Author: Ryan J Slattery

Betrayed Alliance December Update and 2025 Recap

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Merry Christmas everyone!

Let’s start off with some new artwork from the game!

It’s been a busy year (in a good way). I started off hoping to get the game to alpha by this year’s end, and while I didn’t hit the goal, it was so lofty that even in its failure, the work done on the game this year has been truly substantial.

I took a complete break from game dev this November to work solely on the short story for the game manual. I finished “Icon Mortis” during Thanksgiving break and I am very proud of the story. It will be available in the Betrayed Alliance Book 2 Player’s Guide and Game Manual (for which it was written), but also currently to my Patreon subscribers.

After finishing “Icon Mortis,” my enthusiasm for the game was reinvigorated and I set to work again on artwork, animations, writing, and puzzle-programming.

As we push into 2026, I am filled with optimism for great things for the game. I can’t predict a final date yet, and there are a lot of pieces that need to come together, not to mention playtesting and polishing, but it’s really taking shape!

2025 Recap!

The physical manual received 2 of its main pieces – the cover art and the short story, “Icon Mortis,” which is ~7,600 words (significantly more robust than the 1,500 Book 1 Intro).

The work on the game itself started the year with rigging up a puzzle on the cosmic walkway:

After that, I moved on to another puzzle zone and some random non-related elements:

In the Spring I started working on the artwork for the cover as well as a dialog scene with Leonart, and started wiring up his cabin:

In the summer months, Karl Dupere-Richer returned to help me with some sketches for the cabin area. I set myself to EGA-ify those sketches also finished a strange cave puzzle area with Leah:

Before the start of Fall, Karl had provided me with many more beautiful sketches based on some ideas I had for backgrounds. I took a lot of time to translate them into EGA pixel art, but loved every second of it!

Once Fall started and I returned to my full-time work, attention to the game fell off quite a bit, I am sad to admit. It was a hectic start to a new school year, both with my classes, but also my children’s classes. After about a month or so of neglect, I found my way back to working on the game, focusing a lot of time on programming rooms and writing dialog for cutscenes (and other interactions), as well as putting together the Patreon “Thank you card” for the year.

That brings us to today and the images you saw at the beginning of the update represent the work at the end of the Fall.

Final Thoughts

It was never supposed to take this long! So I appreciate the patience, especially from those who have supported me on Kickstarter all those years ago, and for those who currently support me on Patreon.

I hope you can hold out a bit longer. As much as I love working on the game, the intensity of focus I can exert on it varies from time to time. This year I had huge waves of energy and got a lot of work done, but there were 2 months where life got busy and the game took the back seat, or even left unconscious in the trunk!

Overall, despite missing my goal of “alpha by year’s end,” I am very happy with the progress, and hope 2026 can have as much energy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! Here’s to 2026!

Ryan

Betrayed Update – October 2025

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Since the last update in July, I’ve had the honor on working on more background artwork pieces courtesy of sketches provided by Karl Dupere-Richer’s many sketches. Above are the colored versions That I completed and below you will see Karl’s sketches. I did my best to bring Karl’s wonderful drawings into the world of 16-color EGA vector art.

In August and September with the startup of school I took some time off the project to focus on getting my classroom up and running and working on establishing a new routine I could get comfortable with that would allow me time for my health/fitness goals.

At the tail end of September and now into October, I have started back on my daily work on the game. I am focused a lot on dialog creation and programming some puzzles of things I’d rather not show. With only a couple of months left in the 2025, I am a bit more doubtful of the full game being in alpha, as I need to update one particularly tricky puzzle area that got too big and convoluted and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. Although it will take time to redo, it’ll be worth the work.

Ever heard of NaNoWriMo? It’s short for national novel writing month and people would try to write 50,000 words of a novel in a month. While the organization shut down earlier this year, it’s still something I have participated in the past. I’ve never been able to complete the insane 50,000 words, but it’s always fun to work on. This year, I’m going to go a bit easy on it and try to write a 7,000 to 10,000 word short story that will serve as the backstory introduction for the physical manual this time around. Book 1 also had a short story introduction, too, but it was only about 1,500 words – a VERY short story indeed!

I used my old notebook from NaNoWriMo 2014 and wrote some story planning notes for next month. As you can see, I was always a big nerd, even 11 years ago! Also, while I didn’t “win” NaNoWriMo, I did eventually finish the 2014 story and publish the work in April 2016. My slow work pace is also, it seems, a continuing facet of my personality! I hope to give you a sneak peak of some of the writing at year’s end!

Also, for the blessed and honored Patreon folks, who have supported me in this project, I will be sending out the greeting card very soon! I am saddened to say that while I themed it for Halloween and will get them in the mail this week, it’s looking less likely that they’ll get there before the day itself.

If you would also like to get a greeting card with a few kindly words in it, feel free to join also! These are the people who make it possible to work on a niche project like this!

I hope you look forward to the future update and I’m excited for what I hope to finish in Betrayed Alliance for 2026. But I don’t want to focus too much on the future, but on working on what’s in front of me now.

Betrayed Update – July 2025

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Background Banaza!

This July I had the pleasure of having Karl Dupéré-Richer spend a bit of time working on some artwork for the project. I gave him a handful of unfinished backgrounds and he set himself to working on some sketches based on the scratch pre-alpha “art” I had in the game.

Karl took these images with a small dose of direction and very quickly put together some sketches.

From these images I set myself to transposing them into EGA Vector graphics using SCI Companion.

Here are a few other backgrounds that were completed thanks to Karl’s help on the project. These 4 are parts of a log cabin area.

Karl is also responsible for about 2/3 of the updated Artwork in Book 1, so his work on Betrayed Alliance has been (and continues to be) inestimable! I’d recommend following his work and supporting him by checking out Amazing Fix, a game featuring his artwork.

Altogether, Karl has sketched out 11 backgrounds this July, and I’ve done my best to do them justice in the conversion process into vector EGA backgrounds.

After this most recent run of completing backgrounds, the total of completed backgrounds to use in the game is now around 130 or so. I estimate about 20 or so more backgrounds will be needed. To give a bit of scale, Book 1 has about 56 backgrounds.

What else is new?

You might recognize the following image from last update, where I was working on this puzzle:

The puzzle is now complete and the background has been redone.

I’ve also done some further work with a conversation between Leah and Jurgen, a character you run into in the demo who is on his own quest in Book 2. Here is the sketch and then the in-game conversion.

Bad News

Despite things getting done, not everything is going perfectly. This past month the Slattstudio discord server was deleted by its previous owner. I’ve put together a new one which you can join here. I am now the owner of the server, so that will not be happening again. I apologize for the inconvenience!

Also, the goal of this year was to get the game to alpha by year’s end. While this has been among the most productive years so far, each month’s goal is still falling behind schedule. That said, things are really starting to come together and it’s beginning to hit that transition point between feeling like a project and feeling like a game.

Until next update, thank you all for your support and patience, especially those who have continued supporting me on patreon. You make it possible for me to work on this game!

Join the *NEW* Slattstudio Discord Server

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If you haven’t yet joined the Slattstudio Discord, I’d love to have you out to come and chat. It could be about Betrayed Alliance, but it could also be about Space Quest or Peasant’s Quest or modern games like The Crimson Diamond. Okay, you could even talk about non-EGA-palette games (if you have to!)

Emergency notice!

For those of you who have already joined the discord in the past, I invite you also! You may or may not have noticed the old Slattstudio Discord has suddenly and unceremoniously evaporated and ceased to exist. I apologize for that inconvenience. Sadly, I did not own that server and someone hit the big red button! This server however, I do own. So come on back and join the fun around the table (but no gambling!)

Betrayed Update June 2025

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What’s new in the Verlorn forest since the March? Let’s find out!

First (and please forgive the simplistic nature of the artwork – it’s not in final form) is a puzzle room that Leah finds herself in. This puzzle, like the cosmic maze area shown last update, takes place in a “space” a bit outside of the forest. More to share on this as it progresses. Right now it’s kind of like looking at scaffolding as opposed to seeing the complete building.

Speaking of things not in their final form, I’ve also been putting together a few basic blueprints for a handful of locations that have not been made yet. All in all, I’d say there are about 30 or so backgrounds that still need to be made (That’s on top of the around 120 unique backgrounds already completed!). Here is a cabin area which will house a few rooms:

In this cabin, you will meet an important character for Book 2’s story, Leonard, one of the few other characters capable of living in the cursed forest:

You will also see him featured in the new artwork I’ve just recently put together for the Betrayed Alliance: Book 2 Player’s Guide and Game Manual. Here’s a quick side by side with the Book 1 artwork and the new Book 2 artwork – you can see I wanted to go with a consistent theme (As anyone who collects items in the same collection will tell you, it’s nice when they fit together!)

Here’s a look at the process I used for creating the image:

Step 1 – I sketched out the artwork concept.
Step 2 – I inked the sketch and erased the pencil. I then took a picture and inputted it into photoshop. (A lot of artists sketch and ink in photoshop itself, but I still prefer the tactile nature of paper.)
Step 3 – I use a comic book style approach to coloring called “flatting” where you put down a base color for each part. This allows you to use the magic wand tool to select one area at a time to color.

Back to the game

But artwork isn’t everything I’ve been busy with. There are a number of areas I’ve been programming that aren’t easy to show without revealing puzzle spoilers and such, but two areas I’ve been busy with lately are:

I don’t want to show too much about these, however, I will say the frozen river here, for example will not always remain frozen. As the game progresses, you help effect certain changes.

Final Thoughts

So how’s the goal of reaching alpha by end of year? I must be honest here, it’s not looking too great, unfortunately. My life has just become so busy with three children (ranging from 5-12 y/o). I’m not trying to assign blame or anything, just observing that hobbies like game creation take backseat to real life. That being said, this is a marathon and I’m feeling like we’re in the last few miles. Yes, I’m tired and running low on gas, but just one step at a time and before you know it, it’ll be in alpha, then beta, then tested and released. So thanks for hanging in there with me.

For those of you interested, I’ve also put out a new shirt on my fourthwall page – this one features the cartoon version of adventurer Graham that I use in my comic series on my patreon. I really liked how he looks in this style and I wanted him on a shirt for myself. Pick one up if you like it too!

Betrayed Update (March 2025)

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March to Alpha

Last Update I mentioned that I was moving to a new stage of development with a goal to Alpha by the end of the year. I put pencil to paper and mapped out the work and it looks feasible (at least on paper!)

February was a busy month in my life and didn’t have a particular goal. During that time I was working on some miscellaneous things, like a vendor and some bracer upgrades for our hero:

The goal for March was to get a certain puzzle area up and running. Here are a few screenshots of this new area:

Puzzle elements are being worked on as we speak and things are coming along (roughly) on schedule.

As we move into April, I’ll be working on a new area with a different aesthetic than the greens of the Verlorn forest, which will be a nice change of pace (and scenery), and May will give me a chance to work on some areas associated with the General (as Leah’s been getting a lot of development attention so far).

I’m feeling quite a lot of enthusiasm for 2025 and the game reaching a new milestone. While I know that this feeling doesn’t last and there is a lot of nose-to-the-grindstone work on the game, I’m gonna ride that wave for as long as I can!

Support

If you like what I’m working on and would like to help, you can support by buying the awesome Game Night shirt or hoodie, perfect for Spring!

You can also support on patreon and if you’re in the $3 tier or higher, you’ll get a new monthly comic. I’m starting a new continuing series where classic Sierra characters will be going on a hunt for a magical feather.

January 2025 A New Stage of Development

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The Plan for 2025

In 2023 the demo for Book 2 was made available, in 2024 the BIG update to Book 1 was finished, and I have an ambitious goal for 2025: I want to get Book 2 to a playable alpha state. I’ve started posting short (almost) daily updates on progress to the “Book 2 daily updates” channel of the Slattstudio discord. If you are wary of spoilers, however, probably best not to check that out as I cannot guarantee that daily work is spoiler free.

The Work This Month

So, here’s a brief summary (and some screenshots) of what’s been going on in January.

  • Random Battle Encounters in the Great Forest up and running
  • Cosmic Sidewalk Puzzle implemented
  • Backgrounds and Animations added
  • Cutscene dialog/stuff

It’s gonna be a lot of work, but so much is done and now it’s a matter of getting things tied together and implemented. I’m quite excited to be moving to what feels like the next stage of the game’s development!

Further Support

I’m also posting comics for those who pledge in the $3 tier on my patreon, if you’re interested in helping finance this passion project in a small, but helpful and appreciated, way. Here’s one of recent ones:

What's new with Betrayed Alliance at the end of 2024?

I’ll be working hard to reach the goal of the game being in alpha by year’s end. It’s ambitious, but I am hopeful that it is within reach.

Betrayed Alliance: End of 2024 Update

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Hello! It’s been a couple of months since the last update, so let’s take a peek at what we’ve been up to!

At his point, it’s all Book 2, all the time!

I’ve started logging my daily work onto a daily work log on the Slattstudio discord. There’s a lot there that will be considered spoilery, though, so be advised!

In the past few months, I’ve worked on a handful of backgrounds, but most of my efforts have been focused on programming and making animations for backgrounds already made. That being said, here’s a few new backgrounds:

Of these three, the bottom one with the golden doors already has the logic and puzzle animations added in, but I don’t want to spoil things there.

Animations take a good amount of time to do, and I’ve gotten around to a few of cool ones. Since I can’t post videos to this site, I’ll have to post them as links to X:

https://twitter.com/slattstudio/status/1859638806015627313

Some recent animations include: Jumping across a gap animation, bridge breaking animation (mostly finished), mushrooms, tiles, doors, etc.

There’s a lot more going on, but showing programming progress isn’t nearly as easy as showing artwork.

I’m also posting comics for those who pledge in the $3 tier on my patreon, if you’re interested in helping finance this passion project in a small, but helpful and appreciated, way. Here’s one of recent ones:

What's new with Betrayed Alliance at the end of 2024?

Work is getting done, nevertheless, albeit slowly. But I hope to share lots more great stuff in 2025!

Thanks for your continued support!

Betrayed Update September 2024

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Hello everyone! I hope everyone has had the time to enjoy the revamped version of Betrayed Alliance: Book 1. We released it in May and spent about a month or two fixing up various bugs.

If you haven’t had a chance to play it yet, get it here FOR FREE!

Now 100% of attention is on completing Book 2! We’ve recently picked up a new team member on the crew who has set us up using github and put together a discord server to help with team communication. This will help make testing more streamlined and production better. So let’s hear it for EvilRDennis!

By the way, join the discord and share your thoughts on all things Betrayed Alliance.

General update on progress for Book 2

The game still has a lot of baking time in the oven. This game’s scope is much larger than Book 1 and having 2 playable characters with their own areas to explore (and different ways to interact with the world) makes for a lot of work!

Here’s what I’ve been working on lately. This room opens up the a new section where some tree-like enemies find you. Below that is a new character who acts as the merchant in the forest, with his own unique currency.

I am sorry if the development feels like it’s going a bit slow (it is!) but it is getting done. This is the tortoise and the hare, and well, I’m a tortoise. But the finish line will be crossed. This summer I spent a lot of time with my kids, and not a lot on the game. They are young, so I took the opportunity to focus on my family. With school started up again, I will have more structure to spend more focused time on Book 2.