TRACHI – ANARCHY News

[h2]Hey party people! 👓[/h2]

We're just about two weeks into December – halfway towards ANARCHY 0.1.4!

Rendezvous (previously Varieté) transforms ParAdise into a battlefield and achievements into Steam Inventory Items. All of that – and more – because TRACHI's people can't wait to leave a good impression on you.

[h2]Loose Ends[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
In Marche's preview, I mentioned a desire to make ParAdise more dynamic. One way of achieving that was to have Battle Triggers (aka Field Impostors) roam the map.

Eventually, I settled for a barebone implementation moving enemies back and forth. Complex behaviours (fleeing / chasing) would require these entities to be actual combatants. At which point we might as well duke it out right there.

[h2]Battlefield[/h2]

Starting with 0.1.4, field maps are populated by enemy combatants. Battles are triggered the same way, but the actual encounters take place where you meet your enemies. Every combatant in range (including Lorna) is placed on the grid and you get to deploy your people in a grid-shaped radius around you.

Structurally, battles follow the same rules as before. ParAdise's terrain however already has a big effect on strategic options. Fortunately, you'll now be able to see who you'll be fighting where.

[h2]TRAnsition[/h2]

Following your victory, your friends despawn and you pick things up right where you left off. Compared to the old system, that's two loading screens we'll never have to see again. On the other hand, there's a whole new level of possible interactions between exploration and combat.

At some point, combatants passing by might be able to join a running battle. Throw both friendly and enemy patrols into the mix – and we're well on our way to breathe life into ParAdise.

[h2]Souvenir[/h2]

If you'd like to take something with you, go right ahead! From December 28th this year, you'll have plenty of opportunities to add more Items to your Steam Inventory. What's more, the Items are also used to change your characters' appearance.

Every character will have their own equipment slot with a different set of Variations. To equip one of these, you need to have the corresponding Item on your Steam Account. The character's appearance reflects the piece you have equipped – outside of Fragments.

[h2]Dues[/h2]

One of the items does exactly what Vanguard currently does. Both cover the same Variation of Daphne. Everybody who has unlocked the achievement automatically receives the Item on the 28th.

Similarly, people that achieved Broken Wings are rewarded with Ganymede's (long promised) first variation, too. It's no secret he likes dressing up – especially if he's got a date. 😏

[h2]Enter ParAdise[/h2]

Naturally, 0.1.4 comes with another monthly challenge. A new achievement – ParAtrooper – is awarded for winning your first battle in ParAdise.

Contrary to previous iterations, this reward is shipped with the update itself. In other words: You'll receive your Item as soon as you get the achievement – until 0.1.5 goes live.

[h2]Bread and Roses[/h2]

If you'd rather sit this one out, but are still eager to get your hands on any of the rewards – we've got your back! Rendezvous also launches ANARCHY's Item Store, where you can browse the current collection at your own convenience.

Barring that, we're also evaluating the ability to trade and or buy/sell these on the Steam's Community Market. The jury is still out on that one, so it would be great if you could let us know what you think.

[h2]In Sum[/h2]

ANARCHY 0.1.4 puts the finishing touches on 2023 – with big ambitions for 2024. Not only is our own little spin on monetisation set up and ready to go, we've also made big leaps towards finding our stride in ParAdise.

The next two weeks will mostly be dedicated to troubleshooting both of these features extensively. However, I'll also work in the other feedback I've received (big thanks to (-_-!) and everyone else). 🤗

Either way, I hope all of you have a splendid couple of holidays. No matter where and in which kind of constellation – you can be sure I'll be thinking of you! 🥰

much love
nory

[h2]Heyho friends! 👋[/h2]

Today is the 28th November. In other words: ANARCHY 0.1.3 is live! The update itself has been covered in this week's devlog, but we'll also have a proper look at the most important features right here.

[h2]En avant! 🐱‍👤[/h2]

As mentioned in the preview, Marche aims to shake things up. It is all about movements involving characters, enemies and you.

In addition to a completely new Fragment and another quest segment for ParAdise, there's big improvements to ExcommunicAtion's dialogue, more abilities, patrolling Battle Triggers, interaction prompts – and last but not least – vastly improved camera systems.

[h2]A long time AGO[/h2]
Ten years before the events of AUTONOMY, two sisters from the countryside moved into a city. Not just any city, though! We're talking about the capital of a continental great power known as Ionia. The city, going by the name of Aion, is home to almost a million people. You'd think it's comparatively easy to disappear in a city like that – if you can keep your mouth shut.

[h2]FAR away from home[/h2]

Unfortunately for everybody involved, Lorna isn't good at keeping secrets. It takes a whopping two lines of dialogue for her to blurt out something she shouldn't have. Her older sister, Ekaterina, is understandably concerned.

She and her most trusted confidante – Cleopatra Antioka – moved mountains so the three of them could live a steady, quiet and seemingly comfortable life. Of course, there's bigger things at play. But it's at least a bit of slice-of-life before it all comes crashing down.

[h2]ExCommunity[/h2]

If you ever wanted to step behind the curtain, you're not alone! Throughout TRACHI's history, there have been numerous attempts by people to see their world for what it really is. ExcommunicAtion marks the most daring adventure of that kind.

As the characters begin to understand the gravity of their circumstance, it's only fair that you should be in on it, too! To better reflect that, the dialogue has been polished comprehensively – including a couple of rewrites here and there.

[h2]Identity[/h2]

Speaking of rewrites: There's a whole new chapter to the main story quest. In ParAdise, there's people. And when there's people, there's rules. Not everybody can go everywhere – at least not without giving something in return. Sometimes you have to pay a little toll, fill out a couple of forms – and sometimes you have to provide proof of who you are. Thankfully, Lorna has a service card. At least she used to have it, somewhere.

[h2]Atlantis[/h2]

Between 1918 and 1919, there was a series of similar incidents. Lorna lost her service card, and so she asked someone for help. Fortunately for her, she had the right kind of questions for someone who knows a lot of things. Even though he himself might not always have all the answers, he's very good at pointing in the right direction. Hopefully, he can help her in this case, too.

[h2]InterAction[/h2]

Just like Atlas helps Lorna, I'd like to help you learn more about the world as well. There's approximately five to ten new interactions, ranging from triggering Fragments to making dog go woof. 🐶

Previous iterations of the Interaction HUD only provided you with context-insensitive information. Going forward, interactions will be further classified into the categories Read, Open, Talk and Examine. Some of these also already state the object you're about to interact with – aka individual Fragments and/or NPCs.

[h2]Catalyst[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Depending on your situation, you might not want to interact with everything. However, you don't always have a choice. Battles in ParAdise – for example – trigger upon collision with a Field Impostor. The battles themselves are a lot more varied with 0.1.3, bumping up the amount of regular field encounters to a total number of ten.

As for the impostors: most of them remain static, but one of them has learned to move. It's a big step towards creating a dynamic world with enemies that patrol, flee – or even chase.

[h2]Manipulation[/h2]

If you happen to trigger a battle, you'll find that you now have an extended range of tools at your disposal. A new ability named Knockback allows you to push an enemy back by one tile – or alternatively bump it into another enemy to cause 150% damage to both entities.

This particular ability marks the introduction to a set that hopefully at some point constitutes a full arsenal. The goal is both for your enemies and you to exert control not only over your own respective crews, but your targets as well.

[h2]MOVement[/h2]

In regards to general status values, the movement range of combatants acting on a battle grid has been streamlined into an overarching stat called MOV. Each point of this value enables you to traverse the grid by one tile.

Next to already existing (de)buffs such as Slow or MonoFast(), certain equipment pieces also modify this particular value. One of these is Ganymede's pistol First Response, another example would be an accessory going by the name IONIA.

[h2]Viewport[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Barring the occasional line of dialogue, the player (you) is mainly represented through the actions of the characters. But there is another, much more prevalent element connecting you to the world of TRACHI. Something that neither you nor the character's directly perceive. But whenever there's you, it is also there.

The camera is the primary component responsible for helping you keep track of things, and it's only right that you should in all cases get a proper view. To this end the camera system has been fully reworked, especially in regards to battle segments.

[h2]CRASHI[/h2]

Around 2 1/2 weeks ago, a friend approached me with reports of regular crashes occurring in ANARCHY. Unfortunately, I couldn't reproduce them on my end, so me and my good Friend Sereon spent between 10-15 hours trying to isolate the issue.

In the midst of troubleshooting we also came across some inconsistencies regarding achievements. Most importantly, Broken Wings didn't fire correctly. We've applied a couple of fixes regarding the achievements and also managed to make the crashes disappear. If you should run into any issues regardless, please get in touch with me. 😊

[h2]Cotext[/h2]
Marche was a first attempt to tie a patch together thematically. It was born out of necessity due to extraordinary day-job commitments forcing me into isolated development sprints. For all intents and purposes, it was the first time since February that I felt even remotely disconnected from TRACHI.

Given these circumstances, I'm incredibly relieved that 0.1.3 turned out so well. However, cuts had to be made somewhere. Contrary to what was announced in the preview, Marche will not feature a new achievement. Instead, we'll extend 0.1.2's challenge to 0.1.3 and ship both the upcoming challenge and the corresponding Variation with 0.1.4 on December 28th.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

The previous month might not have been all sunshine and roses. However, Marche still doesn't shy away from a comparison with its predecessors. Having to put a bigger focus on content rather than infrastructure not only made me appreciate the fruits of the work done through September and October, but it also predesignated the primary goal for December.

As a little teaser, let me reveal to you the major system I want to work on for 0.1.4 (Varieté). As the tagline suggests, I'll finally sit down and extend the existing character Variations to a full system incorporating Steam Inventory Items as a means to customise your party's visual appearances using a dedicated slot in the ingame Equipment menu.

[h2]Outlook[/h2]

Hopefully, Variations will not only constitute one of ANARCHY's biggest features, but also serve as an incentive to participate in early-access playtesting – and last but not least: open up ways of monetisation so I can work on TRACHI while also keeping every other element of it 100% free.

Either way, I'll be back in two weeks with a little sitrep including a preview of Varieté. Until then, please enjoy ANARCHY 0.1.3 and all its additions to your heart's content. And of course, feel yourself hugged and appreciated for your gracious and irreplaceable support! 😊

Big hugs and kissies! 🥰

much love
nory

We gather again just in time for a little preview of ANARCHY's next monthly update.


The name Marche implies: This patch will be all about movement. Features so far include a multi-stage Fragment going way into the past, more main story quests, patrolling NPCs, a Knockback ability, and – of course – a bunch of variAtions!

AUTONOMY-friends recognize the place. In 1913, Lorna, her sister and a close friend of the family are about to start a new life. And we'll be right there! We'll get to witness them settle and adapt to a space they'll call home for the next 5-6 years. You can imagine that there's a lot of excitement, but a fair share of anxiety too.


The entire segment will eventually become part of ParAdise's intro. We'll kick our journey off in familiar places and subsequently tear down the world's tapestry bit by bit. Large parts of it are still conceptual, but I think you can see big efforts to bridge Old and New-World content.


Speaking of new worlds: ParAdise's main quest received a bit of love. Previously, players could go north after a short conversation with Ganymede. A semi-friendly NPC now prevents her from progressing in that direction unless she can deliver proof of her identity. Thankfully, there's a special fragment that holds a special item – and Lorna's name is written all over it! 💳


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Grabbing Lorna's service card will be the first real roadblock of the game. The enemies surrounding the Fragment might just eat you alive at level 1. However, certain encounters can also be avoided. Some of the Field Impostors responsible for triggering battles now actively patrol their corresponding areas, giving you the opportunity to sneak by.


In regards to actual battles, there's a bunch of new abilities. One of them goes by the name Knockback. The ability itself consists of two primary elements. First, the attacker tries to push the primary target away by one tile. If the destination is empty, the target is relocated. If the destination is occupied or blocked, the target stays where it is and both entities take 150% of the attacker's ATK as damage.

Experimental abilities are ideally prototyped in a safe environment. And since I was planning on reintroducing a very important character anyway – I wanted to give you a little peek at something cool. It's a while off, but there's definite plans to celebrate 0.2 next February by adding an extra chapter to ExcommunicAtion. In ExtrapolAtion, you'll get to join team ATLAS and teach both Ganymede and Daph a couple of good reasons not to play with fire. 🔥


Last but not least, 0.1.3 also comes with a special variAtion for players that completed 0.1.2's challenge. There will probably be another temporary achievement – at least until the Steam Inventory System is fully hooked in. As for the variAtion itself: I'm still bouncing between a couple of candidates. Here's one of them:


From September 1923 to October 1926, Ganymede was interned at one of Ionia's many black-sites. Under the guise of a busy hospital, the Wenger Asylum is a place where agents with questionable motives get debriefed. Thankfully, Ganymede loves nothing more than giving you the answers you want to hear.


All in all, Marche will be a bit smaller than its predecessor due to special day-job commitments this month. The good news is: Everything you see here is already live on the public beta branch. Starting November 18th, I'll take a little vacation and fully throw myself into development until release. This gives me more than a week to clean up 0.1.3 and mayhaps even include a feature or two originally planned for 0.1.4.

Either way – I'll get back to you at the latest with a little overview of 0.1.3 – Marche once it's released on November 28th. 😊

Until then, I hope you have a great couple of weeks. 🥰

much love
nory

[h2]Howdy-ho, friends! 🤗[/h2]

At long last, ANARCHY's second update is finally here.
There's so much to cover – and so little time.

[h2]Let's jump in![/h2]
Development of 0.1.2 revolved around three primary goals: Implementing the first set of InvAsion scenes, reworking ExcommunicAtion's Phase 4 and adding mountains of content to ParAdise. I'm very proud to announce all three milestones were met!🎉 In addition, there's general UI improvements alongside a prototype for cosmetic VariAtions, topped off by a new patch-wide challenge.

[h2]Top to Bottom[/h2]


The first thing you'll notice is that there's two new achievements. One of them – eerily similar to the picture above – sports the faces of Icarus and Ganymede. There's a story between these two. And I think it's time for us to admit we know how it went. For the duration of this patch, I'd love to see people recreate this particular scene. 👀

[h2]Method[/h2]


In a continued effort to polish ExcommunicAtion, Phase 4 underwent a slight rework. Going forward, Ariadne will do her best to set you up. All her efforts go into a devastating arena-wide spell that reduces the HP of all targets to 1. Afterwards, the stage is yours.

[h2]Tact[/h2]

On a related note, all stats have been carefully readjusted for each individual phase. Attacks feel a lot more deadly and the phases themselves flow a bit quicker. Naturally, this also has an effect on ParAdise. Enemies generally live longer, but Equipment makes a much bigger difference now.

[h2]LiberAtion[/h2]

To kickstart Lorna's adventures, she'll now receive a weapon through a little event just a couple of steps away from the initial spawning point. And since Lorna's story is all about taking matters into her own hands, she now gets to wield a very special axe. 🪓

[h2]Goblins[/h2]

In addition to an overall stats and loot table reworks, a tribe of Goblins intend to cause big trouble in little ParAdise. They're not all too clever, yet. But word on the street is, they'll learn to coordinate, soon. Until then, feel free to hack away at them as much you please. Though be advised that they're already a lot stronger than the other enemies you've faced.

[h2]Frontier[/h2]

The tiles of Paradise's first map have been massively reworked. Hilltops now have their own distinctive color and the ground is in general is much less busy on the eyes. Trees have been repositioned to allow for smoother movement across the map. Next to a lot more props all over the place, the outside parts of a toll-house now overlook the river separating north from south.

[h2]Black Market[/h2]

If you've been looking for a way to spend your Polygons, Ari's got your back! From consumables to starter equipment, she loves nothing more than sorting you out. There's rumors she even temporarily got her hands on some special stuff. 👀

[h2]Ostrakon[/h2]

Oftentimes in history, we see the past only through little fragments here and there. It's for us to connect these bits and pieces in an effort to make sense of it. Although the old word is lost, it's not forgotten. On the contrary! Like a present, it's waiting to unwrap itself in front you.

[h2]Nostalgia[/h2]

Interacting with Fragments triggers an old world memory. Players get to witness a moment in TRACHI's history, currently represented by a collection of InvAsion scenes. They offer a snapshot of a moment in the character's previous lives. The characters get to remember, and you get to find something out about them. And maybe, you get to keep a little souvenir.

[h2]NavigAtion[/h2]

Sometimes things don't go as planned. Sometimes you'd rather be somewhere else. Going forward, you can return to the Start Menu (almost) whenever you please. As a bonus, the chapter selection has also received a slight visual rework.

[h2]VariAtion[/h2]

They say: "Clothes make the man". Does that go for fictional people, too? In ANARCHY, characters are represented as base classes with a whole set of different VariAtions. At the moment, the system itself is mostly used within Fragment Scenes. Though I'd love for you to have additional options for customization, too!

[h2]Field Trial[/h2]

As a thank you to the absolute awesome bunch of people that invested their valuable time to overcome ExcommunicAtion during 0.1.1, a new skin is now available for Daphne. Going forward, I'd like to at least include one VariAtion per patch. These will be tied to a monthly challenge represented by a special achievements.

[h2]Vanguard[/h2]

If you like what you see and haven't completed ExcommunicAtion yet – don't worry! There'll be plenty more opportunities to grab this cosmetic down the line. Beyond potential reruns, there are also plans to couple VariAtions with Steam's Inventory System and thus open the door for trading, buying/selling on the market and/or purchase the item as a DLC.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

As you can see, there's tons of elements going into ANARCHY. It's my responsibility to not only work on these segments, but also tie them together in a meaningful way. Your presence helps me to discern essential features from flavor stuff – and serves as a continuous encouragement for me to keep going.

As such, I'd like to – once again – thank you so much for all the support! 😊

I hope you'll enjoy this update as another big leap forward to transform the world of TRACHI into a video game. I'll be back soon to talk more about the next milestone – henceforth known as ANARCHY 0.1.3 (Marché). In the meantime, here's to you having a great couple of weeks! 🍻

Big hugs and kissies! 🥰


much love
nory

[h3]Hey non-fictional friends! 👋[/h3]

As promised, here's more info on ANARCHY 0.1.2 (Encore). We're dangerously close to release – a perfect chance for a little heads-up, a gentle reminder and a couple of deets!

[h3]Let's do exactly that![/h3]
The final development stretch is going exceedingly well. As of Thursday, we're feature complete. Highlights include the first set of InvAsion scenes, a rework of ExcommunicAtion's Phase 4 – and a record-shattering amount of additions to ParAdise.

I'll squeeze in bit of extra QA this weekend to make sure it's all nice and pretty for you.
Which means it's time for me to commit myself. 😳

[h2]October 23rd 📅[/h2]
Next Monday, ANARCHY 0.1.2 goes live. I'll cover the features in a separate post published alongside the update. We'll also have an in-depth look at it during this Sunday's devlog.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube] Needless to say, I'm stoked! This update is the first step towards bridging AUTONOMY and ANARCHY. It feels like coming home to a new place – and what better way to celebrate than to give back to a couple of friends?


Remember the achievement for completing ExcommunicAtion? I mentioned early-bird rewards. There was a lot of back and forth during development, but I'm incredibly proud to announce that there's already a functioning prototype system in place.


Launching 0.1.2 for the very first time runs a check on whether you've completed ExcommunicAtion. If you did, you'll get a new appearance for Daphne. In addition to her default look, you can have her hop into an EnKAD uniform – with different sprites and a matching set of portraits.


Chances are, you're already part of the eligible 50%. If not, there's still a good amount of time. Especially considering there's settings allowing you to jump straight into ExcommunicAtion's later phases – and/or skip conversations. But you didn't hear that from me, okay? 😏

Either way, I'll end it here and resume the playtesting grind. Thank you – as always – very much for your valuable time.

Have a great weekend, champs! 😊


much love
nory