Troothful Tales

First visit to the site?
Troothful Tales is the home to several choose-your-own-adventure-style stories, run by the author Trooth, and the members of the forum. Users will post a suggestion for what action the main character will perform, and the reaction is posted by the author.
In addition, a comic is posted on occasion by the title of Shepry And Koen. Updates are more rare for that though, as it takes a considerably greater amount of work, and the author is a busy, busy man!

THE LATEST NEWS

April 7, 2008: Insert the usual speech about how I really wish I had more time to work on every single thing related to this site. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

April 3, 2008: Too long, too long. I got bored tonight, opened up Photoshop, drew a little something, then just happened to get absorbed in today's update as well. Good thing, eh? I've gotten into what you may call either a rut or a daily habit which has been allowing too little time for the work I want to do here. I sit in class planning out the future of Shepry and Koen, wish I was at home working in Photoshop, then actually get home and go through a series of I'll-do-it-laters until it's 2 A.M. and all I want to do is get my required homework for the night finished before I totally pass out in bed. Really, it's a wonder that I updated now of all times, as I've been swamped with homework and projects. I would say that considering this, the next update may also be late, but I really don't want to have to say that. =( Anyway, the little something I drew before this update will be stored in the extras section. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

March 4, 2008: By little demand, another commentary has been done. Also, I thought I had mentioned this in a previous news post, but I'm not seeing it... I don't plan to continue doing commentary videos much, if at all, in the future. In place of those, what I might do is record audio commentary on the older pictures and stuff, much shorter, but also much more attention-holding. I doubt that most people will sit through the usually hour-long commentary videos as it is. This latest one is actually only 36 minutes and zero seconds, but I still doubt most people will sit through the whole thing. It's uploading to Google Video as I type this update, and will be added as a link right here, so check back tomorrow. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

March 3, 2008: Time already for an update, eh? I figure I should, to make up for the almost month of no CYOAs. I want to say that I'm going to try for one update per day until Brawl, but... Don't hold me to that. I might miss a day or two. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

March 2, 2008: A bit lame that the new Shepry and Koen update got scarcely 24 hours on the front page, but anyway, I'm sure people will find it. This new Monk picture is long overdue anyway, and those things are probably the main attraction. Lately focus on Shepry and Koen's been a lot more heavy, as I really think I need to get more frequent comics out, but I still don't think it's gotten to any kind of a point where it has any kind of an anticipatory audience, so... Working hard and hardly working, same time. Ideally, I'd get several CYOA pics out in a week, and one comic, but alas, I'm just lacking in time. The most time I have to work on this stuff is like after 1 A.M., and I don't have nearly the energy to stay up for that. Even so... I need to get working harder... Somehow... Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

February 29, 2008: I never thought I'd see the day there are two Shepry & Koens in a row, uninterrupted by CYOA updates. Half of it is that this one got done faster than normal (being only 6 panels) and the other half is that I just haven't had the CYOAs in mind as much lately. Hopefully things can go just as swimmingly for the comic in the future.

Tonight I'll probably add more avatars, and either make some unique ones or get started on comic #5. To kind of go off on a tangent here, I found this one inspirational song, and I was going to put a link to it in here (along with the lyrics) but the site is down. <_< So, uh... I'll add it in later if I feel like it, but I'll go ahead and say I probably won't feel like it, so don't wait in total suspense. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

February 11, 2008: Huzzah, new Shepry and Koen online! At the rate this is going, it looks like there's a new one every 2-3 months. That's..... HORRIBLE. I need to work harder on these things or something. I need to find some way to overcome my Motivational Deficiency Disorder and really challenge myself to do more than one in a month. Regularly. It'd be hard to do, especially with my aforementioned ailment. I just need to get one panel done per day, no exceptions. I'm sure I'll get better and more effective at it as I go along, making it easier... Even now I can see great strides made in quality between comics 1 and 3. I don't know how visible they are to everyone else, but it looks like months of change to me... And I guess technically it is. If I thought I had a significant fanbase I'd probably do quicker work, but activity 'round here's really slow. I wonder if it'd help me much to pay for some banner ads on other sites. I don't really want to go for it until I have a greater number of comics, but at the same time I don't want to wait until the CYOAs get too huge for people to want to read all the way back... It's a hard balance. If any of the (few) regular visitors want to point people in my direction though, it's much appreciated. =] Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

February 7, 2008: I think we can primarily blame Deus Ex for this update's lateness. I mean, I guess technically it isn't late since there's no official deadline, but I unofficially aim for one pic per week at least. Anyway, yeah, that's one grand game. I would also like to note that sometime soon, this site may get its own .com location, and I'm planning a sort of gaming-related site (kept mostly under wraps until I figure out how to get some serious PHP implemented) which may also come to fruition, though surely much later. Meaning, another 2-3 comics' worth of time (at least) in Shepry and Koen.

We've hit another spike of serious Shepry and Koen work too, I might note. Tonight I got two panels done from scratch, then drew up today's update for The Monk. I must say, weighed against Shepry and Koen, these CYOA pics seem to take next to no effort. One more thing I want to note is a change in my Shepry and Koen drawing habits: Up to this point, every panel has been done 99% from scratch, so as to both give each panel a clearly distinct look and to help me develop drawing skills. Obviously though, this is highly time-consuming, and it probably won't make a world of difference to anybody if I start copying and pasting certain parts as I'm planning. I have vowed though, that there will be no 100% duplicated pictures (unless the plot calls for it or something), and people probably won't even notice what I duplicate unless they take very close looks comparing panels.

So as I said, Shepry and Koen production has hit a great upward spike. I'd say you can expect a new comic by the weekend, and a fourth within the next week or two if I really haul ass. In the upcoming comic 3, you'll see the plot actually starting to form, and comic 4 will actually have something that might be considered adventure-worthy. =P Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

January 29, 2008: I've decided today that instead of using the same avatar I always have on the forum, I'm going to make it a picture of my latest bit of progress in Shepry And Koen. This way people can be assured that yes, I am working on it, and know just how often I am. Plus, you get a tiny sneak peek at what's going to happen, eh? =]

I tried some fancy photoshoppy ripplin' effects in this newest picture. It looks a tad weird, but I suppose it works, eh? Just a tiny step in artistic advancement. n_n

Another thing to note: There is now a selection of avatars over in the Extras section. Most of these are taken directly from the illustrations here, but I can see myself one boring day in the future sitting down to make some custom images of the characters for avatar use. Again though, I doubt that there's an enormous demand for these. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

January 23, 2008: We've got another commentary video this week. As you can hear in the video, it was actually done Saturday night, but didn't get online until just now. I tried to get this on stage6.com, but doing so is crazy complicated and involves all kinds of additional programs which crashed every time I tried to use them. On the plus side, there's background music this week. It's a real shame Stage6 wouldn't work, because it allows for some really high-quality videos. Perhaps someday... Until then, all I can offer is Google Video's blurry self. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

January 17, 2008: Y'know what? Being the anxious person I am, I decided to go ahead and drop the maps from the Average Guy story today. The old ones will stay, but I'm not going to make any more. I think some more frequent updates may come to be seen soon, since I have a semi-writer's block on Shepry And Koen. Not so much that I don't know what to write, but I don't know how to best present what I'm writing. So... Check back a bit more frequently. I know you want to. ;) Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

January 15, 2008: Since classes have once again fully begun, there may be less time for me to work on this stuff pretty soon. It was my new years' resolution to do at least one hour of work on this site per day though, so that's what I need to stick with. I want to announce a change that viewers of the old site will notice. In the past, updates would hit the forum immediately, but the illustrations wouldn't be archived until a few days after a chapter closed. Now things will hit the main site before anything else, and the forum will be a secondary thing. Maybe this way the site can be less forum-oriented. Now, people can just check the main page to see what's new. I'd also like to say at this point that starting next chapter, I'm gonna remove the maps from Average Guy updates. It's just generally more work than it's worth, and I think things will work better without it. I'm not even sure now why I included those in the first place. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!

January 13, 2008: Troothful Tales has just undergone a total overhaul to celebrate the beginning of CYOA #1, The Monk's Journey! (Though his actual birthday is January 19, this coming Saturday-- Make sure you get him a gift!) The crappy basic structure of the old site is a thing of the past, and it has been exchanged for this snazzy new look! Take a look around and see all the pretty new features. You'll scarcely see a thing unchanged, aside from the original images and comments of the stories. An update for The Average Guy should be coming soon. Also, be sure you stop by the forum!