Subterranean weekly notes - May 14, 2026

Today is the right day for this weekly summary post. Not being on social media and focusing only on what inspires me has been incredibly fruitful. I recommend it to everyone.

BALANCING THE GAME

I’m adding more features to Caverns and Dryads so it always stays fresh and with the right level of difficulty. New players need the game to be gentle at the beginning. And very advanced players need challenges. That’s why I’m adding features like the necria quests to keep them entertained.

Keep in mind that although Caverns and Dryads is a game with a story and an immersive world, it also has an arcade side, and a bit of roguelike, RPG, dungeon crawler… a mix of everything.

That action and resource‑management side needs to be challenging without being overwhelming. 

So I’ve introduced mechanisms to balance everything and keep it that way. 

In the near future I’m going to add missions to hunt mythical monsters, commissioned by the different kings of the Chasm. These will be similar to the necrias in mechanics, but more varied since the creatures will be very diverse.

Here's a wallpaper. Click, right click and save.

A wallpaper for you

FAST TRAVEL

Some players also expressed the need for stronger challenges. And for a way to travel between distant points, even if it involves greater risk.

I hear this, and I’m going to add it.

I still don’t know if it will be a spell or a place where you enter a tunnel. But there will be a liminal space where you must fight tremendous beasts, and if you survive, you’ll travel to a distant place on the map.

Since it involves a serious risk of dying and therefore losing something, I think it’s balanced to include it.

Of course, it won’t take you anywhere. Only to certain points in specific areas of the map. That way we don’t break the narrative.

I was also making some photoreal images of Tamzyn. They give me a peaceful feeling, 

the kind you get when you travel to a distant country.

BIRTHDAY

This week is my birthday. I actually celebrate it for others, because time doesn’t mean much to me. I think it’s a mindset of our era. 

You don’t really change by counting time. Changes are slower and more subtle. Don’t you think?

I don’t worry about it either. It’s curious, because my story reflects a lot on the passage of time.

Primitive humans didn’t measure time like we do. For them, you were a certain age when you did the things of that age. Seasons existed, but not months. And not even as we understand them. Hours didn’t exist either, only light.

Sometimes I think that’s more natural. Even so, I try to look at the clock and arrive on time everywhere. 

But sometimes I think how fantastic it would be to throw the clock away and forget about it.

Ah, Robert Frost, how I understand you!

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

WRITING

I’m writing the part of the story that would come next in the game, from Book 2. At the same time I sometimes write more of Book 1. And some parts of Books 3 and 4. Then I go back, edit, improve things.

The idea is to have the basics ready to incorporate the story into the game soon, while also writing parts that are in my mind and will be pleasant to read in a novel.

You’ll think I’m crazy, but that’s something you already know. The thing is, I write what comes to me, and I connect it. I have a general idea, a revelation of how things end, and I fill in the gaps. How? But I already said it. Here.

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

I think you’re going to have to help me. I can’t do it alone. If you like my project and you play it on Steam, you can leave your review there. 

Every time someone leaves a positive review, the game gets a boost. It makes me very happy, and more people imagine Sioul and Tamzyn and the Rift. That makes everything more real.

And if you like it, there are DLCs that immerse you more in the story, like the Bestiary, or very practical ones (the map).

By the way, I’m going to add shortcuts between certain places to the map. You can see them if you look closely at the drawings. Some things are repeated, and they mark places that are connected.

PATREON, BETA TESTING CIRCLE

I’ve revived my Patreon. I added a one‑dollar tier. 

Yes, it’s mostly symbolic, but I think it’s appropriate so that anyone who wants to support me can do so without hurting their finances in these difficult times. You can see the perks in this image:

I plan for it to be a place to share early previews of the novel and the game, gather beta testers, and have a circle of people especially excited about what I’m doing. It also excites me to be closer to these players and readers.

AND THAT’S IT

Let’s see if next week I can write another post here, publish the update, and prepare the next one. There are so many things I want to do. 

Thank you for reading me and for living my world with me!