State Of The Realm: September

[p]Hi dragon fans! The last time I had the chance to talk was back in July - unknowingly mere days before the crackdown started. Between that, the art overhaul, and work progressing the story, I haven’t had the chance to respond to all your lovely (or kindly critical) comments - sorry! But I have a lungful of air now, so I’ll take the opportunity to get you up to speed.[/p][p][/p][h3]Main Plotline[/h3][p]This has been our main priority, and Mattrex and I have been working together on it. Our branching narrative means that it’s more work than you’ll see in any given playthrough (and needs to accommodate all playthroughs), but that’s the chalice we’ve chosen to sup from. I’m going to talk about its scope, so skip this section if you want to avoid very minor spoilers about what to expect.[/p][p]The end of Chapter Two has three sequential phases:[/p]

• [p]First is the special ‘crisis’ session of court, which will tackle the most important thing happening in your particular Realm. A Cataclysm is obviously top of the list, but failing that, lair factions (friendly or otherwise) get some proper screentime.[/p]
• [p]Second is the ‘reconquest’ mechanic. If you have become estranged with one of your mortal hordes, this will be a chance to deal with them in a more conclusive (and cathartic) way. Other territories that were overlooked during your initial conquest can also be mopped up at this point.[/p]
• [p]Third is bedtime! As with Chapter One, you deserve a little private time with your fiancee of choice. Or, if you’ve elected to remain a bachelor, whichever poor maid happens to be closest at hand.[/p]

[p][/p][p]After discussing with the team, I have decided to break from tradition - we will release each phase as it is ready, rather than waiting to dump it all at once. Our changelogs will tell you exactly what is delivered and when. This will stop you from waiting, aid us in testing, and allow us to avoid most/all of the logic pitfalls that typify a major update.[/p][p]This means that we will release the first phase in the next update! Woo! Depending on how the last steps go, our next update will arrive either at the end of this month or sometime in the next one. Wish us luck.[/p][p][/p][h3]Art Direction[/h3][p]We’re not sitting on our laurels after the recent overhaul. Lubbio will continue drawing our new scenes and critical remasters, now with more focused support from me, and I am also getting help from Sintax on bringing pieces up to a final standard. Undoodle has been moved over from her work on Permission To Dock to make more splash art for Ravager, and Amon Ra is working on our next animated scenes.[/p][p][/p][h3]Collaboration[/h3][p]Back in the innocent days before the entire adult game landscape was set on fire, I reached out to other creators about future collaborations. I am excited to say that this has borne fruit! Though I can’t say too much right now, we will be working with a very talented person on the creation of a small but perfectly-formed little game. It’s early days yet, but you can look forward to the announcement sometime in the next few weeks.[/p][p]
That’s it from me - I’m headed back to the story mines. Thank you all for your support during this very tricky time, and I look forward to proving your faith justified.[/p]