Vernacular

Sorry, friends.

But I've been very, very busy.

Feature-Complete.

That's right. InvAsion has reached the beta stage (hurray)! Until the release on the 26th, I want to put all my efforts into fixing bugs and polishing things. Before I get into that, though, let's start it off with a quick (note to self) summary of what InvAsion represents.

In short, InvAsion is a direct continuation of AUTONOMY. It's a narrative sequel, though not in structural terms.

Truth be told, it's a bit sus.

Initially, I wanted to make a couple of scenes to commemorate 28/08 and throw out some content so people wouldn't forget TRACHI existed. The plan was to do this in RPGMaker, since I was worried about not being proficient enough in any of the other engines, yet.

I started getting into Unity around January. And boy, were these last eights months intense. The whole of January, I went through one tutorial after another to learn as much I could. In February, I started importing assets I used for AUTONOMY.

And to you.

That month turned out to be more or less hell, since 2D development in Unity takes a bit of getting used to. The trickiest part was to get sprites moving, both physically and in terms of animating them. These are two of the things RPGMaker does for you, so that part especiallytook a long time to get into.

Prototype

Eventually, I got it working. And thanks to GIL's ORK Framework, the first iteration of InvAsion was more or less finished by the end of June.

Talki.

From the get-go, I was adamant for InvAsion to have a very defined - one might almost say narrow - scope. Wrap up AUTONOMY, bridge the gap to whatever's coming afterwards.

In other words, narrative above everything else. The "couple" of scenes I mentioned earlier were never planned to be connected in a gameplay sense. There is a structure no doubt. But the "in-between", i.e. strolling around outskirts, Nestville or Trachi, is completely gone. What remains is, for all intents and purposes, the meat of the TRACHI universe.

Dialogue

Again?

As you can see, the "game" has now fully embraced it's character as a kinetic novel. There's a couple of player responses here and there. But for the most part, InvAsion can be put on Auto-Mode and experienced like a movie. Owing in large parts to the amazing Dialogue System by Pixel Crushers, the dialogue has been elevated to the main course, this time around.

Sure am.

Let's be real: AUTONOMY has a bunch of very glaring problems. Chief among them being the pacing. For that reason, it's super important to me that every scene and every line of dialogue contributes something to InvAsion and TRACHI as a whole.

Most importantly, though, I want you to see these characters again. The way they used to be. It's the least I can do. For you, for me, and for them. In effect, InvAsion is a farewell letter. And as is custom, the first half of these letters oozes reminiscence.

Nostalgia

Someone else, I guess?

The big issue in the room is arteria. As such, a big focus will be put on four CoExA agents that operated from within Trachi and the surrounding area. A special spotlight will be put on Icarus and the events of the first day. This fits nicely with the idea that 28/08 is a reoccurring thing, and opens the door to revisit the events of InfestAtion in August 2023.

Agreed.

In any case, I'm super content with the way the scenes flow. There's tons of heavy hitting stuff, so much that I had to come up with a couple of easy-going segments in-between. However, I'm super confident that it's playing right into the strengths of TRACHI. With the key difference that there's now a lot more answers being given than questions being raised.

Can't wait.

Worry not, though! It probably won't surprise you, but we've got the cryptic stuff covered, too. TRACHI is great the way it was. But it also always wanted to be something more.

ATOPIA

Barring a single obvious exception, every scene in the second part is set post arteria. It's bit of politics, setting the stage for events future instalments will cover in depth. However, the main focus is much more personal and intrinsic.

Everyone deals with pain differently. But the main cause, the root of it all, has always been the same for everyone. For us, and for them.

Me too, I think?

One year after the events of AUTONOMY, we've come full circle. Or cycle, to be precise. On the 28th of August, a certain person steps into a room. A certain someone is already there. Third time's the charm. First time's a shot in the dark.

I think I'm gonna pass, thank you.

To retrace what I said earlier: InvAsion is a bridge. On one end there's AUTONOMY. On the other side looms the next flagship title in capital letters, to be announced next week. A week after that, Invasion will be released. On that day, we'll cross the bridge. And after that, we'll set the whole thing on fire. Death to AUTONOMY.

TRACHI, eternally.

Telling the tale of people who wanted, but ultimately couldn't. People without a choice. People who deserve better.

People who deserve to know the truth.

What's it gonna be?

With that being said, I hope InvAsion will be to your liking. In 12 days, when it's officially being released. Or right now, if you want.

Because the beta is already available. If you've participated in the beta for AUTONOMY, chances are InvAsion has found its way onto your HDD or SSD. If not, and you'd like access, please give me a short ring either here, on Discord, or via E-Mail.

And if you'd like to offer any kind of feedback, talk TRACHI in general, or anything else, really, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Talk to you soon.

Much love
nory