Essay incoming…
I’m gonna do a couple of walkthroughs in this post but just to say that I won’t be able to do this all the time going forward as they take quite a while and I’ve got other things going on!
@schmee16 I’ve had a skim through the files and have tracked down the points where you can increase the hidden “max_steady” stat. Where a stat is listed, the boost relies on succeeding at the check.
SPOILERS beneath the tag:
General:
- Join the Starlings or the Prefects
- If you’ve been romancing anyone else and Max has noticed:
#I’m interested in someone else, but I’d like Max to be my main partner.
Chapter 2:
- Investigate the cloakroom during the party
#Get a teacher (Intrigue)
or #Step between them (Spirit)
Chapter 4:
Go to the ball and dance with Max.
-
If you’re a prefect:
#give a speech about college unity (Flair)
or #say you genuinely like them (Spirit)
or #say you don’t care what Hartmann thinks (Domineering)
or #claim to like Max (Intrigue) -
When dancing with Max as a prefect:
#“Relax, I know what I’m doing.”
#“The prefects are just a much a part of the college as the Starlings.” -
When Max gets high:
#Steer Max away from the dancing (poise)
or #tell them to go to the nurse (spirit) -
When in the carriage outside:
#say you’re worried about Max (Wit)
or #“don’t you think you could do so much more than this?” (spirit)
Chapter 5
- If you’re in the Starlings and see Delacroix:
#I look to Max. They should step up.
Chapter 6
Go on a date with Max.
-
When Max talks about revolt:
#We need real change around here (Spirit)
or #Finish college first (Poise) -
When they complain about parents:
#Their parents have a point (Wit)
or #Max should take everything they can from college (Intrigue)
Chapter 8
- Have Max or Delacroix stay with you over the holidays. When Max wants a tattoo:
#Tattoos could get infected (Wit)
or #Let’s do something more interesting (Flair)
@Cari-san This is how to dump-stat Intrigue. When I did this, I got Intrigue at 19 and it was the lowest skill by quite a margin.
SPOILERS beneath the tag:
DO PICK
Prologue:
-dash for the door
-Tag Intrigue as a weak skill
-join in with Max’s mockery
Chapter 1:
-It’s not fair for Mr Griffith to discourage Freddie that way
DON’T PICK
Prologue:
-I want to make them feel guilty for ruining my life
-I pretend to have done all the reading
-I call to the guard to confirm we’re ready to go
-Tag Intrigue as a strong skill
-Harrovian or Holtsfield’s School
-If I marry and need to seek pleasure elsewhere, I will
-My plan to make money is marrying well
-I pretend not to notice what’s happening
-[Lie] I’m upset about Blaise’s behaviour
Chapter 1:
-Use the scene to flirt
-Freddie needs to learn that some people find that dull
-I’d stage a situation where my friend found out themselves
-Pretend I have evidence against Blaise
At this point I don’t foresee DLC of that sort I’m afraid. Here’s a bit of info about why.
In part, the reason I didn’t go further into the future than the summer is that the more expansive the story gets, the more distant it can get from the player’s vision of what might happen. It’s very much a subjective thing - I know a lot of people enjoy having things laid out and made concrete - but for me personally, I like to imagine the future of the characters. In Creme, there’s a sense of what might happen later, but it’s not necessarily set in stone, and that’s deliberate, because when there’s room for imagination, everyone can picture their perfect scenario.
(Some of the people who’ve mentioned wanting wedding scenes have also mentioned some very specific things they’d love to see - which is great, and I love hearing people’s vision of their characters and their lives! But whatever I wrote, it wouldn’t be exactly what they had in mind, and maybe it wouldn’t live up to what they really want.)
And in part, such a thing is not likely to have much traction - to make something considered worth spending money on, it needs to be of significant size and complexity. If it were offered for free, well, perhaps people would download it. But then I’m spending a lot of time making something to give away, without a sense of whether it would result in more sales for my commercial work. I do enjoy making things for the love of it, but considering the level of complexity required even for, say, a short wedding scene for:
-Ten wedding scenes (nine couples, one trio)
-Variants on whether you’re romantic or platonic
-Variants on whether you chose a long or short engagement
-Variants on whether you’re also romancing other people
-At least nine variants on what the PC’s post-Gallatin life plans (university etc) are, including whether your partner is joining you with those plans
-Two or three variants on what Gonzalez, Hartmann, Max and Delacroix’s post-Gallatin life plans
-Six variants of what happened to the college and who’s leading it
-Six variants of what happened to Lady Renaldt
-A bunch of variants on what your parents think of you and your engagement, and whether you’ve improved their situation
…and that’s before you even get into choices like whether you want a big ceremony or where you’d want it!
…and there would also need to be fun, satisfying content for people who didn’t get engaged, and/or didn’t romance anyone.
…and it would need to have enough substance to be considered worth downloading (even free games get criticised for being too short or not worth it!)
By that point the scope has grown exponentially and I’d question why I wasn’t spending all that effort on a completely new project that doesn’t rely on players already being a fan of the game, brings in new players, and is therefore better for my finances and career. And is also more fun for me, because I love making up new things!
…that said, that’s how I feel right now. The game’s only been out for less than a week - things might change in the future, who knows, we are all fallible beings, etc etc.
Edit: Just to make it clear, I do truly appreciate that people have enjoyed the game so much that they’d love DLC, extra story, and more time with the characters. It means a ton to me, and I hope that I’ve put that across in my responses to everyone. I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m saying “no way, whatever, I don’t care what anyone would want”.