⚔️ Hail, adventurers! ⚔️
Today we have a huuuuuge devlog for y'all!😎👇
But first, some great news: our game build was finally approved, and ToLLA's set to release on September 14th here on Steam! 🥳We chose a weekend release so y'all can enjoy the game on a Sunday without worrying about IRL stuff like work or whatever. We'll put up another announcement post a couple of days from launch as a general reminder for anyone who's missed this one.
In the meantime, you can wishlist the game right here on Steam: 👇👇👇
Now on to the devlog...
We've kept busy working on followup content for the game in the form of a major expansion DLC. We'll announce the official Steam page here once it's ready, with a full list of planned features, but for now we'll just mention that the expansion will take a few months to get done, but once finished will double the amount of overall content in ToLLA...
The story continues from the main game, and will let your party explore the massive Fort Ninevus area, as well as the remote Mount Krelengor and the enchanted Lake Mistral. These locations are hand-painted exterior maps, same as in the base game, but even larger. They're full of new landmarks, characters, events, loot, and lewds...
Apart from new maps, we're also gonna be adding all the features that didn't make it into the base game, since they needed more work and testing. There's a bunch of content and mechanics we wanted to add to ToLLA, but didn't want to half-arse it just for the sake of adding stuff, so the DLC gives us a perfect opportunity to expand the base game with new features. One such feature is item crafting, which you'll be able to approach by engaging with unique anvils scattered throughout the game world...
The CYOA storybooks also make a comeback, with branching paths and variable outcomes, similar how it's done in the base game. These take a lot of work to produce given how much of the art budget they swallow up, since art is needed for every unique branch. Regardless, they're a super fun way to emphasize a sexy scene, and we've had nothing but positive feedback from play-testers...
Apart from lewd content, we'll also be introducing Text Adventures & Perilous Undertakings, a new mechanic that lets you put to use the Captain's Retinue and men-at-arms which march under your banner. You'll be able to send these soldiers on side-missions that take place parallel to your own party's progress, and they'll return after a while with gold and gear... or sometimes nothing at all and a steep bodycount. You'll need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each such mission before committing...
Another mechanic we'll be expanding upon are the Captain's Archetypes, which get more content as well in the DLC. These are present in the base game, and let you increase their values through dialogue interactions. Once inside the Fort, you'll be able to put them to good use navigating various conversations and special events. We don't want to spoil too much, so instead here's a short reminder about the ten Archetypes:
The DLC will bring more joinable companions. You already meet two of them in the base game (Vivian and Lucalius), but they both leave before you can recruit them. Once you enter Fort Ninevus, you'll find them both on the premises (Lucalius at the Barracks, and Vivian at the Purple Rose Temple). You can talk to them and eventually have them join your party... or tell them you're not interested - the choice is always yours. Lucalius and Vivian are Legionnaires, like Captain Hale and Meredith, and will have plenty of topics to discuss with you about the world and recent events in the North...
Vivian also gets lewd content, which you can unlock by successfully completing her quest...
Apart from human Legionnaires, you'll also be able to recruit non-human companions who'll join your party... but only after you do something for them first! Some of these characters appear on the game's promo materials, and you'll now be able to find them in and around the new DLC areas...
One major feature coming with the DLC is true RPG combat! The base game has narrative events where you can get into fights with various characters you meet in the game world, but these battles are handled through dialogue. If you've played any narrative-centric games like Disco Elysium you'll know what we mean. The DLC however will bring a fully fleshed-out combat system with RPG mechanics and crunchy party-vs-party combat. This also includes inventory management where you can outfit your party, and item vendors where you can buy/sell gear and consumables. ToLLA's combat still needs quite a bit of work, but we're confident it'll be a lot of fun once finished...
Our plan is to keep supporting the game post-launch with DLC content. We want to do at least 2 major story expansions, as well as a few smaller ones with bonus content (like an art gallery with lewd art and pre-production concepts). We'll keep y'all updated with news & announcements as they become available!
That's it for now! Thanks for reading... and if you enjoy these devlogs then don't forget to follow us directly here on Steam to keep up with our work and future announcements:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/CrimsonDelightGames
Much love,
~ the CDG team ❤️