7F Progress Report tl;dr - Still working on it; will not be in March For a spoiler-free explanation for how long 7F is taking, scroll up and replace mentions of Karen/6F with 7F as the situation is very similar: Bo has had trouble finalizing the floor flow to his satisfaction. A bit more info on our progress and design style for 7F is below. ===(edited)
The main pivot with 7F is Bo wants to expand the scale of floor quest/exploration mechanics. While previous floors have a variety of mechanics, he feels they all essentially just ferry players from one ero-scene to another and wants to try something more organic. Even 6F, which introduced "quests" proper, basically just has you walk to spot X or interact with object Y. The compact method has merits, of course: it trims a lot of the fat on both ends, many players
want to be ferried from one scene to another, and we recognize that tedious RPG mechanics are a pitfall to many otherwise-great ero-RPGs -- but ultimately Bo and I agree properly implemented mechanics add a lot to the lewdness and appeal of the game. And we don't see any reason to abandon our own ambition just because most other games don't seem to have found the right balance. On the other hand, if the floor flow is too opaque, everyone will simply ask for a guide/flowchart on release day, meaning we're also trying to ensure that there's a sufficiently satisfying "autopilot" path. This has a variety of benefits, such as a main thread to connect the floor, as well as more freedom/plausible-deniability to make more intense or specialized scenes in some areas on the basis that players will only find them if they go looking. Anyway, we think it's worth trying: before their respective implementations, the most requested features in the game were sniffing Scarlett and then Cobra's shoes. As far as we can tell, you all enjoy turning over rocks and finding something lewd as much as me and Bo, and we want to take that to the next level by making a floor with lots of nooks and crannies, and more elaborate outcomes than some easter-egg text or a quick ero scene. There's also the completely amazing mechanics I mentioned in the last update but still don't want to spoil, so continue to get hype (and apologies for constantly hitting hype's snooze button). ===
On my end, I'm working on some odds and ends in addition to 7F and 8F. Karen's puppy stuff is on the way, as well as a sort of overhaul/mini-expansion for Lady Cobra. Like Bo, I've been learning more about scripting in Ruby/RGSS3 (RPGM's language), which opens the path to a lot of features I wish I had a long time ago. And more flexibility in functionality gives more flexibility in storytelling. My plan is to add these changes along with 7F, but depending on how long 7F takes, they may be part of an intermediate release similar to the EX/Cleaning update from last year. We're aware that this is the longest gap between releases so far and not any more happy about it than you are, but ultimately the game itself takes priority. Thanks as always for everyone's patience and support.
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As for the interim release: this is of my design and was something I was planning to add along with 7F, but 7F is taking so long that the benefits of pairing them (heralding the new content with richer and more polished foundation) no longer outweighs the cost (failing to give you guys any tangible signs of life). This update will contain additional content for all the floors. Notably, many combat dialogues and twists are being added to make fights more repayable from a lewd/rp perspective. More floor events are also being added, especially if you've become submissive to certain bosses. There will even be some CG support now that my artistic skills have improved (and don't worry; Bo always gives me stuff a once-over). As mentioned before, Karen and Cobra will be getting special attention, but everyone (yes, even Lily -- even Miss Claus, actually) has something substantial in the works. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say I'm excited for some special events where the ladies actually notice if a boy has been foolish enough to end up at Lvl/ATK/DEF 1... and treat him accordingly. Anyway, I was going to recommend that people start a fresh save for 7F, but since people would (understandably) probably want to rush right to 7F, staggering the releases is probably for the best. As always, thanks for everyone's patience and support. I know I always sign off with that, but it deserves to be recognized every time; you all believing in us is why 7F is possible over simple bosses-of-the-month. Please find below a sketch of the 7F map. (And before anyone asks: yes, it is still in the Tower.)(edited)