dna - Upcoming feature: Spectators mechanics

This started as an experimental idea and developed into a full blown mechanic, and a way to make the fight feel hotter and a lot more intense (and potentially dirtier). Before anyone asks, it is, as usual, a completely optional feature. And it will be available in Friday's release.

In short: on the arena selection screen (for regular 1 vs 1 matches) you will be able to select up to two spectators - the first will be cheering for the fighter on the right, the second for the fighter on the left. They will react to what's happening during the match and, as long as their preferred character is in a dominant position, they will be happy, perform various actions, cheer, taunt, and (here's the mechanic side of things) act as a willpower battery. If / when their character is being dominated however, the spectator will randomly encourage them. They will convert a quantity of the accumulated cheer and restore some of their willpower. Aside from this, they will also perform various actions / animations / reactions during the match.

They do not require any sort of player input. And just to set expectations - they will not be part of the action. There will be no direct interactions between them and the fighting characters (i.e. this won't enable any sort of tag team, 2 vs 1, or 2 vs 2 matches, or any post defeat interactions), as the engine is not designed for it (maybe post defeat (only) actions will be supported in the future, although it will be very complicated)

So far progress on the feature has been good. Here's some more details, in no particular order:

A spectator can be a random character with a given body type, or an existing character (different from the two fighters). Existing characters will use their current outfit

Each arena (mods included) needs to define two spectate slots (position + rotation), otherwise no spectators will be loaded

The default spectate position is on the knees - that way they don't need to stand awkwardly, and they also don't need to lean against anything. Arenas can all be very different, so a position that works for one might not work for another. With the spectators kneeling, they are more or less self sufficient and don't depend on arena props or geometry. In time I might add arena specific variations, but it's too much for an initial release

The spectators will start with their genitals exposed (any wearables that cover the genitals is removed on match start)

Once the match starts, the spectators will... uhhh... spectate :) And cheer. And self pleasure when they're happy with how their character is doing. And on occasion, they will perform willpower healing on their fighter (when the latter is being dominated for a longer period)

Spectators' expressions will reflect how their character is doing

Spectators are able to have the same interactions with the environment as regular characters: they will get dirty, they will get cum stains and their cum will also stain the floor and/or the other characters on the stage, if they're close enough. And they'll also leave tracks or make waves

A spectator can have one of the following states:

neutral (they're ok with what's happening)

positive (they like what's happening - i.e. their character is in a good position; this is also when most of the self pleasuring will take place)

negative (they don't like things currently - their character is not doing well)

supportive (they are actively encouraging the character, and during this state have a chance to say something that boosts their character's willpower)

victory (when their character has won the match)

defeat (when their character has lost the match)

Each state has its own set of animations.

I focused initially on finalizing most of the functionality and left the animations for the end. As such, there are currently only 3 animations: an idle, and two self pleasuring animations (for penile / clitoral stimulation). But I'll for sure be adding more before release, which will make things feel a lot more alive

The dialogues are somewhat limited at the moment, but they are varied enough that they already contribute to the atmosphere, and it feels like they belong there. Spectators recognize what's happening (e.g. if their character is getting fucked), and will speak their mind about it

Matches can now last quite a bit longer, due to willpower healing. I'm not sure how balanced things are at the moment, but I'll do some pre-release tuning and will collect feedback afterwards

Finally, you can get the spectators in the Gallery also, and they will do their thing there too. Here the feature is a bit experimental though. I'm not sure of all the potential implications, but I'm choosing to leave it available for now, at least. Note that spectators are not (and likely will not) be saved with the match replay. Enabling any spectators during the replay will compensate for it visually, but they won't do the exact same things that you saw during the match