The release of v0.60, little under a week ago, has gone pretty smooth! Another update out on time. Just as I manage to draw from my experience, I also find myself constantly challenged by new obstacles, but thankfully so far nothing I can't manage.
Looking ahead for this month I've dabbled a bit in what my best option would be and I thought I'd give you all a little insight into my thought process:
There are 2 very large updates that are currently being worked on which are each ve...
2022-09-02 17:04:14 +0000 UTC
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Content
The release of update v0.60 brings around 30k new words of story. On top of that it, it brings about 15 new illustrations.
All the new content is focused around expanding on the soldier-storyline, which picks up shortly after winning the battle for Bagrad. In order to access this new content, simply play the soldier story as per usual and it will pick up where it previously ended.
A small heads up on some changes to the story!
2022-08-27 11:57:00 +0000 UTC
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Not too many exciting things to report, other than the fact that everything is progressing smoothly. I now feel entirely confident in the previously announced release-date for the next update.
Initially I even considered not writing an update for this week, given that the update will be here at the end of the week, but then I remembered I actually have plenty of interesting stuff laying about that's "under-construction", so why not share some of it with you all?
The above art is a...
2022-08-23 21:27:40 +0000 UTC
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So, just about halfway through the month I imagined it would be a good moment to give you an update on the current progress of the v0.60 update.
Right now the writing has been progressing very well, with the first draft more or less completed. In a few days, I'll loop back and do a last round of edits to catch any errors/review my own writing a bit.
Because I've managed to make such good progress on the writing this month, it's actually ended up giving me a lot of time to also tac...
2022-08-15 11:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Giving shape to the world of TSSR isn't just a matter of writing, but it's also about slowly chiseling a vague idea down into a concrete piece of art.
The concept of the grand library for Xan's house (or now Sarah's, I suppose) was not in itself terrible unique. The concept of ancient or magical libraries is a staple of many fantasy series and worlds.
Inspiration for this particular variation on the trope came primarily from one very distinct impressions; the library in "Beauty an...
2022-08-08 19:00:05 +0000 UTC
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With the release of v0.50 now about a week or so behind us, it's time to look forward towards v0.60!
Update v0.60 will be focused on expanding the mercenary/soldier route. It will pick up where the story left, right after the fall of Bagrad, and it will explore what happens in the aftermath and will see the mercenary company set out towards new land.
As always, I'll conti...
2022-08-02 12:00:00 +0000 UTC
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Even a little ahead of schedule, the release of v0.50 is here!
Content
The new content in this update is an expansion on the Mage-story. The story picks up right after Sarah leaves Bagrad, after her decisions to betray her mentor Xan.
This update is part of a special 2-parter called "The Hollow World", which dives deeper into the world in which TSSR takes places. The other half of this 2-parter will feature in the next expansion of ...
2022-07-27 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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In the upcoming patch v0.5, the game will expand on the mage story. Sarah will be exploring the house of her former mentor, Xan.
But not all things are they appear in the home. Even fundamental concepts such as space are not constant. Without a mentor to guide her, Sarah will have to find her own way on her magical journey.
Here we see an inside view of the impossibly large library that somehow manages to exist in the otherwise unremarkable (former) home of Xan.
2022-07-24 10:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Progress on the next update has been coming along well. The script is mostly done, coming out to around 30.000 words, and about 20 new illustrations.
Now it's mostly wrapping up the final art pieces and going over the text one last time to make some final edits.
With where I'm currently at, I feel comfortable that I can predict a release date of the 29th of July. Unless anything really weird happens, I feel very comfortable with that release date.
After I ma...
2022-07-18 08:00:07 +0000 UTC
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A small sketch preview of an upcoming (not this patch) illustration, featuring Sarah and...someone from her past? Who could it be.
2022-07-13 10:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Here is the artwork for the siege on Marion's castle during the revolution storyline, from sketch to final.
So much about this design that I love. The army, flanked by the siege towers. The open plain between them and the castle. The absolutely imposing fortress that is his castle. And lastly the mountains that loom in the background.
The core of the design never really changed all that much from initial conception. Sometimes it's a struggle, and sometimes it comes out just about ...
2022-07-07 10:00:00 +0000 UTC
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The release of v0.40 went quite well. A lot of new people continue to discover the game and the overwhelming positive reception has really been more than I could have hoped for when I first started this project.
So, with v0.40 now a little less than a week behind us, it's time to look forward to the next update v0.50!
Update v0.50 will focus on further expanding the mage story. In particular, the route where Sarah betrays Xan and is left inheriting his house. Sara...
2022-07-01 09:34:28 +0000 UTC
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Beating my predicted deadline by a few days once again!
This month's update is v0.4, introducing the "Old Road" story, which takes Sarah from the city of Lethram to the city of Rahayal. Exciting new branching options/stories will unfold in that new city, but for this update, Sarah will need to manage her way through the dangerous lands between.
A small content warning for some of you, this update contains no mandatory sex-scenes (everything can be side-stepped/avoided), but all th...
2022-06-25 19:23:42 +0000 UTC
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Sometimes there isn't all that much exciting news to report. Progress on the next update is coming along well, giving me a chance to get ahead on some other future updates. As of now, I don't see any serious obstacles preventing me from hitting my stated goal of the 28th for the next update, so I feel increasingly confident about that date.
Until then, I'll just follow Sarah's example in the preview-image above, and write, write, write.
[The preview image is n...
2022-06-15 20:34:15 +0000 UTC
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A quick progress update on v0.4. The work is coming along nicely, it's been a bundle to write, coming out to about 30k worth of new text and a whole bunch of new illustrations.
A few side branches sprout off from this new route which I think will be a lot of fun to write in the future, but I think it will be a while before I'll be able to get to them properly. Having said that I feel optimistic about how the main chunk of story in this new update is turning out so far.
Once I wrap...
2022-06-08 20:28:52 +0000 UTC
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Here is the development from sketch to finished product for the very first Sarah x Carolyn scene cg.
One of my personal favorites from the last update. One of those pieces that I think really sets the bar for the level of quality that I hope all the pieces can reach up to.
Developing the scene itself was a real challenge, but perhaps that's better left for a future post. Sometimes it's good to just be content.
2022-06-03 08:59:26 +0000 UTC
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With the release of v0.3 about a week behind us, it's time to start looking forward to v0.4. I shortly remarked before that v0.4 will introduce the last of the major storylines. The only major storyline that has so far not made much of an appearance in the game.
Rahayal, the capital of the Mythran empire, forms the center of the most powerful country in the world of TSSR.
Dominating the skyline of city is an enormous and unnatural black pyramid, seat of power for the Eternal Court, t...
2022-05-28 08:44:40 +0000 UTC
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Good things come to those who wait.
And sometimes, you don't even have to wait as long as you think! Releasing about a week earlier than I had initially expected, this is the release of v0.30.
Work on the update ended up going a lot faster than I had first expected, and it's actually easier for me to release it now than next week, given that next week is very busy for me with my personal schedule.
So! What does v0.3 offer?
Version 0.3 contains an expan...
2022-05-22 20:20:23 +0000 UTC
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Just a brief update report on the upcoming v0.3. Work continues go come along quite well. Only a small bit of story remains to be written, but it's all plotted out. Just a matter of bringing myself to put words to the page.
The good news is that I only feel myself more confident about being able to hit the target date for the 28th of May for the next update.
I feel like with each release-cycle, I'm getting a better grip on my own ability to put the work out, and I feel like I can ...
2022-05-13 20:48:39 +0000 UTC
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Here is an illustration from the most recent update, the v0.2 expansion on the warrior storyline; Sarah (and her soldiers) meeting Xan.
It's a good example of how differing storylines in the game will sometimes cross-over in similar moments, only to have those moments play out differently. Of course, whereas in the mage-narrative it is Sarah who confronts the soldiers in the palace, here it is Xan who confronts them.
It's also a great showcase for Xan's new design, which was one...
2022-05-07 09:19:12 +0000 UTC
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Work on v0.3 is coming along quite well. The script itself is nearly ready, an advantage from the fact that I had been able to get some work done ahead of completing v0.2. Most of the challenges for now are managing to get all the code to work properly.
v0.3 faces new challenges because it doesn't just expand a single route, such as with Mage and Warrior, but expands different ways through the same route. This means having to pay very close attention to make sure I don't end up crossing...
2022-05-02 19:31:03 +0000 UTC
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A small sneak preview of some content planned for a future update (not for v0.3).
This illustration features Sarah on the slave-path, where she has failed to protect her country from the tribesmen and has been brought to the city of Al'Gahaem. Entering the great hall, Sarah is brought before the Khan.
Included also is a tiny screenshot from the very same image that is easy to overlook, showing the incredible level of detail that was incorporated into this piece.
The aestheti...
2022-04-28 16:18:22 +0000 UTC
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One of the most expansive scenes in terms of artwork from the recent update was Sarah fighting the beast in the throne room.
From the moment I wrote that scene I knew that it would be one of the more important scenes and that the art would have to match. Most scenes in TSSR consist of a single illustration, it's an effective use of resources that allows more scenes to have artwork, but for certain pivotal scenes it can sometimes feel static.
In producing this scene, it gave me a c...
2022-04-24 06:44:25 +0000 UTC
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With the release of v0.2 still fresh, less than a week ago, I can already say that measuring by what few analytics-tools I have available, this update has managed to generate the most engagement so far, suggesting that an increasingly large number of players are managing to find the game. Feedback has also been mostly positive, which is really the most important metric for me. At the end of the day, TSSR is a game that's only really viable as a project of passion, and seeing people connect po...
2022-04-19 12:57:36 +0000 UTC
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Well, here it is, just in time, if not just a little bit early, update v0.20.
As I've mentioned, patch v0.20 focusses on expanding the "Warrior" storyline, introducing the first chapter/arc that takes place after Sarah completes her exam and joins the mercenary company.
When I first released v0.15, I mentioned that I chose to title it as half-an-update because I believed that it was closely interwoven with the story that v0.20 will now complete. Together, these two stories form a ...
2022-04-15 20:05:34 +0000 UTC
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Progress continues to go well, baring any meteors, nothing is likely to get in the way of the upcoming release date on the 16th.
Here is a small preview image to tide you over until you actually get your hands on it this upcoming weekend.
2022-04-12 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Another small preview image of the upcoming update. The next update will focus on expanding the warrior-narrative, and in it, Sarah's going to see plenty of action (the violent kind and the other kind).
Creating the warrior-route has presented many interesting challenges, because it is increasingly down-stream from previously player-made choices, such as for example deciding who you want to be trained by (Kate/Ephraim & Caleb/Atilla).
Part of TSSR is a focus on large-branchi...
2022-04-07 18:00:04 +0000 UTC
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I thought it might be fun to do an initial poll about how some of you most early fans of the game feel about all the characters currently featured in the game. For the time being, I won't exclusively limit it to characters that are potential romance/sex options, and I'll go alphabetically.
Feel free to of course also comment, should you feel that a single vote can't capture your view.
2022-04-04 22:16:07 +0000 UTC
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As I mentioned in my last post, the work has advanced quite well and I now feel comfortable pinning down a concrete date for the next release. The current release date for v0.2 will be:
April 16th!
Patch v0.2 expands on the soldier/mercenary route, offering another compilation of CG's and about 35k wordcount.
I hope you're as excited for the release as I am!
Meanwhile, I continue working on both getting the new version ready for release, as well as...
2022-04-02 15:34:08 +0000 UTC
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The work is advancing well, in fact I feel comfortable that by next week I'll be able to pin-down a not-so-distant release date for version 0.2!
Until then, much like Sarah in this preview-image for the next update, we'll just have to grin-and-bear-it.
2022-03-30 19:00:05 +0000 UTC
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