When I started working on Book 2 I removed a lot of the Edinburgh content; it fitted the story of a young mage finding his place in the world, but felt out of place for a young god finding his way through a war. As a result Edinburgh in Book 2 felt quite empty and unloved. With Act VIII+ I decided to change that. So what's new?

Story content

I upgraded the computer, and added a bunch of new things to play with, including outfits for Chloe and Jenny. Jenny, in general, gets a LOT of love in this update if you've finished the Black Rose quest-line in Book 1. I didn't quite intend to make this the Jenny Update, but it sometimes feels like it is.
I also added some replayable content; some new events with Booker at the University, a special new book from Diana, and another from Dylan. There's also a new Kingdom event (Treasure Hunt) with it's own Questline and lore, and new special gems.

Strategy Gameplay

So... the strategy game. I've been mulling on this problem for a bit; I wanted multi-first combat to be visualized. I tried faking it with videos at Malgareth (Day 124) and the end of Act VIII (Day 151), but it felt anti-climactic. So I sat down and started writing an alternative combat system for when MC's facing hordes of enemies. It's still very much in early development, and will remain optional in-game, but hopefully it'll be fun when it's fully done. It's integrated in day 124 and 151, and there's also a little test-menu where I'll be adding more as the Beta advances.

About book 2

Book 2 is now up on the storefront as 'coming soon'. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1570980/Love_of_Magic_Book_2_The_War/ If it looks interesting, do give it a wishlist; those help Steam knows that it's a real game, and will help it get a better launch. With Book 2's store-front available, how does that affect Book 1's access to the content? I know the way I put Book 2's beta content available in Book 1 confused some people; as such I'll be removing it from the main line once this Event / sale is over. It will continue to be available on the Beta branch, including all daily and major updates. Players from other storefronts get to see the game as it's been made, and it doesn't feel right to prevent Steam players from having the same access. So, that's it for VIII+. Next up is Act IX, which will again advance the timeline. Thanks for the support, and hope everyone enjoys the game!