Hey folks, Whale here,

Just a small update while we're wrapping up the next build.

Follow-on Work from The Hanging Gardens (Build Two)

The feedback we got on build two has led us to slightly edit some of the earlier scenes, especially the ones involving the magic system. That's what I get for designing a hard magic system (see https://www.brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/). The hope is that we can be a bit more explicit without slowing the pace down too much. I'm also still working on the glossary we mentioned in the last devlog, but I don't like the idea of relying on that as a crutch for explaining things. All of these little complex wrinkles should be integrated into the plot as smoothly as possible... ideally.

After living with the new Memories menu for a couple weeks, I realize that the approach I've chosen isn't going to scale particularly well. We'll implement something closer how Killigan's Treasure handles the situation -- essentially, a short guided tour of the critical narrative choices. That fixes most of my problems with the Memories menu.

Build Three: Beltane Fires

The rough draft for Beltane Fires has been done for about a week now, almost on time. Dan looked over it and gave it the old thumbs up, modulo a couple edits that I'm still in the process of cleaning up. Build three will take place over roughly the week following Beltane, roughly another 15k words in length. It'll probably feel shorter than build two, if only because this build branches a lot more than previous builds did. For instance, one scene has four very different branches, depending on choices made in earlier builds.

Danero would also like to share this concept art of a new character this build: Noire, the wandering bard. Doesn't he just smolder? Sorry, I know it's me saying this, but I love this design dearly.

In short, we're still on schedule for an early-to-mid January release. We hope you enjoy the dramatic culmination of our Plataea arc!

Build Four: The Nickel-Plated Tower

The outline for build four is more or less complete, and I've started drafting some of the more important scenes. The overarching theme of this section is culture shock: Thatcher has never been to Theca before, and it's wildly different than Sclera in just about every way.

As part of this build, there will be a sort of "exploration" interlude while Thatcher adjusts to city life. I'm giving myself some extra time because it will be significantly more open-ended than the cave sequence in build two was.

Dan has started designing some of the new characters we'll meet in Theca. The first is the Nile Crocodile Lateef, which you may have seen on our twitter:

(Dan's twitter has a significantly less clothed alt, if you're into that sort of thing.)

Build four will also introduce a third love interest for Thatcher, but the less said about them right now, the better.

Thanks everyone for reading! See you in 2023!