Blood For Poppies (Public Beta Test Now Live! Game Complete! 10/9/20)

Sel_Lee · 2019-08-06T13:20:25.440Z

I’m loving this, but have you considered implementing the save system? It’s not much of a hassel to add it, and it’ll help a lot, especially since the game has bugs and encountering one will require the player to start over.

Also, putting the update date on the title would help a lot.

Sel_Lee · 2019-08-06T16:05:09.735Z

I’m still exploring the game, and I’ve encountered other bugs. So, just a tip; using “quicktest” is the fastest way to catch every bug. It’ll be in your files, if you downloaded them from the forum. You only have to click on it, and it’ll alert you which lines are bugged.

Alexandra_Fugate · 2019-08-08T00:57:00.553Z

Happy to see you back! This has always been one of my favorite WIPs.

deznutes · 2019-08-09T02:56:59.668Z

Got an error with Alyce, but I’m on my phone at the moment and can’t post it. I had my wings removed by Carmelle, and wanted new ones, like an angel’s. So I ask Doctor for help. he tells me to go see Alyce. I do, and end up talking her into giving me a sick/dying bird. It was implied through narration that she’d be angry with me. I later proceed to select the “check up on someone” option. I chose Alyce, and get the text reading “Neutralalyce 2” before text saying that she smiles and waves at me or something like that.

Arrived home, can’t replicate the glitch. But I did find this:

Shouldn’t this be may or may not?

LacetheDisgrace · 2020-05-12T04:03:21.882Z

Good News Everyone
Blood for Poppies is fully written. All endings are complete. As it goes through rounds of internal bug testing, I’m sure more will be added, polished, and refined. As of now, the word count is about 161,000.

Please keep in mind that the download link in the first post has not been updated to reflect this. I will post announcing when public/semi-public betatesting opens. Again, you’re all wonderful, and this thread is full of incredible displays of support. This is an intensely personal work, and I hope others enjoy it.

What comes next? Before public betatesting begins, the following will happen:

Internal bug testing and squishing. Namely, me and a few of my friends breaking the game over and over until it stops breaking.
Stat screen is still in preliminary form. Obviously, that will be finished.
Implementation of a save system, at least for ease while beta-testing. Whenever this thing becomes a hosted game, I’m not sure if the save system will still be appropriate. As I understand, COG seems to have its own save system. CJW’s save system plugin looks great for this purpose (ChoiceScript Saving Plugin (Update: Sept. 2019)).
Other stuff might be added. I’m open to community feedback and ideas, although I don’t anticipate getting many until the public betatesting phase.

And, lastly, the rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. Apparently, many people think this game is still defunct or discontinued. I still occasionally read posts bemoaning the death of BPF. Just shows how bad I am at promoting my own stuff haha. Anyway, time to address those rumors: BFP lives! I’m back, bby!

@Sel_Lee @deznutes
This is woefully belated, but thank you for the suggestions and bug reports. I’ve made note of them.

@Sel_Lee
Yes, I’m considering a save system, although I haven’t implemented one yet. I agree; it’s a good idea. I’m actually aware of and make use of quicktest and randomtest, but thank you for pointing them out. They are, indeed, helpful.

As for adding the update date to the title, again, totally agree. I attempted to do it, but I found that I was unable. I think it’s related to my account. This account is not the original account that I started this thread with (Farside), so I might not have the privilege to edit the title in this way, sadly.

@deznutes
I think I know what’s going on. It should be a pretty easy fix. If you make a character mad by doing something particularly egregious, the game keeps track of a variable that is separate from their relationship points. Thus, either the variable isn’t being set initially when you take Alyce’s bird, or the “check up on someone” scene isn’t checking for the variable. Either way, I’ll investigate and correct.

*Edit: I figured out what the error was. Turns out, the variable keeping track of whether Alyce is pissed at you or not doesn’t exist at at all in the startup file. D’oh.

@Alexandra_Fugate
Thank you kindly!

War_Doctor · 2020-08-14T16:03:20.926Z

I’m not sure how kosher this post is, but I’ve been rereading the book as I am like to do, and I saw an area in which it would be interesting to have another choice. When the doctor says all the things he’s done to Carmelle, your options are to, complain about it, not respond out of fear, or agree with it, something I imagine my character doing would be trying to scientifically engage with the matter e.g interesting, so then what do you now think the root of the problem is? Or, what if it’s her lack of feelings that cause her to plot, she cannot feel, so she can only think which naturally leads to plotting. Or something along those lines, just a thought. Also I keep getting an error every time Doctor wants to show me something, right after Carmelle offers to make a deal.

resuri08 · 2020-08-15T08:06:14.823Z

resuri08 · 2020-08-15T23:51:31.657Z

Reopening thread.

LacetheDisgrace · 2020-08-16T01:52:42.796Z

General Progress Report!

Well, first, I hope people still don’t think this project is dead. I’m bad at social media. I’m an internet hermit, and I suppose that’s the danger of being a hermit. People start to think you’re dead after a while.

As for BFP, it’s going great, and I feel confident it will be ready for public beta-testing in another month or so (but don’t hold me to that because the semester just started and I have a bunch of college freshmen to educate in addition to my coursework and academic tomfoolery). Obviously, I’m taking my time with this project to get it right.

Please note that progress below is not reflected in the currently available version of BFP. The current public version is pretty buggy, messy, and incomplete. As always, many thanks to the great community for helping out.

Completed Progress

The game is fully written! Oh boy! At least, the skeleton is in place, which is important. I expect to add a bit more flesh to certain parts of the story sometime in the future, but that’s not my present focus. I’m really just trying to make sure this thing doesn’t explode. If some story paths are less developed than others, then I can work on it later.
Implemented CJW’s save system, which will ease betatesting stress. It’s a nifty, easily-installed plugin. Highly recommend. No idea why I didn’t do it earlier. Guess I just like doing things the hard way.
I completed a guide for the most significant choices and all of the endings in the game. Not only does it serve as a walkthrough, but I anticipate it will make betatesting smoother as players will generally have a better idea of what is supposed to happen in the game. That way, when something goes wrong, it’s easier to spot why.

What’s left before Public Beta?

Internal beta is ongoing. I’ve squashed many a bug, but it’s not quite ready for the public yet.
Stat screen will be finished.
In other words, not much is really left.

@War_Doctor
Awesome. That kind of input about what choices you’d like to see is helpful! The choice you’re requesting fits in well with the spirit of the game. There are other choices in the game intended for that kind of science-y, empiricist, wannabe-Doctor MC, so I’ll be sure to include it. I like it! Also, great insight into Carmelle. I really like when players catch stuff that I don’t. When I’m in the mire of coding/writing a game, sometimes certain details pass me by.

As for the error, I’ll look into it, but I need more information. If you told me what chapter it occurs in, I’d have a better idea. Ideally, you could include a screenshot of the error message. There is a chance that it’s an error I’ve fixed in my version of the game, but I’ve yet to upload to the public. I have a sneaking suspicion I know which bug it is.

War_Doctor · 2020-08-23T01:29:02.094Z

More comments from my unofficial job as Beta Tester, that I have granted onto myself

“Oh, I see. That boy… so difficult to tame. He needs a leash. I already know about the boys on the sixth floor, and I certainly don’t need Kel to reveal himself to scare them off. He’s like a dog, isn’t he? Always barking and running about.”
(another point where adding in a quasi empiricist thing might be interesting)

Before Carmelle is introduced, you have the option to peek in,or listen in, there doesn’t feel like there’s enough variance in the choices for them to be separate choices in my opinion.

There’s a spot to Carmelle where you say, how about you make a deal with me, but I don’t feel like that really goes anywhere.

He leads you back to a room you recognize. It’s the same one you woke up in after the dream. Even though it’s still dimly lit, now you get a better look. Shadows take on a haunting power, and as they flicker in the light they seem to move like creatures. In the middle of the room is the table where you had previously woken up. Twisted instruments litter the floor. What stands out the most is the memory of Doctor looming over you.

this is where the bug happens, it’s in chapter 2

Screenshot 2020-08-22 at 6.28.21 PM1788×1064 102 KB

LacetheDisgrace · 2020-08-23T02:26:43.195Z

Awesome! Thanks for this. Great feedback.

As for your criticism, I’d say you’re right. The choice to “peek in or listen” only superficially changes the scene that follows. It’s early-game flavor text.

The “how about you make a deal with me” is a lost thread, so to speak. However, it is an opportunity for an MC to gain points to the manipulative score while still continuing to work with Carmelle. But other than that there is no substantial difference other than flavor text down the line. I’ll make note to return to this and potentially expand it.

As for the bug, that one should be fixed in the newest version of the game, although it’s not reflected in the public link yet. I’ll update the link with a bug fix.

EDIT: I uploaded bugfixes to the public version of the game. On my end, everything works smoothly, and it passes manual and auto testing procedures. However, I withheld some content while uploading, such as Chapter 6 and the endings. This may cause unanticipated issues. I hope not, but keep that in mind.

Farside · 2020-10-10T00:48:29.610Z

Public Betatesting Now Live!
Game Link (Updated 10/9/20)
https://dashingdon.com/play/LaceTheDisgrace/blood-for-poppies/mygame/index.php?cb=77682

Blood for Poppies is fully written and ready for public beta! Oh boy! Come and break my game! As always, thanks for the support, and I hope you folks have fun playing this.

I created a guide . Download via DropBox here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n65neuk3kd615by/BFP%20Endings%20Guide.pdf?dl=0. This guide details how to attain all endings in the game. It is not a complete guide to all choices in the game, but it does cover many of the major choices. It is full of spoilers, but will be helpful for giving betatesters a frame of reference for how the story is supposed to play out (in case things go wrong).
@LacetheDisgrace and @Farside are the same person; I switched accounts after a long hiatus. I rarely check my @Farside account. I know this has caused some confusion and has likely contributed to rumors that BFP is still dead! Tell everyone that BFP lives!
You may report bugs either via this thread or through private message to @LacetheDisgrace . Whichever is more comfortable for you.
When reporting bugs, please be sure to include a screenshot of the error so that I know exactly where in the game to look. Windows comes with a “snipping tool” that’s useful for this purpose.
General suggestions for improvement, criticism, and detailed feedback are also welcome. If you simply have an idea that you think would be cool, please share with me! I can’t promise to implement every single suggestion along these lines, but I welcome them nonetheless.

Changelog

I’ve implemented a save system, at least for ease while beta-testing. Whenever this thing becomes a hosted game, I’m not sure if the save system will still be appropriate. As I understand, COG seems to have its own save system. I used CJW’s save system (ChoiceScript Saving Plugin (Update: Sept. 2019) ). It’s awesome!
Shout out to @DashingDon for a great hosting site.
There is a mechanism that allows you to skip the first two chapters of the game and go directly to chapter 3. However, keep in mind it may be possible to set certain stats that aren’t actually possible using normal gameplay. I certainly don’t recommend using it if you haven’t played the first few chapters already.
The stat formerly known as “Manipulated” renamed “Malleable”. Manipulated is too easily mixed up with its opposite (Manipulative) due to how similar the words sounds.
This change was made at the good advice of @War_Doctor. In chapter 2, Carmelle’s second proposal to the MC used to have no substantial followup. I’ve expanded this choice to include new content and scenes for MCs who pursue this path. This new content diverges depending on whether the MC made a deal with Carmelle, or the MC decided that they should instead be in charge of the deal. During chapter 2, the game will prompt you to make a choice about what you do during the day. Select the choice: Speak to Carmelle about your plans.

CJW · 2020-10-10T00:55:27.957Z

Farside:

Blood for Poppies is fully written and ready for public beta!

Congratulations!
Looking forward to trying this one

Jackpot1776 · 2020-10-10T07:41:07.513Z

I remember playing through this like 3 years ago… that’s awesome you completed it! Congrats!

Victoriya · 2020-10-10T08:06:22.463Z

This game reminds me of the story the little engine that could. I’ve seen eagerly seeing this game slowly built over the years and now you’ve completed it. congratulations!

Sel_Lee · 2020-10-10T17:10:02.890Z

You did it! I’m excited to finally see this hosted. I love the morbidity of it. There’s so few of those here.

Bugreporter · 2020-10-10T18:13:41.719Z

@LacetheDisgrace
In chapter 6.

Haorldson walks over to you.

Haroldson

Nocturnal_Stillness · 2020-10-10T20:51:04.124Z

Glad to see all your hard work has paid off. Good luck with the bug hunting and looking forward to the release

LacetheDisgrace · 2020-10-11T01:53:42.227Z

@Bugreporter
As always, thank you. Typo fixed.

@CJW @Jackpot1776

Thank you so much!

@Nocturnal_Stillness

Long time, no see. Thanks for dropping into the thread with well wishes!

@Sel_Lee

It’s fun to indulge the morbid dark side in writing. My next project will likely be more lighthearted (kinda). I’ll probably return to Down and Out in Damnation and revive/retool it. I’m thinking a morbid but comedic noir set in hell. Maybe draw on MythAdventures (has anyone else read that series?). I might retool it as a visual novel rather than choice game, but who knows? All details are up in the air right now. I’m still trying to whip BFP into shape.

@Victoriya
I genuinely never thought I’d finish this game. I dropped it entirely for two straight years. A lot of upheaval occurred in my life, both good and bad. But, hey, it’s done, and it’s a game I would want to play myself, which is what I always wanted it to be.

Empress_Nightmare · 2020-10-11T06:30:39.860Z

This game is good, lol took SO long to finish it though…
Congratulations on finally finishing it…
Just have to wait patiently for the release…