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"No sooner had the hunter dispatched the abomination than a second one surged forth from beneath the sands. Without the element of surprise, so essential to his first kill, I presumed the Draconid was about to make an ill-fated attempt to run. It was to my great surprise that instead of turning to flee, he severed the head of the downed beast and, raising it like a shield, faced down the monster."
Ehkos, A Guide to the Desert Kingdoms
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Hi All,
We're here with Avatar at last, bringing all of the bug-fixed content from last month's Ascended update along with some new content and a bit of a development blog. Because of what we're covering the body text here will touch on a bit of both.
First up worldbuilding/development. We're introducing a not-yet-ready-to-fight enemy, the
Syphon Beetle. This huge arachnid isn't a beetle at all, but you'll never manage to convince the populous of the God Queen's realm to call it anything else; Syphon Arachnid doesn't have the same ring to it.
Using it's powerful back legs the creature leaps forward from it's hiding spot, pinning prey with the barbed front limbs. Spine-covered jaws then lock the victim in place as it impales them, its pulsating abdomen inflating to grotesque proportions as it sucks the carcass dry (and not in a
fun way either). A lethal ambush predator, they'll be coming very soon to the dunes of the desert kingdom.
We'd hoped to get these in this month, working flat out to achieve it, but we just need to be realistic and push them back as they're simply not ready. Due to some sickness absences on the team the crunch required was just becoming unsustainable so they'll have to wait.
Whilst the bugs aren't far enough along to have you face them down just yet, the trophy for dealing with them is. This
Carapace Shield is a new equipment item to mix up your outfit.
(PSA: Please wash your hands after using this item. The CI development team accept no liability of any fantastical diseases contracted by holding the brainstem of a huge bug for a prolonged period)
We've not only expanded the world of the
Pre-Alpha UE4 build, but we've begun populating the
Alpha UE5 build with new megastructures. Finally the sands of Sabu are beginning to appear worthy of Kethra's reputation. The below screenshot shows one of the new tomb entrances, assembled in the dev map rather than Sabu 2.0. Teeny tiny Anubite for scale.
The entire team is in a constant process to increase quality and finalise the second pass on our assets as we give a last coat of polish for UE5. We're pulling out all the stops whilst also working to make the models, materials, effects, and UI even more performant than before. Recently we even upgraded our waterline to help blend our new "wet" effect (no, not that) in with the banks of our rivers (in next image:
without blend - top,
with blend - bottom).
The next Ascended update brings with it our expansive new quest,
Liquid Gold, including the first in-game look at our female centaur NPC. But it also brings a question which we want your input on...
We'll publish a poll soon, which we want as much engagement with as possible, about potentially bringing forward the UE5 timeline. We're finding that updating UE4 is eating into our development time and gradually dragging us behind, but UE5 isn't yet at Alpha candidate status. The question will be some form of "do you want UE5 earlier but less complete, with us releasing that build rather than the existing UE4 one".
It's not a simple question. Whilst the mechanics in UE5 are more Alpha state, including popular ones like pregnancy, mounts, and companions, there is less implemented quest content as the game now starts before the events of the current UE4 builds. It's worth thinking about, but we'll make a much more detailed breakdown for you to give your input on in early September.
This is one of those occasions where the feedback of the community will fundamentally impact how we approach the next six months of development. We'll give you the pros and cons, but ultimately we need to ensure we're listening to your opinion and bringing you with us.
Thank you so much for your continued support, we're really excited with how the gameplay is shaping up in UE5 and can't wait for you to get your hands on it - in Alpha or before!
Team Carnal Instinct
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Avatar Changelog - v0.3.52
- Added item "Carapace Shield"
- Added item "Iron Arrow" to Merchant Stock
- Added item "Steel Arrow" to Merchant Stock
- Added blockout map locations for "Liquid Gold"
UE5 Development
- Development New high-resolution Megastructures
- Development New enemy "Syphon Beetle"
- Development on Motion Warping for Execution System
- Development work on sailing boats
- Development work on Pregnancy (DSS intergration, Fertility/Verility Stats modifiers, pregnancy opt in/out shrines, pregnant NPC location)
- Development work on scripted events (opening large chests, opening large doors)
- Development work on compass state changes (Enemy zone red)
- Development work on new options menu design
- Development work on navigation to allow for followers in the world
- Development work on new special damage items such as Infusions, Resins and Throwable Items
- Development work on asynchronous loading screens
Ascended Changelog - v0.3.50
- Added new MxM Scene - "Standing Behind" as a part of Bribe Payoff
- Added new Standing Female/Futa Scene
- Added new "Sketchy Draconid" NPC to bribe the Guards and get the new MxM scene
- Added new Voice Acting for Citizens around Blood Script Corpse
- Added new Voice Acting for Watchman around Blood Script Corpse
- Fixed an issue with the Fennec Jackal Skin
- Fixed an issue with Multiple New Skins from v0.3.48->v0.3.59
- Fixed an issue with the Cock Buldge for some models in some scenes
UE5 Development
- Development New Story Content, NPCs and VA for upcoming quest - Liquid Gold
- Development New Implementation in progress for the new Form and Unlock System
- Development work for Lore System
- Development work - repeated UE5 crashes due to 5.0.2 - thanks papa Epic
- Development work - leveling improvements & changes
As usual, a reminder to not request this thread be updated to the latest build. Patreon versions of the game have protections that, if not bypassed, require the game be shared with sufficient information to compromise a Patreon account in order to function. Without that information, you get locked out at the title screen.