TRACHI – ANARCHY News

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

[h2]Greetings, friends! 😊[/h2]

We're about halfway on the road towards ANARCHY's second update. There's a lot to unpack already, and I can't wait to present it all to you! So without further ado –

0.1.1 (Trois) put a big focus on infrastructure. Largely thanks to that, we can now shift gears steadily towards rolling out new content. Highlights include a rework of ExcommunicAtion's Phase 4, big improvements to ParAdise's starting area and – last but not least – the first couple of InvAsion scenes.


Revisiting these brought back tons of memories. InvAsion was my first Unity project, and it shows! There's big post-autonomy "sky is the limit" vibes – both in terms of content and infrastructure.

Going in, I tried to get rough idea of how much work (re)implementing these scenes would be. So I started by reworking the scenes' basic setup. In other words: It might get a bit technical now. 😳

InvAsion was originally built around an RPG Kit called ORK Framework. Halfway during development, I ported all the conversations into a dedicated Dialogue System. In the end, ORK was completely cut from the final build, since InvAsion was mostly comprised of conversations.

ANARCHY on the other hand heavily uses the RPG elements. So the overarching infrastructural goal here was to embed InvAsion's (Dialogue System) conversations into ORK. For the most part, you won't notice a difference – barring new UI elements and a couple of other details.


The actual dialogue has mostly been left intact. Thirteen months later, the lines still hit the same. And the acoustic BGM is a great change of pace compared to the J-Rock tracks you're encountering for example during ExcommunicAtion.

All in all, these scenes are big nostalgia trip, and they're a perfect fit for a game centered around (re)discovering yourself.


During the events of ParAdise and on, characters rediscover their memories by reliving key moments of their original lives – i.e InvAsion et al. Completing these "Fragments" will not only offer additional exposition, but also directly affect the characters by unlocking status bonuses, abilities, equipment and so on.


Essential memories will be directly tied to the main story quest. Naturally, there's also plans for a lot of optional sequences that you can discover either through completing side-quests, stumbling upon Mementos or interacting with other characters.

This should make a great incentive to go out and explore, especially due to the fact that it – in most cases – improves the characters capabilities, too.


Speaking of interactions: A familiar face has set up a little shop in ParAdise. Just like her mythological namesake, our very own Ariadne is – once again – here to help you out. At the moment, she offers a small selection of items and equipment, with a potential to unlock more goodies down the road.


Overall, ParAdise's first map has received a lot of love. It's an ongoing process, and will likely take a couple of months until the map itself is somewhat presentable. But I'm getting more and more comfortable working with the new tiles.

During AUTONOMY, I made a lot of maps simply because making them felt good, and I'm already starting to get that exact feeling again.


I mentioned a rework of ExcommunicAtion's Phase 4. It's planned to happen this weekend, so there's not much to show yet. But here's what I'm planning to do: Both Icarus and Ariadne will get a unique ability each.

Icarus will have an aura that transfers a portion of damage dealt to Ganymede onto himself. Ariadne on the other hand will get a big AoE that takes an entire turn just to build up. Any damage inflicted to her in the meantime will cancel the cast. In other words: It falls to Daphne (and you) to give Ariadne the time she needs.


If you'd like to preview any of these changes for yourself, you can now switch between the live and beta branch. In most cases, both your settings and progression should be fully compatible. If not, please be so kind and get in touch with me. 😙


As you can see, 0.1.2 packs quite a punch. I'm super satisfied with the current pace, especially since around 2/3 of the changes are already in. In accordance to what I said above, I'll try to get the ExcommunicAtion bits set up during the next couple of days.

Afterwards, I'd like to reimplement another InvAsion scene. I'd love to tell you all about it! Luckiliy for the two of us – there's no need! A very talented and special friend put it far better than I ever could:


I hope you and everyone you love have a great couple of days! ❤
Soon enough, we'll talk more about 0.1.2.

Until then – as always – big, big hugs to you! 🤗

much love
nory

[h2]Hey friends & family! 😊[/h2]

ANARCHY's first update is finally here!

0.1.1 (Trois) comes with tons of new features, changes and improvements ALL across the board. From Combat to RPG Elements, a lot more bits of ParAdise, UI, camera and backend improvements – this one has it all. And seeing as the two of us are already here –

[h2]Let's have a little chat![/h2]


You've already seen it: Achievement(s)! This one's awarded for completing ExcommunicAtion and goes hand in hand with unlocking ParAdise. If you've already done that during 0.1, you'll get it when you start 0.1.1 for the first time.

[h2]Status Screen[/h2]

As announced in the preview, the Status Screen displays an extended overview of your current character's stats. Noteworthy are HP (Hitpoints), ATK (Attack) and DEF (Defense). These directly drive damage calculations, and you can track their growth throughout the phases of ExcommunicAtion and your playthrough of ParAdise.

[h2]Target Info HUD[/h2]
In a similar fashion, you can also get more info on the currently selected target. The Target HUD now comes with a little Info Box you can fold out to show both extended stats and passive abilities.

Currently, passives are just cosmetic and mostly there for lore reasons. They're however already set up to individually customise combatants through passive (unlockable) traits.

[h2]Glyphs[/h2]

These were already touched upon in the preview, as well. You've also likely spotted them in the previous sections. These dynamic glyphs display input keys and have now been implemented all over the game. They update automatically to reflect your individual key mappings set in the Input screen and your current input device.

[h2]!Conversation[/h2]

A new option – Conversations – allows you to toggle ExcommunicAtion dialogue on and off respectively. Think of this as the equivalent of a "story-mode" difficulty – just reversed. You'll get all the combat and gameplay segments, without being interrupted by dialogue.

[h2]Mono Trouble[/h2]

ExcommunicAtion's phase 3 has undergone a rework focusing on AI target selection. Previously, Ganymede had a 5% chance to hit an enemy Monolith and turn it back to his side. Going forward, he'll be much more persistent.

[h2]Un Deux Trois[/h2]

Starting with 0.1.1, Ganymede has his eyes on the field. He'll probe it for Monoliths you've turned and collectively hits them with a shiny new ability. It's pretty unfair, all things considered. But also something that can be dealt with.

[h2]ProvocAtion[/h2]

To counter Ganymede's fixation on Monoliths, our very own Daphne will receive a new ability to apply a provoking status effect on herself. This not only increases her Defense, but also forces Ganymede to attack her and only her.

[h2]Green Country[/h2]

Speaking of combat encounters, battles in ParAdise have been almost completely restored and enemies now have their own status developments. A prime example of this change comes with the addition of a new big bad enemy that haunts Lorna during the early parts of her adventure.

[h2]Progression[/h2]

Naturally, the player's people won't be stuck at level 1, either. Contrary to ExcommunicAtion, levelling up is not done through beating up Ganymede (over and over again), but driven by EXP instead. EXP itself is gathered by – you guessed it – killing things. But there's also completing quests and challenges, among many other ways to further progress your characters.

[h2]Equipment[/h2]

The equipment system is already present in ExcommunicAtion, but without a way to functionally interact with it. For ParAdise, equipment will play a massive role. So it's only reasonable that you're provided with both the individual pieces and the infrastructure to see and modify who's wearing what to which effect.

[h2]Last but not least[/h2]

The few story segments in ParAdise have also been completely restored. This paves the way for future updates to continue the story of Lorna and her – soon to be introduced – friends. I'm super excited to get into this once the initial segments have been fleshed out a bit more.

[h2]Speaking of Story[/h2]

It's more of an outlook than anything else. But since we're approaching the end of the post anyway, I'd like to at least give you an idea of what's next. I've teased it a couple of times already. This time around, I want to be a lot more concrete.

[h2]That's right![/h2]
InvAsion is coming home! I won't get to deep into it here, but 0.1.2 will put a heavy focus on polishing dialogue interactions and creating a sustainable tile-mapping infrastructure. InvAsion is thus the perfect poster child to not only prototype and polish these features, but also the perfect opportunity to integrate it into ANARCHY proper.

[h2]To Conclude[/h2]
If you're reading this, ANARCHY 0.1.1 is live. Even though it's a huge update, the game itself is still in the early stages of Early Access. I can't express how thankful I am both for your trust and continued interest, especially from those who've already invested hours into either ANARCHY and/or AUTONOMY.

It's nothing compared to the kindness you're giving me. But I want to leave you with a little something. Boot ANARCHY and grab the achievement for completing ExcommunicAtion, if you haven't already. Word on the street is, it's good to have it when 0.1.2 comes out.

Beyond that, feel free to grab a licence of InvAsion, too – if you don't mind. There'll be more announcements down the road, but chances are it won't be available the way it is right now forever.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2015930/TRACHI__InvAsion

As always, thank you tons for reading this. I hope you'll enjoy both 0.1.1 and all the future updates to come! If there's anything I can do for you, you're always welcome to get in touch.

Until then, big hugs and kissies from a friend! 😘


much love
nory