September 5 Update
Added 2021-09-05 22:19:03 +0000 UTCNew art post for $10 patrons! I'm glad to have this set done for the next release; we're getting closer to the conclusion of both the war and the illustrated Part 2. Anyway, today I have a reflection for you.
My focus in any given update is on final quality. That doesn't mean quality over everything, but it's my principle to prioritize the final product over other advantages. For example, one section might seem weird on its own, so long as I feel it will play best when TLS is complete. Or the split routes were unpopular with some at the time, but I think they added to the game overall.
This is easy enough to manage in some cases, but grows more complicated when it comes to scope creep. Say that Nalili and Orcent are going to a conference to negotiate dildo tariffs. The simplest way to handle it would be to do some calculations in the background, then have them report on how good the result was: some math and balancing on my end, but literally just a few lines of dialogue in the game.
Except maybe I start coming up with good dialogue for Orcent and Nalili. It wouldn't have to be one calculation, it could be a section where they walk around and manipulate a new variable. All the switches that would have been in the calculation become events and maybe decisions. I invent new characters, like a poor old succubus granny who just can't afford her buttplugs anymore. Suddenly a small section turns into a lot of work.
Now, players of TLS have a pretty significant appetite for more complexity, so I doubt anyone would riot, but that might not be for the best. Maybe the tariff negotiations would be more satisfying to play, but maybe they're really not that important and would be better served with a simple calculation. This can reduce the size of an update, but again, my goal is for the whole game to feel properly paced in the end.
Then consider the opposite case, which is what concerns me more when an update is moving slowly. Say there's a complex section I'm not excited about: it would be really easy to just abstract it into a few calculations and save myself a lot of work.
This is the sort of thing I try to consider carefully, even if it ends up slowing me down. If a section deserves to be longer, I don't ever want to rush over it. But this leads me to a second consideration: am I not excited about a section because I'm just tired and need to push through with discipline, or do I need to change my plans because they're actually not interesting enough? That's not something that can be objectively measured.
Given all the pieces that are finished, I will most likely end these decisions and shift to the next phase during this week. This will be the real test, since I'm trying to maintain momentum through a book release. I hope after that I will be able to report significant progress and bearing down on the remaining project scope, but we'll see.
Anyway, this has all been a trick to ease you into the truth: all that war nonsense was a red herring and the next TLS update will be entirely about dildo tariffs.
Comments
Regarding Neranda... sure, I guess it makes sense to give her a couple points there. The other two weren't particularly meant to disappear, but they're also not pivotal characters. I'll think about putting them somewhere new for flavor after the next update.
Sierra Lee
2021-09-12 16:52:51 +0000 UTCHey SL, doing a replay and have two minor ideas for whenever you have time! Neither one are really bugs though, so feel free to disregard if you disagree! The first is a small personal nitpick, and that's Neranda not gaining any RP upon Simon fucking/freeing her "husband's" harem. Second is for Luanell & Farnan if you choose to ship them! They briefly appear outside Ramasta, but vanish after Eustrin gains freedom. (Assuming they have not moved somewhere new that I missed) Perhaps they can go to Eustrin to try to restart a new more positive relationship with Neranda. Or go to the Armite fort to finally cut poor dutiful Palina some slack!
WaxerRed
2021-09-12 11:24:35 +0000 UTCI think im in agreement with most people here when I say that we Like the complexity, and that it's a part of what makes TLS so special. I'm also a huge sucker for tiny details and side conversations that flesh out the world.
Leon Redway
2021-09-07 23:56:34 +0000 UTCI think most of us will agree that complexity is good, and that pacing isn't something to worry about that much. As a player, one's instincts generally are to be suspicious of pacing: We want to prepare as much as possible before initiating plot-moving events. The only major concern is tone: Overly silly add-ons MIGHT detract from the overall feel of a given section of the story.
2021-09-07 22:46:56 +0000 UTCMy two cents, pile on the complex side stuff. Your world building for TLS is the best part of the game. "Fancy walk" orc is one of my favorite memories from early game. The way little things build into bigger things in this game is the reason I care more about dildo tax than I do entire playthroughs of Civilization 6.
Nathan Phoenix
2021-09-07 03:58:57 +0000 UTCI bet we're going to have a huge amount of church trolling soon. After exposing the person holding Ivala captive. And the Pron system is most enjoyable.
JJS
2021-09-06 20:04:02 +0000 UTCNot gona lie, one of the most fun aspects of the games for me is the ProN system along with the summit events of the church, its something i have't got so involve before in games, and it helps you see how you can help shape or reckt a whole society, or just you know, troll the church-
Leveler All
2021-09-06 18:39:54 +0000 UTCHey, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Orgasmic Empire is practicing aggressive tariffs on imported goods to favor their local production. That would explain why they've got so many smugglers. Nor that the problem has only worsen now other countries, Yhilin and the Chalice States first, have likely considerably increased their own sex toys production. And thus that some bellicose people within the Doom King's territories are petitioning for a "show of force" that would constraint the Empire to change its policy. That's not how I imagined TLS' (very approximative) equivalent to the Opium Wars would start but...
Rachnera
2021-09-06 18:27:31 +0000 UTCCan we set up a charity for elderly succubi who can't afford sex toys anymore? truly a heartbreaking issue
PotatoFarmer
2021-09-06 14:58:18 +0000 UTCI don't think the mere fact that the party split up is the source of discontent there, or at least I haven't heard about it if so. Rather I think Chapter 2 is where the game started to have more complexity, more info hidden from the player, more missable stuff, and it may not always have been implemented in a way those players found satisfying.
Decanter
2021-09-06 14:42:00 +0000 UTCWhat if the real Ivala were the dildo tarriffs we established along the way?
DankPotatoes
2021-09-06 07:22:37 +0000 UTCOnce Ivala's in the fold and Simon's saved they can make a fortune selling Ivala blessed dildos to the Church!
Taium
2021-09-06 03:54:09 +0000 UTCYour final paragraph made me burst out laughing. If it ended up being true I don't even think I could be mad. This was an interesting post! I don't really know how you best arrive at a conclusion but I don't have a section of TLS that I dislike so you're doing well in my opinion. I will say that I particularly appreciate the focus on final quality. It's something I usually attempt to do with my own work though so I may be biased. It is interesting that I've heard a few times now that the route splitting in chapter 2 was met with some amount of backlash. When I discuss TLS with my friends, I credit that section taking TLS from "just" a great game to something elevated to top tier. I'm sure you know this but you really just won't be able to please everyone. In other news my wife caught up with the Incubus War a while ago and we've been having TLS discussions / theorizing together on and off since. You have us both looking forward to the next update! We shall continue to wait patiently. :)
Grim8P
2021-09-06 02:23:47 +0000 UTCButt, butt, we have to help all the succubus grannys that can't afford their buttplugs anymore!
Darthjake
2021-09-06 01:31:58 +0000 UTCHmm that's an interesting and thoughtful process consideration you bring up there. And I feel it just tangentially dovetails with something I've often thought about the game in regards to visible vs. underlying complexity. There are many sections of the game that are highly complex, but many calculations, values, and consequences are completely or are nearly invisible to the player unless they have 20 pages of the wiki open (which I do whenever I play lol) or are a dataminer. On the one hand, I aesthetically appreciate the realism in the game that you approach most situations with very limited situational awareness. But on the other hand, I as a player am never going to actually play the game blind like that. One exception that I think proves the rule here is actually the Council of Gawnfall, where we can see out influence scores with each priestess, but we don't know exactly how our actions will affect this value or what the thresholds are for those values to be useful. And each priestess had their own scale, so comparing scores between them was difficult. 4 was an extremely high score for bertricia but would be very low for Annah or Kerannii. I'm very appreciative of the active wiki community but do wonder how complexity visibility should be considered in the process of making sections. Just some idle thoughts though, so ignore me EDIT: Going back to what your post was actually about and my personal preferences on the matter, I do get giddy at the complex political sections, or if not actually that complex, at least they have a lot of little details (which I guess ad complexity on their own merit even if they don't always have a direct impact on the calculations for the section) that make it really fun to thoroughly investigate the full situation. I also really value the full-picture view you take to development, I've seen too many projects feel weirdly episodic or like a collection of very small scale independent events because they treat each update as an isolated piece. And when you place decisions in your updates that won't have known consequences until a future update it just lets me excitedly speculate on possible directions
Jeffrey Lebowski
2021-09-06 00:53:46 +0000 UTCIf anyone could make a compelling story out of negotiations over trade tarrifs, it's you. *cue Iris having a mind-bending orgasm over the bureaucratic implementation details*
SantaTheHutt
2021-09-06 00:14:37 +0000 UTCSide projects are on the $10 tier, but you might want to save your money for a bit. The last build was complete, but it had placeholders and the upcoming version will be further polished. I need to take some time for it and will announce when it happens. Glad you enjoyed the start, anyway!
Sierra Lee
2021-09-05 23:12:10 +0000 UTCThe Anak's true plan is to alter reality to shift marginal tax rates.
Sierra Lee
2021-09-05 23:10:35 +0000 UTCThe book was edited and written a long time ago, it's just being published now. That requires me to make some promotional posts; overall not a huge amount of work, just something that can potentially distract depending on how it goes.
Sierra Lee
2021-09-05 23:09:17 +0000 UTCRoughly: all sections having at least a skeleton of events done. I'll discuss it more when I get there.
Sierra Lee
2021-09-05 23:07:15 +0000 UTCNot sure where to ask this, so am asking it here: Which tier of patreon is needed for access to Once Ever After releases? I've gone through the demo in Newgrounds, and I want more :-)
Aris Katsaris
2021-09-05 22:56:10 +0000 UTCIf I may... You are not on a schedule other than the one you set for yourself and your budget isnt affected (I hope) by you meeting a deliverable at exact date. IMHO, scope creep is not a bad thing for you, as long as its reasonable and I'd imagine some of what now is a core element of the game was just that. So let it creep, whats the harm?
Dark Art
2021-09-05 22:51:08 +0000 UTCAnd I'm all for that.
JJS
2021-09-05 22:45:17 +0000 UTCMore game = More good. Do what you want creatively, the audience will appreciate the effort.
Runcible Technician
2021-09-05 22:43:04 +0000 UTCThat last paragraph, hahaha... unless?
Xagnam
2021-09-05 22:42:29 +0000 UTCYou're trying to maintain momentum through a book release? Meaning you're editing and writing the book right now? Where do you find the time for all of this? I would think it would be less stressful for you to not work on both of these things right now and focus on the bigger task alone. Or is this necessary for you to maintain momentum? If you are capable of maintaining momentum with the same high quality work you have always done. Working on TLS and a book. My respect for you will only increase Sierra.
JJS
2021-09-05 22:36:07 +0000 UTCInteresting for you to mention that old succubus granny as a comparison for how a section that is supposed to be simple can get away from you with you with the right switches. Because there were lots of switches with your last update. Which makes it so impressive how well your updates turn out. How well TLS has turned out.
JJS
2021-09-05 22:29:59 +0000 UTC"Given all the pieces that are finished I will most likely end these decisions and shift to the next phase during this week" What is the next phase?
JJS
2021-09-05 22:25:05 +0000 UTC
