LiberAtion
Heyho, long-time friends! π
I hope you had a fantastic start into the year!
Curiously enough, we're back after just a month. There's a lot of reasons for it β one of them being that it's 2024! This year, both AUTONOMY and TRACHI turn five! π
What a great opportunity to make our stints more of a regular thing! Last time, we took a peek at TRACHI's recent history. In this post right here, I'd like to put our eyes towards the future instead.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2169000/TRACHI__ANARCHY/
Obviously, there's ANARCHY. It's regularly tended through monthly updates β and set to remain a major part of my life for the next four years. However, a lot of you already made your way over there. So I'll leave it at dropping the link above for everybody else.
Big A
That being settled, let's talk AUTONOMY! Our end-of-the-year debrief had me complain about the game's ability to retain players. I think I mentioned the number seventy-two. Just a week after the announcement dropped, we've gone up to 85. That's an 18% increase over the span of seven days for a game that's been on Steam for more than two years!
In other words: You people are awesome in ways I lack the words to describe! π³ I'd love to write you an entire hymn β and mark my words: one day I shall! π€π Until then, please know that you've got both my attention and unending gratitude!
Enthusiasm
It's your presence that makes the world go round. TRACHI is likely the only project I'll ever do. Whatever happens, I'll keep trying to push it to greater heights! AUTONOMY was a flag planted into the ground. AUTHORITY was a lesson that I can't do everything myself.
ANARCHY is a call for help. I've long dreamed of extending the brand to involve other people. Not only because it helps all of us grow, but also because I'm a gamer at heart. Given the recent development in the industry, I think it's time to ramp up the TRAnsparency.
Imbalance
In the last couple of months, over 30000 people making games for a living lost their job. It's heartbreaking to see passionate individuals forced to upend their lives. As I'm typing these words, a considerate portion of them are struggling to feed themselves and β in many cases β their families too.
It's a terrible result of mismanagement hitting people who have been doing their best. So above all else, I'd like to offer my deepest sympathies. My heart goes out to them, without shedding a single tear for their former companies. Many of them continue to engage in predatory business practices and as such not only failed their employees β but their players, too.
Tide
You deserve better. Whatever reason you have for immersing yourself in fictional worlds, there's a common ground. Reality might be an anchor, but it's also not enough. We know there's so much more to life. That β in a nutshell β is why we're here.
Video games emerged from a desire to provide entertainment for people who want to be somewhere else. A virtual space we share with ourselves. An odd forty years later, it's turned into a competition to not only seduce, but to put chains on the people they are supposed to serve.
Dawn
I've always been reluctant to make this point. For one, I felt it's unfair for me to judge products I had no experience making myself. Secondly, I prefer to have a solution before I call things out. Criticism is important β no doubt! However, I don't want to put the entire burden on someone else.
I want to be part of the change. As a developer, it's not only my privilege but my responsibility. This industry and everyone working in it owe everything to you. I believe it's high time they remembered that.
Ergo
TRACHI takes pride in being a product not only for the people β but outspoken against exploitation too. We've seen what happens if you push human beings to the brink. So instead of joining in or pretending to be apolitical β we'll step up and offer a helping hand.
Independence
We're in a position to scrutinise and to get things done. We can present an alternative, a counter-narrative β a direct and straight-forward way to make a change. An ecosystem that treats involved parties not as consumers or employees, but as living, breathing people instead.
In concrete terms: For the next two years, I'll provide the means, the tools and β if needed β direction, too. For all of that to matter, I need you. One person doing good is called philanthropy. A group of people doing the same is a world trying to fix itself.
AUTONOMY
Since you're reading this, you're already familiar with his work. RacoonButler has gone above and beyond to produce something that makes all of us proud. It's a perfect expression of TRACHI, elevated towards a level it always wanted to be.
What's more, he took a leap of faith by posting the art on his own account. I'm incredibly touched to see him put so much trust into our little game. So I'd love nothing more in the world if we could channel our first collective expression of solidarity right here.
If you have an account on twitter, please give him your support. For one, because he deserves it. Secondly, it hammers home a very important point: We're a small crowd, but that doesn't mean we can't be loud!
TRACHI
Little efforts can produce big waves. Especially if they're carried out by people trying to understand the world. The 85 friends I mentioned proved that to me. What used to be a point of frustration has now turned into the game's greatest strength.
AUTONOMY is not for everyone β and that's exactly the way it should be! It's a diamond in the rough whose qualities share a common trait with you: Being incredibly special to me! π₯°
Thank you for reading all of that and your continued support! I'll try to get back to you sometime in March, where we might have a look at some of AUTONOMY's potential birthday gifts.
Until then, please give yourself a heartfelt peck on the cheek! π
much love
nory
Let's start with ImmigrAtion. At the moment, it's still disguised as just another Fragment placed in ParAdise. However, we know it wants to be much more than that. We recognize the place from AUTONOMY, barring a couple of new elements on the peripheral. There's someone we haven't met β and then there's Eurydice.
A notice on the wall says it's 1913. A new entry is added to the Lore section, and we'll make sure to keep a close eye on that. It feels like we're inside a city β much bigger than the one we saw in 1923. After a bit of a chit-chat with a friendly neighbour, we witness Lorna's first impression of an apartment she'll live in for the next 5 1/2 years.
For the first time in TRACHI's history, we get to see the entire place. We chance upon another hallway and find two rooms and a walk-in cupboard attached. One of these rooms is comparatively small, yet very functional. The other one is large, open and inviting. It's almost too good to be true.
Lime had not been seen since then. Curious that he'd suddenly reappear after all these years. Lorna wanted to see him again since the day he flew away. Maybe that's what went through Eury's mind as Lorna hugs her in appreciation.
At the moment, we're heading straight back into ParAdise. There's a lot of question marks, but at least we get a little souvenir. Lorna's gotten stronger in a way. She's learned a new ability, which is β all things considered β a pretty broken one. On the other hand, we need to be broken in order to survive.
As established with Rendezvous, battles trigger if you get close to an enemy. What's new in Silhouette is that every combatant involved in a battle acts as a beacon that pulls nearby combatants into combat too. In other words: ParAdise went from a battlefield to a warzone.
Just a couple of clicks to the west from where you're starting out, you spot an NPC. A girl is surrounded by enemies. Lorna calls out to her and we see a new quest called "Victory". From that point onward, it's up to you to save the day.
As Lorna's private army grows, we're ready to tackle bigger game. We go from Level 1 to level 2 then 3 β all the while grabbing any gear and unlocking every ability we can find. There's chests, drops and Fragment/Quest rewards, all of them an instrument for you to compose your very own symphony.
The new Profile Selection screen is my way of showing confidence in ParAdise. The old system encouraged you to start fresh, since we were still changing things left and right. However, we're approaching a point where it's not just about the first ten minutes of the game anymore.
Next time we talk, our eyes will be fixed on ANARCHY 0.2 (Merci). It's going to be our first major update β and we'll do our best to make it sing. At that particular juncture, ImmigrAtion will comprise three major segments, up from the two we already have. We won't get the full story there, but enough pointers to make at least a little sense of it all.
There's one more thing I'd like to share. I know we've gotten used to our monthly dates on the 28th. However, this year's February is special. The calendar says we're being blessed with an extra day β the same way I'm blessed to live on the same planet as 
2024 will carry us into ANARCHY 0.3 and also mark AUTONOMY's fifth birthday on August 28th. It's a big occasion demanding adequate celebration. In other words: a great opportunity to feature a bunch of illustrations. The piece above is penned by 
I think it's clear we've got big plans. Even more importantly, I hope that these last five months are proof that we're realising them one step at a time. Going forward, ANARCHY continues to grow β which means I need your help more than ever before.
I know you've heard this tale a lot. Every company and creator out there tells you how amazing you are. Not to say any of these statements aren't genuine. However, I do want to point out that game development isn't always fun. I have a habit of comparing myself to the stars, which isn't always a healthy thing to do. 
Your trust and continued support is what makes me reach out to other people. You've seen the outline of the image above in the 
Once again, my most heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. The people on Steam, Twitter, Discord and everywhere else. The world might get crazier by the minute, but we'll always have our little space right here.
Huge shoutout to