Hello everyone! I have an update earlier than expected ^^
For reasons I don’t feel like explaining all over again, I decided it would be best for me to post the update with a couple of things unfinished rather than wait for them to be finished. I did not proofread all of this or run through to make sure everything worked, by the way, I just made sure it passed quicktest and randomtest and did a quick run to make sure options that aren’t supposed to be selectable yet are not selectable.
The wordcount is now 22,441 and you can now meet your coworkers, have a look at the first crime scene, and have a talk with James to get to know him better (with a few missing options that I’ll try to prioritize for the next update) Do know that any changes stat are completely arbitrary, don’t mind them, they will certainly be getting an overhaul once the game is in beta. Demo here: https://dashingdon.com/go/3801
Edit: I forgot the save plugin, it should be there now. An error may have occurred if you had the game open while I uploaded the change.
Edit 2: real quick fixed a couple typos I saw cuz they were bothering me. And a small coding error.
Ooh~ Gotta say that I love the moment when our poor detective touches the scar on their neck. It’s powerful and emotional and certainly pulls the reader into the trauma the detective is trying to overcome.
Curious to see if our coworkers/family/friends will ask about it in the future!
Even though I personally wasn’t too attached to Jen the first time I played through, I do appreciate how she does have her own autonomy in the narrative so far. Interested to see if we’ll encounter her again and how that’ll go!
Last edit, I promise! I also really have to give a nod to how you’ve kept the detective’s newest ‘friend’ in the background/nonexistent since chapter one. We as the readers probably have an idea of how this is going to go, but it’s nice that something like that (coughs eldritch beings coughs) is kept hidden after its introduction. It keeps the detective, and thereby the reader, in suspense and adds to the tension it brings to the narrative by just its mere absence since we’re left wondering when it’s going to come back.
Thank you!! I’m really glad that scene had that kind of impact ^^ It will be commented on (quite soon, in fact) and you will also have the choice on how you deal with it, if you have a scar.
Jen isn’t going to have much of a role in the story, right now she’s serving more as a connection to the MC’s old city still, but she’ll crop up every now and then. The detective’s siblings are going to show up, however, and they’ll certainly notice how the detective might have changed.
Thank you very much!! I’m trying to keep the pacing just right and narratively, it felt much more right to have your, uh… buddy take a backseat while you settle in to your new job and town. Things are a little new for both of you right now. But they’re certainly going to pop up again sooner or later heh.
Thank you!! I’m so glad ^^ I hope James has made a good impression, though there’s still plenty of getting to know him to do in this chapter, as well as Aryn and Veronika. At least that was the plan, but there’s still an instance of James flirting in the car even this early into knowing you I swear I didn’t plan that, he did it on his own.
This is promising and I’m looking forward to read the more of these detectives.
And how is James flirting? Why I didn’t pick that up? Is it when he asked about hobby? I picked woodcarving, just because it’s kinds unique and I’ve been interested in woodwork for awhile.
@lynossa Thank you! The flirting, if I recall correctly, happens when you ask why he has the knives. It’s kinda subtle, mostly since him flirting wasn’t supposed to happen until later and he sort of just did what he wanted anyway, but I suppose it works to show he might be attracted to the MC.
Oh hey guys. I’m around. Haven’t done much work on this game, unfortunately. Only managed bits and pieces of future scenes here and there, rather than the upcoming update. But I figured I’d reveal something I recently revealed on the tumblr because there are certain secrets I don’t enjoy keeping.
And that would be the secret 5th RO. A lot about him is still being kept under wraps because he actually is pretty majorly involved in the story, and I will be putting this under a summary so you only have to read about him if you want to.
Summary
(I’m compiling these details from things I’ve already said on the tumblr)
His name is Seth and he is a demon. No, Seth is not his real name and I won’t tell you what his real name is. He does not have a proper title like any of the 3 demons, but he will earn it during the course of this story.
Appearance-wise, here is a brief description (copy-pasted from tumblr): He’s 5′9 with a lean build and pale skin. His left eye is yellow, his right eye is blue, this is the most inhuman part of him (that he’ll let anyone see), also has a small beauty mark below his left eye. His hair is black and brushes his neck; not super long, but not short either. He wears gothic suits because what’s the point of being conspicuous if you’re not super conspicuous. His nails might be painted or they might not, I haven’t decided yet but I like painted nails, so…
Where his loyalties lie is very unclear. You won’t meet him for a while in terms of update speed, but in terms of story pacing, it won’t be too long until he reaches out. He has some things to tell you.
Originally,he was only available for corrupt MCs, and he may still be, but I’ve very recently started considering opening him up to non-corrupt MCs… Which may lead into a lot of angst. Basically the exact opposite as with the other ROs lmao.
I think that may be all I have to say about him that’s important. As always, there’s a bit more detailed information on the tumblr (beware of spoilers) where people have asked questions.
I really like your writing. I am confused though. What’s up with dyeing your hair? No problem with it either way. Just curious. Any story significance to it? Also, keep up the good work! Traumatize the poor MC as much as possible.
Thank you! And nope. I did want a gentler/more positive memory to start with as your demon dives deeper into the painful memories, but the hair-dyeing was something I chose impulsively for the hair color choice.
I’ll probably end up changing that scene and put that choice elsewhere because it seems to be giving people expectations about it being acknowledged later or something, when that’s not what I have planned.
Oh this looks promising! I wonder how the story is influenced by which demon is summoned? Also James is already the best. I can’t wait to meet Ivan and Secret RO!
I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye on this one.
I love your demo so far! The pace of your game seems natural as well, which is great!
The one thing I wish there would have been more of would be choices on how the MC is feeling, especially during/after being murdered by the cultists. Maybe the choices could affect the MC’s appearance (disheveled vs. put-together) and tone when talking with the other characters?
Just a thought, but otherwise I can’t wait to read more when your next update comes around!
The demons each have their own personalities and abilities. The endings are not dependent on the demon, but there are definitely going to be several things that change based on who you’re bonded to, from things you can do, to things you’ll hear/see. And thank you!! I’m glad you liked it
Thank you!! Can you give me an example of what choice you’d like to see, so I can understand better? I’m not trying to gloss over how the MC would feel after what happened, I just haven’t had opportunity for a serious reflection (MC also isn’t one to enjoy doing that, either). As for the second half of your suggestion, there are some things that are set about the MC, they just have to be for the sake of the story and my own sanity while trying to code these variables. What’s set is they have (repressed) trauma and new trauma was just added to that and they’re only just nearing their thirties, so they don’t have a lot together anyway (and are potentially trying to make out like they can pretend they do, though the degree of that will probably be dependent on choices in interactions)
Edit: Oh, I feel I should also say, for anyone reading; I wish I could say I’ve made much progress on the next update, but I haven’t. I haven’t been writing linearly, I’ve mostly skipped forward to Ivan’s introduction which won’t happen for a little while. And we’ve only just gotten a cool day after a couple disgustingly hot days over here and I just know my productivity will be going down severely this summer. I don’t do well with the heat. And for some reason I’m barely sleeping lately and I can’t seem to fix that, so that’s also a thing. Anyway, that’s just what’s going on in my life. I’m attempting to finish the other branches of the car ride with James, so I can at least do a miniupdate soon, we’ll see how that goes…
Maybe a scene in MC’s house before going to work or in their seat at work thinking about nightmare they had about the event and then you can pick options that say:
You’ve been haunted by the same nightmare every night and can’t sleep well.
You barely think about the event so the nightmare caught you by surprise.
You barely remember the nightmare.
If the player selects number 1, maybe adds some elements of trauma when they see something that can trigger the memories?
This is just a suggestion. I don’t really like to dwell into trauma but I reckon if you want to, something like this can be applied.
@lynossa Thank you for the suggestion. However, I have the story planned out as I do, I know what scenes I will be writing for the most part and what variables I will be using (with room for error) and I am not seeking new scene ideas. I was asking more what feelings people think their MC would be feeling in reflection of the event. The scar variable already acts like that, leading to more dwelling on the event if you have it, but whether the MC has it or not, they are not simply going to just be okay (not genuinely, that is) after being kidnapped and murdered.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter that much. The focus isn’t the event of the prologue, that event was the catalyst for the story. The focus is your demon, (for book one) the investigation, and your new goal.
I’m trying to keep the pacing just right and narratively, it felt much more right to have your, uh… buddy take a backseat while you settle in to your new job and town. Things are a little new for both of you right now. But they’re certainly going to pop up again sooner or later heh.
I swear I didn’t plan that, he did it on his own.
and james love me up! 
