Rendezvous (Preview)
Hey party people! π
We're just about two weeks into December β halfway towards ANARCHY 0.1.4!
Rendezvous (previously VarietΓ©) transforms ParAdise into a battlefield and achievements into Steam Inventory Items. All of that β and more β because TRACHI's people can't wait to leave a good impression on you.
Loose Ends
In Marche's preview, I mentioned a desire to make ParAdise more dynamic. One way of achieving that was to have Battle Triggers (aka Field Impostors) roam the map.
Eventually, I settled for a barebone implementation moving enemies back and forth. Complex behaviours (fleeing / chasing) would require these entities to be actual combatants. At which point we might as well duke it out right there.
Battlefield
Starting with 0.1.4, field maps are populated by enemy combatants. Battles are triggered the same way, but the actual encounters take place where you meet your enemies. Every combatant in range (including Lorna) is placed on the grid and you get to deploy your people in a grid-shaped radius around you.
Structurally, battles follow the same rules as before. ParAdise's terrain however already has a big effect on strategic options. Fortunately, you'll now be able to see who you'll be fighting where.
TRAnsition
Following your victory, your friends despawn and you pick things up right where you left off. Compared to the old system, that's two loading screens we'll never have to see again. On the other hand, there's a whole new level of possible interactions between exploration and combat.
At some point, combatants passing by might be able to join a running battle. Throw both friendly and enemy patrols into the mix β and we're well on our way to breathe life into ParAdise.
Souvenir
If you'd like to take something with you, go right ahead! From December 28th this year, you'll have plenty of opportunities to add more Items to your Steam Inventory. What's more, the Items are also used to change your characters' appearance.
Every character will have their own equipment slot with a different set of Variations. To equip one of these, you need to have the corresponding Item on your Steam Account. The character's appearance reflects the piece you have equipped β outside of Fragments.
Dues
One of the items does exactly what Vanguard currently does. Both cover the same Variation of Daphne. Everybody who has unlocked the achievement automatically receives the Item on the 28th.
Similarly, people that achieved Broken Wings are rewarded with Ganymede's (long promised) first variation, too. It's no secret he likes dressing up β especially if he's got a date. π
Enter ParAdise
Naturally, 0.1.4 comes with another monthly challenge. A new achievement β ParAtrooper β is awarded for winning your first battle in ParAdise.
Contrary to previous iterations, this reward is shipped with the update itself. In other words: You'll receive your Item as soon as you get the achievement β until 0.1.5 goes live.
Bread and Roses
If you'd rather sit this one out, but are still eager to get your hands on any of the rewards β we've got your back! Rendezvous also launches ANARCHY's Item Store, where you can browse the current collection at your own convenience.
Barring that, we're also evaluating the ability to trade and or buy/sell these on the Steam's Community Market. The jury is still out on that one, so it would be great if you could let us know what you think.
In Sum
ANARCHY 0.1.4 puts the finishing touches on 2023 β with big ambitions for 2024. Not only is our own little spin on monetisation set up and ready to go, we've also made big leaps towards finding our stride in ParAdise.
The next two weeks will mostly be dedicated to troubleshooting both of these features extensively. However, I'll also work in the other feedback I've received (big thanks to (-_-!) and everyone else). π€
Either way, I hope all of you have a splendid couple of holidays. No matter where and in which kind of constellation β you can be sure I'll be thinking of you! π₯°
much love
nory
As mentioned in the 
Ten years before the events of 
Unfortunately for everybody involved, Lorna isn't good at keeping secrets. It takes a whopping two lines of dialogue for her to blurt out something she shouldn't have. Her older sister, Ekaterina, is understandably concerned. 
If you ever wanted to step behind the curtain, you're not alone! Throughout TRACHI's history, there have been numerous attempts by people to see their world for what it really is. ExcommunicAtion marks the most daring adventure of that kind. 
Speaking of rewrites: There's a whole new chapter to the main story quest. In ParAdise, there's people. And when there's people, there's rules. Not everybody can go everywhere β at least not without giving something in return. Sometimes you have to pay a little toll, fill out a couple of forms β and sometimes you have to provide proof of who you are. Thankfully, Lorna has a service card. At least she used to have it, somewhere.
Between 1918 and 1919, there was a series of similar incidents. Lorna lost her service card, and so she asked someone for help. Fortunately for her, she had the right kind of questions for someone who knows a lot of things. Even though he himself might not always have all the answers, he's very good at pointing in the right direction. Hopefully, he can help her in this case, too.
Just like Atlas helps Lorna, I'd like to help you learn more about the worldas well. There's approximately five to ten new interactions, ranging from triggering Fragments to making dog go woof. πΆ
If you happen to trigger a battle, you'll find that you now have an extended range of tools at your disposal. A new ability named Knockback allows you to push an enemy back by one tile β or alternatively bump it into another enemy to cause 150% damage to both entities.
In regards to general status values, the movement range of combatants acting on a battle grid has been streamlined into an overarching stat called MOV. Each point of this value enables you to traverse the grid by one tile.
Around 2 1/2 weeks ago, a friend approached me with reports of regular crashes occurring in ANARCHY. Unfortunately, I couldn't reproduce them on my end, so me and my good Friend 
Marche was a first attempt to tie a patch together thematically. It was born out of necessity due to extraordinary day-job commitments forcing me into isolated development sprints. For all intents and purposes, it was the first time since February that I felt even remotely disconnected from TRACHI.
The previous month might not have been all sunshine and roses. However, Marche still doesn't shy away from a comparison with its predecessors. Having to put a bigger focus on content rather than infrastructure not only made me appreciate the fruits of the work done through September and October, but it also predesignated the primary goal for December.
Hopefully, Variations will not only constitute one of ANARCHY's biggest features, but also serve as an incentive to participate in early-access playtesting β and last but not least: open up ways of monetisation so I can work on TRACHI while also keeping every other element of it 100% free.
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 β and Lorna's name is written all over it! π³
Experimental abilities are ideally prototyped in a safe environment. And since I was planning on reintroducing a very important character anyway β 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. π₯
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 β 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: