#Construction And Management Simulation Game

[sonsofks]

Conviértete en un Magnate de la Magia en el Juego de Tycoon de Snowhound Games

Magos de las pociones, es hora de darle una remodelación a tu tienda con la última actualización de Potion Tycoon! Daedalic Entertainment y Snowhound Games están celebrando el sexto mes de aniversario de Potion Tycoon en Steam Early Access con “Ladrillo & Mortero,” una gigantesca actualización de contenido que incluye las actualizaciones más deseadas por la comunidad, ¡incluyendo construcción y…

[failbettergames]

any games you'd recommend? could be for any reason! (similarity to fallen london, you know the people who made it, you just think it's neat, etc.) besides your own, of course, I already own all of those :)

Yes, here's a list of all of the games we talked about in our newsletter last year:

Birth: an adventure puzzle game about constructing a creature from spare bones & organs.

Scarlet Hollow: an immersive, episodic horror-mystery.

Egypt: Old Kingdom: a strategy simulator of the Great Pyramids period.

The Past Within is a fun, eerie way to spend an hour with a friend.

The Pale Beyond: high stakes on the frozen wastes, Sunless Sea feelings. 

King of the Castle: medieval monarch party game.

Stray Gods: an urban fantasy, musical visual novel featuring the gods of Greek myth.

Vampire Survivors: so moreish.

Knotwords: extremely satisfying crossword-anagram-puzzle game.

The Banished Vault: so gorgeous it actually makes us a bit cross.

Astronaut the Best: an anarchic comedy about assembling a team of hapless astronauts. 

El Paso, Elsewhere: supernatural neo-noir shooter, in which you must destroy the villain you loved - even if it means dying yourself.

Thank Goodness You're Here: may be the only game that’s more British than the ones we make.

The Fabulous Fear Machine: pulpy horror narrative strategy.

WORLD OF HORROR: Junji Ito-adjacent roguelike.

Lies of P: tickles your Fromsoft fancy. 

The Lamplighters League: essentially 1930s supernatural XCOM 

Tails Noir (formerly known as Backbone): gorgeous, bleak, compelling and unsatisfying in equal measure. 

Mediterrea Inferno: a spicy story about finding yourself after isolation.

DotAGE: manage a village where the Village Elder has helpfully precise visions of the future.

Slay the Princess: the princess is very bad and you have to kill her. 

VR remake of The 7th Guest: very fun, silly and far less punishing than the original. 

Astrea: Six-sided Oracles: interesting dice-and-deckbuilding system. 

Return of the Obra Dinn: truly a modern classic.

[cosmerelists]

Favorite Video Game Genres of Cosmere Characters

As requested by @thesternest :)

1. Silence

Silence: Don't know why, really, but I like casual games, games that are just like real life. Silence: Something about doing your daily life, but in game form--very relaxing. William Anne: Uh, mama? I think "Silent Hill" is a survival-horror game. Silence: It is? How so?

2. Marasi

Marasi: [Looks around nervously] Marasi: I...well, I like first-person shooters. Marasi: I-I just like to pretend I'm in the Roughs, like Wax! Marasi: I don't want to be Wax in real life or anything, but...it can be fun in a game!

3. Dalinar

Dalinar: In real life, war is a terrible necessity. Dalinar: In games, war is fun. Dalinar: ... Dalinar: I like tactical RPGs.

4. Vin

Vin: Huge fan of platform games. Vin: Jumping from ledge to ledge, controlling my speed and trajectory, occasionally swinging from hooks or managing double jumps... Vin: It's just like moving through the city as a Mistborn! Elend: Your high-score is RIDICULOUS, Vin! Vin: I'm also REALLY good at it.

5. Yumi

Yumi: I wasn't allowed video games for a long time, but now that I can play them... Yumi: [eyes sparking] I've become a HUGE fan of visual novels! Yumi: It's like Seasons of Regret, only *I* can be the one making the choices!

6. Leshwi

Leshwi: Like many Fused and Singers, I find myself quite taken with Rhythm games. Leshwi: Now that it is no longer appropriate for me to fight the Windrunners, I do like to challenge them to Dance Dance Revolution instead. Kaladin: OH COME ON I DEFINITELY HAD THAT Leshwi: I always win.

7. Steris

Steris: I used to think games were a waste of time, but then Wax introduced me to these construction simulators. Steris: My city is a paradise with excellent infrastructure, logical layout, and plenty of greenspace. Wayne: You should try to mod that makes a tsunami hit your city! Steris: Oh please, I beat that mod yesterday on my first try.

8. Navani

Navani: Recently, I've gotten into Tower Defense games. Sibling: I can defend myself, thank you very much.

9. Vivenna

Vivenna: Love a good roguelike. Vivenna: It's something about trying it over and over again until you're perfect. Vivenna: The victory is sooo sweet when you've worked hard to achieve it, dying many times. Siri: Oh me too!! I especially like Hades--the art is AMAZING. Vivenna: (scoffs) You mean a rogue-lite? Siri: I'm telling you--you should try one! Getting powerups in between runs is pretty sweet. Vivenna: Hedging out a difficult victory after hours of blood, sweat and tears is also fun! Siri: If you say so...

10. Lightsong

Lightsong: Soooo addicted to Candy Crush. Lighsong: Can't even tell you why. Llarimar: Perhaps your divine eye is drawn to the bright colors. Lightsong: Whatever makes you feel better, Scoot.

11. Adolin

Adolin: Lately I've become completely engrossed with life simulators. Adolin: I make my character get up, make breakfast, go to work, go on dates, learn the piano... Adolin: WHY IS IT SO ADDICTING?? Shallan: This may be a sign that your actual life is incredibly stressful and the allure of a simple, daily life is drawing you in? Adolin: No, that doesn't sound right... Shallan: You want to date a bisexual vampire? Adolin: ...That could be it.

12. Rlain

Rlain: I'm quite taken with these cozy farming games. Rlain: You just build a nice farm, meet the villagers, explore around. Renarin: Rlain, please, it's been six hours! Rlain: Just one more day...

13. Tress

Tress: I've been enjoying survival games! Tress: It's fun to gather and cook and build a base! Tress: A little bit unrealistic, because the rain doesn't make anything explode, but I guess they wanted to make it easier than real life, not harder.

14. Shallan

Shallan: It has to be MMOs for me. Shallan: I like a game where I can do pretty much anything I want. Shallan: Advance the story, collect every type of mushroom, fill in the whole map... Shallan: Plus, I like leveling every class and giving each one their own outfit and personality. Veil: You named the rogue after me, I see. Shallan: It's a compliment.

15. Kelsier

Kelsier: There's only one type of game for me: and that's a game where the name of the, uh, game is survival. Kelsier: And I especially like it when you have to survive as a team. Kelsier: Especially against great odds--like lots and lots of real-life players. Kelsier: Yup, yup. Kelsier: It's all about Fornite for me.

[ranchstoryblog]

PRESS RELEASE: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma’s Bold Reimagining of a Beloved Franchise is Revealed During Nintendo Direct

Marvelous USA Announces Spring 2025 Release Window for Fresh Take on Fan-Favorite Action RPG/Life-simulation Franchise; PAX West Presence Confirmed

TORRANCE, Calif. — Aug. 27, 2024 — Marvelous USA today revealed Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for the Nintendo Switch™ system and Windows PC via Steam, debuting the first official trailer on today’s Nintendo Direct livestream and announcing a Spring 2025 release window. This next-level offering is the latest entry in the popular action-RPG and life-simulation series, and introduces players to the lands of the east for the first time in franchise history with Japanese-inspired visuals and new twists on familiar themes and gameplay elements. Attendees at PAX West, taking place Aug. 30-Sept. 2, will be able to participate in a Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma booth activity showcasing Earth Dancer abilities and have the chance to earn exclusive, themed merchandise in the Marvelous USA booth, #809. 

Ravaged by the effects of the Celestial Collapse and the cessation of power provided by the runes, the eastern lands of Azuma are a shadow of their prosperous past. Weakened by corruptive forces, the gods of nature retreated from the world, leaving mountains to crumble and fields to wither. The people of Azuma seek aid against a blight that has swept these once-bountiful lands. One young hero enters into a contract with a dragon and sets out on a journey. “Accept the might of the Earth Dancer. Use this power to save the land.”

Guardians of Azuma takes players on an all-new adventure in the never-before-seen country of Azuma. Here, players will assume the role of an Earth Dancer destined to return hope—and life—to the once-thriving land. Choose from one of two protagonists whose fates are closely tied together, and experience reimagined and expanded Rune Factory gameplay; as Earth Dancer, players will farm with grace, restore and build entire villages, and fight with new weapons like the Bow and Talisman. Azuma is a vast world to explore with majestic villages to uncover, each taking inspiration from Japanese culture and each with a seasonal theme. In addition to exploration, combat, and village-building, players will also cultivate relationships with the locals, recruiting them to your side in battle or to help manage the villages. Wield sacred treasures of the gods and the Earth Dancer’s power of dance to purify the land and return Azuma to its former glory. The adventure of a new world awaits.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Key Features:

Bold New Abilities and Weapons: As an Earth Dancer, use the power of dance, sacred treasures, and fresh weapons like the Bow and Talisman to purify the land, farm, and undo the Blight’s damage.

It Takes a Village: Don’t just mind the farm—rebuild entire villages! Construct and place buildings strategically to entice people to return to the villages and contribute. Revive the gods to bring vitality and valuable resources back to the plagued lands.

Your Fantasy Japanese Life: Experience beautiful Japanese-inspired character designs and aesthetics—from festivals to events to monsters. Explore Azuma’s natural landscapes and its seasonal-themed locales steeped in tradition.

Classic Romance and Relationships: Choose between male and female protagonists, then befriend or romance any of the eligible candidates—god and mortal alike—in fully voiced scenarios. Recruit these new friends to aid in dynamic battles, too!

Pre-orders for the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma “Earth Dancer Edition” will be available soon via the Marvelous USA store and at participating retailers for an MSRP of $99.99. This stunning collection comes in a custom outer box featuring awe-inspiring art of a battle high above Azuma, and includes a physical copy of the game, an original soundtrack CD, an art book, an Azuma-inspired folding fan, the “Seasons of Love” DLC bundle, additional DLC costumes for your protagonists and their divine sidekick Woolby, and a plush Woolby keychain. The standard edition of the game will also be available to pre-order for an MSRP of $59.99. Details on digital editions and pricing will be announced later.

Developed by Marvelous and published in the Americas by Marvelous USA, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Switch™ and Windows PC via Steam in Spring 2025. The title will be published in Japan by Marvelous Inc. and in Europe by Marvelous Europe. More information can be found on the official website, https://na.runefactory.com/azuma/, and on X @RuneFactory. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Information about Marvelous USA’s products can be found at www.marvelous-usa.com. Fans can also check out the latest videos from the Marvelous family of titles on YouTube and get updates by following on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Threads.

[fallenclan]

what 24 cats would you choose for a hunger games simulator

asks that make you play hunger games simulator again. anyway

The Bloodbath

Pondshine, Littleleaf, Ember, Ficklefern, Sleepydawn, Feathresight, Wolfbite, Ospreyswipe, & Hazelthorn run away from the Cornucopia.

Patchback and Skyfrost fight for a bag. Skyfrost gives up and retreats.

Blossomfur finds a backpack full of camping equipment.

Honeysong falls into a frozen lake and drowns. (GIRL ON DAY 1 ARE YOU SERIOUS)

Moosefall and Cloudtuft fight for a bag. Moosefall gives up and retreats.

Ravenstar and Moorthistle fight for a bag. Moorthistle gives up and retreats.

Sunnytuft snatches a pair of sais.

Finchbeak finds Darkstone hiding in the cornucopia and kills him.

Levi grabs a sword.

Kestrelfeather finds Cottonleaf hiding in the cornucopia, but Cottonleaf kills him.

Day 1

Cloudtuft injures himself.

Feathersight sprains his ankle while running away from Ficklefern.

Ospreyswipe defeats Moorthistle in a fight, but spares her life.

Hazelthorn defeats Finchbeak in a fight, but spares her life.

Littleleaf tries to sleep through the entire day.

Patchback runs away from Sleepydawn.

Blossomfur, Pondshine, and Skyfrost track down and kill Flamefall. (GUYS HES ON OUR SIDE NOW. GUYS. GUYS)

Levi makes a slingshot.

Ember thinks about home.

Sunnytuft shoots an arrow into Moosefall's head. (hasn't he suffered enough.)

Cottonleaf thinks about home.

Ravenstar defeats Wolfbite in a fight, but spares her life. (he would not fucking do that)

Night 1

Sunnytuft, Skyfrost, Feathersight, and Cottonleaf tell each other ghost stories to lighten the mood.

Sleepydawn passes out from exhaustion.

Moorthistle cooks her food before putting her fire out.

Ravenstar defeats Patchback in a fight, but spares her life.

Pondshine stays awake all night.

Cloudtuft sees a fire, but stays hidden.

Littleleaf passes out from exhaustion.

Levi tries to sing himself to sleep.

Ember dies from an infection. (WHEN DID YOU GET AN INFECTION)

Ficklefern stays awake all night.

Wolfbite cries herself to sleep. (canonically)

Blossomfur and Ospreyswipe talk about the tributes still alive.

Hazelthorn and Finchbeak huddle for warmth.

Day 2

Hazelthorn and Ficklefern hunt for other tributes.

Feathersight receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor.

Pondshine scares Patchback off.

Littleleaf searches for firewood.

Finchbeak receives clean water from an unknown sponsor.

Skyfrost receives fresh food from an unknown sponsor.

Ravenstar constructs a shack.

Cottonleaf makes a wooden spear.

Sleepydawn and Blossomfur work together for the day.

Levi attacks Ospreyswipe, but he manages to escape.

Moorthistle injures herself.

Sunnytuft tends to Cloudtuft's wounds.

Wolfbite dies from thirst. (SHOULDN'T HAVE WASTED ALL THAT WATER ON CRYING YOURSELF TO SLEEP I GUESS)

Arena Event A swarm of tracker jackers invade the arena.

Blossomfur, Feathersight, Ravenstar, and Moorthistle survive.

Sunnytuft is stung to death.

Finchbeak and Patchback run out of places to hide and are stung to death.

While running away from the tracker jackers, Ficklefern grabs Pondshine and throws him to the ground. (wlw/mlm hostility)

While running away from the tracker jackers, Littleleaf grabs Cloudtuft and throws him to the ground.

Levi and Ospreyswipe run out of places to hide and are stung to death.

Cottonleaf knocks Skyfrost unconscious and leaves him there as bait.

Sleepydawn is stung to death.

Night 2

Moorthistle stays awake all night.

Ficklefern and Ravenstar run into each other and decide to truce for the night.

Blossomfur bashes Littleleaf's head in with a mace.

Feathersight and Hazelthorn tell stories about themselves to each other.

Cottonleaf cooks her food before putting her fire out.

The Feast The cornucopia is replenished with food, supplies, weapons, and memoirs from the tributes' families.

Cottonleaf, Ficklefern, and Ravenstar decide not to go to the Feast.

Blossomfur and Hazelthorn threaten a double suicide. It fails and they die.

Moorthistle catches Feathersight off guard and kills him.

Day 3

Ravenstar discovers a cave.

Moorthistle travels to higher ground.

Cottonleaf searches for a water source.

Ficklefern cannot handle the circumstances and commits suicide.

Night 3

Cottonleaf quietly hums.

Moorthistle receives medical supplies from an unknown sponsor.

Ravenstar tries to treat his infection. (when did you get infected. hello)

Day 4

Ravenstar scares Moorthistle off.

Cottonleaf constructs a shack.

Night 4

Ravenstar receives a hatchet from an unknown sponsor.

Moorthistle receives fresh food from an unknown sponsor.

Cottonleaf screams for help.

Day 5

Ravenstar searches for a water source.

Cottonleaf unknowingly eats toxic berries.

Moorthistle cannot handle the circumstances and commits suicide.

The winner is Ravenstar! By default! fucking loser he didn't even kill anyone

[toskarin]

minecraft

-

<rin> the gist of it is that when I was with my ex who just kind of brought things up to start fights, I eventually got numb to it and mentally checked out of arguing. it was always insanely mundane stuff that would get responses (eg asking if a weapon in warframe was meta and taking it personally if I said it wasn't) so I naturally concluded "ah yeah, minecraft won't do that"

<rin> but what I didn't realise is that in response to any attempt to do that in minecraft, I'd go dwarfmode and just build an incomprehensible hyperfixation labyrinth while nodding and going "mhm" every time argument bait was dropped

<rin> this base had literally 300 rooms, connected by tunnels and spires with nothing in them that I constructed in a fugue state and filled with mannequins, but then I realised I had a problem

<rin> that was really really really fucking scary

<rin> what I had ACTUALLY built was a city that could house an entire faction, to scale with some real life towns and fully furnished, in a place where ambient cave noises would play and it wasn't always clear where the next door to the surface (or an airlock into a cavern) was

<rin> and I got so creeped out conceptually by having a massive labyrinth that was made entirely of negative autistic energy, filled with mannequins that I placed seemingly only to scare myself, that I stopped going in most of it and kind of hid in one of the top floors (the one with the terracotta ballroom and the roman style bathing area)

<rin> the end result was that I started building houses inside of the house, smaller basecamps that were less creepy than the massive empty structure, along with numbered signs and routes through it that avoided "the creepy parts"

<rin> the creepy parts were like. exceptionally weird.

<rin> it wasn't even built as a base, but just vaguely attached "expansion" that usually simulated something or otherwise looked like it should have a use

<rin> for example, a series of identical plazas, connected by a central spiral staircase, all with identical underground apartment buildings that flanked all four sides, down to the furniture inside of them, all the way to bedrock

<gf> oh my god babe

<gf> i don't even know what to say. just oh my god

<rin> there were multiple restaurants, and the gimmick of them is that they were identical except for the color of the wool used on the carpet, and there were 20 of them

<friend> rin, are you like, okay

<rin> oh no I'm insane

<rin> genuinely I wish I still had the world file because like, what cool organic horror it was

<gf> yeah that sounds kind of incredible in like a really terrible way

<rin> there were distinctly the small manageable rooms where I was actually comfortable playing the game and then there was the horrifying maze of structures that made up my mental labyrinth further in or something

<rin> total aside, that's why there's the metrolith labyrinths in vesalblood. the "compacted underground urban center built on top of other urban centers" thing struck me as a cool enough concept to keep

[atanxdoesstuff]

"Whenever I die... my memories are uploaded into a new body. But are they really 'mine'?"

aand my WIP is done! done-ish. idk what to add anymore; rendering is a social construct

ramblings + timelapse under the cut!

awright, so this piece was originally part of a comic-thing that i sketched out in my sketchbook. but it was just something i slapped on figuring i'd rework the composition later. well, i couldn't. it was too crowded. so this is severely reduced from the original plan.

the gist of it is that: obv the top left connor is connor-51. the side connor is actually connor-52. 51 died in "the hostage", but he did still manage to save emma! (i blame dbh youtube poop for making me think connor and daniel could shoot each other. so even tho thats not canon, let's just pretend that happened here lol)

now when you move files on your device, you aren't actually moving them. what you're doing is essentially copying the file into a new location and erasing the original. and based on this premise, i have inflicted an existential crisis on 52! :D it's sort of similar to soma, and their brain scans. is 52 the same person as 51? is it a continued existence or did 51 as a person die on that terrace, with 52 just simulating continued existence?

the game has conflicting stances there: on one hand, connor often says shit like "my predecessor was destroyed", implying that he thinks he's a different person. on the other, he also says shit like "i'll be back" and "this isn't over". and additionally, if hank has chosen to force quit life but connor still turns deviant, connor gets wrecked by 60 and to win, "transfers" himself into 60's unharmed body. and this is framed like an actual transfer.

i feel like if the data is "moved", it's not the same person anymore. to ensure the data transfer doesn't essentially kill the person and resurrect them as a clone of themselves, I think you'd need to physically disconnect, move and reconnect the memory storage device. if we're basing android physiology on currently existing tech, at least. but that's just my headcanon i use to inflict existential dread.

and here's the timelapse! :))

as you can see I've struggled a lot with this work :P i think i got to a point where this looks pretty fine to me (i still really like how i drew 52 here), although it could deffo be better.

i really want to also draw markus more. i've never even made a proper illustration for him but honestly i tried to digitally paint the grenade launcher scene bc its so pretty and i failed miserably. painting in digital is so hard?? idk i should research some stuff on how to do that because i really want to paint that scene still.

also north. north with the grenade launcher :O fuck i want north with the grenade launcher.

[thydungeongal]

Also on the subject of race stuff in fantasy RPGs, while it's not quite the same as what you were talking about, I always loved how Inverse World/Inverse Fellowship handled race. They divested it from a few of the negative connotations fantasy race normally has as a parallel to real life racial constructs by... just connecting it to another set of stereotypes instead.

In those games, your parents race has absolutely 0 impact on your own. Your races is determined entirely by the actual physical location you are born in, causing it to have more in common with regional cultures than skin tones. Yeah of course the people born on the floating sky islands have wings, how else are they going to get around? Of course the people born in caves have darkvision, it's how they live their life.

It is by no means a "We fixed the issues with race forever!" solution, or even that it doesnt have any overlap with existing racial views, and I don't think they intended it to be so. But it is a fascinating lense to look through at our normal portrayal of race in fantasy. And a nice change of pace.

Yes, I do think Fellowship and Inverse World's approach to this stuff is one of the best I've seen! It actually makes for a really interesting and fantastic approach to the issue, where it does away with stuff like bloodlines and species as a scientific concept in favor of an approach like "in a world where magic is commonplace, genetics probably doesn't work like most people would expect it to." It actually manages to turn it fantastical!

Also sorry about this because I'm going to stray from the topic now, like I also do have to rep Chivalry & Sorcery because since we're on the subject of orcs just being some guys: C&S very much takes the approach that besides the game itself being a medieval society simulator, the world should adhere to a medieval paradigm. That means that in the book where they introduce orcs and trolls into the game there's a whole essay explaining how according to [insert Christian philosophers of the time whose names I forgot here] orcs would totally count as people because they are capable of thought and making moral choices and thus any good Christian in the world of Chivalry & Sorcery would extend the same grace to an orc that they would to a human! According to the church fathers and idk St. Augustine of Hippo or something, orcs have souls and thus they are capable of receiving God's grace and salvation! (Chivalry & Sorcery is, like, really interesting to me as a game, and I would very much like to write an essay about its approaches to issues like gender and race, because there is a lot of nuance to it!)

[satoshi-mochida]

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma launches in spring 2025 for Switch, PC - Gematsu

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will launch for Switch and PC via Steam in spring 2025, Marvelous announced.

Pre-orders for the “Earth Dancer Edition” will be available soon via the Marvelous USA store and at participating retailers for an MSRP of $99.99. It includes a custom outer box featuring art of a battle high above Azuma, as well as a physical copy of the game, an original soundtrack CD, an art book, an Azuma-inspired folding fan, the downloadable content bundle “Seasons of Love,” additional downloadable content costumes for the protagonists and their sidekick Woolby, and a plush Woolby keychain.

The standard edition of the game will also be available to pre-order for an MSRP of $59.99. Details on digital editions and pricing will be announced at a later date.

Here is an overview of the game, via Marvelous USA:

Story

The Celestial Collapse—a calamity caused by a colossal object crashing into the eastern lands known as Azuma. The devastating impact sent fragments of terrain to the skies above and the seas below. With the earth shattered, the power provided by the runes ceased to flow. The gods of nature vanished soon after. Mountains crumbled and fields withered, leaving the people with nothing…not even hope. You awaken, startled by a dream of dueling dragons. You don’t remember how or why, but a voice resonates within you. “Accept the power of an Earth Dancer. Use this power to save the land.”

About

The classic action-RPG and life-simulation gameplay beloved by Rune Factory fans across the globe is boldly reimagined in Guardians of Azuma. This all-new adventure takes place in the never-before-seen eastern country of Azuma where you will assume the Earth Dancer powers and fight against the corruption spreading throughout Azuma to bring hope back to this once-prosperous land. Choose from one of two protagonists whose destinies are intertwined by mysterious forces. Use sacred treasures to fight against the Blight’s many forms to restore the people, and even gods, to their natural glory. Take farming further, as you’ll manage more than a plot, rebuilding entire villages and cultivating new allies and resources along the way. Explore seasonal-themed villages heavily inspired by traditional Japanese culture, each with brand-new festivals and revamped fan-favorites, as well as charming romance candidates. Embrace your fate. The adventure of a new world awaits.

Key Features

Bold New Abilities and Weapons – As an Earth Dancer, use the power of dance, sacred treasures, and fresh weapons like the Bow and Talisman to purify the land, your farms, and undo the Blight’s damage.

It Takes a Village – Don’t just mind the farm—rebuild entire villages! Construct and place buildings, enticing people to return to the villages and contribute. Revive the gods to bring vitality and valuable resources back to the plagued lands.

Your Fantasy Japanese Life – Experience beautiful Japanese-inspired character designs and aesthetics—from festivals to events to monsters. Explore Azuma’s natural landscapes and its seasonal-themed locales steeped in tradition.

Classic Romance and Relationships – Choose between male and female protagonists, then befriend or romance any of the eligible candidates in fully voiced scenarios. Recruit these new friends to aid you in battle, too.

Watch a new trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

Reveal Trailer

English

[hoshibatake]

FREEDOM – Virtuality and Ideals/Chapter 1

Previous chapter

Eichi: ...In any case, now I’ve chided you lightly, in a way befitting the start of the fiscal new year¹, it’s time to get to the point.

Mao: (quietly) That was lightly?

Makoto: (quietly) Ahaha. I felt like it was rather heavy.

Eichi: I’d love to engage in more idle chatter, but that will have to wait until another time…

Eichi: Anzu-chan, would you be so kind as to hand out the documents I gave you to them?

Hokuto: “City Building Plans ‘FREEDOM’”?

Eichi: Indeed. There are plans to build a new city from scratch in a certain location, and I would like the four of you to lend a hand.

Subaru: Build a city? You want us to level a piece of land and start building houses?

Eichi: Yes. Work like that might be involved as well.

Makoto: Urk. That doesn’t really seem like work for a weak-bodied gamer like me…

Eichi: On the contrary. I think you’re actually the one who is suited for this job the most, Makoto-kun.

Eichi: Because we’re actually talking about a virtual simulation. The four of you will be building a fictitious city in a game.

Makoto: A virtual simulation? Then what is this “certain location” you mentioned...?

Eichi: A private online server. Did you really think they would leave the construction of a real, physical city to a bunch of young idols who only just graduated high school?

Subaru: Aww, and here I was thinking we’d get to drive excavators and bulldozers. Too bad☆

Mao: What are you on about? You don’t even have qualifications or a license for that kind of stuff♪

Hokuto: ...According to the documents, Anzu is in charge of this project, but will she be involved with building the city as well?

Eichi: No, it’s nothing more than a formal title. Anzu-chan won’t have anything to do with building the city.

Eichi: She will be there to manage you. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable having her do that, rather than myself.

Makoto: Hmm. Just having us play a game? What a strange request. Though, as a gamer, I’m not going to complain…?

Makoto: Oh! This company…

Subaru: Ukki～ why are you staring at the list of supporting companies? Did you spot Wakame-san’s name on there?

Makoto: Wh-Why would Izumi-san’s name be on there?

Makoto: I just spotted the name of a game company I know. It’s an experienced developer who has made lots of city-building sims.

Makoto: I’ve heard that their most recent games are so realistic that they even got recognition from professionals. Apparently, they’re even being used as infrastructure simulation tools.

Makoto: A few years back there was a rumor that they were working on a new game that would make use of AI. Could this job offer be a playtest or a PR stunt for that game?

Eichi: Sure. You could see it like that.

Eichi: The remuneration is outlined in the proposal. The agency will provide all the materials you will need. What do you think? Would you accept this job offer?

Hokuto: ...I guess we could. It’s not like we have other pressing jobs right now, and we don’t have any particular reason to refuse.

Subaru: Yup. I’m not sure what we’re gonna be doing exactly, but if Anzu is there, I’m not worried.

Subaru: It actually sounds like fun☆ I second that～♪

Mao: Ahaha. Here we go again, jumping right in without a plan, huh～?

Mao: But according to the documents, there’s also a life sim element to the game. It'd be nice if we could learn a thing or two through playing the game.

Makoto: Video games aren’t just a pastime, after all. We’ll do our best to be of use.

Eichi: I’m glad you’re all so positive about it. Well then, I’ll give you an introduction by launching the game on this PC.

Eichi: ...This is the virtual space that has been prepared for you.

Mao: Huh? But isn’t this city finished already? It doesn’t look like there’s anything for us to do.

Eichi: It’s actually unfinished. Please, build and tear down buildings in whichever way you want.

Hokuto: It looks like there are people living in this city. It might be a game, but I’d feel bad about changing their environment…

Hokuto: Hm? Did I just see a tiny Akehoshi?

Subaru: Oh? Where?

Makoto: I see him, too. Why is he crouching in the middle of the street?

Mao: It looks like he found a sparkly little orb. He’s jumping up and down excitedly, just like the real Subaru would.

Eichi: I’m glad you noticed. This game actually has an AI.

Eichi: Avatars of Trickstar that are based on your habits and profiles are living freely in this city.

Hokuto: That only makes me more reluctant to change their environment, you know?

Eichi: Now, now. It’s just a virtual reality, so please keep that in mind. And it might be called a game, but there isn’t actually that much the player can do.

Eichi: What the player can influence are the mechanics pertaining to the development of the city, and the avatars’ career selection. The rest is up to the avatars themselves.

Eichi: The player can’t manipulate the avatars’ actions or emotions. You could call it a “god’s pov”.

Eichi: When the player wants to influence the game, they need in-game currency. In a standard game, you can only gain this currency through the management of your city…

Eichi: ...but to let you get used to the mechanics, I’ll provide you with a generous amount of funds for now.

Eichi: Alright. It’s time to play...♪

TL note:

“年度” is the Japanese word for the fiscal year. Unlike in most western countries, the Japanese fiscal year usually runs from April 1 to March 31, and coincides with the school year.

Translated by me, proofread by Altea (@icaruswasthesun on Twitter)

Next chapter

[cursedalthoughts]

SHIPGIRL APPRECIATION DAY - Kearsarge

USS Kearsarge. Let's start this post strong: Kearsarge is single-handedly the most unique character in the game (for legal reasons, in my opinion). Her design should already let you know why, but if you aren't seeing why, I will explain.

This post will divert a little bit from the formula I established post-DoY post (the first I did). It will include very, very heavy use of headcanons that are in no way supported by the lore, but I think are neat.

Personality-wise, Kearsarge knows she is superior. She is better than those other shipgirls that have decades of experience. That's simply a fact to her, and since it's a fact; all her actions do not come as arrogant. She just does things - she disregards your orders if she thinks they're not very efficient, she organizes your documents in a way she finds to be perfect regardless of what you prefer, she charges by herself or stays behind depending on the situation.

On occasion, I neglect your will and prioritize the here and now on the battlefield. While you are the Commander, sometimes you have to let your soldiers handle things – the sooner you accept this, the better.

Her approach isn't necessarily wrong, either. Despite this, Kearsarge is a very reliable shipgirl. She is, indeed, strong - her twelve 406mm main guns are accurate and devastating by themselves, but she also has access to a squadron of five F8F Bearcat attack aircraft. Her firepower is incomparable among Eagle Union backliners.

However, her personality doesn't stay like this forever. When you as the player character get closer to her, you discover she's just autistic. She deeply cares about you, but is so expressive about her emotions and trains of thoughts, it's easy to think she's just a self-centered arrogant woman who speaks with a detached tone. She will not outright tell you she's in love with you, but she will make you some borscht! (I should point out Kearsarge is, originally, a ship commissioned by the Soviet Union, hence her Russian influence). That's her love language.

USS Kearsarge, steel version.

Design-wise, I adore how the artist YD managed to take one of the ugliest ships in World of Warships and turn her into such a beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind shipgirls. An angel descending from the machine, a seraphim clad in steel and powered by steam. A herald from another timeline, where the Eagle Union necessitated the construction of Kearsarge. Her rigging divided symmetrically in half, her turrets and their support structure taking the shape of 4 wings of white metal, the faux wings and herself connected to a floating halo device to act as a mediator between the flesh and the steel. Her planes up in the air, a ghostly echo. Her arms stretched outwards, "fear not".

In the event Parallel Superimposition the commander visits a simulation based on the anomalous data from the hull of Anchorage. We learnt a lot about Anchorage, Dr. Aoste, Dr. Anzeel, and the Type-II hulls. We also learnt Bon Homme Richard exists in this simulation. Now, I believe this realm to be strictly speaking a simulation - not a real universe. However, when the event ended; TB had managed to gather enough information on Yorktown II, Northampton II, Hornet II, Hammann II and Langley II. Laffey II, as much as she made an appearance, couldn't be studied. I am guessing the same goes for Bon Homme. Who is to say Kearsarge doesn't come from this simulation? Or that she comes from a universe that parallels this simulation?

Hopefully I shouldn't have to point the obvious similarities between Anchorage's rigging and Kearsarge's rigging. Anchorage is like a cherub accompanying the cyber-divine orchestra of Kearsarge's guns and planes.

-------

THIS WOMAN WILL NOT LEAVE MY MIND I HAVE SO MUCH BRAINROT FOR KEARSARGE

hopefully it's entertaining to read and y'all can see why i like her.

[self-loving-vampire]

Additionally, reminder that there is a series of strategy/simulation games in which you build up and manage your own dungeon, constructing traps and attracting monsters to serve you.

It's called Dungeon Keeper, and has a more recent spiritual successor called War for the Overworld. I never tried to Get Good at those games but I really enjoyed just building up a nice dungeon and sending in waves of adventurers to try to assault it.

You could even capture and corrupt the defeated adventurers if you have built a prison and torture chamber...

[bluesturngold]

Sub-Genres Included in Each Genre (Below the Cut)

Action includes Platformers, Shooters, Fighting, Beat 'Em Ups, Stealth, Survival, Rhythm, Battle Royale

Action-Adventure includes Survival Horror and Metroidvanias

Adventure includes Text Adventures, Graphic Adventures, Visual Novels, Interactive Movies, FMV Games, Real-Time 3D Adventure Games

Puzzle includes Breakout Clones, Logical Games, Trial-and-Error Games, Exploration Games, Hidden Object Games, Reveal the Picture Games, Tile-Matching Games, Puzzle Platformers

Role-Playing includes Action RPGs, MMORPGs, Roguelikes, Tactical, Sandbox RPGs, First-Person Party-Based RPGs, Monster Tamer Games

Simulation includes Construction and Management Simulation, Life Simulation, Vehicle Simulation

Strategy includes 4X Games, Artillery Games, Auto Battler/Auto Chess, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) Games, Real-Time Strategy (RTS), Real-Time Tactics (RTT), Tower Defense, Turn-Based Strategy (TBS), Turn-Based Tactics (TBT), Wargames, Grand Strategy Wargames

Sports includes Racing, Competitive Games (i.e. Rocket League), Sports-Based Fighting Games

[I read the sub-genre info but no genre listed here includes my favorite games.] The above sub-genre information does not fully encompass all of the smaller or more niche sub-genres that could reasonably fit into the core genres. I encourage you to think deeply about the gameplay mechanics and artistic influences of the games you enjoy the most to determine if they may be close enough to one of the listed core genres such that you can decide it's representative enough to say your tastes fall in that genre, or fall into two or more of the listed genres. Ultimately, it is up to your own analysis of your preferences to find a core genre you feel adequately encompasses your tastes and decide whether or not you need to click this 'other' option.

(Core Genres and Sub-Genres are lifted from the list of core genres on Wikipedia. If you need additional assistance picking a core genre you feel is your favorite, the hyperlinked Wikipedia article has a lot of good information explaining these sub-genres and what sorts of games fall under them. None of this is my opinion.)

(This post was inspired by a favorite video game genre poll that listed several action, adventure, and RPG sub-genres but omitted mainstay genres like puzzle games, sports games, or strategy games.)

[freddy-and-friends-au]

The Freddy & Friends Askbox is now open!

——————————————

An introduction to Freddy & Friends:

Freddy & Friends is an AU created by Roux36 Productions set in the Five Nights at Freddy’s IP.

As opposed to focusing on a single “what if?” question for the AU, F&F is a rewrite of the FNAF story in its entirety, constructed from the ground-up to tell a more realistic, character-driven take on the original story.

——————————————

What asks will I answer? (Examples provided)

Lore (Ex: How do the spirits work?)

World-Building (Ex: Who made the pizza recipes at Freddy’s)

Headcanons (Ex: Who’s Jeremy’s favorite music artist?)

Art requests? (Not sure about this one yet… but maybe?)

Character Asks!

Ask a question from within the Freddy & Friends universe, and it’ll be answered by the creator of the Fazbear Franchise, HENRY ███!!!

(Preface by saying “Dear Henry,”)

———————————————

Click the keep reading to learn more about the Freddy & Friends AU! >>>

——————————————

How much thought did you put into this?

It’s not that I’m a massive nerd, but it’s just that I’m actually a massive nerd.

Animatronics are loosely grounded in real-world mechanical engineering, giving them plausible designs for them to have existed in the 1980’s (down to the very components that make them function.)

The restaurant itself has regulations and procedures to manage the animatronics during the day (this varies depending on the restaurant).

The restaurant layouts themselves have been redesigned to be more coherent with the rules of architecture.

The animatronic characters themselves have their own lore and personalities within the cartoon world.

I have a full list of employees who worked at both Afton Robotics and Fazbear Entertainment.

The rules of the spirits are grounded in real-world cultural beliefs, as well as typical ghost hunting traditions.

No character is written to be two-dimensional. The characters don’t just do stuff for the plot; they do them because it’s in-character for them to do so. They’re not just ghost children haunting the animatronics. They’re also human.

———————————————

What IS canon?

Basic media taken into consideration:

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Five Nights at Freddy’s 3

Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes

FNAF World (Surprisingly)

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Movie

Details Only taken from:

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

The ideas of these media are the content detrimental to the story of Freddy & Friends. However, the story of them has been changed so drastically that canon knowledge is considered unreliable when talking about the Freddy & Friends AU. Some things remain the same, but it’s recommended that knowledge of canon game/book/movie events NOT be used as a reference unless I have stated otherwise.

What’s the same?:

Mike Schmidt and Abby Schmidt’s character have remained almost exactly the same as in the movie. (Movie)

Michael Brooks is Golden Freddy (Novels)

Elizabeth Afton being killed by Circus Baby (Games)

The Bite of ‘83 (Games)

The Bite of ‘87 (Games)

Bonnie is blue

What’s changed?:

Note: not all changes will be mentioned here, due to spoilers. The reason they’re spoilers is because I will elaborate on them in future media and short stories.

Michael Afton does NOT exist—replaced by Fritz Afton

FNAF 4 Crying Child becomes the Puppet

FNAF 4 Bullies are the Missing Children

FNAF 4 Bullies are NOT bullies

The haunted animatronics have personalities, and are capable of verbal speech.

Sammy (Charlie’s twin brother) was killed instead of Charlie

Charlie is NOT an android

Very few employees (including night guards) actually died at Freddy’s

The animatronics are limited by the technology of the 1980’s, and therefore have software limitations that aren’t present in the games

Circus Baby’s Pizza World has been renamed to Circus Kingdom Pizza World

The names of the Funtimes have been changed to align with the re-theme

The Funtimes were NOT built with the intention of kidnapping children

The Funtimes are haunted

The Scooper does not exist

The FNAF 4 gameplay is a dream, and not child experimentation. (It is something more than that, but I will not elaborate further, due to spoilers. ;))

The Toy animatronics have been renamed to the Junior animatronics

The Junior location is Freddy Jr’s Pizzeria

The individual Junior characters have in-universe names beyond “Junior Freddy” and “Junior Bonnie”, etc.

The Juniors are haunted

There is no such thing as “Remnant”.

Vanessa Shelly is NOT William Afton’s Daughter

Steve Raglan and William Afton are two different people

Removed Herobrine

(Aforementioned name changes):

Circus Baby - Circus Sadie, AKA Sadie the Circus Princess

Funtime Freddy - Freddie the Ringmaster

Funtime Foxy - Foxy the Flying Fox

Toy Freddy - Freddy Fazbear Jr.

Toy Bonnie - Riley Rabbit

Toy Chica - Penny Pecks

Toy Foxy/Mangle - Bridget the Fox

——————————————

Thank you!

If you made it to the end, I wanna thank you for showing interest in this AU! I’ve been working on it ever since I was 11 years old, and I’ve just turned 20. It's been a long road with at least five rewrites and twice as many redesigns!

More Freddy & Friends content will be coming soon, in the form of:

A webcomic for the main narrative

Cinematic content

A VHS series

Short stories

Audiobooks for said short stories

A website to be!

The askbox is now open! There is much to tell, so ask away!

- Roux

[novankenn]

"Jaune Gets A Gun AU - Day 2" Titanfall 2 - Various (Pt1)

Inspired by @howlingday's RU-JA-GUN-CON

????/????: Customers! Welcome!

Jaune: Eh?

????: Ignore Droz... I'm Davis thank you for coming over.

Droz: and Welcome to the 6-4!

Davis: We're not the 6-4 anymore.

Droz: Once 6-4 always 6-4

Pyrrha: Are we interrupting something? We can always come ba...

Droz/Davis: NO! Please stay...

Davis: We have guns... because we're at a gun show, obviously... hehe.

Pyrrha/Ruby/Jaune: (Thinking) Okay... if we slowly walk away...

Tiny Tina: (Thinking) Oh, these guys seem like fun!

Jaune: Alright. I'm looking for a ranged option, I mostly use a Sword and Shield...

Ruby: It needs to be easily maintained...

Pyrrha: Simple to operate...

Tiny Tina: And blows things up!

Pyrrha/Ruby: What? No!

Droz: Well, we have these...

Tiny Tina: And these blow things up?

Droz: Some of the best Anti-Titan weapons we have... the Mag Launcher fires Magnetic Grenades. Great for landing hits on Spectres, Titans, or anything that magnets can be drawn to.

Jaune: Grimm aren't really magnetic...

Droz/Davis: Grimm?

Ruby: Yeah, Grimm. Enemy of human and faunus kind? Sound familiar?

Droz: (Whispering) Where are we again?

Davis: (Whispering) Rembrant... no, that's not it... Remnant.

Jaune: You know we can hear you.

Droz: Sorry, you travel as much as we do, and all the jump locations start kind of blurring together.

Jaune: What about the rocket launcher.

Davis: The Archer. Great fire and forget weapon.

Jaune: That would work for me...

Pyrrha: Jaune, you get one shot, and then have to reload... and let me guess it locks onto electronic signatures? Grimm, don't have those.

Davis: Well, we also have this.

Ruby/Tiny Tina: And this is?

Davis: Sidewinder Micro Missile Launcher.

Ruby/Tiny Tina: Ohhhhhh!

Pyrrha: How about we look at something more manageable, and less likely to hurt Jaune when he uses it.

Droz: (Rubbing the back of his neck) Well, we do have a line of antipersonnel weapons. They can definitely take down grimm. You can see them just over there.

Ruby: They look sort of old.

Davis: Time tested and true. Solid construction, worry free operation. Perfect for a newbie or an expert.

Droz: But DON'T take our word for it. Try them out and see the difference that these fine firearms can make for your kit!

Jaune: Okay, but where...?

Davis points to a pair of what appeared to be fully enclosed simulation pods.

Droz: Climb in. Chose your gear, and try them out. Full body feed back. So you will get a TRUE feel on which of these babies works best for you.

Jaune: Okay, I'm game.

Davis: Anyone else?

Pyrrha: I'll do it.

Droz: This way, please.

Ruby and Tiny Tina watched as Pyrrha and Jaune stepped into the sim pods and the doors closed. They watched carefully as the one called Droz opened up a tablet and input some keystrokes.

Davis: (Whispering) So?

Droz: (Whispering) He's a little rough, but he learns quick. He could be a Gen 3.

Davis: (Whispering) What about her?

Droz: (Whispering) Gen 5.

Davis: Shi...!

Ruby: Swear Jar!

Davis: Er... what?

Tiny Tina: What's this Gen stuff you, two, were talking about?

Droz: Gen stuff?

Davis: (Whispering) Do you think they...

Tiny Tina: Yes, we can hear you.

Droz: Cr...ud.

Tiny Tina: (Crossing her arms, her pistol in hand) So what is Gen?

Droz: (Rubs back of his neck) It stands for Generation. The more Generations a pilot goes through, the stronger and better they are. Right now, the young fella could be a Gen 3, the lady a Gen 5.

Ruby: Okay... that explains very little.

Davis: Your friends would make exceptional pilots... especially after we put them through ReGENeration.

Tiny Tina/Ruby: You what now?

Droz: Be for the best. They are perfect for the 6-4.

Ruby: NO! You can't recruit Jaune! He's already Enlisted with the Mobile Infantry!

Davis: Cool! We've never ReGENed a Trooper before!

Tiny Tina: No, no, no, no....

Droz: Let's do it!

Ruby and Tiny Tina make a lunge for Droz who just falls backwards to the floor letting the pair of young woman sail over him, as he tapped a button on his tablet.

(Okay... this one is getting split, because if I continue it is going to be super long, if it's already not too long. Stay tuned for the conclusion!)

[mysticstronomy]

ARE VOIDS ACTUALLY EMPTY??

Blog#285

Wednesday, April 5th, 2023

Welcome back,

This simulated view of the large-scale structure of the universe shows the vast cosmic web of galaxies, as well as the dark, empty expanses of the cosmic voids in between.

At the very largest scales — zooming out from solar systems, stellar clusters and even galaxies — a surprising pattern emerges in nature. When you zoom out far enough that entire galaxies (each one home to hundreds of billions of stars) are just single dots of light, you'll find … a web.

Long, thin ropes of galaxies millions of light-years long. Dense, compact, massive knots of thousands of galaxies — the clusters. Broad, thick walls and sheets of even more galaxies.

The cosmic web is the largest pattern found in nature. It completely fills the universe. It's an immense, vast, almost overbearing structure, yet it appears as fragile and delicate as strands of pure silk.

And sitting among the latticeworks of the web, between the walls and knots and filaments, are the great cosmic voids. Stretching anywhere from 20 million to hundreds of millions of light-years across, these are the true deserts of the cosmos, almost entirely devoid of matter. By sheer volume, most of our universe is simply … nothing.

And when it comes to understanding the universe, "nothing" is very powerful.

Spinning a cosmic web

As vast, complex and terrifying as the cosmic web is, it has surprisingly humble origins and a pretty boring life story.

A long time ago (around 13.8 billion years before now), there was no comic web. There were no galaxies and no stars. There were just the fundamental components of the universe: dark matter, hydrogen, helium and a little sprinkling of lithium just for flavor. All this stuff was as homogenous as the milk you buy at the grocery store: pretty much evenly spread throughout the universe.

But there were tiny differences here and there. Some spots had more density. Some spots had less. And the denser spots had slightly more gravitational attraction than the less dense spots. So those heavier spots would pull on their neighbors, grow larger and develop even stronger gravity — and the process would continue.

Achingly slowly, over the course of hundreds of millions of years, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Matter flowed into the dense pockets, where it eventually coalesced into the first stars, galaxies and clusters.

That matter had to come from somewhere, so as the cosmic web grew and evolved, the voids emptied out.

Of course, the voids are not entirely empty. There are some dim, scattered dwarf galaxies floating around inside these mostly empty areas. And dark matter and some hydrogen managed to cling to life inside those empty, parched stretches. But by and large, the voids really are void. And because of this voidiness, ironically, the voids are filled with one thing: dark energy.

This is the name we give to the accelerated expansion of the universe, as well as for whatever's causing it. We don't really know what dark energy is, but our best current guess is that it has something to do with the vacuum of space-time itself; where there's vacuum, there's dark energy. So, technically, there's dark energy in the room you're in right now, hanging out in all the little pockets of vacuum between and within atoms.

But dark energy isn't very strong, so it's easily masked by the presence of pretty much anything else — matter, radiation, dirty socks in the corner, you name it.

You don't get to experience dark energy, because your environment is too full of stuff. But the voids? They're empty. There's nothing there to compete with dark energy, which means these areas are exactly where dark energy gets to play its game.

The accelerated expansion of our universe happens in the voids themselves, and these voids literally push on their surroundings, driving apart the galaxies and dissolving the great cosmic web that took billions of years to construct.

Originally published on space.com

COMING UP!!

(Saturday, April 8th, 2023)

"WHAT IS THE BIG FREEZE??"