Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop an update for those who aren’t subscribed to Patreon. I’ve been working on an in-depth overhaul of the game mechanics, making some major improvements. These changes have been tested in the released demo on Patreon for FratUniversity, which takes place in the same universe as Arena of Thebes.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/fratuniversity-120208516

The demo showcases several exciting new features, including:

• Player Choices: Your choices throughout the game including your main desire at the start will influence your roommate’s clothing, behaviors, and responses throughout the game.
• Clothing System: Ability to take off clothing and see how they impact gameplay.
• Parallax Sprites: Movement of Sprites through mouse or touch movement creating perspective
• Speech Bubbles: Dynamic dialogue presentation for easier reading and added personality.
• Playable Models: Six player character models to choose from
• Roommates: Three unique roommates, each with their own storylines to explore.

This test project has already revealed some areas for improvement. As a result, future updates and games will benefit from a shift to 3D for Arena of Thebes, addressing performance issues and expanding creative possibilities

Thanks to last year’s character model updates, Arena of Thebes now allows characters to spawn seamlessly in the 3D arena, with smooth transitions between different models.

The clothing system has been significantly improved, offering more customization options than the FratUniversity demo. There’s less clipping, better layering, and greater flexibility in mixing and matching outfits, with full control over colors and materials.

The same goes for interchangeable hairstyles, and I’m working toward a full character creator, allowing players to customize their own protagonist.

On the animation and physics side, dynamic physics to private parts is helping bring characters to life while giving you some fun to play around. The 3D approach also means updates can be implemented in each version without needing to re-render frames, making development more efficient.

What’s Next?

• Body hair options
• UI improvements for a smoother experience.
• A character save system so you can store and reload customizations.
• More Animations like peviews available as Patreon bonus content.

The first reworked version will introduce a sandbox mode for free interaction, targeted for release at the end of the month. The story is being restructured in phases to support new interaction mechanics, following a model similar to the FratUniversity demo, where individual character storylines will roll out with each update.

Stay tuned for more updates - exciting things are coming!