A Pirate's Life -- BETA TESTERS NEEDED

Sail the Caribbean as a pirate captain in search of treasure and love. Will you woo your rival captain, his quartermaster, or the upstanding governor of the island? Wage battles on sea and land, manage your crew, defend the freedom of the seas - and possibly, get very very rich.

This is the third Heart’s Choice game. F/m, sweet.

Email me, jason AT choiceofgames for access. DO NOT SEND ME A MESSAGE THROUGH THE FORUM MAIL SYSTEM. When you send your EMAIL, include your forum-name, your real name, and the game you want to test.

DO NOT POST ASKING WHAT MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS. The first test to becoming a beta tester is inferring what it is based on the above paragraph.

(You cannot be testing two games at once. Send feedback on one and you can apply to another.)

I will send you a link, a username, and a password.

Return feedback TO ME. Preferably part of the same thread, rather than a new email.

I’m looking for “high level” and “low level” feedback. Not mid-level feedback.

Low-level = typos and continuity errors. A continuity error is when a character’s gender flips, or someone comes back from the dead, or you run into a plotline that just doesn’t make sense (because it’s probably a coding error).

For these low-level issues, SCREENSHOTS are VERY HELPFUL. If you see a problem, take a screenshot, or copy and paste the text that is in error, and email that. Also, the “BUG” button is great; but if you use BUG, make sure to say in your email who you are, so I can give you credit for the report.

“High level” feedback has to do with things like plot, pacing, and characters. “Scene A didn’t work for me because x, y, and z,” is useful feedback. “B character was entirely unsympathetic, because u, w, and v,” is also useful feedback.

“Mid-level” feedback describes things like grammar, style, or the use of commas. As I said above, I do not want mid-level feedback. In particular, DO NOT WRITE TO ME ABOUT COMMAS.

“I had a great time and saw only a few spelling errors,” is not useful feedback. In fact, it’s the sort of thing that results in you not being given access to future betas.

Some examples of useful feedback:

In Choice of the Dragon, you get to choose what type of wings you have: leather or scaled. Someone wrote in and asked about having feathered wings. Great suggestion! Done!

In “The Eagle’s Heir,” someone asked about Eugenie. They said that the romance moved too quickly–because she only appeared in the last third of the game–and wished they could have had an opportunity to meet her earlier. So the authors added an opportunity to meet her and start the romance earlier in the game (in a scene that already existed).

In “Demon Mark: A Russian Saga” several people commented on how the PC’s parents were unsympathetic, so the authors added a choice or two to deepen the relationship with the parents in the first chapter, to help better establish their characters.

Similarly, pointing out a specific choice and saying, “this is who I imagined my character was at this particular moment, and none of these options seemed right for me. I would have liked an option to do X instead,” is really helpful feedback.

Another useful type of feedback: if you choose an #option and then the results of that #option don’t make sense. Like, if you thought an #option might test one stat, but it seems to have tested a different one.

15 Likes

@jasonstevanhill I recommend you that put in the beta text if is M/varied or whatever in the first lines.

I tell you that to avoid people asking for a beta that they are no interested due not be from that orientation.

That could be also useful for establishing a special kirk or something below the lines.

For example, if the game is about a bottom submission Pc I maybe not interested etc.

5 Likes

Is this male protaganist or female?

1 Like

ok, I have a first wave of testers already. Everyone else will be held in queue until new drafts are posted.

4 Likes

Female you have it in the description F/M that means Pc is female and ro are male

1 Like

I just want remember that Betas are private and never should a tester disclosure the content of a game publicly or lend your access to others.
Is personal and private relation with company based on mutual trust

2 Likes

Ok. I did not know that. I thought that forum was for betas only. Thanks for letting me know it is public.

Signed

Jonathan.

Per the original post:

1 Like

2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Heart’s Choice General Beta Discussion

New draft posted! This is most a typo-addressing draft, so I’m going to hold off on admitting new testers until we get a content-adding draft.

  • “walkinwoods” glitch fixed
  • roseend expanded
  • typos corrected
6 Likes

Updated 8/15/2019

  • Further character customization options added
  • stats recalibrated throughout all chapters
  • text expanded when player passes the icon test
  • more typos corrected
  • call back to rum test with Eden added
  • added text to Mott’s rebellion in Chapter Five to account for player’s choice to win him over

Edits Still to Come

  • amend Mott endings to account for pardon options
  • amend crew endings to account for pardon options
  • expanded endings for all romances
  • expanded love scenes

Updated 8/13/2019

  • “walkinwoods” glitch fixed
  • roseend expanded
  • typos corrected
4 Likes

New update, 8/16

Changelog includes:

  • slaver glitch corrected
  • **page_break glitch corrected
  • icon glitch corrected
  • Eden no water end updated
  • added “no” option to slaver question
  • Mott endings updated to include pardon choice
  • all the pardon endings have been amended and expanded
  • typos corrected

Thanks to everyone who has tested so far! It’s been very helpful.

5 Likes

Updated 8/20/2019

  • updates to the less than perfect romance track
  • added another chance to win the crew over
  • crew endings expanded
  • extended post villain fight scene
  • less than perfect endings expanded and enhanced
5 Likes

New draft posted!

  • expanded PC hair options to include bald and headscarf choices
  • final update to the icon adventures - about 3000 new words added
4 Likes

New draft posted!

v17579

3 Likes

New draft is in!

Lots of continuity fixes in this one, especially in the non-romance paths.

3 Likes

Last call for testers! v17641

  • added a few more crew stat building opportunities
  • recalibrated existing crew love/fear stats
  • added a “talk your way out” option to Mr. Wren fight
  • all love scenes extended
4 Likes

New draft!

LOTS of recalibrating of stat tests throughout, and lots of code fixes to improve continuity.

Still to come: more expansion of the Mott Plot, and more in the big battle in Ch 10.

This is version 17726

3 Likes

New draft!

  • More recalibrating of stat tests, including adjustments to the romance stat tests
  • Expanded ‘I love you’ scenes
  • Expanded the confrontation with Mott

If you’ve played before, it would be especially helpful to get a second playthrough so that you can comment on what’s changed.

Thanks!

This is version 17777

3 Likes