The Caliross Curse Strikes Again!

Last week I ended up having to investigate (and sometimes, confirm and fix) a few bugs in Caliross, which means we are getting another update for bugfixes (likely next week). It will never stop to surprise me how many little things can go wrong, and I feel like I should improve the documentation I provide to my testers in the future. It's time consuming, but I guess I can try to write my walkthrough for TOTDC 2 as I go along, and direct them there so that I can kill two birds with one stone. Well, even then I can't really expect testers to catch all possible minor interactions, therefore some things are bound to be left untested no matter what. Maybe I should make simpler games. XD

On the TOTDC 2 side, I also made progress on another mini-game for it. It's basically finished now, although the UI is still placeholders, and it's a simplified version of a mechanic in the Blade Runner game (some of you might be familiar with it). Basically, it's kind of a pixel hunt, but instead of individual pixels, the images are split into a grid, so you have to click on the "right" squares to gather information with an in-game "image-analysis" tool. I plan to use it here and there, like a way to investigate some crime scenes and stuff like that, for some of the quests with a "mystery" angle. I can't make it as cool as in Blade Runner (since I don't use 3D renders for the whole zooming and panning the view when you find something), but it should be a nice idea overall.

Next week I should update the Caliross walkthrough while I am at it, probably before I release the update, but otherwise I should focus on TOTDC 2. More posts about it and for my post-mortem on Caliross (on Patreon) are also coming, so you know what to expect in the near future. Stay tuned for more news! ^_^

 

Hotfix: Magically Manifesting Maps

 ​Bugfix to one of the map getting accidentally deleted (don't ask me how). Get the public version here or at itch.io. Read the changelog here.

Caliross, June update

Just a tiny update which adds CGs to a scene that I forgot and some quality of life changes for the public version. Get the public version here or at itch.io. Read the changelog here. It's still a 1.0.x update, so it doesn't break the rules!

Compressed

Last week I have done some more work on TOTDC 2. I wrote a short bad end for one of the fights that still needed it (art pending) and I have been improving the UI some more, trying to make certain buttons smaller and using tiptools where they make sense, harmonizing the look of menus where it makes sense, and so on.

I also fixed a few typos in Caliross, and I started working on the last few things to add to Caliross (I am starting from the trophies for the trophy room). I think I'll try to add some collectible of sorts for the final quests of the guilds and then I'll rework the trophy room a little to fit this as the final number of trophies. I am considering possible trophies for exploration-related stuff (maybe for finding the abyssal and the dweller? I'll have to look at the map and see if those are the most secretive/most appropriate spots).

Finally, the short story on Patreon got some love as well, so the update for it should be ready soon.

I feel like I did something else, but now it's slipping my mind. XD

Anyway, more posts should come out this week, and next week we should get an update for Caliross, that's the short term plan. See you guys soon! ^_^

House Cleaning

This week, I have been doing more exciting work for TOTDC 2, like fixing/improving the UI! XD It's kind of boring, but I am trying to go through all the placeholders (things like guns/shotgun/grenades icons) fix some of the quirky stuff related to how Ren'Py's logic handles screens (like clickable text in certain menus being lit as if selected, even though no such thing was happening), trying to make the UI more uniform where possible, adding more information (like showing HP and shields values in the inventory so that it's easier to decide when to use a medkit and so on).

I also did some work on Caliross, mostly based on reports: I fixed some typos, made it so you can hide/unhide the dialog box not just with CTRL but with S as well (useful because you can't rebind CTRL, and you don't have an equivalent on gamepads), added more details to one of the questlog objective (for the Dragoon quest) and so on.

I still have a bunch of posts to write for the patrons, so those are still coming, but other than that there isn't anything major to report. Thanks for your support and your patience, until next time! ^_^

April Update

 

It's been a LOOONG time but the 1.0 release is here! No jokes are necessary, people will think it's a late april's fool anyway. Get the public version here or at itch.io. Read the changelog here, and confirm once again that there is actually a 1.0 release mentioned in there.

 P.S.

Apparently, I forgot to publish this post, so apologies for the abysmal delay. 

Small Bites

 

So, the new trickle of Caliross content is coming soon! I worked on a final, repeatable scene for our favourite circus lady, and I have added a few things to the currently empty noble area. It's not a huge amount, but I got sidetracked a few times last week and I don't want to delay things much, as this isn't exactly urgent content.

I guess I'll also start writing a post for my post-mortem of Caliross and some more talks about TOTDC 2, so you guys have something to chew on.

Anyway, not much else to report, I don't think, so I'll be signing off now. Look forward to the mini-update! ^_^