Because I can't

Advertently inadvertently, TRACHI – AUTONOMY 1.495 is now available.

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 – 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 – 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.

Much love – to you, especially
nory