Sapphire Safari News

Greetings explorers! One more developer blog to help tide you over until the next patch! As mentioned in our previous blog Sapphire Documents Issue 016 we have been hard at work focused on the new doll system overhaul, along with a slew of other important features for visibility and interaction!

[h2]How to Doll[/h2]
This is becoming a meme at this point, considering how much we reworked this system over the development time the game has had. However, our new Doll iteration is all about delivering really good-looking sex animations, minus the jank, minus the hardships.

Currently, the doll system uses another tool called NPC Needs, which determines the speed, intensity, and length that an NPC stays inside a sex animation. This, naturally, is an overly complicated system that is both impressive and unnecessary. To focus on what is important - the presentation of sex - we have instead opted for a hand-crafted animation system.



What does all this mean? In the next patch, you’ll be able to wander around the island, and you’ll come across monsters taking each other to pound town, mons will be able to watch the group do their thing. This means that the lust bomb won’t be needed and monsters won’t simply join in as they pass by, it will feel way more natural and the player will have a lot of “discovered” moments. The animations are roughly 1 - 2 minutes long and they have multiple phases along the way to ejaculation.

[h2]Landscaping[/h2]
To make way for more natural-looking sex, we have had to alter how the game world reacts to characters walking around. Now if you move through grass, it will bend and leave a trail. If mons engage in sex animations the grass around them will flatten allowing for more clean photography to happen. After a while, the grass will reset but it should add a lot more function to capturing clean sexual photographs.



[h2]Money Shots and Face Paints[/h2]
Lastly, the big new feature being added to the next patch is our cum and fluids system. I am not sure who among you will understand when I say, fluid simulation is not for the faint of heart. Unreal Engine has fluid sims built into its engine for all developers to use, however, cum is not an intended use case for it. In fact, fluids sticking to character meshes is not what the system is for.



The basic issue is the fluid can react to bones and meshes of a character, momentum however makes the fluid not work as we need it. It is a difficult issue to fix as our use case requires fluids to stick, slide around, drip down and out of holes, pool on the ground. We are working on it, so it might require a couple of iterations to get perfect.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526900/Sapphire_Safari/

Anyway, that is it, for now, we are still working hard on getting it all together. More information to come very soon!

Hello explorers welcome to a micro patch for Sapphire Safari! As mentioned in our last Documents Issue 016 we are breaking down the MASSIVE v022 sex patch into five smaller patches that can be enjoyed faster. Today we have the first patch, focused entirely on patching in the final three island natives.


[h2]Air, Water, and Mist[/h2]
Three new beauties can now be found on Sapphire Island, each one has unique locomotion, features, and mechanics compared to the others, hence why it took us so long to bring them to the Island.


[h3]Caiadaly - Crocodile[/h3]
This new small classification predator can be found around the waterways of Sapphire Island. Adding her was quite difficult due to her main locomotion being swimming, we needed to build that from scratch to make it all work. It is a little janky still but we will refine it as we go along.


[h3]Sweedee - Bumble Bee[/h3]
A tiny classification of prey can be found anywhere there are plants or flowers. We had to create a brand new flight locomotion for her, how she flees, how she moves, and how she interacts with existing smart objects. We will likely add more unique animations for her as we go, and we are still considering what to do with her wings when they are not in use.


[h3]Malous - Ghostly Wolf[/h3]
The first special spawn of Sapphire Safari! This unique presence on the Island can only be found by completing an environment puzzle that will take you all over the plains biome! After unlocking her, she will still be quite difficult to spot so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for her!

[h2]Island Changes[/h2]
To better house our new island natives Sapphire Island has dramatically changed. The primary focus was to create waterways that feel more alive. The tiny rivers are now grand and deep streams, the tiny swamp is now a giant biome of its own, and the island now houses unique puzzle elements you will need to discover for yourselves!


[h2]Main Menu and Intro[/h2]
Finally, we have removed our old Main Menu level in favor of something more dynamic, instead of the (now underused) Boat intro we have a focus on the Plains campsite. The time of day reflects the last save, and the weather is randomized every load in. This sweeping change also pushed us to fix the temporary introduction cinematic as well. It is still a placeholder but it is nicer than it was before.


[h3]Changelog v022a[/h3]

• Added Caiadaly, Sweedee, Malous species
  
• Added new Monpedia UX entries
  
• Added Malous environment puzzle elements
  
• Modified Plains biome to increase water areas
  
• Added water noise during rain
  
• Added 100+ smart objects in the Plains biome
  
• Modified Map icon discoverability
  
• Removed Beacon spawn options
  
• Removed Beacon activation compass icons
  
• Added compass proximity feature to reduce clutter
  
• Fixed map unveil rain bug
  
• Fixed submission focus bugs
  
• Added new main menu level
  
• Added new introduction cutscene level
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526900/Sapphire_Safari/

That's it for now! We hope you enjoy the new patch! Be sure to check out the Sapphire Documents Issue 016 for more information on what we are building next!

Hello explorers! Hope you all are enjoying the latest patch for Sapphire Safari. I know we have had a lot of really positive comments about the scoring and weather tech added to the game! But today we are talking about a bit of ye’old in n’ out. The hokie pokie. The wham-bam-thank you-mam. The “you get the joke now so I’ll stop”. We talkin, sex.

Over on our community Discord, we held a meeting to discuss our plans for the very anticipated v022 Intamacy Update for the game, we also addressed a lot of questions you all had so be sure to join our Discord for the next time we do it. In the meeting we broke down our plans for the patch and how we will release it.

The short version is that v022 will be broken up into five milestones, each one a micro-patch that we can release quickly as it is completed. Let me go into better detail on what you can all expect.

[h2]v022a[/h2]
This patch is focused on patching the model issues we have had up until now, basically aligning the model legs, renaming bones, and fixing face shapes for every model. They have been broken for quite some time now and getting this done first means we can push out new animations without backtracking. On top of the fixes, we will be adding the final three species that will be found in the Plains region.

The Crocodile Predator called Caicadaly - Our first “small” classification predator in the game. She can be found around the rivers and bodies of water on the island, hunting those silly enough to loiter around the water.



The Bee Prey called Sweedee - Sapphire Safari’s first “tiny” classification species. She will have a job pollinating the island flora and enjoys being used as a sex toy. You can find her buzzing mostly everywhere but her Hive can be found closer to the mountains.



The Undead Wolf Special called Malous - The first special spawn species you can find on Sapphire Island she will have to be “unlocked” before she can be spawned, the hows and whys are up to the player to discover. Even if you manage to get her spawning, finding her will be quite difficult.



[h2]v022b[/h2]
Now that our models have a better foundation the next task is overhauling the current sex system called Doll. This means replacing all the prototype sex animations and adding in a larger pool of animations along with speed variations, cuming scenes, and post-sex animations. This also will come with an IK fix, so all those misplaced hands, dongs, and sex collisions will be fixed with this.

Adding to this we will be putting in our first variation on a cum fluid system, we want facials and bukkake to be a possibility in this game, so expect to see some bunnies covered in cum very soon.



Finally, for this patch, we will be adding our vine flora trap creature. This is a stationary plant that will grab unwilling creatures (including the player) and use their vines and plant tongues on them. This will include a spawning tool that can interact with Sweedee as she pollinates them.



[h2]v022c[/h2]
The big boi patch, the predator system. What can I say about this that you wouldn’t already know? Our three predator classification species - Kokai (snake), Furloin (fox), and Caiadaly (crocodile) will get a brand new AI system that enables them to hunt, stalk, and sexually use any species they deem tasty enough. This also doubles for the player, if they are spotted by an active predator they will become the target, being attacked, filled, and dragged off to their nest.

We will also be adding things like torn clothing and dripping fluids after the player makes their escape, this all coming off the game's first “failure state” aka being caught is bad.



Lastly for this patch, we will be adding the “Mating Tab” of the Monpedia accessible, so you can start scoring photos for sex acts.

[h2]v022d[/h2]
The other aggressive plant will be added in this patch, the Spore Plant which will start a new system. The spores shot out will turn normal prey into sexually aggressive creatures, who will pounce the closest species they can find (player included) and do what they like. If the player is spored they will be woozy and drunken-like, and moving will be harder to control.



With the spore effects in place, we can then add in the “Pink Moon” event. On every full moon in the game, the island natives will go sex crazy, and be fucking each other for the entire night. The player if caught during this time won’t be able to escape until the next morning. So if you want to capture the event as a photographer be sure to not be seen.

[h2]v022e[/h2]
The final micro patch for the intimacy update, this time we are focused on turning on the familiarity system and adding in a bunch of rewards here. Meaning the more familiar a species is with you the closer you can get where you can eventually walk up and interact with them, engaging in some sexywexy. We will also have 3 unlockable reward scenes with each species, which will include very unique animations making the best use of their anatomy.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526900/Sapphire_Safari/

So that wraps up our plans. I know you all have been waiting a very long time for this, and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for how you’re enabling us to spend time polishing and making the best game we can.

Thank you!

Hello explorers! It has been a while since you saw a patch from us - just over 2 months. But we have an excellent reason for it! The long-awaited overhaul to the scoring functionality is finally in Sapphire Safari, and oh boy is it good!

[h2]Judging Photography[/h2]
I won’t get into the nitty-gritty too much here as those details you can read about in our last dev diary. But scoring previously was based on the distance to the target and how obstructed they are in the photo. What resulted was players being able to quickly close the distance to an NPC and snap a shot right up in their face and get the highest possible ranking - flat out did not work.

The new system is based on the Rule of Thirds and visual elements of NPC’s. So if a creature is correctly spaced within the photo, and has all its important features exposed to the camera you’ll get a higher score. With this new system, lower-scored photos will generally be the main results, only through patience and positioning will you get higher-quality photos.



The result is that scoring photos is very very consistent now. And if you learn the ways of the Third you will get reliable scoring metrics for the photos you take. You might even get better at photography in real life.

Future patches will include another system running alongside this called Perfect Photo, or PP (hehe peepee), which is an animation-based score multiplier. The exact moment the creature puts her lips to the cool waters and drinks, or the moment when their yoga pose is held at its peak. Taking a photo during this period will multiply the results, and this is the only way to elevate a photo score to above an “A” ranking.

[h2]Submissions[/h2]
With the scoring system in place, the submissions panel received an overhaul as well, separating each monster girl into its own score and allowing players to submit photos for any species that appears in any photo. That score is reflective of their position during the shot.



Future patches will include an output to score the photo as a whole rather than the individual NPCs within, as we will be including additional photo activities that require full photos with par scores.

[h2]Lighting and Weather[/h2]
This next feature is something we are quite proud of, the dynamic weather and lighting system we have just added to replace the old one improves the quality of our visuals. The basics of the system are that the Sun and Moon produce lighting for the whole island, and dynamic volumetric clouds can sit in front and behind the Sun/Moon blocking that light. The Sun and Moon move how you expect them to, rotating around the world, creating dawn, dusk, midday, and midnight lighting dynamically.



With the volumetric cloud coverage, we also have storms and rain effects. Puddles will dynamically cover the landscape and any creatures (players included) who are caught in the downpour will be slick with water and will drip water off their bodies.



The Moon also follows a lunar cycle as well. Starting from a New Moon (no moon visible) to a Full Moon (a full circle), this changes how bright the nighttime is during the game. With no reflections available during a New Moon the nighttime is vastly darker than other nights. This is why we have also included a new nighttime shooter mode for the camera.



This system automatically turns on and off and increases the brightness of photos taken while adding a bit of noise to the photo. We will be adding other shooter modes to help reduce the noise later, but it should be great for now.

[h2]Music and Vibes[/h2]
The final massive change we have made to Sapphire Safari in this patch is the new music and vibes of the entire game. Gone are the days of a silent exploration of the map, now your days and nights will be filled with a relaxed exploration vibe, your stealth actions will be punctuated with a daring sting of music, and entering the menus or submitting photos will have you bobbing your head to the soothing musics. A few other tracks are waiting in the wings to be added to the game, but needless to say this will help give you all an idea of what to expect in the future from us.

[h2]Other Updates[/h2]
Some smaller QOL features were added, things as a new Guidebook UI, map upgrades, and a model update for Jamie to enable physics for her hair, clothing, and buttocks.



[h2]Changelog v021[/h2]

• Jamie physics (hair, cowlick, buttocks, clothing sim)
  
• map changes (new caves, overhaul plains landscape, sightlines, cliff face overhaul, water replacement, nighttime lighting, and movement fixes)
  
• lighting overhaul
  
• weather system (volumetric clouds, rain, thunderstorms, dynamic puddle system, wet skin and fur textures, wet environment textures)
  
• lunar cycle added (moon changes from new moon to full moon offering unique nighttime lighting)
  
• sundial UI element added
  
• weekday tracking was added and a full day in-game is now 15 minutes
  
• day and weather systems saved for resuming
  
• nighttime shooter mode for the camera added
  
• music added (adventure day/night tracks, stealth track, menu and submission track, main menu/theme track, special area track, dynamic volume system, track swapping)
  
• guidebook system upgrades (exploration menu added for regional task tracking, still needs work)
  
• system settings back button fixes
  
• anti-aliasing options added to the options menu (TSR, TAA, FXAA, Off)
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526900/Sapphire_Safari/

I hope you all enjoy the latest patch, it was a whole massive ordeal to get the scoring tech working as we wanted. But now that it is in we can adjust our sights to building actual game content as opposed to mechanics. We now begin work on the long-awaited Intamacy Update! Stay tuned for more information soon!

Hello everyone! It has been a few weeks since we dropped any information about our development for the game. The short version is that we are currently working on overhauling the scoring tech in the game, we have met some issues with specifically how Unreal Engine handles focusing and reporting that back to a usable state so we are building our workarounds.

That does not mean we have been sitting idle though, let’s break down some of the brand-new features expected to drop when the scoring gets sorted out.

Weather, Lunar Cycles, Lighting, and Time Passing
One great new feature of our game is a new lighting system. As of the next patch, the following will happen in-game:

• Weather effects have been added to Sapphire: Rain, Storms, Cloud coverage, and Fog. Other biomes will also have unique effects, but we won’t be tweaking those models until we get to that content.
  
• Volumetric clouds now affect the light within the world: Sun and Moon in the sky can be blocked by clouds, and the density and quantity of cloud coverage depend on the weather. It will be darker depending on how covered the sky is.
  
• Lunar Cycles progress per day: The Moon can progress from a New Moon to a Full Moon within Sapphire. We are still deciding on how long it will take to do so, as a major event will happen island-wide on a Full Moon.
  
• Day Tracking: Sapphire now has a 7-day cycle Monday - Sunday. Currently, this does not mean much, but updates to the bounty system along with the hotly anticipated intimacy update which adds in a variety of predator-related fail states, skipping days, or running out of time for objectives will be something that can happen. Island events can now also be tied to a specific day and time. To help with this a new UI system has been created, our goal is to include a lot of details in the system, so feedback on readability would be very much appreciated.
  

[h2]Music[/h2]
A nice quality update coming in v021 is the music system and musical tracks made just for this game. We will be launching the early access game with 6ish tracks that will bring a lot of charm and vibes to Sapphire Island.

These include:

• Intro: a track for the Intro and Loading Screens of Sapphire Safari, likely to be added to trailers and promo media.
  
• Day and Night exploration tracks: Music that plays during normal exploration of the island during the Day and Night.
  
• Menu: a track for when the player activates the menu or submits photos.
  
• Stealth: a track that plays when the player enters Stealth or begins exploring a Nest.
  
• ???: a special tack that happens ■■■■■■ and ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■ so be sure to keep your ears open for it.
  

[previewyoutube]Video link[/previewyoutube]

[h2]Scoring[/h2]
The elephant in the room is our scoring system. We needed to very much overhaul what goes into a photo score, and be able to score photos differently depending on the application. For example, a close-up of an open vagina won’t score well for a monpedia entry, but it will score very high for a bounty asking for a bunny girl vagina close-up. To do this we have created a color masking system, this means that the model's parts we want to track are colored, and a mask is used to filter out what the camera can and cannot see as a photo is taken. This leads to accurate identification of just what is inside a photo, meaning we can start to score photos better.


The basic rules are as follows:

• the more pixels are visible for a region, the more visible that region is.
  
• if we cannot see particular regions we can score things differently: Close-ups of faces can be scored differently than a full body shot, and a photo that considers landscapes applies scores for good use of the Rule of Thirds.
  
• for gameplay purposes, scores will be capped to a B+ unless the player takes a photo of the Perfect Point or PP of that particular animation. Hitting a PP on a drinking animation allows the photo to be scored much higher. Gameplay systems will be added to help the player identify the PP points.
  
• exclusions on animations now affect scoring: you cannot get a picture of a fox tail when they are drinking and have it be considered a drinking animation. Now a character will be excluded completely unless they have some of the scored areas visible in the frame.
  

As for the problems I mentioned above, the issue of focus comes about when the player wants to turn off the assistance systems we have and manually control ISO and DOF for their photos. We do not want to score a blurry photo the same as a well-focused photo so we need tools to understand if something is in the right focus. Hence why it is taking so long, the systems inside Unreal Engine 5 as a baseline do not give instant feedback, which makes it difficult to know the content.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1526900/Sapphire_Safari/

Anyway, that is it for now. We will continue to tweak the systems until we can get it perfect. Sorry for the delay on all this. Expect a fantastic patch once it is ready though!