September 2024 Update

Hello all and welcome to the September 2024 update for Untold Story! One month at a time we're getting closer to the end! Let's get right into it!

Development Progress

Since last time, I've made a good dent in what I've got left. Over the past month I've worked on the remaining stuff for the final chapter, and even got some work done on the inner workings/polishing part. My to-do list for chapter 10 is down to single digits (though they are some of the bigger digits I've been putting off), meaning each thing done gets me closer and closer. I've still got about 5 more quests to make, and just a few super bosses/other areas. All of the dungeons are made to their entirety, as well as the bosses of the respected dungeons. Yes I still have the final switch & the epilogue, but those are almost entirely text/dialogue and a lot less eventing, meaning it'll go by a lot faster.

As for other stuff, I also started working on my list of changes to be made from my last playtest, getting through most of the prologue. This includes typo fixes, rewriting/editing, fixing errors, etc. I also completed a mechanic that I had wanted to get done for years, but never got around to it, but I'll get more into that later! But yeah, I got some good work done and I'm feeling more productive than ever right now, so it's time to get even more stuff! My goal is that by the end of October, I will have all the skeleton work done. It's very doable, so provided nothing unexpected happens I can make it.

How Much Longer?

I'm still on track for a June 2025 release at the latest. Once I get the skeleton done, it'll be a lot of smooth sailing from there. I also want to put out a demo, but I know doing so would eat up time for progressing the full thing, so we'll see. 

Something New

So here's something that is new, but actually just a reworking of an old mechanic. Let me show you first.

Previously, each character had a Field Skill. This was a unique action to them that could be used on the field to open pathways or solve puzzles. It was fine for what it was, but I knew it could be better. There were a few issues with it. 1)Not every character had one. My original idea was every character had one and it just didn't pan out, cause not everyone had something to do in the field. 2)There was no player input to it. You just found an object, interacted with it, and you were done. That was it. 

So instead I've changed "Field Skills" into three separate categories. Field Actions, Field Skills, and Field Effects. 

Field Effects

These are what the field skills of the past were. Something characters can do on the map to open pathways and solve puzzles. Not every character has one, so it's just what's needed to block progress and the like.  If you remember the Field Skills of old, these are those.

Field Actions 

These are small little actions that the leading party member will do with the Action Button is pressed. Every character has one, but they only work if they are 1)in the first slot and 2)isn't overwritten by another field action.  I'll get more into the actual use of the Action Button later, but for now these Field Actions are just small little things to do for fun while exploring.

Field Skills

These are the meat of the Field trio. By pressing the Skill Button, another menu will pop up.

Unlike Field Actions, Field Skills only require a character to be in the party. Anyone who is in it, active or not, will have their unique field skill appear in this menu. All you do is select the one you want to use. Rover's First Aid Kit for example will restore the party when used. Defensive Maneuver will decrease damage taken when recharging for the next battle. These take a certain amount of battles before they can be used again, meaning you have to pick and choose when it's best to use them. 

Some field skills, like Lazerous' Concoction Set can be used at anytime. This isn't by any means some game changing mechanic, but it's meant to provide some choice and decision making. "Should I use this field skill for the next battle, or save for the boss?" Stuff like that. 

That's all

That is what I've got for today. I've made good progress, and I've got a lot more coming. We're getting there, one day at a time.

Thank you as always for sticking with me on this journey, I can't wait for everyone to finally play it!