This Is Not An Update

Here's the deal: I'm sick.  Chronically, acutely, you name it.  I've had about enough energy the past few days to feed myself and take care of my dog.  Some days barely that.  So, it might be a while before I can work on this again.  Weirdbeard out.

Eighth Week Check-In: Trouble After NaNo

I'm back from NaNoWriMo!  Unfortunately, I caught a virus in the late first week that has clung to me for close to a month now, ending my dreams of writing a novel in the month of November and hanging on long enough to stall Carnal Mysteries development.  To make matters worse, I had some home issues to deal with this week, so nothing really happened.  Looking to get some stuff done this week; we'll see how it turns out.

Seventh Week Check-In: Hiatus For NaNoWriMo

I've gotten a bit of work done this week, but not much due to continued illness and the fact that I'll be taking on NaNoWriMo this year.  Unfortunately, I only have the guff to do one of these things or the other, so this project will be placed on hold from today until the end of November, after which updates will resume as usual.  Thank you for your patience.

Sixth Week Check-In: Still Sick, And Also Sims

The virus, as it happens, is vicious.  At this point it's doing relatively little to inhibit my ability to faff around pointlessly, but actual work, as it happens, is pretty dang challenging.

Also, I got The Sims 3 this week.  Much time was invested in glorious sculpting and also playing with werewolves.

I'm feeling a bit better, though, so provided I can manage to be less of a lazy fuck, there should be some new content this week.

Fifth Week Check-In: The Captain Is Sick

Soooo, this week I caught a nasty virus that drains my energy (which is also what my depression does, so I'm kind of a wreck) and makes pain worse (which, as you might expect, makes my computer-related injuries that much harder to deal with).  So, in the interest of recovering, not much work has been done.  I did get some more written for the opening sequence, and edit some of what I already had so it flows a little better, so there's that.

Unfortunately, this means I don't have anything for you this week - no pictures or snippets of text or anything.  I feel kind of bad, so let me at least leave you with a recommendation: Undertale.  Go play it if you can.  Seriously.

Fourth Week Check-In: Sexy Dreams

The week's been kind of slow due to continued computer-related injuries, but I've added a few new autotiles (ported over from an abandoned project) and begun work on the narration for the opening sequence, where the player will define their character's physical characteristics over the course of a lurid dream.  Here's a sample for you:

At last they draw close enough to touch, and reach out toward you with splayed fingers.  Cool, smooth skin brushes your chest, and you feel a tingle, but you're suddenly uncertain what it is that they're touching.  Your body, it seems, has become as mutable as theirs - one moment you have supple, round breasts, the next, your chest is perfectly flat and smooth.

Though their touch is still pleasurable, if you're going to enjoy them properly, you need to remember what you look like.  How, exactly, is your chest shaped?

 When this is fully implemented, there will be three chest options (though only one will affect the player sprite's appearance), as well as a second branch where you can choose your genitals.

Speaking of which, now seems like a good time to explain how genitals will work in House of Carnal Mysteries.

At the start of the game, you choose between two different sets: either a clit and pussy, or a cock and balls.  You can modify which parts you have as the game progresses, with some limitations: you may only have a clit or cock, and a pussy or balls.  This isn't a gameplay limitation; it's for anatomical accuracy, which I realize is not fun for everyone, but in my game we won't have any of that weird nonsense where penises are somehow not the same basic thing as clits.

Anatomical accuracy is going to be a fairly major goal in this game.  Obviously, it won't be 100% realistic since we have silly transformations going on, but I plan on making sure to the best of my ability that testicles, hymens, and so forth work like they do IRL.  I realize this isn't a big deal for some folks, but with all the silly/inaccurate games already out there, I figured it'd be nice to have one that incorporates those details.  There'll also be optional differences in the bits - like whether one's breasts are large or small, and whether one is circumcised or not - that will allow for greater variance in sexual encounters and hopefully make the experience more immersive for our players.

These features will be available from the first playable build, which - as the astute will have noted - is going to mean that it will take longer to get to playable, and slow down the release of new scenes.  However, experience has taught me that it's better to take extra time to implement this stuff from the get-go than to make a bunch of content and have to modify it all later.  *cough*Web design*cough*

Third Week Check-In: Your Brain On Drugs

It's been a low-progress week, thanks to continued arm trouble and some new drugs I've been trying for depression treatment (that proceeded to punch me in the face and then wring me out for lulz).  I'll spare everybody the gory details, but I did make a handful of tilesets that will be used in the game.  They're not finalized yet - I'll be holding back on the final detailing work until the tileset is closer to completion - but they're ready to be implemented, and I've definitely established a consistent style for the artwork.

Second Week Check-In: Mostly Graphics

It's been a productive week, both on and off the computer, as I nailed down the final layout for the House itself (all four levels of it!) and started work on exterior tilesets.  It's the kind of tedious stuff that's not going to pay off until I'm a lot closer to being finished, so in the meantime I've thrown together some portraits for characters who are either completed or close to it:

This is the main character - naturally, you'll be seeing a lot of him/her/xem during the game. Depending on the transformations you choose, their portrait may change during the game.

Devon might just be a writer, but he's pretty knowledgeable about the dangers of the woods behind your house.  Keep his advice in mind if you decide to head in.

WHO IS SHE (besides sexy)?  IT'S A MYSTERY.

First Week Check-In: Introductions And Progress

It's Sunday, and that means we're officially kicking off the progress tracking for "House of Carnal Mysteries".  To start people off, I (Captain Weirdbeard) would like to give you an idea of what this game is about, how it started, and where we are on the project.

The Basics and History of the Game

Originally conceived as a "horror/porn" game, the idea behind "House of Carnal Mysteries" was to craft a story that focused on uncovering the strange and erotic mysteries behind an old abandoned house.  Overall, we're sticking pretty close to that theme - the story does center around the house - although we've expanded the concept to include a small town with a number of romanceable NPCs and a forest which will contain more "extreme" content than is available elsewhere.

Inspiration for the game comes from multiple sources.  First, and possibly most important, is Corruption of Champions, an unfortunately outdated Flash porn game that introduced me to the world of erotic gaming and bizarre fetish content.  Although very little of the final product is expected to resemble CoC, there will undoubtedly be some elements of a similar theme and nature.  In terms of gameplay, "House of Carnal Mysteries" is expected to land somewhere between Rune Factory and Maniac Mansion, with a central plot that is advanced by exploring the house and researching its secrets, and a number of sidequests and hobbies available to dabble in.

"House of Carnal Mysteries" is being made in RPG Maker VX Ace.

Less Porn, More Erotica

Although intended to be a "porn" game, the focus of HoCM has shifted toward storytelling and developing its various characters.  However, the game is at its roots a lust-fueled project, and will feature a number of erotic scenes and transformations for your fapping pleasure.

Features that will definitely be included in the game:

• Open-ended customization options for the main character.  Rather than selecting a gender, you will choose your character's genitals, chest shape, and pronouns during the prologue.
• A diverse cast of romanceable NPCs, featuring various races, genders, and occupations.  You can pick one and stay monogamous, or build a harem out of your favorites.
• Transformative items that affect the size, shape, and occasionally number of your character's body parts.  This includes "furry" transformations, miniaturization/gigantism, hypersize body parts, and several others.  Not all transformations will be permanent.
• Opt-out features for "extreme" content.  This includes blood play, soft & hard vore, and scenes featuring rape or "dubious consent", each of which can be avoided separately.

Features that we are anticipating will be included in the game:

• Multiple endings, both good and bad, that arise at the resolution of certain quests or storylines.
• Visible wardrobe changes for both the main character and anyone in their harem.
• Choice of varying fatness levels, allowing the character to start with any figure they like and gain/lose weight through gameplay if desired.

Features that will definitely not be included in the game:

• Large amounts of rape.  Although we have planned at least one game-over rape scene and one scene of dubious consent, the majority of sexual encounters in the game will be fully consensual.
• Sexual encounters with persons who are, or appear to be, underage.  Every eligible character in the game will have reached the age of majority, which will be reflected by their physical appearance.
• Permanently hypersized body parts.  This is simply not possible due to graphical limitations.

Current Progress

HoCM is still in early development, or pre-alpha.  We have developed the general concept of the game, the backstory and preliminary cast of characters, and an outline of the layout for the explorable world.  Our current focus is on continued cast development, which is expected to last the course of the project, and preliminary map design, which will be followed by graphics development.  There is no predicted date for the availability of a playable alpha.

Abnormal Hair Growth Productions is now live!

Check around the site to learn more about who we are and the status of our current project.  Updates will be posted on Sundays, because we like tempting deities.