sierralee

April 26 Update

This week I experimented with working on whatever I felt like. Rather than try to pull this into a focused post, I'll just list all the different things I did.

TLS 0.51.0 Design: I reviewed notes and did some prep. Now I have a pretty clear idea what main/side content the update will cover. This will be my next major priority.

TLS Report Backlog: Okay, I didn't want to do this one, but it was overdue. I went through a long list of low priority reports and made assorted ...

April 19 Update

It is almost, almost time for a clearer schedule. First, two items that may be of interest to you:

1) TLS is on itch.io

I hadn't realized there was any activity for free games on itch.io, but I've finally put TLS there now. Also, did you know that you can rate games there? I honestly didn't, and having no ratings hasn't had a negative effect on sales as far as I can tell. But this is potentially...

TLS 0.50.1 - The Art Release is now public!

Hey, everyone! I'm glad to announce that the first big art release is now public, and you can download it here:

 https://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2020/04/tls-0501-art-release-is-now-public.html 

No images in this public post to comply with guidelines, but you should be able to see art previews and other fun things on the Steam page:

April 12 Update: One More Book Launch Edition

Lots of stuff happening. $5 patrons are playing the newest version of the game complete with the full art. $10 patrons just got the first ever art package (all scenes at full resolution plus maps/fanart/etc). This is also your notification that I just updated that post with a new version, now with 273 total images.

Potentially relevant to everyone is the above image, as Street Cultivation 2 has launched! You ...

The TLS Art Pack

This is an unusual time for a post, but what the heck. I've promised several people that patrons would get access to higher resolution versions of all the scene images, and now is the time where I make good on that promise. This post will be the permanent repository for the big art pack, which has now been split into multiple for ease of downloading.

Art Pack I

Link: 2020-04-12 14:15:43 +0000 UTC View Post

TLS 0.50.0 Released! Chapter 1 Art Update!

Release time, everybody! I thought about pushing this to next week, but I'd prefer not to delay TLS releases any longer.

Link: https://mega.nz/file/T4cTgY4C#2pyvpnQTruJBjr0Nmez0U-nq3sZjMQ9DLDwOj16B4MQ 

RTP: https://mega.nz/file/v40AjCbQ#J60h6jPk...

April 5 Update

Buckle up, this is a big post with a lot going on! It won't all be relevant to everyone, but please check for the parts that are relevant to you.

Fanart: The image for this post was drawn by Annikath, not as a commission, just as fanart she wanted to do. Qum is having a good time. ^-^

TLS Art Update: Originally, I was going to do a poll asking you guys if you wanted a faster update focused on the art, or a delayed update that would have the new ar...

Finished Scene Art Set #7: Last Set + Prologue

Guys, this is the last set for Chapter 1! Unless something has been entirely forgotten, we finally have everything, which means that the official art version can happen soon. More info on that in the weekly update.

Meanwhile, some notes on this set. Most of these are the first affection scenes for the characters, which should be self-explanatory. Some of these have more alternate images, but I didn't upload them all.

Along with that, we have the joke/crayon scenes for the prologue...

March 29 Update

Momentum! Momentum is precious. I feel so much better on a day-to-day basis when I'm enjoying my work and making significant progress. ^-^ I hope everyone is managing with the world's current difficulties. I'm getting closer to finishing two things, one of which will come sooner and the other later.

Right now I'm writing the third (and likely last) novel in the Street Cultivation series. I have many thoughts about this, but I want to keep this short. Once this is done, I will have compl...

March 22 Update

There are more important things going on in the world than my work, but since this is an update on that: this week sucked, creatively. I put in long hours and worked hard, but I just didn't make progress like I'd wanted because things kept coming up.

For example, Crescentia went all in on work for OEA. Usually I provide feedback or approve art only once every week or less, but recently I've been making multiple decisions a day. That involves going back and forth on corrections and check...

Quarantine Sale

Current events are hitting some people hard, in varying ways. Some are trapped at home more than usual, while others have messaged me to say they need to pull their patronage to get through. I absolutely want everyone to prioritize what matters most in life! I'll still be here, working away at my projects, so there's no need to apologize.

For those who have extra time on their hands, I wish I had a new release for you, but the best I can do is a sale on old stuff. All my games are 50-80...

March 15 Update: NGM Boxset Release

Promotion is the worst. -_- It's just soul-draining for me, even when it's successful. Yesterday wasn't even effective, as my map post didn't really catch on:

https://old.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/fio9k0/the_chorhan_expanse_one_region_x_three_cultures/ 

Click through if you want to read some TBS worldbuilding that I...

Finished Scene Art Set #6

A set of four finished scenes, plus Riala's character sheet, plus a bonus lingerie version. The Aka scene was redone because it was drawn before we did all our style testing and it didn't fit the coloring style of the rest.

We're getting pretty close to the art release. Only affection scenes, one plot scene, and the joke scenes remain.

Completely unrelated, those of you who are supporting TBS content, I recently found a thread that was very encouraging to me as an author:

2020-03-11 18:49:37 +0000 UTC View Post

March 8 Update: TBS Release

Unusual post this week! I hope I can ask your attention for something a little outside the ordinary.

Normally I try not to ask you guys for much extra, because your support already forms the bedrock of my career. I'm grateful to all of you who go the extra mile writing reviews or recommending my work, but just the fact that you're playing means a lot to me. Requesting more on top of that doesn't usually feel right.

I'm going to ask this time, however. Please consider taking a look...

TLS 0.49.4 Public Release

Notes and links on the blog:

 https://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2020/03/tls-0494.html 

I post these because some people use them for notifications, but I don't have a lot to say. I've been pretty busy stretched between polishing this up and some other fun stuff, which I will be talking about more on Sunday.

March 1 Update

As we enter March, I feel like 2020 has gotten off to a good start. I had to push a little too hard, but I feel positive about what I did in updates 48 and 49, so I'm glad that they've been well-received. The public release of TLS 0.49.x will still be next weekend, but overall we enter into a period with a little more uncertainty.

Update 0.50.0 could actually be several different things. The next plot segment will be a more intense conflict bringing together some characters in hopefully...

TLS 0.49.2

UPDATE: I hope the version linked below is very nearly the public release, but I decided to let everyone try it early if they wanted.

The previous thread has over 300 comments, so I thought it might be better to start with a clean slate. While it's possible that I introduced new bugs to this version, overall it should be a substantial step up from the previous one, unlike the interim fixes of 0.49.1.

0.49.3 Link: 2020-02-28 23:34:59 +0000 UTC View Post

TLS 0.49.0 Released!

(Updated: No separate weekly update, since I don't really have anything new to say. Version 0.49.2 should hopefully come out a while later, including new content.)

New version is here!

0.49.1 Link: https://mega.nz/#!z98XQZaT!1dMNmgXdcffZK5UWfS6mw3tHeVWLMlnYw8TnAVpf6Xc 

TLS 0.49.1

- This is an awkward half-update. I don't p...

February 16 Update

Though I never thought it was a realistic deadline, I've wished I could release TLS 0.49.0 this weekend. The timing of everything would have been very convenient, positioning TLS perfectly on the sides of book releases and other things. Plus, between phases I could do my taxes and other things I've been putting off. -_-

Right now, what I think would be best is to release on February 21st, then take two weeks in Patreon beta. It should be in decent shape then, but I don't think it will b...

February 9 Update

Everybody who didn't see the previous update: I'm fine! My furnace got fixed almost immediately on Monday, so I had a warm week. More importantly, I had an enjoyably productive week.

Building momentum on these broad updates can be difficult. I could write a huge amount of new NPC dialogue in an eight hour workday, but I've never actually done a day of nothing but that, because so many unrelated lines just wear me down. Usually I end up taking a break, or at best working on something dif...

February 2 Update

It's so freaking cold. My furnace went out, but when the repairman came, he needed to leave to get a part. Then it was fixed for a day, but failed over night, so he had to come back, then get another part. They don't work on the weekend, so... my poor icicle fingers. T-T The upside is that my insulation is apparently better than I thought.

Anyway, this isn't an announcement of major delays or anything, I'm just griping to stay warm. This sort of thing is a distraction, and the cold slow...

Finished Scene Art Set: Stineford Edition

Generally fewer people are on at this hour, but my furnace is busted and it's freezing cold and so my schedule is off anyway. Might as well post for all the people in different time zones.

I considered naming this one "Prostitute Edition" but you never know when Patreon will change its mind. The reason there haven't been any art posts in a little while is because I was saving up all the NPC scenes for one big post.

In my ongoing quest to make the game's large number of CGs diverse...

January 26 Update

It's been a while since we've done an update that was just focused on a single aspect of development. Since one of the things I did last week is suited to that, we'll do it.

Yhilin has updated less frequently than some other locations for a single reason: the fact that the player can control the major change of reaching the "Final Yhilin" state. Doing a lot of minor updates unrelated to the player's progress would multiply my work, so there have been fewer. I know for all the optimizers...

January 19 Update

I think 2020 has gotten off to a good start, but unfortunately I've had to spend some time lately on promotional junk. Hopefully that's almost over and I can focus on creative work. In theory I should be able to devote over a solid month to that work before there will be a wave of releases.

Meanwhile, we hit an arbitrary milestone: 1000 patrons! It will drop below a thousand at the end of the month, and if current trends will continue, it will waver around and hit that number more than ...

TLS 0.48.2 Public Release

New update and notes available on the blog:

http://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2020/01/tls-0482-public-release.html 

More to say on Sunday.

January 12 Update

I'm pleased that players liked the first update of the year, especially the plot revelations. ^-^ The optional fights seem to need some tuning, but I hope we'll move toward a smooth public release.

I'm on top of bug reports, but not sure when I'll put out version 0.48.1. Maybe later in the day, after I've fiddled with the spiders some more.

The next update will be your first open world one of Chapter 5 and it's... just going to be a broad one. Areas that were locked off will open ...

TLS 0.48.0 Released!

Update time! New version link will soon be below.

Version 0.48.1: https://mega.nz/#!jhVXBIAb!Buvc5oNYZqq-lVPB53CsieM-arUMYQnf3uCulP4RIJ4 

TLS 0.48.0

 - New section covering Eustrin and more.

 - One new scene.

TLS 0.48.1

 - Assorted typos and minor bugfixes.

 - Tweaks to the optional enemies. Most...

2019 in Review

Time for another yearly review, looking back on what was done and forward to what comes next. Overall, 2019 was a year of experimentation for me. Some time was wasted on dead ends, and I regret that, but overall I felt the year was very helpful for me.

Reflections

TLS Progress: Last year we finally wrapped up the Ivalan synod, visited Stenai, fought the Thenoursan War, and launched the final chapter with the return to Stineford. I had hoped to be a litt...

December 29 Update

For the past two years, I've done darker reviews for my last update of the year, laying out negative issues in order to start the new year fresh. This year, I find that is no longer necessary. Please look forward to my yearly reflection and a TLS update in early January.

I am happily working away, but this is a time of rest. I hope most of you are able to spend time with those you care about and I wish strength for those carrying burdens at this time. For now, simply enjoy the above ima...

December 22 Update

This weekend would have been the one where I would have tried to rush out a TLS update. I really appreciate everyone's patience in letting me have better work/life balance, as I feel better having cleared so much from my plate. $10 patrons just got a whole bundle of different things.

With those done (actually days past), I'm now focused almost entirely on TLS, hoping for an early 2020 update. The Eustrin update has some nice maps, tons of dialogue, and some misc progress. I hope it will...