Hi folks! There's something deeply therapeutic about revisiting old notes, especially when you're at a crossroads. [i]I'm sure many of you have heard about the recent Unity debacle and all that transpired afterward. Fortunately, this unfortunate situation reached an acceptable resolution, and we can continue our work. But, as for the next IP or a sequel, it's too early to tell you details, or whether it will be in Unity or another platform etc. Once I know, you'll be the next to know too.[/i] Anyway, during that time, I often found myself questioning everything: from the future of my projects to the daunting thought of transitioning to a new engine. It's all too easy to become ensnared in the labyrinth of 'what-ifs' during such moments. However, amid this uncertainty, instead of wallowing, I took a deep dive — not into despair but into the rich lore of our game world. Those dusty lore notes and overlooked sketches were like whispers from the past, echoing untold tales and stories. It was during these reflections that the concept of a book system emerged. [i]Admittedly, I also indulged in some BG3 and Cyberpunk sessions, which also inspired me to proceed with this feature.[/i] So, while I'm proud of this addition, I'm under no illusion that I'm reinventing the wheel. Games have utilized this method of introducing lore since the dawn of gaming. However, I do believe it's another solid step towards enriching our world's immersion and interactivity. And, I'm thrilled to present the latest patch, especially the new "Book ex Machina" event part. At the core, it's a repeatable event allowing you to uncover various books scattered throughout the world, without flooding the events database with multiple events or the card database with a multitude of books etc. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40271242/337e8a002e109b31807eea394cf11d108a7443aa.jpg[/img] Each time this event triggers, you discover a random book. Engaging with these books, or rather, their excerpts, will provide deeper insights into the world's lore and sprinkle in some XP. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40271242/5f25ccac98e9bf86571f9cf5525af82cfd5be9ed.jpg[/img] Every discovered book is catalogued in your journal, ready for revisiting whenever you wish. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40271242/999a550d515780ac49d2a1a5bac5c5da2bbd5529.jpg[/img] The cool part is that the book system is fully moddable, paving the way for both me and our modders to continuously introduce new literary finds during the Book ex Machina event. Perhaps lore relating to their own events, classes or species. The event itself is repeatable and without any special requirements so it'll be quite common to find, [i]but since I already added 60 book excerpts, and plan on adding more, I hope it'll be a long time till finding this event gets old.[/i] I also updated the Lorebook with more regions, locations, timelines, and more bits and bobs to give you a more full picture of the continent. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2922426298 [b]You can read more details in the patch notes below.[/b] [h1]Patch Notes - 02/10 # 1.063.0[/h1] [list] [*] Increased the font size for several UI elements in the Character Creation process. [*] Introduced a new repeatable event, "Book ex Machina," which allows players to discover and read books (excerpts) that delve deeper into the game's lore while earning XP. [*] New Books system. [*] Modders now have the ability to create and add their own book (excerpts) to the game. These books can be found and read during the "Book ex Machina" event or through other events. [*] The BooksDB.tdb file should be structured as follows: ## Title [blank line] Excerpt, and so on. [*] The BooksDB.tdb file should be listed in the ModLoaderUser.conf file under the >> Books section. [*] Added 60 book excerpts diving into Folkswave lore and history. [*] New Ink Script variables: RandomBookTitle and RandomBookExcerpt. These are auto-sync variables and can be utilized to retrieve a random book title and its corresponding excerpt. [*] Minor improvements in the Journal UI. [*] Added a dedicated "Book" section to the Journal. You can use it to revisit any books you have discovered. [*] New Ink Script Journal integration. The command >>>>Book>>{RandomBookTitle} creates a book entry in the Journal. The excerpt is then dynamically retrieved from the Books Database. [*] Fixed a few typos in various cards and perks. [/list]