February 9 Update
Added 2025-02-09 18:00:09 +0000 UTCWell, after a bit of a commotion, the update seems to be stable. Hopefully all other issues will be resolved before Friday and we can finally go public with all these Steam features!
There's a lot to juggle this month. There's a TLS thing I absolutely need to get into a post before too long, but I'll put that at the end of the post while I ramble for a bit.
Rambling About Goals
So many questions and possible paths! TLS work is progressing unusually, with various components not fully dependent on me, unlike usual. We are on track to get to version 1.0.0 in decent time, the only question is whether events like the summer sale (or me taking a vacation) will make the launch timing difficult.
I also still hope to test out Kickstarter, and there have been some fun developments behind the scenes. But when exactly do I try to run the campaign? Again, that isn't dependent entirely on me, because I'm waiting on the programmer and the secondary artist doing the world map. A month-long campaign isn't something you just blunder into, either.
Now that I have a cover, I could launch the ninth book in The Weirkey Chronicles, but exactly when? This is complicated by the fact that I have good news on the Cognosticon front: I have three different publishers interested in audiobook rights. Even the lowest viable offer would be a good one, but should I be trying to rush that, or letting it proceed normally to release a TWC book first? It's possible that a strong launch could strengthen my negotiating position, but a weak one could conceivably weaken it. Do I take the gamble or proceed with the certain path?
When conflicts like these come up, I return to fundamental principles: why am I doing all this stuff? Because it's what I love, and I want to build a career where I can do more of it. Money is important for food or rent, but at this point I mostly want it because it will allow me to do more work I enjoy. I could never have Annikath as a regular artist without everyone's support here, for example, or couldn't have attempted most of my other side projects without profits from previous work.
So what is the right path now? It's hard to say. There are more things I want to do than I could possibly fit into a single lifetime, so while I try not to overreach, whenever I'm waiting on multiple fronts, I'm always tempted to start something new. It's a juggling act where sometimes there are a lot of objects in the air but sometimes I'm sitting waiting for them to come down.
TLS is still consuming a large portion of my time, but that will begin to ebb after the big release, and I want to be prepared with well-developed projects. Both for the sake of everyone supporting me and because that's what I want. There are just a ton of unknown variables right now and it's difficult to sort through all of them.
I've written up some posts about WIP or future projects that I hope will be interesting to people... but I haven't posted any of them yet, because I don't want to post those on weeks where there is a lot going on. We'll see when they actually happen, because they're put off at least another week: please see the TLS question below!
Tertiary NPCs
Anyway, key TLS thing! I've been thinking about various ways to polish the game, and one that I'm considering is NPC edits. If primary characters have full busts and secondary characters have unique faces... TLS is large enough that it also has tertiary characters who use default faces, but are somewhat unique. Do you guys think there's value in giving them a little more individuality?
One example would be the death-obsessed kid in Stineford: he uses the default "little boy" face, but it wouldn't be that difficult to create a minor edit (like hair/eye color). This would be polish for the long-time fans of the game, as while I doubt new players would notice, I hope it would make the world of TLS feel just a little bit richer.
The main downside of this is of course additional work overhead. Mine (hunting down and replacing lots of dialogue boxes) but also Annikath's - she's able to do these edits easily, which you've seen in various improvements and fixes, but I've also put a ton on her plate lately.
What do you guys think, is this worth it? If so, are there any NPCs you would like to nominate? I want to make final decisions on this before I do too much work on the postgame, for obvious efficiency reasons, hence why I'm getting this question out now.
Comments
The line I drew was hiding the characters who had a significant amount of time between their introduction and their joining. Carina, for example: someone might conceivably not expect her to join. But on the other side, Nalili is throwing up hints that she'll join basically from her introduction, so I don't think anyone would really be spoiled by having seen her in the achievements. If there are any you feel fall in that category, I'm open to reconsidering, but that was my logic.
Sierra Lee
2025-02-14 22:00:35 +0000 UTCTo be specific: all of them except Yarra, Aka, Qum, Trin, Altina, Lynine, and Orilise have one reason or another to keep their future harem status a surprise. I'm even on the fence about Trin, but figure character intro to forced inclusion is short enough not to matter.
Upthorn
2025-02-14 20:48:51 +0000 UTCLooking at the achievement list, I feel like some more of the harem member achievements ought to be hidden, or at least not have character names and portraits. Ideally there will be some people playing the full release that haven't already reached chapter 4, after all
Upthorn
2025-02-14 20:22:43 +0000 UTCThe talkative guard in Stineford will absolutely remain generic, haha. Otherwise, good suggestions!
Sierra Lee
2025-02-11 14:36:31 +0000 UTCI agree. Also, I think it'd be funnier if the boy obsessed with death remained generic but his dad got an update.
Victor Gealtach
2025-02-11 12:14:23 +0000 UTCMy main issue with thinking of tertiary NPCs to make unique is that some of the best ones are *supposed* to seem generic (like the philosophizing guard in the Stineford bank). That being said, the weapon shop kid is a good idea and the main other one I can think of is the guy who runs the Delgar forest bounty hunter camp. You meet him early and can talk to him multiple times throughout the game, yet he shares a faceset with multiple more generic NPCs. He seems a prime candidate if any. Differentiating the Feroholm sanctified priestess could also go a long way since she looks identical to the one that can't cast spells in the same buiilding (as well as many others throughout the game). Also is she supposed to be the priestess on the Ardan council? She is definitely present during the Third Arclentian War during Simon's reveal as Dargai, but is she also the priestess on the council before the Ardford Summit? Giving her some unique features could clear up some of that ambiguity. Stark also looks like a generic orc (unless I'm mistaken and he is the only one with that type of hair). If that is fully intentional, then by all means keep it that way, but it doesn't really feel intentional given his full arc. He could use a distinguishing feature. Different issue, but one thing I've noticed for a long time is that the hair color on the dwarven busts don't always match the character chibis (or whatever you call them). Most of the busts use brown hair, even when the characters themselves have some variability between black and brown hair. Not high priority, but it is a bit visible at least to me. Last and definitely least, making the Fuckball succubus unique might play into the gag a bit more because it makes her seem important.
Jeffrey Lebowski
2025-02-11 07:26:14 +0000 UTCI actually think minor edits to the Nameless NPC Hordes is good bang/buck. You definitely notice that a lot of different characters have the same face. It's not a big deal, but it does give the game a "cheap" feel that it really doesn't deserve, and the good writing has to do more water-carrying to dispel it.
Dubsington
2025-02-10 21:49:05 +0000 UTCThanks for the suggestions! Will get back to you on your message this week.
Sierra Lee
2025-02-10 04:15:26 +0000 UTCRe: Tertiary NPCs, I think anything like this is beneficial but I'm not sure it'd be significantly worth the effort. I'm not sure I'll name new characters not already named here, but in general any character you can regularly return to and have some sort of ongoing dialogue with would benefit more than the rest IMO. Basically everyone in the Feroholm church as an example. I think it's less work for you the less dialogue they have, but the more dialogue they have the more beneficial it'd be.
Grim8P
2025-02-10 02:36:43 +0000 UTCFirst, definitely up for more variation and uniqueness in NPCs. Second, I think newer players will notice, even if they won't notice every one. However, in looking into characters to get 'unique' faces I found some that I remember as being more generic when they have their own dedicated face sets. So maybe it's that people can notice variations, especially when in close proximity, but determining if something is 'unique' or 'generic' is a lot harder for people to do, even or especially those familiar with RPG maker. As for the who, I can make a longer list if you like, but I tried to keep it shorter for now. Generally later chapters seem to have more character variety and distinction, so I think this is something that would mostly be for the first couple of chapters. There are some characters that kind of have their own face (like, say, the Elven Elder in Yhilin Slums) but are still pulling from a color swapped selection of the same face. There's also some characters that could theoretically benefit from a switch, but would be significantly more work to update (like the Eustrin Ambassador, or Stark). I tried to include characters that I think would be easy to change over (but could be wrong on that) and would be impactful/memorable enough that it would be worth doing. Chapter 1 Simon's Creepy Neighbor Priestess Who Can't Sense Corruption Ferroholm Bartender Stineford Shop Kid Stineford Prostitutes Stineford Pervy School Guard Stineford Succubus Tower Leader Hank (drunk guy in Yhilin) Iron Cudgel Leader (and maybe all mercenary captains) Chapter 2 Elf Mage in Slums Strevin (Megail's route) Hadi (room attendant in Yarra's route) Succubi in Crimson Bordello (Simon's Route)
Innocuous
2025-02-09 23:57:45 +0000 UTCWhile I would like to give Luanell a bust in the abstract, it's a question of how many duplicates there are and making sure I get them all. =/ I'm willing to put some time into this, but there's a limit somewhere.
Sierra Lee
2025-02-09 22:17:14 +0000 UTCWhile they aren't much relevant per say, Luanell's lookalikes getting alternative faces would pull double duty, as it would allow to enable Luanell's (already configured) bust.
Rachnera
2025-02-09 22:02:41 +0000 UTCI wouldn't MIND seeing Tertiary NPCs getting new looks, but another thing to keep in mind that their location is also kind of their look. Did something major change in Ari-Yhilinia? Better go check up on those codgers arguing outside the bank and see what they think. The fact that they're outside the bank is *part* of their appearance, their character. It'd be *nice* but ultimately I think the return would be less than the effort.
Promenade
2025-02-09 21:46:52 +0000 UTCI see, I see, I do not envy you. ...... Welp, good luck !!! ^^
guillaume nguyen
2025-02-09 21:16:04 +0000 UTCI’m ok with leaving as is if you decide it will take a ton of time. The characters’ personalities stand out enough for me that they’re memorable as is, although I haven’t played a lot of rpg maker games. I also liked laughing at things like the similar sleazy merchant face for several characters including Uolian and the elf caterer. But if you decide the project is worth it, of course go for it. Good luck.
AchtungNight
2025-02-09 20:34:39 +0000 UTCHaha, I'm the last person who would criticize anyone for writing a lot! Even if it wasn't so many kind words, I'm glad people care enough to engage with my work. ^-^ There are a lot of default resources in TLS (it started with zero budget), but I tried to use everything available to me to help it create a richer world. More edits wouldn't be a huge change, but I hope they'd contribute just a little bit more to that. So on that note, thanks for suggesting Janine's staff!
Sierra Lee
2025-02-09 19:58:19 +0000 UTCWhile that makes sense in one way, the main work of switching to unique faces would be replacing the NPC's face on every line of dialogue. Hence one of my goals is to decide this before I create a bunch of new dialogue across the world!
Sierra Lee
2025-02-09 19:53:42 +0000 UTCAppreciate the suggestions! There are tons of minor characters, so it's good to know which ones stand out to players.
Sierra Lee
2025-02-09 19:52:17 +0000 UTCWhat a fun idea!
Annikath
2025-02-09 19:38:11 +0000 UTCI doubt that there is anyone here who would be against this. The thought you put into those "irrelevant" NPCs are maybe the things I enjoy the most. But it really does seem that it would take too much time. I think you should definitely do it, but perhaps not now. Maybe on a 2.0 version for marketing purposes =P
Decarabia
2025-02-09 19:04:11 +0000 UTCLife can be difficult sometimes, especially when we don't know the answer to the questions we ask. Sometimes it does wonder to sit back and relax, maybe with a warm drink as well, and let your mind slow down. Pondering on so many things at once can wear you down surprisingly fast! Anyways, on to the question of the post! TLDR: Unique NPC edits/portraits would be great for important characters to stand out and be easily identifiable! However, I don’t know how much over head that would be, and idk if I would even notice edits of the default portraits. Long part: TLS was my first RPG maker game and I always thought it was all original, until I played other games with the engine that is. What hit me was how much variety TLS had in its default NPC that are littered around areas compared to these other games. The thing is, i cannot tell if these are all manual edits, or other devs are to lazy to use more than 3 portraits! What i mean by this is characters like Simon, harem members, and important NPCs like Hester, are really easy to know that they are important. Especially with the new bust system, as they would have a bust during dialogue. But you can also tell they are in a different art style and have more than the average amount of detail put into them! In contrast, the normal NPC around play areas are way too common and plentiful. Any additional changes to these portraits can probably be mistaken for additional flair for the area and will probably be over looked. A good example I experienced was Lucy, the important NPC in Orcent's side story. It took me a LONG time to realized that she had blue eyes, and i talked to her every chance i got to progress the their story. that made me wonder if i had missed any other changes too the reoccurring side NPCs, i couldn't think of any! If I were to nominate any NPCs however, I'd say Janine's palace staff. We are there often enough and their dialogue gets updated frequently enough during the first 3 chapters that it might be worth! Sorry for the long message, i just love this game and want to provide genuine feedback!
Martin caballero
2025-02-09 19:02:22 +0000 UTCThere are so many possibilities that I'm drawing a blank XDXDXD But in my opinion, this kind of work could be pushed back for after the 1.0 release, since you will spend a lot of time working on the early game on the things you pushed back for later (like editing Stineford library, or revamp Hilstara interaction with the succubus tower). Don't stress yourself out, and do what's easiest for you.
guillaume nguyen
2025-02-09 18:50:46 +0000 UTCI don't know if it's necessary, but I can think of a few that pop out to me if you do. (names not withstanding) Square lady Little girl that wants to play with halflings and then with the little succubus Any of Lynine/Orilise's assistants. The maid "at war" with the orcs and their lack of manners in the palace kitchens/dorms.
Troqu
2025-02-09 18:33:42 +0000 UTCPersonally, I think it's fun if he looks *almost* normal, but there's something slightly off or sinister about him. So instead of looking obviously important, he looks not-quite-right. Maximum efficiency with minimum edit!
Desertopa
2025-02-09 18:32:38 +0000 UTCI agree with what Wyrab said
Jim Billy
2025-02-09 18:22:46 +0000 UTCThe Stineford boy definitely deserves his own portrait! After all, how will he be able to keep promoting the campaign for bloodshed, if he's just your regular kid, unrecognizable from the rest of them? On a more serious note, I do believe that adding some edits to more important NPCs would be highly beneficial in the long run. It'd help them stand out more, and for newer players, I think seeing an unique character potrait would make it easy to deduce that it's not the last time you'll be seeing this particular NPC.
Wyrab
2025-02-09 18:07:27 +0000 UTC
