linear stories associated with key NPCs. Course of Temptation does this well, I'd say. I think Cultist Crush at its core would have worked better if it focused on stories with just a few characters and built the world elements around them to support those stories as needed. You can add things like resource management or branching paths as time allows and you feel the game needs as a developer, but you can do so in a way that prevents those systems from interfering with the creative aspects it sounds like you most enjoy. I apologize for going a bit off the rails here! I love these types of games and the characters in Cultist Crush in particular, so I could probably go on for a while. If I'd be able to ask for something in another game, it would honestly just be for Eugene to show up again because I'm so curious about what you had planned for his story. Thank you for sharing your work with us! Are you okay with fan art of the game, and if so is there a good place to share it?
Thanks so much for the comment! I really appreciate it. I'm totally fine with fan art if you're feeling inspired. I'd love to see it, so feel free to reach out to me on Discord, privately here, wherever! I can't guarantee whether Eugene will show up again for sure, but I can say I have ideas I'm excited about for a Cultist Crush spiritual successor. There's a strong possibility the character will return, although better realized and in a slightly different form :) !
I really enjoyed the art style and the way everything was designed and written. It was really promising and nothing I had come across before. In terms of improvement, the world building was perhaps lacking a little but I think that fell short due to how early in the development it is right now (inaccessible locations, missing inclusion of the whole exposition). Still a very commendable work and an experience I really treasured!
I really enjoyed the game and I'm glad you released this final version. I hope this was a positive experience for you because many of us here and on f95 really loved it. For your first game I think it was really great. The systems were smooth and fun, the characters were well written and engaging and I think the potential was really there. I totally understand needing to step back and start fresh with a new project, but I hope you keep this patreon around for when your creative energy is ready. Thanks again!
That's a real shame, but you should do it if you think it's for the best. As for the game itself, I did enjoy my time with it, and I think the basic idea was really good. I will say I did think the experience was very linear for a sandbox, if that makes sense. You had to do things in a specific way, and there wasn't a lot of choice in how you did them. That said, maybe it would have gotten better with more events and characters? I dunno. Anyway, good luck with your next project!
You're totally right about the linear thing. It's the main reason why this didn't work out. Sandbox games aren't linear because the characters are just data sets (no personality, no story), so the player can do anything in any order and it won't impact them. The moment you add bespoke characters, you need to write content for every possible state the character/player could be in. But you can't... So everything ends up generic enough to work for everyone, which isn't good either.