Progress 29.09.2023

Where does the time fly? So much to do and so little time. Anyway...

According to render library I'm somewhere 1100 renders, give or take. It isn't entirely accurate since there are fixes in there, but it is a good enough estimate. And I have eight scenes left to do. Couple of them are a bit more complicated to pose, but it will be manageable for most parts.

Writing of update six has begun, I might need to rethink a few things but, overall it's heading to interesting direction. Granted, I'm biased with that.

And the new Mevaar embassy, of sorts. Trying to get multiple interiors has been... difficult. But planning and patience has helped a lot. Although, it is going to be slightly challenging in the future if there is third installment in the Terminus series. I say if because realistically next four years is booked and that is a really long time. Anyway.

Then some thing different, this was... Just something. Saw an image and this popped up in my head and wanted to do it. So enjoy?

Progress 25.09.2023

Hello everyone.

The work continues, not that I stopped it. So what's up? According to the render library I'm at 900+ renders. Overall, it's going alright. Outside of Daz issues. My other Daz instance has been acting up, and not rendering for some reason. Anyway.

So, I'm starting writing the update 6 of the next one soon. It's bit weird to write in all honesty, travelling, things happening at certain times. It will sort itself out when it is paired with images.

This is a "preview", this is and isn't in the game. Mostly because knowing how Iyanda dresses up normally isn't really suitable for public posts. Her character gives me the most problems, environmental wise. She doesn't need anything, nor does really want material things. So what would her room look like? Luckily, I picked some alien "artefacts" recently. Can use them as something she is interested in.

Hmmm, this isn't one my most successful renders. But what I learned from it that I need to be careful when it comes to colour design in the next one.

And then a character concept. Going to need a lot of characters. Some are important, some not so much. Her? Not sure, she has short appearance on the first day. Beyond that? No idea.

Public Release: TRS2 - Update 39

 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).

Enjoy!


Uncompressed:   
- PC (8.14 GB): https://mega.nz/file/S7A3jZhI#FSAD1rHMuP-flL7DvRPaPc5yIkZM5i6UjONvMR_a5Ik
- PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/rWSsjP
- MAC (8.13 GB): https://mega.nz/file/XjAimb6T#ShgELlJg3FEHBuMTBIx7fbPe6l8Cql60Fq1CEwj-tQI
- MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/klq33U

Uncompressed update only:
- From Update 38 to Update 39 (332.4 MB): https://mega.nz/file/P65EDKYI#RgaBJpvWWI8HJ-KTkmAuZVrceh7xjInY_u5XyP2CeiQ
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/98UhDi

Compressed:
- PC (3.72 GB): https://mega.nz/file/ejAzmb6a#edup2XhfCvzhEFRxzIet2YNep_x8l8vqLY0G5xs6WX0
- PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/PIvsBG
- MAC (3.71 GB): https://mega.nz/file/qqYTWSBT#pD1OSp8Fvs4CaQ1aaCuNVjQLdaOUZybRsiO-XuIlIBc
- MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/QHAVsm

Compressed update only:
- From Update 38 to Update 39 (187.9 MB): https://mega.nz/file/Xmx1kJDA#oYI2Wzh_jVgC1_51zY7gXGffnoTqw-6QIvHjQlirhN8
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/bXXwqK

Android:
- Android (1.26 GB): https://mega.nz/file/K3IxkAQC#n-NwV0b_GjpqBAq468z22dKw_K08UZaUHG_yD__372Q
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/I4VkV

Progress 22.09.2023

Me sleepy... So, whats up?

Rendering, obviously. Although, I have to be honest here, I have my doubts that this will be out before the end of the month. There are just too many renders to make, and unfortunately (or fortunately) there is just only one of me. But it's coming, later than I want though, but not much I can do about that. Anyway, I'm at 750 renders according to the render library, give or take 50.

As for writing. It is amusing how you get locked at times, you can write and progress the story, but certain parts that happen in the future can't be planned. But that being said, I have four pages left, maybe six, of update five, so I'm really happy with it as it is right on the schedule.

Then we have Sage. Little touches to the apartments. Room order changes, location where you enter. Some wall decorations. Little things. There is a bit pick and chosing with the previews, some aren't suitable for public posts, even when it is just talking bits. And Sage is so far the only one with a kitchen in her apartment.

The elves... oh, the elves. While I was happy with the models I made, I wasn't happy what they were. I was spinning two or three different versions of them, go with the norm, do something else, make X amount of sub-races. Some ideas were okay, some... not so much. Then a few days ago I was going through my 3rd party skins and models. I saw this white skin with snow effects (that aren't on the figure). Then I knew the direction I need to go. Although, there are couple issues but nothing that can't be fixed with UV swap.

Progress 18.09.2023

Hello!

It has been a longish weekend. I'm around 550 renders, give or take (581 renders in the render folder, but it has fixes and few other images). And about 15 scenes left to render, plus additional renders that arn't tied to specific scenes. But for most parts it's going smoothly

And writing of the update 5 of the next one? It's okay, I'm happy with the progress of it over all, managed to write things over the weekend.

And then the visits. Siren, she is still beating the poor hologram. I'm considering going down in order without a choice in the order. Have to see how I will do it once I put things together. Although, I'm not entirely happy that I need to use the "Sentinel" pieces, but it is what it is. But at the same time, it makes sense since they were dismantling it for materials.

I needed to test something for the update 5, I was unsure could I make it, so I made test render. This... isn't exactly it, Tomas and Nisha are in the scene, Malgrin... not so much. But that would be a spoiler if I would show the real scene thus. You get altered version. Outside of the torch flame, which I need to figure, it's okay but its core is a bit too bright.

Progress 15.09.2023

Okay. Friday, and this is almost late. It has been an interesting week over all.

Update 40. Wow. Where to begin? It's going okay, better than I expected in all honesty, but there is still a long way to go. According to the render library, I'm at 403 renders with spot fixes. It's more than I expected after a week, but one scene at a time.

As for writing. About halfway through update 5 for the next one, got a bit stalled earlier this week due needing to build things cause someone forgot to save things earlier, apparently... That and had to make a custom HDRI which took couple of hours. But even though I'm not exactly where I want to be, I'm happy with it.

The city scape... that's the custom HDRI I had to make. I could have sprinkled buildings there, but that would have needlessly made the set heavy. And yeah. I'm using sentinel pieces to make the apartments. There are a few cyberpunk/sci-fi apartments, unfortunately none of them fit for what I need right now, nor are can they be customized enough. At least not easily. But... there are wooden accent walls, wooden floors, paintings, plants, carpets and other things that make them look more like "home" than just plain room with a bed as it was on Sentinel. Granted, the apartments will mostly use the same base, just look different. And whose apartment is this? 

Taraia's... And yes. You get to see the non-city areas as well during the epilogue at some point. Mostly in the additional materials.

And then... I'm not going to lie. It has been harder to make fantasy renders this week. It's my personality. I want to get things done in as fast as possible with my best ability. So doing, secondary stuff gets pushed into the background. But regardless, I'm happy with the render. Mostly. Random ideas while browsing stuff can be fun. Still, lack of male clothing is irritating. But meh, I'll deal with it. Oh, and part of the reason for this render is that I needed up update one character in it before I start rendering.

Progress 11.09.2023

Oh, right, it's Monday. So what's up?

Obviously, update 39 is in the release cycle, so that's good. Rendering of the update 40 is on its way and is going well. Doing slightly annoying scene with variant, but outside of that, it's relatively easy as there aren't lot of scenes with complex posing and movement. But the render amount is somewhere 2000 so it will take some time to make, but I'll work as fast and efficiently as I can.

Then the writing, I'm happy with it. I switched from Google Docs to a program I've used in the past and set backups to my NAS and cloud, so should be good with that. And that being said, I'm about halfway of update 5, and the renders being relatively easy to make posing wise, but taking a minute or two longer there is decent time to write between renders. Thus, I'm happy.

Crawford is back, potentially. This is the "variant" scene I mentioned. There is chance he is dead, thus can't appear. But it is relatively easy to do. And yes, the window is frosted. You get to see some of the cityscape in the previous scene. And while the outdoors aren't exactly featured as much, there will be views of the planet. Some from the city, some from the "wilderness" so to say. Maybe even one confused sheep among the alien animals they've gathered, who knows.

And the one test render, this temple again. Although, I was testing the surrounding environment, needs be it work with that. And need to change the fog prop to something different. Maybe some snow... something to test. Still I like the render for most parts. Just need to figure out proper effects for the staff...

Changelog: Update 39

 Changelog: Update 39

• Day 39 implemented
• 479 renders
• 7 Audio tracks
• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry Lemon, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, To Begin With, Bread_, OBE)

Yeah, not much to say here, a bit nervous about how it will go. It's always the final days. Anyway... Probably missed some grammar corrections, but I'll go through them with update 40.

Release schedule:

• $15 Tier: As soon as I've verified the links
• $10 Tier: 13th of September
• $5 Tier: 14th of September
• $3 Tier: 15th of September
• Public: 24th of September or thereabouts.

Public Release: Terminus Reach: Sentinel 2 - Update 38

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 (7.87 GB): https://mega.nz/file/TuBSxTSY#sV9qcabSNgPLskL0U0J3pYv0HmMnxmg7-I0HruLKcJc
- PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/AckpcJ
- MAC (7.85 GB): https://mega.nz/file/q7ojjKLJ#nMLz2YqOUHqiJqoN4NPw83j5rZTEj4RzpE-Lwmm7qhM
- MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/FpAmZB

Uncompressed update only:
- From Update 37 to Update 38 (196.4 MB): https://mega.nz/file/quAS3QKC#8viAIvwsIQVl5XwIg18XwsvCp6KJj0i2OuHVNR6z8is
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/OVgyTf

Compressed:
- PC (3.59 GB): https://mega.nz/file/u24i1LQS#LyR4nCKyjzr8Hry05x0LEjmSNZwMaEkYKUkAOVN0HOU
- PC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/LSXDXD
- MAC (3.58 GB): https://mega.nz/file/DmQWjDCT#HjoY7EKIWivxncmQtd1M2TzdlQa2CyydPFyrbtTfFEI
- MAC Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/e0iSf2

Compressed update only:
- From Update 37 to Update 38 (94.8 MB): https://mega.nz/file/L2ZAxI4R#bjw3bejspFJzr89qNyVFiWNFacz_AUTO5oFoJQR0-e8
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/5jkH9D

Android:
- Android (1.22 GB): https://mega.nz/file/i2AknYqS#20_nzIZ2p-tvC_aRAAalO-gbffKWVWsoGrOPFwc_UH8
- Mirror: https://gofile.io/d/BQj7D3

Progress 08.09.2023

Why, hello there!

So, update 39 is uploading. The goal for the release is early next week, but that depends on the connection speed, which is... okay at the moment.

Next up, update 40, aka epilogue. I've started rendering it. I'll make no promises when it is done as if I base it on older scenes, we are talking about 1400 renders minimum. I suspect closer to 2000 renders. But I will keep you posted on the progress, as always.

Then, we take a look at the writing. I've started writing the update 5 of the next one. So, I am happy with how it is shaping up, and hopefully, I will be at update 6 before I start rendering.

With update 40, there is a short "debriefing" which relates to update 39, then a time skip, and the epilogue begins. There will be two variants, depending on the status of the planet. One not so cheerful and one that is better.

Writing things for the next one has been interesting. Writing one scene and then making the characters has sparked interesting thoughts. It might be beneficial to make a "negative" choice over the positive once in a while. While going for the "maximum points" with someone will show a scene, doing the... I'm not going to say wrong choice here, but a different choice instead maximizing the points might do interesting things...

Progress 04.09.2023

Gah... I'm not feeling well. No, I'm not sick. It's just anxiety kicking in.

So, the rendering of update 39 is done. There is some postwork and coding to do before I hand it over to testing and proofreading. So, why the anxiety? It's simple. I'm concerned about the pacing. It is a fast-paced update, and there are several "short" scenes. I'm not certain if a few of those scenes are too short, but they are harder to make longer from the character's perspective. Garrett doesn't have infinite patience with people at times. And no matter how you spin it, 3 vs. 1 isn't going to be a long fight, either.

Anyway, it's a normal thing. I will feel the same anxiety in the next update and right at the start of the next VN. But that being said, after I hand the update for testing and proofreading, I'll write the next couple of days, and I'll most likely start rendering the epilogue no later than Friday.

And this is the last render I'll show of 39, it isn't nothing remarkable really. Just three people talking. Although, it is literally the last render I made for 39... unless we count the rerender I had to do earlier >.>

Bouncing ideas, figuratively speaking. I'm at a stage with my assets that I can do a lot of different things, character-wise. Hardware-wise,  I'm at the point where I can ignore most hardware restrictions. To a point. There are certain limits that I still don't want to go over. Case in point, thanks to the 9 tails that have dForce fur, this takes 54 GB of RAM to render. That isn't much, but it does limit how I can use a character. And yes, you'll get to see the characters, somehow. And then some, just the first part of the next one, is dominated more by humans, but it will change as things progress... And now, relaxing cup of tea.

Progress 01.09.2023

Hello.

It has been a long week. I don't think I've done as long hours since the early days of Sorcerer. But it's worth it. And it isn't exactly the amount of renders, either. I'm somewhere around 380 renders at the moment. That's basically around the usual size, but it is the characters and posing them that takes time. And set building... I would love to say that this update would be the last one where I need to build the sets, but considering what I have planned for the future, no such luck. Anyway, I'm happy about the rendering progress. It has been longer than I would want, but nothing unexpected.

And then we move to the writing. It's an okay spot right now. I'll take a day or two after the rendering is done to write. I should be able to finish the writing then.

Hmm, something is up... This was one of the least spoilerish image I could give at this stage.

Just a portrait-style fantasy render this time. And some of you have seen the one with the parasol before. She just had different hair back then. Although, she started as a completely random character meant for something else (the original name was Dragon Lady because she had a dragon tattoo on her back). She was transformed into something else, and from that into this. And during that transformation process, she might have found her role... Will she appear? I don't know yet, as there is a lot to write, but it would make sense that she would appear.