Progress 22.08.2025

Hello all!

The rendering of 0.48.0 is in decent shape. I'm about where I should be, although I forgot I wrote... three longer scenes for this update. One which is rather annoying to do. Well, have to see how that goes. But I would expect rendering to take a day or two longer than I want.

Writing... It's somewhere; it's not in an ideal state partially because 0.51.0 ended up being longer than I expected, but a bit more of that later. But it isn't a problem since it is the epilogue and there is a pattern to how that goes. Well outside of the few scenes at the start of it. But I know it will be done, might not be done when I thought it would be, but it will be done before I need it anyway, so I’m not stressing about it.

So, as I said earlier on Discord, 0.51.0 is a longer than usual update. The usual update is around 20 to 25 pages of dialogue; 0.51.0 with its variants and things is 31 pages of dialogue. And with some of the more complicated scenes, I know it will take longer than the usual two weeks that have been between updates so far. So this is a heads up already for something that I start doing in two months? Then plus the epilogue after that. But as always when the time comes, I'll keep you guys and gals posted on what is going on. And then a preview...

The private lesson... Koko has improved now that she has a slightly lighter blade to work with. Mal might be a goldsmith, but she still knows how to make weapons, good ones for that matter. This... scene will lead to the conclusion of her choices, assuming you’ve got this far. And as for the Rose? As I said in a comment this morning, she is young and free of restrictions for the first time in her life. She is among friends and has access to wine, so let’s just say the "girl’s night out" might have gone a bit overboard... as you will see.

Sebastian Weiss, I know people didn’t like him, and frankly that was expected. However, he is one of the people you would want in your corner. He is a veteran of four different wars, the last one being World War 2... and he is a lawyer as well, although a different lawyer should be there, but I haven’t made his model so Sebastian will do as stand in for this image as I updated his model today. Right... This is kind of the aftermath of the other image I did recently. Things have consequences, and you will be brought in for questioning if you are found on the scene where automatic weapons were used. And Susan being Susan... Right, I’ll take a break and continue rendering and writing. You all have a great weekend!

P.S. and as a bonus an image that I already showed on Discord... It was titled as "In another life..." when I made it.

 You can probably guess what I've been watching, just missing a pony tail and a tattoo on the right arm...

Progress 18.08.2025 and Changelog for ToaM 0.47.0

Hello all!

So what's up? Rendering of 0.48.0 has started. Yay... but I'm still writing 0.51.0... it's the finale, and some ideas that formed during the writing required that I check I can make them. But it is mostly written, just needs to add a certain section that was potentially discovered during the update. Or perhaps more consequences of it. But that's sorted out tonight for the most parts and then it is just the epilogue, which... yeah, it follows the same pattern, so you know what to expect. So, there is that in a nutshell. And then a preview...

Catching up with Rielle. There is a lot of catching up with various characters between now and 0.51.0; some will have longer scenes than others. It's always a juggling act when it comes to the cast, even when it isn't sizeable as mine tends to be. Still only 4 more than TRS2... Truthfully, this section is here simply because it has been a while for Rielle. And I like Rielle... anyway...

Then the return of the Nurse... and the imp, I suppose. The nurse was... an interesting experience. Yes, it is the nurse from the epilogue, just hair has changed. The only reason she existed was because I felt like the epilogue slides needed something between them, thus the now famous sequence of the nurse having a moment of disbelief let's say it like that. Frankly, I'm not sure what I should do with her; she doesn't even have a name. But that being said, I did update the model in case there is a need for a nurse... Or something. I don't know, need to see when I write things. Although, not the greatest render, something is wrong with the light settings, annoying. Well to the list to be fixed. Anyway, to the important parts!

Changelog: ToaM 0.47.0

• 326 renders

• Implemented the next part of the story

• 1 hidden image

• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, Bread, Oaiki, Horny Toad, MorteRivenditore, Bernie64GER, OBE, DocWhoJ, MurderBear)

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: As soon as the post has had its final touches and links been verified.

• $10 Tier: 20th of August

• $5 Tier: 21st of August

• $3 Tier: 22nd of August

• Public: 1st of September

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Public Release: Tribulations of a Mage 0.46.0

 

 

 

Tested and played through it a few times, and all the saves worked. But that doesn't mean things didn't slip by. So, as always, if there are any issues, please report them on Discord if possible. That way, I notice them quicker.

https://discord.gg/GJK5kfKypg

Tribulations of a Mage 0.46.0

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Progress 15.08.2025

Hello all!

So what's up? Rendering is done, so send the thing to be tested, fixed some reported issues and sent it back out. But overall, things should be fine regarding it to do builds tomorrow. Now there is a severe weather warning for tomorrow, again, so depending on how that goes I might be a day or two late for release than usual and indented. Or not; if it is like the rest of the warnings this summer, it's nothing, but that is something you can't count on. Thus, it is better to live as there would be severe weather. But luckily, it is just uploading and writing to do for most parts, and I have my tablet and laptop charged so I can write, regardless. Anyway, I ran out of stuff that I can show, so... some random musings, or rambling if you wish.

Titled: "Who the f... gave vampires assault rifles?" Urban areas can be challenging when it comes to "urban fantasy" and action. You either hide it indoors or use more conventional methods. Sure, Alexander is casting a spell, hinting that Aya had to use her "block electronic surveillance from working"-spell. There are some witnesses around but usually gunfire does scare them into hiding. Vampires and other supernatural beings, they need to adopt modern way of doing things. Or should I say, keep up with the times, and avoid using magic unless you absolutely need to when in the open, and since most likely they will at least initially face humans? Why waste your powers when more simple things are as effective. But that adaptation goes for most supernatural beings. Truthfully this image came from some musings about why X character met and might be important to the plot. I have several characters prepared for the story, some are easier to add via existing characters, some not so much. So need to think how things play out in advance. Anyway, I'll take a break, write some stuff and so on basically taking it easier tonight and getting some extra sleep.

Truthfully, "the end of projects"-time is kind of frustrating. You've used so much time creating a good story and have so many ideas still, but you know they aren't feasible to add anymore simply because you would just be stretching the story. Sure, there are several sections that didn't need to be there as is, but they allow to flesh out the world and characters in it. So it is a damned if you do and damned if you don't kind of situation. But just have to funnel those ideas somewhere else, and mark down the most promising ones to a potential sequel... like things in the hidden image of 0.47.0... Anyway, you all have a great weekend!

Progress 11.08.2025

Hello all!

Monday! Hooray? Well, maybe. So what is going on?

Rendering is in a good state I have one scene left to render, but it is largeish. The update is a bit weird one, there aren't that many scenes, but the length is basically the same as any other update, so it will most likely will feel short. It will be around 300 renders though, not that it is much of an indication.

Writing? Writing is in a good spot all things considered, not too annoyed about it. I mostly got the parts that annoyed me written since it is content that can be missed with a singular choice ages ago... But consequences and all that. And since I ran out of non spoilery stuff to show... Well you know what it means right now. More rambling!

There has been, let's say suggestions of what I could explore more deeply in Sorcerer 2. Some are plausible, some not so much. A lot of it comes down where the story goes, and what I can make environment wise. Certain aspects leans more on the eastern mythologies and mysticism, some European, some African, some North and South American. Spirit of the Glade leans on Native American mythologies for example, with slight twist of things. I will consider some of it, but I wouldn't expect to see anything that might have been suggested since there are moments what you want to be visual, even if it would be a flashback or "vision" from the past. Something like... this environment is easy... although the fire in the braziers is bad. Need to fix that if I use this as an "production" environment. But for example, and it is just an example, if I would need a scene in a monastery I would have to evaluate how I would do the scene first. Do I have courtyard, do I have entrance, etc. If I have them in "European" style I would use them, if I don't? I need to find something else the examples case this would be used instead. Only thing it lacks is the interiors but those are relatively easy. So why this? I wanted to test the area, and glad I did, now I know about a few issues it has that I need to fix. Yay. Anyway, short break and back to rendering.

Progress 08.08.2025

 

Hello all!

Bleh, I'm day behind with the rendering, the previous scene took just way too long to pose, I spent two days on a scene that I should be able to do in one day, but it is what it is. Well, technically behind anyway, render count wise I'm "schedule", but it's one of those things, I want X be done by Y date, and it isn't I get grumpy even though it would be beyond my control. But I reckon it will fine in the end.

Same issues is with writing, but you have issues with one task (posing) and it pushes everything back. Luckily, I'm not far off with it and I know what I need to write. And I still have that buffer in hand, don't want to waste those but... eh, anyway.

Some more discussions and waiting... some impatience in the air. It's one of those times that it's... annoying. You know something is going to happen, soon, but you don't know where. And knowing that you need to act because... various reasons, the time spent waiting is difficult, and extremely frustrating. But he'll live, all in good time.

Detective Kendrick: "I was told you could tell me about Alexander Ward?"

Detective Cross: "Yeah, we know about Mr Ward."

Detective Graves: "Anytime his name pops up things get weird and difficult to deal with."

Officer Cooper: "Weird things happen around that guy, ma'am. No matter what you collect about him, it just vanishes into thin air."

Detective Graves: "23rd had a folder regarding the Meadows incident. It had a mention of him, but the folder self-combusted as far as we know."

Detective Kendrick: "Really? Self-combusted?"

Detective Graves: "Yeah. It was in Detective Hurst's hands when it just ignited. Just full-on fire. Poor guy's hands were burned badly. The CCTV footage is still available if you don't believe me."

Detective Cross: "And he swears he saw something red making rude gestures at him just before it ignited. But noting on the CCTV, just out of the view in a blind spot."

Yeah... Something random. There have been questions about detectives Simon Cross and Rebecca Graves. Yes, this is the first time I've told their first names, I believe. Obviously, I can't really tell will we will meet them again as I'm not writing Sorcerer 2 at the moment. But they are sort of involved in the background right this stage. When you create a character there is a lot of information that you need, I have spreadsheets full of things regarding people in my stories. In a world where magic exists, and mythological creatures roams the streets there will always be people who know things, and are put to solve things regarding them. Cross and Graves are those people who get the cases with "unknown" elements, most of them just turn out to be crimes made by normal people, but at times there are more to them than eye can see... And as for Officer Cooper? Well, unfortunately for him, he is just "supernatural magnet", he has seen things that are best left undescribed... And yes, detective Kendrick is a new character. There has been a couple images of her around. But how she is involved will need to wait untill Sorcerer 2...

And with that, you all have a great weekend! I'll do some more stuff before I take a break.

Progress 04.08.2025 and Changelog for ToaM 0.46.0

 

Hello all!

So what's up? It is a release day, that will be sorted out soonish. But beyond that I started rendering update 0.47.0 and I started writing 0.51.0, well I wrote the title at least. But speaking of updates, update 50, I don't think it has any choices. It's one those updates that there are no choices left it's just "consequences" of choices made until that point. The updated 47 to 50 are... complicated. I tried to make them so that each update has content regardless of what you've chosen. But some of them still might be shorter than the others.

So 0.51.0 is the finale, it's... going to be slightly different than I originally envisioned, but I think that actually might be for better. Well, have to see when I write it. And then 0.52.0 is the epilogue, and that will take a while to render. But that is something to worry about then. Well then, no spoilers preview... Sort of.

Kaitrin and Brynnia are arguing. And yeah... not sure if it's smart to go in between them, buuut someone's got to interrupt it. This event will play regardless of the relationship status with Kaitrin as long as Brynnia and Kaitrin came back with Malgrin. And if things are right with Kaitrin? Well...

And then something else. Hobbies... I haven't really gone too deeply into the personal or leisure activities the characters are doing. There was no real reason during Sorcerer, TRS2 or even ToaM as is. There has been some dialogue about it, like Kaitrin liking to read romance novels and things like that in ToaM. Sorcerer 2 is a bit different in that regards, since the members of the house are established it is easier to slip in those little things. One of Susan's hobbies is boxing, shocking I'm sure, the other one is shooting, another shocker there. With a sequel it is easier to use show them, and they are ways to introduce the required people as well. No, the opponent is just a random character I made, sort of. Not really planned to be used in the story outside of this image. Anyway... the important stuff now.

Changelog: ToaM 0.46.0

• 351 renders

• Implemented the next part of the story

• 1 hidden image

• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, Bread, Oaiki, Horny Toad, NastyKilla, Gingko19, OBE, ravendarklocks)

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: As soon as the post has had its final touches and links been verified.

• $10 Tier: 6th of August

• $5 Tier: 7th of August

• $3 Tier: 8th of August

• Public: 18th of August

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