r42 – Procedurally Generated Sewer Dungeon

1080p:  Pg 1, Pg 2, Pg 3, Pg 4
Full HD:  Pg 1, Pg 2, Pg 3, Pg 4

r42 is out and contains the first part of the new sewer/swamp DLC!

As this content is rather large in scope, I’ve decided to split it into several more manageable updates.  This is the first of those updates which focuses on the dungeon itself, though you can expect a more story-focused and enemy-focused sewer DLC update in future, too.

This update has taken longer than usual for a few reasons, but a big one being I’ve been focusing on replayability for this DLC.  I’d like this to be playable multiple times, which is one of the reasons the marquee feature for this update is…

Procedurally Generated Sewer Dungeon

Inside the Sewer dungeon, you can now find a special doorway.  Using this doorway will let you enter a randomly generated area full of more slugs and frogs to defeat.

This system is compatible with save/load as well.

VCiV Side Missions

In the VCiV base, you can talk to Malory to request a Side Mission.  This system provides an objective for exploring the procedurally generated dungeon, and even allows you to customize the dungeon’s size.  You can also set parameters for whether debug box should be allowed, whether to limit your own level to something appropriate for the dungeon, and more.

Infiltrate the dungeon, find the intel, and return to Malory.

The fastest way to launch into the Side Mission is to choose the Ch6 starting point, then proceed north to speak with Malory.

Slug Still

Inside the procedural dungeon, you’ll also find a new toy to play with.  The Slug Still is used for milking slugs, though it will also work on frogs, cows, or anyone else with milky breasts.

Beyond the expected options to attach the hoses and turn it on, you’ll also find an ability to wear a special ball gag.  When in use, the collected milk will be redirected back into the wearer, resulting in weight gain.  Due to the industrial strength of the machine, this can cause an inattentive user to bloat to very nearly immobile sizes.

Note that you have some flexibility on how long to let it milk/inflate you.  However, if you get too horny using it, you might get too distracted to be able to turn it off for a while~ 😉

Additionally, I have left in a debug option that will allow slugs to operate the machine by themselves.  (Normally, an NPC would need to operate the machine on behalf of a slug due to a lack of limbs.  As this NPC has not yet been implemented, this temporary debug option lets you simply override those checks for now.)

Secret Easter Egg

Somewhere hidden in the game, I’ve added a special hidden Easter egg.  Eating it will do something fun.  Enjoy~!

Level Limiter Tattoo/Piercing

A new level limiting item forces your level back down to level 1.  This is quite helpful for making the slug dungeon replayable, and so is integrated into the side mission parameters.  However, it’s available from both the jewelry vendor and tattoo vendor should you wish to use it by itself.

Code Improvements

A number of code and engine improvements have been made:

  • There’s a system that now lets an arbitrary number of options be added to the screen.  This is useful for scenes like the Side Mission Configuration which has more buttons than space.  (It re-uses the items-in-world list to display more options.)
  • A fair bit of code work has been going on in making it possible to isolate future NPC behaviors so multiple NPCs can re-use common actions and have a wider set of player interactions.  Without spoiling too much, this will be very handy for the future sewer enemy update.
  • WIP backers now have access to a new ‘Unstable Server’, which pulls the latest version of the UI.  (This is useful for when WIP’s autobuild requires a UI update.)
  • Ability for player pickup function to run silently (ie, in case an NPC is picking something up ‘for’ you)

Failed Character Visualization Experiment (WIP)

One thing I had always wanted to do was add a character visualizer to the game.  I always figured it would be impossible given the size, so I was ecstatic when an anonymous artist (no one mentioned here) approached me with interest in doing this.  Unfortunately, after I implemented the feature over three months, the artist needed to increase the discussed price by 10x, so I had to scrap the plans for this for now.  In future (and definitely after the sewer updates are finally fully out) I might still try to do some part of the art myself and release it that way.

In the meanwhile though, WIP users can see the test version of this by pressing ` (backtick) and clicking Character Visualizer.  It should be noted that the current art is extremely unsexy, being mostly intended as very quick placeholders.  But it should work for the basics of human, fox, dragon, and dragon queen (doesn’t yet include dragon queen belly though or many of the requisite visual features).

To be clear, it’s definitely not worth backing WIP just to see this.  However, if you’re curious to see the bones system I was going to use for this feature (you can click the various limbs and move them) before I shelved it, it may be interesting to you.

Misc Bug Fixes

  • Fixed dino bug that may have either caused a game crash or to respawn at wrong campsite on death.
  • Fix bug where dragon queens weren’t climaxing while laying eggs (ie: if arms were restrained, or too fat to reach pussy, etc.)
  • 105: When player is null, options disappear
  • Fixed up the player description panel when player is slug. Still not 100% perfect, but doesn’t talk about walking around on ‘non-existent feet’, etc anymore
  • 107: Grammar error in intro

Today’s update art was created by Visorelle.

Faster Access Enabled on Patreon

Small update that only affects people who sign up for Patreon in future (ie, does not impact current subscribers) — we’re now on Patreon’s new subscription billing system.

The new system does a charge+access on signup, and then again one month later (like netflix or almost all internet subscription systems — not tied to the first of the month).  You can confirm your next bill date by checking your next charge date at checkout (or after sign-up: in your Active Memberships tab).  Definitely seems a lot more logical than Patreon’s original model and I’m glad it’s being offered.

The biggest upside is this means no more waiting until the first of the month for new Patreon users!  Depending on how fast Patreon API is, it may activate as quickly as instantly, after 30 minutes, or if the API is being slow, may take up to three days.  In any case, a lot faster than waiting potentially weeks for a charge if you backed at the wrong time of the month before.

The downside is behind the scenes, Patreon API now doesn’t provide me the same useful information that I used to be able to rely on.  I ended up having to rewrite the API integration another two times, now with more error-prone data, but it appears to all be working now. (BMT and most other payment processors provide a lot better data in this regard, but that’s a rant for another time).  The takeaway is if you back, and it takes more than three days, please contact me so I can figure out what’s going on.  Though as of this writing, everyone’s access appears correctly set, so we should be all good to go.

Also, I went ahead and enabled support for annual memberships, as a few people said they’d like this in the survey — currently though the annual plans are just for convenience (same cost).  (In terms of other, potentially more significant changes in future, I’m still carefully considering the results of the survey — thanks to everyone who filled it out!  I was surprised to see as many responses as I did, and some of the comments were very uplifting to read, thank you <3)

Content-wise, things are slowly moving forward for the upcoming sewer expansion content DLC chapter.  Hey, it’s hard to code quickly when you’re a sluggirl :p  One of the more interesting new items implemented since last post is a level limit piercing / ‘Easy’ tattoo, that locks your level to level 1.  That’ll be helpful for revisiting the sewers so you’re not overpowered (or if you’re just looking for a hard time~).  As a reminder, if you’re watching stuff happen in the WIP build, please do NOT overwrite over your stable version saves.  (WIP is usually a hot mess so save/load is likely to get corrupted, only saves from release/non-wip versions are supported.)

Anyway, that should about wrap things up for now.  More to come…

TLDR: if you’re an existing patron, there’s no change to your billing date or schedule — the new billing system only impacts new sign-ups, who can now get access more quickly.

2022 Pricing Survey

Hello! Periodically, I like to poll the community to get your thoughts about the pricing of the game/tiers. The last time we did this was at the beginning of 2018 and quite a lot has changed since then.

With that in mind, I’d appreciate if you could complete this survey. It should only take ten minutes.

The form contains various speculative questions about potential price changes and payment methods, but to be clear, nothing is definitively changing yet. This is just to get your opinions about potential changes sometime later on.

Thanks for answering the survey as it will help inform me of your thoughts.

r41.69 – Map Arrows & Bug Fix Update

Doing a quick round of bug fixes since there were some (unintentional ;)) softlock situations, along with some problems with the map displaying weirdly on load. New build is released in both full version and demo flavors. Also one new map feature since I was already in the map code:

Map Arrows

Previously when navigating between maps, the minimap showed no indication that there was a path to another map (ex: Haven -> Desert). This was a bit confusing, so now the minimap shows arrows when a room has a connection to another map.

Bug Fixes

  • 63: Save/load forgets that Micky was TF’ed
  • 91: Bosses can be beaten multiple times for duplicate loot
  • 93: Eggs do not delete after being used
  • 95: Infinite hp —-> broken map glitch
  • 97: When loading, unexplored room links are missing
  • 99: No method to milk self in farm post-farm victory

Now back to working on the content update!

r41.6 – Install & Portrait Mode

r41.6 is now out in both demo and subscriber builds.  Read on for information on the changes and future plans:

Desktop/Mobile Install

You can now install the game to your PC or mobile device.  Then you can launch it from your start menu or home screen:

As this is built as a PWA (a kind of lightweight web app), no special permissions or manual updating should be required.  Under the hood, it’s still just the website… but easier to get to now.

Portrait Mode

In addition to the existing landscape orientation, you can now play the game in portrait mode.  This is especially helpful for new mobile players who may be confused by having to rotate their phone to get the UI to resize correctly.  Here’s a before/after for comparison:

In addition, the game does a better job of resizing to fit the available space.  So there should be less instances of buttons clipping offscreen on mobile devices when the browser URL bar pops in and out.

Colorized Buttons

As you may have noticed from the above screenshots, some buttons are now colorized to help differentiate them (ie: navigation).  This can be disabled in settings if you prefer the old style.

Misc Improvements

  • System dropdown created — allows for quick entry into fullscreen mode, and links to other system tools (install, etc)
  • Quit button (finally!).  Great for when you want to select a different build or load a game (no more retyping the website URL)
  • When session ends, there are now links back to the build select screen
  • Website – the What Is page includes some zoomable screenshots, along with big buttons on a few key pages
  • The beginnings of some secret stuff that’ll be useful for the next content update :3

Bug Fixes

Fixes for the following issues:

  • Janky text box scrolling behavior on mobile/touch devices
  • 53: Succubunny w/ Elijah scene text typo
  • 54: Arya typo
  • 68: Height does not save
  • 87: Interesting softlock with the pound
  • 88: only showing top row of controls
  • 72: UI buttons on bottom of screen are cut off on mobile
  • Double-tap to zoom on mobile devices when trying to push buttons
  • Randomly selecting button text when trying to click/tap
  • In landscape mode, it’s possible for the height of the items scroller to be too high and go offscreen
  • improvements to world items popup (many items) so that it A) doesn’t render offscreen in portrait mode, and B) renders above the button correctly and C) selects a height so that buttons will cut off if there’s too many of them, better hinting at there being more items to scroll down and look at
  • On rotate, should refit all button texts, In landscape mode, map height isn’t resizing based on available space, Examine self button is not still there on ios
  • More accurate text autofit for buttons
  • disable hover states on mobile to prevent weird button coloration
  • Only show subscribe button if not subscribed
  • Fixed some logic so in demo mode logout doesn’t force a re-login
  • made login/register forms push left/right as appropriate so it’s much easier to see on mobile (but still has side by side layout for desktop).
  • Prevent header from clipping into community button on narrow widths
  • discord link – fixed bug where blue names went away for six hours every month

Coming Up Next

It’s taking a while, but I’ve got some cool stuff coming for the next DLC content update.

A little reveal… it’s a return to the sewers area~  If you enjoyed becoming a titslug, get ready to spend way longer as one 😉

Ads

I’ve also been experimenting a bit with trying to advertise the game more.  In addition to a new fancy landing page, I’ve also been making some GIFs.  Here’s an ad you may have seen on a website or two:

And I have a new one coming, also:

The fox gif features brand new artwork, which was created by Alewdamao.  The GIF version can be downloaded at the top of the page, or here are the HQ stills:  1, 2, 3, 4.

Voting Finished + Sub Giveaway in Discord

We’ve wrapped up the voting for the fan art contest, you can see the results at the bottom of the page here.  These arts all came out so great! I’m hoping to do another fan art contest like this again in future at some point.

Sly is also sponsoring a really quick game sub giveaway in our Discord right now. If you’re seeing this late, don’t worry too much– rumor is there will be another one in future~ 😉

(Open to all 18+ persons, no purchase necessary to enter)

Fan Art Contest Entries (vote!)

We received three entries into the contest, which means each person who entered will receive a prize!

Main Player as Dinoian by goodtimesroll:

Sneaking out of The Underworld by Nixie:

Wyvern Breeder #562:

Thank you so much to our fan artists, I absolutely love your artworks!

Active backers can vote on their favorites in the Researcher Intranet.  (The entry with the highest number of votes at the end of two weeks will receive their first pick for prize.)

Update:  Polls are now closed!  Results here, all artists will be contacted shortly.  During polling, I saw each entry enjoy a period of being either in lead position or tied for lead position, so it was anyone’s game.  Each of these artworks are great, so thank you again to our entrants!

r41.5 – Save/Load & Wyvern TF

Naga Queen is excited about the new build!

My initial plan for this release was to get right back into content updates.  I got started with a nice bit of planning for the content update, and then remade the text editor in the new engine so I’d actually be able to get story text back into the game.

Unfortunately, mid-development, I started to realize just how broken the old Flash version is after hearing more and more bug reports for it.  There’s a lot of subtle, game breaking bugs in it (like in the dino chapter where depending on which Flash runtime engine you use, Hanako will give you inaccurate directions and make the chapter unbeatable).

The new web version is much more stable and fixes those problems, and it’s the version of the game I strongly recommend people to use for that reason.  One big thing that will help with more people using the new version is getting save/load ported over so you won’t have to rely on Flash to access save files.

So, here’s the new updates in this build:

Save/Load

The main feature of r41.5 is reintroducing save/load — a (perhaps) surprisingly large task given how everything ties into the save/load system.  The new save/load system also includes new save file slots for subscribers, for a total of 20 slots.  More slots support has been frequently requested, so hopefully comes in handy!

The system should be backwards compatible with old save files from previous Flash versions of the game.  Under the hood, the format is pretty different, although as much as 10x more space-efficient versus the old method.

If you have an old save file that won’t load, or a new one that doesn’t seem to save/load correctly, please report it as a bug and attach your save file.  (Remember, you don’t even need to register a separate account on the bug tracker, it uses your existing one 🙂  If the fields on the bug report confuse you, most of them you can leave blank.)

Wyvern TF

In order to prevent the game getting into a weird state with save/load, I also went ahead and ported the TF part of the Wyvern DLC.  Note that it doesn’t include the monster part of that since that was implemented as a mod, and modding hasn’t been implemented yet.  Even without, this is still a quite fun TF to play.  Until that content comes online, the second easiest way to get knocked up as a Wyvern is to find the Octomaid in the debug rooms.

Login System

Also to support save/load, the login system has been added in the new engine.  This mostly is needed for players using the demo without starting logged in, who then decide they’d like to login mid-game so as to save their progress.

In that case, you’d see the new login screen:

Text Editor

The text editor is an important tool that I use to get text into the game and tested.  The first part of this release was spent getting this up and running so that I’d be able to eventually get game content added again.

Unlike the old Flash engine where the tool was limited to myself, the parse tester part of this tool can now be used by modders directly to test out your strings… though that may not be overly useful until modding itself is implemented again.  Still, you can check it out by pressing ` if you want to.

 

Misc

  • Support for much longer text on-screen (this involved writing a packet splitting system; fixes #83).
  • Self-test mode – now as part of automated builds, the game will self-test on a small collection of save files to flag potential issues.  This helped find a bunch of potential save/load errors before this build got released.  In future, I’d like to expand this to more areas of automated testing.
  • UI Windowing system to support the Text Editor.
  • When in water, don’t assume slugs are grinding against the floor since there may not be a floor. (Have them grind against themselves instead :3)
  • Frogs can now breathe underwater, and won’t produce visible slime when either in water or underwater (Fixes #67).
  • Added a quick search bar to the bug tracker header to quickly find issues.
  • Fixed bug where frog TF player description is missing player eyes description.

This build is now released in both full version and demo variants.

Fan Art Contest Reminder

Don’t forget there is a fan art contest going on now.  We’ve already had one lovely entry (thank you!), but we have three prizes to give out!

UPDATE – Hotfix

41.51 fixes a bug in this version that caused frogs to respawn in ch7 — thanks for the report!

A (Fan) Fan Art Contest

Our resident community member Sly is hosting an Underworld Fan Art contest!

Prize pool

Sly put together the following prizes for the contest. The winner will get their first pick, then the second person, then so on:

– A one month subscription to Underworld (Provided by Sly)
– A one month Discord Nitro Classic sub (Provided by Sly)
– A $25 Steam gift card (Provided by Skye)

Entries

All entries must relate to The Underworld in some way. Anything from simple mspaint doodles of characters to fancily lit full game scenes is great, as long as it has original artwork you made and is about the game.

All skill levels are welcome to enter (beginners welcome!).  This is intended to be a fun community activity, so don’t worry if you’re not a pro. 🙂

Ideally, if you can add a footer as described in the footer section of the earlier released fan art guide (basically linking to Underworld as well as your own site) it can be helpful for the game, but it’s not required!

Deadline

All art must be submitted via this form by Feb 21, 2022 Noon US Pacific Time.

You are, of course, welcome to also post your art to FA/Twitter/wherever also.

Voting

After the submission deadline, all valid entries will be posted on the research blog. There will be a two week deadline for people to vote using the usual Underworld voting system.  Then prizes will be awarded from first place on down.

Legal

No purchase needed for entry.  Contest is open to all persons aged 18 and over.

Entries will be submitted under the User Generated Content License (same license as mods, this just allows me to reshare the art on the blog — you can still post your piece to wherever else you like, too!).

Questions / Discussion

Feel free to ask questions in discord, or if you don’t use discord, the blog post comments here is also a good place.