2024¶

December 4, 2024
in ANARCHY
5 min read

ExtrapolAtion (Beta)

Hey Friends! 👋

Holy moly – is it time! Four months after the fact, I'm proud (and relieved) to finally present the next stage of ANARCHY.

We're talking two new chapters, manipulation mechanics, ultimate abilities, reworked stats, conversation control, interaction menus (Talk / Trade / Examine) and streamlined (auto)-save functionalities. Furthermore, we hammered out the Act structure:

Big Picture

The missing pieces (formerly ExtrapolAtion B & C) complete the prologue – which now directly leads to ParAdise. You can start a (true) new game in ExcommunicAtion or jump into any chapter / phase between that and Lorna waking up next to a monolith.

Starting now, you get to enjoy the first five movements of a new major questline (Eremite), grab twelve new challenges from the hunting board and / or talk and trade with NPC patrols. If you're a dreamer with a taste for future tense, I'm sure you'll appreciate the first glimpse at a new central hub.

Frontier

All of that is accompanied by new combat mechanics: from path-AOEs to manipulation abilities, from Weapons that turn into combatants, to a completely new stat (XTC) that unlocks character-specific ultimates. By the way: Did I mention there's 6 new characters, 12 new / adjusted pieces of BGM and a skip, auto and (henceforth persistent) dialogue log?

Honestly, there's so many changes to cover. I didn't even get to tell you about the achievements, variations and the like. You know what? Here's a thought: Give the Beta a spin and let me know what you think. We could hold hands while we put the belts and braces on that thing! 😊

Feedback

Going forth, you can access the form through a permanent button on the top-right of your screen. Once you hit submit, your thoughts are bundled together with a screenshot and a player log – and dispatched directly to me.

As for everything else: We'll save the proper overview for the release on the live branch (sometime before christmas). For now, please enjoy the beta for an update that is nothing short of a metamorphosis. ANARCHY just took a big step towards becoming the game it wants to be.

I'll see you in a week or two! 🙏

much love
nory

Release Notes

ANARCHY 0.3

Acts

Added 🔢"ExplanAtion". Happy 192X!#### Chapters
Added 🌆 "ExtrapolAtion – arteria". Three people and a city.
Added 🌂 "ExtrapolAtion – ambrosia". Four people and the RAIN#### Quests
Added 📅 "ExplanAtion". ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
Added 📅 "Eremite". Heinrich Navratil#### Quest Task
Added "ExcogitAtion" One thought far and wide.
Added "ExhumAtion" Nothing lasts forever.
Added "ExpatriAtion" Yesterday is history.
Added "ExpatriAtion" Three hurrahs for AUTONOMY!
Added "ExplanAtion" Something-something ANARCHY.
Added "Private" Grumpy guy.
Added Task "Sergeant" Does he live here by himself?
Added Task "Lieutenant" What's botherimg him?#### Areas
Added "Stuart Alley" Trachi by night.
Added "Goose Shed" CoExA Station.
Added "Cabin" Far away from everyone.
Adjusted "Paradise North" Central HQ#### Combatants
Added "Atlas" Top of the world
Added "Prometheus" Threedom
Added "Heinrich" Formerly Lieutenant
Added "Militia" Brin, Bron, Bashkim, Dan & Craig
Extended "Eurydice" Queen to A2
Extended "Selene" Portraits & 1913 Variation#### Mechanics
Added "Conversation Menu" Examine | Talk | Trade
Added "XTC" Miracles are made of you.
Added "PATH Abilities" A line drawn in the sand.
Added "KOSMOS" It wears YOU.
Added "Patrols" Brin & Bron
Added "Hunting Board" They're monsters, okay?
Added "Report Form" Submit bugs & feedback ingame
Reworked "DMG Formula" HP / (ATK - DEF) = Hit to Kill
Reworked "Status Development" Curves -> Additive Growth
Added "Companions" Daphne | Lime
Adjusted "Pathfinding" Euclidean -> Manhattan#### Abilities
Added Attack "Buckshot" 60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
Added Skill "Hinder" 60% DMG | SLOW [2 TURN]
Added Skill "Ricochet" 60% DMG [TRGT AOE]
Added Skill "Pull" Draw TRGT 1 TILE | 150% DMG if blocked
Added Buff "ENERGIZE" +3 MOV [4 TURN]
Added Buff "PROTECT" +20% DEF [4 TURN]
Added Kosmos "Demarcate" 80% DMG [PATH] | IMMOBILE [1 TURN]
Added Kosmos "Interpolate" 140% DMG [PATH] | STUN [1 TURN]
Added Kosmos "Recuperate" 80% DMG [PATH] | SLOW [1 TURN]
Added Attack "DEVASTATE" 200% DMG [CLEAVE]
Added XTC "AVATAR" +60% ALL [4 TURN]
Added XTC "GRAVITY" Draw TRGT 10 TILE [GLOBAL] | STUN [2 TURNS]
Added XTC "UN DEUX TROIS" 70% DMG [AOE] | +10% per TRGT
Reworked XTC "VELOCITY" +1 ACT | +5 MOV [1 TURN] | STUN [1 TURN] AFTER
Reworked XTC "CONSUME" Kill TRGT <15% HP | Learn TRGT Ability
Reworked XTC "ANTEDECENT" 80% DMG [AOE] | WEAKEN [3 TURNs]
Adjusted XTC "RAGE" 20% Lifesteal | No CNTRL
Adjusted XTC "CASCADE" 101% Annihilation
Adjusted META "Life" Removed Action Cost#### Status Effects
Added "Eureka" +5000% EXP
Added "Kosmonaut" +3 MOV
Added "Validated" +10% ATK
Added "Invigorated" +10% ATK | 100% XTC
Added "Orpheus" +1 RANGE
Added "Ganymede" +1 MOV
Adjusted "Incorporated" +10% ATK
Adjusted "Extracorporated" +10% ATK
Added "Deprecated" -10% ATK#### Equipment
Added "Responsibility" +15% ATK
Added "KOSMOS" +15% ATK | +5% DEF
Added "Dignity" +15% ATK
Added "Loyalty" +7 ATK
Added "Entropy" +9 ATK
Added "Shirt" +1 DEF
Added "Blouse" +1 DEF
Added "Independence" ALWAYS CNTR
Added "Manipulator" ABILITY [PUSH] | [PULL]
Adjusted "Machete" Renamed | +6 ATK
Adjusted "Last Resort" +15% ATK
Adjusted "First Response" +15% ATK
Adjusted "Solidarity" +15% ATK#### UI
Added Dialogue "Skip" Words just fly by
Added Dialogue "Auto" They talk by themselves.
(Re)Added HUD "Tooltip" Powered by your cursor
Added HUD "Combatant Effect" Display active combatant's effects
Added HUD Overlay "LVLUP" Feelsgoodman
Added Manipulation Highlight" Distance and direction
Reworked Battle Menu "Abilities" Main -> Ability Type -> Ability
Added Main Menu Option "Load" Jump back into a memory
Added Main Menu "ExplanAtion" ExcommunicAtion & ExtrapolAtion
Added "Explanation Save Points" Start of every chapter
Reworked "Auto Saves" 3 Slots -> 2 Slots | Auto & Old-Auto
Adjusted Main Menu "Phase" Unlocked individually
Adjusted Chapter Select "Paradise" ImmigrAtion | Glade | Awake
Adjusted Main Menu "Input" Moved to Options
Adjusted UI "Frames" Unboxing boxes
Adjusted "Battle Message" New content and animation.
Adjusted "Dialogue Bubble" Click anywhere to continue
Adjusted "History" Persistence | Overview -> Info
Adjusted "Quest Log" Task rewards & requirements#### Variation
Added "Cerberus" Three people and a city 0.1
Added "Protean" Brotherhood
Added "Trojan Boy" Pick-me-up#### Achievements [list] []Added "3PC" ~~Five~~ Three years ago []Added "Prometean" Artificial antagonist

September 23, 2024
in ANARCHY
7 min read

ExtrapolAtion (Preview III)

Hey friends! 👋

We're approaching the end of September, so I'll have to make due on my promise! Our third (and hopefully final) preview of ANARCHY 0.3 ties it all together through a mix of ExcommunicAtion, ParAdise – and last but not least: ExtrapolAtion C!

Goose Shed

We covered ExtrapolAtion B in plenty here and here. Today's good news is: Trachi 1923's segments are 100% set up. We've got the intro conversation, NPC (and companion) interactions, the dialogue and subsequent battle with Ariadne all under wraps.

The encounter itself is far more difficult than anything we've faced so far. A deathless run is absolutely possible, but requires pitch-perfect execution. One way or the other, Ariadne takes a fall.

I'll let you discover (and untangle) her message in your own time. After all, we've got a date with the room where AUTONOMY peaked. The place where Atlas and Daphne settled things with Orpheus and Eurydice.

Reunion

In a not-so-shocking turn of events, a different situation unfolds: Neither Orpheus nor Eurydice are anywhere to be found. We'll get an explanation for that later in ExtrapolAtion. For now, we have to make due with Orpheus' little brother.

Like Ariadne – Ganymede has gone off-script. Daphne is justifiable pissed. Atlas easily picks up on the discrepancies. For one, Ganymede should have a cut on his left cheek. Secondly: his hands are fine. It's an irregularity with explosive implications. Daphne drops the mask and gets a hint of revenge for a wound inflicted in 1923. There's a crack, a bang, the world turns black. It's August 28th 1926.

ExtrapolAtion

Ten months after the first teaser, it's high-time we follow-up ExcommunicAtion. We're back in ATOPIA, right before the RAIN. Plenty of time to drop a couple of answers! Topics on the agenda include: time, the people and the space we're in.

Something big must've happened in 1924. The world endlessly regurgitates AUTONOMY. Daphne and Ganymede are evidently eager to abuse the situation. Atlas is reluctant until proof presents itself. Something inherently absurd – like random letters falling from the sky.

ManipulAtion

RAIN giveth and it taketh away. Every year on August 28th, the world is recompiled. Characters are restored to their base-forms and retain nothing but the memories they made.

Gameplay-wise, we're back to Level 1. Our opener (Phase 1) is a melee throw-back to ExcommunicAtion. There's just one key difference: It's not a freebee anymore. We're doubling down on positioning, showing how strong Knockback can be in the right hands.

Phase 2 and onward is weapons hot. Last Resort and First Response make a glorious comeback. Which leads us to the most important question of them all: What's Atlas' signature?

KOSMOS

Big sword spells big responsibility. The blade itself is so large, it occupies its own cell and acts as a (temporary) combatant. Althought we can't control it directly, Atlas has a whole set of tools or the job.

For example: You can pull KOSMOS towards you to deal damage in a straight line. The reverse obviously also works. By far the most devastating ability is InterpolAtion. Two turns after activation, everything in the immediate vicinity of KOSMOS gets vaporised.

You'd almost feel bad for Ganymede and Daph. Then again, they wouldn't press the issue if they didn't have a plan!

Quid pro quo

Put yourself into Atlas shoes. He's been driven by hunger, dedication, love, despair and finally: revenge. Now that he's seen what the RAIN can do, there's a possibility. If objects can be constructed – does it work for people, too?

Veterans of ExcommunicAtion know that it does. So do Daphne and Ganymede. When Atlas is about to reach the same conclusion, they offer a helping hand. From a marriage of red and white emerges a dream come true.

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, we'll leave it at that. Rest assured, though: The dialogue – from its darkest valleys to its brightest sparks – is already there. Our destination is also crystal clear. No matter where the road takes us inbetween, we'll eventually land in Aion 1913.

Face the BGM

We're about to have a continuous sequence from ExcommunicAtion to about 30% into ParAdise. So it's high time we spared a thought on the overall ANARCHY experience! Part of that is ExcommunicAtion's dialogue revision (covered here).

On that note: A little eureka appeared while I sorting out ExtrapolAtion's battle score. RAIN apparently goes super hard with dance / edm. If you haven done so already, feel free to check out the demo above.

Arguably the biggest change is the addition of vocal tracks. There's a connection between voice and the RAIN – although that doesn't mean we're neglecting other musical bits of ANARCHY!

Countryside

ParAdise started out as a dreamy and ethereal place. We've recently shifted it closer and closer towards a semi-grounded frontier atmosphere. It's closer in line with Pandora's childhood memories: a somewhat spoiled younger sister behaving not-so aristocratically.

Now put these things into an arc about self-actualisation: we arrive at a sheltered protagonist stepping into a world without too many laws. Pandora has a habit of breaking things, but she's also keen to repair and rebuild.

The second preview offered a first hint of that. We (re)introduced Heinrich and his hut. What started out as a small side-quest has now evolved into one of ParAdise's bigger threads.

Almost

AUTONOMY-people might rightfully ask the question: What does this guy have to do with Pandora? It's simple, really: Heinrich was a Sergeant of the Trachian prefecture. He was ordered to investigate rumours of a false-flag attack on Fredrick Dam.

On the other side of that encounter was the Ionian Military. We know that Pandora would've been part of that attack – if not for Hyperion's intervention. In concrete terms: There's a scenario where the two of them would've pointed a gun at each other.

Obviously, neither of them are aware of that. We just happen to meet a grumpy eremite crippled by guilt. Pandora being Pandora, she can't help but dig. As we advance through the quests, we'll help Heinrich to rebuild his house and his relationship with the past at the same time.

Soldiering

One major element of ANARCHY's first act is shaping up to centered around a life in and after military service. Pandora's own development is firmly tied to her ambiguous relationship with an organisation she technically shouldn't fit into.

However, it's also the place where she learned to (somewhat) stand on her own feet. There's a feeling of comradery between her, Helios and Selene. This sentiment is extended towards everybody that served. The Fragmentarian (Miroslav) and Heinrich being two such examples.

ParAdise is free of geopolitics, which means there's no need for a military. The Checkpoint is full of bored veterans, drowning their varying amounts of PTSD. It's the perfect climate for Pandora to stir things up.

October – November – December

So far the plan. I'm still heavily invested in my PhD, so it's hard for me to give a proper ETA. However! Tomorrow I'll be off to my final conference this year.

After that, its just research and writing. If all goes well, we might get ANARCHY 0.3's beta out around mid-October. The post for that should be pretty succinct, but I'll try to cover a couple of technical changes that didn't fit into the previews.

Most importantly

Guys, Girls and Everybody else! I know the last nine months were a shitshow. If the Steam Awards had a category for 'Early-Access Hell', I'd have to make room on my shelf.

Despite all of that, people are downloading and playing the game. Not to speak of the people who read these posts. I'm blessed in two ways: There's a crowd that cares – and it's small enough for me to appreciate everyone.

Tl;Dr: Thank you for sticking it out with me! Talk to you in October, you absolute champs!

Huggies and kissies and all that!

much love
nory

September 7, 2024
in ANARCHY
6 min read

ExtrapolAtion (Preview II)

Salutations, 皆さん! 👋

I hope all of you arrived well into September 2024. Turns out this is our first post in ANARCHY's second year! Seeing as I just recently had to publicly apologise – it's high-time we sat down for a little one o' one.

Nostalgia

Let's start with ExtrapolAtion. Our return to Trachi is roundabout 90% done. The maps are finished and the dialogue is coded in. I'm currently testing the battle back and forth. On the whole, this segment took super long – partially since it's a crossroads for many things.

First off: the story. TRACHI has always been about who knows what at which point. ExtrapolAtion B's situation proved to be incredibly tough in that regard. Contrary to AUTONOMY, Atlas and Daphne are greeted by Ariadne when they step inside.

You can imagine how much Daphne wants to call her out. There's a good reason not to, though! As far as everybody is concerned, Atlas may or may not know whether it's actually 1923. The only hint we get appears in the question he puts to Ariadne: Should you be here?

Indulgence

Unsurprisingly, the conversation is full of references to AUTONOMY. From Trachi's sewers to arteria and Icarus – all roads converge on this point. After the back and forth, a battle ensues.

Ariadne by herself doesn't pose much of a threat. Although she's the core of a city fighting back, her main effort goes towards helping Atlas connect the dots. It's a blessing in disguise, given that Daphne and Ganymede have their own plans for him.

We'll talk more about it at the end of the post. For now, let's put the focus on the stage itself. ExtrapolAtion will take place in two additional locations. One of them is the place where ANARCHY began.

ATOPIA

In 1925, Daphne came to. As ExcommunicAtion's protagonist, she took it upon herself to beat up Ganymede real good. The point of the segment is to expose players (both old and new) to the macro plot and combat elements of the game.

It's one of the reasons why we repeatedly went back to improve and rephrase parts of the dialogue. ANARCHY 0.3 proudly continues that tradition. Daphne's initial banter with Ganymede admittedly felt a bit out of place, given that she's been out of it for a year.

Come 0.3, Daphne will be far more inquisitive. It's a smoother buildup to her reaction at seeing Icarus – and also aligns her closer to the player. ANARCHY's motifs are introduced more confidently, since we can now rely on ExtrapolAtion to follow them up.

Conversation

If words aren't your cup of tea, we got you covered, too! A toggle in the title screen's main menu used to trigger a shortcut in ExcommunicAtion's dialogue tree. Going forth, we don't need that crutch anymore.

Instead, we have a skip-button that runs through any conversation instantly. All cutscene-specific commands (e.g. pathfinding, spawning and despawning characters) are executed and we'll land exactly where we should.

On the backend, skipping works similarly to Auto-mode. This (reintroduced) feature advances the dialogue automatically at a readable – and customizable – pace. If you still happen to miss a line or two, you can read it back in the (aesthetically improved) conversation history.

Information

ANARCHY 0.1.1 (Encore) introduced tooltips for Status Effects. I had to unfortunately roll it back due to them unpredictably crashing the game. It took me the better part of a year – but I've finally gotten around to sort it out.

Come ANARCHY 0.3, you'll be able to hover over all kinds of things. Status effects and other UI elements are just the tip of the iceberg. Entities in the world – such as interactable objects and combatants work as well. This means you'll finally be able to check the Level of enemies in ParAdise before you engage.

Speaking of that – let's take a look at what our Little Pear is up to!

Macrodise

August 28th's story preview taught me one thing above everything else: Lorna's adventure still has a couple of question marks. Counting what we currently have (Paradise North), the Glade and the Checkpoint, we need at least one more major hub.

However, there's a major conceptual problem with our setup. If you recall ImmigrAtion's balcony scene, it's evidently facing north. Both the bridge next to the checkpoint and the road crossing the Glade are pointing – you guessed it – north.

This led me to (finally) sketch out a macro-map. If you're interested, heres a (very impressive) draft here. I'll revisit the topic in the next couple of months, but let's keep the milestones farm, windmill and castle in the back of our heads.

Eremite

We can apply our newfound knowledge immediately. The first point of improvement is the south-western section of the map. There's these hills that feel super uncanny – not to speak of the fact that the section is more or less a dead-end.

Both problems are solved by carving a new path to the Manor northwest. We've also added a little cottage housing an old friend. Luckily us! Someone who 'can't just stand idly by' comes in handy when there's a Daphne in distress.

Our new-found ally increases the number of friendly combatants. We're ramping up the enemies to compensate, making this our first big fight. As a reward, Daphne joins the team, we clean up a bit of Paradise and – if Lorna puts on the friendly eyes – we might see what the cottage looks like inside.

Companionship

On the topic of making friends: Remember the big feature we added in June? Renaissance introduced companions that follow you around the map. Selene does so after Pandora lands in the Glade. ExtrapolAtion B's Daphne extends that behaviour across maps.

There's ways to go, but our goal is clear: Build a system that supports party members at preset positions on the map, persistent companions that follow you around – and last but not least – deployable battle combatants.

Let's be frank: This challenge is one of the tallest mountains we have to climb. On the other hand, we've already gotten super far. And besides – I do look my best when I'm dying on a hill.

X Marks the spot

The last six months were a lesson in patience and restraint. We'll slowly but surely wrap up ExtrapolAtion C as the final (non-flashback) piece of pre-Paradise.

In broad strokes: the road continues in Trachi, then the world succumbs to RAIN. There's a multi-phase threesome with a couple of surprise appearances, followed by credits leading straight to ImmigrAtion.

More on that in the third and final preview – hopefully this month. Until then, here's a good-luck hug to manifest you a couple of stellar weeks! 🤗

much love
nory