What's been happening with TC:WA!

Hello all! It has been quite a while.

So, what's been going on with this game? It's a tricky question to explain but let me start off with the progress that has been made so far.

First off: The redirection with this game.

So after a while of updating this game when it first came out, it became clear to me that the current state wasn't really going anywhere. There was that little itch in the back of my mind that pressured me into moving the scope of what I wanted this game to be. So, after a long talk with TecShield, we did just that. My first priority was character creation. Now, personally, I love when games allow me to craft my character to look however I want. This is exactly what I communicated to the team, and within a couple of months, it became a reality. So far, it is still a work in progress, however the core mechanics are in the game. You can pretty much create whoever you wish with our editor.

You can even go the "Oblivion route" if you wish. Something I think is necessary for a game like this. It is the wasteland after all, why not make your character look like they've been through something freaky. Maybe make them go through a mutation or have them be created by a madman experimenting with individuals.

"Oi! Come over er donkey!"

Or make them look full on Schwarzenegger

Alright, so you kinda know where we're going with this. You can make them look however you wish. Morph them into yourself or turn your character into something from a nightmare! I sure had fun messing around with this, but what you see isn't final, there is still so much to do for this module. There are more hairstyles to add, more clothing to suit your needs and even a roleplaying background selecter that will modify your unique creation into something more personal.

Second: The new path

While we're focusing on keeping the game's vision as it currently is now, I made the choice to change up how the introduction works. What I mean by that is the safezone. Having those little lizard people guide you through was my first idea at the time, but everyone else's feedback was somewhat of the opposite. So, while everything else is more or less the same, I have instead allowed a different approach when it comes to the starting world.

Introducing: The new safe zone.

Right now, we have implemented a multi-storey building that will act as a new safezone for the player. This will allow the player to tend to their needs; as in sleeping to make night into day, modding and customizing their weapons, change their clothing, change the ambient music and even read a book! That's right, you can even sit down and read my whole book: The Chronicles, Wasteland.

I wanted this to be included with the base game. If the player wishes to know more about the world that they're currently playing in, I thought it would be a nice addition to give supporting players my whole first book as a thank you. After the player is ready to venture out into the wasteland, they can scavenge and loot in the city map. Just like how you can now, you can gather materials, collect credits, find ammo and so on. The idea of finding the previous underground safezone at a later time is possible. Maybe that can be a place for you to have a breather if things get overwhelming for you.

Now do keep in mind that all of the above isn't publicly out yet, there are some things in my personal life that I have to address before closing out this update.

What's happening with me?

Now, you may know that I'm someone who's been funding this game by myself for a very long time. I work an insane amount of overtime at my job just to pay the TecShield developers and to support myself and the family. A new hurdle has appeared in front of me, it's called the Victoria Police. My application has been going very well. I've been passing the required tests left and right and I'm nearing completion in becoming an officer. However, there is something that has hit me financially hard: my eyeballs! To put it simply, my vision has failed me. I currently am short sighted, and I failed the minimum requirement for the sight assessment. I could either close my application and continue with my monotonous life, or get surgery. I'm sure you can tell where I went with this. So after thinking long and hard about it, I went with the latter. As of publishing this article, my surgery is set on the 21st of Nov, this coming Tuesday. While exciting as this may be, it has been very impactful on my wallet. It's pretty much come down to me putting progress of this game on hold until I have fully recovered and am confident on continuing this project. I mean, 6,000AUD for improving my life-long vision is very appealing and to secure a job in law enforcement, but it was painful to communicate with TecShield that the game has to be paused at the current moment.

That's kinda where we're at now. Progress on improving the game has definitely been made, but more time is needed to drop an update that will turn this game into something more worthwhile. It's a dream and a legacy that I don't wish to give up on, I love it too much.

Besides all that:

I have lowered the price of the game to $5USD, it should reflect correctly for your currency, but this was something that should've been standard from the start. You'd think you'd get more results from a game that you've spent so much money on, but hey, not all investments are worth while. Either way, it's my legacy that I will leave behind, but it's one I don't plan on abandoning.

This is Mr. Ox signing off, for now...