Instead Of A Real Post...

Sleep has been fragmented, at best, around here lately and i'm stumbling around like i'm driving a rented body. Made the mid-month foraging run extra adventurous today. And has kept the brain aswirl, making this writey stuff extra tricky.

But, i do believe we'll Finally see my favorite caveman comic - a topic we left dangling just over two years ago. I've started prepping pages, and hopefully the mind will join us for more than a minimalist post this weekend. Last chance to place a bet on who our fave caver might be.

Meanwhile, for a bit of imagery in this post...   well, in the back room, at least.
Folks might have noticed it's been a while since i updated the 'crowd scene' title screen for The Third Colony. After all, the population has about doubled since the last time i posted one.

The reason for that is it don't exist no mo'. I finally put together an actual title screen, though the background details are still fluid, you get the basics just fine -

Obviously, this is a representational image, nothing that can actually happen in the game since that cluster is the four characters from which the player can choose.

Actually, it's not impossible for that reason - it's impossible because both of the Dovers are in the pic and only one of them is still living at the start of the game. However, it is possible that the three survivors could get together. You see, after the player chooses their PC, the other options switch to NPC status and are still walking around in the world. In fact, the PC can possibly come into competition or conflict with the unchosen player characters as they still work to complete some of the quests in the game.

And some of them involve cavemen, so i guess it's all related, eh?

Assuming, that is, that the ol' peripatetic mind follows the trail...

stuff by -3- (2020)

Secrets Of The T3C Universe

You may have noticed i'm still having troubles herding my wandering mind over towards the blog. I've been gathering yet more material, but the brain just doesn't want to linger on it at the moment.

So, let us let it meander where it's at, deep in Pair'o'Dice9 and The Third Colony. There's been a lot of work going on for the game, expanding the framework, building connecting tissue, converting from This City and the old style graphics...

A lot of really boring things that generally don't lend themselves well to showing here. Along with some terribly rude things, which we'll have to step into the back room to peruse.

But, also a lot of fundamental work, getting things working for the first few days of game time and locking down some decisions to allow things to move forward.

For example, you perhaps recall that Kelly had multiple hair styles in the collection of Training Hero costumes that was seen here previously. After her first physical session at The Registry, Kelly realizes her hair is the wrong length, constantly getting in her eyes when she gets a heavy sweat going. So the player must decide - crop it short or have it grown out for a ponytail?
That was planned from early on, but the styles hadn't been nailed down.

Now they have -

After completing the Trainee period, the player may opt to change styles again, including a return to the original style.

Another example of the type of fundamental work that's been happening is getting some more of the game world data written down into "books" for the player to find and read if they want to understand the world around them.

Here's a sample book that explains one of the major institutions influencing life in the game -

The Lost Saints

It came to pass that a Congregation of the Faithful rose in the Belief that Gods Word encompassed All Of Creation, not merely the sphere upon which they dwelt. With the rise of FTL Colony Ships, a Mission was born. They would have constructed a Lasting Colony Ship - a World Ship in which they could live and travel the stars, both exploring and recording God's Universe, and ensuring the spread of The Word.

And so was born the First Church Of Christ Among The Stars.

And it was Good.

For generations they travelled, mapping His Universe and meeting His Peoples. As they were Faithful in both Word and Action, their good works taught the True Nature of their Faith, and they changed many with their passing.

On worlds plagued with sickness, they delivered cures and relief. Where they found Famine, they brought food and gave the knowledge to feed themselves. Lost starcraft were returned to their homes. The terrorized were protected. And always, nothing was asked for in return. They spoke of their beliefs, and in doing that which was right by Others.

Sometimes they exchanged peoples, as some of the Faithful grew to desire walking under the open skies, while some they met wished to come along and learn.

And in the doing, they changed many worlds and brought Millions unto The Word.


But, there came a day when the people realized that none had seen nor head from the First Church Of Christ Among The Stars in a very long time. Searchers and Pilgrims went out in all directions to seek for signs, but nothing was found. No trace of their passage, no word of their deeds, no hint of their presence. The years passed and the search continued, and continues. Many are those who pray for the Lost Saints as they have come to be known.


Yet they are Not lost.

They have a new Church and a new Mission, one pursued with same earnest Devotion. For in their travels, they found the Unthinkable.

There came a mighty particle storm crackling through space, discharging powerful energies in bolts and waves. The Faithful were buffeted and battered as it seemed Reality itself was torn around them. Before they were completely destroyed, the inspired engineers managed to shunt the craft out of phase, allowing the storm's violence to pass by them and through them, leaving the Faithful unscathed.

But while they were out of phase, they saw it - The Horror, lurking in the Shadows of God's Makings.

And when the storms had passed and repairs had been made, when all was Strong and Ready again, they went back. Back to learn, to seek to understand what they had seen and what it meant to the Grand Scheme of things. In time, they came to know C'thul'hu and understand his Slumber. And to comprehend the nature of the Orgone Energies that could keep the Sleeper from waking to disturb God's Universe.

And so they rose in a quiet corner of space, a small mining colony being established conveniently close to weak spaces between Here and There. Upon this world founded by Gamblers and Criminals did they build The First Church Of Christ Vs. C'thul'hu, and here do they labour on to bind the Sleeper and preserve the Works of the Almighty.

And that's why the First Church Of Christ Vs. C'thul'hu holds the Lullaby Festival every month. It also raises the point that science in this world differs from the science we know in some significant ways. Some errors in perception from the past have proven to be true here. So we have Lumeniferous Aether and Orgone Energy playing nice with Bio-Engineering and Quantum Entanglement.

If you're familiar with Reich's theories of Orgone Energy, the 'adult' nature of the game makes much more sense with the knowledge that it's being collected and stored here. Many characters tend to act like they're in a Skinemax movie...

(Nope - not a medical exam. Charting energy pathways)

Yeah, it's a dirty little world.
And even dreams may not provide an escape.

Yeah - Toyman's a little different in this world.

stuff by -3- (2020)