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Game Update #40
🕑 Added 2023-09-16 22:26:12 +0000 UTCIt's mid-month status update time! First let's talk about the main picture for this post: The semi-final voting for the next Grind'm guy ended yesterday, and the two guys going head-to-head in the finals are Blaze and Trevor!
If you're a Graduate—or would like to become one—click here to make your vote! The post has details like the guys' physical stats and possible scenario summaries, but you can scroll right down to the poll if you already know who you want to win.
Now, back to the current game status, which includes the first Grind'm hookup with Jordi.
Art
We're chugging on along with finishing up all the revised CGs and the new Jordi hookup CGs. There's not much to say here except that I'm still really happy with how the new art is coming along. Here's one more revised intro to go along with the Riley and Matt ones I shared previously, this time Marco's.
This was actually the first CG I considered remaking, which I talked about way back in Game Update #17, nearly a year ago. I think the way the lighting looks in the new version is an upgrade for sure—I worked very hard to make sure it highlighted some of Marco's best features 😉
Something else I discussed in that update was doing revisions to Marco's model to get rid of some overexaggerated features. I'm not going to go in depth with it, but as I've been updating these CGs, I've also been refining many of the character models. There won't be any drastic differences that you'll notice; much of it is fixing the rigging for each guys' dick since changing height on the models messed it up. But some guys like Marco are getting texture adjustments by adding a different underlying base shader. Basically all that means is light will now hit his skin more naturally.
As for Jordi's hookup, I'm going to share a more thorough sneak peek of the scenario with Juniors, Seniors, and Graduates soon, but I thought I'd share a cropped version of the first CG with everyone. Connor will be meeting Jordi at the gym, and he decides it's the perfect time to put on the shortest shorts he owns. The Connor in these fantasy scenarios is a more experienced version of the in-game Connor, and fantasy Connor definitely isn't shy 😉
Coding
Work continues on integrating Grind'm into the game. The scenario itself is easy enough to code, but the menu is still being finalized. Beyond that, I've also been coding another change to existing content—removing the Matt sprite from the lower corner of the screen at orientation. Instead he'll pop up full size, both because it looks better and because that's how I handled all the future scenes with multiple characters. I won't be doing the corner sprite thing again, so I figured I'd better make it consistent!
Writing
There's still so much focus on art when it comes to my workload, but I've been dutifully charting out every guy's "morning after" story. I went in detail about how I'm handling branching dialogue in the last game update, so if you're interested in the specifics but haven't read that post, check it out!
Looking ahead
I'm still working hard to get the New You update done this month. It's really hard to say when it'll be done, but it's all coming together well and I think it's doable as long as I iron out any issues with the Grind'm implementation!
Speaking of...
Grind'm voting
I already shared my nerdy boxing-style poster for the final round of voting, but I thought I'd close this post with a few more pics that show off more of the contenders' best sides. Which of these tall, lean twunks will win out? It all lies in the hands of the Graduates, who can vote by clicking here!
That's it for today! I'll be back soon with more content—including this month's Guy Gallery, from which one guy will be in a special Bonus Gallery designed to highlight Blaze and Trevor's bedroom skills. There's one Guy Gallery CG in particular that got me super thirsty—I'm excited to share that with you in the coming days!
Comments
Danny Nym
The unlockable hookups are fantasy scenarios, so they won't affect anything in-game. They basically take place after the events of the game when Connor is more experienced. There'll be some Grind'm stuff in the game, too, however. I already wrote some stuff with Evan that involves it, and he won't be the last...
Kilian
Will the grind'm hookups feature less or more in the main story or are the story and grind'm independent? Just wondering as in the main story Matt is said to be "on the apps" but I assume won't be on grind'm? And I was wondering whether now as Jordi is on grind'm now (and soon Blaze or Trevor) will this affect their in story characters?
Danny Nym
Blaze and Hugh were actually neck and neck with Hugh in the lead for most of the two weeks before Blaze pulled ahead at the very end. I suspect Hugh may pop up in the top 8 again when we vote for guy #3. There are fewer Graduates than the other tiers, so each vote has a big impact!
Briannon-Faie
Honestly, I'm majorly suprised. Blaze I could envision, but I hadn't exspected Trevor to get into the final stage. Eventually we might see all of the lads and hopefully Wes, Gabriel and Hugh won't be at the bottom. It's really wonderful how these regular updates keep us hyped and immersed.
