Desert roses

Hello and welcome to another NetShag devlog!

New map: the Desert

"I dream of rain, I dream of gardens in the desert sand..."

Roads covered in sand, and surrounded by even more sand. The look of the map is not yet complete, but the mood can already be felt.

By the way, you may have noticed that the Harpies have disappeared in the last update. That's because they've moved to the desert! They'll be quite comfortable here.

But you, the player, won't be comfortable. That's because the desert is, you know, hot. The blazing sun is so intense that you will literally feel moisture leaving your body. So it's best to stock up on hydration supplies beforehand - or don't stay in the desert too long, unless you want the desiccation to be fatal.

New monster: Goblin

Goblins are very similar to harpies. For instance, they live in the desert too, and they're green too. Also, they like shiny things, too. 

"This desert rose, each of her veils - a secret promise..."

Goblins usually go about their own business, scurrying around, picking up items and gold, ferrying them somewhere... Yes, that's right: Goblins can pick up items placed on the map, just like the player can, so if you spot something valuable on the ground, grab it immediately or you might miss it.

The Goblins are so engrossed in their business that they don't pay any attention to the player. What's more, they'll be annoyed if you try to distract them. However, if you can get them interested in something (such as a valuable gift) - well, then they won't mind "communicating" with you at all.

Mechanic update: talking

Of all the mechanics now present in the game, talking was probably the most boring and poorly implemented. When using it, the hero simply said a random pickup phrase from among the ones I snatched off the internet. The phrases were cringe-worthy and didn't really make sense with what was going on in the game. In fact, these phrases were just placeholders - I knew that I would someday replace them, so I didn't bother. And now the time has come!

The list of phrases has been completely updated. They haven't gotten any less cringe-worthy, but now the game takes into account who you're talking to and picks phrases accordingly. For example, if you are talking to a Goblin, the phrase will be addressed to a Goblin.

In addition, the hero's attributes now have a greater impact on what he says: a hero with low intelligence will sound like a true caveman, while an ugly hero will be unsure of himself and constantly stammer.

Work on this mechanic will continue in the future. My plan is to give the player a limited choice of conversation direction (e.g. make a joke or compliment). Naturally, each girl will have her own preferences for conversation (at least those who can talk). Try to find an approach to each of them!

Gallery update

Our roster is growing - there are already 10 monster girls in it, and it's getting a bit cumbersome to use the gallery (just you try to find the one you're interested in only by swiping left or right). So, I've added a separate screen with a list of all unlocked girls - it's accessed by clicking on the girl's name.

I hope it's a little better now!