Keystone Library News

This months updates are very late. I was supposed to update Mar 14th. The good news is that the updates are SUBSTANTIAL, and that's why it took so long.

1 - Completely revamped the graphics.
2 - Added a parallax effect to every chapter animation.
3 - Added special effects - smoke, birds flying, sun glare, particles, etc.
4 - Completely updated sound system for better volume.
5 - Add "ambient sound" such as ocean waves, mountain wind, forrest sounds, etc.
6 - Updated save system and menu system.
7 - Updated art for Shop and Companion scenes.
8 - Completely updated the companion to act like a real interactive friend.
9 - Updated all Pastimes to be more engaging.
10 - Added BONUSES for when you complete a chapter Unscathed, Perfect, and Immaculate (the latter means you not only hit every word, but attended every Side Quest).
11 - I started on the final boss, but it still needs time.

So now, every chapter of this first book is 100% complete, or at least 99% complete for now. I only have to complete the very final chapter - the final boss. And that will be completed in the next release (end of this month or early next month). And then this beautiful mythology book will finally be complete and we can move on to the next book.

Actually, I will probably do a few shorter books before working on the next major volume, just to take it easy on myself and see some more content build as a reward to myself. It'll be very satisfying to see a few more books on the shelves of Keystone Library -- having put so much into this for so many months already.

That's all for now. Any further news will be reported in the Steam Community or on the publishing website www.dream-gears.com

I've been polishing the graphics system and working with the sound designer to create the best environments possible with our humble game.

The latest features will be updated in a few days. We're busy testing and tying up loose ends.

The list:

1 - Each illustration is split into layers, which allowed me to add a parallax effect, and it makes a HUGE different.

2 - I added a dynamic ambient effect system. Smoke, particles, birds, bats, all types of stuff!

3 - Scoring system update. If you do a perfect run you get bonuses! Complete the chapter UNSCATHED for x1.5 bonus. Don't miss a word for PERFECT bonus x2. And if you collect everything and also don't skip any Side Quests you'll get the IMMACULATE bonus for a whipping x3 bonus!!! Holy Cow! Times Three!!!

4 - Improvements to saves. The save will remember your chosen resolution... oh yeah... did I mean you can toggle full screen and choose a window resolution? The options are Full screen, 900p, and 720p. Obviously 720p is quite small for a PC game, and it might not be fully supported, but I do hope to maintain support for smaller resolutions too.

5 - Pastimes are all update for more dynamics and improved challenges.

6 - Various illustration and interface updates which should be quite noticeable.

That's about all for now.

Uploads in a few days.

Season 1.3 has begun!

Short Version: 9 New Chapters. Tons of quality updates.

Today we have a lot of updates, so many various things that I can't put it into words. I've done graphics updates, content updates, video and audio improvements, and my personal favorite -- Data upgrades which will make future content releases much easier for me! Yay! Woohoo! Woof woof woof!

This content will nearly complete the entire Season 1 - Greek Mythology. The only thing remaining is the final boss challenge for this book.

The upcoming workflow should go like this:

1 - Finalize all content up to the final boss
2 - Make some graphic and audio updates
3 - Publish everything

And then I will go back to working on the final boss scene, and next time I update I will publish the final boss, and Season 1 will be complete.

In March I will start on Season 2, a much shorter book with a more simple theme.

ALSO. I have secretly started on additional features for Keystone Library. I will be adding some environment upgrades and achievements. So you can customize your experience and upgrade your own personal library as you go along. This should be a fun pastime addition for a casual game like this.

New players couldn't play, stuck on title screen because there was not sufficient data in the save file yet.

Bug fixed.

Whoops! I just forgot to update the welcome message on the start screen. So here's another minor update.

Read the previous update notes for majors update changes.

The files are very small updates anyway, so it shouldn't cause any problems.