#Also... LESS THAN ONE WEEK TO GO FOLKS!!!! ���🎉

[the-keep-under-gresit]

I finally remembered who Olrox's design sort of resembled...

And it's f-ing Victor Veloci from DinoSquad!!! 🤣🤣

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #12 | 06.09.24

And it's time! 💜 Another month, another devlog, and this one comes with great news!

First of all, we FINALLY settled everything with our studio's bank account, which means we can start sending the necessary documentation to Steam so the demo can be approved. Beta testing has almost ended and all that's left is a bit more of anxious revisions and getting the paperwork together.

We will announce the demo release date very very soon; as soon as we can announce our Steam page! We are hoping that can be settled this upcoming week, but let's see what happens. As the finishing line approaches, we have less to show mainly because we are saving some juicy things for our Kickstarter Pre-Release, so bear with us for a minute! ; v ;

Also, let's be real—paperwork is boring. No one wants to read about me fist-fighting Steam or the Spanish government.

So let's jump into it! 💜

PD: I have a lot of asks left to reply to, so let me apologize for being a bit on the slower side! T_T

This month, for mermay, we got a wonderful shrimp prince! 🧡

Seriously, though; he's supposed to be a lionfish, but the shrimp joke was too funny. Just look at this shrimpy beauty! 🦐

When it comes to the sprites, Raquel wants to add some touches to a few expressions, but she's now focusing on getting our merch art ready. We are so so excited to be able to show it! :')

🎉🎉All the backgrounds have been finished!🎉🎉

Well, all the assets have been finished, should I say! Everything is animated, programmed, and ready to go.

Programming wise, the beta testing process has been going great. Special thanks to Allie, our editor, and Lem (@crescencestudio) for offering their help in beta testing the demo! Also, A.J, Narjs, and Ela, our other beta testers that have given us invaluable feedback! 💜 I think we are almost finished; we are still waiting for one of our VAs to deliver their lines, and I want to give another round of testing to the mac version of the game.

The mobile version will most likely come later than the PC one, as it's stated in our masterpost! 💜 I'll start working on it as soon as the remaining voicelines are incorporated and the betatesting for the PC version is completely finished.

This month we started to reveal our amazing cast! 💜 So far you've met Amon (Brian Vaughn), Envy (Aaron Moy), Xal (Francfil Pontañeles) and our Mysterious Seer (Callum Sanders). Everyone has been wonderful to work with, and we can't wait for you to meet them all in game!

We are also starting work on our teaser trailer; if we are lucky, we'll be able to work with a wonderful artist!

We are sorry this devlog is a bit on the boring side—what's left for us is deal with the hell that is founding a studio and publishing a game. Taxes, build distributions, taxes, taxes, paperwork, reading lots of scary stuff...At the end of the day, we are just four little cryptids trying to stay afloat. I'm very proud of how far we've come, but now that things are getting very serious, I can't help but to shake in my boots a little! T^T

Our demo release date announcement is very, very close. We haven't said anything about it yet because we want to be certain everything is in order and as perfect as possible for the release. We know that's impossible (I mean, being first-timers, stuff is prone to happen), but we want to work as hard as we can to avoid oopsies.

And that's it, folks! We hope we can keep coming at you with good news, and we are very excited (and terrified) of what's to come. Thank you so so much for your support, for sending us asks, for your lovely comments, and for being interested in our game.

As always, please take care, stay hydrated and healthy, remember to eat and take breaks, and make sure to give yourself some love today! 💜

[forget-me-maybe]

Writer goal asks for the new year! Let's go with... 🐌 💥🎉

thank you gray!! <3

🐌 What is one of your smallest writing goals?

i want to write something at least once a week. and i mean this in the smallest way possible. a sentence, a word. it doesn't even have to be good! sometimes i go weeks without writing and it just gets harder and harder to get back to it the more time that passes.

but also (and this might be bigger than i think), focus on one thing at the time. i've found myself sitting with different wips at the same time and being like "wow, writing is so overwhelming, how could this be?".

🎉 How are you going to be kind to yourself if you don't meet your goals?

i can be quite hard on myself, straight up rude, if i'm being honest. i need to stop that. remind myself that it's a hobby and though it might be challenging at times, i do it for my enjoyment. but i'm not very good at being kind to myself but i'm really trying!!!

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

i answered the softer scenes in a change of heart in an earlier ask, which still stands, but i'm also very excited to write aradin's pov once i get the hang of him (as we discussed). i've been practicing! here, have a snippet from my draft! (not soft at all though...)

Aradin can’t say he never had his doubts, he even considered leaving the Gate before everything went down with the disgusting and monstrous brain in the sky. He can’t say he didn’t fear for his life when people in the streets started turning into mindflayers either. And most of all he can’t say he lended a hand through the battles ravaging the city. He hid in an abandoned cellar like the coward he is, awaiting what the people he was holed up with thought was certain death. 

But the ragtag team of adventurers had done it. She’d bloody done it. And the city was saved. In ruins, mind, but still saved. 

As Baldur’s Gate has done plenty of times before, it rebuilds itself. First come what the city thinks of as the necessities, like the High Hall and other Upper City establishments. Then come the rich tossers’ homes. Common folks’ houses seem to be the lowest priority. That’s why he’s holed up in a small room that reeks of mildew and something pungent he’s not been able to identify, though not for lack of trying, only drawing the limit at breaking up the floorboards. Letting dead dogs lie and all that. 

Barth and Remi fucked off faster than he would’ve been able to tell them to. In hindsight, he should’ve done the same, he can’t think of a single reason for staying in the Gate. It sure as hells isn’t the job at the docks, loading and unloading the incoming cargo ships. It’s heavy on a good day, and most days it’s bloody exhausting. 

He blames it for being the reason he isn’t doing anything better with his life, why he’s not building a new team, setting out for new adventures. That, and the fact that the city being saved led to an uproar of young and brave folks wanting to start off their adventuring career by doing jobs for way less than Aradin would even consider taking out the rubbish for. 

It’s fine, he tells himself as he leaves for work before Lathander’s even peeked his eyes open. He tells himself the same thing as he downs flat beer and stale bread in the evening before crashing onto the sheetless mattress crammed in the corner of the small room. It’s not like he’s made himself worthy of anything better. 

The moth-eaten blanket only warms him enough to not shiver in the draughty flat. As many nights before, he drifts off into an uneasy sleep. He feels the crippling fear as they realise they’re outnumbered. He sees Brian’s guts spilled by dull and rusty goblin blades. He hears Liam’s screams as he finds out the others have turned around. Most of all, he feels the guilt as he wakes up, alive and fine. 

Days turn into weeks and weeks into months but to Aradin it might be minutes, it might be an eternity, in the blurry routine of constantly being an inch from the end of his rope. 

[terraliensvent]

For those not in the server, THEY FINALLY REOPENED DESIGN APPROVALS! 🎉🎉

Ill give a transcript at the bottom of the post (under “read more”), but heres a quick summary:

(Obviously) Approvals are gonna take a while since they’re pretty backed up

Don’t expect quick responses in concept feedback, mods are obviously gonna be real busy

(THIS IS A BIG ONE!) NO MORE NEEDING APPROVAL IN DISCORD BEFORE SUBMITTING ON SITE!! This is an awesome improvement because i think i speak for many when i say that people were kinda sick of approvals being on the discord thread.

Lim trait removal item is on the way

FERAL TERRA ITEM IS ON THE WAY 🎉🎉🎉

Betta brushes can remove colors now (but only colors that have less than 25% coverage)

ML images can have props now

Screen visor overhaul is ready, guide is TBA. Screen visors will now require something to be in the visor ad a “critter” if the screen mimics a face. this is still a little confusing so id say wait for the guide to come out.

microbes can mimic eyes now, just not at the same time as a mouth. theres a guide to see how to properly do an eye mimic so it actually looks like it belongs in a microbe visor

Overall some good stuff here, excited for the lim trait items

now for the transcript:

ANNOUNCEMENT 1, JULY 21

“<@&1081436363280367647>

# (Re)Design Approvals are opening TOMORROW... Can you believe it?

You heard it here folks, we're finally at a stage where we're ready to reopen TOMORROW! (7/22/24). Everyone has been working very hard to get the necessary guides finished, and we all agree that we're at a point where we can reopen. However, there is a LOT we have to go over. Please read this all CAREFULLY.

## Approvals will Open: <t:1721664000:f>

- **Our Trial Mods have never done Design Approvals before.** On top of that, we've had a lot of changes to our previous system that those of us who HAVE done Approvals before must learn. We did a quick training course today, but nothing will compare to the real deal. Even more, every user was able to claim a free MYO, and many of you have finished up your MYOs Designs and are ready to upload it- or, you've been ready since we initially closed with older MYOs. With this, we want to stress one big thing:

- **Please be patient.** We are expecting a huge backlog of Design/Redesign Approvals once the floodgates open. It will take us quite a bit of time to get through each and every approval - things will be incredibly slow from the start. For the first week or two, please do not send in tickets or staff asks bumping your design, we will get to every one when we can.

- **Concept Feedback will be fairly slow as well.** Our main focus will be approvals - so we will be taking our eyes off of Concept Feedback for the first few days. Please be patient with us there as well, staff will try to get to you when we can.

- **APPROVALS ARE MOVING ONTO SITE!** To better optimize our system, we've decided to take all Approvals fully onto site. The threads will no longer be used in the Discord, so submit your Design directly onto site. You do not need a moderator to sign off on it anymore, we will just directly approve it ourselves.

- **Information regarding Compensation "MYOs" and Design Approvals will be sent out tomorrow.**

Additional Changes:

- **We are adding Limited Trait Removal & Feral/Quad Terraliens.** More information will be sent out about Quads once the item to make them is completed. Limited Trait Removal will be done VIA an item as well.

- **Betta Brushes can now remove colors that are present under 25% of a Terraliens' Design.** Have a small accent color you regret adding onto your Terralien? No worries, now Betta Brushes can do away with that!

- **Props are able to be added to the Masterlist now.** Props can be added to the Masterlist so long as they do not mimic Holograms - the Terralien must be holding them, and they must not obscure the body. Please note that weapons may need a censor, and also that sensitive material will not be allowed. More information will be sent on Props soon.

- **Screen Visor Overhaul has been worked out.** Screen Visors will now require a "critter" to be present if they are mimicking a face, as we have noticed a theme of Screen Visors not looking like Terraliens. However, Screen Visors on the Masterlist will not be required to make this change if redesigning - this is only for ones going forwards. A guide will be accessible soon.

- **Microbes can now mimic eyes, as long as they are not paired with Visor Mouth.** This will be done via the new Visor Eye trait. This eye must still be microbial in nature - it is not allowed to be a normal eye. An updated Microbe guide is onsite for further examples of this.

- **Please expect more changes in the future as we go!**

Thank you all so much for your patience and support, we are so excited to be open again and we have so many things coming in the future that we hope you will all enjoy. Happy Reopening!”

ANNOUNCEMENT 2, JULY 22:

“<@&1081436363280367647>

# (Re)Designs are OPEN!

If you haven’t read the announcement from yesterday already then we heavily advise you to! It covers a lot of new information regarding how we’re going to be handling (Re)Designs from here on out! As a reminder of one aspect in particular though, **We will no longer be using the Discord threads for Approvals. Please only submit onsite.**

## If you have a Modified/PointBuy Ticket, please read [HERE](<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-GFoE_RurlM78BThKfdDfCAG226-N4htPbDIcIwLPDA/edit>) for information about how to use them.

_ _

Clarification on Screen Visors:

Screen Visors will *not* be available to be added with Point Buy MYOs, as we’re in the process of making a guide for them now. They are not yet ready to be released, so we’ve decided to keep them off of the Point Buy MYOs. However, do know that we are working to make Limited Traits accessible through certain means in the future. Another thing a lot of users have been confused on is the new requirement for a “critter” in the visor if there is to be eyes. A “critter” is a generalized term for the presence of something in the visor, it does not have to be a living thing. Stars, planets, hearts would all be a critter.

Another clarification is that for Microbes with eyes, they must look naturally part of the Visor Contents. The eye still has to be a Microbe, & there must be some others around it that look similar. We’ve uploaded a Guide onsite that features some examples of these.

### You can find our updated Guides HERE: [LINK](<https://terraliens.org/gallery>). Be sure to click on the Sub-Galleries, as the main one only shows a small handful.

And just another reminder / request to please be patient! We’re expecting hundreds of Claims & Approval Requests, so it’ll take us a fair bit of time to get through them — especially as we train the Trials. While we understand being excited, please refrain from bumping your requests via ticket or staff ask:))”