Dev Log: 7/22/2026

Back from my vacation and spinning up to what I’d consider a (somewhat) solid workflow. The Design Doc is still a work-in-progress, but that’s what happens when you end up overhauling a 300-page DD!

I did miss working on Sable’s Siege, though. I dislike unearned downtime, so, while I loved seeing family and friends again and being in the great outdoors, there wasn’t all that much to keep my bipolar shit show of a brain busy. Sure, I ended up scrapping an entire side job and replacing it with an objectively better one while on vay-cay, but I wasn’t in the right set/setting, let alone headspace, to tinker with Sable’s Siege. But it’s also true to say I needed a break from the game, from life.

So, what’s actually new or more fleshed out in Siege? 

BALANCE: I realized that Kaios’ (your) Horde units, such as Orcs, Marauders, Hunters, were fine as far as their roles/classes in a combat instance, but that I was pushing forward with little idea of how Sable’s Squad would look. I created a White Mage (a female unit that sometimes triggers a spicy cut-in when she’s defeated), as well as Wardens (Sable’s Honor Guard), but little else. So I’m currently working out how to make sure Sable’s units are unique to a castle garrison, but don’t just mirror Kaios’/yours, too. 

I have a few unit type ideas, and am leaning on the dark fantasy + besieged castle setting to fill Sable’s roster, such as conscripts, which will function as a basic unit and match Kaios’ Brigands. Classes like the brawlers or chip-damage units are WIPs (works in progress) names for now, but I also need to ensure their move sets aren’t just the noble-named variants of Kaios’. If Sable is going to have similar unit types, they need to at least have attacks/special attacks that don’t parrot their Horde-based foes.

DEFEAT SCENES: Fans of corruption games within the eroge genre are familiar with this convention, and an eroge without one is, in most contexts, the equivalent of a Mortal Kombat game sans fatalities. I’ve always been a bit surprised when, in games that support the mechanical depth to pull it off, they defer to a “Surrender” player option that immediately ends the combat instance, routing to a unit-/level-specific Defeat Scene.

Now, I understand that things such as budgets, time constraints, code architecture, and plenty more factor into why an eroge might do this, and I’m not saying they’re bad games as a result. I will say, however, that I have no intention of making Sable a pushover. You hunt and aim to corrupt her, and she’s hunting you too, but I never want Sable’s AI to rout to Surrender for a quick Defeat Scene. That sort of reward ought to be earned and, in some contexts, not even guaranteed. 

Which is why I’ve decided that, when beaten 2 times in a single day, Sable will not 100% rout to a scene after either defeat. Instead, there’s a dice roll-based chance she actually escapes the Defeat Scene. Factors such as Kaios’ Succubus Crest upgrades, Sable’s Depravity level, and more will help determine Sable’s auto-escape chances. 

But with that in mind, defeating Sable 3 times in a day 100% guarantees a Defeat Scene. If you’re crushing it, building up solid Rampage buffs, and punching holes through the castle level you’re Conquering, you should be rewarded for consecutive Sable defeats.

As far as how many of your units can “participate” in a Defeat Scene, I’m thinking, for the late-game, something like 20. It sounds like a lot, but your units’ stats by that point, alongside Sable’s sexual prowess (assuming her AI chooses a Depraved path), mean the scene will move at a decent clip. Also, early-game Defeat Scenes will start with 3, but I may raise or even lower that unit cap.

I already have a strong idea of how each Defeat Scene will be depicted per the level it occurs on, and have found some reference images that I’m creating composite scenes of, replete with all the secondary Sable body slots the player’s units can “access,” which, right now, is pretty impressive. If she wasn’t before, Sable will be a multi-tasking wizard after you’re done with her!

There’s a bunch of nitty-gritty DD stuff I’m still hashing out, but it’s not sexy and/or interesting enough to mention here. Still, the game’s chugging along, and I’m even considering partnering up with a full-time artist, and not just a contractor, so Sable’s Siege artwork, from sketches to finished assets, is a regular post for paying patrons.

That’s it for now. Off to work the day job, but hit me up if you’re curious about game elements, chatbots I’ve created on Spicychat and Juicychat, or whatever.

~R.P.

The attached image(s) are AI-generated, but the final game will feature all human-created art assets, voice work, music/SFX, level design, etc.