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Interview with the SlutCraft team: How we built update 0.47

We have a special post for you. We decided to gather our team for a “virtual round table” and ask each other about the process of creating update 0.47. What was the most difficult part? Which scenes did you like the most? And what can be expected next? All this through the eyes of a scriptwriter, programmer, artist, and game designer.

🎤 Interview with Arthur, lead developer of SlutCraft:

🔹 What was the main theme of update 0.47? We spent a long time gathering feedback and realized that the audience wanted a branching storyline. Some people dreamed of Sarah's victory, while others wanted to see her fall. So we made 0.47 a connecting link between these outcomes. This update is all about opportunity. The opportunity to change the fate of Queen of Blades. The opportunity to keep fighting... or give up.

🔹 Which scenes or plot twists do you think are the most powerful? I would single out the “Collar” scene. It is very emotionally charged. For me personally, it’s a moment when a character as strong as Queen of Blades shows her vulnerability. Not out of weakness, but because even heroes have their limits. The scene, the art, and the acting there are just 🔥

🔹 Was there anything that was cut or changed last minute? Oh, sure. It's almost a tradition for us. We even call it an “update incident” internally: when you want to get everything done, but you have to delay something. Fortunately, we plan to bring back the cut content — the next update will feature scenes that didn't make it into 0.47. Keep an eye on the changelog 😉

🔹 Which scene or feature took the most time? It's definitely the “Chance” scene. That's where the story hits a huge fork in the road. Multiple paths, totally different points of emphasis, vibes. We needed to consider not only the specific route, but also how it fits into the bigger picture. And yeah, we've only done one of the paths so far — more is coming.

🔹 Do you have any plans for something experimental or radically new? Yes! Next update will be the experimental culmination. We will be focusing on the combat route, and to be honest, we were inspired by the approach taken in NieR: Automata. We want to combine boss fights, psychological turmoil, and unconventional game mechanics. The details are still under wraps... but it will be something special.

🔹 How is the team feeling after the release? Morale is at its highest. There is a sense of relief, joy, and pride. We launched the release in a short timeframe, while adding a lot of content and improving our processes. I think you can feel the difference compared to previous updates. And we are only gaining momentum. 💪

✍️ Interview with SlutCraft scriptwriter:

🔹 Is this update focused more on character development or “hot” scenes? How do you balance the two? We are getting closer to the finale, so it's important to strike a balance between character development, story progression, and NSFW content in each update.

Yes, sex scenes often become the core of an episode, but they are always built around a strong narrative context so as not to lose the mood and rhythm of the story.

Sometimes a single frame changed everything: inspiration came suddenly, and a new facet of the scene appeared, deeper or more candid.

🔹 Which scene took the longest to write and why? Each update has a scene that draws you in longer than the others. Generally speaking, “Day 3” from the early versions was a real challenge. We had to introduce a lot of characters, smoothly bring the player into a completely new setting, and not lose the pace.

And when it comes to 0.47 specifically, the undisputed record holder is the “Collar” scene. Its emotional turning point, the heroine's inner struggle, and its importance to the plot required not just text, but extreme concentration.

🔹 Do you ever have an idea that seems great, but ultimately doesn't work out — because of the mood, lore, or feedback? Yes, and that's a normal part of the creative process. We often have mini-brainstorming sessions where ideas fly by one after another — they don't fit the lore, the tone, or they simply interfere with the overall drama. Sometimes, of course, scenes are born that “click” right away. But more often than not, it's a matter of refining and revising until everything falls into place.

🔹 How do you deal with player feedback? I really value it. Sometimes, when you've been working on a scene for a while, you can get a bit out of touch — and feedback helps you see what you've missed. Plus, it reminds you that you're not working in a vacuum, but for a live audience. And I want my part of the story to make a strong and emotional impression.

Interview with SlutCraft programmer:

🔹 How often do you have to modify the game engine for scenes or gameplay mechanics? Quite infrequently, actually. It is generally considered poor practice in the industry. Nevertheless, we are an indie company. Therefore, we utilize add-ons, hacks, and workarounds. Sometimes, it might simply be an elegant wrapper for standard functionality. Other times, it is a full-fledged standalone module. On average, every couple of updates we tweak something to make the game behave “just right.”

🔹 Was there a feature you wanted to implement for a long time — and finally succeeded? Yes, I experimented with the music system in this update. I wrote a separate module that tracked timings independently of the engine. Everything worked great... until we realized that it broke saves. 👀 After all, sometimes it's better not to mess with the magic of rhythm. But there were also some successful cases — non-standard animations, effects, in-game triggers. Things that make you think, “Why didn't I do this before?”

🔹 Any funny or unexpected bugs? Every bug is sad and surprising… for the developer. For everyone else, it's amusing, absurd, and a screenshot in Discord.

🔹 What breaks most often after updates? Any predictions? Depends on the development phase. Previously, old saves often broke or the timeline got jumbled in chapters 2 and 3. Now there are fewer such problems — we debug everything at the integration stage. But localization... oh, localization. It lives by its own rules and provides regular unwelcome surprises. So far, these are the only kind of issues that consistently survive all testing and pop up in the release versions 🙃

🔹 How are the most provocative scenes tested? Is it awkward or already familiar? Like any other ones. We’re all adults here. 😏

🎨 Interview with SlutCraft artist:

🔹 Which scenes in 0.47 were the most difficult to work on? Difficulty lies in interaction. The more characters and movements there are in the frame, the more of a headache it becomes. Even more so when you have to dig through multiple layers, rebuild animations, and do it all for a single frame. And yes, let's be honest — sometimes it feels like I'm drawing an endless marathon of “boobs and pussies, cocks and dicks”. At least the butts are still enjoyable. Creating a new character is a blast. But when you later have to cram them into 10 different scenes... it'd be better if they were simpler. One look at Sarah's redhead design brings tears of joy. Artist's memo for the future: Don't create complex characters if you want to survive.

🔹 Which is more important — anatomical accuracy or style? Style. But based on an appreciation of anatomy. I'm extremely annoyed by individuals who draw characters with disproportionate “legs to next week” and refer to it as a “unique style.” Nah, bro, that's just bad. It's essential that characters look natural. Not perfect, but pleasing. And not repulsive. That's the bottom line.

🔹 Were there any scenes that you wanted to draw differently, but everything changed? Every. Single. One. At first, you think, “Oh, this is new and interesting.” A couple of hours later, “Hello, routine.” Then the endless corrections and edits begin to make it fit the style and mood. That's Arthur. No room for experimentation. “We have our own visual language!" he says. Well, well.

🔹 How are new characters created? Oh, it's a whole ritual. A ton of references, vague specifications, attempts to get a feel for the image. And sometimes — bang! — a “favorite” appears. Not according to plan, no blueprint, just vibes. But if Arthur doesn’t like the boobs, a redo is guaranteed. “He knows what you like!” 😎

🔹 Any scenes you're particularly proud of? I recently revisited some old scenes — it made me want to howl. The ideas were there, the anatomy kind of held up, but the faces... oh, the pain. We raised the level. But back then, it was more naive and heartfelt. There's progress, but with it comes a taste for self-criticism.

🔹 Is it hard to keep a balance between eroticism, fantasy, and the SlutCraft style? What is the “SlutCraft style”? Honestly, it’s a mishmash of inspirations. Lots of borrowed ideas, fan ideas, bits from Arthur, bits from pop culture. We used to try to come up with everything from scratch — it was cooler, sexier, and even somehow... more sacred. What we have now is beautiful packaging, but sometimes it's empty inside. But that's not a tragedy — we just need to bring back that fire.

Thank you for joining us and reading to the end! We hope you found this inside look interesting and that it gave you a better understanding of how our updates are born.

If you want more content like this, let us know in the comments or with a reaction. In the meantime, we're already working on the next update... 👀

🌀 And don't forget — our Discord is always there if you want to chat directly!

✦ Devlog — workweek 2

🔧 Animations are back!

We found an animator and have already started working together - new animations are waiting for you in the next update! Let's move forward.

🎨 New artist in the team

They are finishing their first piece for the game now - it turned out really cool! There is room for growth, and that's good to see. We will share some of their art soon!

🖋 Scriptwriting for update 47 is finished

This is an important stage - so now all the key elements (art, script) are in place. We've already started the final stage: converting it to code, with tests and polishing ahead.

🛠 Updated scene titles

Some scenes from the 47th update will get new names - more precise and atmospheric. We want everything to sound vivid and convey the essence of the moment.

🌱 What’s next?

Something new is coming up. This will be our first such experience for us, and it sounds crazy interesting. More details to come very soon 😉

🛠 Devlog - Workweek #1

A week of change and growth

This has been a really busy week: we're undergoing a major reorganization of the team - we're deepening processes, expanding tools, and adjusting internal mechanisms to make it easier for creativity to flourish.

🎬 We finished the art for the new scene - we just need to finish the variations and it will be ready for teasers. It turned out vivid and very atmospheric - we'll show it shortly!

🎧 We started developing our own tool for game music. It will give us more freedom in working with sounds and ambience, getting rid of routine and chaos in audio files.

📝 The “Chance: Choice” scene, an important emotional episode, was written and thoroughly checked. We've been working on it for a long time, and now it is finally coming out the way we wanted it to: deep and challenging.

🔭 What’s next?

Next week we will continue to work on our internal systems. This means more clarity, clear guidelines and a shared vector. Right now, as a team leader, I am paying a lot of attention to the master document: I want everyone in the team to understand exactly who we are, where we are going, and why we are making this game.

It's important to note: we are not “fixing in a hurry” - we are growing and maturing. And that means everything is just getting started.

How Shadow Portal was born - our story

It started with a walk.

My friend and I were chatting about life, games, dreams. It was an ordinary evening in my neighborhood, but it was then that a phrase was uttered that changed everything:

— Why don't we make our own game?

A pause. A shared look.

— Let’s do it.

We had no clue where to start. We didn't know how game development works, how game engines work, who the characters become, where to get artists, or why we needed a game design document. We had no team, no budget, no office. But we had a dream. And some stubborn inner determination - “if not now, then when?”

First steps

At the time, I had just returned from the army, and my friend just left his job at the passport office. We were unemployed, but our heads were busy thinking about creating, not about how to survive. We dreamed of our own game, and we made our first move.

We assigned roles: he took care of the scriptwriting, I took care of the code, organization, anything that demanded attention. A versatile approach. We covered up any holes in organization with ourselves. We came up with the plot, the characters, the universe. We were inspired by legends - especially the story of King Arthur. That's how the first idea was born: Camelot. It was supposed to be a strategy game inspired by Warcraft. We were Blizzard fans, and who could resist that?

First allies

Neither of us could draw. But it just so happened that my girlfriend was an artist. Her support became fateful. With the first sketches in our hands and an idea in our hearts, we started moving towards a demo. It was the first real step from daydreams to action.

First difficulties and first portal

It was clear to us that we would not get far without funding. We decided that we would not wait for approval from the top - instead, we turned to the people. Those who, like us, believe in the magic of games. We chose Patreon - it wasn't as popular yet, but it was already a great gateway to the whole wide world.

That's when our name came up. It was suggested by my friend: “I want something like Dark Portal from WoW... but ours.”

Thus, Shadow Portal was born - a name that symbolized the entrance to a world we created from scratch.

Twists of fate

Over time, my co-founder and I parted ways. It was a difficult but important moment. Life is not a straight line, and not everyone is ready to go all the way. I was left alone at the helm, but with each step it became clear: the project was alive, the idea was strong, and there were new people around who had faith.

Today

It’s been 7 years since that evening.

Shadow Portal has grown. From an idea. From a street. From paper and from the first couple lines of code.

Today, we're not just making a game - we're telling a story. A story about the importance of not giving up when everything around you is silent. How important it is to be ready to take one step at a time, even if no one is around.

A story in which everyone who supports us becomes part of the team. Because without you - without faith, without interest, without feedback - we would not have gotten to this point.

Thank you for being with us

This project has changed my life. And, I hope, it will change the lives of others - even if only for a couple of evenings spent in the magical world we are creating.

Thank you for being with us.

Thank you for believing.

Shadow Portal is not just a team. It's a journey.

12.000 members on Patreon — and it’s YOU, you legends! 🔥

The year started not that long ago but you've already blown up our Patreon - 12,000 members! Wow. That's not just a number - that's 12,000 people who believe in us. Thank you for being so awesome! 🎉

And we also have 1,200 patrons — true pioneers who try everything first. Do you think we can get to 1.400 before the 0.47 release? If so, the release will be even juicier! 💯

Thanks for being the best community ever. Even the Zerg themselves are jealous of our cohesion! ❤️