It's been a while since I've posted any kind of update on Trailblazer, so I want to start a new routine, something I'd like to call Trailblazer Tuesday. My goal with Trailblazer Tuesday is to post something related to Trailblazer every week, whether its's a devlog, review,  deep dive into a mechanic, or just my thoughts on philosophy and game dev as a whole. For this first week, I wanted to start with a highlight of where we left off from my last post, and the progress that's been made since 2021.

When I left off with my regular posts, Chapters 2 and 3 were in a beta stage, and I was getting started on building Chapter 4. At the time, Chapter 2 was a completely open-ended experience where the player could pick and choose how much or little of the content they engaged with before heading to take back South Pass and initiating Chapter 3. This was... not a smart game development choice.

After the stellar reception to Chapter 1, I was expecting a positive reception to the open nature of Chapter 2.  Reviews were mixed, but all with the same root cause: Players did not engage at all with Chapter 2 and would skip it, heading straight into Chapter 3. While some players enjoyed the spike in challenge, others were upset and frustrated. Feedback wasn't helpful either, as the same people who told me in Chapter 1 that they "loved the characters", when asked why they didn't engage with those same characters in Chapter 2 would tell me, "I didn't really care about them that much." Others gave complex suggestions that would involve a complete overhaul of not only the Chapter, but the entire overarching narrative and the personality and motivations of characters as well. It was a dilemma without an answer, and Trailblazer was almost scrapped as a result.

Luckily, that didn't happen. After a long talk with NeoSoulGamer, I did find the answer. The answer wasn't in the writing, it was in the psychology of how games instruct their players to play. Through the design of Chapter 1, I clearly communicated to the player that the game was linear and that side content was optional. But upon entering Chapter 2, the player was met with an abundance of side content and only one clear path: head to South Pass and initiate Chapter 3. I had switched up the core gameplay loop on the player, and players were failing as a result. And so, the great Chapter 2 rewrite began.

While the heart of Chapter 2 remains, the story and flow have been completely reworked. Interactions that were skippable or missable, but offer information key to the overall story are now part of the Chapter's critical path. Both characters from the end of Chapter 1 are now required to recruit, and side content is true side content. By following the precedents I set in Chapter 1, I gave the player the tools they needed to be successful in Chapter 3. While difficulty increases noticeably in Chapter 3, it is no longer the party-wiping spike it once was.

With these fixes under way, and thoroughly tested by the kind members of the RPG Maker Beta Testers' Discord, I've been able to finally put the monster that was Chapter 2 behind me and move forward onto Chapter 4: Descent into Darkness.

In addition to continuing the story of Trailblazer, Chapter 4 will include a number of improvements and refinements to the game's systems, which I'll cover in future devlogs. These changes so far include:

• Streamlined and easier-to-navigate Skill Trees,
• Improvements to AoE Targeting and Troop Placement,
• Further refinements to Status Effects,
• Comprehensive In-Game Manual,
• Font change for better accessibility, and
• Many more yet to come!

Thank you all for your continued support! I look forward to being able to deliver you more insight into the progress the game is making, and hearing feedback from you in the future! I appreciate your continued support!