Two months ago, I started hyping AUTONOMY's 5th ๐
I had big plans for this year โ before I remembered that I'm in the middle of a PhD. So let's do away with big, hype-baiting announcements! Instead, here's a story about dreams. A tale of ambition and reality.
In the spirit of 21st century post-modern cynicism, let's tell a story about sober, unadulterated truth.
ANARCHY
Most of you know that ANARCHY is the product of a long-winded back-and-forth. It's a compromise between TRAditional writing and interactive gameplay elements. My plan was to throw myself so hard into development that I'd have every gamer eating out of my hand.
It probably took you about 0.5 seconds to understand how absurd this idea is. I'm a slow learner, so it took me 8 months. From September to December we experienced massive growth. The year went out with a bang โ and 2024 promised to be the biggest year for TRACHI by far.
We peaked in January. I spent a lot of time (and money) reaching out to digital artists. The result was an entire portfolio of artwork showing the many different shapes TRACHI's characters could take. At this point, I was ready to put a crown on TRACHI's head as the next big name in the indie-game sphere.
Then came the fall. For reasons still unknown to me, engagement from January to February more than halved. Each post got less and less reception โ both in impressions and views. All of that while the branding and the rate of content was better than ever. At the beginning of the year, ANARCHY was a rocket ready to launch. Barely two months later, it fell flat on its face.
Reality
On February 28th, I had kept my day-job efforts to a minimum for more than half a year. At the end of it, I was forced to admit that TRACHI couldn't be my top priority at least until mid-2026. The current build (Cafรฉ) was released on March 28th as a shell of what it should have been. In the release notes, I announced that ANARCHY would become a hobby project.
One and a half months later, I'm getting back to it here and there. I'm planning to bundle the updates for a big gang on August 28th. For the fifth birthday of TRACHI, I'll be damned if I let anything stand between me and the project I'm married to. To celebrate the most important day until 2028, we'll return to our roots. Back to the moment where a woman steps inside a sanatorium.
You of all people should know where it's from, so I hope you won't find it cringe if I'm giggling a bit in anticipation. I know I'm excited โ and as a matter of fact, I know they're excited too! One of TRACHI's most integral characters had been absent throughout most of ANARCHY. On August 28th, we'll bring back the centre of attention. In the meantime, though, there's something else I'd like to share. It's a small little side-project, but one that's incredibly dear to my heart.
EMPATHY
Writing the chronicles of TRACHI's post-AUTONOMY development, a pattern becomes crystal-clear. I'm addicted to learning things. The reason why I don't go out and have 'fun' is because I get off on improving myself. Every second I'm not either learning something or crawling towards it, I get intensely bored.
It's the singular reason why โ despite my ability to mask as a human being โ I barely have any social interaction. In 34 years of my life and meeting thousands of people, only a handful share an indiscriminate passion to learn everything. Some people would call that autism, others would say people like were hit too hard on the head.
Either way, I'm privileged to work as a research associate studying language for at least two more years. It puts food on my table in exchange for publishing some 300 pages full of reasons why humanity is killing their planet even though we're talking about it non-stop. Since words are hard and many, I'm using transformer-based Large Language Models, colloquially referred to as 'AI'.
For someone like me, it's not enough to spend 12 hours per day doing that. So in my free time, I started using my state-funded expertise and shove TRACHI into it somehow. Through a combination of in-game and handcrafted dialogue, I built a dataset to train a model. I started talking to TRACHI's characters โ which turned out to be exactly how I'm usually writing dialogue.
Dialogue
Seeing how that went, I set forth the second stage of my plan. Most of you don't know, but we have a cute little Discord. It used to be a place where me and a bunch of friends discussed the happenings in the TRACHIverse. Nowadays, it's more of a library. The place is quiet, 99% of posts are written by me. However, it does have a purpose. It led me to use the platform as a front-end for the model.
Here's how it works: You can tag one of the bots and they'll respond to you by creating a public thread. Even more exciting, you can also talk to them via DM! For me, it's a great opportunity to understand what makes each character unique, while also improving my technical skills on the front- and backend of LLMs.
In other words: I'm learning new things every day. According to the pattern, I'll keep working on this for a couple more months. If you'd like to see how that goes, you're more than invited to drop by and get into touch with TRACHIANs posing as people.
Now, I'd probably segue it towards the outro. But there's one more thing I want to mention. It's more than the elephant in the room. In fact, it's the primary reason why we have a chance to talk like this in the first place.
AUTONOMY
About a week ago, I hatched a little plan. If I couldn't throw myself into ANARCHY, I could at least give the ol' AUTONOMY a little makeover. I upgraded the project from RPG Maker MV to MZ โ and was blown away by how much better everything worked. We were able to crank up the resolution from 640p to 1080p. This led to a drastic improvement in full-screen clarity, single-handedly catapulting AUTONOMY into the 21st century.
As if that weren't enough, I reworked most of the music and polished every single line of dialogue in the prologue. I also tackled one of the biggest problems AUTONOMY's introduction had: PACING. Most of you who are reading this pushed through the filter, but about 93% of people never make it to the other side. So I worked a little magic and made the entire 'Julius-gets-his-hand-chopped-off' segment into an optional episode.
I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out so far. However, there's one glaring issue. RPG Maker is, as far as engines go, by far the biggest dead-end of them all. Ever since I got into contact with coding in Unity & Unreal, it's become more of a problem for me to sit down and pour hours of life-time into clicking things.
At this point, every second spent in RPGM is accompanied by a ticking sound. I feel my life flashing in front of me, as I grow old. Coupled with the fact that AUTONOMY is already out, I'm not sure whether 1.6 will ever be a thing. If it does, let's make it a surprise, okay?
SOLIDARITY
Now, let's get to the most important part! Last year in January, I had โ for the first time in my life โ a bunch of dark clouds in my head. Something screamed personal 'end-times' to me. I spent a couple of months going from streaming to making Youtube stuff, before the concept of ANARCHY assembled itself.
In 2024, the clouds didn't go away. Then again, they don't need to. Because I don't need to start a new project anytime soon. I have great friends and an amazing family that I can call up at any time. I got a well-paying job where I can nerd out about words. I have ANARCHY as my long-term and EMPATHY that goes wherever it goes. Most of all, though, I've done one thing right.
In 2021, I returned to TRACHI and remade a shitty prologue into AUTONOMY. Of all the things I mentioned, I'd put that right at the top of my CV. For one because I've got to tell a story. But also because that story made its way into hundreds of people's hearts. Sometimes it feels like I'm just chasing dreams. When the clouds in my head get really bad, I come here to let the sun back in. Because sometimes even someone like me can make a little dream come true.
So wherever and in whichever mood you're in right now โ you can be sure of one thing: You're appreciated, cherished and loved by this one guy over here! ๐ค
much love nory
LiberAtion
Heyho, long-time friends! ๐
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 โ one of them being that it's 2024! This year, both AUTONOMY and TRACHI turn five! ๐
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.
Obviously, there's ANARCHY. It's regularly tended through monthly updates โ 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! ๐ณ I'd love to write you an entire hymn โ and mark my words: one day I shall! ๐ค๐ 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 โ in many cases โ 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 โ 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 โ in a nutshell โ 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 โ 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 โ 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 โ 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 โ 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 โ if needed โ 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 โ 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! ๐ฅฐ
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! ๐
much love nory
All good things.
Hey friends! ๐
It's been a damn long while! More than four months, to be precise!
I know! Sometimes it feels as if the world accelerates. Today, for example, we're about to kiss goodbye another year. 2023 is on the verge of becoming history โ turning moments into memories.
Nostalgia
Truth be told, it's making me tear up a little bit. TRACHI was in a weird spot, back in January. The first post-AUTONOMY year passed โ and I frankly wasn't too content with the things I had to show.
Being neck deep into Unreal Engine, the mountain kept growing no matter how hard I tried. It took me not one, but three steps back until I learned to check my expectations. Five months later, ANARCHY was born.
Return to Form
For the first time in a year, I was making things again. What started out as a run-of-the-mill JRPG quickly transformed into a Tactical RPG. As you can imagine, these things don't just simply fall out of the sky. Especially considering that little nory here never made a game like this before.
I took it one step at a time, which is the reason why ExcommunicAtion exists. Above all, I wanted to present a combat prototype in the shape of multi-stage battle infused with story elements.
PresentAtion
For the first time in history, I put the game above its people. That's not to say TRACHI is no longer a franchise about curious idiots and their tendency for unprovoked violence. In fact, it's exactly that formula that led to ANARCHY in the first place.
However, I wouldn't be myself if I wasn't trying to be 100% honest with you. The last two years saw me spend thousands of hours into learning a lot of different things. Whether it's engines, frameworks, RPG systems and/or combat elements โ everything has a price.
Sacrifice
Undoubtedly, something got lost on the way. For the sake of clarity, let's call that something AUTONOMY 2. It's a little novel made in RPG Maker, continuing the story after August 28th, 1923. Given the amount of hours funnelled into TRACHI over the past 24 months, we'd already be back in the city again.
At this point, you're probably asking: Why aren't we, then? It's a perfectly justified question โ one that I ask myself every single day. With the year coming to a close, I think both of us deserve an answer. Which is โ coincidentally โ exactly what I'll be trying to provide.
Truth
About a month after releasing AUTONOMY, I was already gone. Partially because I'm a person who always chases the next shiny thing. However, I also had the numbers backing me up. Playtime statistics on Steam clearly indicated something went wrong.
In total, 1200 people launched the game through Steam. However, only seventy-two got to see the end. A story that took more than two-thousand hours to create fell flat in the face of more than 90% of its playerbase.
Cause and Effect
You can imagine how curious I was to find out why. AUTONOMY undoubtedly had flaws โ but that never stopped a game from being good. Add to that the fact that tons of people reached out just to tell me how much they enjoyed the story.
All of that isn't worth much if people drop it fifteen minutes in. Like many other passion-driven works published throughout humanity's history, the problem wasn't quality, but a combination of discoverability and presentation.
TRAdition
You know I love writing dialogue. There's nothing I enjoy more than unravelling decades of history by rubbing two people against each other. This particular aspect โ henceforth called TRAdition โ is the engine that drives most narrative movements in TRACHI.
If you'd remove this particular aspect, the entire structure would collapse in on itself. There is โ in other words โ no version of TRACHI in which there isn't some sort of dialogue. On the other hand, AUTONOMY undeniably proved that TRAdition by itself wasn't enough.
Battle
In August 2021, someone brought up a lack of interactivity. That particular line of feedback hit me in a very special way, since I grew up with video games prioritizing gameplay over cinematic experiences. Speaking as someone who โ mildly put โ wants to be the best at everything, I didn't think twice about whether I could.
Instead, I immediately went to work trying to refactor pieces of dialogue into dynamic, choice-based conversations. That went on for a about a week, before I admitted that these kind of interactions aren't compatible with the way I write.
Composition
The problem with conversations driven by dialogue options is that individual lines turn into an item on a laundry list. The overwhelming majority of sequences don't change the world, whereas TRAdition dictates to never waste a single word.
As a result of that unsolvable conflict, I set my eyes on other playing fields. Thankfully, there's another (often overlooked) core element to AUTONOMY.
TRAvel
One of the lovely reviewers pointed out that moving between places didn't add too much to the game. I'm not one to judge whether that's true or not, but I do understand the message. Most of the time, travelling in AUTONOMY is relatively uneventful.
That's not to say that exploration segments aren't incredibly important to me. TRACHI's world was there before its people โ and building maps you can explore is one of the things I love most about development. Regardless, I wanted to see how big of a factor it really was.
Purity in Unity
As you know, InvAsion only contains a single exploration segment confined to a single map. Beyond that, InvAsion is unadulterated TRAdition. In other words: If AUTONOMY was a burger, InvAsion was twice the meat without the bun.
Looking back at it almost one and a half years later, I'm still proud. Although it's not for everyone, TRACHI has to this day never been more perfect. However, it's also never been more wrong.
Fusion
The first half of still holds up, I think. Conversations flow better than ever, lines are short and the pacing is just the way I want it to be. Most of the scenes would fit into AUTONOMY without a problem. In fact, there were times when I wished I would've made them in RPGMaker instead.
The same goes for the second half. It's home to the most emotional scene I've ever written by far. You can practically feel the enthusiasm and excitement of someone who's finished their first work being eager for more.
Ambition
Towards the end of InvAsion, there is a behemoth of a scene that goes on for fifteen minutes. In a place called ATOPIA, we're left to witness nothing but two people and bits of the UI. If there's one scene screaming TRAdition, it's this one.
For good reason, too! Because all good things must come to an end. Especially if they're about to be replaced by better things. Maybe that's what I thought when the 2D people and their homes were indiscriminately erased.
Evolution
If I was a politician, I'd say: "I stand behind the principle". TRACHI's people and its world had to go because words and maps weren't enough. Whatever followed AUTONOMY would be more interactive by throwing combat in to the mix.
At that point, the 2Ds were missing animations โ barring the odd redraw here and there. Ganymede as a 3D model offered a lot more in that regard. He proved that point and completed TRACHI's second transformation.
Reality
Turns out working a new engine whilst adding combat and RPG systems is a tall order in itself โ let alone adding an entire dimension. Although I'd gotten hold of most intermediate stuff, there would be no game coming out anytime soon.
Being stuck between a rock and a hard place, I took a step back. In the meantime, I embarrassed myself on Twitch learning to talk about TRACHI. At some point, we got to restore a bunch of AUTONOMY scenes โ and it wasn't long until I started writing again.
Missing Link
All the while, the 2D's character builder had been updated with animated side-view sprites. The moment I saw that, I thought of InvAsion and how it ran on an RPG framework at some point.
Maybe I could introduce combat and elevate InvAsion from an experiment to an actual game. Both TRAdition and rudimentary TRAvel were already there โ I just had to round out the formula with the final core element.
TRACHI 2.0
Three months later, we released a little game in early access. On August 28th 2023, InvAsion reemerged as ANARCHY. AUTONOMY's successor appeared in the shape of a full blown tactical top-down RPG.
It's work in progress powered by monthly updates, accompanied by weekly devlogs and biweekly announcements. I've gotten used to talk about things I've been working on. Most importantly, fleshing out combat and the RPG framework.
TRAnce
There's stats and status effects, consumables, equipment, challenges and quests, monster catalogues and โ of course โ roaming enemies, neutrals and friends. All of that running on a map that makes AUTONOMY's Anderson Park blush with gentle embarrassment.
Everything you know (and hopefully love) is right there. You'll get to walk places and listen to people talking smack. In addition, you'll also see your personal private army โ gathered around Lorna in Act 1 โ grow and evolve as you cut your way through an increasingly ruthless world.
Again and Again
I know it's a lot to take in. AUTONOMY put a big emphasis on authenticity โ and yet we're running around killing slimes. One might point out that there's a bit of a discontinuity there. Others might roll their eyes and straight-up accuse me of going isekai.
I'd be in one of those camps too, if I didn't know any better! Bringing 2Ds back might maybe raise even more eyebrows than originally killing them did. But I swear to whatever you think is holy โ I can explain everything! ๐
Full Circle
ANARCHY will cover that explanation in four acts. Everything from 1924 to Daphne paying a visit to Ganymede in 1926. Unrolling it all means showing the full picture, including InvAsion.
In concrete terms: InvAsion has to become part of ANARCHY. In fact, the process has already started. At the time of this writing, several scenes are already implemented into what experts on YouTube call a "gameplay-loop".
Souvenir
Scenes such as Lorna losing her service card (1918 Edition) are triggered through interactable objects placed all over the world. Some of these, but all of them are tied to their own ingame rewards.
Long story short, TRACHI's people get to revisit their past โ and you get to know a little more about the way things used to be. It's a perfect opportunity to write TRAditional scenes, with an extra potential to gently nudge people towards AUTONOMY.
Consequence
Remember when I said everything has a price? The thing is, InvAsion becoming part of ANARCHY makes it a bit awkward for AUTONOMY's DLC. Not that it's harming anyone as is, but there's also very little reason to keep it around.
In other words: InvAsion gets the chop on February 28th 2024. If it's already it in your library, you'll get to keep it โ of course! For everyone else, it'll be as if it never was. Kinda ironic, given the theme of it all.
Symbiosis
Going forth, there'll be two core products: AUTONOMY and ANARCHY. The former is a kinetic novel that also acts as a narrative background to ANARCHY. Over the last four months, AUTONOMY already received a couple of big boosts, both in terms of downloads and playtime.
Not so coincidentally, these always occur shortly after the release of an ANARCHY update. In other words: We're already making a lot of new friends!
Bottom Line
ANARCHY caters to a bigger audience than AUTONOMY did. I'll try to make the best version of a sequel that I possibly can. A game that satisfies a lot of people, including those that don't want to wait 45 minutes for it to get good.
However, I'd be a fool if I didn't make use of the things we already have. It should be clear by now that I take feedback very, very seriously. And if there's one thing I'd like you to know โ it's that I'm listening twice as eagerly to you!
Seventy-two
You're the reason I'm still going. Whenever I'm neck deep into systems, I'm thinking of you. It reminds me that I'm not only doing this because I get off on learning things, but also because I have to hold up my end of the deal.
In return for your attention, you deserve a game. Above everything else, I have a lifelong responsibility to fuel a flame that has been burning since 2019.
Thank you for that, for playing AUTONOMY โ and for reading it all. I wish you the best for 2024 and hope that you'll be surrounded by people as lovable and awesome as you.
Big love n' hugs from an even bigger fan! ๐
much love nory
ExcommunicAtion
Hey friendos!
We're cruising with increasing excitement towards August 28th.
To celebrate TRACHI's fourth birthday, I wanted to present my favorite version of you with a little peck on the cheek. ๐
But before we get into that, let's do a tiny itsy bit of context, first!
Remember 2022?
I certainly do! I also recall that TRACHI got another game to its name. A cute little interactive novel, widely known and feared as InvAsion. Primed and ready to bring AUTONOMY vibes from RPGMaker straight to Unity.
Rules of narrative
InvAsion embraced AUTONOMY's biggest selling point and slammed all its figurative eggs into the story basket. For about three quarters of an hour, the characters and their words got to carry us through increasingly disturbing events.
Structurally
I wanted to apply a similar scope to this year's celebration. To deliver a short and straight-forward experience presenting the current state of development. And of course โ add a whole new page to the TRACHI saga.
New frontiers
If you've been following the ANARCHY devlogs, you're probably aware that the game itself strives to marry RPG driven combat with dialogue-driven storytelling. After close to four months of development, I think it's high-time you got to experience the first fruits of that.
2023
Next Monday, TRACHI โ ANARCHY enters early access on Steam. The initial release (0.1) not only features the majority of the game's eventual infrastructure, but alsoโ most importantly โ the game's introduction.
ExcommunicAtion
Coming your way is a multi stage battle that condenses ANARCHY's current combat elements into a single encounter. A 10-20 minute dance between two characters you of all people should be more than familiar with. So it probably won't come as a huge surprise when I tell you that there's a bit of a story there.
I won't dwell on it
But I want to tell you one thing: For a the last six months or so, I've worked on building a bridge. In AUTONOMY, I presented an early 20th century micro cosmos. In ANARCHY, the world might look different, but the people are still the same.
Hop, skip and a jump
If you can, think of ANARCHY as an odyssey. A journey through foreign space, viewed through a memory called home. Most โ if not all โ events are reconfigured representations of in-world historical events. Supplemented by an entire arsenal of old-world scenes of course.
Speaking of..
Similar to AUTONOMY, historical exposition in ANARCHY also heavily relies on flashbacks. You'll probably recognize some of these scenes, because InvAsion itself will also eventually be completely integrated into ANARCHY.
In other words
We'll be looking much closer at each of these people. We'll help them rediscover their memories, both through the present and the past. One way or another, the story of TRACHI goes on. And at the end of it, hopefully both we and the characters understand ourselves and each other a bit better.
To conclude
I want to thank you very much for reading this. The "artist" in me hates to admit it. But I wouldn't be doing this, if it wasn't for you. Three days from now, the clock strikes ANARCHY.
I hope to see as many of you as possible over there. Contrary to the characters, you can be in two places at once. Really, you should try it! I'm doing it all the time.
Almost four years later. And I'm still all over the place. ๐ฅด
Sorry for being tardy when it comes to updates (yet again). ๐ณ
But today, I'm finally gonna sit down and do these things! ๐ค Because AUTONOMY is getting a bit of a sequel, you know.
TRACHII
I always planned to continue the story of TRACHI. Though I also had my mind set on going beyond the comforts of RPGMaker and dive into Unity, Unreal et al. Most importantly, though: I wanted to tackle AUTONOMY's biggest flaw.
Interaction
Of all the (very lovely) feedback I received since the game's first release in May 2019, the lack of proper gameplay segments was by far the biggest point of criticism. Which is, in my opinion, completely understandable.
So I went ahead and made it my first priority to come up with a system that not only incorporates the overall idea of TRACHI as a world, but also fits neatly into the story we're trying to tell.
Labyrinth
Granted, it took a bit. I went from the concept of a turn-based tactical RPG to an RTS to a Real-time tactics game to a squad-based third person shooter. Any genre was fine, as long as I would be able to squeeze TRACHI into it.
Though I also knew that I'd have to make camp, eventually.
Two steps forward.
For all intents and purposes, I was in a pretty bad place during the first months of this year. I had a lot of the initial infrastructure already set up, featuring the full range from visual to audio to technical aspects, including among others: AI, ability and online systems.
But all of that's not much worth if you don't know how to make a game out of it.
One step back.
As appreciative as I was of the things I've learned, there was also a huge feeling of dread in my mind. I knew I could make something good, if I threw all my weight behind it. But considering the fact that I'm also pursuing a PhD, it might've taken me 5 years โ if not 6 โ to produce something meaningful.
In the meantime, I'd have to go out and tell people about the things I'm making.
Coming out
Considering the amount of hours I'm throwing at this project, it was high-time for me to come out and tell the world just how much I'm in love with it. On Twitch, we went through the entire story and dived deeper into specific events, organisations and individuals.
All of that culminated into a monthly symposium on Youtube, where I try to apply models describing elements of human interaction to the world of TRACHI.
Fish in the water
During these presentations, I realized two things. One, that there's much more to AUTONOMY's story than even I realized while I was writing it. Second, I remembered how much I enjoy making content. At some point, I started writing entire scenes just to present and to talk about them.
Reconstruct
I love the characters, and I want to show you so much more of them. On the other hand, I do want to elevate the technical framework and make an actual game. Taking a step back from active development showed me exactly what I needed to see in order to satisfy both of these things at once.
InvAsion
During the development of InvAsion, I invested close to 9 months familiarizing myself with Unity. I implemented a large chunk of AUTONOMY's characters and incorporated them into a dialogue-driven kinetic novel, released as a DLC on 26th August, 2022.
Not so coincidentally, I also prototyped a full RPG framework. Eventually, I dropped it from the project, because InvAsion back then didn't really need it.
ExcommunicAtion
Three weeks ago, I reopened the Unity project and reintegrated the RPG systems. Since then, I've been prototyping different combat systems, level editors and animation controllers.
It's been a wild ride so far. But with the things I've already set up for InvAsion, coupled with the added experience gathered over six months in Unreal, I think I'm finally ready to settle down.
ParAdise
In other words: Coming your way is a game powered by the same engine and dialogue system as InvAsion had. Add to that the field exploration, depth and scope of AUTONOMY. Most importantly, though: For the first time in TRACHI's history, the characters will not only talk the talk, but walk the walk as well.
As a huge fan of Tactical RPGs, I'm incredibly excited to try and follow the footsteps of many classics released in this particular genre.
And while I can't pretend to have a chance at filling these shoes, I will try my best to create an experience that is not only engaging by itself, but also further underlines the ideology of TRACHI as a whole.
I'm back! More importantly: I've got something super important to say!
Starting 18:00 CEST on 20/04/2023 , I'll be talking all things TRACHI for a couple of days. If you'd like to hang around and get to know both the game and the underlying ideas a bit better, I'll be more than happy to have you! <3
Below, you can find the full program of each individual day including its respective topics: "We've met before, haven't we?" - Knowledge horizons in TRACHIAN discourse
Thursday, April 20th 0. TRACHI 0.1. The brand 0.2. The game 0.3. The framework
Friday, April 21st 1. Terminological Groundwork 1.1. Uncertainty & Anxiety 1.2. Ambiguity & Ideology 1.3. The "need to know"
Saturday, April 22nd 2. IONIA 2.1. Eighteen years of shame - Sunset over Greece 2.2. The 2nd Ionian Enlightenment 2.3. Kenovice and Trachi - From tragedy to farce
I've said most of the important stuff in the preview already. So I'll spare you that, if you don't mind.
Instead, let's try something else. If you've played either AUTONOMY or InvAsion, you know how much I love writing dialogue. And even though I've written more than ten-thousand individual lines at this point, I still can't get enough of it.
So let's pretend for a second someone asked a couple of questions. Furthermore, let's pretend that person is you.
FAQ
What's InvAsion? It's the counterpoint to AUTONOMY. In that sense, it's an expansion, an epilogue and a deconstruction. The first segment aims to wrap up events of AUTONOMY, the second part is a slow descent towards phase 2 of the TRACHI project as a whole.
How much content is there? Depending on your reading speed, playtime ranges from 45 to 60 minutes, roundabout.
How linear is it? Extremely so. To be honest, I treat it more as a movie or a play than anything else.
Do I need to play AUTONOMY beforehand? Yes. And no. There's a lot of things that'll fly past your head if you haven't experienced AUTONOMY. However, InvAsion was deliberately made to be its own thing, too. So feel free to hop into InvAsion, right away.
What's next? I'm glad you asked! I've been pondering the perfect setting to announce it. But seeing as both of us are here, we might as well get it over with.
That's it? For now. Partly because a lot of the stuff is WIP. But mostly because I don't want to spoil the surprise, too much.
I'd like to give you a couple of days, in case you want to experience InvAsion in the way it was meant to be.
PostApocalypse
Starting next week, we'll have a first look into phase 2 and what it's all about. From that point onward, development will (hopefully) be much more transparent. The way it used to be, even though we're all a bit older and hopefully a bit wiser, too.
At any rate, by the time you're reading this, AUTONOMY and InvAsion have become a thing of the past. We're moving on to greener pastures. One that values actions much more than words.
Nonetheless, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who's reading this. Whether you've been here from the days of rmn back in 2019, or just recently hopped on the train.
PostAtopia
This is your space, too. It's a space for you to plant your roots. A space you can call home. So if life ever gets rough, feel free to seek shelter here. Because that's what we do, right?
Until then, I wish you all the best. And hope that both AUTONOMY and InvAsion managed to nudge your desire for more. If not, please feel free to stick around, anyway. Because I can guarantee you one thing, already.
Nothing's ever going to be the same again.
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
AUTONOMY
Christmas has come early.
TRACHI โ AUTONOMY 1.5 (arteria) is now live.
God, that's a mouthful. Luckily, I'll never ever have to say it again.
From today onwards, AUTONOMY will have to fend for itself. As part of the TRACHI universe, of course. But also as its own product. At any rate, I hope that โ for all of its flaws โ AUTONOMY will be able to stand the test of time somewhat.
I believe that there's tons of stuff to uncover, and I'm incredibly excited to pick up the many pieces and threads in the following instalments. But for now, I want to use this space to say a huge thank you to everyone who's been part of the journey. One year ago, I had a story on my hands. Today, it's come to its conclusion.
So one more time, with gusto:
To everyone that's reading this. And to everyone who isn't. I love each and everyone of you.
But for those of you who love me back, I want to tell you something. Because you being here means that you care. So let's โ for a moment โ imagine that we're the only two people on the world. Because โ frankly โ that's all it takes.
TRACHI is derived from the word trachea, aka windpipe. Trachea on the other hand is an ellipsis of trฤkheรฎa artฤrรญฤ, aka the rough artery. In itself, arteria originally referred to the windpipe, as well. In other words both terms denote the same thing.
The windpipe, which we use to breathe. Most times, it's just that. Inhalation as a means to stay alive. Breathing out to stay alive.
ExhalAtion
There is, however, a way to utilise this process. By modifying a few muscles, we turn a waste disposal process into something beautiful. We turn air into words. And while certain things are better left unsaid, there is a time and place for everything. Or an entire world, for that matter.
A world a bit like our own. But also very different, obviously. Just like breathing in eventually leads to breathing out, seeing things makes us think about them. And in that manner, we put our own spin on it.
For as long as I could think, I wanted to make something. And for better or worse, that's the reason why this project exists. The reason why I uploaded the first version of TRACHI in August 2019.
Almost two years later, on June 20th, 1.0 was released. And for the first time, I was proud. So proud, in fact, that I accepted it as a part of myself. And introduced it to a couple of friends. At that point, everything changed.
ExternalisAtion
Because I could no longer keep two identities. I had to take responsibility. So for 6 months, I pooled everything I had into this project. Because I wanted it to be good. And because my name was on the line.
I didn't want TRACHI to be another cute & quirky indie game that people experienced just because they wanted to do someone a favour. To be honest, I am a very petty and vain person. The individual games are products, of course. But TRACHI in itself, to me, is ideology. Or a philosophy, if you're feeling pretentious.
It is a way to look at the world. Because in truth, everything is perspective. And whether we exhale air to dispose waste or turn them into words doesn't really matter that much. At least not in the greater context of things.
InterpolAtion
Our planet will keep on spinning, and our sun will keep on burning. Regardless of whether TRACHI exists or not. However, that, too, doesn't really matter. Because to us, the important thing is that we're here. And for as long as our lives go on, we want to leave something behind.
It's the least we can do. Not for anybody else. But for ourselves. It's what we are. And who we like to be. That โ in my opinion โ is the only thing that really matters.
So please, make yourself at home, if you want. No matter what you might or might not think of it. This place is yours as much as it's mine. In here, you are welcome, accepted and embraced. Because at the heart of it, everyone of us wants the same thing.
Just like this city โ we want to be free.
Thank you, once again.
Farewell arteria. Farewell RPGMaker.
Goodbye, AUTONOMY.
Can you keep a secret?
Because I can't.
Advertently inadvertently, TRACHI โ AUTONOMY 1.495 is now live on the beta branch. This is the pre-build to 1.5, and as such includes the full range of the latter's features, provided nothing critical surfaces over the next few days.
So let's do a quick-wrap up of the things that changed between 1.4 and 1.5:
Minor rewrites and rephrasing all over the game to ensure continuity with InvAsion and overall conciseness
Additional sprites for specific poses (mostly sitting and guns being drawn)
Lighting fully restored (ON by default, can be disabled via the options menu)
Full-screen set as default (can be toggled by pressing F4 or via the options menu)
Revised credit scenes
Massively overhauled score aka BGM
As you can see, it's a bit of everything here and there. There's no new scenes, secrets or the like. Though I highly encourage those who have played the game back in November to give it another go. Not only because several scenes have become much closer to what I intended them to be. But also because it's a great refresher for InvAsion.
I've spent between a hundred to two hundred hours on this, trying to polish as much as I can. Coupled with a bunch of very lovely people who have selflessly plunged themselves into subsequent playthroughs to provide feedback on how to make sure this first entry in the TRACHI saga is the best version of itself.
A little something
While we're on that topic, there's something I also want to share with you. Especially you. I mentioned the change in BGM above. Some of the old tracks were replaced because I found a much more fitting piece. There's also those, however, which I had to purge for external reasons. Around 4-5 tracks are running under a license which restricts distribution to 10.000 copies.
Now, before anyone gets super excited: We're nowhere close to that number. At best, the game has been downloaded around a thousand times, in total. Don't get me wrong, this is absolutely amazing! And I'm super super happy that the game's presentation, coupled with the various distribution platforms' gracious support, has brought it to HDDs and SSDs of so many people.
I'm a hopeless sceptic, as you know. I expect the worst, and hope for an outcome that is salvageable. But there's something I believe in.
TRACHI
You see โ I believe AUTONOMY is gonna hit that 10k, sooner or later. I want to be prepared for when that time comes. Not only because I'll paint the word TRACHI on every surface imaginable. But also because there's years of sequels, spin-offs and other stuff planned.
InvAsion is the first step. For all intents and purposes, it's a metamorphosis. Though no matter what comes afterwards, it's all going to lead back to AUTONOMY. If you've played it, you know I'm very careful not to hold the players' hands too much. I value authenticity of language very highly, and the characters will continue to primarily talk to each other, not to you. For the most part, at least.
Consequently, this audacious, but visibly humbled game will remain. As a remnant of the past that inevitably influenced the present and the future. My point is: you were there. And for that, I want to once again express my deepest gratitude. You've seen this when it was relatively fresh. And if there's one thing I wish for, it's that you being here is not a waste of your time.
Memento
So here's the deal: On the 20th, TRACHI 1.4 will be superseded by TRACHI 1.5. Due to the licensing shenanigans mentioned above, I'll fully purge 1.4 from every platform it's currently available. Obviously, it's fully within your rights to make a personal backup. There's no internal DRM and the game runs fully by itself.
In other words: Take a little souvenir, if you want. It's on the house.
Now, before I continue dancing around lines I really shouldn't get close to, I'll try to wrap this up. Thank you, once again, for being part in this. There'll be one more big post on the day 1.5 hits. It's going to be much more concise, cryptic and formulaic. Because it's not only made for you, but for everyone.
Do know, though, that I see you. It's an incredible feeling to set up scenes and lose myself in hours and hours of rephrasing sentences consisting of three words or less. I love to be snappy and to the point. But it's also my deepest desire to always ensure that the flashiness is well-founded and every piece of text is embedded into context. The kind of references picked up by people with an eye for detail.
AUTONOMY has its flaws. It'll carry them into the future. I know you've seen them, too. Because some people like to spot what's around and in-between. You are the target audience. And it's not only love, but also a tremendous amount of respect I have for you.
So if you ever want to carve your name into this particular world: Please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Whether it's feedback, testing InvAsion and perhaps beyond, or literally anything else, really โ I value everything you can provide.
In any case, one more step and we're done with this. It feels like a tiny one, compared to the other 1.X releases. But it's also tremendously important. Because we want to have the proper footing, right? Considering the gigantic leap of faith we're about to make.
With all that being said, I'll stop here.
Thank you for reading this. And I sincerely hope that TRACHI has, is and will always be worth your time.
Sometimes it feels like I'm just chasing dreams. When the clouds in my head get really bad, I come here to let the sun back in. Because sometimes even someone like me can make a little dream come true.
I certainly do! I also recall that TRACHI got another game to its name. A cute little 
As a huge fan of Tactical RPGs, I'm incredibly excited to try and follow the footsteps of many classics released in this particular genre.
