TLS 0.77.0 Released!
Added 2024-11-22 23:17:45 +0000 UTCOn November 22, 2014, I publicly released the first version of TLS, featuring the prologue. Now, exactly ten years later, I am posting the epilogue. I have some fun retrospectives and other things planned, but for today, I want to focus on what I always have: delivering more stuff for you guys. ^-^
UPDATE
Alright, there was no particular urgency, but I might as well put out the slightly more polished update.
TLS 0.77.1
- Epilogue polishing and bugfixing.
- Achievements script activated, but doesn't try to set any achievements yet.
Link: https://mega.nz/file/qwMHSRzJ#LaIepImrUq0jz9ZJHJ0-rTmxRTkRPh5xiufVm_d29I8
Going to wait a while on the public update due to my own schedule.
ORIGINAL POST
Before the game links, indulge me in one bit of promo: please consider upvoting the announcement here:
The link also contains the roadmap, if you haven't seen that updated recently, and some fun numerical totals. Links below as usual!
Link: https://mega.nz/file/KkczHT7R#yWDcAUP1o5AXWzXyoMNuMjhlW-U1FAIXMcGm0cxN2N0
RTP: https://mega.nz/file/ql8SRBpA#5WsNTqyBdGgezIgTSnGFGpTG0kB1Kbg7ah3-GiM4bts
(EDIT: See WaxerRed's comments if you're starting from the waiting room. Due to a bug, you need to activate the event yourself in the upper left.)
TLS 0.77.0
- Epilogue section of the game added.
- SFW mode now also censors sprites and portraits, thanks to Grim8P, Annikath, and Rachnera.
- New option for faster boss collapse animation, thanks to Lamsey.
- New illustrated scenes: Aka + Uyae, Dari's Changed Body, Dari's New Body, Nalili x Fenima
I had to push myself pretty hard to get this out on the anniversary, but I didn't cut anything: the epilogue was always meant to be a short romp with everyone, a bookend to balance and contrast the prologue. I hope everyone enjoys it!
Achievements Tangent
That said, there's one thing I failed to get into this update: testing out achievements. Those with RPG Maker experience can read on, while others can probably just start playing.
Games having achievements on Steam is an unquestionable benefit, but getting them is a crapshoot. With Desecration of Wings or my VNs, I read a little documentation and everything worked effortlessly, basically the first time. For Once Ever After I put hours into it and in the end failed. I hoped this would be more like DoW, but maybe not. =/
The recommended script is the one in this thread:
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/cyanics-steam-achievements-integration.50640/
Unfortunately, it seems to break instantly, and all the recent posts are people saying it doesn't work with no response from the script creator. While I haven't put a ton of effort into this, I suspect I don't have the competency to fix something like this. I would very much like to be able to launch TLS with achievements, so if anyone is willing to help out, it would be very much appreciated.
Comments
Thank you for all the kind words! I design according to my own sense for what makes a satisfying game, so I've been glad to hear from many players who find it rewarding. ^-^ With the support of you and others, I hope to make TLS the best it can be and then continue on to more work!
Sierra Lee
2024-11-29 22:53:58 +0000 UTCFinally got to the final battle/epilogue. Thank you so much for making such a wonderful, funny, and thoughtful game. A small RPG maker project, with more detail and better “decisions matter” than the Dragon Age series, funnier than Star Control 2, and an overall story better and more epic, yet comfortable, than any game I have ever played. My hat is off to you, and thank you for making me think, and laugh, and cry in what I thought was just another porn game with some mind control when I first downloaded it.
Warstrike
2024-11-29 18:06:03 +0000 UTCTypo fixed! Controller issue... I have no idea. =/ People complain about controllers a lot but I don't know much about this.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-26 23:43:27 +0000 UTCMade a quick pass with the new version, found one more typo. (middle line) didn't not -> didn't: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/raxzp4hmotcm2wuntbi7i/Screenshot-2024-11-26-22.48.00.png?rlkey=8mwae422ozlhdszpl7rwmrnxj&dl=0 I also found that my controller (XBox 360) didn't work with 0.77.1. It looks like it's because the achievements script is causing Steam to detect the standalone game, and by default Steam thinks that the game doesn't support a controller, so Steam Input was interfering with normal controller input. Turning off Steam Input and relaunching the game fixes the problem, but I wonder if there's a way to tell Steam that the game supports controllers so that others don't run into this problem?
Lamsey
2024-11-26 23:16:19 +0000 UTCThis isn't good, but a bit hard to track down. I know you already changed the files on your end, but could you quote or get a screenshot of the exact moment the problem occurs?
Sierra Lee
2024-11-26 15:02:48 +0000 UTCI just encountered an error upon reaching maximum affection with Uyae. Specifically, that the game was looking for 'Graphics/Faces/Uyae emo2'. When I decrypted the game files, I found that the file bundled with it is instead called 'Uyae2 emo', and adding a copy of that file renamed to what it was expecting fixed the error.
David Donnelly
2024-11-26 13:41:25 +0000 UTCThat's reasonable, but I don't want to tinker with the balance unless I can do a lot of testing, which I don't have the energy for at the moment.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-24 14:42:45 +0000 UTCIt was definitely the boss I struggled the most with! Had to give up after 10 tries of different strats failing. But I think the success with the DPS rush strat shows it's not working as intended. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the intention for the IE was that the trick was meant to encourage self reliant party member. So no matter who is left last person standing in the party, they can juggle between healing themselves and dealing damage. Maybe making the boss a LOT more tanky (but less savage) could do the trick? So that you are forced to spend at least 2-3 turns on each phase of losing party members.
WaxerRed
2024-11-24 07:38:37 +0000 UTCYeah, I got that bittersweet note. I imagine it's even more poignant on a proper disaster run where you watched multiple characters die... and not just named ones, either, but see other events end disastrously with sky-high causalities, countries that never get rebuilt, and connections that just fail to happen. Although with everyone talking about the anniversary or the 'good' epilogue, I wanted to throw in a comment about the 'other' epilogue instead of just repeating what everyone else was saying. Given the trigger, I was expecting The Entity to break... but I wasn't expecting that. Bravo
Duncan Lutz
2024-11-24 04:57:32 +0000 UTCI beat the IE with a DPS rush strategy. First attempt was FUBAR as I built it around party swapping out people, but since that failed, I called a mulligan and just focused on BURNING the bastard. Second attempt was over in 4-5 turns. I suppose I got lucky in the order people were taken out, but it was one of the bosses I struggled the least with by far.
Duncan Lutz
2024-11-24 04:50:22 +0000 UTCHmm, I guess comparing the skills, it doesn't hurt to boost Holy Burst a little. Sure. The Inevitable Eliminator, though... I think the only change I made any time recently was making it so the boss can't use Focus repeatedly.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-24 03:08:06 +0000 UTCSome minor reports not related to the epilogue, for whenever you have bonus time to consider. Carinia's Holy Burst seems a bit too weak in my opinion. Obviously Carinia shouldn't be big damage dealer, but with a 7 turn cooldown and 3 use limit, I think upping the damage a bit will make it a bit more useful. In the optional dungeon, the inevitable eliminator seems like it got overtuned in one of the patches. It's "focus" attack will absolutely annihilate the last man standing in a party. Right now the only real way to beat it seems to be a strategy of buying equipment to hyper charge a certain characters luck and debuffing the enemy quickly. Which while I feel is clever, might not be intended to be the only viable solution to the fight. (These were observations made on 76.3, so please disregard if they were changed already for 77.0)
WaxerRed
2024-11-24 02:11:44 +0000 UTCI think in this build I removed my personal notes on that ending? The reset ending is meant to be bittersweet, a way of giving some conclusion to disaster saves that couldn't reasonably reach the largely happy postgame that will await other players. I'm glad it could have an emotional impact.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 23:11:42 +0000 UTCOh it was late and I didn't catch the typo >.> The other epilogue was a lighthearted and fun romp, even with needing to take out some trash in the end. Afterwards, I used a save editor to tank Entity Cohesion right before making the final decision... and that actually hit me in the feels. I wasn't expecting The Entity to break in that bittersweet way. I approve, btw, just the emotional whiplash of going straight from the light hearted epilogue to the emotionally heavy one got me.
Duncan Lutz
2024-11-23 21:48:44 +0000 UTCNice. Had a boss who used to say "contingency planning is the key to consistency", which is such a wonderfully cynical (yet realistic) observation I've always remembered it.
Dubsington
2024-11-23 16:46:53 +0000 UTCA nice little fake adventure to close things off ! I actually expected the epilogue to be centered around the harem and their next step, but I realize now this will be post-game material. Instead, we get to make Antarion useful at last, in an episode we never knew we wanted, but is a great choice in retrospect. Loved the "new characters" (definitely never met before pink lamia and Yarra's... cleavage really had a key role to play, weird that we didn't see more of those earlier :^) ), and seeing the rock puzzle sequence unfold exactly the way you expect it once you set your eyes on Dari's little project for the adventure. I also wasn't convinced at first that the bust and combat update were the most pressing thing in terms of time investment, but I have to admit after actually testing the features that it really improves the overall experience ! I look forward to going through everything again with the changes - maybe after a little break. Amazing work overall, be it for this update or since, well, ever. Looking forward to spending a bit more time with the crew in the postgame !
Mathieu Kocher
2024-11-23 14:49:13 +0000 UTCYeah, there was dev time in real life, but I wanted this to be a breather after the extended final battle, so I'm glad it hit that note. ^-^ Issues fixed, thanks! >Ginasta's conversation only plays if you didn't let her stay at the Battlefield Locus. Is that intentional? Yes. If she stayed, you'll have to go find her in the postgame.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 14:47:06 +0000 UTCsomeone lost their lives -> someone lost their life (this is before they decide that Sabitha will also eat Mammal Friend): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/y6bfvq27qtu4m4eg6nw7x/Screenshot-2024-11-23-12.26.36.png?rlkey=jwyzk3fqic2jmj8ktu9qw0yev&dl=0 Middle line: other need -> others need: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/h0gf4o7f7eotycyovkush/Screenshot-2024-11-23-12.37.06.png?rlkey=aj16upxw79m9drfsh8kbu3m8r&dl=0 unreset -> unrest: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hm4jscz4qjclzcg3qdum2/Screenshot-2024-11-23-12.38.05.png?rlkey=hofnkdwn0pd05zo9disws5r0k&dl=0 Ginasta's conversation only plays if you didn't let her stay at the Battlefield Locus. Is that intentional? Checking the tweak that we discussed to the chapter 1 Yhilin coup scene, the map transfer commands have been changed so they all transfer the player to Yhilin Palace (024,014), resulting in Simon being in the wrong place and Janine walking through him: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bo13bxmhuzjty7to613nt/Screenshot-2024-11-23-12.52.06.png?rlkey=x4nouiw4jswd6bqe9vek72nmb&dl=0 It should be (024,015) instead. This is at 5: Yhilin -> Ari-Yhilina -> Yhilin Palace -> Practical Rooms -> (003,020-022) The related tweak to Reval's sequence works fine.
Lamsey
2024-11-23 14:05:47 +0000 UTCBugs/typos in replies as usual.
Lamsey
2024-11-23 14:05:32 +0000 UTCThat was very fun, and just the right switch to a lighter tone after the heaviness of the final battle. I very much enjoyed giving the Old Bastard another chance to indulge his path-clearing fetish, and am glad to see indexes 2 and 3 in the Yarra emo2 faceset finally used in all of their majestic glory. Truly an astonishing achievement of long-term planning on a par with the title screen popping up at the end of the Incubus Prison. I defeated the Angry Lamia using only Dominate and Succubus Kiss because for some reason I did not want to hurt her. The Evil Succubus, however, was put straight back in her box by Admittedly Best Succubus, uh, I mean, the succubus MWIF.
Lamsey
2024-11-23 14:05:14 +0000 UTCThank you so much! ^-^
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:44:15 +0000 UTCI'm actually not sure what you mean in the first line, though I'm guessing either a play on "bad ending" or a reference to the reset ending?
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:43:55 +0000 UTCI have been waiting to do this one SO LONG!
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:42:11 +0000 UTCI had to make a few sacrifices this month, but otherwise it wasn't actually as strict as it seems. If I had been faster over the past years, maybe I could have hit the postgame or 1.0.0 on this date. On the other hand, if I'd been slower, the final battle would also have been an appropriate update for the anniversary!
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:41:43 +0000 UTCCorrect, it's a callback to the MWAF! I wondered how obscure it would seem, but I thought it was funny to make fun of how it's plural.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:40:27 +0000 UTCThank you very much! As much as I have enjoyed working on TLS, I am also happy to have reached this point. ^-^
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 10:38:53 +0000 UTCHappy anniversary!!! 🥳✨️❤️🍀 So excited to see everything when I get there and I'm crossing my fingers for the steam achievements! 🤩
Annikath
2024-11-23 10:04:39 +0000 UTCBy the Lustlord's Crusty Cock... that 'bad ending' epilogue... It hurt so good. Damn you, that hurt.
Duncan Lutz
2024-11-23 08:53:23 +0000 UTCOh my lord that Yarra portrait joke. My sides...
Nicholas
2024-11-23 07:36:00 +0000 UTCVery cool that you were able to finagle exactly the 10 year mark.... I know how seriously you take your schedules, so I hope it didn't stress you out too much to make that happen. It's a nice little flex of craftsmanship, especially in a creative field where hitting any sort of deadline is a rare feat for many creators.
Dubsington
2024-11-23 07:32:45 +0000 UTCMother Who Is Fuckable During the Erosian Crisis, the Fucklord had the "Virgin Sluts" as a force of elite shock troops. During the Thenorsian Conflict the creep had organized a replacement army of MWAFs: Mothers Who ARE Fuckable. Riala actually approves, claiming MWAFs are a "reasonable fetish." This works as a two-part joke playing first on all the absurd, obscene, and downright vile nonsense The Incubus Superboss made her put up with over the decades (baboon cumflation, chess sets made of shit, CALENDARS, etc.) The second part of the joke being that, as the oldest woman in the harem at that point, she obviously appreciates mature women getting the attention they deserve. So Antarion calling Riala a MWIF, a MILF in other words, is a callback to her involvement in that Ch4 joke.
Duncan Lutz
2024-11-23 06:56:43 +0000 UTCMinor question. What does MWIF stand for?
DukeLeto7
2024-11-23 06:26:18 +0000 UTCCongrats on the big milestones, both the 10 year anniversary and epilogue release! Having seen the roadmap back when you first posted it, It's really incredible to look at it now at this near-complete state and realize just how much you've added to the game.
ushiroace
2024-11-23 05:55:03 +0000 UTCGlad to hear it's not an issue!
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 03:28:22 +0000 UTCNeat.
Innocuous
2024-11-23 03:26:46 +0000 UTCI'm looking into it. Might be something specific to me. Edit: Specific to me. False alarm. Sorry about that.
Grim8P
2024-11-23 03:11:43 +0000 UTCEdit: Specific to me. False alarm. Sorry about that. I have a crash to desktop after getting yeeted out a window. https://imgur.com/a/JJpdstF
Grim8P
2024-11-23 03:10:56 +0000 UTCYes, it was changed from a default RPG Maker font.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 02:47:00 +0000 UTCIs the font different? Is it supposed to be different?
Innocuous
2024-11-23 02:15:01 +0000 UTCso loved that epiloge, and going to see all the people planning things. Had to admit that would be fun to see all the different varations of that, and what would happen should things not be as well at the end
Edward Culham
2024-11-23 01:56:35 +0000 UTCGlad to hear you enjoyed it! It's nice to hear all the notes hit for you, though hopefully some people will list their favorites. I've been waiting to do some of these jokes for a very long time. ^-^ Easy to flip Trin's conditional, sure. Riala, though... she would appear on every closed door, but are there any other places? Hmm, the player could ignore previous events just to be difficult...
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 00:55:23 +0000 UTCJust finished the content, it brought me a lot of laughs and a few tears to the eyes! I'd tell you which moment was my favorite, but then I realized I couldn't narrow it down, they are all perfect. Normally when a long project like this reaches an end, I feel empty and sad, but TLS has wrapped up every loose end perfectly. I feel content, and honored to have been here to witness this game unfold for so many years. It's truly perfect. Well perfect besides some bugs! Trin's conversation switch is reversed. She appears if she's dead, and stays silent if she's alive. Riala is all over the place in dialogue after she is "eaten" by Sabitha and leaves the party. Not a bug, but it would be funny if there was dialogue based around Antarion not even attempting to go straight when entering the castle and instead taking a left heading up the stairs, missing that he needs to collect keys to open the door to the Doom king's chamber. I say this because this is exactly what I did, everyone knows you need to loot the castle before attacking the final boss! Also since she wasn't there, I want to see Ginasta go through the "epilogue" roleplay now, but with a lot less refusals on the sex offers! Lastly, I noticed that we never had a chance to fight the Dark Necromancer of the Mountain, are you setting her up as the main villain of The Last Sovereign 2!?
WaxerRed
2024-11-23 00:19:32 +0000 UTCgood for you, will admit that has been a long journey that have been glad for. The story has been compelling and looking forward to doing other things in it.
Edward Culham
2024-11-23 00:08:24 +0000 UTCAhh excellent. I hope that fixes it. I was wondering if maybe the SDK just evolved past what the script supported. Will be around if can be of any further help.
Lord Forte
2024-11-23 00:05:11 +0000 UTCI was using the latest version of the SDK (1.61). When I reverted to 1.57 the game started without crashing, so that's a good sign! I will have to actually test it later, but hopefully all will go smoothly if it did for you.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-23 00:02:57 +0000 UTCCongratulations! I haven't been here from quite the beginning, but pretty darn close. It's been a long journey indeed. XD Looking forward to setting aside some time sometime soon to do a full replay. How is the achievement script breaking for you? I use that on in Noblesse and have had no issues at all. What error is it throwing? I assume you have the matching version of the steam SDK and the script? In my case I'm using R7 and SDK version 1.57, if that helps. Feel free to e-mail or dm me if it's easier.
Lord Forte
2024-11-22 23:51:44 +0000 UTCThanks!
Sierra Lee
2024-11-22 23:47:26 +0000 UTCcongratulations on 10 years
gerardo
2024-11-22 23:42:49 +0000 UTCIt did!
WaxerRed
2024-11-22 23:30:21 +0000 UTCIt was supposed to! Okay... go to the upper left corner of that room and press the interact button, see if that works.
Sierra Lee
2024-11-22 23:28:39 +0000 UTCOhhh exciting! Though how does one access the epilogue? The final waiting room doesn't take you there.
WaxerRed
2024-11-22 23:27:20 +0000 UTC
