Superheroes Suck v2.081

Hey everyone,
We're here at the official public release of Superheroes Suck Version 0.60! As you can probably tell from the above change-log, a lot of this update was devoted to fleshing out Riley's H-content, along with Chrys' story, for a combined total of 13 animations over four different events! We also have the first official release of the Android version of the game! The animations included are definitely some of my best work, although I'm still trying to improve the "faster" looking animations to look more natural.
This update will cover part two of three for Chrys' overall first character arc, making her the last character to cross the finish line. These were meant to be asynchronous between the characters, and all of them cover the romantic barriers between the protagonist and ladies. Harper, for example, had a very quick initial arc because there was very little preventing her open infatuation with the protagonist, whereas Chrys' initial arc has been much more complex. For those of you who are fans of Harper (and Valentina who also falls into this category), don't worry, her second arc is much larger to make up for this. Each character should have roughly an equal amount of content as development continues.
Oh! A special reminder to all of my patrons to haven't voted yet: There are still two active polls ongoing! One for whether or not the protagonist should have more (literal) face time, and another deciding the third week of development for the next version of the game and who gets a triple animation H-event! If someone could please break the tie on the character poll, that would be marvelous.
I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! I'm going to gorge myself on leftover candy now, slip into a light sugar-coma, and then get back to rendering. Thank you all for your support!
~Solace

'The Final Public Build':

Superheroes Suck Version 2.081 - The Final Public Build
Below is going to be a very long written, sappy post, so let me get the essential questions out of the way first:

• Game development will continue. We are 75% through the main story. I expect to finish the main story within the next year and a half. Development of epilogue content may continue afterward depending on demand.

• The game will be moving onto Steam. After the Steam launch, I will make plans to get the game on itch.io
  I am aiming for an autumn release this year. The Steam listing will be posted here once it is wishlistable.

• The Early Builds will continue uninterrupted. Every six weeks, as normal, a new version will be available on Patreon.

• The Public Builds, offered freely for almost seven years...
  They will conclude today. This post will be available for at least the next two weeks before being removed in preparation for the Steam launch.

My only regret is that I wish the final public build had been larger with more events, but this has been a very difficult year for me. That near-death experience in December really threw me off balance. I've lied to myself many times saying that I've recovered. Truthfully, I am still recovering. I apologize. I know what I offer is the complete game and not just the newest events, but I would have liked to end things with more fanfare.

Okay. The rest is going to be a very long post about the game's history! Download and enjoy the content if you'd prefer to skip this. I wouldn't blame you; this is as much for me as it is all of you. If you end your reading here, take care and I hope to see you again soon.

For the rest of you, let's turn the page back one more time.

I began game development in February of 2019. I was in my late twenties and I was always home. I'd reached an arrangement with my family that I would take care of my grandparents fresh out of college as a live-in in exchange for some financial compensation down the line. I would be sacrificing a good chunk of my work history and my actual pay check. They needed to be watched at all times. I was given no stipend. After six years of this, I took up coding as I already owned a modest (old) computer and I wanted something to do. That's the computer you used to hear references of when I spoke about a hamster wheel running my render machine.

The first game idea was supposed to be an RPG text adventure. I'd always fancied myself a storyteller although I'd mostly written... Well, internet erotica. It was always going to be an adult game. Anyway, I figured dabbling couldn't hurt. I was wrong. I had no idea how to code and spent months knocking my head against it. I had sixteen pages of story written and absolutely no way to convey it. I would, mired in frustration, come across my first visual novel April of that year. Or rather, I'd already played several, but I would find the very first using 3D renders.

It looked like a cheat code. I couldn't draw. I still really can't, and the idea of having images meshed to my stories was something I'd never imagined to be possible. My stories surely weren't worth pictures... but what if I made those pictures? There were several concepts for a game back then. The winner was a thriller set in an environment similar to the show Mad Men. You'd go around seducing the wives and secretaries of powerful CEOs in order to drag them into scandal and ensure corporate supremacy. It was... ambitious. And cut short, as there were no assets similar to an office building that could run on my machine. I also ran into serious story issues. The main character required would need to be either under duress or a clinical sociopath to ruin the lives of at least two dozen people. I'm not saying those characters can't be compelling. I've watched American Psycho, but the story was complicated, dark, and cynical in a time for me that quickly became complicated, dark, and cynical. My grandfather had a stroke July of that year, and I realized soon after that I was going to be homeless and penniless.

I released the first build of Superheroes Suck in November of 2019. I was homeless in December of 2019.

Money does strange things to people. They'll cherish you all their life until someone whispers the word "inheritance" into their ears. I saw the signs. I moved my stuff, everything I owned, into a small storage box and went searching for apartments while I waited for someone who once held me on their shoulders in Disneyland to hand me an eviction notice. None of this process was subtle, which I found odd in the most surreal way, like a carjacker knocking on your door demanding to borrow your keys. There wasn't going to be any compensation. I never saw my grandparents again. I hear they didn't survive Covid.

It was that era where I wrote the first four hours of Superheroes Suck. Very few of it remains in the game now. I've remastered most of those old renders using better lighting, camera angles, and pacing, but the soul is still there along with a few special frames. My grandparents used to smoke. I think I made the protagonist a smoker in a nod to them. The protagonist's frustration with his daily life, the trap he feels, the helplessness, is a reflection of the selfsame misery I was in. It wasn't that I wrote the protagonist to be me, but since it was all I felt, it was all I could write. Missus Powell was snappy and angry at that time as well. That part of the game is also gone. Still, I'm very happy with Superheroes Suck. In some of my darkest moments, I chose to write about more than just heroes. I wanted to write about being someone's hero.

The protagonist is unremarkable for the first fifteen hours of the game. This was intentional. The mystery element of his powers was fun, but the goal was to create real relationships based on real situations. The ladies of the Academy don't enjoy his company because he is strong. They enjoy it because he is genuine. They've lost something, something the protagonist himself starts to lose. Human connection. Their problems are normal, ordinary, and have nothing to do with punching bad guys. They could have fixed them, but their status as a hero isolates them. Their sacrifice isolates them. That's why being a superhero sucks.

I got a job at the local hospital, moved back in with my mother, and continued game development. This period was messy. I had little idea of what I was doing and no idea on how to improve. They don't make courses on "how to create a visual novel" and the medium was more or less dead outside of Japan and a few niche translation sites. I did my best. The "updates" were larger then. Ten events at a time! But these were atrocious in quality and should have read "negative ten events" as I would need to go back and redo all of them. There were major failings in the story, grammar, game design, UI... everything. What kept me going was the idea that, even just a little, the game got better every week. I've held that true to today.

I do not think Superheroes Suck will sell well. There are too many problems that would take me years to fix, but I don't have the heart to abandon these characters or their stories to make another title. This is my ship and I will sink or sail with this crew until the sun does set. I owe that to them. I owe that to you. This game has both given and taken many things from me over the years. It's tied to my mental health in a way that's impossible to untangle. Writing is a drug, a free and lasting high. When I put out an excellent update I feel like I can do anything. When I put out one that falls short of my expectations, usually content quantity, I have nightmares every day for the next six weeks. Looking back on it now, I will always wish I'd have done better than I was capable, but I do not regret dedicating such a large part of my life to this project. Many of you have told me it's helped you in similarly dark times. That's worth it. This is worth it.

I have a modest goal. If the game could just make twenty thousand on Steam in twelve months, then I could afford to continue development while picking up a second job again. It would be hard, but that would be doable. The don't know what it would do to the update schedule as I've been working on the game full time for almost two years now, but my body is getting to a well enough state that I can return to the workforce. Somewhere. Everything is expensive. Most days, I'm surprised anyone would give me a dollar, let alone how much many of you have donated over the years.

So long as I have a computer that can render, electricity, internet, and a roof, my goal is to finish this game and make good on the hopes you've entrusted to me and this story.

Thank you, all of your, for your support over these last seven years,

~Developer Solace

DOWNLOAD
Win/Linux: BUZZHEAVIER - DATANODES - PIXELDRAIN - VIKINGFILE - MEGA
Mac: BUZZHEAVIER - DATANODES - PIXELDRAIN - VIKINGFILE - MEGA
Android: BUZZHEAVIER - DATANODES - PIXELDRAIN - VIKINGFILE - MEGA

Extras: Spanish Translation - Multi-Mod - Walkthrough - Events - Italian Translation*

• This unofficial port/version is not released by the developer, download at your own risk.

​

v2.081

• 1 Riley Event!

• 1 Valentina Event!

• Harper's Seventh Event has been Redone!

This is The Final Public Build. (More under 'Developer Notes')

v2.076

• 1 Chrys Event!

• 1 Riley Event!

• 1 Valentina Event!

• Harper's Sixth Event has been Redone!

v2.071:

• 2 Main Story Events!

• 2 Artemisia Events!

• Valentina's Fifth Event has been Redone!

v2.066

• 2 Main Story Events!

• 2 Felicity Events!

• 1 Riley Event!

v2.061

• 2 Main Story Events!

• 1 Valentina Event! Including a new H-scene!

• 1 Harper Event!

v2.051

• 2 Main Story Events!

• 1 Valentina Event!

• Artemisia's icons have finally been updated!

v2.046

• 1 Artemisia Event!

• 1 Harper Event!

• 1 Valentina Event!

• 1 Main Story Event!

• 1 Riley Event!

v2.042

• 2 Artemisia Events!

• 1 Harper Event!

• 1 Ferocitease Event!

• Main Story Event!

v2.036

• 1 Artemisia Event!

• 1 Harper Event!

• 1 Riley Event!

• 1 Chrys Event!

• 1 Main Story Event!

• The Fourth Lecture Event has been Replaced!

The Public Release is here! I am exhausted and if you want to find out way, then you'll need to finish the latest main story event!
That's it! No spoilers! You've got a job to do! Get in there and get up to date on the story! I think there will be a development in the future that you'll all enjoy, but that's all you'll get out of me this week! You know, aside from the public release.
Thank you for all of your support,

v2.031

• 1 Artemisia Event!

• 1 Ferocitease Event!

• 3 Harper Cuddle Events!

• The Second Lecture Event has been Replaced!

v2.025:

• 2 Artemisia Events!

• 2 Valentina Events!

• 1 Riley Event!

• 2 Main Story Events!

• The First Protagonist Event has been Replaced!

v2.021:

• 2 New Valentina Events!

• 1 Riley Event!

• 1 Protagonist Event!

• 1 Main Story Event!

• The First Lecture Event has finally been replaced!

• General Fixes

v2.015:

• 3 New Valentina Events!

• 1 Josie Event!

• 1 Harper Event!

• The Rain!?

• 1 Riley Repeatable event! Riley's rainy day repeatable! ... When it rains!

v2.000

A complete overhaul of the game's navigation system!
The Story Panel replaces the Relationship Panel
The minimap is out and two new systems take its place! Bubble icons and floor indicators!
Literally hundreds of minor fixes and touch-ups. Music and sound effects added to early parts of the game. More to come. Actually, a lot more.
Elimination of all progress blockers. Technically just one, but there were two kind of annoying ones as well.
Change-Log from 1.950 to 01.976:
3 Riley Sandbox Events!

Shorter update in 1.976 because this was the development cycle impacted the most by my vacation. The event chain is very easy to start if you're caught up, just head towards Riley's room during the day and the first one should pop! Give Artemisia a visit the following day.

Change-Log from 1.925 to 01.951:

1 Chrys Event!
1 Harper Event!
1 Ferocitease Event!
2 Riley Events!
1 Valentina Event!

Change-Log from 1.900 to 01.926:
5 Ferocitease Events!
2 Main Story Event!

Change-Log from 1.875 to 01.901:
6 Ferocitease Events!
1 Main Story Event! Welcome to the Academy!

Change-Log from 1.850 to 01.875:
3 Valentina Sandbox Events! The Tactical Cuddling Part 2!
3 Main Story Events! Quite large...

Change-Log from 1.825 to 01.850:
3 Riley Sandbox Events! The Kitchen Saga!
1 Chrys Repeatable Event! Her Night Time Gaming Finale!
Major Feature: The minimap!

Change-Log from 1.801 to 01.826:
3 Patrol Events!
1 Chrys sandbox events! The Tactical Cuddle Part 2 Finale!
1 Chrys main story event!
1 Riley repeatable Event! Thursday Night in her Bedroom

Change-Log from 1.750 to 01.801:
1 Riley sandbox event! The Finale for her late night library! Triggered Thursday evening in the Academy Library
1 Artemisia story events!
2 Chrys sandbox events! The continuation of her cuddle events!
3 Valentina main story event!
1 Harper repeatable Event! The hiking finale! Trigger Sunday morning in the entrance

Change-Log from 1.700 to 01.752:
1 Harper sandbox event! The Finale for her hiking trip! Triggered Sunday morning in the Academy Entrance
1 Artemisia story events!
1 Protagonist event!
2 Riley sandbox events! Triggered during the evening in the library!
1 Valentina main story event!
1 Riley repeatable Event! The Movie Night Finale! Triggered Tuesday night in the recreation room!

Change-Log from 1.651 to 01.702:
1 Riley sandbox event! The Finale for her movie night! Triggered Tuesday night in the Rec Room
2 Harper story events!
2 Harper sandbox events! Triggered at the Academy entrance in the morning after her most recent events.
1 Valentina main story event!
1 Valentina repeatable Event! The "Perfect Ten" Finale! Triggered Saturday morning in her bedroom.
Grammar and bug fixes!
Fixed a bug where animations faded to black and fails to run!

Change-Log from 1.601 to 01.65:
1 Valentina sandbox event! The Finale for her Special Training!
2 Main story events!
2 Riley sandbox events! Triggered Saturday morning in the gym.
1 Chrys main story event!
1 Riley main story event!
1 Riley repeatable Event! The Cuddle Finale! Triggered if you spend enough time together.

Change-Log from 1.577 to 01.601:
1 Riley sandbox events! The Finale for her Tactical Cuddling Part II!
1 Main story event! The Interrogation of Lovestruck!
2 Valentina sandbox events! Triggered in her bedroom
1 Valentina event!
2 Harper events!
1 Riley repeatable Event! The Sunday morning massage!

Change-Log from 1.551 to 01.577:
3 Riley Sandbox Events! This includes the finale of the massage event triggered Sunday morning!
2 Main Story events!
Kelly Clark's visual overhaul!
Miranda Keegan's visual overhaul!
Bug Fix for the looping garage event!

v1.511
1 Riley Main Story Events!
3 Riley Sandbox Events! This includes the finale of the weight lifting event triggered Saturday morning!
3 Artemisia Events!
Chrys' Repeatable Pet Play Event!
Chrys' Room has been added
Chrys' Original pet play has had a few tweaks
The Recreation Room has been added!

v1.526
1 Chrys Sandbox Event! Triggered by visiting her bedroom Monday afternoon.
2 Riley Sandbox Events! You can find these Saturday morning in the gymnasium

1.452 to 01.502:
4 Chrys Main Story Events!
2 Chrys Sandbox Events! Triggered by visiting her bedroom Monday afternoon after finishing her newest events.
3 Artemisia Events!

1.401 to 01.452:
3 Chrys Main Story Events!
3 Harper Snippet Events (Tactical Cuddling + Repeatable included)!
1 Riley Main Story Event!
Bug and Grammar Fixes

v01.401:
5 Riley Main Story Events!
3 Riley Snippet Events (Tactical Cuddling + Repeatable included)!
Valentina's second event has been redone!

v1.351
4 Chrys Main Story Events!
3 Valentina Snippet Events (Tactical Cuddling + Repeatable included)!
1 Harper Sandbox Event (The Conclusion of the Daddy Talk)!
Valentina's first event has been redone!

v1.301
1 Chrys Main Story Event!
1 Chrys Sandbox Event (With H-scene! Triggered by the usual upstairs bathroom visits at night on Mondays and Wednesdays)
2 Chrys Repeatables (Post tactical training and bathroom H-scene!)
2 Valentina Events!
1 Valentina Sandbox Event (trigger by going into the locker room during the day)
2 Harper Sandbox Events! (At night in the Kitchen and at night in the library)
Harper's third event has been redone!

v01.252
3 Chrys Events!
2 Sandbox Chrys Events! These can be found Monday and Wednesday night in the upstairs bathroom after completing the strength tests with Chrys and Valentina.
3 Valentina Events!
Harper's first event has been redone!

v01.202
3 Harper Events (H-scene!)
2 Protagonist Events (What!? Two!?)
1 Artemisia Event

v1.101 to 01.152:
3 Harper Events
3 Riley Events (One H-scene!)
1 Artemisia Event
1 Miranda Event
1 Protagonist Event (with Lovestruck!)

v1.052 to 01.100:
2 Harper Events
1 Chrys Event
1 Artemisia Event
1 Josie Event
3 Patrol Events
A complete overhaul of Valentina's Shower Repeatable!
Update:
You can find the hints for the Patrol Events in Riley's hint section. Her progress tracker bar will not move during this update, and that is intentional.

v01.052
2 Riley Events
2 Harper Events
2 Chrys Events
2 Valentina Events
2 Artemisia Events
A complete overhaul of Harper's Shower Repeatable!

v01.002
2 New Riley Events
3 New Harper Events
3 Repeatables Added (Chrys, Riley, Valentina)
1 New Lecture Event
The Midpoint
Fixes with the Schedule Tracker

v0.975.1
2 New Chrys Events
2 New Harper Events
2 New Valentina Events (1 H-scene)
2 New Artemisia Events
1 New Protagonist Event
Numerous bug fixes and spelling corrections

v0.95.2
9 New Chrys Events (2 H-scenes)
No, seriously
There are Nine new Chrys Events
Fixed a bug where events in the library wouldn't trigger because someone was already in there.
Fixed typos and grammar mistakes

v0.90.2
2 New Riley Events ( One new H-scene)
1 New Main Story Event
1 New Artemisia Event
1 New Josie Event
1 New Detective Event
1 New Lecture Event
1 New Patrol
Repeatable events for Harper and Valentina have been added!
Fixed a minor bug where Valentina wasn't showing up on the schedule tracker
Fixed a minor bug where Riley's new event triggered ahead of schedule

v0.875.2
Fixed: Missing Hints for Riley's Events

v0.875
2 New Harper Events ( One new H-scene)
2 New Riley Events
1 New Lecture Event

v0.85.1 Public
5 New Main Story Events
2 Valentina Events (One new H-scene)
Fixed some spelling and grammar errors
Fixed an audio bug.

v0.80 Early
2 New Missus Powell Training Events
1 New Lecture Event
1 Main Story Event
1 Riley Event
2 Harper Events
2 Valentina Events

v0.75
The Academy has received a visual overhaul
Redesigned the first floor corridor (added elevator access)
Added an in-game blackboard to track the common schedules
Redesigned the Locker Room
Redesigned the Main Menu
Added a game icon
Redesigned the Hint images
Updated the Main Menu images
Touched-up the Introduction
Replaced the old Introduction Hospital Scene
Replaced the old Academy Tour
Replaced Chrys' 1st Event
Replaced Lecture 3 Slideshow Animation with a real animation
Replaced Harper's 4th Event and Animations (now two)
Replaced Harper's 5th Event and Animations (now two)
Replaced Chrys' 6th Event and Animations (the last slideshow)
Replaced Valentina's 8th Event (Animation removed because it was low-quality and no longer fit the scene.)
Replaced hundreds of old renders with the newer backgrounds
Updated half a dozen old animations with the newer backgrounds
Added almost a dozen new tracks the game
Added music to dozens of scenes
Added over thirty new sound effects to the game
Added sound effects to nearly every scene
Added a "leave" button to replace the old room exit highlights. Updated events to trigger off the new button
Added an in-between state for the elevator hallway before Riley moves back into the Academy
Shuffled a lot of the code around to make it easier to add new content
Updated and replaced too much code to mention
Fixed Attributions
Added new Patreon buttons
Fixed a bug with Riley's bathroom repeatable event
Redone a few hints to be a little less vague
Locked the player in the sequence where Chrys ambushes you so that you don't skip it accidentally
Added an in-game change-log.
Finished Sumire's Redesign
Finished Keegan's Design
Finished a Design for Mister Nakamura
Finished a Design for a mystery character you'll meet soon
Updated the dialogue of several events to be more internally consistent
Changed the wording on picking your name to be more clear. Also added a default name. It's a reference, there is no "canon" protagonist.
Hotfix: Fixed a minor bug that occurred when you tried to repeat Harper's oral event when speaking to her in the doorway.
Hotfix: Fixed a bug that occurred when accessing Valentina's and Harper's repeatable events and then backing out.
Hotfix: Fixed an incorrect schedule time slot
Hotfix: Fixed a bug with a dialogue option during Chrys' fitting room event.

v0.70.6 Public
This fixes an issue with repeating Riley's bathroom event.

v0.7
.5 Valentina Training Revision Events
Valentina's shower room H-scene has been made repeatable.
6 Harper Training Revision Events
2 Riley Events (Repeatable H-scene)
3 Main Story Events
Missus Powell's new model implemented
Harper's new model implemented
New file compression has been implemented!
Made one of Riley's new animations less "vroom, vroom."

v0.65
4 Chrys Events (with an H-scene)
2 Riley Event (one with repeatable H-scene)
4 Valentina Training Revision Events
Valentina's bedroom H-scene has been made repeatable every other day

v0.60
4 Chrys Events (with an H-scene)
1 Riley Event (With repeatable H-scene)
2 Riley Repeatable H-scenes
3 Main Story Events

v0.55
2 Valentina Events (One H-scene)
2 Harper Events
3 Chrys Events (Including a very large one)
1 Main Story Event
Hundreds of typo fixes

v0.50
2 Patrols Events with Riley
1 Lecture Event
3 Riley Events (Animation for the finale!)
2 Chrys Events
1 Protagonist Event

v0.45
5 Valentina Events (One H-scene, repeatable)
Fixed Valentina's public shower event animation (Or replaced, more accurately)
4 Harper Events (Two H-scenes, one repeatable)
3 Chrys Events (A surprise)
2 Riley Events
1 Main Story Event

v0.40
6 New Main Story Events! (Yes, the main story is finally in the game!)
Numerous bug fixes and spelling corrections
New Hint System!
Improved pacing and reduced grind!
The first Patrol Mission!

v0.35
A new introduction sequence starting from the very beginning and going all the way to the hospital scene. One new story H-scene included!
The heroines will now appear around the academy map during certain times of day!
Three, brand new repeatable H-scene events. One for Harper, Valentina, and Chrys
Conversion of Harper's first bedroom animation into an actual animation (progress to the point where you gain access to her room to see it).
Lots of minor coding fixes and tweaks as well as some optimization of the image files.
One new event for the protagonist