V1.3 Theme

[ErinaSugino]

As you might have noticed, every planned update for SBR features a specific theme with accompanying wacky name. As you might have also seen at some point (by reading the full changelog document, which also contains future plan notes), there are still a few options left. What theme is used for the next planned update has so far been solely decided by my own preference, based on what I thought would be both reasonably doable and most useful to add. For example, the theme of 1.1 focussing further on pregnancies was due to the fact that I deemed a rework of this system as a whole direly necessary ever since starting development on SBR 1.0, but decided to cut content for 1.0 short due to time contraints and major roadblocks at the time - to get a version out for people to play at all, you know. So it essentially became "part 2". As for 1.2, the sextalk system has been one of the most frustrating to use features so far with people regularily asking how it even works, yet nobody really daring to touch it. The underlying code is also a giant mess and in need of reworking. So I deemed it priority while also rather easily doable (just alot of boring copy work), and even slapped the demand for non-humanoid actor support (the "big" of the "Big Talk" update) into it aswell.

Now, however, planning ahead to 1.3 results in multiple basically equal options remaining. After all, the "what's most doable" approach to choosing before inevitably leads to only the most challenging tasks remaining. As such, the two options for what theme 1.3 could get are split between the Locked & Loaded update and the Command & Conquer update. The former seeing high value in "personal preference" for me (though people tend to not fully agree with my ambitions), the other seeing increasing demand in the public due to the golden apple on the tree; the promise of "one day fixing defeat". Both themes come with a fair share of complexities making them about equally (estimated) hard to pull off.

In the following I'll explain the goals for both themes, so that you can get your vote in for what you'd like to see sooner.
Keep in mind, this is a question of priority, not exclusivity. Unless I spontaneously disappear, every update will eventually be implemented!

Locked & Loaded

The update that focusses on the climax side of things - with "Locked" standing for the condoms, that are intended to be getting actual functionality, and "Loaded" standing for the cum mechanics that will get the same treatment as pregnancies. While player arousal mechanics have already been pushed up into 1.2, the goal is to give the whole cycle of climax buildup a new life with more detailed and complex mechanics, aswell as giving condoms (and other means of contraception) a purpose to begin with.
Ideas include breakable condoms of different "quality" (breack chance) variants, NPC usage mechanics for condoms, gender-based contraception mechanics (e.g. condoms not working when "worn" on females - duh), separated vaginal/anal logic with player controls, separated cum inside/cum outside mechanics, "recovery periods" (cum alot, don't cum alot afterwords anymore), lingering cum mechanics and a general rework of the approach to how climax buildup works.
Keep in mind that the mechanics actually successfully implemented at the end can vary from the goals. It's Starbound after all.

The big, time consuming problem here is that it requires rewriting another core mechanic - the whole climax plugin - essentially from the ground up. Doing so will require alot of testing, which I usually don't have alot of participants for, and doing so in a least-destructive manner to keep compatibility with older mods is a hassle. The whole NPC side of things is also a nightmare, because changing their behavior is witchcraft.

Command & Conquer

The name for this one is easily explained - "Command" for literal chat/console commands to aid in debugging (and cheating, for those lazy fellas) and "Conquer" for defeat. That's literally all - bring back defeat and add some commands. Doesn't sound like alot; until you know what I know. Old defeat is a mess for a reason; the lack of control in many coding situations, having to make assumptions and general Starbound jankyness. Old defeat also lacks any sort of rhyme, reason or sanity. It's just a tool supposed to spawn a handy, time-gated sexnode at your leisure whenever you murder something. No chance, no mechanic, no logic. Just "Kill -> Fuck -> Die". Reworking the core concept of defeat to have a purpose in this vast universe and mechanics that make it engaging and interactive is a tall ask.

Oh, and also console command that do something useful is literally impossible in vanilla Starbound, so this side of the project fully relies on StarGlue becoming a reality - or some of the other projects like StarExtension or OpenStarbound to become usable. :)