Shuffle Me v0.4.8 - Small Update

Hey, it's Sifa :D

A small update today. Mostly a tech update, and some new events to test new modules.

(download links are at the bottom)

Appearance Rating

I've been thinking about connecting clothes and action cards for a while. I think I finally found a way to deal with that.

We implemented an "appearance" rating and few modules to utilize that. The system now can check if you're wearing something in a selected (by system) slot. Or check for the gender of any item you're wearing, or the "overall" rating of your whole appearance.

We can also make the same kind of checks on the last action card you added to your deck. The system can now check its gender, rarity, or theme and pick different events based on that data.

What can I do with that? Well, let's make up some examples. Let's say I want to make an NPC that will talk to you only if you passed an appearance check. I add few modules that check your appearance, like [bottom = feminine, top = unisex or feminine, makeup = not empty] and if you passed the check - you go to a special event, where you might get a special reward or whatever.

Another example: If you're wearing makeup, you could get an event with a splash of water in your face, and your makeup is being replaced with the ruined makeup (that will have negative stats).

And here is a fast example of how it looks on my side xD

1 - check bottom for its gender

2 - make a cutscene for each option

3 - make a reward for each option

(These examples are not in the game yet)

What I'm trying to say is that it opens a lot of opportunities to finally connect different systems together: your appearance and action cards can matter more outside of combat.

For now, I'm using these modules for "new card" events and "upgrade" events. The modules check your appearance level and the gender of the card you've selected. If they don't match, you'll be punished a little. As a bonus, you'll see more of the Dummy NPC to help you to try out new cards :D Before, this NPC was only seen when upgrading a card.

For now, we need to test these new modules, because we've added a bunch of systems but haven't used them enough to be sure they're good for the game. I want to wait a little for some feedback or bugs first, then continue adding more events that can utilize these new mechanics.

Plans and issues

More cards and Consent

So, the problem we face with the new lewd cards - consent... For Patreon rules, we should make sure that consent is given and is clear (by any character, not only by player). So simply adding lewd cards, that can drop and be used on the first turn and can't be blocked by opponents, is a bit risky. I'm looking for a way to deal with that.

The simplest option is just make the NPC to shout out "Let's do it, stick it inside me!" before the lewd animation. But even this option feels borderline.

Another idea - make 2 different player decks: one for "dating" and another for "sex". You'd have to complete "dating" combat first before getting into the naughty stuff. That would require some rework of our systems, which were created around a single deck.

My third idea is probably too complex to implement, so I won't explain it much before I put a bit more thought into it. In short - you need to earn "attraction" points with simple cards, and then spend these points during combat phase to be able to use "lewd" cards, which will be more like "ultimates". This way I can create a reasonable flow, like "first you talk and flirt, and when they are ready - sex is possible". Probably the safest option.

Anyway, need to wait a bit longer for new cards...

Items rework and unique NPCs

I'm finishing Avatar rework (some results of that you've seen already, like sex change), and after that we will start reworking items. Aside the obvious balance changes and new sets of items (lace, kitty), we also need to solve few last issues before being able to add unique avatar-based characters. Actually, Dummy is the first unique avatar-based NPC, so we've already started xD

Events

Otherwise, I've been continuously adding more events. Next time, we'll rework the introduction using the new modules, so it will be less linear. The plan is to make a quest "find clothes to cover yourself", and the items you find will be randomized, rather than fixed. The system will take what cards you decided to take (or refused to take) into account to move the campaign in different directions.

Android Builds

We're aware that the mobile builds of the game have issues with starting the actual game after campaign selection. It's way more annoying to debug issues on Android vs. PC, given all of the extra programs needed to emulate or talk to a phone/tablet. Getting a better test setup and fixing those issues is a big part of the plan next week, so hopefully we figure that out soon.

Shuffle Me v0.4.8 - Changelog:

• Added new Action Card Event - "try out the card" addition

  • You can use the selected card straight away

  • Training Dummy NPC will help you with that

  • Based on your appearance and the type of the card you selected you get somewhat different results

• Reworked "Upgrade a card" event

  • After upgrading a card, you also get a mini-event where you perform the action and then get some bonuses based on how well your appearance matches the card

• Added about 10 new modules to Campaign Builder, mostly about checking player's appearance and the last added/upgraded action card.

• Prevented items you're already wearing from being "dropped" by some events