Fixed the ambiguity in the sewing scene and a couple of typos. Starting to code Chapter Two today, so if all goes well, I might be able to finish it by the time my break ends ^^
@VenturaHe still only has bad ends, lol. His ‘true’ ending is still grouped with the bad ones. As for getting onto their routes, it’s not so much the courtship that gets you on there. It will be your choice who to romance, since they have varying courtship lengths, and it will be made very clear. For Einar, there are two ways to get on his route, each branching off differently. You can get on his first branch next chapter.
@TruMaknaeNot at the moment, no. I think there’s only one choice that slightly increases it right now. Your relationship with Regina will never be above 50, but it’s not your fault. I think the best relationship you can have with her in this story is one where she civilly tolerates you.
I have something about clothes planned right now, but I think it would only slightly affect a few stats. I was planning on it to affect the relationship with the suitors, more than anything.
@awkward_viking You’ll see more of Gisela next chapter! There are three or four scenes where you two talk fight.
I have a couple of questions about the story which have caused me some confusion:
Did Regina have any other kids with Burkhand besides Gisela? Because our MC states so yet they aren’t mentioned elsewhere ever again. Is it safe to assume they never made it?
Is Gisela a boy or a girl? Because that’s a feminine name yet the story states it’s a boy.
I think it means that the MC have 2 (or more) younger siblings… Gisela, and the new born baby (the boy).
She is saying that the new baby isn’t the first sibling of the “new mother”…
Hmm… you’re right, Gisela is one of the younger siblings but the newborn is someone else entirely.
I think the confusion stems from the way the story is presented - we have an entire page dedicated to the birth of a new sibling, a baby boy, which to me means we’re having a character introduction, yet the entire event is shadowed by mentions and descriptions of someone else (which I find rather distracting).
When we’re showcasing a new character to the reader I think the spotlight should be centered around that NPC and not others. If you’re going to add more elements to it then it’s preferable to see them happen in sucession, not mixed, and done so in a clear, distinct way so there’s no mix ups. (IMO)
To make matters worse there’s no mention of the baby afterwards throughout the demo (at least the paths I chose), so we have a character that is presented to us and then placed on the side-lines to make room for the “main attraction”, which is Gisela. If the baby is a minor character then a simple mention of their birth would have sufficed I think.
I believe, if you check in the Show Stats and to Information and to Characters. It stats that Gisela is indeed our half sister. Although, I was confused of when MC will be meet the baby brother.
Agreed. On today’s episode of Katharina’s Shit List:
-Burkhard (walking in the footsteps of Oedipus)
-Gisela (nobody replaces me)
-Regina (gold-digging stepmother; no explanation needed)
-Wilhelm (my total lack of compassion doesn’t mean I approve of adultery)
On a completely unrelated note, will we eventually be given the option to ensure that any of the above characters (or our husbands) meet tragic ends? Our MC is pretty powerless (being a little girl and all), but I assume that we’ll be given some opportunities to change that in the long run, and one possible means is to expedite/increase our inheritance.
@IvoryOwl Ah, thanks for the feedback! It’s easy to make mistakes like this because everything makes sense in my head. I’ll edit that scene, and hopefully the second version will be less confusing.
@anon49824592 No tragic ends planned yet, but that can change. Some further details under the cut because they’re kind of spoilery.
Your best bet is Lothar. He’ll be completely devoted to you, once on his route, so if you play your cards right, you could manipulate him into offing some of them. Valentin would be a good bet too, but not for getting rid of Gisela. Of course, you’ll have to uncover his secret early on to be able to convince him.
For inheritance, the Spellmeyer family is incredibly wealthy, easily one of the wealthiest in the country. Regardless of your relationship with your family, Burkhard’s set aside a very generous dowry for you. It’s why the Crown Prince and Eleonora were engaged, because Burkhard wanted more prestige, and the royal family wanted a link to the wealth.
Now, to become powerful, romance either Edmund or Lothar. They have the most prestigious titles, wealth, and connections, but I would say Edmund is more principled and moral than Lothar,
so the former is pretty difficult to sway into questionable actions. He also trusts you a lot less, so it would take a good chunk of the game before you could even try to convince him.
That sounds very promising. I look forward to future iterations.
What about the possibility of becoming a ‘Bad Seed’-style murderous child? ‘Father, I swear I have no idea how my embroidery needle ended up in Gisela’s eye.’
Nice to know we can use our influence to get back to the people we dislike! I also get the feeling that our step mom is having an affair but I’m still looking into that >>
We will be able to learn of those stories no matter which route we take, as long we investigate, or does each route involve a specific one?
Also does each suitor prefer certain personality traits and depending on them they are more attracted/in love/easier to manipulate etc. Or are they there for ropelaying purpose and some dialogue change? The same thing asked about the skills.
I focus on increasing my art, intelligence and etiquette and try to select options that are related to these skills (passionate, rebellious etc.)
@anon49824592 Lol, probably not, as fun as that may be. But there’s nothing stopping you from causing mischief, though that won’t endear you to your family (think of poor Benedikt! He has to defend you).
@cookiemonsta You can’t get every story in one play. There are a few that are route-specific (e.g. Valentin, Lothar, and Edmund all have secrets on their routes that can’t be learnt on Oskar’s, and the reverse is true; Einar’s secret can only be learnt on his route, etc.), and sometimes you get different stories depending on your choices, such as seeing Regina and Wilhelm, or Burkhard, when you get the choice to leave your room.
Personality traits are mostly for roleplaying and making the story seem more organic, but yes, there is some influence on the suitors. There’s no need to play to a certain build, but they definitely have their preferences, and usually choices that align with that tend to be the ‘right’ choices. But you could be the opposite of their type and still successfully romance them.
Thank you for that.^^ In romance games (where I’ve a lot of options in shaping/creating a character) I usually end up with a “favorite MC build”, who I end up replaying with as my “main MC”. And while I know it might be more difficult to program, I do find it so much more enjoyable when I don’t feel like I have to play or behave a specific way to get on a characters route/romance someone successfully. (To a certain degree of course, I get that I’m probably not going to romance a kind, sweet character if I play an outright evil character. :P)
It’s one of the reasons why I really enjoy the games from Sonnet009 and @Seraphinite.
That’s a shame–having the option to be a monstrous human being would add a neat twist to the horror aspects of the story. Still, it’s your story and your artistic decision, and it’s quite enjoyable in its current state anyway.
Couple of questions/comments:
Will there be options for build and skin color, or perhaps a ‘perk/flaw’ system (allowing a predetermined number of traits, like a strong constitution or spectacles)?
Also, out of curiosity, why are all the hair colors blonde or brown? Is it some trait required for nobility?
I know right? In the end we, the MC, who kinda established a personality before starting a route, ends up becoming a yes man to the love interest and, in many ways, fuels their ego! In mystic messenger the only way to get high points with zen at the beginning of his route you basically had to agree that he’s handsome all the time! The same thing to get him in the common route!
