Soon

I've been working pretty hard on getting everything assembled for tomorrow's release. At this point, I'm feeling good enough to say that the most important things I wanted to add are in. The biggest thing I've been working on the past few weeks is getting everything ready for a browser release. Going forward, none of the releases will have to be downloaded, and you can always play the latest version by clicking on the Play tab at the top of this blog (will be added when released). The way everything is set up, this means that I'll be able to fix things faster, and apply content much easier, and anyone playing will only have to tap F5 in order to receive the latest update.

With everything else that is ready for this update, I highly recommend starting a new game, as old saved games may have unintended interactions with the timeline system.

Timelines are available, although only one will be complete for tomorrow. It's the standard game, or "easy mode" as I'll probably end up calling it. With that, the game now progresses through stages, where the game becomes more difficult every so often. Instead of passing through the early towns to build up distance between you and the hunters, it'll be more attractive to try to squeeze every bit of juice out of a settlement before you move on.

I've also implemented endings, and there are currently 7 different endings for the first timeline. One ending is reserved for virgin characters, four for non-virgins, and two for characters that get a little too involved with sex.

Another feature that's in the game now are travel encounters. I originally intended to put this in the first alpha, but it's been more work than I expected. Travel encounters use a new system that has a gray area for when you've neither won nor lost a combat. You won't get raped, but you definitely didn't walk away unharmed. I intend to update all events and encounters throughout the game using this concept, including bounty hunters. But for now, it's only available in travel encounters.

On the topic of travel encounters, a new settlement type has been added to the game. It's impossible to willingly travel here. You'll be forcibly brought to this settlement if you completely lose a travel encounter to slavers (I'm sure you can guess at what it is!) It's not a positive settlement, being something you want to leave as soon as possible.

Traits for towns are also available. Towns can have traits assigned to them that modify how things work there.

One of the cooler features complete is the inventory system combined with the now-finished academy locations. I won't explain this one in complete detail right now, but the concept is that you can gain an apprentice's degree at the academy if you repeatedly visit. This degree will open up more options at the magic shop, allowing you to buy a few magic scrolls. Scrolls can be activated to cast the spell within for bonuses. More scrolls to come in the future, although only a few exist at the moment.

All of the perks posted in the last update have been added to the game. The perks that did not function correctly now work as intended, although a couple perks aren't ready to be used. This is because the content that the perks are going to apply to isn't ready yet, so I'm considering locking those perks until the next update, so that useless perks aren't chosen.

There are more smaller changes that should improve the way the game is played, as well. I'll have a complete change log ready tomorrow.

With that being said, there are some things I wanted to fit into this release that I'm going to have to hold on to for a few days. The biggest reason for the things I'm holding for a few days is that I need time to finish them up. I need to complete features and content faster than I'm adding unfinished features. By not adding the features described below in this release, I'll have more time to make sure what's already in is polished and complete.

The biggest thing that's being delayed are bonus settlements. I've designed 6 new settlement types that are only available from certain cities. These settlements have their own locations and events available. This was the biggest piece of content I've been working on. I pushed what I've written through a word counter, and I've learned two things:

1. These new settlements currently include roughly an hours worth of text if you were to sit down and read it all
2. My most used word is cock (whoops)

These settlements tend to offer better locations and events than other settlements, so if you want to find a specific type of town, you definitely have something to search for. Here's a few clues to what you can expect when the new settlements land:

1. Ports have the distinct advantage of taking you to places that you can't walk.
2. Farms tend to have a lot of caravans heading towards places that consume a lot of food.
3. Trade cities have to be getting those elven goods from somewhere.
4. Temples are just one side of the religion coin when it comes to the republic.
5. Academies have lots of people who would like to explore the more exotic corners of the world.
6. Citadels have to be moving those soldiers somewhere.

The second critical thing I want to hold has to do with illnesses, diseases, and afflictions. Every bit of text I have ready is placeholder, and I'm not confident that it's going to work as intended with tomorrow's release. This also has to do with the fact that the additional settlements are not ready.

A few things that I want to release as soon as possible are additional perks and sub-races. These definitely need a little more work before they go live, and are guaranteed to be in the next update. If I finish things early enough tomorrow, I might be able to fit these in this update, but I can't promise anything at the moment.

I've had a lot of fun writing some of the upcoming content. I'm actually surprised at how much writing I've gotten done over the past two weeks. The game is starting to feel much more complete, both in features and in content. This update is more about making the game more polished and feature complete. The next update that I push out will be more about filling out content. The really good news about the way things are going,

Expect this update around midnight -6:00 CST tomorrow. I may even technically be a few minutes late, since I have a lot of polishing to finish before releasing, but I promise not to hold it back more than an hour.

I have more to post tomorrow in regards to what's coming in the next update now that I can focus entirely on content for a good solid month or two. I just want to get everything here complete before I start listing everything that's almost complete for the next update.

I'm fairly excited about getting this update ready!