Kinky Studio - Devlog 009
In this devlog, I'll talk about the last two updates of Kinky Studio: 0.1.9 and 0.1.10.
As the game moves forward and the number of features increases, the need to develop better tools to control everything has started to emerge.
A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the leash system, which made it possible to drag and move models around the studio. This is cool, but it also created the need for a better system to control which model we are interacting with.
To help with that, I've added an outline that appears around the character. It detects the distance between the main character and the other models. This makes it much easier to see who we are controlling when walking around the area and playing with multiple models.
In snapshot view, the game also detects if there are multiple models in front of the camera. If that's the case, a small icon appears on the left, allowing you to switch from model to model while keeping the active menu open. The goal is to make it efficient and give quick access to the domination menu while controlling multiple models.
I also made a DX11 version in order to be compatible with older GPUs. The number of downloads really confirmed that this was needed, as many users are running the game on older hardware. And it actually works great! I was able to test it myself on my 10-year-old GTX 1080.
So during development, I will keep releasing alpha versions in both DX12 and DX11.
Since I'm talking about versions, I also sometimes make a Linux version, and it works. But since I currently don't have Linux installed, I have to rely on people who try it out, and so far I got good feedback about it. However, I cannot really maintain it properly during development. So if you want to try a Linux version, feel free to write to me. Since I cannot debug or test it myself, I don't expose it publicly for now. But I do plan to make a proper Linux version at release or post-release.
I will also try to make a Mac version. I already tried, but it's more complicated than the Linux one. So I'll probably look at the Mac version after release, as it can be a bit more difficult to do properly.
Now let's talk about the latest update!
The latest update brought three new features: a clothing management system, a tape gag, and video snapshot mode.
Let's talk about the clothing system first. For this, I worked with a latex designer friend who makes her own latex clothing. She uses software to create the patterns, and after some R&D, I found a way to import those patterns directly into Unreal.
This has some big advantages. I could give her the base models, she could easily adapt them in her clothing software, and then export the clothing directly. In Unreal, there is a new clothing system called Chaos Cloth, which is really powerful but also a bit sensitive. After spending some time experimenting with it, I was able to get some nice results.
Then the challenge was: how do I adapt the clothing to each character?
Until now, all the gags and bondage restraints are adapted to each body and face. This takes time, but it allows for real diversity in bodies and faces, and I think that's one of the strong points of the game.
But for clothing, adapting everything manually can be much more time-consuming than adjusting a strap on face gear. Luckily, Unreal had a solution for that. Because I'm using Metahumans, there is a workflow that allows me to create dynamic clothing that adapts to the body. As long as I have one working piece of clothing on a Metahuman body, I can reuse it to create dynamic models.
Which is actually insane! It means that even future avatars I create will be able to wear the clothing.
That was a really nice discovery. I plan to add more clothing, and maybe some non-latex clothing as well.
To make the clothing system work, I had to create a masking system to hide parts of the avatar. During the R&D, I also experimented with Mutable, which is Unreal's built-in way to make dynamic avatars. It looked nice, and it has some really powerful features, but it also feels kind of packed inside itself. Currently, I feel more free building the avatar my own way with a custom blueprint class, because it gives me more control.
I also made a new tape gag. This was really interesting to do, and I discovered a couple of things while making it. The best thing I learned was the workflow to transfer face weights to the gag. This is actually really nice, because it allows the tape to move with the facial expression and look much more realistic.
Now that I understand this workflow better, I will see if I can do something similar with leather gags, in order to have the straps sit closer to the cheeks. But there is still some R&D needed for that.
I also made some UI changes. In order to expand the number of gear options, I made the UI more dynamic and able to move around. This means I can greatly increase the amount of gear and have everything reorganize itself inside the wheel.
The main menu also moves up and down now to center the current selection. This gives me more flexibility, as I might add more categories in the future.
The UI feels more future-proof like this, while still being simple to use and quite intuitive. By release, I aim to remove the text and use only images/icons, as I think it will look much nicer and clearer than text on a black background.
The last addition was video snapshot mode. Since the game focuses a lot on expressions, I think it's nice to be able to capture video as well.
A few words about what comes next!
The game is starting to feel more complete with all the features it now has. There are still some big features missing. For example, the outfit system currently works for clothing, but I also need one for shoes and boots. This will impact sound, but it will also create conflicts between some clothing and some shoes. So, similar to the body and clothing system, it will require a masking system so everything can combine properly.
Content-wise, I need to add more restraint options as well. I'm still missing some thigh bondage features that I would love to have.
I like to make things in parallel so I can directly see the problems that each feature creates. I try to anticipate a lot, but I always miss some issues that appear along the way. So I think the game is in a good spot now, with lots of systems already present. This will help me see and manage issues as they appear when I add more thigh restraints.
I also want more gear, more sounds, more voices, and more content in general. Everything needs to become more furnished.
For the last big part, I want to work on the struggle and agent systems. I think it will make the studio feel more lively if the models can have a will of their own. But I want to have all the systems in place, and more content inside the game, before going there.
So yes, I'm really looking forward to all of this! I'm also excited to start creating more content now that the core systems are starting to feel solid.
If you want to be the first to know when the game is available, you can add it to your wishlist on
Steam or follow it on
itch.io.
You can also join my
Discord, where I publish work-in-progress pictures and info.
Thank you all for the support and interest in my game!
Stay kinky! 🔒