May 7 Update
Added 2023-05-07 17:01:47 +0000 UTCFirst, some fanart that Annikath posted! I don't believe I've shown this one before. Her Patreon and Twitter have a lot of "alternate universe" scenarios featuring TLS characters that you might enjoy.
TLS 0.67.0 will feature the conclusion of the succession crisis. This isn't a general intention or an aspiration: the content is finished and tested.
I'll admit I struggled to complete this because people have expressed so much hype for it. This isn't a world-shaking event of mind-melting complexity or anything. What I can say for it is that it's the conclusion of the Ardford line of events and that it wraps up all the loose ends from the previous succession section. You can finally place Tyna in a strong position on the throne (or you'd better).
These updates are rough on me, because there's a lot of what you might consider "choice debt": every previous choice players made needs to show up and feel like it has a real impact. Characters appear in different places and sometimes say very different things. Don't get me started on consequences relating to Trin copies. And yet the result will be an update where some will say "Five minutes of content, lame."
As you can see, I get into my own head on updates like this. I tried my best to make the update work for the game overall. I put a lot of work into human-readable labels: having "15 Stability" doesn't mean anything without a guide, but I've added qualitative comments on how stable that actually is and I think (hope) that players who navigate by these will mostly get the results they want. The variables this time are really entangled on the back end, but I think the logic of them works out.
While working I had to take a step back and concentrate on my fundamental goals. I could have made the update ten times as complicated, or take many times longer via busywork. But I decided that making TLS the best it can be requires not complexity, but consequences and payoff that feel naturalistic, thus furthering the sense that the player's actions matter. I hope everyone will find the update satisfying.
This is not an announcement of or excuse for delays. If I keep my nose to the grindstone, I hope the update will come out next weekend.
Comments
I think that is precisely what she is doing, in large part as a point of pride. But a clever twist isn't going to do much to increase her revenue from Patreon, whereas it might make or break a new novel. For that reason I'm particularly impressed that she lets TLS have "the good stuff"; it is great artistic integrity, but might actually be counterproductive financially. SL is taking good care of us.
Dubsington
2023-05-09 19:16:39 +0000 UTCIsn't TLS basically SL's masterpiece? In the sense that it would be weird if she did not put all the good stuff in it.
Silver
2023-05-09 17:01:07 +0000 UTCMaybe in a less puritan future, the world can find this game, sit down and be proud alongside you. It's a story that deserves every one of the good things that are constantly said about it.
DankPotatoes
2023-05-08 20:18:46 +0000 UTCI will take 5 minutes of every-choice-you-made-matters over 20 hours of pew-pew-pew-endcredits any month
Nathan Phoenix
2023-05-08 04:56:47 +0000 UTCI think any writer could be proud of a story told this well.
Dubsington
2023-05-08 01:52:38 +0000 UTCIt may not have the same reach due to NSFW content, but TLS will be a story I'm proud of in the end.
Sierra Lee
2023-05-08 01:45:42 +0000 UTCThere is an accurate statement in your comment. =P
Sierra Lee
2023-05-08 01:44:21 +0000 UTCRandom thought i had recently (very spoilery comment ahead): The notion of a high clergyperson discovering their actual living God was a disappointment, then imprisoning them in order to fake the divinity in a more dogmatically satisfying way is incredibly interesting. You could have used it as a core twist in a novel, but instead you used it in TLS. I love the fact that despite all the creative outlets you have for your ideas, you allocate such primo stuff to TLS. It's greatly appreciated.
Dubsington
2023-05-08 01:29:18 +0000 UTCSeconded. And not just the big results-- your attention to detail is huge. Going back to some obscure building in a town you have no reason to be visiting and seeing that the the assistant guy in the corner says something appropriate about recent events and choices makes me so happy.
Dubsington
2023-05-08 01:26:06 +0000 UTCFor fun, this is the completely unasked for speculation for the remaining quests. You might think these are completely made up, but I have confirmation that all of these are 100% factual truth. My older brother told me, and he works at Nintendo. Varia: She takes the bounty in Aram to defeat the legendary sand wurm, which she tames and uses to prank Annah. Hilarity ensues. Riala: She joins competitive Fuckball league and becomes the greatest player in history. They make a statue of her. Robin: She fights the magekillers for a fourth and final time, after which she discovers they're all her former roommates. Including Sho. If you're thinking 'wait, didn't Sho fight against the magekillers' or 'isn't it possible for Rachilia to be dead before the third encounter'...well...umm...you see... Megail: She and Simon have sex on a pile of money. That's it, that's the whole event. Dari: Detective Dari takes on the greatest case of her career: Simon's infidelity. Who is he secretly sleeping with? What she discovers will shock you to your core. Orilise: Through complex political negotiations, she (and Lynine, I guess) merge the elven nations together into one unified nation, Ghel-ghel-dar-dar-on. Lynine: Everyone gets tired of Lynine's succubus-wanna-be posturing, even the succubi, and they collectively decide to throw her in horny jail. Luckily, everyone else in jail is horny too. Sarai: Gawnfall council 2.0, except this time Ivala is there and things take a turn for the sexy. Xestris: I know she's not on the list, but Xestris, Uyae, Balia, Fuani, and Kia all get lunch together in Ardford. They argue about who has the fluffiest ears. Nalili: She decapitates Esthera in a bloody coup to claim the throne for the Orgasmic Empire, then declarers war on Simon. Another massive war event ensues. After Nalili wins, she laughs manically on her throne of corpses as she claims absolute dominion over the world. Turns out 'The Last Sovereign' was Nalili all along. If this feels like it comes out of nowhere, yes. It's from the 'twists are only good if there's no setup and no one in the audience can see it coming' school of writing. Orcent: After drinking at every bar on the planet, he gets so drunk that he forgets gravity exists, falls upwards to the heavens and becomes orc-god. Vhala: She marries Antarion. Everyone is very confused, especially Vhala and Antarion. For some reason, this unlocks the mine-cart racing mini-game and the final unlockable section of books. Grynyth: The other goddesses confront her and force her to 'clean up her mess.' They give her a broom. Brooms are very funny. Tyna: She rejects all suitors and hooks up with Sabitha's identical twin sister, Dabitha. Renthor Wilds: Late-game grinding area to let players get to max level? Or portal to another dimension that Qum accidently stumbles into? Why not both? Last optional dungeon and final harem member: You might think that Ulrissa is the only one that makes any sense at this point in the story, but you'd be wrong. Instead it's a time-travelling young Hester, who's working with a pre-jaded Tertia and they're trying to save the world through time heists. Because of course the optional last dungeon is the perfect place to introduce time travel as the solution to all the problems in the story. Ending: Kai returns as the hero after all, having survived his 'death', completed all quests and side quests, and ready to fight the final boss. Can Kai stop the dastardly Simon and his evil plans of evil once and for all? Only you, the player, can decide. (This is all done is good humor. Looking forward to new updates whenever they come and whatever they might be.)
Innocuous
2023-05-08 01:25:47 +0000 UTCFWIW, I'm still grateful that Lilith as an Erotic Proteus entailed no seal-fucking. Those creepy pinnipedophiles creep me out.
DukeLeto7
2023-05-07 22:45:46 +0000 UTC...We need more Trin orgies. That power of hers is just too damn useful NOT to abuse. Well, outside of her kill and replace chapter. That honestly made having her so damn worth it! That and I admit I'm a big Trin fan.
Long Tran
2023-05-07 21:24:58 +0000 UTCI gotta say it's your dedication to handling all the choices in a way where they actually matter that made me fall in love with this game, so please go at a pace you feel comfortable with and take the time you need. It'll definitely be worth the wait.
Khinzaw
2023-05-07 20:27:48 +0000 UTCSooooooo..... What about those Trin copies? Arent there any major "world-shaking event(s) of mind-melting complexity" to her making a copy of whatchamacallit? Laaaaame! P.S. Sorry, couldnt help it :D
Dark Art
2023-05-07 18:29:09 +0000 UTCTry not to get too wrapped up in your own head, there will always be a few people that don't get everything they want, but there's a solid and firm base of your fans that enjoy your game for it's uniqueness alone already. Or at least it seems that way to me, because I'm one of those fans! You do you, don't doubt yourself!
DragonWarrior45
2023-05-07 17:54:52 +0000 UTCgetting a good pay off is good, we get how you like to do things, and all the choices we made so far always get us the results, there is a reason why the sumits and politiking are one of the best parts of the game
Leveler All
2023-05-07 17:07:42 +0000 UTC
