Sharing some changed plans

So I realize I'm not 100% sure that I've announced the benchmarks I'm setting for version numbering. I've thought about it a lot, but I don't know I've ever made a post about it. So, let's go over what I was going to use for the numbering for the next bit of content, and then I'll announce how I'm changing these plans a bit, and then there'll be a musing or something in a day or two. Whenever I have an interesting thought.

So, the old system was as follows:
0.68 - The beginning of the new engine, almost every update builds up a new piece of functionality, however roughly that might be.
0.69 - Polishing a few of the core functions that are broken, and rebuilding my content bank to cover everything from the old RAGS version.
0.7 - All the old content finished, the progress of new content and a slow fill out of the character roster.

So what's changing? Not much, but still it might be worth mentioning. Basically, all the old Mistresses content from back in the day is being put off until the game is more polished. Well, more complete. At the current rate of content, the Mistresses would be inaccessible without me lowering the requirements anyway, and I'd much rather put off the end game content until the core of the game is more fleshed out. So basically, the core plot ends on Elizabeth now, who is being added in this month, along with that delicious delicious blackmail content that I'm sure many of you have been wanting.

In fact, that blackmail stuff is getting a HUGE rework, and it'll be a way more present theme throughout the game.

Pudding Earl.

Patreon Release

It happened. I don't really know what else to say about it. My brain has just shut down today. So, y'know, 0.686 is out. It brings some non-lewd art. The lewd art comes next month.

Pudding Earl

Earl's Musings: Dicks vs Strap-Ons

As is well established, dicks are a thing I'm not using in Shield High. This raises a few tiny problems for me, but none I can't handle. And honestly, it just makes me better at what I do, since I can't use a dick as a crutch, which in smut, it kind of is. However, I do sometimes use strap-ons and having just described one as a "fake cock" it got me wondering, is there really such a huge difference between the two? I mean, the difference is really one is real and one isn't. But from the perspective of what the dick *does* it's almost identical.

You shove it into a hole, and use that to pleasure or degrade the girl as relevant. I mean, in the case of a real dick, I suppose it cums too, which is an added feature that changes things. But at the core, the reason you use one is the same in each scene kind of. And so I'm just wondering if, from the perspective of your average reader who doesn't think nearly as much about the implications of things as I do, if you see the two as significantly different.

I think for me the key difference is a strap-on is distinctly feminine, and while a dick can be interpreted as a power play, it's just as likely not on. A strap-on however, is almost always a power play. There is a giver and a receiver, and on your average run of the mill strap-on, there's no real feedback for the giver. They aren't fucking you because it feels good. They're fucking you because they like the idea of it, they like the thing it does to you.

Anyway, that's just a quick thought I had in the middle of writing a scene. I will now go back to writing said scene.

Pudding Earl

Earl's Musings: Vision vs Reality

So, this month I'm expanding on the reputation system of Shield High. Up until now, the player has had an invisible, 95% static reputation which has impacted nothing. All of that is changing. Except that they have it. They still have reputation. You can just see it now. And it changes. And it impacts things. Primarily, you need to achieve a perceived power of 20 to get in trouble with Stacy. This provokes an interesting problem, where I have to explicitly make the second plot (a brand new one with a girl named Carmen) function on a much lower requirement than intended, so that it's actually reachable with my current amount of content.

And in seeing these reputation numbers go up, I was confronted with an interesting moment, where I realized Shield High is, very vaguely, starting to resemble the game I've wanted it to be for years. Very, very vaguely. And it occurs I might not have ever shared this vision, so I think I'm going to here. What I want for Shield High now, is a porn game with a *ton* of replay value. I want a game that changes every time you play it. Not just in terms of the random events that crop up, I want the power dynamic of the girls within the school to change as they struggle to enslave each other, or you. I want there to be new opportunities to enslave different girls each time. I want who you enslave to make different people pick fights with you. Ultimately, when it's all over, I want two people to play the game for the first time, try and talk about it and find they have almost nothing in common between the games they played, because of how much it changes. 

But this is where we get to reality. The reality is odds are good this will never happen. Being a text game, everything in the game has to be hand written. I am just one man, and a very stubborn one at that who refuses to accept help from others. So this hand written content is going to take time. So with that in mind, the reality is you'll likely end up with a game that goes about half way. The game will be different every time you play, but not as different as I dream of it being.

That having been said, there is a chance I can get there. After all in under a week I did a plotline and a half, while going through an ungodly amount of emotional turmoil. (Nothing to worry about, just a bad week is all). Those plotlines need to be programmed in now, which is what I'm doing over the next few days, but one day they won't. One day every plot will just be a copy of another. At that time, there's a chance I could turn over a plot in about 4 days. Three of those days being spent on the writing, and one doing literally anything else to take a break from writing. And that's assuming my discipline doesn't get better. And spoilers, it probably will. In which case the only question is if I'll have time to work on it as hard as I'd like to, or if I'll end up being too busy finding a job and things.

So what's the entire point of this? Well, vision is nice and all but you probably will have to accept some concessions along the way, I guess. What a dull ending. Maybe this entire musing was just an excuse to give you guys an update about the reputation system. Who knows?

Pudding Earl.

Another Book Giveaway Thing

Just to let everyone know, until the 16th you can get my first two books free on Amazon now. So if you've ever been kind of curious about what my writing without porn looks like, you can go check them out now. I'd say without lesbians but my second book does actually start to go the lesbians route so, y'know, good work me.

Anyway, you can find the first book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LQ5W5G4
And the second one here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0PZ2WP

I appreciate it's probably not of interest to most of you, and that's totally fine. But if it does seem kind of interesting, I'd appreciate the download. Even if you never read it, you might help bump me up the rankings of free books to a point of being relevant. Also, y'know, if you happen to know anyone who might like this, then tell them about it. Source of how you found it not necessary, obviously.

Thanks to anyone who does give it a look, I'll be posting a musing probably tomorrow

Pudding Earl

Shield High 0.685b releases!

Okay, it's finally here. 0.685b. Why b? Because when I made release I'd fucked up a few things, and so it wasn't fully functional. I spent two days fixing them and put out a second release, which was this one. This one *should* be working. I've played through the whole game with it just fine, however I've also gotten reports it's broken. I don't know what's going on there but if you find errors, let me know and I might do another bug fix, who knows.

So, what's changed? Mostly back end stuff. The biggest change is that events on rooms can now be stacked. This enables me to let you run through multiple plots at once in the future, without running the risk of one overwriting the other. Otherwise, there's now pathing. It works! You can use it to be guided to the next class, or to the next event in the FIRST PLOT. It does not guide you on any other plots because I am lazy and I hate myself. Also I just didn't have time to really code it all in, it's a lot of finnicky work. I'll be fixing up future events to all have pathing, and slowly give pathing to the other plots as we go.

Other fixes include making romances actually work. Yeah, I really fucked up there last month, my bad guys. So now all romances should be accessible on the weekend. I set romances active in the wrong spot. Jillian now has dialogue options to allow you to romance her, if you so wish. And...Samantha got the ability to be your Mistress. It's not great, but it's there. And I do think that's everything.

Update can be found here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/n5n712q8ku6chvn/Shield_High_JS_0.685b.7z

I hope you all enjoy. Next month is Stacy content, and another plot that I'm still formulating in my head. Stacy is almost completely written right this moment, I'm about to do her final 2.2 text entires, and then tonight starting the new plot, once I've worked it out for sure.

Pudding Earl

A question about the "rules" of Shield High

This is a pretty quick post, and I doubt anything will come of the outcome for several months, but it's been on my mind, and I figured I should check with people sooner than later regarding it. So, when I made Shield High originally I had three rules of development.

1. No dicks.
2. Relative Realism, so no fantasy or sci-fi elements.
3. I have forgotten what this rule was but I'm pretty sure it wasn't important.

Now, these rules were written when I was an 18 year old with no real perspective on sex, and as such, I'm starting to question the wisdom of rule 1. Rule 1 was made in response to CoC, and other games I played at the time, which seemed to have an obsession with dicks. This obsession with dicks still seems present in some places, and by no means do I ever want to try and rival that. However, the no dicks rule does kind of place some limits on me, and so I'm going to put this to the fans. What do you all think? Should I keep to my no dicks policy? Or should I bend on that front and allow some?

For anyone wondering how I'd use dicks, worry not. No major male characters will be added. Shield High will not suddenly become a mixed school or anything like that. Neither will dicks be used where Jessica is in control. Rather, I'd include male characters as tools for your Mistress to torment you with. For instance, one thing I'm thinking of is having a character have a brother, and if you're her slave, he gives you to him sometimes to have some fun with. Boyfriends would also work in this role. That's all I've got planned for now, but other ideas might come to mind.

Also, if any of my ancient fans remember me ever saying the rules, and remember what rule 3 was, would you be so kind as to remind me? I'm concerned I have already broken it somehow.

Pudding Earl

P.S. Release in a day or two, worry not, I have not forgotten.

Sad News

Today is a sad day in the history of Shield High. You see, it is April Fools, and in keeping with the element of fools, I was one, and did not remember to prepare my hilarious April Fools prank. This is a grand disappointment. Instead all you get is a meager request for opinions on if this face of my possible new Jessica looks weird, and if so how it looks weird and what might fix it.

http://sta.sh/02eo18eku7bq

Patrons got a first look at this but I realized I need more eyes on it to be sure. Patron opinions will be more heavily weighted because this is not a democracy. That is all.