Well, I should have posted this a week ago, but I kept putting it off every day for many reasons.

First, Art Updates:

In May I updated the Interchapter 1.3. Already I don't remember what exactly I did there. I think the biggest change was adding more shadows to the Pecking Order lewd artwork.

But last month, September, I updated the Parish Watch Artworks... and then, after finishing the Cataphractuhrs, I looked at them again and spend another three days updating the Parish Watch because the results were not good enough. Now they should be better. I updated everything: added more details to the Exemplar, added more shadows and details to the Munificence and Authority; in the Key Art, the Ardem Watcher looked too stiff, so I gave her a happy leg (example 1); on the Classified, I added more details everywhere, including edge lights the heels, and fixed her skinny-looking ankle (example 2). I always forget to add edge lights on sharp corners because those corners are made from my lineart, but these edge lights make the art look more real.

Now about the Lore updates:

Updated the Empire of Hips and Thighs Lore that was released in May: General History, General Geography, Parish Watch, Coat of Arms. I think the biggest additions are these two paragraphs:

and

The last one was part of another Lore entry, prepared for the time when we would touch on Herquistion topic... but considering how far away that time may be, the additional information on Zemali needs to be released now.

Also, since I had a lot of time, I managed to update the grammar for everything related to the Gift of Creation. These were some of the oldest Lore entries, with many errors, and not just grammatical ones... there were several places where I used the wrong words, either because typo, or because I did not fully understand their meaning at that time. Like where it should have been "...reduced for a FRACTION..." I wrote "...reduced for a FRACTURE...", probably because I mixed them up.

I also noticed that my style changed in two years. But I think it is because I know English a bit better now and understand English grammar. Well... that's what I thought... but recently I was replaying the Metro Trilogy; whenever I found new notes, I'd switching languages back and forth and read the text twice to see the exact differences. It is then I realized I'm no longer sure which grammar is correct for which language! When I write, of course, I have a lot of time to check and correct everything, sometimes entire months. But when I speak they get mixed up in my head! I'm sure these grammar rules, that I remember, are correct, but some of them are only correct for one language and not the other! AAAA!

And now... witness this! A sneaking-peeking at the next Chapter, and the next Great Nation:

Just a heads up... It will take me another several months for me to start, let alone complete the next chapter, and you might already understand why.

Now, about why:

The game I'm working on is developing fast now. I understand how to code, and... I finally understands why some people do coding as a hobby for fun. Sometimes I just sit for six hours trying to complete a script, feeling relaxed and at peace (until, of course, something-something WHY THE FOCK IS THIS NOT WORKING!? I CHECKED FOCKING EVERYTHING... oh, wrong symbol here...). I can say that I am confident in my coding skills now... at least most of the time. Whenever I want to add something new, I quick to plan out the structure for the new script based on what I have already learned. But for now, I do not focus on it to be perfect, because there are always new approaches to learn and I am not lazy and change older scripts when necessary. I've already rewritten the script for skill buttons fifteen times, because I always find some new methods that are (hopefully) better than what I knew before. And just last week I update the scripts for Passives/Buffs/Debuffs because I found out how and why to use Dictionaries, and now half of these scripts depends on Dictionaries.

But sadly, this also made me realize that I don't enjoy drawing anymore. The way I feel now when I'm coding is what I felt ten years ago when drawing... but now I often can't simply start a new piece, and I can't finish anything for an entire day because even thinking of drawing something new is tiring. I should have finished updating the Thighology artworks already, but I still can get started. That is also why I also haven't done any concept sketches for the game units, even though I am very close to the stage where I will need to draw actual sprites. The only thing I did are these anatomy reference, a month or two ago while thinking about unit proportions.

I was trying to figure out the artsyle and anatomy of the units at different evolution Tiers, from Shortstack Minions to Big Tall Mommyons. One key principle is that since the unit spites are very small, they must be bulky and wide so they can be clearly seen at any camera zoom level... or better say, they must be thick and busty... for... for gameplay reasons... yeah... they are thicc and busty for gameplay reasons, and... yeah...

Anyway. The game is moving very fast now. The only time I get stuck is when I need to make decisions and think through the designs. Like, while drawing the Cataphracturh Artworks, I had weeks to change how unit-type bonuses work and think about the Morale and Veterancy systems. How they operate, what they provide, etc. Last week, after Finishing Chapter 20, I implemented them. In fact, all the Unit scripts related to Battle Map are completed and polished (At least I stopped noticing inconsistencies and finding bugs after thousand of tests). All that remains is to create the functionality for the start of combat, unit spawns, and end of combat... and several other details, but most of them depend on the world map, which is yet to exist. Which means, from the technical perspective, the game combat is complete.

So yeah, I am almost at the stage where I need to start working on the game's visuals and draw assets, and as I already mentioned, I haven't even started concept sketches for units yet. I will need to go into hardcore work mode for this, which means I won't be able to devote time to IHL for a while. Not even for the sketches for the next chapter.

And then I'll need to learn shaders too! I don't even know how to make them.

And then there's the sound design. I actually started learning to compose music, and this (video pinned below, can't move it to the middle of the text) is an attempt number... I lost count, but I mixed together the best parts from previous attempts... it is supposed to be the "Forest Battle" theme...

Additionally... even if I do not want to do this... I need to start a YouTube channel. Eventually I will use it to promote the game and put trailers in there, but for now I will use it as a devlog and learn how to edit videos, so it will be easier to make trailers and stuff in the future… *sigh* I will... i will have to... I will have to make Yo... Youtube shorts... *sigh* I... he first few videos will be an introduction to the channel, where I'll show and repeat most stuff I already did here.

At this point, my plans for the game are unchanged: create a free demo which is actually a tutorial, playing as a neutral faction that is not playable in the main game -> release on steam, itch, etc. -> start working on the full game while collecting feedback and critique about existing mechanics and balance -> in couple of years (or however long it will take) release the game in Early Access with the first 4 faction, but without the endgame mechanics (because there is no endgame without the other two factions); 4 factions will be enough to experience the game and not make make players feel "is that it?", and should also give people an assurance that because of so much effort already spent, the game will not be abandoned like many other Early Accesses -> balance those four faction in the first weeks before working on the other two; with only four factions, players should be less disappointed with the balance and mechanics if they turn out to be terrible, knowing that there will be future updates and that can change what they don't like about the game; I think balancing will be the hardest part for me -> gradually add the last 2 faction, one at a time, with additional global and endgame mechanics previously absent from the game -> complete the game with whatever left to do -> release the game -> if the game is successful, add the things I put on the "That would be cool, but it is not important?" list.

I think that is it for now. Will see you... someday later.

If you haven't read my previous "Important" post from a month ago, please do it now. If you have, then here is a short list of the emotions I experienced while working on this new thing over the past two weeks, so you can better understand what I will be talking about:

*ahem*

a... aaaaaaaaa... AAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAaaaaAAAAA!!! AAAAAAAAAAA!!! AAAAAaaaa??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAsdfhgsdjfbeubusdgfuegfffaaaa!!! aaaaaaaaaa... A? A! a... A! A! A-a-A-aAAA! a...

Now I can tell you about that new thing.

When I wrote that first "important" post, I had everything prepared in my head. But then I asked myself the question: "Why?" What is the point of this? Why should I do it? Why would people be interested in it? In Her Light at least has the ending: people can enjoy what the Scribe and Narrator tell about Meorenell and then see the end of their story. It is not the world that stuck in a perpetual existence just for the sake of content. But the new thing... it has no ending... I can't give it an ending. I'd feel guilty choosing the ending... That was the first time I thought I should abandon the new thing and just keep my focus on IHL... but after some days later, an idea occurred to me. And so, I decided to try something. And make it so the people will choose their own ending. I decided to try doing this:

Now you understand why I felt those emotions. Because my daily routine is this: turn on the computer, do something, scream into the celling for five minutes, do something again, scream again, look at tiddies on twitter for an hour... because time flies when you're looking at tiddies..... do something, cry with joy that it finally works... cry again because something doesn't work... cry again because another tutorial says the previous tutorial is inefficient and following it makes me stupid. AAAAAAAAAAAA!

What kind of game would it be, you ask? Well, I had some options like... a SUPER REALISTIC MMO WITH 1000000-PLAYERS RAIDS AND WITH SUPER REALISTIC SURVIVAL MECHANICS AND WITH SUPER REALISTIC BASE BUILDING... but, It will be what I play the most and what I'm most disappointed with: turn-based grand strategy and 4X.

Age of Wonders 4, Total War Warhammer, Endless Space 2. These are the games with the biggest hour counts in my library. This genre is also a better fit for this new world. Also, there aren't many indie games in this genre for now, so the competition will be lower. I like them, but there are also a lot of things that disappoint me in them. I want to try to improve some of these things in my game (I will talk about this in the next post. I already wrote that section, but this post would be too long to read if I included it, so I've removed it).

In general, the game will look something like this:

The world map will be in 3D. The assets will be in 2D, giving the world a 2.5D appearance. After all, I know how to draw, and it will be faster for me to draw a fancy tree than to model one. The map will be divided into provinces, and play similar to Dawn of War: Dark Crusade or the Lord of the Rings: the Battle for the Middle Earth, but with a single capital for each faction to upgrade and care for, like in any 4X.

The battle maps will be in full 2D. Grid-based combat, but with some uncommon for grid-based combat freedoms, based on my experience playing Rogue Trader. And, as you can see from one of the recent tweets, I'm also considering pre-drawing maps instead of using a pure tileset approach. Two things to keep in mind. One, I don't want procedurally generate maps. I don't like them. It was a nice thing when it all started, but these days any procedurally generated maps in any game gives me little pleasure. This is one of the reasons why, for example, I got bored very quickly with Valheim, but enjoy Enshrouded. Two, I've recently replayed some older RPGs, like Nox, and they have some cool pre-rendered map pieces; I want to replicate these aesthetics in my game. Besides, I will be able to reuse some 2D assets between the world map and the battle maps.

But here comes the big BUT: the art style. This will be one of of those big decisions I will have to make. It surely should be a simple style, for easier creation and any future changes? But how simple? And in what way? What shapes? What lines? What colors? aaaaAAAA!!!! I have a huge pile of unresolved decision-making here, already twenty pages of various notes: unit types and their mechanics; factions and their mechanics; general mechanics. Here. There. That. This. No! YES! AAAA!!!! me brain hurty

Additionally, I also want to put more work into interactions with the key characters. Or, more accurately, the interactions these characters have with the player. Games like these often feel lonely. Like just a game about getting bigger numbers before your enemies, without any real characters. The diplomacy system becomes just another screen with numbers, and the eyes ignore anyone in there. My game won't feature deep diplomacy: besides a couple opportunities to make a temporary peace deals, each kingdoms is by itself. I want the player to anticipate the next banter with enemy generals, where they'll say, "haha! Our queens' tits are bigger than your queen's head! haah!" But between these small exchanges with the enemy, the main focus should be on the player's advisors, unique for each factions, with unique personalities. Through them will be delivered news about the daily affairs and life within the player's kingdom. The best option would be to have advisors react to specific player decision (constructing an important building, recruiting new unit types, completing a powerful research, etc). It can also be used to introduce new upgrades and small features after certain dialogues, something like "Sup Warchief! For never skipping my dialogues, I have developed a new training program for our warriors! I called it "Tongue Wrestling". If you approve it, they will train every day, and their morale will improve! You can join too... rrrawr". And now you have a new unexpected but useful secret research available.

This should create the feeling in the player after constructing a large magic tower that it isn't just a big yet forgettable boost to their magical resource, but it is something that inspires awe in citizens. And when an advisor speaks, she doesn't just say useless things. Doing so should make the player feel attached to the kingdoms and their advisors, want to hear how the people praise their great leader, and care about them more than just the numbers in a strategy name. Of course, to get this right, the pacing and quality of dialogues also needs to be right. Overdoing it can have the opposite effect: rather than anticipating new dialogues, the player can get more annoyed by the images of advisors popping every turn to say stupid time-wasting things.

I really wonder if I will get it right, and people will put me on the same level with such great people as YanadereDev, and PirateSoftware who worked for seven years in Blizzard... After all, I have heard they are very well respected solo developers.

This is where this post ends. The next one will be about what I've already mentioned.

Well, another Great Nation is complete… though, unlike the Realms of Bosom, which was more about the Bosom than the Realms, the Feet Republic turned out to be more about the Republic than the Feet… Also, I see a lot of details in their design now that I don't like, and they need to be changed.

There is still one more Lore entry left to post, about the Fleet of Feet, but I decided to post it later this month, so then there is at least something this month, because as you can see, I am ten days behind schedule and so I need to take a break in December.

Though, it doesn’t matter if I was on time or late, because I would take a break this month regardless: I always try to put my mouth where my mouth is, and I’m focking tired of focking Microsoft and its focking Windows. As you remember, Windows 10 is no more, and I will not upgrade to 11, but I will need to ditch 10 eventually… I don’t want to wait, and so I’m going to do what others do – become the penguin. I'm dedicating this month to switching to Linux. I have already done all the research and preparations needed… I don’t need to change any PC parts, as they're all AMD, and all their drivers are basic for linux; I don’t care about games unavailable on Linux because I don’t play them anyway; I bought a second SSD to install Linux on, just in case; but I decided to buy extra RAM just in case I need to use Virtualizations for windows software or games that aren't simply available on Linux... I was very lucky to buy it just a week before the prices skyrocketed… The hardest part of this will be installing drivers for my graphics tablet, and deciding where I'm going to draw from now on, since even my 2012 Photoshop CS6 isn't accessible on Linux without Virtualization…

Will see...

After that, in January, just for January, in case the switch to Linux causes any problems that affect the main theme of the Four Great Nation, I will draw some different stuff. Anyway it is important to shuffle things around time to time, so then neither I nor you get bored. I wanted to introduce a new character eventually, after the Four Great Nations, so she would help with the things that the Scribe and Narrator can’t. I'll do that sooner.