Version 4.69 contains an important bugfix (fixes a crash in chapter 2) but also contains a second pack-in mod. Mannizuna is not enabled by default but if you do enable it it adds a new costume for Izuna. You figure out what it is.
I also updated the backend to make it much easier for mods to add new costumes. This mod is meant to serve as an introduction to people who want to make them.
There may yet be more minor updates if crashes or anything of the like is found. Right now things seem to be in a stable state.
Other Development
I am working on Ophiucus, making my way through the UI. I spent a lot longer than usual to make a fully general-purpose options menu that other games will be able to work off of, and more importantly, this UI is capable of supporting modded options. It will take a lot of work to backport it to the other games but hey, it’ll be pretty cool to be able to add new options from mods. I can also use it to allow easier access to debug options.
Yeah this is one of those “coder does something that only a coder might find interesting” things. I am hoping to have the UI finished up this week, then it’ll be off to work on the scenario. If I finish the coding before the art is ready (likely) then I can start on WoR while the artists catch up.
Version 4.68 fixes a few minor sprite problems and more important updates some more mod hook features. Get it here (Mega.nz / Mediafire)
In addition, the Chapter V / Volcano mod has been updated to the new format. Check it out!
Project Ophiucus Progress
I am now working on Project Ophiucus again, trying to get the prototype ready before I start work on Witches of Ravenbrook. I’m behind but that’s always the case aieee. At least you’ll all get a free new TF adventure to play!
The Cards UI is basically an achievements UI. Mouse over a card to see its description, cards can be unlocked by doing things in game, etc. Testing placeholder art by Clover :3
The Inventory UI is also done. This is an adventure game (though it could be turned into a first-person RPG if we really wanted to) so it has complicated item usage capability. In this case, the use-item menu supports images, allowing you to use items on your party and look good.
UI stuff is very important to a game like this. It’s going well. I hope to have the main UI done this week so I can get to work on the scenario.
I’ll be honest I haven’t followed the latest Star Wars stuff but the screenshots look really good.
Coding and Stuff
There will be a RoP patch sometime in the next week. There are still a trickle of minor bug reports coming in, all of which are small fixes related to the mod update. I’ll put together a patch when those are all finished up.
Otherwise, it’s back to work on Ophiucus.
I am currently working my way through the inventory and spell code. This is a look-and-think puzzle game, so I’m working on making the inventory extremely flexible. I also intend to use this engine for other games in the future. All this work is going to pay off.
I don’t have an ETA for Ophiucus right now, as I spent the past 3.5 weeks getting the modkit ready. Believe me I’m working 7 days a week on getting this ready so I can start on Witches of Ravenbrook.
High Lord of Dust is Out! Welcome Change big anniversary sale!
And as I have been endlessly mentioning, this is the one-year anniversary of WeChange.me so you can go get 40 comics/books for just 20 bucks! It’s a damn good deal, and includes Knighttime, Sticks and Straws, and the new High Lord of Dust!
As usual if you’re a patron you can send me a dm and I’ll whip up a free copy since you already paid for it with your patron $$$$$$$$.
In addition to containing a bunch of bugfixes for all three chapters, this is the pack-in mod with Nina’s Adventure enabled by default. The game now includes a load-order editor on the main menu so other mods will be easier to add in the future.
While the modkit isn’t exactly big, I touched up all the code so it will actually be useful for people who want to make their own mods. All the code is modernized and there are now lots more hook points where mods can interact with the base game safely.
Now it’s back to work on Ophiucus. So I’m only three weeks behind!
Welcome Change Anniversary Bundle
Yep, I told you I’d mention it again. The current launch date is May 1st.
The modkit work is almost done, I’m presently cleaning up the last few bugs and then will send it up for testing. It will be released later this week. In addition to the modkit code being updated, there is now a mod load order UI for RoP, and RoP and WHI now use different mod load order code.
Chapter 2 and the base game will get a few bugfixes alongside as well. You’re also getting a new instant-text option. So many improvements!
How about an Ophiucus teaser?
WeChange.me Bundle in May!
In May, Welcome Change celebrates its 1-year anniversary, and we’re having a big bundle. Almost all of the artists are participating, and that includes us.
The novels Knighttime and Sticks and Straws will both be in the bundle, as well as the upcoming High Lord of Dust. All three are spooky-ish Knights of Justice novels. I’ll post this ONE MORE TIME next week just to make sure everyone is suitably excited.
Some of you may remember the Modkit called Nina’s Adventure. It was (and is) a little modkit with two transformations and a couple endings meant to show off how to make a mod for Runes of Pandemonium. However, due to numerous engine changes after WHI came out and mods got redone, it didn’t work correctly anymore. Well I’m fixing it up so people can use it again, AND it will be a default pack-in no longer requiring its own download. It also has brand new graphics by Xandra, as well as two full TF sequences with art and a silly non-canon bonus ending.
I had to rewrite a ton of code to modernize things and am still adding new functionality, and not to mention it’s going to require a lot of testing to make sure I didn’t blow anything up. I expect it will be ready next week.
There will also be an attendant bugfix patch since a few bugs have been pointed out in the last week, and the base game will need an update anyway. After that, it’s back to Project Ophiucus.
Ophiucus is going to be using a hand-drawn style by artist Stinkehund which should allow a lot of look-and-search puzzle fun between dealing with TFs, and above you can see an example of a (mostly) finished room. My goal was to have all the code and scenario work done by the end of April, and while I still am targeting that, the art likely won’t be done by then. I can move on to working on WoR while the artwork catches up before we release the prototype.
WeChange.me Bundle in May!
In May, Welcome Change celebrates its 1-year anniversary, and we’re having a big bundle. Almost all of the artists are participating, and that includes us.
The novels Knighttime and Sticks and Straws will both be in the bundle, as well as the upcoming High Lord of Dust. All three are spooky-ish Knights of Justice novels. Naturally I will post again as we get closer to the bundle date.
Honeybunns!
For this month’s Witches of Ravenbrook update, we’re officially revealing Honeybunns. I’ve talked about her before and she has appeared in outline in some artwork, but now we’re going to meet her for real.
Honeybunns runs a restaurant in the Gluttony area of the Pactrealms, as you’ve seen from the waiter/waitress enemy TFs we showed a while ago. These are some of the posters you’ll see in the area. Inky also wants to make some unique enemies like cardboard-cutouts of Honeybunns who attack you as you wander the streets of her realm.
Okay but that is an excessive amount of burg.
While all the witches view each other with contempt and suspicion, usually pretty openly, Honeybunns is the only one that the others actually view as a freak. Dahlia was once human, nobody knows about Runa’s origin, but Honeybunns? She creeps everyone out and they have no idea where she’s from, if she’s from anywhere. What does she want? Who knows.
Oh and Fluffs HATES Honeybunns.
Yeah she’s vandalized some of the posters and she might be willing to bend the rules to help you against Honeybunns because the animosity between the two goes deep. Why? You’ll find out in the game, of course!
And as a little bonus, we’re working through the various other artwork. Here’s one from the prey TF area (not finalized just yet) so consider it a fun preview of a maddened fox.
Fairly minor bugfix patch with some placeholder sprites filled in. Get it here (Mega.nz / Mediafire) or the usual download sites.
More Ophiucus Work
Some more work on Ophiucus. Hund will be doing the backgrounds, and I’ve completed the journal UI. It’s a system I’m thinking of putting into Witches of Ravenbrook, which now that I think of it, is kind of like how pdf files work. I’m not going to bore you with the details but it’s very flexible. Next up is the inventory UI.
Next week we’ll be getting some WoR art previews!
Itch Bundle!
Witch Hunter Izana and String Tyrant are in an Itch bundle! Get them now! You get a big pile of cool games so if you somehow don’t already have both of these then I don’t know what to tell you. Otherwise the next sale is in October so get ’em while they’re hot!
Solace of Orange is out!
That’s right, you can get it on Itch.io or WeChange. As usual, patrons can send me a message for a free copy if you want to read about bats. Bats!
Currently working my way through the Ophiucus UI, starting with the map. It’s similar to RoP’s map in that it shows where you are and can reveal areas as you explore, it just doesn’t have all the warp functionality so it’s a lot quicker to code.
Still lots of work to go but the game already looks pretty great!
Next week will have a RoP patch as several smaller bugs have built up so I’ll take all of those out in one fell swoop.
In addition, on Wednesday the next Tales of Strings, Solace of Orange, will be released. I’ll post about it next Monday as usual. There will also be a special Itch.io bundle which has the Bottled Starlight games WHI and String Tyrant on Wednesday!
That’s right, this is the prototype I’ve been working on for a few months. The game is a visual novel with exploration and puzzle-solving elements. The inspiration was Shadowgate and its many derivatives, though the engine is perfectly capable of functioning as a visual novel with character movements and animations.
The game takes place in an alternate version of Chapter 1, where Mei sticks around for a bit longer looking for a way home. She and Florentina get a request for help from Elowen, a somewhat mousey magician whose sister has gone missing. The team track her to Sciers Island, and the game begins.
You click on the arrows to move between areas, and can mouse-over objects to examine them, and some can be examined further or manipulated. The game will have an inventory system where Elowen can cast magic spells the team finds, as well as finding navigation upgrades like a better sword for Mei and sneaking boots for Florentina.
So why am I working on this? Well I’ve been wanting to make a visual novel engine for literally a few years now, but there were always projects projects projects demanding my attention. WoR is the next big one that will take a long time to make, so I decided while doing engine updates and RoP bugfixes, I should get around to making that VN engine. So now I have, and Xandra and I are making a prototype to use it.
The prototype will be free and released (hopefully) in April. At that point we’ll decide based on the audience response if we’re going to finish it and make it a whole game. The last semi-VN project got a lot of positive response from its investigation components so that’s the primary focus here.
If you’re worried about pixel-hunts, don’t!
The top left corner has buttons that you can toggle at any time to show what objects you can examine, so you won’t have to get stuck because you didn’t examine a toilet or whatever. If you don’t want hints, turn them off!
The game has TF of course. Traps will damage your party, always going left to right so Mei gets hit, then Florentina, then Elowen. It’s possible to recover a TF’d party member, but stay alert!
Some traps aren’t just for examining the wrong thing, sometimes failing to take an action will result in getting hit, or you might need an item to help. Luckily, the fountain outside the manor will restore your HP and, if Mei is transformed, you can recover her there because of that handy runestone on her belt. However…
There are bad ends waiting in case the team fails. Sure they’re non-canon but hey it’s fun and people love those. Collect them all!
The prototype will contain three transformations, including knight doll, maid doll, and pooltoy. The full game has more planned, naturally, and will be maybe 4x longer than the prototype if we do decide to pursue it. Development would take place sometime after WoR or maybe during the back half of WoR’s development (because working on a single project for over 6 months starts to drive you nuts, trust me).
The game will also have extra challenges called “cards”. These may or may not make it into the prototype, but you basically have to solve certain challenge puzzles by, say, completing the knight doll area without getting hit once. You’d need to know the game’s mechanics perfectly and plan out a route, providing a little extra fun for players who really like the game or are just completionists.
Artists Xandrasubmarine (who is inexplicably named after hamburgers) is providing the character graphics, UI, and backgrounds. She also provided the basic scenario idea and is in charge of the overall plot. I’m doing the coding, naturally.
Look forward to Project Ophiucus!
Tales of Strings: Bound By Love and Grace Released!
It’s finally out! This one got delayed several times but the art is all done and it’s gorgeous. Pick it up on Itch.io or Wechange! It has action, drama, touching moments, butterfly TF, and terrible jokes. I think that means I don’t qualify for a literary award because it’s too good.
As usual, if you’re a patron supporter over 5$ for the past few months, DM me on patreon or subscribestar if you’d like a free copy. If you aren’t but still want a free copy then I guess pictures of your animals or poetry would suffice, I’m very easily manipulated.
Next time on the Knights of Justice: Solace of Orange
A kindhearted therapist is running a retreat in the woods for people who have been victims of the True Path hybrids. Kent gets an invitation from a very familiar woman, and the Knights agree that Kent and Igor need to be in attendance in case the True Path decides to tie up some loose ends. Who is the mysterious woman, who is the therapist, and can anyone be trusted, or is the whole thing a trap?
Other News
No RoP patch this week but there might be one next week. There’s two sprites I need to update and a small smattering of minor bugs to take care of.
Pretty small patch today. Get it in the usual places or direct download (Mega / Mediafire).
This one contains bugfixes, like the raccoon stating the wrong number of candleabras or immunity still showing stat changes when changing gems.
I’m still working on Ophiucus, it’s coming along well and I am hoping to show off screenshots next Monday. I would like the prototype ready in April and then it’s off to WoR. Of course I’ll still be doing bugfixes as I go, though most of those have calmed down.
Pandemonium Development 