Last Human Ep4 (Devlog 3)

My friends... I skipped last week's devlog. To be honest, I didn't have a lot to report at the time. In my last devlog, I was well into writing scene 5. Today, I am on scene 12. So, what happened? I should have been further along than that after 2 weeks. Writer's block happened. Basically, I had written a cool situation then found some errors in the continuity. After going back over my story notes, I decided to rewrite the scene. Same situation, with errors corrected. Sometimes, this happens. My 'block' came during that rewrite. So, I went several days without writing anything at all. Four days ago, I woke up at 3am from a dead sleep, with an idea - my 'block' was cured. I wrote the entire series of scenes from 3am until around 8am when it was time for me to work my full-time job. The end result is... well it's definitely much better and I am continuing on. The problem is that when this happens, I can't go on and write ahead because I write the story in order from beginning to end. If I get stuck, I am just stuck until I get it figured out.

Now that the block is gone and the veil is lifted, I am able to move forward again. Following that situation in the story, the Aurora and its crew will be returning to Sol. I won't say more than that for now. A lot is happening in this episode as the crew travel to several locations. At this time, I am literally a few lines from the halfway point in the coding process. And if I don't run into any more of those damn blocks, I should knock out the rest of the coding within a few short weeks. Even after this little delay, that would put me slightly ahead of schedule in getting started on the graphics, so this is a good thing. But you need to know in advance... it is going to be a lot more images than I have done in any previous update to either of my games. So bear with me and be patient. I am going for quality here, not speed. Keep in mind also that I am adding some graphics to episode 1 that were missing and editing the dialogue slightly there. As for adding in the episode guide, I'll do that during a shorter episode. There is just too much to get done right now to tackle that too. I'll probably work on that a little bit between releases.

I know, I'm a long-winded fucker... stick with me here. I wanted to comment on porn AVN issues and where I stand on that. I have seen a lot of posts here and there about Patreon dropping creators because of certain content. People ask why I won't let you have sex with MC's sister in Serenity. That very thing is one reason. The other is that this kind of content does nothing for me. Pretty much every other AVN out there is that "landlord/landlady" or "childhood friend" crap. That content, plus stuff that borders on the 'R' word, or characters that look too much like children... I've always made sure my games don't break any of these rules. With that said, what I am seeing is that line slowly moving backwards. It's hard to find music sites that will allow you to use their music if your game is 'porn' in nature at all. That little aspect right there hurts me because it is an important part of how I tell a story... the right music choice in a scene can make the difference between a scene that brings tears to your eyes, or a scene that is completely emotionless. I want you to see that emotion on the faces of the characters, and the music should coexist with that, strengthen what you feel when you read through it. I spend as much time choosing music as I do writing the code for an update... it is that important to me. I've written scenes totally based on a track I found (the scene where Trixy tricks MC into reliving those terrible memories of his mother was written when I found that song that plays during the scene). If I lose the selection of songs I have to choose from, that will hurt my process in a huge way.

If the line keeps moving backwards until porn is completely unacceptable by all of the online resources we currently have that help us to make a little side money, then you will see me switching to a more R-rated system. I know that would probably lose about half of my subscribers - but that won't even matter if I can't even use the site that supports subscriptions to start with. So, either way, I know I will lose some fans, and I know a few of you would stick around. This is not something I am planning right now. I just wanted to mention it. Right now, I think Serenity and especially Last Human are fine and aren't breaking any TOS rules on Patreon. As long as that is true, then nothing will change. But if that line begins to touch me, and push me backwards, I'll make a change. Let's hope that never happens, at least until I complete Serenity. It would be easier to remove X-rated content in LH than Serenity if this were to happen. From what I've seen, it doesn't matter how big of a creator you are... some pretty big names have been hit. Of course, their games did have content that was pushing the boundaries. Keep it wholesome people... the AVN community can survive if we do that.

Well, that's all I have this week. Now I must get back to coding. I'll be plugged in all weekend... I have my snacks and drinks, a great playlist of new music I'll be listening to (in search of new songs to use), and the wife is away all weekend. If I don't answer DM's, you know why. By the way, a shout out to Caribdis (Eternum). His recent update was great and Eternum is becoming a standard for the rest of us HS2 devs to live up to. I hope my stuff looks as good as yours one day my friend. Outstanding work.

Love you all, ...Fire

Last Human Ep4 (Devlog 2)

Hello and happy weekend once again my fellow starship captains! I have a lot to do this weekend, so we'll keep this short and to the point, just a quick update to let you know where I am and to keep you in the loop.

I've been pressing right along with writing/coding, currently well into scene 5 of... I still don't know how many scenes there will be, sorry! If I had to guess, I'd just throw '20' out there. It's a big ass update so I could be overestimating a bit there.

I'm considering adding episode images at the beginning of each episode (similar to the image of Dezzy I posted in devlog 1). I think it would be a neat little extra plus something graphic that sort of distinguishes the end of one episode and beginning of the next.

I also really want to add an episode selection screen. But this one is tricky because if a person who has never played decides to jump right into episode 2, or 4, or whatever, they will not have defined the variables for their own name, which would default to 'Mike' or 'pet'. Yes, there are plenty of ways around that but trying to avoid anything too complicated. I may do it in a way that forces you to have at least played episode 1 or add a quick question when you hit 'play' on an episode asking if you need to rename your character or your chosen word for 'pet'. I'll toy with a few ideas and see if I like it or not. I don't know if that will make it into this update because I have enough work to do for that already. But definitely on my list of features to add. Meanwhile, you're welcome to offer up your thoughts or preferences on that.

That's all I have right now. Thanks for your messages in DM's and comments on posts, and your support - all appreciated! Now let's go enjoy the weekend, love you all, ...Fire

Last Human Ep4 (Devlog 1)

Hello, my friends... here we are, finally back to Last Human. Today I organized my episode 4 script file and went over my outline for the story. I'm hoping I won't have too many rewrites (I always say that). This marks the beginning of the writing/coding process. I always like to get everything written before I start doing graphics because I can pay more attention to details in the dialogue as I work and make any corrections or changes along the way to perfect the image I'm going for. I'm not sure exactly how many 'scenes' I'll have yet, but hopefully I'll have an update on that by devlog 3.

I won't spoil too much of this episode because I don't want to ruin your first read-through. But this one will focus a lot on Dezzy, the third 'pet' (or whichever name you chose) MC needs to mate with. We'll of course see interactions with most of the girls through the episode, but Dezzy will get most of the attention. You're really going to get a sense of her personality here. She's been a mystery to us for the most part, at least up until she broke into our quarters and met us in there. Dezzy is on the naughty side with a slight pain fetish. For those of you not into that, don't worry too much - it's me, it will be fairly tame stuff. But getting away from the sex stuff, we'll get to know her a little better as a person, our security chief, and still a member of the queen's blades.

Now apart from Dezzy... the Aurora will be leaving Pantherian orbit finally. After a short stop back at the planet Teldarr (where Nia crashed us) to take some accurate readings and scans, we'll be heading much further out into the Pantherian system to the planet Eyska. I won't say more beyond that for now, but I think it should be a great episode!

Well, keeping this short. I know how much you guys love my walls of text! :D Anyway, hang in there, we're on our way to the update now, my friends.

Love you all, ...Fire

Serenity post-release & Last Human updates

Sorry in advance for the long post, but there are a few things to cover. The image is just a random I through together with some of the girls wearing costumes from art I did in the past (not a preview from the upcoming release). Now that Serenity's update is finally done and out there, we can start talking about what is next. Other than the obvious, Last Human's update, there are some changes and a rewrite that are going to take place during this development run. I have my work cut out for me.

Serenity Episode 3: The update went very well and even though it took too long, I am super happy with how it turned out. I do apologize that you guys had to wait so long for it, I'm hoping that never happens again. Life tends to change priorities sometimes and I can't help that. But here we are finally.

Serenity Chapter 1: One of the biggest downfalls to Serenity is Chapter 1. Most of the bad reviews of Serenity are because of that. And sadly, most people stop playing it before ever getting to any of the improved parts of the game. Yes, it needs to be rewritten and that is basically developing a new game - which I just don't have time for right now. However, I have reopened my old project folder and begun looking at it. What a mess! I was all over the place back then. I've learned a lot about organizing the script and setting up scenes since then. But the main issue is the writing itself, not to mention some of the old graphics. It really bothers me. A lot of the choices I made and dialogue I chose just fall flat or is just plain cringe. Although I intended the MC to be a bit shy and a victim of bullying, the way I wrote him he comes off as much worse. Sex scenes came too fast, everything happened... too fast. It's just a chaotic mess. Thankfully I've learned since then about timing when writing. When you write it can feel like a scene is taking a long time when in reality, reading it back is very fast. Anyway, I'm saying all of this because I wanted you to know that I plan to address it. But it will be small pieces here and there and it won't happen overnight. So, a rework of Serenity Chapter 1 is in the works, but will be a long, laborious process that won't release until all of it is done.

Last Human (Lili): It has been brought up to me a few times (once just recently) that Lili leaving Serenity doesn't make sense. I was already aware of that myself and have chosen how to address it. Sometimes you write these things without thinking. But that is why these games are basically in BETA right now - incomplete. And so we'll adjust and correct the situation before it goes any further. I will be removing the final scene in LH episode 3 (where Serenity MC shows up to deliver Lili). That scene will be replaced with something else that you'll see when you play the next update to LH. Lili will remain in Serenity.

Last Human (Blarg): One thing I wanted to comment on is Blarg, the ex-Acladean rebel that has basically become part of the Aurora's crew. There will be NO sex scenes involving Blarg. There will be NO NTR. I wanted one male presence that MC could relate to. Don't worry, there won't be a lot of scenes but for some parts in future episodes, having Blarg there just makes the scene better. In the constant comparison to Star Trek, I guess might compare him to "Worf". But that really isn't the case here. Blarg's role is very much a 'back seat' one. What I'm saying is that there will be short events with Blarg, or small parts in some scenes. He is our connection to the Acladeans and will play a part in our future associations with that race. As well as adding another element in situations where he might have input.

Last Human (What's next): Episode 4 is a long one. A lot will be happening. And with the scene replacement at the end of episode 3, I have a lot of work to do. The Aurora will finally leave again now that the starbase is pretty much completed and Pantheria has defenses in place. This is where the story of Last Human ACTUALLY starts. What we've seen so far has really just been a long prelude. We've mated with two of our "pets" and will find opportunities to mate with the rest over the course of the series. But those kinds of scenes are not the priority right now. Different characters will be put into interesting, funny, or dramatic situations. I won't spoil the next adventure that awaits them, but I think you guys will enjoy what is to come.

Last Human (Missing Images): Back in episode 1, when MC, Alexis, and Natalie first enter the space station above earth... there is a lot of missing images of them walking through the station on their way to the Aurora. I will also be fixing that problem.

Development time: Now the part we all dread... how long will it take? I'm thinking 5 to 6 months because there is a lot more content to build and write. I have the story for episode 4 outlined, but I still need to write the script and begin coding. I already know what is going to happen, I just have to write the dialogue. This episode may end up at around 1800 images I think. We'll see how it plays out when I write the dialogue because that is what usually dictates how many renders I will create. I told you, it will be a big update... along with the rewrite at the end of episode 3, and filling in those missing images... yeah. I need the break right now but feel like I should be working. Anyway, I'll start working again at the end of next week. It will kick off with the first Last Human (Episode 4) devlog on Friday the 29th.

That's it for now my friends. Thanks for all the comments, feedback, and positive messages you've sent me. I try to respond to everyone, so if I missed you, send me another and I'll reply as soon as I can. Love you all, ...Fire

Serenity C2 Episode 3 (Devlog 17)

Hey everyone! Well, I have good news... I have started on scene 15 as of yesterday, so I've had a really great week development-wise. I have commissioned Cryoxxx to work on an animation for me so that I can keep plugging away at these renders and get this thing done. So, it's thanks to him that I can keep rendering. After scene 15, just 2 scenes left to go, and they aren't overly long and should be fairly easy to manage. I'm going to do as much as I can over this weekend. I do have some animations to do, so that will slow me down a bit. But I am determined to complete this episode finally and get a couple of weeks break before starting on Last Human again for its next episode.

The image this week is of course Kat in a very simple pose. I just think it's a sexy one. This image is taken from scene 12 during the date event with Kat and leads into a nice remake of the shower scene from way back in Serenity Chapter 1.

Well, not much else to talk about this week without spoiling the story. So, I'll keep this one short and get back to work. I appreciate the kind messages you guys have been sending. There are just over 1800 of you following me (on Patreon alone). If you just joined, thanks so much! Love you all, ...Fire

Serenity C2 Episode 3 (Devlog 16)

Hello again everyone and Happy Friday :)

Alright, let's get right to business... I am nearly done with scene 11 and will begin scene 12 probably by tomorrow night. I HOPE to finish scene 12 by Sunday night and on to scene 13 by Monday. Beyond that will be just 4 scenes to go, getting these renders completed. This takes so damn long because I render a LOT of images. My image-per-line ratio is like a 2 average, with a lot of '1 image for 1 line' also. Meaning, each line of dialog has a new image. Do the math, it ends up being a lot of rendering. We'll have between 1400 and 1500 images in this episode alone. You can look forward to about the same number of images for episode 4 of Last Human also.

The attached images for this devlog are of Kat. She's made herself over for a special date with MC. Two weeks ago, I posted a Patron-only devlog giving this preview (Serenity C2 Episode 3 (Devlog 14) - Patrons). I'm releasing those here now for everyone. Aside from the hairstyle which may be temporary, I did make a few minor changes to Kat. They were just little things that bugged the hell out of me, and I felt needed some tweaking. You may not even notice these changes as easily as I do. But you might notice that the color of her eyes is a bit brighter now. I love heterochromia and realize the colors in her eyes was just a bit too dull. So, I lifted the saturation a bit and also gave them a tiny glow. And another thing that was bugging me was her mouth shape for certain facial expressions. When she smiled it just didn't look right to me. I adjust that a bit until I think it's better now. For fans of her classic "Tifa" hairstyle, that will be back. But from here on out, you can expect to see Kat in different hairstyles from time to time. I really hope you guys like her new look!

Now, let's talk about the release for this episode. Last month in one of my devlogs, I think I mentioned that I planned to have this ready by mid-March. Right now, looking at what I have left to do, I feel like that might actually be possible. But I make no promises. I am shooting for the week of March 18th. It all depends on if my full-time job decides to screw me. I never know how that is going to go and how often I will have to work late dealing with some crazy network issue or putting out other fires. So, all I can say is... thank you for being patient thus far... I hope you continue to be patient with me. If you guys saw how a typical day goes for me, you'd all think I was absolutely nuts. Seriously. One positive I can say towards that predicted release time is that all our computer upgrades are finally DONE... and support stuff is starting to slow down slightly and is trending that way considerably! Keep your fingers crossed for me that it keeps going like that!

Now I need to get back to work. It's the weekend (prime development time for me) and I don't want to waste a moment of it. If I don't answer you in Discord or on my other sites, trust me - I will eventually. I'm just busy. I love you all, ...Fire