Heya, I'm so excited to show a new feature included in the 0.8 update! So, the update brings with it VIP characters. I've touched on those a few times now, but they're essentially reoccurring characters that you build relationships with and eventually unlock an ending for the game. Over the development cycle of The Matriarch, I will be adding more in, to build upon the initial three. I also reached out to the members of my Patreon and am working with them to add some of their OCs into the game officially!

Being a patron is not the only way to get your character into the game though. When I built the VIP system, I added in modding support so you can add in your own characters. The process is fairly simple and only requires some surface level Ren'Py code knowledge, which I go over and give examples in the readme file.

So, what is the process like? Well first you will need to grab the attached "CUSTOM VIP.rar" and unzip it. You will find three files in there. A JSON file, an RPY file, and a readme file. All three files are very thoroughly documented with steps and examples of how to add in your character. For the most part you don't even need to write any code, you just have to replace the example text with your own story text and character name. This is Ren'Py though, so you can get pretty wild with the .rpy file and add all sorts of scenes and interactions if you wish.

 After that, you just drop the JSON and RPY files into the "game/custom_vips" folder in the game directory as well as any images you wish to use into the "game/images/cc" folder and you're good to go. I'd recommend creating a folder in the images/cc folder for your character to keep things organized though. The VIP database doesn't get rebuilt until you renew your contract so you will not see your custom character until your current pregnancy ends and you renew.

I have also created two new channels in the discord. One for sharing your custom character build with others, and another for help/discussion about custom characters. Please note, the help channel is for more in-depth troubleshooting or implementation. If you need assistance with writing basic dialogue or menus in Ren'Py please check the official Ren'Py documentation (it's very easy to follow), look at the examples in the read me, or drop your questions in a search engine (I promise you're not the first person to have these questions).

I hope y'all enjoy this new feature and can't wait to see what y'all add in. Have fun!