Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Back again with another Bi-Weekly to Monthly Update. Sorry it took so long. It's just drawing art for the game has such a massive damn bottleneck for me, and I'm REALLY starting to feel it when I had to draw new sprites for characters.

Like it's ridiculous. You know the Command Hud you saw in the video? I recall that it took me around 2-3 hours to program that in. Meanwhile it's takes me an entire afternoon just draw 1-2 sprites!

I have no idea if it's because of my Autism or ADHD, but for me, drawing characters had always felt like a massive slog! But enough of me venting, let's move on to something more interesting.

If you been following the game's updates thus far, you may have already had a vague idea for what's coming. I mean, that guy that follows you around in the field phase isn't just for show after all.

Before we go into detail on what Companions are; I feel it would much better to explain my design philosophy when developing the game's combat system. It might be interesting to hear, so please pay attention, and don't be afraid to share your thoughts.

You ever noticed how most games, especially those of the action genre, are built around making the player feel strong and powerful? Not like I have any problem with it. Power Fantasies are great, and I like those types of games as well. While I can't exactly avoid it entirely, I intend for the game to be much lower on the scale than others.

In combat, there is a clear and deliberate power imbalance between the player, and the enemies. Mechanics like Morale and Exhaustion are there to act as limiters for the player. Which means that wasting those resources will lead to moments of downtime where the player is vulnerable and unable to progress the game state.

All these mechanics are designed this way to make the player feel human because... they are playing as a human! A normal human being with all the physical restrictions and limitations that come with it.

The enemies however, simply do not share that same restrictions. They're monsters, and relentless at last. They don't have downtime; while you do. The player alone is liable to getting overwhelmed and dying quickly without getting even a moment to breathe, and that is where Companions come in.

Companions are basically AI Party Members that fight alongside the Player in combat. They're your only ally in this dangerous place and, most encounters will be designed with them in mind.

Companions are essential toward giving the player breathing room they need, and act as buffer towards their life. While they can't win the game for you, if they die, you WILL feel their absence.

I could tell you more, but I feel like that would've been too early. The first companion is not even finished yet; with him only being able to look in the player's direction, and follow them if they move too far. it might take multiple updates to complete because I really want to get this right.

Anyway see y'all later.