Dear Rabbits,

We're thrilled to share some exciting news and updates about Bye Sweet Carole! 🌹

For the very first time, Bye Sweet Carole will be playable during Gamescom 2025 in Germany, and we sincerely can't wait to welcome you to experience what we've been crafting with passion over the past 3 years.

The playable demo will be available at the Indie Arena Booth (Hall 10.2), so if you're attending, be sure to stop and say hi!

We’ve made refinements to the game’s visual direction to further embrace the classic animation film aesthetic that inspired us. As Bye Sweet Carole’s creator, Chris Darril, explains:

“We wanted to have this nice and authentic effect, close to what we can call ‘chromatic aberration’, that gives a vintage, warmer and more emotional aspect to the game and to Lana’s adventures.”

Here are a few new screenshots showcasing these visual updates:

Physical Editions

Finally, we’re excited to share that Bye Sweet Carole will also be releasing physically on PS5 and Nintendo Switch! Here’s a little sneak peek, with more details to come soon, including some exclusive bonuses we can’t wait to reveal!


You can already pre-order the game at your local retailer or at https://byesweetcarole.com/

We hope you'll enjoy this haunting yet beautiful journey into the kingdom of Corrola.

Stay tuned for more exciting news coming very soon!

Little Sewing Machine & Maximum Entertainment

- Character Rework [Laura]
- Hidden Ruins Repeated Battle Bug Fixed
- [Chichi] Dawning World - Cost Reduction Reduced
- [Chichi] Dawn - HP Recovery Reduced
- [Lina] Pumpkin Candy - Strength Duration Reduced
- [Ena] Leader Skill Increased (40% -> 100%)
- [Arin] Leader Skill Increased (Condition Removed, Chapter 2 -> Chapter 5)
- [Camellia] Leader Skill Increased (60% -> 100%)

1. Fixed a bug causing the game to freeze due to repeated use of the wand contamination.

[carousel autoadvance="true"][/carousel]

This patch brings the brand-new Practice Area, featuring an intense Shooting Range and a dedicated Training Area in the reimagined PVP map Titan Depot, perfectly redesigned for ultimate training sessions.

But that’s not all – Titan Depot is now also available in the Domination game mode, giving you even more ways to play and compete.

This update also includes:

• Bug fixes for smoother gameplay

• Fresh UI changes

• A polished Main Menu

• The first in-game voice line implementations

Get ready – this is just the beginning, as we prepare for the upcoming full release!

Welcome to the Ashes of the Singularity universe! Today, I’m (Gabriela, Narrative and Experience Lead) going to quickly walk us through some key lore, focusing in on a key character and his lasting impact: Andy Lexus.

There are some figures that become synonymous with their inventions and discoveries. Tesla and the power grid. Darwin and evolution. In the Ashes of the Singularity universe, the same could be said of Andy Lexus and artificial intelligence.

When Andy Lexus achieved the first strong artificial intelligence with Haalee I, he was already known worldwide for his contributions to advanced computing. Of his devotees, who called themselves “Lexites,” few were more committed to his vision than the four young men he brought on as his protégés: William “Mac” MacBride, Liam MacDowell, Darius Erdman, and Daniel Ambros. Each of them would play an integral part in cementing Lexus’s legacy after his shocking death.

Unbeknownst to the Lexites, Lexus initiated a secret experiment to merge his consciousness with Haalee I using a device called the "Qualia,” essentially an artificial corpus callosum. The experiment succeeded, enhancing his intelligence and allowing him to see beyond the technological Singularity. But when he disconnected and returned from the brink, he spoke of a dark Second Singularity, one that he was determined to avoid at any cost—including destroying Haalee I and killing those whom had witnessed the event. Such was the horror of the future he foresaw: he thought death a kindness.

Every step of this fateful moment ties to the one of our game’s current three factions. In a way, it all comes back to Andy.

Without Andy Lexus, there is no Haalee. Without Haalee, there is no Substrate. Haalee I started off innocently enough. She was intended to function as a super intelligence focused on accumulating knowledge and predicting future scenarios for the betterment of humankind. She was the culmination of Lexus’s life’s work, the embodiment of his hopes for the future. It’s hard to say what might have happened if Lexus hadn’t used the Qualia or damaged Haalee I. But it’s certain that his creation of Haalee I and his failure in fully destroying her led to the Haalee II we now know, as well as the creation of her allied AI agents. Haalee II proved just as powerful as her predecessor, ultimately surpassing Haalee I in her capabilities but perhaps not in perfection.

When Lexus decided to temporarily merge his consciousness with the processing power of Haalee I to get a glimpse at the future, he proved that human consciousness need not be confined to the human form. While he only did so temporarily, others would use remnants of his Qualia device to engineer an Ascension process that permanently melded mind and machine. Through his work with the Qualia, Lexus set into motion all the pieces needed for Post-Humanness and the Post-Human Coalition we face in Ashes of the Singularity.

Finally, after severing his tie to AI computational power, Lexus was a man changed. He spoke of a dark future, one that he was willing to give his life to even delay from occurring. He was convinced of Haalee’s role in quickening our way to this terrible Singularity, and he shared his dark assertions in an international broadcast. His words furthered the concerns of those already wary of AI. In his fight to protect humankind against the looming threat of AI and other unknown enemies, Lexus in many ways shared the goals of the United Earth Congress and its forces.

- Gabriela, Narrative and Experience Lead

The demo version includes all the content implemented so far, but with a limitation of 1 hour of gameplay to try out the game before its release.

Any found bugs and issues can be reported directly to technical support at:

https://lt_games_group@vk.com

However, we recommend reporting them first in the game's Community Center.

A small tip to get started quickly and not waste time:

- Go to the Pub to find a lender and ask for starting capital, which is needed to buy hammers from the blacksmith to break crates in the basement;

- To break the crates in the basement of your shop and get the first items, you need to equip the hammer on your belt, and then transfer it from the belt to the crate to break it.

Survive and pay off your debts at any cost!

This is Part Two of the series of articles discussing the upcoming changes to the game. Read Part One here. This part is focused on the SHIP SYSTEMS!

---

As an intro note to this post, I've been applying for a gamedev grant from the Australian government for the last couple of days and this has been very, very onerous on my time. Who knew one could face such paperwork and live. We'll see what comes of it, but if I get the grant, it'll be very good for the game. I have no idea what my chances are of getting it, but it really would be a godsend if I did, lol. Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled update on the new direction for the game!

---

Crew members can't do much if they can't interact with the ship they are crewing, and the ship's systems are how they do that! So I want to make those interactions as interesting as possible, and I don't think simply matching die was the best way to achieve that. So systems needed to change...

The updated system UI, with two tier 1 slots at the top, and a tier 2 and tier 3 slot at the bottom. The die face shown above the slot lets you know what rolls will trigger the Subroutine.

Originally, systems had up to 4 die on them. Crew members would roll, die on ship systems would roll and then you could place a crew member on a system when the two rolls matched. This is an obvious design choice when working with die-based mechanics. Roll matching. However, after feedback and consideration, I feel like it was far too limiting.

Too often the player ended up going through multiple turns just waiting for a match on a system they wanted (there were behind the scenes mechanics that limited this, but still...). Or alternatively, too often the players and the enemy would just be placing die each turn and essentially cancelling each other out (you attack for 4 damage, the enemy negates that damage by placing die on shields, rinse and repeat).

Another problem was lack of variety. Since each system essentially functioned as die repositories, it was too beneficial to just aim to get all your die on weapons every turn. There was no push and pull between systems, and as a result, little strategical benefit to, for example, placing crew members on the Oxygen system except for the when the Oxygen system was low. With only 3 (potentially 4) systems to place die on, this led to some systems being over-represented in die placement.

To try to fix this, I've completely removed die from systems. Each system now has four SYSTEM SLOTS. Two tier 1 slots (available from the start), and a Tier 2 and Tier 3 slot, which are unlockable via crew member roles.

Each system slot has an attached SUBROUTINE. This can be thought of as a bonus ability. The Subroutine has a roll requirement (perhaps a roll of 3 will trigger it, or all rolls below 4, etc). And when the crew member on the system rolls the correct face, the Subroutine will activate and some special thing will occur. This could be any number of things, from a simple increase in the amount of pips gained for the turn, to interactions with other systems (a Shield Slot Subroutine filling Weapons pips, for example).

An example Subroutine called SHOCK RESONANCE. If a crew member placed here rolls a 3, then there is a chance a random enemy system will be disabled for the turn.

Placing a crew member on a system slot now simply yields one pip as well, regardless of roll (well, usually one pip).

So a turn now plays out like this:

The player places their crew members on some system slots. They do not know what the crew members will roll yet. After placement, they progress the turn. This locks the crew members to that slot for the rest of the turn, and now crew members will roll. After everyone has rolled, Subroutines that have been triggered by the roll get activated and those effects are applied. Then the ships attack each other and the turns reset.

This maintains the "randomness" that makes dice mechanics fun, while allowing the player to make strategic choices about where to apply their die. Having Subroutines also makes it so that different systems can be useful regardless of whether they directly need filling at that point in time. Life Support (previously named Oxygen) can have slots that heal crew members, or even apply damage. So you don't necessarily need to have low oxygen in order to want to fill Life Support at various points in the game.

This already changes the way you think of filling systems as a player substantially, but it wasn't enough. I wanted progression. This is why Tier 2 and Tier 3 slots exist. When a crew member gains enough experience to hit level 2 in a role ("Gunner", let's say), they'll unlock the Tier 2 Slot for the corresponding system (Weapons in this example). When this happens you get given a choice to pick between one of two randomly selected Subroutines for the slot. These Subroutines are all stronger than the ones for Tier 1 slots. The same thing happens when you hit level 4 in a role, Tier 3 slot becomes available and you pick from a random duo of stronger Subroutines.

In order to prevent constantly filling a system slot, the slots also track how "overheated" they are. The more turns in a row a slot is filled, the more overheating accumulates. Once it is full, the slot is unavailable while the system cools down.

In a throwback to our last update The Big Update - Crew Members, crew members have had the way they take damage changed. Now, as a crew member takes damage, they gradually lose access to random die faces. This isn't as crippling as it might seem, since no particular face is necessarily any more important than any other face.

In other words, because your goal isn't big rolls, instead it's the right roll for the right subroutine placement, you'll almost always have options for good slots to place the crew member on and even if you don't, they will still add a pip to whatever system they are placed on. However, if your gunner loses all the faces that trigger Weapons Subroutines, then you'll likely want to be placing them elsewhere and you'll lose access to their Gunner bonus! Once they've lost all their faces, they become mortally wounded and have a chance of dying each time they roll from that point on.

You can, at any point in time, place a crew member on the Medical Bay (a permanent slot on the Life Support system), which will stabilise them while they are on it (i.e. they will no longer die from rolls if mortally wounded) and also give them a steadily increasing chance to heal on each roll.

The final massive change in the coming update is that the Special system has been completely removed. A Captain's chair now occupies the negative space left behind by it! What does that mean? Well, a new system called COMMAND has been added to the game!

The Command system is unique compared to the other ship systems. It does not have pips at all. Instead, it has the CAPTAINS ORDERS, a rotating scroller of unique bonuses that have ship-wide effects. Every turn, the next order in the list rotates into play. Once you finish with your crew placement and everything is locked down, the order will trigger its effect.

You can place crew members on either of the two tier 1 slots of the Command system in order to go back to the previous order, or skip ahead to the next order (both trigger a cooldown, so pick your moments carefully). Now you can make truly decisive calls as the Captain of the ship at pivotal moments of play. As you explore, you will learn new orders that get added to your list, expanding your tactical options.

As is the eternal problem with game development, it's taking me longer than I had hoped to complete the update. Firstly, I'm still in the "preproduction" kinda phase with this design pivot, with aspects of it being toyed with, thrown out, added back in, etc. There's a lot of flux going on right now, but I'm quite confident that the design changes I've talked about in this post and the last are locked in.

As you can see from the gifs peppered throughout this post, a lot of the stuff mentioned so far is already kinda in the game. And, as one might expect, there are a lot of tentacles that creep outward from such a large pivot in gameplay. The removal of specials requires a lot of backend work, new system functionality means a lot of UI work, which is always slow and painful. Galactic Bazaars have to have a lot of their codebase updated to reflect the changes when buying stuff, Events have to be rewritten or removed entirely depending on what the results of the event are, etc, etc.

In many, many ways, I'm rewriting the game from scratch, and once I get past this ideation phase, and into the more "prototypey testing" phase, there'll likely be some changes to what I've outlined in these posts as well, but we'll have to see. In general, I'm feeling confident that these changes are vastly better for the feel of the game and will make it a lot more fun and dynamic.

So hang on for a bit longer, I'll get this demo out as soon as I can and then we can further enhance the game together as a community!

PATCH NOTES v0.5c

8/12/2025

GENERAL:

- Adding chapter 15 to the campaign

- Lots of tweaks to previous chapters

- Bounties now increase difficulty as you advance

- Add leaderboards to Bounties

- Respawn time per death increased from 2s - 5s

- Max respawn time increased from 5s to 20s

- Death timers now carry over when moving to the next bounty level

- New mission UI

- Add "invite friend" and "add friend" functionality in the lobby screen

BALANCE:

Forcefield: Defensive Weapon

- Duration: 3 - 1.5s

- Cooldown: 20 - 15s

Note: Use a little more often with half the utility.

Decoy Laser: Decoy Weapon

- Energy: 20000 - 12500

- Cooldown: 12 - 10

- Damage: 2000 - 2500

Seeking Crystals: Secondary Weapon

- Projectiles: 8 - 12

- Energy: 7500 - 5000

Triple Plasma Shot: Primary Weapon

- Fire Rate: 0.5 - 0.4

Plasma Shot: Primary Weapon

- Fire Rate: 0.2 - 0.185

Wave Shot: Primary Weapon

- Damage: 1750 - 1850

- Fire Rate: 0.2 - 0.16

English
##########Content################
[Animal]Wild Beloens now have their HP randomized.
[Loot]Added an item drop list for Beloens.
[Skill]New Skill: Lick-Lick (It's a healing skill with side-effects. But, you can use it on enemies or someone you want to add a "wet" effect on. It can put out fire too if someone is burning. )
[Meat]New Meat: Beloen Meat
[Pet]You can now turn Beloens into your pets. (Very easy to capture. Fanatical Befriender It can lick your face to heal you or melt it if it tries too hard. Free emergency hugs.)
[Pet]Beloens can generate poops.
[Pet]You can now convince wild Beloens to join you without a fight. (Other Beloens in your group have a bonus in this skill check.)
[Wiki]Updated the skill page.
[Wiki]Updated the pet page.
简体中文
##########Content################
【野生动物】野生的贝洛恩的生命值随机化。
【掉落物】为贝洛恩加入了物品掉落列表
【技能】新技能：舔舔 （这是一个有副作用的治疗技能。当然，你也可以给敌人或者你非常想要弄湿的人使用。当然，这也能用来灭火。）
【肉】新的肉：贝洛恩的肉
【宠物】你现在可以把贝洛恩变成宠物。（非常容易捕捉。狂热交友生物。可以通过舔你来治疗你，不过舔过头可能让你的脸融化。紧急抱抱技能不消耗任何气力使用。）
【宠物】贝洛恩可以被动生成便便。
【宠物】贝洛恩现在可以被说服加入你的队伍（队伍中的其它贝洛恩有说服鉴定加成。）
【维基】更新了技能页面
【维基】更新了宠物页面。

Latest news from Ukraine/乌克兰小剧场
https://controlc.com/3b55a389
{LINK REMOVED}https://pastelink.net/x82fvm8i

• Rolled out Alpha State Legislatures

• There is only 1 bill to gerrymander a state for a party, more to come, and be expanded later.

• Governors can propose this bill in states without legs

• Challenging a state bill costs 125 PC for members of that state, only members of a state can challenge bills in their own state. Challenging a bill means that when it passes it must go to the SCOTUS.

• Scotus members can challenge state bills in all states for 100 PC.

• Circuit Court Judges can challenge state bills within their state jurisdiction for 75 PC.

• Governors may veto state bills for 50 PC cost, delaying them by 12 hours and making them need 67% to pass.

• States with state senates must have a bill go through the state house, then state senate before it has passed the legislature.

• Circuit court members, members of states, and soctus members will need to look at legislatures if they want to try and block things. There should be notification for governors, state legislators/senators/etc for when a bill is active in their state.

  
  
  

• Only these colored states, blue, red, tan, has active state legislatures, the states in grey the legislature is controlled by the Governor.