TLS 0.79.0 Release

UPDATE

New build, cleaning up reported issues while also fixing the Stineford crash.

TLS 0.79.1

• Sprite and face cleanup.

Link: https://mega.nz/file/qokWXQgI#keW7WRaS3Xxo4ZvPWAsXFX5f9-v4rYzDgO7QHMTH55k

ORIGINAL POST

Fancy new update, everyone! And the emphasis is on "fancy" this time, as this is a critical update in terms of preparing TLS visually for its eventual 1.0.0 release.

Link: https://mega.nz/file/W90zRYQL#YWA06yWkXnNZRe7uZR_yeHZ01YnhOcnzMfHg3mfg2ig

RTP: https://mega.nz/file/b4EhxbyD#VLb_Prc8C7gYT9BFvrfDRnYc2Vdzz2TdZKFHxHud0Qg

TLS 0.79.0:

- The heart of the update is a major new feature: combat busts. The characters will now show up in battle via a huge amount of new art (500+ images!) from Annikath.

- Additional dialogue busts: Commander Geoff, Lady Entila.

- Tertiary NPCs in Feroholm: head priestess, initial bartender, Simon's neighbor, incompetent priestess

- Tertiary NPCs in Stineford: weapon shop kid, pervert guard, mold succubus

- Tertiary NPCs in Yhilin: Janine's staff (x5), head of the Order of Thaumaturgy, elven mage in slums, Square Girl, misc soldiers

- Lynine and Orilise now have unique assistants.

- Other tertiary NPCs: Strevin (Megail's dwarven contact), Hadi (maid at the first Gathering), Simon's friend in Delgar Forest, Fball succubus

- Areas with increased NPC diversity: Stineford succubi, Eustrin dwarves

- Sister Kara has a fixed/improved sprite.

- Added content to the Eustrin conference event so that it's impossible to get stuck, even with a worst possible save.

- More bugfixing and polishing than you'd expect at this stage.

This update has two major new pieces, most obviously the visual additions to combat. While this was a major investment, I figured that the player spends a lot more time in combat than viewing any specific scene, so I hope it is worth it. The combat busts should always appear behind relevant combat information like damage numbers, so they should be visual flare without obscuring any info.

Thanks to Annikath for all the art, of course, but extra special thanks to Rachnera! Without his coding on the original battle busts system, TLS would never have gotten this major new feature.

The other aspect, less flashy but a lot more time-consuming for me, is a pixel upgrade: many minor characters who used to have generic appearances now have custom faces and sprites. I also updated a few areas that had limited numbers of NPC types, so they're now more varied. This required changing hundreds of sprites and text boxes (>_<) but I hope it makes the world of TLS a little more colorful and filled out.

I don't know what else to say about this. If you're doing any playing of TLS, please use this version to look around for things that might be off - I'm particularly worried that some of these NPCs will have been left unchanged in a specific appearance or event, which might make TLS look inconsistent. But otherwise, please enjoy!

Unrelated but exciting: the Don't Save the Princess Kickstarter is getting extremely close to the point where we unlock full animations from Annikath! This was one of the big tests I wasn't sure we would pass, but it looks like we'll make it. We just need a few people to get us over the threshold and then hopefully we're in position to set up for the final campaign.

EDIT: We did it! Annikath has a nice post written up, but I will let her post it, and she is asleep now. Meanwhile, please feel free to celebrate in the comments on KS. ^-^