Java Cultivation Spiral [Release 1f] [CSdev]

[Remenissions253]

Ohhhh this is the corrupted saviors dev. Numbers go up makes sense now.

I couldn't get into saviors for some reason, but it's an interesting enough experience that i tried to come back a few times. Really awesome idea for a game but the effort/understanding/time vs pornographic reward just wasn't for me. It always felt like it should've been right up my alley.

This game though, I'm fiending for its future like an addict. I think the AI CG probably helps, even though the CSdev games are only gooning-adjacent since they require brain use. It not about the porn with this game anymore though. The general progression system is done better so far here imo, and that's all i needed to get locked-in. Having these set characters and story is nice as well. It kinda feels the opposite compared to the other game where there's variation and there's less MC connection/perspective.

Being able to somewhat idle this game is pretty smart, where did that idea come from? Even if this game had cheats, i would not use them. I feel like that's a decent identifier for a game like this being done well.

 

[c4145317]

Wow, and I thought I was crazy for my 100+ loops. I know I am crazy for discarding porn in search of bigger numbers though

My current record is 521 MoL with 42k invested. This is done via focusing on vitality growth early game while abusing vulnerable to push early relationships as hard as I can, Tanaka ends up at lvl 5 before day 32 for example. Then making use of lockpick and generous to unlock all lab actions where I switch to clothing+self destructive and grind academics while alternating between debate, game dev, and endurance testing(training?) when stamina permits. Late game is a matter of ensuring trained body is unlocked, unlocking actions in the city from maxing the country club, learning the language in one action thanks to the club, and trying to lower HP as much as possible while lvling wetwork at the same time for polymath points. Once I'm in the city I use trained body (this adds HP once enabled, so you want to turn it on at the college town and burn that), clothes, and self destructive. For the first ~19 days I'll push vitality, finances, and charisma as much as possible then switch to triumphant and daydream while visiting Tanaka and alternating between check in and have some drinks when needed.

Site seems to be having issues with uploading my image, I'll try editing and adding it later.

 

[kkai]

Some sort of dark mode would be greatly appreciated. Some people think it's just a preference, but for people with certain eye conditions like cataracts or chronic dry eyes, it can be actively painful and blurring to work with bright applications.

I originally wrote this but now I see from the screenshot above that perhaps it's already implemented? But I'm failing to find it in the options.

 

[Cryomaniac]

I originally wrote this but now I see from the screenshot above that perhaps it's already implemented? But I'm failing to find it in the options.

It actually isn't unfortunately. That's what it looks like in the end result screen of a loop.

 

[kkai]

It actually isn't unfortunately. That's what it looks like in the end result screen of a loop.

Oh okay, understood. Thanks! So I'd like to resubmit my original request to CSdev

 

[c4145317]

Finally broke 600 MoL per loop. The diminishing returns are real.

Wow, and I thought I was crazy for my 100+ loops

This did not age well.

Can someone attempt to explain what exactly the bonus from master your popularity does? It seems like it only has an effect on relationship levels earned after unlocking each level of the bonus, or is the bonus amount only displaying after new relationship levels?

 

[Cryomaniac]

Finally broke 600 MoL per loop. The diminishing returns are real.
View attachment 4708494


This did not age well.

Can someone attempt to explain what exactly the bonus from master your popularity does? It seems like it only has an effect on relationship levels earned after unlocking each level of the bonus, or is the bonus amount only displaying after new relationship levels?

It basically increases the bonuses to stat multipliers you get from increasing relationship levels. Normally you get 0.2x more of finance per dumont relationship level (if I am remembering correctly) but the popularity goal basically increases that, with the effect being larger the more charisma levels you have.

Also I am still stuck at like 560 or something. I clearly should be focusing on developer more. What do you usually focus on in your loops?

 

[c4145317]

It basically increases the bonuses to stat multipliers you get from increasing relationship levels. Normally you get 0.2x more of finance per dumont relationship level (if I am remembering correctly) but the popularity goal basically increases that, with the effect being larger the more charisma levels you have.

I get that, kinda... but is it like a +.x for each charisma level gained after getting the bonus? Additive or multiplicative? I know it doesn't boost Tanaka's charisma gain if you get the bonus while she's missing. I can't really tell if aiming for it is worth the timeslots spent on it early game or not.

Also I am still stuck at like 560 or something. I clearly should be focusing on developer more. What do you usually focus on in your loops?

So, looking at your 201k invested run here:

View attachment 4664640

you're overinvesting into frugality and adrenaline. Frugality is nice, until level 16 or so then you don't see much benefit in sinking MoL into it. Adrenaline is a dump stat to me, as there's no way any activity will have enough potential HP cost to match the gains you get from leveling any of the other stats. I basically use it as a MoL bank, dumping points into it when I can't spend anywhere else and taking them out when there's enough to feed better stats.
Early game the goal is to have Tanaka as leveled as possible, those charisma gains are sorely needed for the rest of the run.
To do this I focus on picking fights with Hashi for quick stam and progression unlocks while aiming to get lvl 2+ focus. Then I unlock access to Dumont's mansion, eye catching clothes(ECC), and vulnerable—home cooking, hopefully, should have been unlocked on the minor focus grind. Do not touch Tanaka again once vulnerable is unlocked. With ECC and vulnerable I further grind focus while unlocking the larceny kit and premium food. Once you have those and you feel your focus is decent enough to not waste timeslots you can begin grinding Tanaka's 3k goal to unlock being courted via larceny kit+generous (should stamina permit you can also begin work on clearing the first master your popularity), at that point you should probably have debate with Hashi unlocked. This is when I switch to ECC+vulnerable again to get the most out of my Tanaka gains. She was lvl 11, iirc, this run at the end of day 32.
Post-D32 I move back to larceny kit+generous and unlock self destructive (I typically have it unlocked already), access to Heilig, and access to acad grinding. It's important here to slow your roll and grind some Heilig levels via clothes+vulnerable before starting the acad grind. Then it's just a matter of grinding and unlocking until day 90 where I prep and make sure I have everything and the HP lowered for the city ready.

I have the save here for that run you can watch on loopy if you'd like. I am aware I'm a rather poor explainer.

 

[fapraven]

Is it planned for this to get more xianxia-like as it progresses or is the pseudo realworld setting going to be persistent?

 

[Cryomaniac]

Is it planned for this to get more xianxia-like as it progresses or is the pseudo realworld setting going to be persistent?

The developer made a post in this thread mentioning the MC would "escape the mundane world" eventually sometime in the future so I would assume it is likely.

 

[NilTide]

Do we know what the delay is between the Patreon releases and the free releases? I thought 1e was about 2 weeks, but 1f has been nearly a month. Assuming the Patreon posts with those titles contain the releases.
Not that I'm complaining - CSDev can do whatever makes sense. But would be good to know if some schedule has been set.

 

[Cryomaniac]

I have a feeling that they're trying to time it so that the current version is made public alongside a new patreon version releasing? Just a hunch, don't have any info.

 

[c4145317]

R1f is public on the recent release mega in the OP.
LESSSSGO

 

[CSdev]

Being able to somewhat idle this game is pretty smart, where did that idea come from? Even if this game had cheats, i would not use them. I feel like that's a decent identifier for a game like this being done well.

From the very start, I was trying to make "an incremental game which rewards you for playing more actively," but it still doesn't stray too far from its incremental game roots, so it's only natural to still let you play in more of an idle way.

I originally wrote this but now I see from the screenshot above that perhaps it's already implemented? But I'm failing to find it in the options.

Currently, the color scheme changes according to which part of the story you're at. But because those color schemes are already implemented in the first place, it shouldn't be too hard to add an option to just use one of them all the time. It's on my to-do list.

Finally broke 600 MoL per loop. The diminishing returns are real.
View attachment 4708494


This did not age well.

Can someone attempt to explain what exactly the bonus from master your popularity does? It seems like it only has an effect on relationship levels earned after unlocking each level of the bonus, or is the bonus amount only displaying after new relationship levels?

I meant to talk a little more about the diminishing returns in the last post, so here it is. For most things in the game, (including attributes, relationships, and the start-of-loop upgrades), every +1 level multiplies the cost by the 10th root of 10. This means that every 10 levels, the cost is multiplied by 10. (Meanwhile, every +3 levels is roughly x2 cost, which can be a more practical rule of thumb in a lot of cases.)

This means that, as your level climbs higher and higher, the total cost to get to the current level will approach (cost paid for just the current level)/(1 - 10^(-1/10)), which equals the cost paid for the current level times about 4.86. So, to hit Athletics 40 there, you should've paid a bit less than 50k Meaning of Life. In order to hit Athletics 50, that would become a bit less than 500k Meaning of Life.

Eventually, the amount of Meaning of Life you gain during normal play will start to reach these numbers, because the later Meaning of Life sources will be worth a lot more. The other half of the equation is the fact that each new upgrade unlocked generally starts off with a cost of much less than 9k, but grants a bonus much stronger than just going from Athletics 40 to Athletics 41.

Do we know what the delay is between the Patreon releases and the free releases? I thought 1e was about 2 weeks, but 1f has been nearly a month. Assuming the Patreon posts with those titles contain the releases.
Not that I'm complaining - CSDev can do whatever makes sense. But would be good to know if some schedule has been set.

I have a feeling that they're trying to time it so that the current version is made public alongside a new patreon version releasing? Just a hunch, don't have any info.

Yeah, it seems like people who sign up to the Patreon ought to get something special right away, but of course I don't want the free version to fall way behind the Patreon one, so this should be as far as it goes.

Speaking of which, R1f is indeed now public! I'm on my way to update the first post, but for now, here's the release text for R1f:

This month's update is sort of an iceberg. On the surface, it just advances the main plot in the Metropolis by a single story scene. But the goal to unlock that scene uses the new "opposed goal" mechanic, and players who like to decompile the game and examine the code will see that more actions and goals using this mechanic are already very playable. However, these actions and goals are potentially buggy, likely to get rebalanced, and don't have scenes written for them yet, which is why they're currently "commented-out" and can't be accessed without modifying the game's code.

If you've been grinding up your Meaning of Life since the last release, you might barely even notice the extra difficulty added by opposed goals having their progress decay over time. But for players going to the Metropolis for the first time, it will become even more important to prepare well in the College Town before setting out, and the opposition will only get stronger as the plot moves forward. With greater difficulty will come greater rewards and more efficient ways of increasing your Meaning of Life, so what seems like a huge pile of MoL right now might not actually seem so big in Release 2.

As I work on Cultivation Spiral, I'm trying to balance the competing priorities of adding more romance scenes on one hand and working toward Release 2 on the other. Romance scenes can be added in a single month to make for a more satisfying update, while reaching Release 2 is a larger goal goal which won't really pay off until it's completely done. To better get across how close we are to Release 2, I've made a list of things which need to be done before we get there.

• Goals and Actions for meeting Lancia - DONE
• Power attribute implementation - Done, but not thoroughly tested
• Goals and Actions for meeting Paladin - Not yet
• Mindfulness attribute implementation - Not yet
• College town quest extensions - 25% done
• R2 Main story goal - Not yet
• R2 Side feats implementation and testing - 33% done
• R2 Visual assets - 5% done
• R2 Textual assets - 5% done

As we get close to the end of the list, I'm going to want to shift gears toward just finishing Release 2 so that all this stuff can finally be enjoyed by the playerbase. But for now, I'm fine with continuing to alternate between romance-focused releases and plot-focused ones. For the rest of this month, I'll be working on female protagonist assets. Then, at the end of the month, I'll close the poll and do whichever scene wins alongside the introduction to Jackal's route.

I'm always open to feedback about where I should be focusing my efforts next. The road to Release 2 looks pretty daunting, but this month's update takes us another big step closer to it.

 

[Shasou]

From the very start, I was trying to make "an incremental game which rewards you for playing more actively," but it still doesn't stray too far from its incremental game roots, so it's only natural to still let you play in more of an idle way.

Currently, the color scheme changes according to which part of the story you're at. But because those color schemes are already implemented in the first place, it shouldn't be too hard to add an option to just use one of them all the time. It's on my to-do list.

I meant to talk a little more about the diminishing returns in the last post, so here it is. For most things in the game, (including attributes, relationships, and the start-of-loop upgrades), every +1 level multiplies the cost by the 10th root of 10. This means that every 10 levels, the cost is multiplied by 10. (Meanwhile, every +3 levels is roughly x2 cost, which can be a more practical rule of thumb in a lot of cases.)

This means that, as your level climbs higher and higher, the total cost to get to the current level will approach (cost paid for just the current level)/(1 - 10^(-1/10)), which equals the cost paid for the current level times about 4.86. So, to hit Athletics 40 there, you should've paid a bit less than 50k Meaning of Life. In order to hit Athletics 50, that would become a bit less than 500k Meaning of Life.

Eventually, the amount of Meaning of Life you gain during normal play will start to reach these numbers, because the later Meaning of Life sources will be worth a lot more. The other half of the equation is the fact that each new upgrade unlocked generally starts off with a cost of much less than 9k, but grants a bonus much stronger than just going from Athletics 40 to Athletics 41.


Yeah, it seems like people who sign up to the Patreon ought to get something special right away, but of course I don't want the free version to fall way behind the Patreon one, so this should be as far as it goes.

Speaking of which, R1f is indeed now public! I'm on my way to update the first post, but for now, here's the release text for R1f:

I'm so excited at the direction this game is going for, thank you so much for making games like Corrupted Saviors and Cultivation Spiral, they are such a refreshing change of pace from the endless wave of games with the same repeated mechanics and design. Not only are they refreshing, but they're pretty damm good in quality. Bless your heart CSDev, always happy to hear about your works

...Hmm, CS Dev, Corrupted Saviors, Cultivation Spiral.....wait just a minute here dev, i'm onto your little Jedi mind tricks, i see your game, you're not fooling me anymore! You're sneaking your brand right into the shareholders' office table aren't you!? Well your jig is up, i'm calling Nintendo

 

[Cryomaniac]

Spoiler for new 1f content, don't click if you wanna avoid em!​

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[Hammyak]

Spoiler for new 1f content, don't click if you wanna avoid em!​

Unlocked actions don't have a goal even if you had reached the previous goal normally, so I'd guess they are just not in this update.



Also, a suggestion to the dev: could we get rid of the new action unlocked notification (highlighting and exclamation mark) after the day is over even if you didn't click them? It's very annoying to go over every one of them just to get rid of it when you get a bunch at once in later loops

 

[Cryomaniac]

Unlocked actions don't have a goal even if you had reached the previous goal normally, so I'd guess they are just not in this update.



Also, a suggestion to the dev: could we get rid of the new action unlocked notification (highlighting and exclamation mark) after the day is over even if you didn't click them? It's very annoying to go over every one of them just to get rid of it when you get a bunch at once in later loops

Ahh gotcha. Did you figure out how to get the Ruler fulfillment achievement then? I didn't really notice any new content other than that at the end.

 

[calculateplus00]

Thanks

 

[Gremory Rias]

Ah fellow Daoists, I hope the dev does the genre justice.