Progress 30.06.2023

 

At times I really hate my net connection... Anyway. Hello!

Update 34 is uploading, and as some of you have noticed, Shaddy has released the mod already. So I'm aiming for Monday's release simply because the net (and the weather) is being a pain in the ass. might come earlier than that, but yeah, the target is on Monday. And then, we move to the actual progress. It 

The writing of update 39 is still going on. I'm hmmm... actually, I'm where I should be roughly, maybe a page or a half "behind." One of the challenges is that I'm trying to avoid repetition, but that's, unfortunately, a bit more difficult due to the day's subject. But I'm confident it's written on schedule.

And as for rendering, I had 15 interruptions yesterday due to shitty weather. But I worked slightly longer than I usually would, which is also why I'm kind of a page behind. Regardless, it might take a day or two longer, but I'm more or less happy where I'm at right now.

And a bit of Andi. There are two variants of this scene, one if things didn't go smoothly and one where they did. This is from the variant where things didn't go smoothly.

I said it before, demons in this world are dangerous, and facing one alone is usually a really bad idea. Even the weakest demon can easily kill several humans before it can be banished or killed.

 

But even in desperate times, there is always hope...

Progress 26.06.2023

 

Hello once again.

So, Monday, and yeah... I'm writing update 39. And frankly, I'm not going to lie. It will be a hard one to write and annoying to render. But it has to be done. 

I started rendering update 35, although this week's progress is a hit and a miss. A lot of thunder, apparently. Ah well. At least I can write in the meantime, assuming I remember to charge my laptop between the storm fronts. But luckily, update 35's release is technically scheduled for a month from now, roughly, so it will be done by then. It's weird to work ahead of the schedule, in a sense. But that's also one of the benefits of having a writing buffer.

And sorting out the issue that Sage is having... this is from update 35 already, so it will be a while until it's seen. And moving on. The short story ended up being 30ish renders, and thus we continue...

 Conjuring/summoning of anything creates a "wormhole" from one place to another.

 But at times, things can go wrong...

And something else breaches the wormhole...

Magic attracts demons, and they are always trying to find ways to enter the world. Summoning creatures, even a familiar, carries an additional risk. Not only might the summoned creature be hostile and turn against you, but demons might also breach the wormhole's walls and emerge from the portal.

Progress 23.06.2023

Hello on this cloudy Friday.

Update 34 was handed to proofreading and testing. I'll finish writing update 38, then prep for update 35 and start rendering it on Monday at the latest. The weather has been unstable, so to speak, which throws a slight curveball to the plans. And... that was the progress for this time. Now the next ones are... well, one was for fun, and the others are another "short story."

Had a thunderstorm the other night, so decided to make something along the line.

There are several tasks before one is a mage, such as making the staff (or focus, not necessarily a staff as is) and summoning the familiar. Summoning the familiar is one of the more difficult tasks, and most mages fail to find and bond with their familiar. And that can be deadly.

Progress 19.06.2023

Hello all!

 

It's release day. Well, update 33 started the release cycle already, so all is good on that front.

 

Now, I'll be finishing 34 this week, not that it should be a surprise for anyone, and I'm going to write whatever is left of the week. I'm getting used to the heat now, so writing should be easier than last week. And here is some random advice for anyone who wants to write. Try to get enough sleep. If you are tired, writing just isn't going to work.

 

Anyway, that was the progress part, fairly short post today, even with the images. And speaking of the images...

 Final preview from update 34... I need to make a larger buffer for images I can actually show one of these days. It's kind of weird being so far ahead of the release version.

This is titled Lessons. Not sure what is being taught here, but probably something important. It amuses me how things are shaping up. While writing this and looking at that render, I got an idea that works better than the one I originally had related to how Tomas became a mage. Funny how things go. Also, I like fantasy. It's "easy" to fill some of the backgrounds. Have a wyvern or a dragon flying there. Or some kind of animal doing stuff.

Changelog: Update 33

Changelog: Update 33

• Day 33 implemented
• 326 renders
• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry Lemon, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, To Begin With, Bread_)

Some fixes got into the 34 development build, so some stuff that has been reported is in there. Or should be. Anyway, rambling is done.

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: 19th of June (in about 30 minutes)
• $10 Tier: 21st of June
• $5 Tier: 22nd of June
• $3 Tier: 23rd of June
• Public: 2nd of July or thereabouts.

Public Release: Terminus Reach: Sentinel 2 - Update 32

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 (6.78 GB): https://mega.nz/file/CygzSLpb#u_TRDKYwzoe2q7x2YL73jul13U3oe-THXNuNdG34IDE
•  PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/schH98
• MAC (6.77 GB): https://mega.nz/file/OqZhESja#t1zf34ioSLNsiDXKEd_AbE7y05uSsTu9HpFGbbvWwBE
• MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/Hlyvrd

Uncompressed update only:

• From Update 31 to Update 32 (252.9 MB): https://mega.nz/file/m64mjDYT#jQfmhi3qEm0NoxOGvcHjiZ0xwILVRLbBkjiodb8nIhs
• Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/AHns8f

Compressed:

• PC (3.09 GB): https://mega.nz/file/muhiia5A#NENNXZrqY5mBTdSyvo7pZUO54nsC2G50JNfx2bJ1eZk
• PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/schH98
• MAC (3.07 GB):  https://mega.nz/file/P74BCJBA#4DOi1XnZ7Y2xsDNpOZcBCphGrWDIevh6pi-B_mvO1LY
• MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/eKp5YH
  

Compressed update only:

• From Update 31 to Update 32 (124.9 MB): https://mega.nz/file/GjhnFTRa#oei8H_MKb0bc2AIT2RmCpnaiTQS5KsiaZYeScru6eug
• Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/VU9sUM

Android:

• Android (1.07 GB): https://mega.nz/file/y6JEXJrK#WAfqP5zRKOjeopbxakx0-7EXJOWdT5IWZdSVVv6J6aQ
• Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/chJ503

 

Progress 16.06.2023

Hello everyone.

I'm uploading update 33 slowly; it looks like it will be ready for the 19th. So there is that piece of news.

And as for update 34? Rendering is going nicely, there were a couple of interruptions this week, but I'm more or less where I want to be.

As for the writing of 38? It's still going; not much to say about that. I probably need to take a couple of days to write after the rendering is done. But that's nothing new.

Nica and Sage are grumpy. Honestly, it feels weird to be in this stage of the development. I know there are still many things to do, yet it moves steadily forward. And I suck at estimating lengths and how long anything will take to make.

At times the things don't fit the original purpose I had in my mind. This set is one of them. Can I make them function like I want? Yes, to a point. I have shaders that I can use to make the ground look better in close-ups, the same with the stone wall. Interiors will always be a problem. For example, I can't create that tower interior as it would be in that image, structure-wise. I might be able to get close, but... 

There are two things I dislike doing. Interior design and clothing design. Clothing design is, at times, the more annoying. Not only do you have to think about the character, their role in society, and in the story... why do I have a feeling I've talked about this before? Anyway, and in fantasy, and perhaps in a more historical setting, the culture. And in my case, body type. I tend to do "out of standard" characters, so that adds to its own challenge.

The dress looks good on her, but does it fit her? If she is noble? Yes. If she isn't? Not so much.

Then let's take her. She is known, well, I know her. She has that air of nobility around her. That also means that she would wear certain types of things. Things that are a bit more refined than what commoners would use.

But that "air of nobility" also limits her, how she acts, and how she expresses herself publicly. But fantasy is a funny thing. It can take many things, clothing design-wise, and it isn't as restricted as a historical or "modern-day" setting. No one will blink an eye if a barbarian is running into battle in a loincloth in a fantasy setting.

Progress 12.06.2024

Hello, once again this Monday... So how is it going? Update 33 should start releasing on 19th, small caveat with if net connection is being pain and all that. The usual summer stuff.

Rendering of update 34 began on Friday, actually. I took the weekend slow, or at least thought I did, but it's going nicely. 

As for writing, 38 is halfway through the page count-wise, and I've plotted the things I need to write for it. So even that is better than it should be at this time of the week. Weird feeling.

Anyway, more meetings... This is from update 34. Up to 38, we are more or less catching up and closing some of the opened side plots.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate lightning scenes? Eh, still looks okay. But not why I did this. The artist who made this environment tends to create heavy environments. This one is okay. It is a bit on the heavy side, but it can be worked with. Also new version of Gorgon for the fantasy, a bit more monstrous than in Shattered Seals.

This? This was for fun, I was feeling a bit... nostalgic of sorts? Just watching the sunset. Hard to explain.

Progress 09.06.2023

Good morning everyone.

So update 33 is done and sent for proofreading and testing. As for writing? Well... I'm writing update 38 at the moment. I finished 37 early. So what are the plans? Good question. I have some prepping for the next update to do, and I'll do that and write over the weekend. Well, regardless of what I do, the progress continues.

And that's it, progress-wise... And I went through my render folder and decided there were too many spoilers. Thus you know what that means. More fantasy test render stuff...

We'll return to Tomas' childhood. He wasn't lazy; he did the chores he was given. But he just did them and nothing more, and after doing them, he just ran to the woods, for better or worse. Life of the middle child, old enough to work
at the farm but too young to own the farm in the end. But it doesn't mean his adventures in the forest were useless, either. At times he saw people making deals with pale orcs and often giving the warning that a raid might be incoming.

At times he managed to witness rare and wondrous things.

And at times, he ended up running from a flock of cockatrices. Honestly, I had fun doing these. I could always load the asset and hit the render button to see how much VRAM and RAM they take, but why? Posing and making a "story render" out of them is more enjoyable and gives a better idea of how they work and can be used.

Progress 05.06.2023

Hello everyone! It is Monday once again. The progress post part isn't going to be long...

Rendering update 33 is going smoothly. No major issues, mostly Daz Studio being annoying.

As for writing, it's in okay shape as well. Easy to finish since I know what to write.

 

Amusingly, this image reminded me of something I can write... and probably should write. Maybe, need to read a bit of what I've written so far... again. It is one of the benefits when you write so far ahead that you can easily be reminded of things. And it allows altering the parts you haven't written without retconning already rendered material.

Unlike in Shattered Seals (Sorcerer), where demons might aid you if it benefits them or simply has fallen in love (like Naha and the werewolf whose name I completely forgot), in the new setting, demons will be dangerous. Even so, people do seek them for reasons. Power, wealth, or just trying to be a hero. It usually doesn't work out the way they hoped. In this case? What is better than sending the former hero to cause chaos? So while there might be a warning in the game, be aware if you run into one.

This is purely a "daily motivational" render, sort of. Partially I did test, once again, what I could put in that environment. I should be able to fit six figures (there is enough VRAM left for three more) and four of those Dakotaraptors into it with the current hardware.

Changelog: Update 32

 Changelog: Update 32

• Day 32 implemented
• 454 renders
• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry Lemon, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, To Begin With, Bread_)

So my net decided to play nice for a change, probably the below 0 weather helped and got things up earlier than I planned. Also public release of 31 can be found on the blog.

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: As soon as I've verified the links
• $10 Tier: 6th of June
• $5 Tier: 7th of June
• $3 Tier: 8th of June
• Public: 18th of June or thereabouts.

Public Release: Terminus Reach: Sentinel 2 - Update 31

 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).

Please use GoFile links if you share outside of this block or discord, thank you.

Uncompressed:

• PC (6.55 GB): https://mega.nz/file/G7hCXJxD#C4yVE3uyS_JXwyBRwA2KKG9kA8wRf-VHOR-j_PnwubI
• PC Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/JlbUTv
  
• MAC (6.53 GB): https://mega.nz/file/uqQQBIyD#hx6qWSNvW43NUT7OSpGV8y2uNVDNqIv8nJ7mNVPGxmI
• MAC Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/zG4w70

Uncompressed update only:

• From Update 30 to Update 31 (208.5 MB): https://mega.nz/file/26pFAABQ#71s24wL0x5ZKN4wvJAnbfiqOCieknVYEZ4Y7ui8fIek
• Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/zL70k7

Compressed:

• PC (2.98 GB): https://mega.nz/file/CqxhlQpb#6EXxLrOl3Ax0W-PtEE0O87yBDeMv061fPp5L4QoKQfw
• PC Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/5hLjOL
• MAC (2.96 GB):  https://mega.nz/file/KuADHApI#Hy5PfG4eEXi8IhxXQuzBoDCMRQBpqWNfYgtPU5qHSM4
• MAC Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/bATVOz

Compressed update only:

• From Update 30 to Update 31 (104.1 MB): https://mega.nz/file/L2x1GCDa#7B6wa4_g5KqoMpZSt828lwNRZTqTRW-VbX1HZgwbYsE
• Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/6tjjpJ

Android:

• Android (1.04 GB): https://mega.nz/file/eiRlmDbA#wAsejcsR2jHLPw6zRT9UfkHofVjbgeRnToBMP46MU3M
• Alternative: https://gofile.io/d/2qE7bf

 

Progress 02.06.2023

Hello to you all on this nice Friday.

So, update 32 will start releasing between the 5th and 7th. I'm starting to upload it somewhere around tomorrow. Giving a bit larger release window since I've already lost my connection three times today. But if it's up earlier, then it's an earlier release. Will see it then.

And as for rendering of update 33. It's going nicely. I'm more or less on schedule, so I'm happy.

And then for the writing. I'm extremely happy with how that has gone this week. And the funny thing is that something completely unrelated to TRS2 gave me some ideas for a few scenes.

And lots of Kziiri's... And Qivian is annoyed as usual. 

This is the render that sparked a couple of ideas, one for the next one (I noted the idea down in my notebook that I reserved for the story/setting), a couple for TRS2... and a couple for something else. It's weird how random things can give ideas.

And then there is this. This was kind of a stress test for the system. The environment is relatively heavy despite being "simplistic." My system passed the test since the render was made, and I still could have added threeish figures to it. And I kind of wanted to make more halflings. And she might have altered some plans I've had. I'm not entirely sure as I haven't written anything, but chances are things got altered from the plan.

Anyway, back to rendering. Have a nice weekend!