The devs are Codexer(s), confirmedUpdate #38
Dev Diary 17 - All About The Teelee Baby
Monsters & Grids
We've been getting a lot of requests to reveal more of the manticores, so ladies and gentlemen...meet the mighty CORNHOLIO!
Per our codex, "The only drawback to this deadly ass-assin is the fact that you can smell him coming from a mile away. However, once he is in range, there is no escape."
Good news, FOW fans...we've got a big, steaming pile of tentacles and lady dicks to make your happy fappy quarantine all the better!
SUBVERSE: TROJAN HORSE - by Makari Tohru
I'm elated and erect to announce the release of the first of our four Subverse manga, created by none other than the legend responsible for the Hunter no Seitai series - the mighty Makari Tohru!!!
We told our mangaka that we wanted them to really push the limits with these stories so our fans that enjoy darker, more intense content than will be seen in the Subverse game and it was CERTAINLY delivered.
Obviously we can't post a link here, so visit a Luscious hentai website of the .net variety or the mirrors at Pururin and Sad Panda to enjoy 50 masterful pages of top-tier non-canon fap material!
GET THE MECHANIC
The disgustingly obscene Dallick vs the Fuccbotts fight is now available for all closed beta participants!
This is the first SHMUP mission we've released that features our special DEFENDER AI, which means your enemies will be focused on attacking a specific ship or structure rather than you. In this case, the Fuccbotts are looking to rip Dallick's Keisterstation a new exhaust port and it's up to you to stop them and earn the trust of the six-balled stoner so he'll join the crew of the Mary Celeste and serve as your loyal mechanic.
In terms of balance this mission is still very much a WIP, so we're mainly looking to make sure everything is functioning properly. As always, please use the in-game feedback tool to let us know how your sessions went!
A few protips - the charge drive (SPACEBAR) is extremely effective against approaching waves of Prick Lancers, and when Dallick gets his EMP countermeasures charged up...RUN AWAY!
Enter the Empress
Empress Celestina's character bio page is now available on our website along with her 3D model! We know this is one everybody's been requesting for some time now, so enjoy your ogling. She is voiced by Sarita Belle, who is a newcomer to the FOW team but certainly earned her place with this role! It's no easy feat to play the RULER OF THE WHOLE GODDAMN GALAXY.
That's all for this diary, so we'll see you next time. And of course...whether you're simply taking precautions or cleaning up after a particularly shameful display of masturbatory prowess, don't forget to wash your hands!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
Dev Diary 19 - Return of the Devs
Welcome back to your #1 resource for news regarding everyone's favorite hot intergalactic fuck epic.
MEAN GIRLS & A MANTIC
If you haven't seen her yet, make sure you check out Kasidora's page on our website for a preview of her 3D model along with a short biography that will clue you into just how scary the former empress Prodigium really is when her subjects refuse to play by the rules. Despite no longer holding the crown (that honor belongs to Celestina now), Kasidora is still poses a huge threat to the galaxy due to her bitterness.
Speaking of threats to the galaxy, we've also published a rather bootylicious teasing shot of General Blythe on Twitter. The General leads a no-nonsense group called the Requital whose goal is to take sweet, sweet revenge against Kasidora. As if the Mary Celeste's crew didn't have enough bullshit to deal with, you can also look forward to getting caught in the crossfire between these two femme fatales.
And while we're still on the subject of model teases, we'd also like to show you guys another manticore...the mighty Fuckenstein!
Truly Lily's finest creation, this upstanding gentleman knows how to treat your waifus with the class and respect they deserve - by using them as living fleshlights, of course. And if you prefer him out of the bedroom and on the battlefield, you can also deploy him as a mobile siege weapon. Gather the research materials you need and Fuckenstein will be happy to massacre some enemies and bulge some tummies for you!
KEISTERSTATION SAVIORS
We dare you to say "dick-shaped dickship destruction" ten times fast.
Thanks to all of our beta testers that played the Keisterstation assault level and provided us with detailed feedback after they finished Dallick's rescue! It's because of you that we were able to identify several bugs with the mission and are currently working to eliminate them.
We're also grateful for your suggestions concerning the flow and attack of enemies during DEFENDER missions, the noting of a few exploitable strategies against the boss and even a few requests to expand the UI to include a mini-map. These are all things we will be looking into as development progresses and we revisit our designs.
SHMUP DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
As we get further into development, we'll be welcoming back the programmers more frequently to discuss what they're working on.
"Hello guys, it’s One-Eyed Jeremy again. I think it’s been about five months since Fow-chan last allowed me to see the light of day. I was summoned to give a small talk about a certain sexy space-elf's recruitment mission. Unlike our usual free-roaming levels you've been enjoying in the beta so far, this one is a side-scroller that features lasers, explosions, quick-closing gates and a boss straight out of Contra!
Focusing on that last bit, we had to create a new technology to make the whole thing work. If you’re not a connoisseur of Hollywoodesque magic and game development shenanigans, the trick is to not move the playerer/camera, but instead the obstacles and backgrounds. To this extent, we created a special UE4 Blueprint to lock the screen in place. We can assign it an array of obstacle sections so, when running the level, it the level automatically sequences them when running.
It’s also equipped with two collision triggers on the horizontal edges of the screen. These are used to run special activation logic. This way everything is (de)activated on demand (saving precious CPU cycles). Not only that, but other elements can also be tweaked on these triggers (e.g. stopping the side scroller until a particular enemy is defeated).
Another thing worth noting are the gates you'll find in this mission. They can only be opened by a direct hit with a specific weapon. When triggered, two moving walls will open and allow players to proceed. This is the first instance where we used our 'vulnerability system.' Specifically, damage can be flagged with a type and also entities can be assigned parameters of vulnerability. This way, when an entity is hit with the correct type of damage, the default health logic is ignored and it is killed instantly (though, this can be easily extended to assign a damage multiplier instead)."
CODEX COMPLETE
Extensive lore? IN A PORN GAME???
Yep...we're taking Subverse seriously in every way we can, whether it be making sure the walking, brapping asses are properly animated or creating an in-game wikipedia for you guys so that every aspect of the game's universe is fully fleshed out and consistent. Plus, it's a helpful tool for internal use when something needs referencing. There are currently more than 175 entries!
Obviously the UI is still a WIP, so we plan to give it a full visual overhaul in the coming months.
It was quite the undertaking to make sure we were properly providing the player with enough information to know what planet the Huntress comes from, where they can find the Imperium capitol, and why no one in their right mind would ever trust a chutt. I mean...just look at these guys.
WHAT'S NEXT???
As previously mentioned, the next dev diary is going to feature the next manga. It's a heart-warming tale that all mother lovers will love...
We're also going to have some more in-depth talk from both the developers and our lead sex animator.
See you soon and keep staying safe!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
Sauce
Search for Subverse on your favorite doujin site.Sauce
Dev Diary #20 - Anatomically Erect
IT'S NUDIE MAGAZINE DAY!
A MOTHER'S LOVE by R-WADE
We're pleased to present twenty-two pages of R-WADE's fine work in FULL FUCKING COLOR! Let me tell you, seeing Lily's asshole blush a lovely shade of red as it gets destroyed is just all sorts of bueno.
While the previous manga was pretty dark, this one is about as lighthearted as you can get while featuring a woman impaled by a manticore cock the size of Dallick. If you're a fan of gang bangs and massive insertions, then this one's for you!
Just like last time, we can't post a link here due to the rules. You can find the download links on our Discord sever or simply search for Subverse on Luscious hentai, Pururin or Sad Panda.
And now I'll turn things over to one of our talented programmers to tell you about another one of our recruitment quests.
SOLID SNAKES ON A PLANE
Greetings, perverts. Professor Bang here, and I've brought you some ALPHA screenshots from one of the most unique SHMUP sequences in Subverse. Let me tell you about the Temple of Defilement - it's dark, full of traps and sentries, and it certainly doesn't help that you have a hungry little catgirl aboard your ship.
We made this mission with stealth in mind, so you can't just whip your cannon out and blast all over the place to get through it. In this old, crumbling temple there are sentries marching and scanning the area for intruders. You will also have to deal with pressure-sensitive walls, trap doors, and since this is a video game there are of course plenty of hazards made of molten lava .
We'll be using lava or magma-like surfaces in many different environments and scenarios, so we decided to make a universal lava material. With some noise and rock texture we were able to achieve a good boiling look. Also, a lot of panning and distortion had to be added to the logic, and we even added some vertex displacement on top of it so the surface will actually be moved by the waves.
Illumination is sparse, so utilizing the headlight on your ship for navigation will be crucial. You can either play it safe and learn the sentries' movement patterns or just be fast enough to zip through them. Though it is tricky, don't worry - checkpoints are aplenty so the experience is fun rather than frustrating.
I'm excited for all of you to explore the Temple of Defilement with your eager kitty companion who unfortunately doesn't always care if it's the appropriate time to play."
But that's not all...I'm also excited to welcome one of our veteran FOW animators to the dev diary for the first time!
ENTER THE SWEDISH OINKZILLA
"God kväll, Moneyshot here. I've been with the studio since 2014, back when we had to survive the pain of animating throbbing horse balls in Source Filmmaker. For my services to smut, I was rewarded with the title of lead animator for Subverse.
I just got sent a note with the daily lowering of the bucket providing me sustenance.
It read: “For legal reasons I need written proof that you are still alive, so write something for the backers down on this piece of paper. And don’t eat it, you fat fuck.”
So here I am. Let's talk about poses first.
The hentai magic starts with getting all of the necessary characters into the scene. Both for technical reasons and easier workflow, each character and their accessories gets uniquely named rig prefixes: Demi1, BigDude1, SmallDude1, BigDude1Dick etc.
Depending on the need for the poses and animation, these rigs are altered to give a better workflow. For example, Killi's tail may need to grab something and thus the gripping section works better in FK (Forward Kinematics) while the rest is in IK (Inverse Kinematics).
The poses are blocked up either with reference images or greatest tool of all - a pervert's imagination.
Not only does the pose have to bring out the star of the show's best bits, it also has to work with the three different sex speeds: SLOW, FAST and CLIMAX. Whilst not all sex scenes follow this formula, its still good practice to consider speed variations.
With the pose finished, we animators add a placeholder light setup to spot anything that might look weird during animation. After all, shaders work in mysterious ways.
The camera is also finalized by the director during this phase. Obviously, we animate to the primary angle chosen, otherwise this game would take 16 years to make.
Now for the animation!
If the scenario requires loops for things such as handjobs and thrusts, those are firstly blocked out to get the timing, power of the thrusts, and jiggle correct so they can be checked for feedback by the director. Once the loop is finalized and cleared they can be copy/pasted and have their timing tweaked.
On top of that, the loops have some variation added and a lot of other customized animation for the bodies and whatnot gets blocked out. There is yet another round of feedback required for this step, because it's much easier to make changes if needed at this stage as what comes next is finalizing the animation. All these tiny details are just half the work for the entire process.
If the scene doesn't really require any loops, the long custom animation is blocked out and checked for feedback a bit more often in Sequencer. These kind of animations usually take longer to make so it's best to be sure it's heading in the right direction.
The final step is handing off the anim asset for the production team to insert full lights and post processing. Animating natively in UE4 is real-time, so even if some bugs are discovered during this process, fixing them is easier. Real-time is something we value highly due to rapid iteration and is a big part of why the transition from SFM to UE4 was chosen. The engine is very powerful and makes SFM look like a kindergarten toy. Seeing the final clip on max settings is pure instant gratification. Every artist wants to see their work finished without having to wait for a VFX team to finish it one year and $50 million later."
We'll see you all next month when we'll have even more programmer entries and an update on our navigation system.
Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
Dev Diary 21 - Magic Harlot Ride
Mr. KristoffCollaborator
May 14, 2020
Salutations, backers! I hope you're all keeping well. Today we'll be walking you through some stuff we wanted to share with you!
Cruisin' Prodigium
The finalization of the navigation system has been a priority for us lately, and we spent many days and nights drowning in spreadsheets to make sure every last planet in the galaxy has the correct location, visuals and lore and is triggered appropriately in the story.
Our programmers have also been busy smoothing out the look of the systems and the feel of the Mary Celeste's movement so you all have a great time using it to explore every last nook and asshole of Prodigium.
You can look forward to finding some fun sidequests while you do, and we're in the process of finishing up the script for these events. Word to the wise - don't pursue these unless you're up for memelording of the highest order.
In terms of game design, making sure the game's RPG loop of exploration, combat and loot is solid also received a lot of attention this month. We've come up with some exciting ideas to make everything tie together in a fun way and will be testing them very soon.
DIS and Animation
In terms of other core systems, we've also been optimizing the Dialogue Input System (DIS) and nailing the visuals of how it portrays the plot of Subverse. Since this is a long, plot-driven game (no, really) you're going to spend hours and hours starting at this screen and it's critical that we get it right.
What we're putting together is something that we've never really seen before. Most RPGs using a text-based system just opt for sprites with a few tweaks here and there, but Subverse utilizes 3D characters that have fully-animated emotion states based on the dialogue playing. Because of this, a lot of care needs to be paid to animation interpolation (aka the transitions between these poses).
Getting all of this in place means you will engage with the characters and action in a much more meaningful way, and it's necessary to bring the game to life with the quality you deserve.
UI AHOY
And of course, when it comes to foundations no other system is more prevalent than the UI as we want you to find what you need on the screen easily, and have all the tools at your disposal to wreak havoc upon the Prodigium galaxy. We recently finished creating the layout for every required screen in the game and our talented graphic artists are currently assembling the final drafts so the programmers can integrate them.
What's next?
In keeping with our Q2 2020 Roadmap projections, the next dev diary will detail the release of two new factions for the SHMUP's endless mode - the FUCCBOTTS and the KLOI!
Though you've already tussled with the Fuccbotts in Dallick's recruitment mission, that scenario utilized their DEFENDER A.I. This is the first time you'll fight them when they're only fixated on plunging their dicksabers deep into the F3N1X's hull.
Who are the KLOI, you ask? If you recall, they're the same species as Elaisha Sorn. More details about their lore and nefarious combat tactics will be revealed on the 28th!
And when it comes to nefarious tactics, you can look forward to some from the Captain himself in the next manga. Make sure you join our Discord and Twitter so you know the minute it releases!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
Update #43
Dev Diary 22 - Fascist Fashionistas
Mr. KristoffCollaborator
May 28, 2020
Dev Diary #22
What's in the Box? - by Sakula
Get hyped for a superb tentacle special brought to you straight from the twisted minds of DC and Sakula! Trust me when I say these gentlemen know how to bring the cunt thunder when it comes to aliens invading immaculately smooth innie vaginas. This book puts the spotlight on Fortune but you can expect a couple of cool cameos as well...
In the words of John Doe, "I feel like saying more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise..."
As always, links are hosted elsewhere due to the rules. You can find all the source download links on our Discord sever (just look under the studio-announcements section). Alternatively, you can simply search for Subverse on Luscious hentai, Pururin or Sad Panda.
Pointy-eared Psychos
For the first time ever, you'll be facing off against the kloi! Their high-tech and always dangerous ships are invading the SHMUP closed beta as we speak.
Elaisha Sorn's species is known for two things: being genocidal fashion-obsessed maniacs and having seriously scary military power that rivals even the Imperium.
Here's a list of the enemies you'll encounter and the design philosophy behind them. Like usual, we're looking for feedback from the beta testers so be sure to let us know if we nailed these or not.
THE SCOUT
The Scout attacks with a long-range triple projectile cannon that makes them harder to dodge than most trash mobs. They also have flanking A.I. that's meant to box you in, so like most grunts they are simple in small numbers and deadly as a group.
THE GALVANIC
The Galvanic has a taser at the front that shoots lighting like a shotgun, creating a spread pattern that the player can dodge if they react fast enough. If you try to fight it from longer ranges, it has small but quick homing missiles that will catch up to you.
THE JAVELIN
With a huge salvo of offence, the Javelin is made to fight at all ranges and tank damage. You'll need to master dodging its spread pattern attacks in order to take it down, since simple circle strafing is less effective against it than other enemies.
THE BOW
The Bow utilizes area denial beam attacks that trap you in while the rest of the fleet rush you down. Things get really crazy when there are two or more on the screen and you find yourself locked into deadly consequences if you don't plan ahead with your position.
THE OBLITERATOR
The final bad guy of the kloi armada, the Obliterator is outfitted with nasty offensive and defensive measures. If you manage to avoid its massive bomb attack that disperses energy shrapnel upon detonation, you might still get shredded by the salvo of smaller rockets. And if you try to get too close, it initiates a new A.I. pattern that discharges waves of projectiles from its side-cannons.
Also, two quick notes concerning the closed beta:
First, we will be disabling the other closed beta scenarios for a bit while we work to fix some bugs. We intend to have them back online as soon as possible. Second, we will be installing a minimap in the UI for testing within the next few builds so you can look forward to that!
Artbook Tease
One of your other hard-earned Kickstarter rewards is our official Subverse digital artbook. Rest assured the team have been collecting all the artwork integral to the making of the game during production. Thanks to the hard work of UI designer/animator Manski and our director DC, we are able to share a little preview of how the artbook layout is coming along. The book was designed to not only showcase art, but also to be a companion piece that introduces lore for important elements of Prodigium.
Personally, I think it's an amazing book that's going to blow everyone away.
We are currently up to 100 pages and it will no doubt grow over the next couple of months before its release!
Mocap Pipeline
We haven't been focusing too much on the SFW cinematics due to making sure the gameplay elements are all in place, but starting from next month that's all going to change. Thanks to a motion capture pipeline we set up remotely, we're able to obtain and clean up data for characters in the game quite efficiently. We'll be putting these to use and helping to lessen the animation load on the team, enabling us to focus on the NSFW content and not worry about getting bogged down in SFW animation. We've tested the system extensively and it's now ready for full-fledged production.
Tac Drop
I'd also like to post a reminder that grid combat will be added to the closed beta on June 28th! However, I once again want to remind everyone that we have always intended Subverse to be more on the casual side. While we're proud of what we've accomplished and find it fast-paced, fun and satisfying, don't expect gameplay with the depth and difficulty of something like the X-COM series.
And as a big fappy cherry on top of the sundae, you can also look forward to our final manga from an absolutely legendary pervert on the 28th of June as well!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
Dev Diary 23 - Turning Up The Heat
Mr. KristoffCollaborator
June 14, 2020
Dev Diary 23
Summer's here! A gargantuan project like Subverse demands a hectic schedule and we're not seeing much sunlight as we work hard to roll out the largest beta updates of the entire project.
I'd ask Fow-chan to save us from the torment, but since she was forged in the flames of hell itself...that would probably only result in more whippings.
Great news, though - the final two major factions will be released to the closed beta SHMUP today!
We once again ask everyone to help us out by fighting these guys and giving detailed feedback about how their A.I. and attack patterns feel, and if any bugs were discovered.
The Imperium
The galactic government known as the Imperium was forged aeons ago by the biggest swinging dicks in Prodigium, and they're not afraid to use their unparalleled might to make sure their subjects fall in line with their agenda.
The Imperium Navy has access to some of the most advanced weapons technology in the galaxy, which when combined with their military tactics results in unprecedented levels of firepower.
Devout
The Devout is the toughest of all the "grunt" units in Subverse. They have the highest HP and deal the most damage per shot, which makes sense since their projectiles are almost the same size as their hull.
Crusader
Think of a Crusader like an upgrade to the Devout - they have the same large projectiles but can fire in a wide pattern. Not only that, they have a secondary two-pronged sniping shot that can hit you from longer ranges, making them a ship that requires intelligent movement to take down.
Inquisitor
A mid-range tank of a unit with some serious ordinance. The Inquisitor discharges huge plasma spheres from its cannons that detonate upon reaching their maximum distance, raining smaller projectiles on anyone still in their path. Getting caught by even one of these blasts can cause heavy damage.
Templar
One of the most unique enemies in the SHMUP, the Templar is an area-denial specialist that generates spear-like energy weapons around the player's immediate location that can track movement and launch as soon as they finish priming. Typical hit and run or cover tactics simply won't work here.
Carrier
The Carrier is the big bad of the Imperium's arsenal. Normally you'd be best advised to run, but then you'll also have to deal with the fact that it can generate unlimited attack drones that relentlessly hunt you across the entire map. Destroying it quickly is essential to stop that from happening, but its massive waves of defensive projectiles and homing rockets will make that no easy task.
The Requital
Not much is known about the fringe terrorist organization known as Requital, but rumors persist about their frightening military tactics and their ranks swelling with genetically modified abominations.
What is known is that the Requital take no prisoners and fight dirty, combining brute force with a reckless disregard for all xeno life.
Raiju
Lightning shotguns sound really cool until you're surrounded by agile, relentless craft unloading them in your face. Whatever you do, don't let a group of Raijus get a good flank on your position or dodging will become impossible, and death will become inevitable.
Draco
As if it wasn't crazy enough that this fucking thing throws goddamn energy swords at you, they also supercharge any asteroids they touch with deadly energy that temporarily turns them into AOE damage conduits. Needless to say, conventional tactics aren't really applicable when fighting this thing.
Serpent
A good old traditional SHMUP enemy that attacks by throwing endless waves of energy projectiles at your ship that you'll have no choice but to dodge at any range. It also has some tricky homing rockets that will shred you to pieces if you don't shoot them down fast.
Basilisk
The Basilisk is a mid-range fighter that deploys non-homing forked projectiles in a huge variety of unpredictable patterns, which makes learning how to fight against it difficult.
Salamander
The closest thing in Subverse to a flying armory, the Salamander shoots concentrated "fuck you" straight out of its gaping maw. We suggest running from these high-HP units until every last other ship is off the map, because even fighting them solo is gonna leave some bruises.
Also, we'll once again be pulling the previous beta factions for scheduled maintenance and bug fixing. We expect to have all the factions up and running soon.
What's Next
The next Dev Diary is going to be HUGE.
First off, we're going to make good on our promise to release grid combat by the end of Q2 2020 by adding it to the closed beta. There will be a guide explaining all of the mechanics in-depth that will teach you how to approach the gameplay and give an idea of what to expect in the future.
Second, the final of our four Subverse manga will be released. We couldn't have been more proud to work with the artist, and we know you're all going to appreciate what a good job he did to cap things off in the grand finale!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
Dev Diary 24
The Hatchery - by Butcha-U
The fourth Subverse manga is here, brought to you by none other than the final boss of grotesque monster fornication himself...Butcha-U! His work inspired our Code Valentine movie so getting to finally collaborate with him was a hentai dream come true. Our unholy alliance spawned a 30-page FULL COLOR doujin that will bring a single tear to the eye of xeno aficionados everywhere!
Just like every other release, links are hosted elsewhere due to the rules. Visit our Discord sever and check the studio-announcements section to find a download. Otherwise, you're welcome to visit Luscious hentai, Pururin or Sad Panda and search for "Subverse."
TACTICS ASSVANCED
The wait is over - Subverse's grid combat is here! The first closed beta has been released with the tutorial and two levels where you'll face off against the Pirate faction.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
To put it simply, this not XCOM or Phoenix Point. From the start of production, we've strived to keep Subverse's gameplay fast-paced and casual-friendly. That's why you'll find a typical grid combat scenario in Subverse can be cleared in five minutes rather than 30 like in most tactics games.
However, it still allows for the most skilled players to be rewarded. Correctly utilizing your team composition and making the best decisions will result in faster, more efficient clear times where all of your units survive, which will in turn earn you better grades and higher rewards for your efforts.
We've taken the micromanagement of equipment loadouts out and the enemy composition is rather simple. We've also limited the amount of abilities, which helps to increase the pace and keep the action going.
(Note - the grading criteria function is not fully implemented and will likely be in the next major build.)
PRO TIPS AND BATTLE TITS
While we've put together a solid tutorial for the beta that will teach you almost everything you need to know, here are a few extra tips that will help you succeed:
- Most importantly, you can get detailed unit info by right clicking any unit or clicking their portrait in the turn order bar. This will help you find out what type of damage they deal, what passives they have, etc.
- Ranged enemies cannot attack adjacent tiles and suffer a damage penalty when counterattacking. All units can only counterattack once per turn.
- Turn order is determined by the initiative stat, and the units with higher amounts go first.
- Using the WAIT option will not skip your unit's turn, they will instead be sent to the back of the turn order bar.
- Each unit has 1-2 passives that give them extra abilities. You can see what each one does on their detailed information screen.
- Movement can be undone by using the button on the bottom right side of the screen.
WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
This is our first beta build for grid combat, so your feedback is essential. What do you think of the gameplay? How's the pace? What changes or additions would you suggest? Let us know so we can build the best possible tactics module for Subverse.
Also, please note that we will be disabling the SHMUP scenarios for a few weeks while we do routine bug maintenance and implement some A.I. upgrades. We'll also be installing new waves that will allow players to see every ship in a faction by wave 10. Expect these changes to go live and all five factions to be playable again in endless mode by this time next month.
WHAT'S NEXT?
After all this hard work, we're going to step back and assess your feedback while working on cleaning up some animations that have been needing our attention. Expect a smaller than usual entry for the next Dev Diary and we'll return to our usual format on the following 28th.
No,it smells like a good footjob
Update #47
Dev Diary 26 - Perfectly Balanced Booty
Mr. KristoffCollaborator
July 28, 2020
Boy oh boy...do I ever have something sublime to share with everyone this week! Courtesy of the artist Luna L, here's an undeniably yummy work of fan art of the lovely Dr. Lillian Margaliss showing off why she's such a valuable asset to the revolution...
Those stockings...dem curves...major mmph!
And Lily isn't the only waifu that stopped by to say hello this week. Please join me in welcoming the lovely Fow-chan to show off her brand new designer dick chompers and make an important announcement.
KICKSTARTER CREDITS REWARD
"Hello Darlings!
As you may have heard, our discord has passed the 80K mark (Horrayyy!) We are so excited to continue our climb to that triple digit deliciousness of 100k.
If you haven't joined up yet, you totally should! A big giveaway will be coming soon too!
And now to get to the most important reason why I'm here, which is to announce the ability to change your name in the credits (£20 base reward)!
I looked at the list and realized there are a LOT of names that we cannot use. Please note we reserve the right to remove any of these from the credits list. Overly dark/vulgar names, copyrighted material, impersonations (both real-world individuals and fictional characters) and racist/derogatory comments are not welcome.
That's why Taron#0030 is here! DM her on our Discord and she will guide you on how to change your name for this reward. Below is an example from our amazing mod known as c0nfus3d:
You will only get ONE name change, be sure to use it wisely.
Surveys for the £20 tier are now closed and will NOT be recorded. Please use Taron on Discord to add or change a name!"
SHOWING SOME SKIN
Customization is an important part of any waifu game, so we're currently working on some skin concepts for the characters that will give them a variety of unique looks for everyone to enjoy.
Take a look at the awesome preview concepts below courtesy of our art director to see what we have in mind when we talk about "skins!" There will be more info about skins closer to the launch date!
GRID FEEDBACK
Recently, one of our biggest tasks has been compiling all of the best feedback provided by everyone during the recent Subverse grid combat beta launch. We're happy that once again outside of a few very clear items that we knew going in would need improvement, the overall reception was once again quite positive! You guys provided so many helpful suggestions, and we've noted every single one.
The programmers have been working to implement many significant changes to the game like installing an upgraded UI to provide range and damage type indicators. We're also experimenting with how reinforcements work and a few other balance changes that we think will really help to give grid combat that extra shine it deserves.
THE SHMUP RISES AGAIN
I'm also happy to announce we will be reintegrating the SHMUP into the closed beta soon. Every faction will be available to fight, and we've even made significant changes to the Pirates. They were the first enemies we ever worked on and we've gotten much better at implementing A.I., particle effects and designing attacks since the start of production. Naturally, we wanted to give them another pass and we're happy with the results.
I can also confirm that our new and improved testing waves are all set. You are guaranteed to fight every ship in a faction by wave 10, and the first 10 are much easier. After those, things will start to get challenging. It should also help our more casual players get the full experience while still providing the testing difficulty our veterans crave.
Finally, we've also made updates have also been made to the Tibold boss fight after your feedback. We totally revamped the difficulty level as well as the third phase of the fight into something much more mortar-riffic!
That's all for this month! Stay tuned for some juicy details about the artbook in the next dev diary.
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Podracer
Update #48
Dev Diary 27 - Catch-up
FOW InteractiveCreator
August 14, 2020
Hey everyone, this is DC - I’m the founder of the studio and the creative director on Subverse. This week I’ll walk you through some of the challenges we’ve faced and the thought process that went into developing solutions to overcome them.
A staggering amount of work has already gone into Subverse and we’re doing our best to be as agile as possible, so our tiny team is approaching things in…unorthodox fashion. For example, one of our animators is also doing UI design, one of our software leads is helping out with audio mixing, our technical artist has become a sex-bot animator during the day, and our community manager is learning scenebuilding inside UE4.
So far this week, my tasks have consisted of combat audio for Killi, doing passes on planets, storyboarding out a scene with Empress Celestina, mocap feedback, helping design a vagina-constellation skill tree (sorry Grim Dawn), adjusting nipple shaders, play-testing, animation review, directing the actors, video editing, software licensing, payroll/banking, artbook edits and a script rewrite session of the final chapter.
And it’s only Friday!
Waifus, waifus, waifus
As we all know the waifus are the heart and soul of the game, so the more screentime they have the better. I’m trying to be mindful of giving you guys as many opportunities as possible to interact with them. With that in mind, the waifus can be interacted with in a number of ways.
RECRUITMENT MISSION
These are mandatory missions woven into the main storyline – you meet them for the first time, they rope you into some shenanigans and they become your party members at the end. A typical recruitment mission is fairly long and heavily scripted.
ONBOARD THE MARY CELESTE
Once they have joined your party, they take up residence in one of the rooms on your ship. For example, Lily hangs out in the lab, while Taron skulks about in Engineering. You can approach the girls and talk to them, and we’ve added in several contextual conversations across the game – this basically means they react to key story events now, and you can get their thoughts on what just transpired.
COMBAT
Combat felt a little bare audio-wise, so we’ve pulled a Jay Wilson and DOUBLED the amount of lines and interjections the waifus have to say during combat. You should hear more encouraging cries of joy, some more shit-talking and various other little cute things depending on context.
HANDHOLDING
We all know what this is!
PROGRESSION
As your waifus start to trust you, they’ll open up to you more and reveal their backstories through a series of longer conversations. These are for the true waifuphiles and add a bit more romance into the mix. Originally I was not too keen on the idea of fully fledged romances…but they make thematic sense and the actresses did a great job so overall it was definitely a step in the right direction.
DEVOTION QUEST
Once you max out a waifu, she will give you a special and optional quest called a Devotion Quest. Think of these as “elite” quests that take you on a journey of sorts to help resolve your love interest’s story arc. They contain some of the best acting and epic moments in the entire game so I highly recommend them even if you’re not interested in romance. Devotion Quests will not be in the game at launch, but will be added post-launch once they receive the appropriate levels of polish due to their cinematic nature.
GIFTS (WIP)
There is a gifting system in the works, and its just a silly little minigame but I couldn’t resist not parodying dating simulators. Each waifu has a likes/dislikes chart, and you can get more points for giving them stuff they like. Here’s a protip from director-sama himself: Fow-Chan’s favorite gift is an item titled “Kunoichi 1 DVD,” and her least favorite gift is a “Cease and Desist Letter.”
BANTER (WIP)
We are looking into areas where two waifus can banter with each other. This is tricky though since there’s not a lot of in-game opportunities to do this, but I feel it’s worth attempting as banters like in Dragon Age Origins adds a lot to the camaraderie between the party members. I give it a 50/50 chance of making the game.
Timezones
The StudioFOW team covers eight timezones, so its been a bit of a challenge to get everything synced up and running smoothly to say the least. We’re used to working remotely but never on something of this scale.
A regular day involves waking up, checking my work DM’s and emails from the night, then interfacing with the artists on the Asian side of the globe before they log off for the day. Then I move onto the European team who are usually animating by this point, and then I check in with the East coast team members start as they waking up and make my way across the timezones until I end my day by catching up with the West coast modeling team located across North and South America.
Naturally this means a lot more management work than I am used to (I prefer the creative side) but we can’t afford a bunch of AAA-managers on our tiny budget (we’re basically making a 15 million dollar game with 1.5 million) so I kind of have to bite the bullet on this one. The good news is things are progressing well even though remote work has its inefficiencies. I honestly don’t think we would be more than 10-15% faster if we weren’t remote working, which gives you an idea of just how good our remote pipeline is.
Sound Engineering
The main downside of remote work is the difficulty of getting audio into the game since the actors all have to record from home. While we’re used to this, it does slow down the process which is why we started it much earlier than we normally would.
Direction is difficult, especially with motion capture, but the inconsistencies in recording environment means that we have to pay special attention to the mastering pass.
Luckily we are working with a studio in South Korea to help us with mastering, and we have enough audio experience on the team from the movies to be able to execute everything required - it’s just very, very difficult.
Localizations
For everyone asking about localizations - we’ve written almost 220,000 words across the Onboard, Story, Devotion, Codex and Combat modules, so at the moment the absolute last thing we are interested in is spending a year localizing Phil Fish jokes into Mandarin (good luck with that by the way). The game will release in English with English audio. Once we complete the game and receive additional funding we can sit down and maybe talk about localization, but not at the moment.
What to look forward to
I think for you guys the next exciting milestone will be the Artbook, which is actually more like a companion guide to the game – it's going to give you an idea of just how well everything is coming together and I can’t wait for you to see it. The digital version will be released on October 14, 2020 to all eligible backers.
After that, the hype train should start leaving the station as we ramp up the content reveals. Remember - we are allocating nothing to our marketing budget in order to focus on making the best possible game, so we are relying on you guys to spread the word about Subverse!
Sincerely,
DC
- Studio Director
Update #49
Dev Diary 28 - The Girl with the Squid Hairdo
Mr. KristoffCollaborator
August 28, 2020
Dev Diary #28
Per our 2020 roadmap, the next major milestone in development will be a 1v1 fight with none other than the Captain's arch enemy, THE HUNTRESS!
Ever since we met the "Squidgirl" stretch goal near the very start of Subverse's Kickstarter campaign, we were thrilled to be able to include our vision of a character that continuously stalks the Mary Celeste throughout the game, setting up one intense ambush after another (much like the Nemesis in the Resident Evil series, tentacles and all).
We took great care throughout development to make sure that each encounter with the Huntress would feel like an intense rivalry and require focus and good execution from the player to overcome her tactics.
Your first encounter with her is a fierce dogfight where you'll be dealing with complex attack patterns, swift movement, area denial traps AND a mechanic unique to her ship that allows the Huntress to take down her prey with puzzling efficiency.
And the gameplay's only half of the fun! Over the course of the game, you'll also bear witness to one of the most complex character arcs as the Captain and the Huntress's relationship evolves. Eventually, everything culminates in a recruitment quest that parodies an obscure yet awesome 80's sci-fi movie and sets up some seriously heartfelt dialogue alongside all the dicks and titties jokes.
Closed beta participants will be able to throw down with the Huntress upon the publishing of the September 14th Dev Diary.
Fuccbotts and Kloi and Dread Queens...OH MY
Grid combat is set to receive a huge update on September 28th.
First off, we hope you're all ready to get your hands on Cuntbeard Crimson herself as Killision makes her way to the battlefield!
While Lily filled the archetype of a support unit with ranged energy damage, Killi is a melee berserker that deals physical damage and is capable of putting a savage beating down on enemies by forcing them to fight her up close with crippling attacks. She can also take out several of them at once with her AOE ultimates.
This will be the first time you get your hands on a melee waifu, so let us know how she feels!
New Challengers Approach
Along with Killi, we'll also be adding two new factions - the Fuccbotts and the Kloi!
As you all know if you've seen the SHMUP combat, we want each faction to feel unique when you fight them. While the Pirates were a jack-of-all-trades faction that doesn't require specific tactics to fight, both of our newcomers are far more specific in design.
The Fuccbotts, just like in the SHMUP, are a swarming faction that are relatively weak alone but typically appear in large numbers. You'll need to plan out your turns carefully against them since the most common unit you'll encounter is the Suicide Squirter - a droid that furiously faps to generate an AOE electrical shock whenever they get near your units.
If you don't manage to keep these away before you kill them, you'll suffer damage from their self-destruct passive. The best way to avoid this is to keep your units at a distance and spread out, and leaving the killing blow to ranged characters whenever possible.
However, if you line up your shots just right, you can turn that self-destruct passive into a tool since it damages fellow Fuccbotts as well.
Proper movement and target selection is key to surviving an encounter with these maniacally masturbating metal misfits.
The Kloi are the obligatory glass cannon faction - they deal some of the highest damage but are quite easy to kill...that is, if you can get close enough. The majority of their units are ranged and have higher than average initiative, so expect to eat some opening salvos when facing them.
Front-loading the damage of the kloi in a turn forces the player to immediately consider their own health as the most important resource.
The best way to fight the kloi is to get up close and take out as many of their smaller units as possible at the start of the battle, as well as cut off the potential movement options of those that manage to survive.
Since they have the ability to counter even ranged attacks, melee units are preferred against them. Physical damage is also particularly valuable since they mostly use shields for their defensive measures.
The team has already completed a variety of QOL and design improvements for the grid combat as well. The most requested features from your feedback such as range indicators and damage previews will be live in the update.
Another critical gameplay piece that received revision is the reinforcements. Units can now spawn on the map even when other enemies have not been fully cleared, which allows for far more interesting gameplay scenarios. We also removed the reinforcement method where entire waves spawn at once and get to immediately take their turn, which allowed them to totally blindside your team.
We feel grid combat is now much more consistent and fun now as a result of these changes, but please let us know if there is anything else we can improve!
Sincerely,
Mr. Kristoff
- Senior Producer
