Ren'Py Black Incense [Prologue] [Himeros Studios]

[McFarlane42]

Did Himeros use a different name before? .

I ask because there are only three posts on his Patreon page, with no trace of a previous game.

I'm curious to know if he has made games in this genre before.

Not games, comics.

 

[McFarlane42]

Nope this is my first game, must be a case of mistaken identity! But kind words nevertheless so I’ll take them!

Unless you have the same name as a fairly accomplished comic author, which would be my bad. Still, it's good work so far!

 

[presario1000]

I know a lot of people don't like AI rendered stories (using the same dozen models in 80% of games is apparently ok) but this is actually a good use. Are there minor render issues yea, but the story and writing is actually good and there are a lot of buried small choices with different scenes that you wouldn't ever get in a prologue of a game someone was doing them more "traditionally". Like there's a separate sex scene pretty much for each major choice, upbringing, clique, after school activity summer job etc. It's a lot and very ambitious.... maybe too ambitious because the problem with having so many story paths is that if you have too many choices you unfortunately need to make them not matter from a story arc perspective. Still each scene was well written, unique and felt like it was actually tied to the choices you made. ie. the poor rebel path let's you get banged out by a drug dealer, the wealthy rebel path the option is a guy in a club. Most games like this would offer the same three or four choices for every path, so you could be a rich nerdy girl and choose to still get fucked by a guy in a garage fixing your bumper. Something that the character would never even encounter, let alone consider.

The other problem with such an ambitious project is if this kind of detail continues the story tree can easily grow too "wide" and updates will feel like there isn't much content because it is getting spread among too many paths. It will be interesting to see how this dilemma is ultimately tackled but hopefully a good balance can be found.

 

[KingsRaiden]

Not games, comics.

Thought it was the same person who did the Himeros Hotel Adrift games.

 

[MxLaurent]

Going to give this a go regardless but given this is a prologue how much content centered on the spooky cult stuff is actually in the game right now? Because I find that very interesting but am not terribly excited about just going through a ton of visual novel life sim material outside of that theme.

 

[Buletti]

Going to give this a go regardless but given this is a prologue how much content centered on the spooky cult stuff is actually in the game right now? Because I find that very interesting but am not terribly excited about just going through a ton of visual novel life sim material outside of that theme.

None. This is about setting up the MC for the story. You follow her growing Up until she is a young woman.

 

[Sleepy_Cat_Old_and_Fat]

There will be a range of paths for Molly and Josh, including a fully faithful path, cheating paths, open relationship paths, breakups, and more! Hopefully there will be something to satisfy (almost) everyone

I really like what you wrote in this post.
I really like everything you've written in your previous posts in this thread.
Actually, every player likes freedom of choice, so I'm not unique.
But there's a problem.
Every player's choice means every player gets their own piece of the story.
Every opportunity to avoid some content means the player gets a same amount of other content.
Every character stat check means the player gets a different story option.
That's double the work for a game developer + double the work for a game developer + double the work for a game developer.

For example, The Princess Trap is totally text-based game, has a linear story, no stats, but real freedom of choice... and 1-2 updates per year. And these updates are very small... well, actually they're very large, but considering all my previous choices, my (and every other player's) available piece of the story is very small.

I want to believe in you and wish your game success - but do you realize how much work you're taking on?
Are you ready for it?

 

[Himeros Studios]

Before I start all my replies just wanted to say that someone has kindly let me know of a bug for if you choose Nat as your first time (who is an option if you go to Northgate and choose the Rebel clique). Apologies that that slipped through the net. I'll release a hotfix in the coming days and will update the links on here when out. If anyone finds any other bugs please do let me know and I'll be happy to fix those as well.

What you set out to do sounds really impressive and I applaud you for the effort my friend!

This prologue is great and I would recommend you to stand your ground and be a bit more assertive in telling people off that want you to do this and that. Make a point that you have vision and a story to tell.

Another question regarding the sex scenes: Imho they are very well written so far and I enjoyed the ones I choose. The art is really good but the scenes themselves actually do not have that many renders

I totally understand that this prologue was a ton of work and that you had to cover a lot of renderwork and stuff. So I just would like to know if the visuals of future scenes will be a bit richer or if it will remain like this.

Keep up the good work and all the best for this project!

Thank you for the kind words! And it's a fine balance - I've already got one one star review for not including something someone wanted in game I'm keen to keep good relations with the community, this is one of the last corners of the internet that feels like the 'old' internet where these sort of things really matter and I like that. But rest assured whilst I am taking all feedback on board, I will be sticking with my creative vision, and am confident that the game and story will win people over!

And yes, on your question, this is something that I had noticed myself, and I think it is because for the prologue, I did a very rough plan first just setting out the scenes I wanted, then all my image generation, and then did the writing. The writing then grew as all writing does to be its own thing, which then meant there were moments in it that didn't have obvious images attached.

From next release onwards I will be doing plan, then writing, and THEN image generation afterwards, which I think should make things feel more in sync. To add to this, the prologue is also almost entirely scene images as it was always envisaged as more of a montage of 19-20 years, whereas from now on the story will be using sprites a lot more as well, which will certainly help when it comes to writing scenes with 2+ characters as can keep it as sprites during dialogue and then switch to artwork for when things heat up.

The other thing I would add to this is that the prologue was all about breadth - the more choices the better to really shape Molly as you wished, before a common convergence point. Now we are commencing the story proper, a lot of choice (both consequential and aesthetic) will come from depth. To put that in plain English, rather than having 18 possible options for a sex scene, there may only be two options, but within those scenes will be much more choice (and accompanying images) about how that specific scene plays out.

Not games, comics.

Thought it was the same person who did the Himeros Hotel Adrift games.

To dispel any doubts I am not associated with any of these! Himeros is an Ancient Greek god and personification of sexual desire and lust, which seemed more than fitting for my moniker. I did do a quick Google beforehand to confirm Himeros Studios wasn't taken, and haven't come across the above projects/people, but looks like we all likely just share an appreciation for mythology and ancient history.

I know a lot of people don't like AI rendered stories (using the same dozen models in 80% of games is apparently ok) but this is actually a good use. Are there minor render issues yea, but the story and writing is actually good and there are a lot of buried small choices with different scenes that you wouldn't ever get in a prologue of a game someone was doing them more "traditionally". Like there's a separate sex scene pretty much for each major choice, upbringing, clique, after school activity summer job etc. It's a lot and very ambitious.... maybe too ambitious because the problem with having so many story paths is that if you have too many choices you unfortunately need to make them not matter from a story arc perspective. Still each scene was well written, unique and felt like it was actually tied to the choices you made. ie. the poor rebel path let's you get banged out by a drug dealer, the wealthy rebel path the option is a guy in a club. Most games like this would offer the same three or four choices for every path, so you could be a rich nerdy girl and choose to still get fucked by a guy in a garage fixing your bumper. Something that the character would never even encounter, let alone consider.

The other problem with such an ambitious project is if this kind of detail continues the story tree can easily grow too "wide" and updates will feel like there isn't much content because it is getting spread among too many paths. It will be interesting to see how this dilemma is ultimately tackled but hopefully a good balance can be found.

I really like what you wrote in this post.
I really like everything you've written in your previous posts in this thread.
Basically, every player enjoys freedom of choice, so I'm not unique.
But there's a problem.
Every player choice means every player gets their own piece of the story.
Every opportunity to avoid some content means the player gets a same amount of other content.
Every character stat check means the player gets a different story option.
That's double the work for a game developer + double the work for a game developer + double the work for a game developer.

For example, The Princess Trap has a linear story, no stats, but complete freedom of choice... and 1-2 updates per year. And these updates are very small... well, actually they're very large, but considering all my previous choices, my (and every other player's) available piece of the story is very small.

I want to believe in you and wish your game success - but do you realize how much work you're taking on?
Are you ready for it?

Thank you! Really appreciate you taking the time to write this out and glad you liked the game so far.

In terms of your concerns about ambition / story trees growing too wide, it is a totally valid concern, especially for a one person project like this. Partly, I'll be tackling this by - as I talked about above - introducing depth of choice in scenes as well as breadth.

Zooming out further though, I think a lot of RPGs offer a really good model for how to handle this. KOTOR (I and II) and BG3 are good examples, where you can play radically different characters, allying or opposing certain factions and characters, and affecting the world around you in totally different ways, but you still progress along in the same locations and mini-storylines (which in KOTOR are planets you visit, and in BG3 are the three acts), which means things like sprites, backgrounds, scenes, etc, all keep diverging but then converging. The choices keep adding up and do make a huge difference but it stops you from effectively having to write an entirely new game every time you implement a meaningful branching choice.

This really does scratch the surface of it but I think it is a really interesting topic. I'll be doing weekly dev diaries to keep the interest up between releases and think this could be a fascinating topic to dive into in more detail in one of them (but don't worry, I won't let it distract me from the actual game development!).

I have a plan and I believe it is doable - I totally get the apprehension as this forum is littered with abandoned projects and game devs that quite frankly take the piss a bit with how infrequently they release things. I thought about all this when I started this project. I'm determined for this not to be what happens here - ultimately, I want this game to be successful, and the best way I can do this is by showing you guys I can release consistent quality updates!

Going to give this a go regardless but given this is a prologue how much content centered on the spooky cult stuff is actually in the game right now? Because I find that very interesting but am not terribly excited about just going through a ton of visual novel life sim material outside of that theme.

As Buletti said, this is the prologue, so cult stuff will start with next months release

 

[Buletti]

Before I start all my replies just wanted to say that someone has kindly let me know of a bug for if you choose Nat as your first time (who is an option if you go to Northgate and choose the Rebel clique). Apologies that that slipped through the net. I'll release a hotfix in the coming days and will update the links on here when out. If anyone finds any other bugs please do let me know and I'll be happy to fix those as well.



Thank you for the kind words! And it's a fine balance - I've already got one one star review for not including something someone wanted in game I'm keen to keep good relations with the community, this is one of the last corners of the internet that feels like the 'old' internet where these sort of things really matter and I like that. But rest assured whilst I am taking all feedback on board, I will be sticking with my creative vision, and am confident that the game and story will win people over!

And yes, on your question, this is something that I had noticed myself, and I think it is because for the prologue, I did a very rough plan first just setting out the scenes I wanted, then all my image generation, and then did the writing. The writing then grew as all writing does to be its own thing, which then meant there were moments in it that didn't have obvious images attached.

From next release onwards I will be doing plan, then writing, and THEN image generation afterwards, which I think should make things feel more in sync. To add to this, the prologue is also almost entirely scene images as it was always envisaged as more of a montage of 19-20 years, whereas from now on the story will be using sprites a lot more as well, which will certainly help when it comes to writing scenes with 2+ characters as can keep it as sprites during dialogue and then switch to artwork for when things heat up.

The other thing I would add to this is that the prologue was all about breadth - the more choices the better to really shape Molly as you wished, before a common convergence point. Now we are commencing the story proper, a lot of choice (both consequential and aesthetic) will come from depth. To put that in plain English, rather than having 18 possible options for a sex scene, there may only be two options, but within those scenes will be much more choice (and accompanying images) about how that specific scene plays out.




To dispel any doubts I am not associated with any of these! Himeros is an Ancient Greek god and personification of sexual desire and lust, which seemed more than fitting for my moniker. I did do a quick Google beforehand to confirm Himeros Studios wasn't taken, and haven't come across the above projects/people, but looks like we all likely just share an appreciation for mythology and ancient history.






Thank you! Really appreciate you taking the time to write this out and glad you liked the game so far.

In terms of your concerns about ambition / story trees growing too wide, it is a totally valid concern, especially for a one person project like this. Partly, I'll be tackling this by - as I talked about above - introducing depth of choice in scenes as well as breadth.

Zooming out further though, I think a lot of RPGs offer a really good model for how to handle this. KOTOR (I and II) and BG3 are good examples, where you can play radically different characters, allying or opposing certain factions and characters, and affecting the world around you in totally different ways, but you still progress along in the same locations and mini-storylines (which in KOTOR are planets you visit, and in BG3 are the three acts), which means things like sprites, backgrounds, scenes, etc, all keep diverging but then converging. The choices keep adding up and do make a huge difference but it stops you from effectively having to write an entirely new game every time you implement a meaningful branching choice.

This really does scratch the surface of it but I think it is a really interesting topic. I'll be doing weekly dev diaries to keep the interest up between releases and think this could be a fascinating topic to dive into in more detail in one of them (but don't worry, I won't let it distract me from the actual game development!).

I have a plan and I believe it is doable - I totally get the apprehension as this forum is littered with abandoned projects and game devs that quite frankly take the piss a bit with how infrequently they release things. I thought about all this when I started this project. I'm determined for this not to be what happens here - ultimately, I want this game to be successful, and the best way I can do this is by showing you guys I can release consistent quality updates!



As Buletti said, this is the prologue, so cult stuff will start with next months release

Mate this sounds almost too good to be true.

I hope you at least do not try to commit to a fixed update schedule...

Btw: This textline is repeated and should not be here I guess:

 

[Himeros Studios]

Mate this sounds almost too good to be true.

I hope you at least do not try to commit to a fixed update schedule...

Btw: This textline is repeated and should not be here I guess:

View attachment 5427310

Thanks! No fixed schedule - my ideal plan is to do a release every month (although none of those would be as big as the prologue) and I will try and stick to that, as quite apart from anything else, it's how I grow this project. But I'm never going to commit to a certain date. I think like with most things communication is key - barring some unexpected life event I definitely will be able to do the next release in December so happy to flag that to people now, and equally, if I ever thought a particular update was too big to do in a month and would take a little longer, I'd just tell people as soon as possible.

And fab, thanks, I'll look into that and fix it in the hotfix!

 

[McFarlane42]

Before I start all my replies just wanted to say that someone has kindly let me know of a bug for if you choose Nat as your first time (who is an option if you go to Northgate and choose the Rebel clique). Apologies that that slipped through the net. I'll release a hotfix in the coming days and will update the links on here when out. If anyone finds any other bugs please do let me know and I'll be happy to fix those as well.



Thank you for the kind words! And it's a fine balance - I've already got one one star review for not including something someone wanted in game I'm keen to keep good relations with the community, this is one of the last corners of the internet that feels like the 'old' internet where these sort of things really matter and I like that. But rest assured whilst I am taking all feedback on board, I will be sticking with my creative vision, and am confident that the game and story will win people over!

And yes, on your question, this is something that I had noticed myself, and I think it is because for the prologue, I did a very rough plan first just setting out the scenes I wanted, then all my image generation, and then did the writing. The writing then grew as all writing does to be its own thing, which then meant there were moments in it that didn't have obvious images attached.

From next release onwards I will be doing plan, then writing, and THEN image generation afterwards, which I think should make things feel more in sync. To add to this, the prologue is also almost entirely scene images as it was always envisaged as more of a montage of 19-20 years, whereas from now on the story will be using sprites a lot more as well, which will certainly help when it comes to writing scenes with 2+ characters as can keep it as sprites during dialogue and then switch to artwork for when things heat up.

The other thing I would add to this is that the prologue was all about breadth - the more choices the better to really shape Molly as you wished, before a common convergence point. Now we are commencing the story proper, a lot of choice (both consequential and aesthetic) will come from depth. To put that in plain English, rather than having 18 possible options for a sex scene, there may only be two options, but within those scenes will be much more choice (and accompanying images) about how that specific scene plays out.




To dispel any doubts I am not associated with any of these! Himeros is an Ancient Greek god and personification of sexual desire and lust, which seemed more than fitting for my moniker. I did do a quick Google beforehand to confirm Himeros Studios wasn't taken, and haven't come across the above projects/people, but looks like we all likely just share an appreciation for mythology and ancient history.






Thank you! Really appreciate you taking the time to write this out and glad you liked the game so far.

In terms of your concerns about ambition / story trees growing too wide, it is a totally valid concern, especially for a one person project like this. Partly, I'll be tackling this by - as I talked about above - introducing depth of choice in scenes as well as breadth.

Zooming out further though, I think a lot of RPGs offer a really good model for how to handle this. KOTOR (I and II) and BG3 are good examples, where you can play radically different characters, allying or opposing certain factions and characters, and affecting the world around you in totally different ways, but you still progress along in the same locations and mini-storylines (which in KOTOR are planets you visit, and in BG3 are the three acts), which means things like sprites, backgrounds, scenes, etc, all keep diverging but then converging. The choices keep adding up and do make a huge difference but it stops you from effectively having to write an entirely new game every time you implement a meaningful branching choice.

This really does scratch the surface of it but I think it is a really interesting topic. I'll be doing weekly dev diaries to keep the interest up between releases and think this could be a fascinating topic to dive into in more detail in one of them (but don't worry, I won't let it distract me from the actual game development!).

I have a plan and I believe it is doable - I totally get the apprehension as this forum is littered with abandoned projects and game devs that quite frankly take the piss a bit with how infrequently they release things. I thought about all this when I started this project. I'm determined for this not to be what happens here - ultimately, I want this game to be successful, and the best way I can do this is by showing you guys I can release consistent quality updates!



As Buletti said, this is the prologue, so cult stuff will start with next months release

No worries here! Like I said, it's a really good effort so far. Good luck and I look forward to the future.

 

[MiltonPowers]

You must be registered to see the links

Introduction

Welcome to the first Black Incense Dev Diary, the start of what will now be a weekly update. After months of working quietly, it’s been incredible to finally share the first release and see the response. Thank you to everyone who has played, commented, and helped spread the word, and a special thank you to those who have chosen to support the project as Patrons. Your enthusiasm has made the launch genuinely rewarding.

For this first entry, I wanted to outline the larger vision behind Black Incense and explain how I plan to develop the game from here.

The Vision

Black Incense began with the idea of creating an adult game with the same ambition, complexity, and narrative depth as a prestige RPG or TV series. In truth, whilst I have a deep love for RPGs, many of my major inspirations for Black Incense are also prestige TV series - shows like Better Call Saul and (the early seasons of) Game of Thrones which I think do episodic and rich modern storytelling better than anything else out there. Ultimately, I'm inspired by any format that builds character and consequence with patience and intelligence.

There are some excellent creators doing strong work in the adult games space (Eva Kiss is a standout example), but the genre as a whole often suffers from poor writing and shallow design. My goal is to push against that and to show that adult games can have literary and emotional weight without losing their eroticism.

To me what makes adult games so interesting is that they lie at this intersection between porn and erotica. To get slightly abstract for a minute, eroticism is always a mixture of sensory input and the narrative that is built alongside this sensory input. Adult games are unique in the virtual world in being able to deliver both - and if these games offer the player choice in building that narrative, then this gets elevated even further.

So Black Incense won’t rely on porn-logic plots or stock setups. It’s a story grounded in psychological realism, moral complexity, and genuine player choice. There will be plenty of sex, if the player pursues it, but it will always feel integrated as the natural expression of the story’s characters and circumstances.

Choice and consequence are at the centre of that design. I hope the Prologue already demonstrates this: there are 18 different ways Molly can lose her virginity, depending on earlier life decisions from class background, schooling, hobbies, and social circle (have you unlocked them all yet?). That level of choice will continue throughout the main story, although often with a view of increasing depth as well as breadth (more on this below).

My influences here come from RPGs with strong factional and moral systems: KOTOR I & II, SWTOR, Fallout: New Vegas, Disco Elysium, and most recently Baldur’s Gate 3. I absolutely love any game where you can align with different factions and characters in different playthroughs, and play characters across the whole spectrum of morality from good to evil.

The Prologue was designed as a contained slice of that philosophy: twenty years of backstory condensed into a single interactive narrative. From now, the focus will narrow. There will be more day-by-day storytelling, tighter character focus, and a descent into a hidden world that exists beneath the surface of modern London. There will be factions, conspiracies, power struggles, and difficult choices.

The setting itself is central to the vision. Black Incense takes place in a present-day world that looks familiar but hides something vast beneath it, including secret orders, occult societies, criminal networks, and political intrigue. I’m looking forward to slowly revealing its lore in future releases, and Patrons will also see extra snippets, character notes, and other lore materials as development continues.

Once I had this concept of an ordinary young woman drawn into that underworld, the project clicked, and I knew I had to build it.

The Plan

My development goal is a new release every month. This is an aim, not an unbreakable rule, but I’ll always communicate clearly if timing shifts. Ultimately, I really want this game to be successful, and the best way to do that is to prove to all of you that I am a developer who releases consistent and quality updates, so it is in my own best interests to do so.

Barring the utterly unexpected, the next release, Season One, Episode One, will arrive in December.

The Prologue was made free to play to build visibility and let people experience what Black Incense aims to be. Going forward, I’ll move to an early-access model: paid Patrons receive new releases first, and a free version follows about a month later. I may occasionally release the opening scenes of each update publicly to give people a small taste of the new update, but the full build will always remain Patron-exclusive during that first window.

That structure keeps the game accessible while rewarding the people who make its development possible. My long-term goal is to reach a point where Black Incense can sustain full-time development, which would mean faster updates, richer art, and more expansive storytelling.

I do actually have a very rough plan of the entire story sketched out. I have absolutely no doubt that it will change substantially as the game progresses, so all of the following should be taken lightly, especially any conjecture beyond season one.

The project is designed like a serialized drama: episodes grouped into seasons. I’m currently planning ten episodes per season and expect around seven seasons in total. This structure keeps the branching narrative manageable while allowing meaningful choice and variation. Think of it like an RPG with distinct story arcs such as the “planets” of KOTOR or the acts of Baldur’s Gate 3 where each arc can evolve differently depending on the player’s actions.

Season One focuses on Molly’s introduction and initiation into the hidden world of Black Incense. The entire ten-episode arc is already outlined, so I have a clear roadmap for the coming months: key plot points, character developments, and factional dynamics. It’s detailed enough to guide production but flexible enough to evolve as the story and feedback develop.

Finally, a word on hotfixes: no matter how much testing I do, small bugs always slip through. Thanks to those who have reported minor issues with the Prologue. I’ll release a hotfix this week to address them, and that will be the standard approach, to fix quickly, and communicate clearly.

That’s all for now. Next week’s diary will focus on the process behind building the Prologue and what I learned from it.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and support. It’s because of you that Black Incense exists , and will continue to grow into something amazing.

Himeros

 

[DaLuke2]

You must be registered to see the links

View attachment 5429798

Introduction

Welcome to the first Black Incense Dev Diary, the start of what will now be a weekly update. After months of working quietly, it’s been incredible to finally share the first release and see the response. Thank you to everyone who has played, commented, and helped spread the word, and a special thank you to those who have chosen to support the project as Patrons. Your enthusiasm has made the launch genuinely rewarding.

For this first entry, I wanted to outline the larger vision behind Black Incense and explain how I plan to develop the game from here.

The Vision

Black Incense began with the idea of creating an adult game with the same ambition, complexity, and narrative depth as a prestige RPG or TV series. In truth, whilst I have a deep love for RPGs, many of my major inspirations for Black Incense are also prestige TV series - shows like Better Call Saul and (the early seasons of) Game of Thrones which I think do episodic and rich modern storytelling better than anything else out there. Ultimately, I'm inspired by any format that builds character and consequence with patience and intelligence.

There are some excellent creators doing strong work in the adult games space (Eva Kiss is a standout example), but the genre as a whole often suffers from poor writing and shallow design. My goal is to push against that and to show that adult games can have literary and emotional weight without losing their eroticism.

To me what makes adult games so interesting is that they lie at this intersection between porn and erotica. To get slightly abstract for a minute, eroticism is always a mixture of sensory input and the narrative that is built alongside this sensory input. Adult games are unique in the virtual world in being able to deliver both - and if these games offer the player choice in building that narrative, then this gets elevated even further.

So Black Incense won’t rely on porn-logic plots or stock setups. It’s a story grounded in psychological realism, moral complexity, and genuine player choice. There will be plenty of sex, if the player pursues it, but it will always feel integrated as the natural expression of the story’s characters and circumstances.

Choice and consequence are at the centre of that design. I hope the Prologue already demonstrates this: there are 18 different ways Molly can lose her virginity, depending on earlier life decisions from class background, schooling, hobbies, and social circle (have you unlocked them all yet?). That level of choice will continue throughout the main story, although often with a view of increasing depth as well as breadth (more on this below).

My influences here come from RPGs with strong factional and moral systems: KOTOR I & II, SWTOR, Fallout: New Vegas, Disco Elysium, and most recently Baldur’s Gate 3. I absolutely love any game where you can align with different factions and characters in different playthroughs, and play characters across the whole spectrum of morality from good to evil.

The Prologue was designed as a contained slice of that philosophy: twenty years of backstory condensed into a single interactive narrative. From now, the focus will narrow. There will be more day-by-day storytelling, tighter character focus, and a descent into a hidden world that exists beneath the surface of modern London. There will be factions, conspiracies, power struggles, and difficult choices.

The setting itself is central to the vision. Black Incense takes place in a present-day world that looks familiar but hides something vast beneath it, including secret orders, occult societies, criminal networks, and political intrigue. I’m looking forward to slowly revealing its lore in future releases, and Patrons will also see extra snippets, character notes, and other lore materials as development continues.

Once I had this concept of an ordinary young woman drawn into that underworld, the project clicked, and I knew I had to build it.

The Plan

My development goal is a new release every month. This is an aim, not an unbreakable rule, but I’ll always communicate clearly if timing shifts. Ultimately, I really want this game to be successful, and the best way to do that is to prove to all of you that I am a developer who releases consistent and quality updates, so it is in my own best interests to do so.

Barring the utterly unexpected, the next release, Season One, Episode One, will arrive in December.

The Prologue was made free to play to build visibility and let people experience what Black Incense aims to be. Going forward, I’ll move to an early-access model: paid Patrons receive new releases first, and a free version follows about a month later. I may occasionally release the opening scenes of each update publicly to give people a small taste of the new update, but the full build will always remain Patron-exclusive during that first window.

That structure keeps the game accessible while rewarding the people who make its development possible. My long-term goal is to reach a point where Black Incense can sustain full-time development, which would mean faster updates, richer art, and more expansive storytelling.

I do actually have a very rough plan of the entire story sketched out. I have absolutely no doubt that it will change substantially as the game progresses, so all of the following should be taken lightly, especially any conjecture beyond season one.

The project is designed like a serialized drama: episodes grouped into seasons. I’m currently planning ten episodes per season and expect around seven seasons in total. This structure keeps the branching narrative manageable while allowing meaningful choice and variation. Think of it like an RPG with distinct story arcs such as the “planets” of KOTOR or the acts of Baldur’s Gate 3 where each arc can evolve differently depending on the player’s actions.

Season One focuses on Molly’s introduction and initiation into the hidden world of Black Incense. The entire ten-episode arc is already outlined, so I have a clear roadmap for the coming months: key plot points, character developments, and factional dynamics. It’s detailed enough to guide production but flexible enough to evolve as the story and feedback develop.

Finally, a word on hotfixes: no matter how much testing I do, small bugs always slip through. Thanks to those who have reported minor issues with the Prologue. I’ll release a hotfix this week to address them, and that will be the standard approach, to fix quickly, and communicate clearly.

That’s all for now. Next week’s diary will focus on the process behind building the Prologue and what I learned from it.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and support. It’s because of you that Black Incense exists , and will continue to grow into something amazing.

Himeros

Maaaan, you are still at early stages, however from what I have played and read from you, and considering how Eva Kiss has been stagnating and making what I consider poor development choices with Our Red String, you might well become my favourite developer pretty quickly.

 

[Buletti]

You must be registered to see the links

View attachment 5429798

Introduction

Welcome to the first Black Incense Dev Diary, the start of what will now be a weekly update. After months of working quietly, it’s been incredible to finally share the first release and see the response. Thank you to everyone who has played, commented, and helped spread the word, and a special thank you to those who have chosen to support the project as Patrons. Your enthusiasm has made the launch genuinely rewarding.

For this first entry, I wanted to outline the larger vision behind Black Incense and explain how I plan to develop the game from here.

The Vision

Black Incense began with the idea of creating an adult game with the same ambition, complexity, and narrative depth as a prestige RPG or TV series. In truth, whilst I have a deep love for RPGs, many of my major inspirations for Black Incense are also prestige TV series - shows like Better Call Saul and (the early seasons of) Game of Thrones which I think do episodic and rich modern storytelling better than anything else out there. Ultimately, I'm inspired by any format that builds character and consequence with patience and intelligence.

There are some excellent creators doing strong work in the adult games space (Eva Kiss is a standout example), but the genre as a whole often suffers from poor writing and shallow design. My goal is to push against that and to show that adult games can have literary and emotional weight without losing their eroticism.

To me what makes adult games so interesting is that they lie at this intersection between porn and erotica. To get slightly abstract for a minute, eroticism is always a mixture of sensory input and the narrative that is built alongside this sensory input. Adult games are unique in the virtual world in being able to deliver both - and if these games offer the player choice in building that narrative, then this gets elevated even further.

So Black Incense won’t rely on porn-logic plots or stock setups. It’s a story grounded in psychological realism, moral complexity, and genuine player choice. There will be plenty of sex, if the player pursues it, but it will always feel integrated as the natural expression of the story’s characters and circumstances.

Choice and consequence are at the centre of that design. I hope the Prologue already demonstrates this: there are 18 different ways Molly can lose her virginity, depending on earlier life decisions from class background, schooling, hobbies, and social circle (have you unlocked them all yet?). That level of choice will continue throughout the main story, although often with a view of increasing depth as well as breadth (more on this below).

My influences here come from RPGs with strong factional and moral systems: KOTOR I & II, SWTOR, Fallout: New Vegas, Disco Elysium, and most recently Baldur’s Gate 3. I absolutely love any game where you can align with different factions and characters in different playthroughs, and play characters across the whole spectrum of morality from good to evil.

The Prologue was designed as a contained slice of that philosophy: twenty years of backstory condensed into a single interactive narrative. From now, the focus will narrow. There will be more day-by-day storytelling, tighter character focus, and a descent into a hidden world that exists beneath the surface of modern London. There will be factions, conspiracies, power struggles, and difficult choices.

The setting itself is central to the vision. Black Incense takes place in a present-day world that looks familiar but hides something vast beneath it, including secret orders, occult societies, criminal networks, and political intrigue. I’m looking forward to slowly revealing its lore in future releases, and Patrons will also see extra snippets, character notes, and other lore materials as development continues.

Once I had this concept of an ordinary young woman drawn into that underworld, the project clicked, and I knew I had to build it.

The Plan

My development goal is a new release every month. This is an aim, not an unbreakable rule, but I’ll always communicate clearly if timing shifts. Ultimately, I really want this game to be successful, and the best way to do that is to prove to all of you that I am a developer who releases consistent and quality updates, so it is in my own best interests to do so.

Barring the utterly unexpected, the next release, Season One, Episode One, will arrive in December.

The Prologue was made free to play to build visibility and let people experience what Black Incense aims to be. Going forward, I’ll move to an early-access model: paid Patrons receive new releases first, and a free version follows about a month later. I may occasionally release the opening scenes of each update publicly to give people a small taste of the new update, but the full build will always remain Patron-exclusive during that first window.

That structure keeps the game accessible while rewarding the people who make its development possible. My long-term goal is to reach a point where Black Incense can sustain full-time development, which would mean faster updates, richer art, and more expansive storytelling.

I do actually have a very rough plan of the entire story sketched out. I have absolutely no doubt that it will change substantially as the game progresses, so all of the following should be taken lightly, especially any conjecture beyond season one.

The project is designed like a serialized drama: episodes grouped into seasons. I’m currently planning ten episodes per season and expect around seven seasons in total. This structure keeps the branching narrative manageable while allowing meaningful choice and variation. Think of it like an RPG with distinct story arcs such as the “planets” of KOTOR or the acts of Baldur’s Gate 3 where each arc can evolve differently depending on the player’s actions.

Season One focuses on Molly’s introduction and initiation into the hidden world of Black Incense. The entire ten-episode arc is already outlined, so I have a clear roadmap for the coming months: key plot points, character developments, and factional dynamics. It’s detailed enough to guide production but flexible enough to evolve as the story and feedback develop.

Finally, a word on hotfixes: no matter how much testing I do, small bugs always slip through. Thanks to those who have reported minor issues with the Prologue. I’ll release a hotfix this week to address them, and that will be the standard approach, to fix quickly, and communicate clearly.

That’s all for now. Next week’s diary will focus on the process behind building the Prologue and what I learned from it.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and support. It’s because of you that Black Incense exists , and will continue to grow into something amazing.

Himeros

This dude's output is insane! I am crossing all my fingers that you can keep it up! But think about switching to monthly updates after a while. It is what most devs do and seems enough for most backers.

Hats off anyways!

Keep it rolling my friend.

 

[Himeros Studios]

Maaaan, you are still at early stages, however from what I have played and read from you, and considering how Eva Kiss has been stagnating and making what I consider poor development choices with Our Red String, you might well become my favourite developer pretty quickly.

Thank you - I'll certainly aim to do that!

This dude's output is insane! I am crossing all my fingers that you can keep it up! But think about switching to monthly updates after a while. It is what most devs do and seems enough for most backers.

Hats off anyways!

Keep it rolling my friend.

Thank you - just to clarify, it is the dev diaries that will be weekly, the releases will be monthly!

 

[Buletti]

Thank you - just to clarify, it is the dev diaries that will be weekly, the releases will be monthly!

I get that. And I mean dev updates as well. Some devs do weekly as a special push for a certain time, but almost none take the time or have the creative energy to write up long ass dev logs like you do while creating their VN and doing their dayjobs. So imho it's really pretty impressive how you start here. I guess we all hope you can maintain that.

Always keep in mind:

There's two bulls standing on top of a mountain. The younger one says to the older one: "Hey pop, let's say we run down there and fuck one of them cows". The older one says: "No son. Lets walk down and fuck 'em all".

 

[Himeros Studios]

I get that. And I mean dev updates as well. Some devs do weekly as a special push for a certain time, but almost none take the time or have the creative energy to write up long ass dev logs like you do while creating their VN and doing their dayjobs. So imho it's really pretty impressive how you start here. I guess we all hope you can maintain that.

Always keep in mind:

There's two bulls standing on top of a mountain. The younger one says to the older one: "Hey pop, let's say we run down there and fuck one of them cows". The older one says: "No son. Lets walk down and fuck 'em all".

It's a great quote, and absolutely, I agree. Ironically I've actually planned for one of my dev diaries at some point to be about feature creep and my plans to avoid it!

For now whilst I am very new I'm prepared to do a bit more of this sort of thing between releases to generate interest in the game. It's also possible because now we are starting the actual story, there aren't loads of branches to juggle each release for now, so I do have a bit more time for this stuff then I imagine I will in a year or two. Once the game hopefully has more self sustaining interest and is more widely known and shared by fans of the game, I'll dial back on the frequency of posts between releases.

 

[LoveWhores]

You must be registered to see the links

View attachment 5429798

Introduction

Welcome to the first Black Incense Dev Diary, the start of what will now be a weekly update. After months of working quietly, it’s been incredible to finally share the first release and see the response. Thank you to everyone who has played, commented, and helped spread the word, and a special thank you to those who have chosen to support the project as Patrons. Your enthusiasm has made the launch genuinely rewarding.

For this first entry, I wanted to outline the larger vision behind Black Incense and explain how I plan to develop the game from here.

The Vision

Black Incense began with the idea of creating an adult game with the same ambition, complexity, and narrative depth as a prestige RPG or TV series. In truth, whilst I have a deep love for RPGs, many of my major inspirations for Black Incense are also prestige TV series - shows like Better Call Saul and (the early seasons of) Game of Thrones which I think do episodic and rich modern storytelling better than anything else out there. Ultimately, I'm inspired by any format that builds character and consequence with patience and intelligence.

There are some excellent creators doing strong work in the adult games space (Eva Kiss is a standout example), but the genre as a whole often suffers from poor writing and shallow design. My goal is to push against that and to show that adult games can have literary and emotional weight without losing their eroticism.

To me what makes adult games so interesting is that they lie at this intersection between porn and erotica. To get slightly abstract for a minute, eroticism is always a mixture of sensory input and the narrative that is built alongside this sensory input. Adult games are unique in the virtual world in being able to deliver both - and if these games offer the player choice in building that narrative, then this gets elevated even further.

So Black Incense won’t rely on porn-logic plots or stock setups. It’s a story grounded in psychological realism, moral complexity, and genuine player choice. There will be plenty of sex, if the player pursues it, but it will always feel integrated as the natural expression of the story’s characters and circumstances.

Choice and consequence are at the centre of that design. I hope the Prologue already demonstrates this: there are 18 different ways Molly can lose her virginity, depending on earlier life decisions from class background, schooling, hobbies, and social circle (have you unlocked them all yet?). That level of choice will continue throughout the main story, although often with a view of increasing depth as well as breadth (more on this below).

My influences here come from RPGs with strong factional and moral systems: KOTOR I & II, SWTOR, Fallout: New Vegas, Disco Elysium, and most recently Baldur’s Gate 3. I absolutely love any game where you can align with different factions and characters in different playthroughs, and play characters across the whole spectrum of morality from good to evil.

The Prologue was designed as a contained slice of that philosophy: twenty years of backstory condensed into a single interactive narrative. From now, the focus will narrow. There will be more day-by-day storytelling, tighter character focus, and a descent into a hidden world that exists beneath the surface of modern London. There will be factions, conspiracies, power struggles, and difficult choices.

The setting itself is central to the vision. Black Incense takes place in a present-day world that looks familiar but hides something vast beneath it, including secret orders, occult societies, criminal networks, and political intrigue. I’m looking forward to slowly revealing its lore in future releases, and Patrons will also see extra snippets, character notes, and other lore materials as development continues.

Once I had this concept of an ordinary young woman drawn into that underworld, the project clicked, and I knew I had to build it.

The Plan

My development goal is a new release every month. This is an aim, not an unbreakable rule, but I’ll always communicate clearly if timing shifts. Ultimately, I really want this game to be successful, and the best way to do that is to prove to all of you that I am a developer who releases consistent and quality updates, so it is in my own best interests to do so.

Barring the utterly unexpected, the next release, Season One, Episode One, will arrive in December.

The Prologue was made free to play to build visibility and let people experience what Black Incense aims to be. Going forward, I’ll move to an early-access model: paid Patrons receive new releases first, and a free version follows about a month later. I may occasionally release the opening scenes of each update publicly to give people a small taste of the new update, but the full build will always remain Patron-exclusive during that first window.

That structure keeps the game accessible while rewarding the people who make its development possible. My long-term goal is to reach a point where Black Incense can sustain full-time development, which would mean faster updates, richer art, and more expansive storytelling.

I do actually have a very rough plan of the entire story sketched out. I have absolutely no doubt that it will change substantially as the game progresses, so all of the following should be taken lightly, especially any conjecture beyond season one.

The project is designed like a serialized drama: episodes grouped into seasons. I’m currently planning ten episodes per season and expect around seven seasons in total. This structure keeps the branching narrative manageable while allowing meaningful choice and variation. Think of it like an RPG with distinct story arcs such as the “planets” of KOTOR or the acts of Baldur’s Gate 3 where each arc can evolve differently depending on the player’s actions.

Season One focuses on Molly’s introduction and initiation into the hidden world of Black Incense. The entire ten-episode arc is already outlined, so I have a clear roadmap for the coming months: key plot points, character developments, and factional dynamics. It’s detailed enough to guide production but flexible enough to evolve as the story and feedback develop.

Finally, a word on hotfixes: no matter how much testing I do, small bugs always slip through. Thanks to those who have reported minor issues with the Prologue. I’ll release a hotfix this week to address them, and that will be the standard approach, to fix quickly, and communicate clearly.

That’s all for now. Next week’s diary will focus on the process behind building the Prologue and what I learned from it.

Thank you again for all the encouragement and support. It’s because of you that Black Incense exists , and will continue to grow into something amazing.

Himeros

A little advise - Don't compare yourself to some of the best developers like EvaKiss or other ones who already prove themselves. You are just starting making your own game and putting yourself at high stake by saying stuff like you believe you can do better than some of the best developers here and that you think they did a poor stuff with their games when this is not true it doesn't look good in the eyes of other people and potential fans of your game, on the oposite in the eyes of other people it looks too cocky for a new developer to make such a statement. It's best if you just focus on what you want to do with your game without making such statements and let the people who play your game decide how good it is and if it can be as good as EvaKiss,DeepSleep,DonDimon,Abaddon,DecentMonkey or any other developer like them who already did prove themselves from a long time. Your game starts with a interesting story and has a lot of choices for a prologue but only time it will show how good you will do in future, but if you want to do really good as one of the best developers here,then you shouldn't use AI, a good written story and plenty of choices are necessary, but a good made it characters and scenes are also necessary and AI can't do that - there's not a single AI that look realistic, all of the AI are looking like some characters from a animation(cartoon) movie or some comics. But if we say there are games made without AI(like EvaKiss and some of the other developers i did mention) and games made with AI, i guess yours may had the potential to become one of the best AI games here. Just focus on yourself and what you are doing and don't try to compare with other dvelopers,especially with the ones who already did prove themselves in the time.

 

[Himeros Studios]

A little advise - Don't compare yourself to some of the best developers like EvaKiss or other ones who already prove themselves. You are just starting making your own game and putting yourself at high stake by saying stuff like you believe you can do better than some of the best developers here and that you think they did a poor stuff with their games when this is not true it doesn't look good in the eyes of other people and potential fans of your game, on the oposite in the eyes of other people it looks too cocky for a new developer to make such a statement. It's best if you just focus on what you want to do with your game without making such statements and let the people who play your game decide how good it is and if it can be as good as EvaKiss,DeepSleep,DonDimon,Abaddon,DecentMonkey or any other developer like them who already did prove themselves from a long time. Your game starts with a interesting story and has a lot of choices for a prologue but only time it will show how good you will do in future, but if you want to do really good as one of the best developers here,then you shouldn't use AI, a good written story and plenty of choices are necessary, but a good made it characters and scenes are also necessary and AI can't do that - there's not a single AI that look realistic, all of the AI are looking like some characters from a animation(cartoon) movie or some comics. But if we say there are games made without AI(like EvaKiss and some of the other developers i did mention) and games made with AI, i guess yours may had the potential to become one of the best AI games here. Just focus on yourself and what you are doing and don't try to compare with other dvelopers,especially with the ones who already did prove themselves in the time.

I don't think I did compare myself to any particular developers, and I certainly did not single out any developers I thought were bad, or say I thought I could do better than anyone in particular. I'm not sure where you got that from?

I did say I think there is a lot of bad writing out there in the adult game space, and I'd stand by that, but I'm not calling all adult game developers bad.

I mentioned EvaKiss as an example of a game dev I thought was doing really good work and has inspired me, the same way I mention being inspired by games like BG3 and shows like Better Call Saul. I think it's a good thing to share what has influenced this project, I figured people might be interested to know where the starting concepts came from.

 

[Remarius]

Very interesting so far and a good way to actually care about the character.

In case its not been mentioned there's an error in this scene - did you mean Working Class as there's no Lower Class option?