Work in Progress for Version 1.3a

Happy New Year everyone!

I made a valiant push over the holiday break but still have a lot of work left before the next release.  The reason for this is that I've taken on adding a VN-style character dialog system, which has been a huge task!  It also introduces the need for a lot more artwork.

For now I'm using AI-generated stand-ins for some of the character's dialog rigs, which I will fill in with the final pixel art incrementally.  Also the sprite rigs (avatars in the bar) for Bran's friends are just silhouetted versions of Bran's sprite rig.  But I've already completed dialog rigs for Bran, Gryndlethorn (one of the Orocs), and one of Bran's friends - each with a repertoire of 55 different facial expressions.

In the next release, you'll see the dialog system being used to add some of the opening story to the game.  It will help you get to know Bran and his circle of close friends, as well as reveal why the Orocs are drinking at his tavern.  It'll also allow you to make some choices about how Bran feels about the Orocs, which will set the tone for the rest of the story.  Furthermore, it'll be a gentler introduction to bartending before throwing you into a full day cycle.

Aside from dialog, I've also added some useful new features for scripting customer actions in the tavern (ex. walk here, sit there, order this drink, etc.).  I'm excited because these will enable me to easily add more story content in future releases.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now.  I'll get back to it!