Website and Discord Server now up! Cross 2021/10/02(Sat)21:07 No. 136293 ID: 5bf1bd
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Hey folks, just letting you all know that I now have a proper Discord Server and Website set up where you can see other content I create, such as short stories or art.
Do check it out!

https://marksinthemargin.com/
https://discord.gg/x9QHPvzhdD

Design an Outfit: Stealth Outfits Cross 2021/12/19(Sun)03:14 No. 136721 ID: 73aaab
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Hey hey, folks! It’s been a year since Last Trace started, but we’ve finally arrived at one of the most iconic features of many quests - an opportunity to design an outfit for the protagonist.

Last Trace will be having a total of at least four different Paper Dolls, with outfits themed after the bosses that Argine’s beaten so far.
The first theme is of course - the Stealth outfit.
Outfit submissions are open til the end of the thread, though late submissions are still welcome!

Full-blown Burka but with night-googles and black military boots for running underneath.

Someone give this soldier a shirt, at least.

Anonymous 2021/12/22(Wed)11:24 No. 136742 ID: e646d8
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Behold! The Light Refractor!

>It's OP

Yes. So?

>Rejected.

...

Anonymous 2021/12/22(Wed)11:26 No. 136743 ID: e646d8
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Here, have this shitty GIMP-less, photoshop-less hackjob.
I call it the Sam Fisher ripoff Tacticool Wraith

Role: First strike/Low light/Low acoustics/Ops where combat is to be avoided
+Low acoustic profile
+Very dark color scheme for dark areas
+Highly mobile
-Lightly armored

It is said that special forces always like to have speed, surprise, + force of assault. This outfit is built to help give the wearer the first two of those. Every piece is muffled but flexes well, so that the user has the best shot to hit hostiles while they are off-guard. This does limit armor, but ideally the hostiles would be defeated before they are aware that there's somebody to shoot at.

Pictured accessories:
-Undersuit: Makes the user's exposed surface area dark, except the facial area close to the eyes. Usually this is muffled clothes with a tight fit (balaclavas are popular), though some favor dye. Both are provided to the user.
-Wraith vest/legwear (pictured pocketless): Lightly armored. May have pockets to store ammo/gadgets/other items. Some users prefer pouches, backpacks, or some combo thereof. Customized to accomodate user.
-Helmet w/ FLIR: Lightly armored, though primarily deflective. Helps muffle combat rolls. FLIR gives high visibility with low light. FLIR is slightly away from the eyes to allow full peripheral sight to be used. FLIR may be rotated up mid-op for higher visibility of lit areas, or removed if light is expected for the whole op. If ears are allowed through, they are usually dyed.
-Pads: Reduces impact while the user crouches or lies flat. Muffles melee hits.
Pistol holster(s), Blade sheath(es): Sewed to legwear. Some users prefer dual pistols or blades, legwear is customized to accomodate.
-Tacbelt: Extra storage for ammo/gadgets/other items. Used if the user has to rappel.
-High-grip gloves: Useful if the user has to climb over surfaces or freeclimb. Muffles melee hits.

Should be pictured:
-Stealth boots: Boots + those feet = how do I art that? Though they have slightly less durability, they highly muffle the user's footfalls across all surfaces. Muffles melee hits.

Extra accessories that could be added:
-Shoulder pads: Muffles combat rolls.
-Helmet radio: Allows for more quiet comms compared to a regular radio.
-Rifle holster (back): Useful for if the user has to climb with a rifle.
-Torso/arm/leg pouches: Extra storage for ammo/gadgets/other items.
-Backpack: Extra storage for ammo/gadgets/other items.

Accessories provided based off of climate/hazards:
-Overcoat/Thermal legwear
-Rebreather
-Gas mask

Phew! After a long while, Chapter 2 of Last Trace is finally complete!

I feel like I've improved a lot as an artist, but obviously, there's still far more to do coming up in the future.

As for the costume contest, the first Last Trace fan-designed outfit has been chosen! Using a combination of elements from the currently-submitted outfits, Argine'll be clad in some nice new digs starting next main thread.

Hope everyone sticks around in future for more Last Trace!

>>137402
Congrats, and best of luck with the next chapter!

I just realized Argine's guns have been basically useless in every fight so far. Technically in the first fight she got to deal damage with them, but only because she activated her parasignia and it overpowered Judicium's ability.
In the second fight they barely did anything either- I think technically we did a nicked Nickel in the first room with a shotgun at range, but then later she just dodged it.

I, uh, think that the players are absolutely reasonably salty that the author screwed them over in the latest update...

>>137989
In the one hand, I’d say of course the super soldiers are really hard to shoot with bullets, but then again, that hasn’t exactly been the case for our super soldier…

>>137990
Good, it means they care.


To be honest I was afraid we were bound to lose eventually. Winning six duels in a row makes for a boring story, doesn't it?

>>137992
Losing cause you fucked up is one thing. Losing because of author fiat is another.

I think people too often reach for the words 'author fiat' when something doesn't go the protagonist's way. For one, that happens in a good story, and for two, the accusation tends to be unfairly snippy and mainly, I feel, pushed by dashed expectations.

Though... if you truly believe that this was author fiat, then okay. Did you like where the story went with it and want to see where it goes regardless? Then isn't it fine? If the story is interesting, then accept that and move on to the next decision point in this slightly interactive visual noval.

For the record, I do not believe in a fiat. It's not as if our suggestions are pointless and not responded to, far from - our suggestions are taken, they just don't always work out! Standing still in this situation was simply what would lead to Argine getting surprised and punished, and enough suggestors did suggest that somewhat reasonable course of action. It wasn't a bad move, but our opponent wasn't a bad opponent either - they were a trained badass specced for blindfights and close combat.

Being unable to suggest a course of action as Argine was grabbed is something, but I don't believe it done in ill will - Argine's always had these moments of slowdown with us while we chat, and in this moment she's reacting in a panic while getting grabbed, so she doesn't have time to process. There did also seem to be something else going on - some other voices/responses interfering and answering in our place. So, y'know, maybe pay attention to that? Something to look into. Purge our SAI of those useless assholes, maybe.

Ultimately Argine is no Mary Sue (nor is Astrolysis, we got some good dings on her) and we didn't quite play to her strengths, while falling into one of Astrolysis' instead - blind fighting - so the fight went to a win for the combat-specced monster. I'm dismayed, but not disappointed.

Do note that the blind rush approach - what I advocated, on the presumption Astrolysis at least would be the equivalent of buried or flashbanged - might've spelled doom as well and I would've accepted that, since it was a risk taken based on sunk cost, but there very much seems to have been a way out from the sounds of it. Argine herself hinted that simply getting some distance - getting free of the smoke cloud - could've worked out.

>>137994
aye. Our biggest mistake was not taking her up on her offer, which was a choice we made that only served to firm up her resolve to win when we started attacking her core philosophies.

second, we've been told a few times that our protagonist isn't actually the strongest of her kin by a long shot. We knew going in this would be a tough battle, and made a few missteps before this final mistake.

We didn't really have any good options here, if we were to start moving about in the debris and chaos we'd have revealed ourselves based on what we expect of her sensory abilities, and staying still proved a worse move if only because it made us easier to surprise and pin down.

>>137989
this though I think is a more fair criticism, our guns haven't exactly been a reliable tactic for us

Seems it was more how it was handled.
Without a doubt, there are people who will be mad if stuff goes south, but it appear the bigger issue appears to be, perhaps unintentionally, a denial of agency for the suggestors.

Particularly, there was a line that felt quite railroaded.
>But what help can we provide? We are but advisors. We cannot pry those fingers off her neck.

Should suggestions have been provided and failed? Probably would have gone with far less of a fuss.
Should it have been made clear there was a reason suggestions failed to be heard? Still would have felt railroad-y, but nowhere close to what it was. Plus, gives a sidequest to figure out what occurred.

However, as it is, that line feels like, "Ha, no, you don't get a shot, I'm deciding you're useless."

Speculating on why it was handled the way it was would be attempting to mind read Cross. Doing so could place malice where there was absolutely none.
Still, regardless of intent, it doesn't change how it looks.

Full disclosure, made suggestions, so may be biased.

>>138013
Imagine how boring this quest would be if Argine could do an Indiana Jones on every Sector Boss (and yes, I know that's not what you suggest here - I'm putting a fine point to it). Suggestors might not always go for the guns as the go-to move either - fancy snowflake ideas are often more fun to write. I was chomping at the bit to actually get to use Plug in that fight - which did come in handy for first blood move.

We've also fought one champ with a defensive theme (and super-guns DID work there in the end!), one sneaky sneak (who we did clip) and one melee champ with access to an armory and a strong reason to have worked on their anti-firearms measures, so there is that.

>there was a line that felt quite railroaded
Ah. I never saw that as a dig at us as advisors, but as some other splinter aspect of the SAI (or the unborn SAI absorbed last thread) butting in and answering for us, while pursuing the (totally in that situation useless) question of what CAN we really do for her, if push comes to shove?

In-setting all we are is uploaded instinct and advice - bits of skills and memories put into coherent trains of thought - so it SEEMS true that we cannot help Argine physically once the chips are down.

(Unlike a certain someone who got to have a form of their own.)

What's also true is that she wasn't quite out of the game yet when she got grabbed, so maybe we can encourage her not to lose her cool if she's caught in a jam next time... and maybe try to figure out whether there was something up with those particular bits of unhelpful advice. Perhaps Nanoweaver or Diagram might be able to help?

>>138016
I thought it was fairly obvious that Cross had her lose without any suggestions because he thought we had no chance of winning and this way would allow for a more dramatic scene paired with the loss.

But also, you know, we would've *had* a chance if Argine had done anything intelligent during the entire fight. I dunno if she's actually a terrible soldier with no combat sense or killing instinct or what, but it's clear she's not capable of defending herself in a non-straightforward fight (one she can't bruteforce her way through) without a majority vote that has an explicit (and hopefully consistent) plan for how to win.

Maybe she's supposed to be bad at using her gadgets due to her aggressive, impatient personality? I dunno.

>>138019
>what CAN we really do for her, if push comes to shove?
In that situation we could have given her advice on how to escape the grapple. I'm not sure if the blink was off cooldown or not (the biggest problem with that gadget imo is that we don't know when it's available) but that would've been a perfect time to use it. Also, Plug can be manifested faster than her weapons, and gadgets are instant pretty sure. She could have used the explosive knives to push Astrolysis off.

Those two last things were things that someone brought up in the thread, and I guess you didn't see them, so I'm posting them here too.

Lastly, if we had seen Astrolysis coming, we could've advised for Argine to do something, like have Plug in her hand to fend her off? You know, instead of sitting there unarmed and flatfooted while Astrolysis just walks up and grabs her head. Could have also used that reaction-speed card.

If the map were up, we could've told her to get a little more distance-- I figured she got blown completely out of the room from the recoil and had no idea where she was. Instead, she was just... standing like five feet away from where Astrolysis was, apparently? Like, no, it's not redundant to be near a doorway. THERE ARE MULTIPLE DOORWAYS.

>>138026
I can only say I did not see this as obvious. And Argine can be impatient for sure, but her own stated instinct may have been spot on in how she should have dealt with the dust cloud - just GTFO:

>Are... are you sure about this? Shouldn't I be trying to get away as soon as possible?

>>138027
Note that I wasn't actually asking that, I was referencing and pondering the statement a not-actually-a-suggestor responded with as Argine struggled and cried for help.

Re: the lack of reaction advice opportunity, I'll re-paste my comment from earlier:
>Being unable to suggest a course of action as Argine was grabbed is something, but I don't believe it done in ill will - Argine's always had these moments of slowdown with us while we chat, and in this moment she's reacting in a panic while getting grabbed, so she doesn't have time to process. There did also seem to be something else going on - some other voices/responses interfering and answering in our place. So, y'know, maybe pay attention to that? Something to look into. Purge our SAI of those useless assholes, maybe.

>>138028
I feel you have a somewhat different picture of the situation than I do. Astrolysis for sure didn't just walk up or start literally five feet away - it's implied she supersoldier power launched herself from wherever she was at after the blast (presumably after recovering her wits and 'looking' around to find Argine), or else Argine would for sure have heard approaching movement and reacted earlier. Her launching herself was the explicit counter to the wait-and-see strategy and it makes sense to me she'd have such moves as a blindfighty melee supersoldier.

She also had that queer invisibility pseudosignia, but I don't know if that would've masked sound or herself.

Anyway, unless Cross comes out and says 'Yep, I just called it', I'll believe they let us have a honest go at it and that we just didn't make the right calls to clear the bar of that fight. I'll also maintain there might be something else going on that sabotaged any last-second reaction saves, and that this could be worth investigating during the next downtime. We did get that unborn SAI thing last thread and who knows what effect that's had.

>>138032
Cross is a fairly competent writer, and cares a lot about the presentation of his story. I think he'll have more than justified reasoning here, as looking back on the leadup to the fight and the fight itself it feels like we set ourselves up for some failure trying to "play the story" a bit more than playing the scenario.

Honestly if I was running the quest i would have done the same thing. After suggestors trying the same thing twice and suggesting the same thing a third time it's obvious nobody had a clue about how to actually outsmart Astrolysis.
>shoot her
Doesn't work. But you can figure out how
>ok do it again
It still doesn't work
>ok but do it AGAIN but more
Like how many times do you want the quest runner to tell you to try something else before realizing nobody's getting the hint?

>>138048
I only remember two instances of shooting. One with the rifle, and a second one with the blunderbuss.

>>138057
There were a couple of incidental pistol potshots during the taunting. Not really the main thrust of those suggestions, I believe.

Hmmm... okay this is an important question for the author.

Are there distinct combat mechanics, and are they HP-based? The spar between Argine and Astrolysis had a three hit system, and to be honest it almost feels like that's still present.

Hey, just a heads up but I AM taking into consideration everyone's feedback here. It's hard for me to say anything at the moment because I don't want my systems to be too transparent/metagamey, but I've already been making some adjustments to upcoming gameplay to account for people's feedback. I do acknowledge that I could have handled the conclusion to Astro's fight better (particularly with the clarity of some of the text), but that's the beauty of Quest Storytelling, right? Having to roll with the punches, good and bad.

There's a few really notable points people have made here that's more or less what I was intending, but I'm not sure if it's a smart choice for me to outright just step in and confirm individually, 'yes this is exactly what I intended', given that I don't want to come off as too meddlesome within my own story. Argine's in a rough spot as well - we don't have the whole picture in-universe, so there's some level of opacity.
And remember - just because someone is saying something in this world, doesn't mean it's true by default - it's also important to consider the contexts of why a character said something or another. Plenty of perspectives, all of whom have their own info.

I will however, clarify this little gameplay bit.
>>138070

I'm currently not using a finite HP system, or 'three hits' system in Last Trace. In my experience reading and experiencing other quests, I've always found more 'hard statistical' quests to be a bit fudgey, as the quest medium can be played like a Play by Post game, it would be too slow if I was calculating every little thing and trying to measure the efficacy of specific attacks in raw numeric values.
I wouldn't say the Three Hits system is some concrete rule either, but the truth is that much like in other games, different enemies have different levels of resilience, both in terms of stamina and defense. I think the upcoming bosses will be a bit different to the ones we've faced so far, so it certainly won't be as clear cut.

Oh, and as a quick side note - I'm really glad that everyone here feels passionate enough about Argine's story that they're voicing their thoughts in this disthread!

It's always been one of my favourite aspects, to see the players theorize and plan things out involving the future of stories, so I'm very grateful for the support I've been getting from my readers. Without some of you anons, I don't think I would have stuck it out this long. Even now I'm still working on a panel for LT a day, so I hope everyone sticks around for when I eventually get to the conclusion of the story!

>>138205
Glad to hear you're feeling encouraged by our speculative blather. Last Trace is a fun and interesting read so I hope it'll keep giving you joy to keep at it - and thanks for the answers!

January Hiatus and 365 Panels Cross 2023/01/03(Tue)03:39 No. 138909 ID: 1015ea
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Hey everyone, just leaving a message here in case someone's not on the other places I keep news about Last Trace on.

It's the new year, and boy what a year the previous one was! I really pushed my own limits, drawing over 365 assorted panels during that year and massively improving my own art. And that's not even counting the crapton of writing I did for Last Trace as well, which I didn't even keep track of.

This new year, I'll be focusing on my other passions, particularly game development, but I have zero intent of neglecting Last Trace. For now though, I am definitely taking a break from the hectic nature of my previous updates to recuperate and recharge my batteries, but I'll have the next thread up sometime in February.
Though my initial goals have been met, but some new goals aren't really suitable for it... at the rate I'm going at, this may as well be the longest (written) completed quest in Questden history by the time I'm done with it.

While it's a bit of a shame things seem quiet around here, which is understandable considering LT's length, I'm grateful for the readers who do support me and participate or lurk in the quest itself.
I don't know what I'll have by the end of this, but I know that I don't want to join the graveyard like so many other creators who have come before me.

Let's make 2023 a good one, folks.

It's certainly a phenomenal effort you've put into Last Trace. I'm happy to be enjoying, supporting and participating in the threads, even if I don't always get around to posting for every update.

Best of luck with 2023! Don't burn out on gamedev, that notorious timesink!

Silly Zealot 2023/01/18(Wed)06:17 No. 139001 ID: b90810
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We love you, Cross the Line, thank you for your lineness!

I just binged this story over the last few days and hooo what a ride.
I will also say that my one regret with these stories is they remind me I am very bad at modern military thinking.
…
A part of me wonders at the idea of having Nickel and Astro work together as a team to shoot the WallFlower- it seems to me that it’s the most meaningful way to fire that gun, since it’s I’ll suited for Argine…
Though I wonder if she could use those silk gauntlets to like…
One hand on the trigger, the other like…Half bracing the thing so it doesn’t recoil right into her, half trying to hold it from the butt of that thing. It’s be awkward-I can tell that much, but the thing fires a big fat beam of doom, and has those old-timely Blunderbluss muzzles-precision aiming was never in the cards with the Wallflower.

>>139082
Heh. No idea if you'll even see this, but don't sweat the modern military thinking too much. Firstly, modern military thinking is often about squad tactics and combined-arms fire support - neither of which apply very well to 1 on 1 duels. Secondly, we're dealing with supersoldiers, future-tech weapons and gadgets, and a few things that may as well be effin' magic (the cards and parasignias). Modern tactics do not deal with these things (even if certain principles are still valid). If you've got an improvised MacGyver tactic, post it, it's not like additional ideas would be bad.

Anniversary Day Cross 2023/06/22(Thu)18:11 No. 139899 ID: 58e9c7
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I normally post the anniversary pics in my server, but I feel that I should post 'em here too.

It's funny seeing that Last Trace is in its third year running considering the average lifespan of quests, but hey, I'm persistent. Thanks for supporting the story, everyone!

Cross 2023/06/22(Thu)18:12 No. 139900 ID: 58e9c7
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And here's the 2nd Anniversary pic from last year.

What a wonderful ride this has been, and to think it is not even over is positively amazing!

Happy annyversary, Crosstheline, here is to more boss fights and digitigrade stilettos.

Congratulations! It’s been a fun ride so far.

Design an Outfit - Elite Operator Cross 2024/03/14(Thu)15:53 No. 141865 ID: 32ff81
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Ahoy! Guess it's been a while since the previous outfit designing activity, but here it is!

The current theme is 'Elite Operator'. Top notch operatives who'd get anything done... or at least an outfit that gives Argine the impression of one. Up to you guys how personalized you make it.
Don't mind the usage of the old paperdoll - while my art's gotten a lot better in the past few years, I don't exactly have the time to make a new refsheet from scratch (yet).

Anonymous 2024/03/14(Thu)17:23 No. 141866 ID: 12b116
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argine needs her iconic orange shirt

Anonymous 2024/03/14(Thu)22:30 No. 141868 ID: 6c9b77
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Seems like medium armor for this. Slap this uniform on minus headgear as it fits the bill. Perhaps widen the codpiece to the hips... Layer below would be ballistic resistant while the plating offers heavier defense on most places while minimally impeding flexibility though still slowing due to weight increase. Heavy armor would probably be like EOD suits. For headgear though...

Anonymous 2024/03/14(Thu)22:38 No. 141869 ID: d4584e
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...go with this. See through visor which can be flipped down and up. Helmet microphone. Good stuff. Just unsure of colors.

The problem is military colors are soooo boring. Surely something can be done to make things a little more stylish?

Just a small heads up, but due to real life circumstances I'll be away for all of April. I *may* squeeze an update in there during that time, but I wouldn't count on it. I've primarily been occupied with a combination of game development and other work, but I don't have any plans of stopping LT anytime soon either, so don't worry.

The stress of having only one month to come up with a new set of clothes for the protagonist is overwhelming.

Take care, Cross, and good luck in your future works!

>>141915
What Zealot said. Breaks are okay, good luck with your work, and see you around!

Silly Zealot 2024/04/20(Sat)23:05 No. 142059 ID: b2fb15
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There we go; only needed 'bout 20 days to get around to it!

So they idea would be something inspired both the suggestions above as well as Mnemosyne utilitarian armor and colour scheme.

The headpiece could have a shark teeth decal, because hey, it is potentially in character, as well as either being a metal mask held on by straps on the back the head, as seen on the front and back paperdolls, or a full helmet with detachable mouth and ear pieces, as seen on the profiled paperdoll. I'm partial towards the full helmet, even though the mask is more fashionable.

There is also a final detachable armour piece to protect the base of the tail. However, this design is not nearly as appealing to me...

Silly Zealot 2024/04/20(Sat)23:08 No. 142060 ID: b2fb15
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...As this.

If Cross actually wants to let Argine choose to do this in the quest and not playing it for laughs, I'm completely on board with it.