sierralee

Crimson Gray: Dusk and Dawn (beta testing)

Well, the timing of everything is weird, but I don't want to keep putting this off when it's been ready for a while. It's time for the testing of Crimson Gray 1.5.

I'm looking for some volunteer testers who have the time and inclination to check a version that may have some bugs in it yet . I've tried to check for those, of course. Detail oriented people would be appreciated, since the remaining errors are probably typos or misapplied expressions, not game-crashing bugs.

Post if you'd li...

September 9 Update

The first full week of September was rough, but I powered through more than I had hoped. There are still some personal issues hanging over me, but I managed to finish several things, at least for now. Expect to see more about my novel writing in the future.

Next, on TLS... I was afraid that all the obstacles would seriously delay the next release, but I'm happy to say I've gotten into its development. You went through a grueling dungeon to get a certain new character, so now she's going to rew...

Writing Thoughts

At this stage I'm almost certainly going to finish the novel I've been working on in my spare time. It will be a big fantasy novel, and while I'm subjective, I like what I've written. The question is: what do I do with it?

(EDIT: Let me make it clearer, sorry - this novel is traditional epic fantasy, not erotica.)

Showing it to patrons is a given. But beyond that, I think it's really a somewhat open question. In this post, I'm going to lay out what I see as the main options...

September 2 Update

Okay, September is going to be a rough month for me. I've gotten hit with a lot of things at the same time, from business issues to some family stuff. Patreon having more financial problems doesn't help - apologies to everyone having bank issues again.

It won't be entirely miserable, though. September will also be busy due to some positive things that I've been working on. I think pushing forward with those as best I can is the best option.

For this post I want to focus on one of the pos...

TLS 0.37.3 Public Release

The newest version is out on the blog:

https://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2018/08/tls-0373-public-release.html 

TLS 0.37.3

 - Further bugfixes and refinements.

 - The major change is that making Altina's custom weapon now grants affection where it didn't before.

Bug reports or comments on it can go here or there. ...

August 26 Update

This is a headpat post. There is only peace and understanding here. Whatever burdens you're carrying, you can set them down for a time.

The fanart is by 8headeddragon. It's always a pleasant surprise to get emotional fanart like this. ^-^

(Also, there's a version 0.37.2 posted in the release thread with various improvements that is hopefully free of any serious bugs.)

TLS 0.37.0 Released!

There's so much stuff going on right now, but let's focus on TLS 0.37.x!

EDIT

Alright, here is a new build that I hope will fix many issues:

https://mega.nz/#!TodG3SCQ!fD4EvD9gYQXEMA_0zCr-UHg5fYWRQPzT_hr7i7D6VrE 

I also hope that it will make the puzzle much clearer, though those of us who have already completed it will have a hard time judging that. I'd appreci...

August 18 Update

Not done with 0.37.0 quite yet. This release has an above-average number of new maps, new events, and aftermath scenes, so I think the development time will feel justified. It should release on Friday. Hopefully with enough time so that I can do more testing with some of the saves that I have let lag behind during recent updates.

The image for this post is a bonus screenshot just for patrons. I'm going to do something unusual this time and post a preview early. Normally that woul...

August 12 Update

So, making good progress on 0.37.0! It won't be a double-sized update, but it's shaping up to be larger than average and done in good time. Only potential obstacle is that I don't know some things about my schedule over the coming period. Should definitely be out in August, though.

Having said that... I'm both satisfied with what I've done and nervous about it. I don't know what people are expecting for the Stenai update, but I'm doing something different here. Ever since I planned the Orilise...

Linearity and Non-Games

Hey, $10 backers! I want to use this post to get people's opinions on something that will seem abstract but could be important in the future. Sorry that it will be a bit vague, but I'm trying to get my head straight while I deal with some things.

The issue I'm struggling with is the level of control given to the player in games. I'll set the stage with TLS, which has a central narrative but allows the player to make decisions that alter outcomes of events to some degree as well as factors like...

August 5 Update

I've shaken things off and made major progress on TLS 0.37.0. =D The usual ebb and flow of creative energy has been more volatile as of late due to certain issues, but I'm productive overall and feeling good about it.

I sometimes hesitate to talk about the lower points, because they're often just part of normal creative process and I don't want to make too much of them. On the other hand, the post last week helped clear my head a bit, so it may have helped me get on the right track. (Also, I'm...

July 28 Update

(Note: new 0.36.3 on the blog. Not important unless you want to get Altina back in the party without replaying anything - added a fixer event - but it has some minor fixes and improvements.)

Over the past week of bugfixes would have been a perfect time to work a lot on side projects, but I've been struggling with motivation due to some issues. I only really feel like doing tw...

TLS 0.36.2 Public Release

Newest version of TLS is now public:

http://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2018/07/tls-0362-public-release_27.html 

TLS 0.36.2

 - More bugfixing and refinements.

 - Graphical fixes thanks to Decanter.

TLS 0.36.3

 - Altina fixer event added. Unless you have a previous save with Altina missing, this is not a critical ...

July 22 Update

Quick business note: TLS 0.36.1 has been released in the previous $5 thread. It is much improved, but if you are looking for a bugless version, you should wait for 0.36.2. The rest of this post will be some personal reflections.

-

It has been two years since I lost someone very important to me in an accident. I'm not posting this to request sympathy, because during this anniversary I've felt less raw sorrow and more somber contemplation. I won't force most of that on you, but I do have a...

TLS 0.36.0 Released

New version of TLS!

TLS 0.36.1

Link: https://mega.nz/#!Wg9zzL6Y!fI98LTyeU98HyCXeyk6pAkRwzpkujw39NdDgiG7OS0E 

RTP: https://mega.nz/#!iss3TLYa!8Ty4Hq8Tvt8l-C8OIhQ2jnVSPQ6yBmDOx0vLOPr9JQM 

TLS 0.36.1

 - Refinements and bugfixing....

July 15 Update

I should have been able to get the short update out last Friday, but I failed to do so due to having low energy. There is no legitimate reason it shouldn't come out on the 20th and I hope that I will be able to release it at that time.

The image for this post is the Sabitha faceset I wanted to have back with the last release. I wanted something that would show a bit more of her true nature before the boss fight. Her mouth is meant to grow too large when she bares her teeth, though I don't know...

July 8 Update

Looking at the content for the next TLS update, I'm glad people were open to the idea of 0.36.0 being a smaller update. It still won't be a weighty release, but there's a lot of scattered content of many types that I don't want to cram into the Stenai update, which will be big enough as it is.

The art you see above is fanart I received on my Steam page! It was drawn by Chobittsu, and though he doesn't do NSFW, I'll link his 2018-07-08 20:53:42 +0000 UTC View Post

Crimson Gray 1.5 Title: Round 2

EDIT: Poll is closed, as a decision is made.

Well, I'd hoped that voting would go quickly and we'd get a title everybody liked, but that was not to be. T-T I took everyone's suggestions to heart and came up with a second round of potential titles. I am relatively confident that one of these will work, unless some of these get a lot of unexpected negative reactions.

(By the way, the reason I want to get this done is because I have been informed that I am doing my Steam releases...

Public Release + June 29 Update

Doing this as a hybrid post for several reasons. First, version 0.35.6 of TLS is out, hopefully without serious new bugs:

http://the-last-sovereign.blogspot.com/2018/06/tls-0356-public-release.html 

Second, I've decided to try Patreon's poll feature for the first time. If you want to provide input on what Crimson Gray 1.5 should be officially named, you can ...

Choose the title of Crimson Gray 1.5 that appeals most to you:

EDIT: I'm closing this poll in order to put up a new one!

Note that the question isn't "Which of these is most appropriate to the game?" I hope all are generally appropriate, so I'm trying to pick one that is appealing and communicates something to a general audience. Basically, I'm too far into my own head and I don't know if some of these are too opaque, too obvious, or even work at all.

All of these would be a subtitle, as in "Crimson Gray: Subtitle Here."

I'm not saying I'll de...

June 24 Update

Apologies if I'm not very prompt responding to your messages. Busy days. I am kind of worn down, but still feeling like moving everything forward is the best option. Before the Steam sale ends I'll consider picking up something new for a bit of a break. But meanwhile, stuff!

1) TLS 0.35.0

The recent TLS update is up to 0.35.5 due to a bunch of minor mapping errors. T-T I hope this one is good, but let me know if not. I'm glad that I took an extra week and hope the public...

TLS 0.35.2

EDIT: Current link is 0.35.5. I hope this one is free of bugs.

Link time! Before I give the TLS links (updated, plus for $1 patrons), I'd like to bring something else to everyone's attention.

Steam just launched a new feature: creator pages. It seems to tie into the curator/groups features, so it's not perfect, but I still consider this a significant good thing. The main benefit is that it lets someone follow you as a creator instead of following individual games, which is much more usef...

June 17 Update

I try to work hard every week. Sometimes it doesn't go well, though: things pop up to drain my time, progress doesn't come easily, lots of work is spent on invisible parts of the game, etc.

Last week wasn't one of those weeks. I spent so much time in a state of flow, it felt fantastic. ^-^ Honestly, the biggest struggle was not getting overambitious by reminding myself that not every week can be like that and I shouldn't set more balls in motion than I'll be able to juggle later. But some of t...

TLS 0.35.0 Released!

New version! Many notes on this one...

Link: https://mega.nz/#!3xsX0JaL!R2IZ2UFMEreIFV_Y22MjaaLHCywvQq_IMKUYhvuJd7I 

RTP: https://mega.nz/#!jsk1QYKb!Kh29_7qXc_egi3TDCb24-1uDCjM8Gie-qV3MWthiuqA 

TLS 0.35.0

 - L...

June 10 Update

Looking at the date of last release relative to the size of 0.35.0, I guess I'm not doing so bad. I hope it will be out on Friday and that everyone will enjoy it, but cannot promise either at this stage.

I want to just hide and write, but stuff keeps coming up. For example, I wanted to have a custom faceset edit for the update, but my usual guy has been AWOL for three weeks. Keeping moving overall, though.

In good but tiring news, a big YouTuber has started a play of Crimson Gray:
2018-06-10 21:19:00 +0000 UTC View Post

June 3 Update + Preview

Multiple things going on.

TLS: 0.35.0 should be out in June, hopefully sooner rather than later. Currently finished progress is already a little larger than an average update, but this will be a big one.

Trading Cards: When it comes to game approval, Valve takes a week to get back to you with vague statements. When it comes to trading cards, they reply with long lists of specific changes within hours. It took a couple rounds, but the trading cards for Crimson Gray were finally approved. ...

Crimson Gray 1.5

The timing on this is awkward, but don't have a compelling reason to delay on it: time to talk about the miniature sequel to Crimson Gray! Multiple things to address with this, so if you like this idea, please do provide feedback.

This isn't a full sequel to Crimson Gray, but rather an extension of the game that tries to explore something different while still presenting more of Lizzie and John's life together. Several years after the canon ending of the game, they're in college and dealing wi...

May 27 Update

This week was not great for TLS progress, but at least I moved some other things along. Ouroboros getting up on Steam, for example, which is good to check off the list. Nice to see it getting some kind reviews, too - we're getting close to the 10 review inflection point! You'll also see some other things from me soon, regardless of your pledge level.

But for today, I'll instead talk about a new thing that's a double-edged sword: Crimson Gray has finally opened up the option to have trading car...

Ouroboros on Steam!

Ouroboros is finally out on Steam! Link here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/822830/Ouroboros/

Trailer here (thanks to SEEQYR) if you haven't seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXqJoFt3HQ

This could have happened quite a while ago, but I have been focused on other things. Also, thank Decan...

May 19 Update

Posting the weekly update early to comment on the situation. My thanks to everyone notifying me about it, but please rest assured that I am monitoring developments as best I can.

If you haven't heard about the issue, the brief summary is that Steam is threatening to remove a lot of adult games, including some that they previously approved and allowed for many years. There are many articles updating on the subject if you want to know more - this is probably not the best place to comment on the ...