Crimson Veil News

How’s everyone doing? This week I peered through my list of highest-tiered patrons and crafted the NPCs of everyone I hadn’t gotten around to yet. If you became a tier 4 patron between the release of the last update and this one, your NPC can be found somewhere within the new area of Fallholt! I also finished the last scene that takes place in this update’s dungeon, So I just have one more scene to go for the story and then tweak a few other side quest scenes.



This month is going to be focused on cranking out the illustrations, which I’ve only briefly worked on. This week I worked on two of them and though I’ve made good progress, they’re not finished yet. But, you can check out a cropped preview of this scene with Cassie, ditching her dorky glasses:



And this rather spicy expression on Sigrun’s face:



On that note, I can’t forget to mention that tomorrow is Crimson Veil’s 5 year anniversary! I posted version 1.0 back in 2019! It’s crazy how time flies! I’ve prepared an illustration for the occasion, which I will be sharing on patreon and twitter tomorrow, so be sure you’re following me on one of those platforms to check it out!

@MaikeruUrashima

Lastly, I will be out on a work business trip next weekend, so there will be no Weekly Update next Sunday. However, I have prepared something a little different to go live that day at the usual time, for my $5 and up Patrons. I’m curious to see if you’ll like it.

Well, that’s all I have for you this week. Until next time, everyone!

Still working on scripting events, but I’m now able to play up to the dungeon of the update itself! Just a few more scenes to go! A friend of mine told me that he was recently replaying the game on Steam and suggested something that I’ve decided to implement into the game. For certain puzzles that are a bit esoteric, I’ve highlighted keywords to make the clues more obvious. This can be seen in the very first dungeon, the Cliffside Library. The clues that give you the combination are now bright and blue!



A few of you have asked me if a certain feature would be returning to Fallholt with this update. I am happy to confirm that the casino will be added in. Mila will have the opportunity to obtain the ability to summon Aeriseth once again by completing the side quest. Even better, if you already defeated Aeriseth in the main route, you will skip the fight entirely!



However, should you choose to fight her and lose, you’ll get a slightly different ending than you would in the main route. Aeriseth can’t convert Mila and make her a succubus anymore, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have another use for her…



I currently have an alternate preview of the succubus corruption scene for all my $5+ patrons. Take a look if you’re curious.

https://www.patreon.com/MKRUdesign


Well, that’s all I have for you this week. Until next time, everyone!

This week I continued working on scripting events. I feel like this update might turn off some players with how much exposition there is compared to the sexy stuff. Not that it isn’t there, just that it’s mostly relegated to exploration and side content. There’s lots of lore that I want to dump and I’m trying to keep the pacing at a good level to accommodate for players who are impatient or don’t like to read (like me!)



I’ve already mentioned in previous updates how I adjusted scenes from the original script when adapting them into the game. Like making dialogue into a full-on scene instead of just two portraits talking to each other. I know that can get boring for some people, so I’m doing what I can with the rpg maker engine to make scenes as lively as possible. One scene that I have been working on that has a lot of moving parts is this scene where Mila meets with Anja for the first time:



This scene is extra challenging, since the dialogue differs slightly depending on whether the player completed chapter 3 in the main story or not. It may seem like a simple dialogue change, but there are a few instances like this in the update that I’ve needed to take into account that’s made this dev cycle feel longer than usual. No matter what the player decides to do, the dialogue in scenes like this need to end in the same conclusion (or close to it where it doesn’t diverge drastically).

Oh, I didn’t even mention Anja’s personal guard, the White Knight. This masked figure is one of few words.



She is a loyal ally of the Queen and protects her from the shadows fiercely. Getting on the Queen’s bad side while her knight is near is an easy way to get reduced to ash…

There’s no character portrait preview, because even I don’t know what she looks like behind the mask! I guess we will all have to wait and see, won’t we.

I still feel like I’m on track to release this in April. It just feels overwhelming when I think about all of the small things I need to do all at once. I’m focusing on getting the toughest parts out of the way first, and right now, that’s scripting these events. I want to sketch out some illustrations this week. Hopefully with the extra day I have from the long weekend, I’ll have enough time to churn one out.

That’s all I’ve got to share with you this week. Until next time, everyone!

With the majority of new locations now constructed and fleshed out, this week I began scripting events for the scenes of the game. I can now make it to Fallholt without having to warp there with dev tools! While creating these events, one scene I decided to change from the script was Dorian’s backstory. This scene was originally just a conversation between him and Mila, but I decided to make it something more visually interesting.



The scene now goes through different parts of Dorian’s life as he recounts his early days, to the moment he became a vampire, and beyond.

Other scenes have been added too, such as speaking with this depressed looking girl at a bar:



Maybe she’ll come up again later in the story, I dunno…

I’d say scripting-wise, I’m about halfway done with the update. Going to spend this upcoming week working on the second half of the script as well as begin working on some additional illustrations. I’ve not decided on how many scenes I want to make illustrations for. I think it just depends on how much time I have between now and my predicted release window of April. All of the character portraits however are now done and colored. The last one I needed to finish was for the woman, shown above.

I have her character portraits available to all my $5+ patrons, if you’d like a preview of her. I mean, if you’re into depressed girls, I guess…

https://www.patreon.com/MKRUdesign

That’s all I’ve got to share with you this week. Until next time, everyone!

Apologies for last week. Apparently a Windows update caused my computer to act unusually and I couldn’t get any work done. When I had my friend look at it, the problem was fixed, but then my old Wacom tablet decided it didn’t want to work! At that point the only solution I had was to run to the store and just buy a new one. A rough blow, but one I was able to quickly resolve thanks to the support of my patrons. RIP old tablet…

Onto the game news. I spent this week designing and furnishing the new dungeon for Chapter 3-V, Friedrich Headquarters (North Branch). This office stores a powerful treasure in its depths, but getting there won’t be easy!



The building has the most advanced technology in all of Fallholt. Its multiple floors are protected by various security doors and transport panels to confound would-be intruders.



The building’s security was designed by Cassie Schwerin, a high ranking officer who works directly under Queen Anja.



Cassie is a self-described genius with a strict propensity for following the rules, often barking at those who stray outside of them. She has a sharp tongue and a superiority complex, but still gets teased by her co-workers, who don’t really take her seriously. Not only is she a marvelous engineer, she’s also a talented artist! Cassie is paid well to create the official portraits of any vampire who seeks a legal ID Badge.



She and her family have a distrust of vampires. Despite the Queen being one, she has great respect and admiration for Anja. However, when speaking to other vampires, she can often be cruel, using her authority to say heinous things freely. She does get flustered easily around them, however. Perhaps she harbors forbidden feelings…? Who knows.



Right now, I have Cassie’s character portraits available to all my $5+ patrons. This preview is 16 alts, (8
with glasses and 8 no glasses).

https://www.patreon.com/MKRUdesign

Cassie’s a character with a lot of personality and is inspired by a few suggestions you all gave me from the last survey! I can’t wait to share more about her.

That’s all I’ve got to share with you this week. Until next time, everyone!