Public Release: TRS2 Update 21

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 (https://discord.gg/GJK5kfKypg).

Uncompressed:

• PC (4.51 GB): https://mega.nz/file/ezgA2QbY#uBNHRbiF1IXGpsFx6iLN5D-pLKcGYTw6dg3FRrJO4xw 
• PC Alternative: https://www.mediafire.com/file/03p47flzweaoxq6/TRS2-pc-Update21.zip/file 
• MAC (4.50 GB): https://mega.nz/file/nyxDEDKL#zyHdyv50HtW4NanGbYAo19XNcvrZ-LFRRU9zCVBDjnA  

Uncompressed update only:

• From Update 20 to Update 21 (241.1 MB): https://mega.nz/file/jiBXUQZI#bIgtY7VhpRratncXkmfi44rv16fPKDiraSLglk5Se78 

Compressed:

• PC (2.03 GB): https://mega.nz/file/Tmp0XIKB#AD2v92b2mTW5UzYC_kOwbfEdtu2wPJDifSQezmhD85c 
• MAC (2.01 GB): https://mega.nz/file/q3gmBSDC#LPu-pFcTp6RtIbDuivsrRI4mwfgClfS5CXnL3Vb54QY 

Compressed update only:

• From Update 20 to Update 21 (115.2 MB): https://mega.nz/file/Cq4RBAoZ#Y4-riToSwfeZYt3WpKxwnpAlPFHb0Gl06KMDOno-Qps 

Android:

• Android (767.0 MB): https://mega.nz/file/jjRhESIA#MHGiermjJalmcQQ5mfzTh-uySWX05nBLhrsAViDe96g
  

Progress 30.12.2022

 

Hello! It is Friday, and it is time for a progress post.

It's mostly looking good, with twoish scenes left to render. Some action, some talking, and so on. A bit challenging to build some parts of the scene, but worth it. That and initialization take far longer than I'm used to, but that's the price to pay when you use multiple characters in one scene.

Writing has been progressing decently overall, just people visiting but not too behind on where I want to be. Probably will write for a day or two after the rendering is done.

Yeah, many people fighting means lots of posing and somehow trying to make it look natural. Worth it? Always.

And then we return to the fantasy renders, at least this post... One of the, hmm... concerns raised, hah, with what I do is that the MC is over-competent. Sure, however, with the stories I tell, failure conditions mean death more often than not. Thus writing the failures becomes a problem. In interactive media, choices decide it. Wrong choice, and you die. The first TRS was the poster boy of this, something you chose hours ago doomed you right at the end. There are few moments like that in Sorcerer and TRS2, but they are more clearly marked. What will it be in the future? I'm not sure yet. We will see once I write the story. But regardless, the key will be in the choices written.

And yes, I've recently been buying all kinds of monsters that I can use to create things. Perhaps a bit relating to the above point, maybe an obstacle that must be passed somehow.

Progress 26.12.2022

 

Progress 26.12.2022

So it is Monday once again. Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I should make a post today or not, but here we are. So what's up?

I'm actually amused at the moment, without realizing I hit the halfway point of the script before my break. But I'm rendering again, and it's going fairly smoothly.

Unlike writing, I hit a wall with it, not in a creative sense, but I need to get some dialogue right so I can continue building a few things, but at the moment, I don't like that segment at all. But other than that, it's alright. I've plotted the remaining of update 26 out. Just need to smash that one wall down. Anyway...

And today, it's the other variant. And just one preview today cause you know, busy rendering and trying to write... and the rest is spoilery stuff of sorts. Should resume "normal" stuff by Friday.

Public Release: TRS2 - Update 20

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 (https://discord.gg/GJK5kfKypg).

With this update, the character screen can also be accessed from the quick menu that is at the bottom of the screen, as well as pressing the esc (on PC at least) or from the save screen.

Note: if you use looped images use the fix below. Extract it to the /game folder. The file can be left there with update 21 as it doesn't interfere with it.
Update 20 image loop fix: https://mega.nz/file/i3RCURhC#yxSEQKXPywpHgHBTH8iQejnU0acZaVnxi8V_fbz6SMM

Uncompressed:

• PC (4.29 GB): https://mega.nz/file/PiZjjCrL#a5_sda3L8dVP5GWVHj_u5PU09drgOHBJQjwtKXI-rJU
• PC Alternative: https://www.mediafire.com/file/0uh3d7pe5g6v645/TRS2-pc-Update20.zip/file
• MAC (4.27 GB): https://mega.nz/file/mzZC2BAJ#3_WMuyaJDIDZg0DR-yUaYTcY5EZwvk3gPJImZrk4ob8

Uncompressed update only:

• From Update 19 to Update 20 (430.6 MB): https://mega.nz/file/njxWmJCT#jXhO-c23nb2mAmspt6pZ1v3swf3Kz4wO9C7Hx-XcdPk

Compressed:

• PC (1.92 GB): https://mega.nz/file/PyBXDTCJ#jDObINq660vmoLACQC8r0NohpXmEV-3CCwPiMGB3ibQ
• MAC (1.91 GB): https://mega.nz/file/6mp1kIqQ#_cBOPM8ctymAzfhV-ljW0lU30jo5XFQq78pKbF335iA

Compressed update only:

• From Update 19 to Update 20 (220.4 MB): https://mega.nz/file/Gvg1WLLJ#811xS1ZF2DYvTvnhYaDF6oZm6kA6NAshQYOwzGK0CfM

Android:

Android (734.5 MB): https://mega.nz/file/3yxxQKAa#0iUpT1oSHjBXACfCVeFdkT9lz_6zgUZD635V4qtVTHg

Changelog: Update 21

 

Changelog: Update 21

• Day 21 implemented
• 450 renders
• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry Lemon, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, To Begin With, Bread_, OBE)

So and now we return to the normal plotting and scheming... wait... wait... wrong place. Anyway, no need to ramble with this one. Thus to the release schedule.

Release schedule:

• All patrons: As soon as I have verified the links
• Public: 31st of December 2022

Progress 23.12.2022

And it is Friday...

Wow, I'm not going to lie. This day has been annoying, to say the least. But never the less, I've done stuff this week.

Update 21, I'm trying to hammer the builds into condition. I didn't sleep well last night because my back decided to act up. Well, one of those days, I walk with a cane. Anyway, doing the 6th android build cause reasons... Not entirely sure when it will be released as is since tomorrow is my annual day off >.>

Anyhow, the rendering of update 22 is in progress. I'm somewhat on schedule with it, render amount-wise, not really, but scene-wise, yeah, I'm about where I'm supposed to be. Still, I get this half of a scene done tonight.

Writing is going decently over; I just need to have a good night's rest, and it will sort itself out. Might write more during the weekend, maybe. Eh, have to see when I get annoyed with doing nothing

No fantasy render this time, but two previews from update 22. The first one is with Sage. There is a heart-to-heart with her in 22. The choice here has a two-fold effect, one that plays a part in the epilogue once we get there and another that potentially has a more immediate effect.

And then we have the Wraith being Wraith...  There are two variants of this scene. This is probably the variant most people won't see.

And that's it for today. I'm not sure I will make a post tomorrow. Probably going to be busy. But regardless. Happy holidays to all of you, and stay safe.

Progress 19.12.2022

 And a good day on this fine Monday!

So let's cut to the chase. Update 21 is being proofread. It's tested for most parts and a few errors that slipped by have been fixed, same with update 20.

I started rendering the update 22. Big shock there, I know. And it's going surprisingly nicely. But then again, if it wouldn't be going smoothly after all the renders I've done to this day, well...

And thus, we move to writing. About three pages left of update 25's writing, which is about an hour's work, so I should move to update 26 tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest, depending do I need a small break.

And since the first two sequences of update 22 consists of heavy spoilers, you get concept stuff!

Doing anything that is not a medieval European style is a bit annoying. The lack of furniture that fits, the lack of interior to match the exterior. And on top of that, my brain wants to be accurate as possible thus, mixing two different cultures annoys me even when they are aesthetically close enough for most people not to notice.

Right until I remember that I'm not doing a "historically accurate" story, but a fantasy story. If I say a Dragon Emperor, I can really put a literal dragon as emperor, although, in this case, I just changed the guards and things went from annoying to, yeah, that works nicely. And then we have this...

I could write a ton about technological progress in a fantasy world. There are many aspects to consider when creating a fantasy world, as not all regions will be equal in technological advancement. Accessibility to magic, gods, religion in general, economic aspects, allocation of resources in the world, and so on. The list is quite long. Even today, we have fairly primitive tribes living in the amazon and probably several other less accessible places. So why they couldn't exist in another world as well? Also, this is the image that gave the final touches to the redhead that is in the water. I had the character made for some time, but something was missing. And now, seeing her in that image just makes sense.

Progress 16.12.2022

 

And good day to all of you. It is Friday, and time for a progress post.

Update 21 was handed over to be tested and proofread... along with update 20. I have all the confidence in Adry catching up with me.

So where does that lead us? I will write most of the weekend and do my backups and things, then start rendering update 22 on Monday, and unless I mess up, I should start writing update 26 shortly after.

And... that's kind of it? I'm in a bit weird situation, in all honesty. I don't think I ever had an update done when the previous one was still in its release cycle. But as said, in the long run, delays in releasing the updates don't really mean much, as content is still being produced in the meantime, just that the release schedule becomes really funky sometimes.

And this usually means you get something random instead of preview renders. But it's okay... I think.

Still kind of on topic ;) I did make few of these so they will be popping in the next couple of progress posts and things.

Not everything is what they seem. Truthfully, I didn't even know I had this environment, I was looking for something completely different that I needed for something else, and it popped up in my search. But upon seeing it, I knew three or four ways to use it.

Changelog: Update 20

Changelog: Update 20

• Day 20 implemented
• 811 renders
• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry Lemon, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, To Begin With, Bread_, OBE)

So as I said, this isn't proofread version. Proofreading of this comes with update 21. Which should be done soonish... more about that on Friday. Also, this is a branching day, so which one you get depends on what you choose on day 12 and perhaps on day 13, depending on the choice on day 12. Bit complicated.

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: As soon as the links are verified.
• $10 Tier: 16th of December 2022
• $5 Tier: 17th of December 2022
• $3 Tier: 18th of December 2022
• Public: 25th of December 2022

Progress 12.12.2022

So, it's Monday and time for a progress post.

I'll start rolling out update 20 on Wednesday, mostly because there is some sort of storm going on and I expect that I lose my net connection any time. Unfortunately, Adry has been slammed with after-hours work, and the proofreading is still in progress. Well, life can be... annoying. Anyway, I either issue a patch or wait until update 21 is done.

As for rendering update 21, two and a half scenes left to do, so that is also the reason why I'm starting to push it out. Beyond that? Not much to say about rendering. According to the render folder, I'm around 350 renders, so that's nice. Probably end up somewhere around 450 in total.

And as for writing, I started writing update 25 on Saturday and took a writing break on Sunday because I wasn't feeling too good due to a slight fever. But I will probably continue later today since things just unlocked quite nicely.

Among the most challenging things is to make the timing seem realistic, so you need something between events X1 and X2 so it would feel natural. Luckily I've opened enough plot threads to fill the void between the events.

There were a couple of images I wanted to show here, but I have to resist the urge to show them, thus enjoy... Jones.

I kind of miss doing the background events, but due to the nature of the environment being a space station, the space... pun not intended, is limited. And there hasn't been anything that could come naturally, like the Maie smiting the imp, that fit even though it just was random thought at that moment. Or the Chthulu guy in the background doing stuff. He was on vacation, after all, so he might pop up now and then. And it made sense, sort of. In here? Limited opportunities.

Interestingly the armor looks ashen on her. Not sure why, though. I need to investigate more closely. I like the styles of settings that I'm currently doing for different reasons. Sci-fi because it allows me to create strange characters that would look out of place in urban fantasy or fantasy. Urban fantasy, because of the limitations it sets, forces the imagination to dream different things, so to say. Fantasy? It allows me to break the laws of physics simply because of magic, and it doesn't look as out of place as it would in urban fantasy or sci-fi. Although because of the twin moons using that set is going to be irritating because I don't have other backdrops with twin moons. Ah well.

Progress 09.12.2022

 

So what's up? A lot of things, actually.

 

Proofreading of update 20 is still going. Hopefully, it will be done by this weekend, so I can push it out to you guys. If not, well, I'll figure out something.

 

As for rendering update 21, I'm about at the halfway point with 200+ renders in, script-wise. There is a fight scene with a variant, so it's going to be more complex than I would hope, but I have to see how it goes.

 

Also, amusingly enough, I noticed that if you have made certain choices in the previous update, you might not encounter any choices in update 21. Granted, now looking at the script, I'm not sure what I thought when I made a couple of those choices. I've never been a fan of choices for the sake of choices and try to put them in places where it makes sense to give the option, so at times you end up with a handful and, at times... some more that have a more drastic effect than you would think.

 

And then we move on to writing. Two to three pages, maybe four left to write on update 24, so I'm pleased about it. But it has always been dependent on inspiration. There are days when writing isn't flowing and days when you just could write and nothing more.

There is nothing in update 21 that could spoil what happens in update 20, luckily, and yet I need to be careful enough to give away too many details about 21. It's a fine line, in all honesty, and there are only so many times you can show basic talking scenes.

  

Although that being said, at times, when choices arrive, it's about avoiding certain characters. This isn't exactly the case here. While specific decisions earlier will make this character unavailable, there are plans for certain things if the choices aren't made at certain points. And I'll be honest, it isn't necessarily a good thing. But all that is avoidable, which is the point of an interactive medium.

  

Yeah, those shadowy figures again. I like them, partially because they are easy opponents because they do look menacing, and partially because they are kind of generic. I might not be able to use them in Terminus as is, outside of showing nightmares, but in any kind of fantasy? Works well. There are occasionally ideas that I just need to get out of my head, this is one of them. While it is something I could use in the next one I'm not going to tie myself to go in one direction at this point with it, so it is one of those "maybe" scenarios. You can click the image to make it larger to see it more clearly. Or at least used to.

Progress 05.12.2022

Good Monday to all of you.

So, update 20 was sent to be tested and proofread. It ended up being 810 renders, with three new music pieces. Granted, I only added them, so you didn't need to listen to one song for half of the update. So that's that, and we move onwards to 21.

I started rendering it as I said on Friday, although I won't be showing a preview render of it, and you will understand why when you get the update 20 in your hands. 

As for writing, I'm where I need to be but not where I want to be. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish update 24's writing by the following Monday. But, regardless, I'm happy about its progress. Historical, I know.

 There is a lot of overlap in the assets between games from various makers. I'm certain this Viking village scene has been seen in other games, but I'm also certain that they have been a summer version of it (I forgot to render it, whops). A while back, I bought a tool that can create snow, for example, in any environment or probably on people. That I haven't tried as I have other tools for that. Essentially, the tool doubles the number of environmental assets I can use. It might be a bit heavy on VRAM on a large scale. This render took 22 GB out of the 24 I have available.

The problem when my imagination goes into overdrive is that possibilities grow exponentially. There are two characters in common in these two renders. Tomas (the MC of the next VN) and The Revenant. Well, at least that is what I call her right now. The big portion of the core group is set. It has been for a long time. And there are maybe two or three spots available. Now when I talk about core characters, I mean in the same way as it was in Sorcerer, a group of people that are integral to the story's progression. There will be others there to help the progress, but they aren't the focus as is. Will she be part of the core group? I don't know. The story possibilities she enables are intriguing, but who knows what else I can think of between now and then?

And then there is this, it's titled "Banshee Queen." I wanted to make the character. The render was mostly for fun.

Public Release: TRS2 Update 19

 

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 (https://discord.gg/GJK5kfKypg).

Uncompressed:

• PC (3.90 GB): https://mega.nz/file/bvp3EZ5D#AgjCPhPWpTb3kSiATzl9k3z_nEjW_5MW61PCePTUJOY 
• PC Alternative: https://www.mediafire.com/file/h0cei8cfoah696c/TRS2-pc-Update19.zip/file 
• MAC (3.88 GB): https://mega.nz/file/WnQxQQoB#HfVbQs816YLkvVrLQPfmZC5kzcJBeHEbN0DcIWbkR_s 

Uncompressed update only:

• From Update 18 to Update 19 (175.6 MB): https://mega.nz/file/SrYnBTCD#wUdNKzHIAodSqP9OBG-F10gjVfrmlrVm7q17R3Wb9Dc 

Compressed:

• PC (1.75  GB): https://mega.nz/file/nnoFyQIT#zg3KFApj5H_mTGsIybQafwHon1gtR2bgrjFajg9VZmk 
• MAC (1.73 GB): https://mega.nz/file/WroTyDzT#uKBt6jx6TK95DMGzyIe8wmM7eUBAWud4UpB1bDNK1cs 

Compressed update only:

• From Update 18 to Update 19 (82.8 MB): https://mega.nz/file/H3RkCQQD#qxM4jl8TTAlDvd3h3lXhA-X0hQPTbWtlJHWVEtxKyio 

Android:

Android (673.5 MB): https://mega.nz/file/b2BGnaBB#_nAXPso3gxEZEq6YDbysH3t1NJ6w_KphaXZzfgXwyEo

Progress 02.12.2022

Hello, and good Friday to you all.

So how are things progressing? Well, I admit I was wrong in my estimate. It wasn't 700 renders. It's 800+. According to the render library, I'm at 860 renders, granted 20 of them, at least, are fixes that I haven't implemented yet. But that being said, lots of post-work to do...

As for writing? It could be further along, I admit, but there has been a lot of posing that needs a lot of tweaking during this week, so writing is dragging a bit. However, after update 20 is in the testing phase (aka tonight), I'll write the weekend and resume rendering update 21 on Monday.

As I mentioned on Monday, it was the last image of update 20 that I was going to show. There are other reasons as well, along with the spoilers. So this is the same fountain and tree but with ruins. You can easily kitbash most things in Daz3d. Some things make it more complicated, like are things on the prop separate items or parts of the prop mesh. Can you hide those things if they are part of the mesh or not. All those depend on the asset maker. And sometimes you have to get creative and hide stuff with other things.

And this, as I've said that I'd like to do something other than "medieval European-style" fantasy for humans. There are some options, but it's always more about does the interiors exist for the outside set. For this and a couple others, I can make something. Perhaps I will show the others next time.