June 25 Update (Patreon)

So, as some of you have noticed, the update wasn't out in the average amount of time. One thing that I want to make clear for people who are new here: I will almost always talk about how an update is incoming before it arrives, so that is the surest way to set expectations. Having said that, let me explain why this release cycle will be longer than usual.

Right now I'm nearly certain the war will be spread over two updates. The first one will be larger than a normal update, covering the majority of the war up to a major turning point. After that, the second update will be the conclusion of the war, the aftermath, and the ending of chapter three.

So, how will this update compare to the normal size? That can be difficult to gauge, since a lot of work on my end can go through quickly if it involves branching and little combat. To make this post interesting, I decided to focus on just one aspect: maps.

For reference, the Eustrin update had 15 maps. The two Zirantia updates were spread across 21 maps. Ari-Yhilina is 40+ maps built over multiple updates. The Battle for Yhilin update was 5 new maps, 3 new scene maps, and 8 familiar maps. 

I've finished all the maps for the first update of the war, and the totals come to: 14 new maps, 21 new scene maps, and 20 familiar maps.

That's only a rough measure of length, of course. Some of the scene maps are shown briefly or might not be seen at all, depending on your choices. Some of the old maps have extensive new events. But I hope those numbers give a sense for the scope of this update.

One detail I'd like to share: some of these maps cover a new town. I wanted to do the reverse of the usual, so in this case you'll be introduced to the town during a plot event and later get to explore it normally. At least, hopefully you will... collateral damage accumulated during this update could destroy locations in the next.

So yeah, that's the situation. In an ideal world, I'd release the update this Friday... but I think there's an 80% chance it will be finished but mostly untested by that date, and trust me, you don't want any lack of testing in an update of this complexity.

Perhaps this is just as well, though, because I'll be releasing a complete side game relatively soon. $10 backers got to play it a while back, but I'll be officially introducing it publicly soon. As usual, the game will be available free to long time backers at lower tiers, so you'll have that to tide you over. Then, at the very latest, you'll see the TLS release in decently polished form the week after that.

I believe this update will be satisfying and worth the wait. Until then, I can only hope everyone will be as patient as you guys are.