August 20 Update

Misc info before the main update:

• We have finally concluded a massive run of fan-created memes, fanart, and other fun stuff! I'm capping things off with another comic from me. ^-^This took place just after the conclusion of the Third Arclentian War.
• People were more positive than I expected about the previous discussion of crowdfunding. That said, it doesn't make sense for me to do anything with this right now. I'll continue poking DStP along in the background and perhaps at some future point there will be more of lull between TLS updates where something else would fit logically.
• Last week I put out another art post for $10 backers. This time it's all of Lilith's scenes, which was a fun break of insane art.
• One of my book series has been selected for a group sale, so you can check out that right now. The blog mentions delays, but those are all over as of this post.

Alright, time to talk TLS 0.69.0 again. There are three major pieces to this update, which necessarily need to go together (mostly) and provide a nice balance of content types (conveniently). It should have been done already, I've blocked off major time for it not working on anything else, but I've been struggling.

One harem quest is completely done, but it's the one I can't really talk about. You'll have to trust me when I say that it's something completely different from anything else that has existed within TLS to this point and I think it will be funnier discovered in context. This one is mechanically complex, both behind the scenes and in-game, but it's self-contained enough I don't think it will give optimizers any headaches.

We also have a major chunk of traditional TLS: some plot, some dungeon, etc. I have completely written the core plotline of this, including one of the last big ethical decisions,* but it still needs minor details like maps, events, enemies...

*Everybody chimes in and I spent so much time writing alternative dialogue and setting up variable affection values. Yet players are going to blow through the entire thing in like a minute. The life of a dev. T-T

That leaves the quest that actually goes first in the update, in terms of playing order. This is the one I've struggled with most, which is why I've done so much on the others. Whole lots of variables being checked, which should be fun for the most obsessive, but hopefully also feel like a political capstone for more casual players. That was the design intent, anyway.

So that's the situation. I hope it will all start coming together soon.