Good evening my fellow Kindred,

With the conclusion of Vampire Jam we think it’s a great time for another Dev Diary! We hope you enjoyed our demo of the game. We sure did enjoy delivering it to you! I’m no Malkavian oracle, but I bet you are all wondering: Will there be more? The answer is YES!

We planned triple the amount of content for the Vampire Jam release, but we ended up short on time and unfortunately had to cut a lot of it. This means we are nowhere near done with this project! Our lone programmer is working hard on patching up any bugs and adding additional quality-of-life features to make the experience even better! Apart from bug fixes and QoL features, we’ve got a major update brewing. Since we are no longer content-locked by the rules of the Vampire Jam, we can bring you all of the originally intended content! 

As of yet we cannot give you any ETA on this Cut Content Patch because it depends a lot on our free time and lives outside the SchreckNET, but I swear by Caine we hope to release it soon!

After that, we plan to develop our game into what we wanted from the start. A full-fledged RPG game that you can immerse yourselves into. We have a lot of ideas. But for starters - what do we want to add in the future?

Systems and Mechanics:

• Combat System - We plan to add a combat system similar to those found in other isometric games. It’ll be similar to what you can find in the XCOM and Shadowrun franchises. Turn-based combat with abilities, hit chances, and a cover system. Kindred existence is full of struggle after all - this is what Jyhad is all about. It’s still up to discussion if it’ll be only combat in physical terms or some kind of minigame for social conflicts too.
• Character Creation - While the extended content will still feature Desiree Bardot as the protagonist we still plan to add character creation later on (yes, your choice will matter). You will be able to choose your gender and between 3 backgrounds with different backstories and impacts on the narrative. Their looks will be preset, but it may change in the future. Later on in the game you will be also able to choose a clan from Venture, Lasombra, Nosferatu (with their own character model and portrait), Toreador, Brujah, Hecata, Ministry, or Tremere.
• Character Development System - It's not an RPG without one. What we plan to do is to adapt the character sheet into a comprehensible skills and perks system tailored for a PC game.
• Specialties System - Since specialties fill a distinct niche in the TTRPG we decided to add our own interpretation of specialties into our game. These won't just be passive bonuses but also active skills you can use in combat or exploration as weaker alternatives for Disciplines. Your character specializes in hand to hand combat, but doesn’t have Potence? No problem! She'll still be able to stun her opponents for a last minute save.
• Disciplines - You’re playing a vampire after all! Yes, Disciplines will be available but not straight away. Your character will be discovering their new abilities with time as well as becoming more proficient in using them. Disciplines will not be only usable while in combat. You’ll be able to use them in dialogues and other interactions - think of them as an opportunity to create new paths where ones shouldn’t exist outside the supernatural.
• Hunger Mechanics - We also plan to implement hunger mechanics which will be only subtly indicated for a player since in V5 it’s an abstract concept. The Beast is always there, deeply woven into your character's thoughts. Only killing another will silence it… for a time. 
• Hunting Minigame - You’re a bloodsucking creature of the night… you need to hunt nearly every day and we’ll oblige to your needs. We have plans to introduce a hunting minigame for you! Tailored for basic predator types you may find in the corebook. Perhaps you'll be a Blood Leech feasting off your fellow Kindred or the other supernatural creatures of the night?
• Messy Criticals and Bestial Failures - Since they were introduced in V5, these bring an element of surprise and randomness making play much more dynamic and uncertain. It is an important part of the system so we plan on incorporating their spontaneity into our game - both in dialogue and combat.
• Willpower Re-rolls - An important part of the TTRPG - we intend to make re-rolls available in our game. You rolled a messy critical? Here’s your rescue. That is if you don’t want to rip the soccer mom's throat out.
• Morality System - Paths of Enlightenment? Not so much, you won't be playing an old vampire which can devote himself to one of the Paths of alien morality. But you’ll go down the humanity track. Will you sink into depravity or become an undead saint? There will be no clear indication of where you stand on the track since Humanity in VtM is as abstract a concept as the Hunger.
• Frenzy - What would a vampire be without his inner Beast? Yes, you’ll be able to succumb to Frenzy - either Rotshreck, Fury or Hunger. Or maybe you’ll just surf down that wave using your Beast as your little, angry pet instead?
• Detective Cases - You’ll be a PI operating out of the corrupted heart of Vegas, a very prominent and needed job in the city. Have you watched the Vega$ series? It may be exaggerated, but it's a prime example of how much work there is for someone like you! It’s not only tracking down missing persons or property, murder cases, and such. It’s also checking up on hustlers in casinos, sometimes being a safety consultant and such. Aside from normal quests, we’d also like to introduce a case-solving system allowing you to fully play as a PI. Additionally, we'd like to develop some of these cases into Hunts to get players closer to other creatures in the WoD universe!

NPCs and plot

• Companions - Yes, our game will have companions. Right now we have 7 planned. You already know one of them. They will have their own stories to tell and goals to accomplish and their skill development will be entirely in your hands. You can also gain and lose influence with them which will have an impact on their reactions towards your character as well as giving you special abilities you can’t have any other way. But be wary - one can’t love and fear you at the same time.
• Love Interests - We submitted our game to the theme “Love Among Monsters” not without a reason. Can Vegas - the world’s capital of divorces - be a place where true love may flourish? Can love be unconditional in a state where it can be legally bought? And on top of that can you trust bloodthirsty, ambitious creatures of the night enough to start a relationship? Why the hell not?! As of now, we plan all of our companions to be romanceable. All of them will have their own preferences and if you don’t start a relationship with them, they may start them on their own. Aside from that, we don’t have any particular plans, but we may consider extending LI to some of the other NPCs.

• Factions - All Kindred cities have not only sect allegiances but also small-scale coteries, packs or always shifting and changing groups of vampires with similar interests. Vegas is just like that. Political groups, allies of convenience, blood debts… you name it, we have it. You can ally yourself with one of them or choose it as your enemy. It’s just an essence of Kindred's existence after all. What we don’t plan is a clear view of how your reputation looks with different groups.

Rendering and Cosmetics

• Originally we started our project on Unity's URP (Universal Render Pipeline) which is lacking some features and has some limitations but is far easier to manage for small teams. The full game will be developed on HDRP (High Definition Render Pipeline) for far higher fidelity - and what’s more important - raytracing and other improvements when it comes to lightning. This will be very important since the game is set in Las Vegas in the 80s. All those flashing neons and aggressive, colorful lights will work as intended!
• Model and texture improvements as well as VFXes, materials, and shaders - as we’re progressing with development we're also learning our tools and different techniques that we are using and becoming more proficient with them. We want to squeeze all we can from the engine and our skills so you’ll be able to immerse yourself in realistic looks.

And last but not least - a fantastic plot that will be able to take you away for hours of play! Without any spoilers, there are 3 acts planned that will slowly drag your character deeper and deeper into the supernatural machinations of Vegas’s Kindred politics.

We also plan to start with our crowdfunding campaign on Patreon. Creating a video game, especially one of this scope is a very difficult, costly and time-consuming job. Especially because right now we’re creating it in our free time. We fund all the basic needs from our pockets, but we are not able to cover all of our game development expenses that would make development quicker. Because the Unbound license forbids using platforms like Kickstarter to gain funding, we’re hoping that the community will be interested enough to help us cover the costs of development via Patreon.

From other things - do you want to play in our Vegas setting? Your own TTRPG session? No problem! We plan to make a fanmade supplement Sin City by Night book that will give you all information and lore about the city you may need to know to make your own Chronicle set in the City of Sin. We plan to cooperate with The Dark Apocrypha initiative making it more seamlessly woven into fancanon.