Hey, Friends! 👋
Welcome to a very special announcement! We're approaching the end of 2026, which means it's time for our annual EOTY report. Let's be honest, though: I owe you much more than that.
As the title of the post suggests, I'm proud to present you ANARCHY 0.4 (Dichotomy)!
Primer
First things first: InvitAtion (U) is feature-complete! All the scenes, conversations and logic from Trachi's eastern Checkpoint to four people stepping into a boat are playable.
Last time, we followed the path to Nestville – which we'll henceforth call Neochori. There's a bit of unfinished business involving the militia, after that we get to the big story of this update. In one word: Kenovice – henceforth Philippopolis.
At the other side of the spectrum, there's a few new features and interactions I'd like to cover. From story items to combat segments, AUTONOMY (U) has evolved from a remaster to a remake. We're reinforcing the cornerstones – but also radically expand our story-based adventure.
Alignment
Our previous discussion of InvitAtion ended on a high note: The meet with Eury-D is full of forward and backward references. A large part of those come to play in the later acts, but AUTONOMY-veterans will immediately understand what Atlas and Eury are talking about,
In contrast, our chat with Kristofor Anthiadis (formerly De Bloom) is all about the here and now. The conversation summarizes the Prologue and translates its events into a briefing for the final stretch. If you recall: Daphne, Atlas and Ganymede (DAG) trade a trip to Trachi for one man's freedom.
Back in AUTONOMY (R), this transaction appeared coincidental. This time, we'll drop the masks much sooner. Arteria came about through months – if not years – of planning. We should embrace that fact with total confidence!
For the prologue, this means the following: Trachi is largely closed off on August 25th, so there's Guardsmen at every point of entry. Even a boat can't enter the channels without a few bribes and good timing. This is where InvitAtion's plot points come together. Ioulios (formerly Julius) is in custody and Neochori's Militia is armed to the teeth.
Going forth, Neochori will spring into action on the 25th. It's the perfect smokescreen to ferry our protagonists – and several Neochorians – into Trachi proper. As a bonus, the Prologue finally gets a conclusion that ties its threads together.
There's just one hair in the soup: In AUTONOMY (R), Philoppopolis / Kenovice sits at the end of InvitAtion. If we go ahead with our plan, we'd need to put that somewhere else. Incidentally, I've been planning to do so since 2021!
Rakovski Boulevard
Suppose we took the original intro (Daphne and Ganymede in Wenger 1926) and threw players into Philoppopolis instead. It makes sense chronologically, kicks off the story with higher stakes – and gives you a lore-bento filled with Ionia, EnKAD and Atlas before you even see the Checkpoint.
Over the last few weeks, I implemented Philoppopolis (1916) as it used to be. We've got the tiles, the smiles, the conversations, SFX, music and logic. But that's not all: I restructured the events so you'll have a lot more freedom to move about. That includes your main character (Atlas) and her trusted Companion (Pandora).
To that end, the dialogue has also been massively revised. Although the topics and events remain largely the same, we're embedding them into a much more developed world. Ionia in particular has gotten special attention, so I'd like to take a minute and contextualize the events surrounding Philippopolis through precedents from our own history.
History
In simple terms: Philippopolis 1916 is TRACHI's equivalent of the Night of the Long Knives. We previously framed the segment as a run-of-the-mill insurgency, but that's far too broad! Philippopolis' occupants aren't revolutionaries in the traditional sense. They're a breakaway branch from EnKAD, which propelled the governing party (ION) to electoral victory in 1905.
As was the case with the Squadristi in Italy, traditional institutions didn't like their new paramilitary, party-aligned – and let's not forget: fascist – colleagues. When Ionia's Head of Government / State was shot dead during his 1916 New Year's address, EnKAD became the prime suspect. On the same day, their Archon (Crius) fled the capital (Aion) for Philippopolis. Barely 48 hours after the fact, the Ionian Armed Forces (IAF) retook the city.
Now suppose you're part of Ionia's Central Committee. On one hand, you're about to professionally – if not physically – neuter 30-40.000 ideological troublemakers. At the same time, the organization (EnKAD) is the embodiment of the Ionian revolution. So what do you do?
In an effort to rebrand EnKAD into a state-aligned secret police, Crius and his followers are apprehended by people in EnKAD uniforms. That's where Atlas and others come in. They're blending the name, the mononyms, the uniforms and badges with total loyalty to Ionia's Central Committee.
By extension, Pandora fulfills a double-function: She keeps Atlas aligned, while making sure that he doesn't get shot by her colleagues in the IAF.
Besnik
Starting today, you'll see those dynamics in action. You're knocking on doors and asking questions in order to find runaway EnKAD personnel. Our first stop is Rakovski Boulevard 53b, where Besnik Petrovic resides.
In the original, this scene should've shown that people are terrified of EnKAD. But in Philoppolis 1916, EnKAD's the one who's afraid. We'll play with Besnik's confusion as Atlas introduces himself, before Pandora clarifies that they're working for the government.
In general, you'll find that Pandora takes a more active role. She goes through boxes and cupboards – shakes the pillows and looks under the bed. Atlas conducts the Q&A as he used to, though you'll find that his questions follow a certain strategy. All the while, Pandora locks eyes with a weird looking plank on the floor.
Suffice to say: The situation might escalate. Thankfully, we don't need to avoid physical encounters anymore!
Reality
In AUTONOMY (R), a guy had to jump out of a window off-screen. Even more contrived is the fact that Pandora ran after him – although there's tons of IAF personnel outside. Now that we've got a tried-and-tested basis for combat, we can fix both plot-holes in a single swoop.
A modified battle-system brings ANARCHY's grid-based fights to the ground floor of Rakovski Boulevard 57. As combat takes place in TRACHI's 'Old-World' history, there's no EXP, people die quickly – and dead things stay dead. This goes for enemies, allies and player combatants. If any of your people (here Atlas or Pandora) dies, you'll hit a Game-Over screen.
To prevent untimely deaths, you'll get a few first-aid kits for healing. Both items and equipment – as well as every other part of combat – work the same way as they do in ParAdise et al. But here's the best bit: Our new battle-system (Reality) won't be limited to RB 57's Ground Floor. There are several small-time engagements already included, while I'm planning to have at least one major shootout in every act.
Before we get there, though: Let's wrap up our trip to Phillippopolis.
Daniil
Following the engagement with Crius' confidantes, we'll witness the showdown between a master and his student. Atlas and Crius conversation is largely aligned with its predecessor in AUTONOMY (R) – barring a few alterations.
Firstly, we're making a much bigger point out of the Dichotomy (aka the EnKAD purge). Secondly, we're forcing Crius to sign a prewritten confession. If you'd like to know what's in it, I got splendid news: you carry both his statement and the tool to persuade him in your inventory.
In return for Crius' compliance, his associates are spared a firing-squad. Crius himself gets the same treatment he did in AUTONOMY (R). Although you'll take the reigns this time, that's not to say there won't be any witnesses! The post-facto conversations with Pandora remain largely the same. She's trying to mind her own business, but can't see a strong, silent person suffer.
The final words of dialogue in Philippopolis appear trivial. Yet the moment between Atlas and Pandora cuts through the iceberg: You can have people without a state – but no state without people. Beneath the laws and institutions, friends and family, there's a deep desire to be seen.
Dichotomy
So here's the bottom-line: ANARCHY 0.4 (Dichotomy) adds everything from Philippopolis to GAD stepping into a boat. InvitAtion (U) is still under revision, so I've marked it as WIP. Throughout the next few months, I'd like to push incremental updates to improve individual segments, implement the extended ending – and a few other scenes to make the Prologue shine.
To give you a sense of ANARCHY's scope, you can now access all three main Epochs (Arteria, ExplanAtion and ParAdise) from the get-go. This comes bundled with 18 new maps, around ~50 conversable Characters, ~40 new tasks, a Companion system, rewrites all over ANARCHY, UI improvements (e.g. a new Save/Load-Menu), several hundred bugfixes and much, much more.
I've also used my hiatus to rewire most of ANARCHY's backend. Camera and Pathfinding took a good amount of time, as did the introduction of Trachi's day and night maps. Similarly, we transformed AUTONOMY's RPGMaker events into time-stamped ANARCHY quests.
One could assume it's smooth sailing from here. Truth be told: One wouldn't be too far off the mark. Beyond my rampant perfectionism – and non-TRACHI – commitments, there's really not much standing between us and AUTONOMY.
After a very turbulent and incredibly busy year, we're almost over the hump!
Conclusion
My thesis is scheduled for submission at the end of February / early April. If I'm lucky, I'll get a few weeks (if not months) between jobs, where I could treat TRACHI the way I treated it in 2023. I'll try to present you a roadmap before then, though I'd rather be careful with promises until things have truly settled down.
Until then, I hope you'll enjoy a revised and – imho – drastically improved retelling of TRACHI's (partial) history. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued patience and encouragement throughout this year. 🤗
Kissies and hugs – cheers for my Besties in 2025! 🥂
much love
nory
Release Notes
ANARCHY 0.4
Epochs
- Added "🅰️rteria". Happy 192X!
Acts
- Added 🐍 "Dichotomy". Divided Dialects
- Added ✉️ "InvitAtion". What's StateSec doing in the DMZ?
Quests
- Added "Dichotomy". 3rd January, 1916
- Added "InvitAtion". 25th August, 1923
Tasks
- Added "9 Tasks for Dichotomy" 10:30AM - 12PM
- Added "27 Tasks for InvitAtion" 7AM - 15:15PM
Areas
- Added "Rakovski Boulevard" Hey!
- Added "Rb 53b" What happened to Mr. Nikolov?
- Added "Rb 57 Ground Floor" Say goodbye to your front door!
- Added "Rb 57 First Floor" The uniform suits you well.
- Added "Border" The uniform suits you well.
- Added "Checkpoint (Trachi)" There's so many people here.
- Added "Customs (Checkpoint)" Please fill out Appendices a-f.
- Added "Barracks (Checkpoint)" You should find another route
- Added "DMZ (South, East, North & West)" At least we get to see the countryside!
- Added "Storage (DMZ)" For a cottage filled with contraband.
- Added "Neochori" Formerly Nestville
- Added "Residence (Anthiadis)" Why don't you stay for lunch?
- Added "Council Reception & Hall" What about the guns?
Combatants
- Added "Crius" Archon of the Endo-Kathartic Dialect
- Added "Lujo Kozar" Formerly Louis Tanner.
- Added "Ioulios Philoxenos" Formerly Julius Gaston.
- Added "Kristofor Anthiadis" Formerly Kristofor De Bloom.
- Added "Tilian Marton" Deputy of the militia.
- Added "Kristofor De Bloom" Head councillor of Nestville.
- Added "~300 NPCs" AUTONOMY in ANARCHY
Mechanics
- Added "Companion System" The more, the merrier!
- Added "Game Over" Death is gg.
- Adjusted "Movement" Interpolation for a smooth camera
Abilities
- Added Attack "Hurl" 60% DMG [AOE]
Status Effects
- Added "Aim" -10% ATK
Equipment
- Added "P1905" +1 ATK
- Added "P1905C" +1 ATK
- Added "S1903" +1 ATK
- Added "Pathology" +6 ATK
- Added "GF1912" Ground-based AOE
- Added "Desolation" +50 ATK | Ground-based AOE
UI
- Adjusted "Dialogue Bubbles" Constrained to the screen.
- Adjusted "Save-menu" Two-column layout.
- Adjusted Main Menu "Act" Unlocked from start, highlights ExplanAtion
Variations
- Added "Dichotomy" Philoppolis 1916
Achievements
- Added " First Blood." Singing in the rain!
- Added "Dichotomy." Ιωνία, αιώνια!
- Added "DExecution." Clean Sweep
- Renamed "ExtrapolAtion" Formerly 3PC.