Progress 30.06.2025

Hello all!

Monday... So how are things? The weekend didn't go as planned, unfortunately, the scene I hoped I would be done by Saturday took whole Sunday as well. Annoying but happens. On positives? I just have two scenes left. Not so positives? The two scenes are sort of half of the update. So if update 0.44.0 feels extremely short, you might want to revisit 0.43.0 and the question Eshe asks... Just as a hint. Or toggle it in the debug screen or something. Ah well, just means I need to code while rendering again.

Writing is in okay shape overall, hopefully I get to write some tonight. Truthfully, it feels like I'm stretching things at the moment, but it's more due the fact that I need to pick what to put where. Normally I just write, events come when they come, right now since we are closers to the finale I need to close few threads. So I need to put A there, provide more information with B, then deal with events C and D... while ensuring people who have chosen differently will see something. Eh, it's just writing...

And then a preview... Things are going to the plan, and seeking where the Rose might be found. Maybe. The desert arc is in certain ways interesting, it isn't as intensive as the dwarven city, but there are some information that could have been only gained from this part, well or any other part I would have written of it's stead. It gives more broader perspective of the world and it's struggles at the moment, no you aren't going to solve every problem personally, at least not during the first ToaM, but you can influence on how they go. It is most parts unintentional, but there are hooks left if I ever return to the world to continue easily.

And then something else... I'm not... happy with the expressions. I need test and record what expressions I'm happy with on who, they look fine in the preview but not liking them in the render. Which is annoying, but that's more of a me problem than anything else. Meh, I'll deal with it when the time comes. And now time for a break and then do more renders and write. See you all on Friday...

Progress 27.06.2025

Hello all!

Progress post time! This week has been... okay. Rendering script wise I'm where I want to be. Render count wise? Not really, but that has never actually been that important as is since action sequences easily bloat the amount of renders easily. But it's all good for now anyway, complex scene ahead, and hopefully done by Sunday. But that remains to be seen.

Writing is in okay state. It's easy when you know what you need to write, the problem again is to chose what events you put so there isn't a lot of content hidden from those who made different choices. But it's going decently, at the moment.

Planning how to proceed... This is image is problematic as I can't add light to it, at least not in a way it wouldn't cause more problems than it solves, despite the walls having yellowish tint they are actually white. And white colour means problems when it comes to light as it reflects it, so adding more light would mean the walls would seem to be glowing even when the light is simulating colour of a candle flame. Annoyances of a person who wants "realistic" light. Granted for realism it is way too bright but need to see something... And no, Aisha is preparing some food, not threatening anyone with the knife. Anyway, time for my break then render a bit more. You all have a great weekend!

Progress 23.06.2025 and Changelog for ToaM 0.43.0

 

Hello all!

Slightly tired, usual summer issues. So what's up? Release day today, had to upload one file this morning to my annoyance. But it's done and it shall commence soon... assuming things don't happen between this post and the next.

Other than that, started rendering 0.44.0 and writing 0.48.0 shall commence later today or tomorrow. Depending on various things.

A quick preview of 0.44.0 then... Got to love "natural" lighting (in both images), modern times are easy to light. 99% of the time light comes straight up in interiors, and it's usually quite bright. In earlier time period? Windows and candles, lots of shadows. And slightly more annoying to make it look clear. None of this is exactly a spoiler, unless you haven't played 0.42.0. Just gathering the group back together, for a bit at least. Who knows what the future brings?

Then we take a quick jump to a different universe. I've said it before, and I'll say it a million times more. Strange things cause ideas to surface. This? This originally started from a thought of what vices you would have if you would be an immortal and would have the means to negate the harmful effects? It isn't really seen in this image, but the bald man has a cigar in his right hand, can see it in the large image if zoomed in at least. Then it spiralled to things. Sorcerers and their guardians, relic of an ancient time. It isn't like they need guardians. Those who can challenge them one on one will wipe the floor with most guardians. But that doesn't mean they aren't useful, they can mitigate their lords temperaments. Calming touch on the shoulder, or even signalling the other lord to keep their head cool. And no, Susan does her job well. She is a soldier, she knows when she can act like herself, and when she needs to "shut up and listen." Although the dagger on the desk and the two Sorcerers looks are a bit foreboding...

Anyway, to the important things.

Changelog: ToaM 0.43.0

• 414 renders

• Implemented the next part of the story

• 1 hidden image

• Codex updated

• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, Bread, Oaiki, Horny Toad, Michael Hamill, Orion, Digitalzig, DocrWhoJ, Draco, Cipher)

Release schedule:

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

• $10 Tier: 25th of June

• $5 Tier: 26th of June

• $3 Tier: 27th of June

• Public: 7th of July

Checksums SHA256:

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ToaM-0.43.0-mac-C.zip

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ToaM-0.43.0-Update.zip

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com.talothral.toam-release.apk

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com.talothral.toam-release.apk (WT)

Public Release: Tribulations of a Mage 0.42.0

Tribulations of a Mage 0.42.0

PATCH!

Fixes a nameplate issue:
https://mega.nz/file/D7QA3YYT#NKoURXIln8i5QhFTmeqUi5j_346WDnx1MBwrrkjrNHk
https://gofile.io/d/P43b2O
Extract to the /game folder and let it overwrite the scripts.rpa as usual.

PC
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https://mega.nz/file/rixzlYQI#QiN6atPZ1JLBUdaZAWvN7TdpAqwZ_0OCMc4WjCc2ybw
https://gofile.io/d/CjVXgr

PC Compressed
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https://mega.nz/file/z24yhCrD#-TSMSMF7fY-t3gVT7sfjJiWfsua1ysYvb8oRbeMfBZk
https://gofile.io/d/424qN5

Mac
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https://mega.nz/file/SzA0mRQD#TMIfdGscBcyRke9K8LqaU2Dc5vzgWFfVokJ5eVpXNWs
https://gofile.io/d/qqDuxs

Mac Compressed
D8DC0900575E5510451215C94DF67B5CC53E967DBD6FE3D8F064CD57AF624B79
https://mega.nz/file/r2IjHDzA#VYXKQAnciGfIf94ybVQpX6U2dFqSfTBm-Yhf05sGJMg
https://gofile.io/d/7jmjAy

Update
26CE3C1B2C4B41AD670DA93D7ABB17E5DF3EA8E718C4B70587DA08F85B097234
https://mega.nz/file/iz5gkLaQ#_1Hgahd78SuO1fGO6Tf_ITc-EzgqIYw3Hb3bDaG8pOM
https://gofile.io/d/7zXabF

Update Compressed
12D26B4D0D11F61370305A67D453A0A6ADC4EE2DA20564D83C88899C58F4B381
https://mega.nz/file/bn53BRAD#qAMkCVU7y-RJslvHHOc6wMFbaQsGTYY6tdOyAdCOj5E
https://gofile.io/d/Gfv66B

Android
DE232BA8523C51244022AC95E8075E12A8DCB6EC0941AD217EFBF5DD6D2DC7FB
https://mega.nz/file/6yZBmTIa#EUMlYkJEY0PX4G6PjAruOqjzobaIGZiZGjBqR8U8
https://gofile.io/d/du6jrp

Android WT
DBE35B52F84C513D5A361153F03E66CDFE6A0DD46A560DFB575BDE150CBD9BAB
https://mega.nz/file/LzhQBCCS#EZiLv0U1F-FzNjfNQV10RI0GEB5B_2jQBdILP2hvpPc
https://gofile.io/d/fEej0d

Progress 20.06.2025

Hello all!

So... not really that much to talk about today. The rendering is done, the coding is done, post work is done, some minor things need to be done, but those are done after testing is done, which is ongoing. Rendering took a day longer than I wanted, but it happens. Nothing too drastic. And thus it means I will write the weekend, while doing other stuff as well, and then I'll start rendering 0.44.0 on Monday. And speaking of other stuff, motivational render of sorts since no spoilers...

I've been updating the characters for Sorcerer 2 as a small "side project". The "problem" is that I don't know how the story unfolds outside of how it starts and ends as is right now so I don't know who I end up needing for it. Some are obvious since they were part of the "main cast", side cast however? There is Josh, and for those of you who don't recall him, he was the mercenary group's leader, ah sorry, "private security contractor", that company that Alexander works for employs for more dangerous work. And then there is Aina who only had two appearances, potentially. Now I don't know do I need her, but I'd rather have her ready if I do need her instead of doing last minute mad scramble of trying to find the model or how she was made. And that being said, the company is still there at the start of the Sorcerer 2 at least. Why? It's relatively easy to reintroduce the cast to the readers, creates a more natural flow especially since there are a lot of returning cast. It will make sense once things are at that point. Anyway, I'll continue to write, then take a break. You all have a great weekend!

Progress 16.06.2025

Hello all!

Monday! Not sure if it is a yay or nay, ask again tomorrow. So how are things going?

Rendering... It's still in a weird state. At the same time I'm where I should be and kind of want to be, but also not. There is somewhere around 300 renders, which is fine it's more than I do in a week anyway. Script wise I'm about where I should be but building things slow things down but technically I have two and half scenes left. Although the last one is larger one. Eh it will be done. Need to start coding while I render.

Writing is exactly where it should be, so I'm happy with that. And I have clear... let say path to follow. Just need to balance things out between events that can't be missed and can be missed so there is things to see regardless of what has been chosen.

And a preview of things. Ultimately information is key, well things are point where they need it. So time to ask questions from a local tavern. Not so great one, but still with gilded flagons and goblets, go figure. Maybe cheap wine tastes better from a gilded cup. Anyway, just wanted to give you update how things are going. I'll take a break and then continue rendering for a bit.

Progress 13.06.2025

Hello all!

I'm starting to get a feeling that this update is one of those cursed updates where nothing seems to go right, daz crashing, some strange things that shouldn't be there. There are few renders that have an issue. There is something in them that shouldn't be and I haven't been able to find the source of it. Annoying, need to see what I can in post to hide it, so not in a mood to re-render 20 or 30 images.  Not sure is it my computer just acting up and needing a reinstall or just daz being unstable, meh I'll deal with it, I have parts laying around if need be.  I also suspect that this update will be later, at least by judging. But hopefully the weekend will be better for it.

And then writing, it's not in an ideal state, mostly due to the rendering stuff, but it isn't in bad shape either, it's just getting the time to write. But again, there is no panic about it. I know what I need to write, just less issues with Daz thank you very much! So then...

Not really a spoiler, this event has been known to happen for a while now. There are a pile of fate choices to be done during the desert segment, I don't remember have I mentioned it, but the fate choices don't necessarily directly affect the main character or his companion. But have more direct consequences to the people he is dealing with or the region, they can have some indirect consequences to the main cast. The easiest example of this is the first group of gladelings you encounter in the game. The choices regarding the soul stones, if you don't give them back to them they are required to get more of them. Which in turn makes them attack and kill those who pass through the forest. Which in turn makes the empire to send soldiers to wipe them out. This leads to their demise, and as cascading effect it affects the second group of gladelings as well. Similar thing is happening in the Great Desert, you make a choice here, and choice there and next thing you know you've aided a rise of demonic kingdom... Well not really, but the choices have indirect effect of what is going to happen in the region, and it can affect how certain people feel and do the feel the need to return to aid the region. Among few other things. Some of this is world building things, and to open up possibilities for future stories in the world, be they sequels or spin-offs. Yes, I'm thinking thing ahead again. But that's my "problem" if you will. Anyway, a break time for me. You all have a great weekend!

Progress 09.06.2025 and Changelog for ToaM 0.42.0

Hello all!

Monday and a release day... yay.

So there is not really that much to talk about, started rendering 0.43.0 and starting writing 0.47.0 later today. That's kind of it, really. Although I do a small request. There is a fairly important event in this update, not talking about the first event but something that happens at the end. I would appreciate if names wouldn't be mentioned since it would constitute a major spoiler for those who haven't been able to play it yet... And since the render would be a spoiler, let's have something else.

Random render, or maybe not. ToaM is basically done plot point wise. It's just writing all down. That's the easy bit. Now the plot points are moving towards Sorcerer 2, X event, Y event. How things start, and so on. How things end. All of those, I have a hefty amount of notes regarding things already. This is something I've considered, and it was mentioned in the gorgon epilogue bit. The Gorgoneion, it is a protective symbol from evil (or talisman), but it is also the shield that Athena made from Medusa's head after Perseus had chopped it off. So here comes the question, do I want to "merge" the Fiery Fangs and Gorgon lines in Sorcerer 2? Answer depends how I would do branching in Sorcerer 2. If I want to keep it simple I should merge the branches from Sorcerer, if I want to make things complicated I keep them separated. This could be easier the event that would allow merging them relatively easy, story wise.

Then I'll give you this as a bonus of sorts. There are three things I hate: interior design, clothing design, and hair design. Interior design is simple, I'm a minimalist. So a table, single chair, and a bed are perfectly valid furnishing for a room. Clothing and hair? Clothing is more... problematic with generously proportioned figures. Most noticeable is the shrink wrapping around the chest area. Then there is the thing: clothing reflects of your personality. So you need to think, would a character wear this or that clothing piece? Sometimes something more outrageous might fit better than you originally thought. Hair is... Gods, I miss Terminus, so easy there. With hair, it is a similar thing, but in additionally to personality it needs to fit the face shape and things. So depending on the character I might end up spending a few hours selecting both clothes and hair. Males are easy in that regard, just put them in a suit and some sort of short hair and done. For her clothing will be issue, so I need to find what fits... that's just a few hours of work going through all the clothes... Anyway to the important things now...

Changelog: ToaM 0.42.0

• 385 renders

• Implemented the next part of the story

• 1 hidden image

• Codex updated

• Grammar, spelling, and other fixes (Thanks to Adry, Shaddy, BryonSmothers3DX, Bread, Oaiki, Horny Toad, Michael Hamill, Orion, Fey)

Release schedule:

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

• $10 Tier: 11th of June

• $5 Tier: 12th of June

• $3 Tier: 13th of June

• Public: 23rd of June

Checksums SHA256:

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ToaM-0.42.0-dists.zip

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ToaM-0.42.0-mac-C.zip

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ToaM-0.42.0-pc-C.zip

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ToaM-0.42.0-UpdateC.zip

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com.talothral.toam-release.apk

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com.talothral.toam-release.apk (WT)

Public Release: Tribulations of a Mage 0.41.0

 

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

Update 0.41.0

IMPORTANT! There are issues without the patch, most of them can be solved by ignoring, but it is highly recommended installing it.

https://mega.nz/file/ijhG3LaS#o3oCfBMGEtOqVPoN7Hv1ev--wF3g6DHoXVpfLTYqUYI
https://gofile.io/d/OlQLXd

Note: Some of the SHA's are different from the changelog, but that's because they are a new builds made relatively recently.
PC
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https://mega.nz/file/W3whxLpR#0eMUh2Tf0jX45Dwdd6UiUuG46VtCEluCV3qmiFk1CME
https://gofile.io/d/ic6nF4

PC Compressed
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https://mega.nz/file/j2wjmQqa#_phpWv6Aqdwh1i577qausPRjsymvZ5CDJjpAs25SU08
https://gofile.io/d/EvOkeJ

MAC
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https://mega.nz/file/fuhxCRyJ#QzSaWKqiw6h7Ud8ValQKAP7k87eewWkCMbuOySeVAQg
https://gofile.io/d/yyS2M9

MAC Compressed
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https://mega.nz/file/6joTWDzS#dqzxu26vc_4qG3zQ6A8ay9Ma8xnASB5jXHtVoyonRGg
https://gofile.io/d/c1ntxh

Update only
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https://mega.nz/file/36JxWCKD#zt9aNgfDGmCOJRvTp2YUAvKogHi3X9Du1JcVqODncxg
https://gofile.io/d/vbFUZ7

Update only compressed
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https://mega.nz/file/S2ICiSxT#YR_tsVe6if_ESc3lB5xkdxvYq3O4D7IlZmITmfutg-E
https://gofile.io/d/yHhLtC

Android
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https://mega.nz/file/u7AWgRIT#5IAu52Z0m-MS-6fXbQOV6zwPCiZ1W9fJfBFaBmmT7_I
https://gofile.io/d/FzNkjw

Android WT
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https://mega.nz/file/Gi4SmD4D#XxRbfJ7E-KT14qQRKDVKzF7rCKL2N16dfL5f3dUA4JI
https://gofile.io/d/hi9er1

Progress 06.06.2025

Hello all!

Whee... and then things have been done. Rendering is done, testing is done, and I'm still fairly certain that something is broken just I haven't encountered it, nor did the testers. The things they encountered are fixed. So uploading is left, but it is summer time so. The usual caveats applies. But regardless of that, I'll start rendering 0.43.0 on Monday. I'll write today and the weekend as usual. Right also as of note, 0.42.0 has again, unfortunately, just one choice. Fairly important choice, that you can miss. One of those "annoying" update that happens just to drive the story forward. Eh... happens.

So then we have this one... This isn't an in game render. For various reasons, I did to test the set. The set is useful... but. It's more useful on Terminus side of things, thanks to the celestial objects in the background. But there are elements that will appear in the game. Tomas in his "battlemage" gear obviously in the upcoming update. And that reminded me I need to save the orc as scene subset. And that's it for this Friday, I'll take a break then write for a while, there isn't that many pages left but many events I need to put in. Still I'm happy with how it has been gone. Anyway, you all have a great weekend! I'll start uploading stuff once the backups have ran.

Progress 02.06.2026

 Hello all!

Monday! So how are things going?

Rendering, technically speaking I have two scenes left, although the last one has two parts so it's more like three. Although this update will require a ton of post work as there are several late evening, night and early morning renders. So the light isn't always as optimal when you try to be "realistic." Says the man with magic, ogres and other things in his VN's. But it will be done as usual, might be slightly more cranky but that's nothing new.

Writing, on the other hand, is in better state than I thought it would be. Sort of amusing, but I always have liked to write so...

 So a preview, not really a that huge spoiler. But something interesting in the image. Aisha's familiar, a falcon, her name is Eclipse... yeah I know. It kind of fitting though. Although I admit, I'm kind of tired of sand already. But it is what it is, a few villages and things ahead though so something change in the scenery at least. RIght, time for my break. See you all soon...