Act I is Out!

Version 1.00 is finally out. It has been a long road, and there's plenty more to go with Act II on the way, but it is a big achievement, and as Sommy pointed out, I should make a big deal of it.

So, here is the tale of the tape to show just how much work went into finishing the game:

Words! According to the compiler, the game has just shy of three and a half million words. Some of that will be code, but I'd estimate at least 2.5 million words of fiction. 

Sex! There are currently 315 scenes in the replay gallery, but some include multiple scenes, and some haven't been added yet, so I'd guess there are around 350 sex scenes in the game. 

CGs! There are around 3000 in total, including variants. Based on how long I have been commissioning monthly CGs, I'd estimate that of those 3000, 600-650 are unique. 

As you can see, it has been a gargantuan task. I believe it is the largest adult game of its type (Fen's might have more words, but no CGs, Roundscape might be close?), and I couldn't have done it without all the staff (especially Sommy, who was, of course, "just doing his job"). 

We still have a few things to finish before we can close the book on Act I completely (Goblins, Astarte, Fae), but you can now finish the game and carry your choices into Act II. If you have never played the game before, or you've been waiting to pick it up again, there's never been a better time. 

And last but not least, thanks to everyone who supported, purchased, or spread the word about the game. Genuinely couldn't have done it without you, and I hope we've brought you a lot of enjoyment in return. 

News from the Six Realms #103 - Acting Up

Hey all,

First up, the road to 1.0. We're working to get it out, and it won’t be long now. The main holdup has been the list of variables to transfer to Act II, and I needed Rein’s input; he's been busy with real life, but he is free now and working on it. Once he’s finished, Jr. X will add the backend code, while I add the latest finished CGs, and then we will put the release out. 

As I mentioned before, we are calling this version 1.0 because you can finish the game and transfer your playthrough to Act II. It is not feature complete. There will be additional releases over the next few months to add the following:

- The missing goblin arc weddings (Che-Lin and Tue-San)
- The remaining Fae events (Arzyl and Whitescar)
- Additional Astarte content (Sabotage, missing goblin content)
- Additional Finale NPC visit content
- Missing CGs

We will continue to release updates on Act I alongside pre-production for Act II. Sommy has been working on it for months, creating concept art for all the characters, finishing a few backgrounds, and now working on sprites, having just finished the first one (and you’d never guess who it is). We’ll start sharing these when we are further along in the process, but today I want to talk about one of the major gameplay features in Act II: Hubs. 

Hubs are places Rowan can visit where people gather, and the player can roam freely. The largest and most important of these hubs, as you can probably guess after the epilogue, is Rastedel. They look and function much like Bloodmeen in Act I, with some key differences: Firstly, there is no longer a week timer or random events, which means that all events that can occur with characters will occur when visiting them, allowing the player to choose what they want to see, rather than rely on RNG. These events will either be plot-related or sex related (or both) and incorporate repeat sex scenes as requested during the development of Act I. To address player feedback, the hub UI will prominently display when new events are available, what requirements are needed to see a scene, and when the event will become unavailable if the main story has a cutoff point. Most events will involve investment (which we'll discuss later), so not all events will be accessible, and we hope to use this to let hubs evolve in different ways based on choices over the course of the game.  

That’s all for today. I’ll be back with more detail about hubs in the future, as well as how you unlock new events when we are further along with the process, but next time I do one of these, I’ll talk about the big changes to map exploration we’ve made based on Act I feedback.

News From the Six Realms #102 - Heatwave

Hello everyone,

Just a quick update today, as I'm still working hard on getting everything ready for the next release. I was hoping to get it out by the end of the month, but it is going to slip into early August now due to the fact that I'm still waiting on material from other writers that will need coding and testing, and also because I've lost a decent amount of time with the two unbearable heatwaves the UK has suffered from in the past few weeks. I'm hoping you'll all feel the epilogue, with its twists, excellently illustrated by MDN and Sommy, is worth the slight delay when you see it. 

Work-wise, DM is still plugging away on the final Che-Lin content, and I'm hoping he'll be able to finish it in time to include with the release. Gern has finished the Helayna arc and is just putting the final touches on the redhead reconciliation, so that will definitely make it in, along with the Jezera favour finale he has already finished. On the art side, I've got all the sketches back from MDN now, and I'll be sharing the ones that aren't epilogue spoilers with the backers. Sommy is also working on another CG like last month, but you'll have to wait for the release for that one as well. For those wondering, all the CGs I have been unable to share for this and the previous month will be included in the artpack for August.

That's all for today. Reaching the end of Act I is a major milestone, and I couldn't have believed when I started making this game ten years ago, just as something fun to do, how big it would become and how many people would enjoy it. It's given me the independence of being able to work for myself, and I've met a lot of great people because of it. I also like to think I've learned from a few mistakes I made this time around, and I'm looking forward to sharing what we've been cooking up for Act II over the next few months.
 

News From the Six Realms #101 - Heart Skips a Beat

Hey all,

First up, the not-so-good news. I was hoping DM would finish the Che-Lin wedding in time for release, but he is still working on it. I am working on the ending myself, and I don't want to add it until it is finished, which leaves me with only one event from Gern currently. There isn't much point in releasing with one event, so I have decided to skip this release and put out a larger one in July. I am hoping that, if everything goes well, the July release will essentially be version 1.0. The plan is for it to include:

- The ending of the epilogue (plus credits and stinger)
- The final Jezera favour event
- The last Helayna event (and hopefully her epilogue content)
- Che-Lin wedding and post-wedding event

I'll also talk to Rein about finishing up Tue-San. I know he is busy with work and school, so it might not be feasible, but it would be nice to cap all the goblin content off if possible. I'm also going to try to add another event to the epilogue visit menu if I get done with the ending in time, probably Draith or Liurial. Either way, Act I will finally be "finished", with just a few small things to tidy up as we move on to Act II, which the other writers can do while I start breaking the back of the introduction.

Speaking of, the good news is that Act II is progressing nicely. Jr X. is currently working on a prototype for the changes to exploration, having already completed ones for two of our new mechanics to be talked about in the near future, dungeons and duels. Sommy is finishing up the CG variables today, and then he'll be back to working on assets for the new game. Once we get the next release out, we'll start sharing them with patreons so they can see new environments and the new sprite glow-ups. The pair of them have been doing an excellent job, though, and I'm looking forward to everybody seeing what they have been up to.

That's all for today. Obviously, I don't love skipping a release, but the end of Act I is finally in sight. It has been a long and often bumpy road, but as Sommy tells me, shipping a game is something to be proud of, especially one that has taken up a quarter of my life, as this one has. I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank you all for playing and supporting the game, and I hope you'll stick around and enjoy what is coming with Act II.

News From the Six Realms #100 - Centennial

Hey all,

Bit of a late one this time, and not a lot to really discuss until Sommy gives me the okay to start sharing Act 2 stuff, but I just wanted to give you all a quick update on the new release and when it will be up.

First up, what the release will contain - I've finished the Jezera NTR finale, and I'll finish up the Andras one later today, so both of those will be going in. I've been cracking the whip with DM to get the penultimate Che-Lin event finished as well, and this is going quite well, so I'm really hoping we'll finally be able to add that too, and Gern is busy reworking the first draft of the X'zaratl finale under Rein's direction, so this will be going in as well.

As for Act 2, as I said, I can't share anything visual yet, but Sommy has finished preliminary designs for all the returning cast as well as finished a couple of new BGs. He's working with his assistant on the new UI, and they've just made mockup screens for the new mechanics (dungeons and duels, more about this in later updates!) that look really great, which Jr. X is busy creating prototypes for in-game. When I get the okay from Sommy in the next few months, I'll start to post them so you guys can see what we've been up to.

We are very close to the end of Act I, though. After this release, the plan is to finish up the goblin content in the next release, with me handling Che-Lin under DM's direction and Rein returning to Tue-San, while Gern works on the Jezera favour finale. In the following release, I will finish off the epilogue while the rest of the staff works on Helayna. That is everything except the Fae, which will be added post-release when Hooky has time to contribute. 

As for this release, it shouldn't slip into next month this time. I'm hoping to get it out on the 29th, but Sommy has a lot of variants to do for the celebration CG, so it might be a day or two late, but hopefully not April. As always, if a little more time is needed, I will keep you all updated.