WIP screenshot from modded Griftlands. Arint (left, player) talks to Grunjax (right, NPC). In the top right, the objective tab reads: Active Objective | The Last Bottle | Meet with the buyer's go-between Smith (offscreen): Hey, if you don't want it, we'll gladly drink it ourselves. Grunjax: No, no, I don't like this, and I know my client won't like this. Grunjax: Either Sweet Moreef coems here himself, or the deal's off. Option (Negotiation): Convince Grunjax to tell you where the real buyer is hiding

Rounding out this week's effort: The first sidequest (of 25) for Sweet Moreef is now in the game, with all first-draft non-placeholder dialogue!

I forgot how time-consuming sidequests are to build. It's like theater. Casting, staging, blocking, murder...
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

Steam Workshop::NPC Grifters Full Behavior

I told myself I wasn't going to do any more #modding work this week due to stress, and as usual, I was lying.

I've updated the #Griftlands NPC Grifter behavior mod with custom quips for when they support you in negotiation, six lines each!
steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...

Steam Workshop::Rook's Parasite Repellent

This week's major #Griftlands #modding update is not about my big story expansion mod, but rather a smaller project I've been tinkering with on the side! It's Rook's Parasite Repellent, for those players who really can't stand being burdened with infection cards! steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...

On the down side, work on the mod is gonna be a bit slow this week, due to my ongoing bureaucratic nightmares.

On the up side, I've finally whittled down the list of non-content issues and can finally start adding quests and events to get to first-playable!
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. A battle scene with Rook, Sal, and Smith facing off against four Admiralty Guards wielding rifles rather than their usual hammers, and with significantly reduced health since this is the very first encounter.

Even after dealing with Everything, I still finished the work I wanted to get done this week. Specifically, tweaking the opening encounter to be more lore-friendly and less punishing! That trailer really put me in a corner, showing lots of Admiralty with guns!
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Shots from the Early Access Launch trailer play in the midst of the introductory slideshow for Rook's version of the Three For All campaign. Panel 3: "You filled his head with promises of a technological find for the ages, which would finally bring about his long-denied rapid advancement. All while securing a kill-switch for the automechs in your back pocket."

If I can do one, I can do four*, right? Spent my work time today writing and capturing and converting the animated slides for each character's introduction.

* Four, not just three, because there's also the modded OC route, which now has a default intro!
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. A snippet of the early access trailer plays in the window of the introductory slideshow of Sal's campaign, showing five Admiralty gunners aiming off-camera. "For perhaps the first time ever, you were thankful when an Admiralty hit squad burst through the door. What better to unite three strangers than a common enemy?"

What if I took the early access trailer this campaign is based on and used it as video for the introductory slideshows?

A surprisingly difficult idea that took up four whole hours of my day today.
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

Geez, it's been almost four years since Arint's Last Day reached full release...
#Griftlands #modding
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63M...

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Arint, Sal, Rook, and Smith are taking apart a test squad of Rise enemies.

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Arint is starting a test negotiation, and Sal, Rook, and Smith have added unique arguments in support.

Rounding out the week, my work was on... not the big story mod, but rather the supporting mod of the NPC grifters' mechanics! They all needed a bit of tweaking, especially their negotiation support arguments. Party's gotta feel balanced and helpful, after all! Changes are live!
#Griftlands #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. The top bar icon for "Strange Devices" has an updated symbol, and the dialogue now displays a bubbled image of the devices in question in-line with the dialogue text boxes.

You know me, I like to obsess over the fine details. So I spent most of this week finding just the right symbol for the overlay counter and a means to display an image in a dialogue bubble that's relatively easy on the eyes.
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Smith (player, left) talks to Rayne (NPC, right). Rayne: Hey there! Got any questions? I'm /dying/ to talk about tech some more. OPTIONS: - Discuss the Arcane Codex... > - Discuss other topics... > < Finish

Being unbelievably stressed out hasn't stopped me from picking away at #Griftlands #modding. For quest flow reasons, I decided that there ought to be a special consultant NPC who'd love to tell you all about the campaign's MacGuffins! ...Even though you kinda robbed them.
#ThreeForAll

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. The top-left overlay shows the current day, money, resolve, health, and now a counter labeled "Strange Devices." "You don't know what these are yet, but every faction in Havaria seems to want them, so they must be extremely valuable and dangerous."

This week was another adventure in "Spud keeps wanting new UI stuff oh geez why do we keep doing this to ourselves".

Not just putting images in-line with dialogue, but having a brand-new overlay counter to track important campaign progress!

(Icon is not final.)
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Arint (left, player) talks to Winnie (right, NPC). Arint: Hold on, officers. I just got here. I had nothing to do with this. Winnie: Then relinquish your weapons and step away from the tech! [ Giant out-of-place image of Newbiespud's avatar in the middle of the dialogue ] Narration: You look down at the three identical high-tech devices on the table next to you, somehow pristine in the midst of the debris of broken bottles and teeth.

Sometimes this #modding malarkey means figuring out how to teach the existing engine to perform the dance moves I want.

Like, say, displaying an image in the middle of a dialogue.

This was both shockingly tricky and bafflingly simple.
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Rook (left, player) talks to Plundak (right, NPC) in the Mettle Shop. Rook: I'm sure I could spend months pondering the mystery of you, but at the end of the day... Rook: I really only have one question: Are we on the same side? Plundak: We are. Of that, you can be certain. OPTIONS: - Spend Mettle > - Purchase 1 Mettle Point $ - Unlock Flourishes > ? Ask about... > < Stop Shopping

This week's progress: Polishing up the bar chats (that are Day One relevant) and filling out dialogues for the Mettle Shop! Still not at a first-playable state yet due to working on all this side stuff, but it's still important!
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Sal (player, left) talks to Smith (NPC, right) at the bar. Sal: When did you first encounter these strange devices? Smith: Uhhh... Five seconds before we met. Sal: Wait, seriously? Smith: Didn't I tell you? All I know is that I got in a bar fight, then we got jumped by those Admiralty goons. Smith: I don't think I even realized everyone was after these things until, like, after the buzz faded. Sal: So how did you get ahold of it at all? Smith: I think someone else brought it in? Maybe even the person who started the fight. Smith: I was drinking and chatting with someone else at the time, don't remember who. Then someone crashed through our table.

Tools down for the week! The Day-One-relevant bar chats with the party are all first-draft written! These went way faster than the shop dialogues, since they're entirely optional and I got to be a bit more freeform and indulgent.
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Rook (player, left) talks to Sal (NPC, right) at the bar / home base. Sal: Something up, Rook? Rook: I've heard through the grapevine about Murder Bay and the fall of Kashio. Rook: But what's something that the rumor-mongers /don't/ know about you? Sal: Is that your idea of an ice-breaker? Rook: I imagine having a reputation comes with some downsides. No one gets to know the real you. Sal: I don't /need/ everyone to know the real me. Sal: But if you must know... Sal: I'm really good with animals. Rook: Like, as pets? Or as hunting companions?

Now that the shop dialogues are done, I'm moving on to injecting serious Mass Effect energy with optional dialogues discussing a variety of topics with your party members / fellow grifters at the bar / home base.
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Steven, an automech vendor, waves goodbye as the player says, "This is... quite strange. I think I've had enough for now," and Steven replies, "Don't worry! The party hasn't had enough of you!"

It's way too early to be doing patch notes, but if I had to sum up my #Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding progress today, it'd go something like:
- Added tone indicators to all vendors' dialogue
- Optimized Steven's emotes so that he looks less sad (he wasn't sad, just struggling to stay upright)

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Arint (left) talks to Frizz (right). Frizz: "More like the best in the business! You won't find a better energy gunsmith. And I'm dying to find out how that cannon's internals work." Arint: "I'll give it some thought." OPTIONS: - Introduce Rook to Frizz - Warn Frizz that you might use your weapons against Admiralty - Provide funding for further adjustments (Frizz will like you. Requires 200 shills.) - Tweak your weapons' charge capacity < Done

It took all month, but the first draft of all dialogue and functionality for all campaign shop vendors is now complete! It's set up so that even modded characters that use coins, blasters, or cannons can benefit!
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Smith (left) talks with Pengemunt (right). Pengemunt: "If you must know... Admiralty squadron coins. I'm a collector." Smith: "Oh, then I'm afraid I can't help you." Pengemunt: "Yes, I presumed as much. But I, uh, appreciate the concern." OPTIONS: - Introduce Pengemunt to Rook - Trade Coins (red text: You don't use special coins, so Pengemunt has nothing to offer you.) < Done

The fun thing about writing blatant fanfiction is that you get to include some fan favorites
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Sal (left) speaks to Steven (right). Steven: Partying encompasses lots of things! Steven: Especially THIS party! Sal: Mind if I ask you something? Choices: ? Ask why the partying ? Ask about Steven's partying philosophy ? Ask for a more normal shopping experience < Back

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. Sal (left) speaks to Plocka 'The Swab' (right). Narration: Plocka 'The Swab' is tuning up one of her black-market grafts. Plocka: Need some new augmentations, hunter? Choices: > Call out Plocka 'The Swab' for appearing everywhere $ Buy negotiation grafts $ Buy battle grafts $ Add more graft slots > < Leave

This week's #ThreeForAll progress: Dialogue for Steven and Plocka is now first-draft complete (though in need of tweaking with tone indicators and emotes). Lots of variation is included since every route and run will be visiting multiple times!
#Griftlands #modding

Screenshot of a text block in Visual Studio Code. "Ask for the deeper meaning of partying", [[ player: !thought I feel like I'm only understanding the surface level of partying. agent: !happy !permit It's not just the lights and streamers and hats and faces, the things you can see! It's the thumping and vibrations of the music in your chest. It's the heat and sweat from other people's bodies. It's the acid burning of cheap bulk food in your stomach. It's the flood of ideas and opinions pouring out of ignorant mouths into uncaring ears. !point In other words, beneath the party... is the party! player: !interest Woah... ]],

When you're handed a comedy character with a single gimmick to write
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of modded Griftlands. A conversation between player-character Rook and fan-favorite automech Steven. Narration: In your experience, it's not uncommon to have automechs handling black-market services. This one, however, defies expectation in several ways. Steven: "If you're here to party, you've come to the right place!" Rook: "I'd rather exchange shills for goods and services, if it's all the same to you." Steven: "You're in luck, then! It IS all the same to me!"

This week: Writing dialogue for a fan-favorite shopkeep
#Griftlands #ThreeForAll #modding

WIP screenshot of the Griftlands mod Three For All. In the back of the Party Store in Pearl-on-the-Foam, Frizz the gunsmith is now present alongside Steven and Plocka.

WIP screenshot of the Griftlands mod Three For All. In the front of the party store, Pengemunt the coin trader is now present.

WIP screenshot of the Griftlands mod Three For All. At the bar, Moreef's Place, you can discuss various topics with your party members, like "Ask Sal about herself" or "Ask about Sal's comfort with dangerous situations."

#Griftlands #ThreeForAll mod progress this week: Frameworks for shopping and party chats! Making sure the party store has vendors for coins and energy upgrades, as well as injecting some Mass Effect vibes by having a wealth of topics to discuss with your party members at the bar!

My take on Patches as a Grifter in Griftlands. I was inspired by Smith's unused cut content outfit.
#griftlands #鉄板のパッチ #trusytpatches

[old art]Patches and smith outfit swap
#griftlands #鉄板のパッチ #trusytpatches #ダークソウル #フロムソフトウェア #darksouls #fromsoftware #soulsborne #darksouls1 #darksoulsremastered #darksoulsfanart #darksoulsart

Welp, found the official #Griftlands #modding playlist only 4 years late www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiwW...

It's been a while, and my throat is scratchy as all get out this week, but lemme brag a bit about how much progress I've made on my second #Griftlands mod the past couple of months. #modding www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAA3...

Fanda from Griftlands sits in a tree, eating a weird, gooey purple snack. She's caught off guard when she spots the viewer - almost coughing up her snack in surprise. The whole drawing has a very autumnal colour palette - complete with the text: "Have a FAND-tastic Fall!"

It's October again, and you know what that means! - Autumn and/or Fall - and of course Fanda from Griftlands.

So in the meantime have this callback to last year's drawing of her!

(Also I'm pretty sure @kleientertainment.bsky.social has Griftlands on sale too! Go check it out!)

🍂🍂🍂

#griftlands

As of now, the *main* story content for the first day of my WIP #Griftlands mod, Three For All, is in its full first-draft state and can technically be played from beginning to end. I'll be making a devlog soon-ish to explain what progress has been made!

[old art] Devoted Mind argument
#griftlands