Announcing my December release back in September gave me a very strong blueprint for longer-term goals to build towards. This method feels like the best way moving forward to develop the game in larger steps, therefore I came up a few goals I seek to have accomplished in three months for another major quarterly release in mid-March. This list is not exclusive, as I do plan to accomplish more than just these three things.

Story Mode Progression

While story mode was introduced, its core feature—progression—wasn't; story mode ended up a bit of a dud as a result. A lot of time was spent tying the game back together, however the infrastructure is now in place to build upon it.

Progression will be implemented in the form of experience and money. Experience would be earned from the score gained from successful runs, which would then be used to unlock upgrades that allow Rika to last longer and dress more bold. Money would be earned by completing challenges and would be used to purchase new clothes from the wardrobe.

The specifics of story mode are a bit in the air. My original idea of a forum to draw challenges from may be scrapped in favor of a more proper story. More details will emerge as it is further developed, but Rika might have a friend instead to aid her in her exhibitionist journey.

AI Improvements

With the infrastructure now in place, it feels time to revisit the core game loop of Roshutsu: the stealth gameplay. This is an area of the game that has been sorely neglected since its initial implementation. It was good enough back then, but now needs serious improvements to step it up beyond just a prototype.

There are a lot of aspects that make up the stealth gameplay, but the one area in particular I want to focus on is the AI, which have not been changed since they were first made, resulting with a dumb, predictable AI. To capture the thrill and feeling of exhibitionism—the fear of getting caught—the AI need to be a bit smarter and less predictable.

The things I specifically want to address are their reactions, spawning, and pathfinding. I want the AI to be able to remember you and possibly even move to where they last spotted you, as well as notice the clothes you leave on the ground. The AI should also be more dynamic, coming and going about their night instead of statically patrolling the same points on the neighborhood. Lastly their pathfinding should be improved so that they can spawn in larger numbers, allowing for crowds for you to avoid.

Note: This is only for generic NPCs. More specific NPCs with unique threats and challenges will come later. 

New Environment

The current neighborhood setting is very small and claustrophobic. I want the new environment to be a larger, more urban setting, with plenty of side roads and alleyways to hide from the busy main roads.

This goal will be the most time consuming to accomplish as a new game environment requires a fair bit of prototyping to make sure all the mechanics play well with it. I plan on starting this early and iterating on it throughout the next three months, especially in conjunction with the previous goal.

Patreon Results

I had posted this goal a week prior to let my Patreon supporters vote on which to prioritize and the results are as follow:

The overwhelming majority of my Patreon supporters want to see story mode improved upon, therefore I will prioritize and guarantee to have story mode progression further developed by March. I will still try to get the other two goals as well, but it's tough to say what will happen. There are a few other areas that I'm looking to develop as well, but they will be revealed over time. 

Thank you again for supporting my project! I hope you all had a Happy Holidays and a have a Happy New Years!

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