sierralee
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July 4 Update
🕑 Added 2021-07-04 21:05:56 +0000 UTCFirst, we have a little comic that I hope everyone will enjoy! I had fun with this one. ^-^ There are two versions that only differ in the penultimate panel, because getting the right level of cartoonishness is tricky, so please offer feedback if you have any. These comics won't be a regular thing, but we'll make one from time to time.
Meanwhile, TLS progresses, again doing okay but not hitting liftoff. I'm starting to worry that I'll never hit sustained flow on this update, but weeks of solid progress do get us closer. This post will be an explanation as to why it's difficult to put a percentage on it.
If the game somehow leaked, it wouldn't look like much. Some broken events and a few weird maps. But for those who can open source files, they'd be able to read everything: the flow of events, the major choices/branches, and one of the big twists to the whole game. I still need to write some dialogue that will take place in the dungeons, and likely I'll need some more interstitial events, but the heart of the update is all there.
This is the bulk of the creative work, but there's a lot more to do. Lots of maps, which will be a pain. The dialogue has all the choices/variables, but all the movements and special effects are just placeholders. This update will have a fair number of battles, some of them non-standard, and I haven't touched those.
Another word on those maps. I tried to get ahead on this aspect, commissioning more than average over three weeks ago. Unfortunately, my usual mapper was on hiatus and didn't answer, necessitating looking into other people, all of which wasted time. Now my usual mapper has finally gotten back to me, but I only saw first rough drafts of any maps yesterday, so those have a ways to go. Not sure if it will be a bottleneck, because this mapper is usually pretty fast.
Finishing the "plot writing" last week means that this next one should really be about putting everything together. In theory. I hope next week I can say that I've made amazing progress, but given how this one has gone, I don't want to over-promise.
Finally, there aren't many OEA maps, but they're big ones that involved a lot of work:
- Volcano: Entirely redone version which I hope looks better. The layout is changed a bit, including some one way jumps meant to increase player risk. Thoughts?
- Frieda's Past: Though I included the originals, we decided to go with sepia-toned past scenes. This is a minor part of the game, but hopefully these maps will characterize Frieda's home Tale more clearly.
- Labyrinth Tale: As you can see, this one is using brand new tiles, for a look meant to integrate with the maze below. Hopefully this will make the Overgrown Tale seem more distinct even though the two (intentionally) have similar themes.
Comments
Seriathus
HOLY FUCK IT'S SO ADORABLE
Sierra Lee
Thanks for all the feedback! I'm glad you continue to enjoy what I'm putting out. ^-^ A mapper is someone I hire to put together the tiles that form the visual background of a map. Other than the occasional animated element, they're not involved with the events on the map, but hiring out that element (usually) saves time because I do it worse and slower.
Grim8P
OEA maps continue to look great. I particularly like both the volcano and labyrinth maps. I'm happy to continue seeing progress here. That comic is adorable and I love it. I think I prefer the normal eyes vs. the black dots but either work IMO. I will be happy to see more of this at whatever rate they come. Still on the update hype train. Super looking forward to it! As mentioned by people higher up, I'm still content to sit and wait for you to be happy with it though. Quick question. When you say your mapper, do you mean someone making the map artwork, does someone work on the events and such on the map in RPG Maker, or something else?
Sierra Lee
Thanks for the feedback! Things will definitely feel a lot closer to the end after the next two updates, but you won't have to give up TLS just yet. In addition to all the final content, I've planned a series of short stories and a few other pieces with the cast.
Sierra Lee
I appreciate your support, and I'm even more glad to hear you're enjoying the game! The Second Gathering and so many of the upcoming events are payoff I've been building toward for years. ^-^
Quiet Stranger
Between the two comics, I prefer the detailed eyes. I think it creates a better emotional rhythm for reading. Huge fan of the Annikath side comics, however, either way. As for TLS, the game, I admit that I find myself strangely dreading the next content release. Any update would be likely be too soon for me. We're so near to the end, and the years have given me so many fond memories, filled me with so many emotions. How could I not be anxious, about taking another step closer to saying goodbye? It's cold comfort to know that we can trust you to write an excellent and satisfying ending. Cold! OEA is looking great, as always. I much enjoyed playing through the first partial release, a few years back. It's come along beautifully since then.
Reddy Bread
I just got to the Second Gathering part where Ginasta is meeting the harem and I gotta say the interactions are Amazing! The writing in this game is superb and its been a long time since I have been so immersed into a story and its characters. I appreciate all the work you put in to even the smallest details. Im glad to offer support even if its not much.
Sierra Lee
Something like that. Those aspects are about 95% done, with a small amount left for minor NPCs, plot branches I didn't plan, etc. Because the maps, enemies, transitions, party member changes and so on aren't yet in the game, the update is completely unplayable. But a huge part of it is complete.
BleBle
Do what you can, sometimes things doesn't go as wanted, patience and keep going. But I dont understand what do you mean about all the core is done. Do you mean you did all the scripts, decision, variables for the entire war, and only need the scenes,maps and conversations, or something like that?
Sierra Lee
Thanks for all the feedback!
Lamsey
I think I prefer the normal eyes instead of the black ones in the Qum comic, but both get the message across well. Iris's subtle smile is well done. The Volcanic Tale is much improved. In the northwest, there's an unnatural-looking straight edge on the joining points between the first and second levels of the rocky platforms. I'm not sure where the jump points are - perhaps altering the colouration of the ledges around them would be a good way to signal them, like the convention where grabbable ledges in Tomb Raider or similar games are often marked with white scratches. The sepia-toned maps for the flashback with Frieda look good to me. It's helpful to have the contrast between the sepia-toned/normal sprites for the past/present characters. The Labyrinth Tale looks very good - very twisty and wild-looking. The archway to the southeast of the Overgrown Tale portal looks a bit like a solid wall, since it runs north-south. This could be fixed by altering the shadow so that the arch shape is visible, making it clearer that the player can walk through.
Sierra Lee
I don't know if it can live up to the amount of effort that I've been putting in, but I've done my best and I think the update will include a lot of things people will enjoy.
LOLtohru
This is EXTREMELY cute. I like how Iris is smiling a little at the end. <3
Runcible Technician
Whoa. Now those are nice maps. I really like the sepia filter on the memories, fits perfect. Can't wait to see this ultra complex update, you've been hinting about it for a bit now.
Leveler All
Really like this mini comics, all in the spirit of the characters, they are all already great and fleshed out but this are a nice extra
Sierra Lee
They might be grapes, but since this isn't a set I commissioned, I'm not sure. The real Volcano Tale map will have sparkle events at the jump points, but one of my potential issues with this map is that they aren't distinct enough.
Sierra Lee
You can choose whatever interpretation amuses you most, but my intention was definitely that Iris located and saved that final task for Qum in order to cheer her up. ^-^
Decanter
Cute comic. I really like the Labyrinth Tale look... are those grape trees? I hope in-game it's clear which ledges can be jumped from in the Volcano Tale.
[]
At this point, I bet Iris assigned someone a side-task to find things for Qum to do. Those last two tasks were too tailor-made for Qum.
Sierra Lee
Glad it got a laugh out of you. ^-^ I appreciate the feedback; as I said, levels of stylization are tricky to manage.
JJS
Like waxer said we understand why you aren't rushing and of course we support you. Yet it sounds like as you said "the heart of it is there" so apart from some small fights and possible dialouge you have the most important stuff done. Lastly as you said "if it doesn't come out in July something has gone horribly wrong" So I'm confident you will get it done, possibly on the 16th.
WaxerRed
The comic gave me a great laugh! Personally I like the black dot eyes in the second to last panel, but Qum is perfect no matter how you slice it! And I will imagine my own headcannon of a lost page that showed Megail/Simon under Iris's desk throughout the comic! As always thank you for being open and direct in your information on TLS. We are never able to give much more then our support and patience but you have that in bundles at least! This sounds like one of the most significant updates so no one would blame you for wanting to take time on every last blade of grass and detail to get them right!
