@Branton Thanks for the super kind words! I do agree - when I sit down to read any book, I typically skip the prologue, especially if there are a ton of pages. I wanted to keep this one short and bittersweet. I think what I’ll do is add “Pregens”, “Skip”, and/or “Quickselect” options after having done it at least once… Let me know if you have any suggestions.
I would love to have pregens and a skip button as a person who works a lot I don’t have time to go through stuff like that and at points (Don’t remember where yet) it seemed to cut around but I could be imagining things.
1 Like
Sounds good - I’ll definitely have a working system in for the Chapter One release.
This sounds really interesting! Your inspirations have piqued my curiosity as well. Especially Tyranny (yaaas) and the Roman Empire. Gonna check it out. 
1 Like
The prologue was really fun! The influence of Tyranny was really evident in it, which is a good thing. I half expected to mouse over certain words and have a codex entry pop up. However, COG doesn’t seem to have that option so it is a good idea to put definitions in the stats screen or describe them within the story itself.
I also noticed that the stats screen didn’t change much to reflect my choices although given the early stage of writing, that’s understandable.
All in all, this is a really good effort. Looking forward to reading more!
P.S. What are CamelCase words?
1 Like
Thanks much! Yeah, I was pretty floored by Tyranny as a whole (despite its third act flaws). The Conquest was such a cool system that I tried to implement its design in the prologue. I would kill to have mouseover/hover text in CS… But yeah, a lore section is definitely in the to do list.
CamelCase is basically: two (or more) capitalized words stuck together to form a compound word. To me, it only looks good as part of branding. It’s more typically used by programmers/devs in backend code to create custom functions or variables. Seeing them out in the open is a bit jarring because they tend to draw the eye due to aesthetics rather than content. Examples: FedEx, customFunction{}, iPhone
Are you going to release one new update at the end of the month or are you going to have more updates throughout the month?
1 Like
Great question! I plan on doing major story updates at the end of each month, but I may do minor mechanics updates periodically - IE lore, quick character selection, pregens, etc. Fingers crossed.
That is awesome but just question. Will you be able to have multiple romantic relationships at once for political gain? It would be something very different because it could add the risk of getting caught and loosing what you work for?
1 Like
Thanks! The relationships will all pull in different ideological directions, and I hope to get them all in conflict with each other across across the branches. Though I should note that a certain path has good potential to reach that “triangle of pain” scenario.
1 Like
So there is going to be an option tobhave multiple romances or a possibility of it?
Indeed, a good possibility for a specific path. Depends on if the narrative calls for it, of course. By that, I mean, what if the conflict is better served if it was family vs lover, or peer vs lover, as opposed to lover vs lover? I’ll always go with what’s thematically best, that sort of thing.
Update Two
We’re getting close to a new year. Finally. It has been quite a tumultuous year so far, and it’ll be nice to be done with it. Though many of our challenges are yet to come.
Anyway, I made some updates to the game: some backend code refinement, so a good chunk is invisible.
The visible stuff though:
- Added quick chargen and pregen options
- Built out a ‘Database’ section to house lore, will fill out as I go
- Added a History section so you can see Prologue choices
I’ve been thinking of creating a plugin, but not sure how to tackle it yet. But basically, I want to emulate the way Tyranny handled lore - via mouseover. As in, you’d simply click/hover/tap a link embedded in the text to get a popup that delved into its lore a bit. Thoughts?
And as always, C&C appreciated. Definitely let me know if you spot any bugs or typos and such.
Finally: Happy New Year!
6 Likes
If you’re planning on publishing, you’ll have to scrap the plugin eventually. Having a glossary in the stats screen is better IMO.
1 Like
Ah, that makes sense. That’s a pity, though.
1 Like
What exacly is the purpose of choosing the curse ?
1 Like
An interesting question… There are many reasons for being able to choose your curse. People curse mainly because we need to vent pain, and in the story this is a hint at what is to come. More critically however, there’s a correlation between censorship and freedom. What better way to explore personal freedoms than through language?
Update Three
Hey all! How are things with everyone?
Now time for some good news and some bad news.
Bad news: I only averaged about 500 words a day, and wasn’t able to complete chapter one.
Good news: I’m going to try to ramp up to 1000 words per day, and release what I have at the end of each month regardless of where things are.
My target is roughly 30k per chapter, but likely the meatier chapters (3 and 4) will be much larger. I’ve sketched out the arcs, so it will certainly be a 5 chapter story. I’ve always preferred the 5 act structure anyway. This makes things convenient.
Please take a look at what I’ve put together so far, and let me know if you run into any bugs, typos, or other errors. As always, C&C welcome.
Finally, please enjoy and don’t forget to bookmark!
11 Likes
I really like the feel of this universe it’s got a real Warhammer 40K vibe to it. I don’t know if you played the table top game or read any of the novels but I think you came real close nailing that dark and brutal feeling that 40k presents, I cant wait to see more of this
1 Like
Thanks! I did play 40k a long while ago, but switched to WarmaHordes. I digress: there’s certainly a brooding, gothic feel to the atmosphere, though I’ll certainly be adding moments of levity to it so that it isn’t a constantly dreary read, haha. I should also note that the themes do not parallel. For example, there will be little (if any) Christian mythos in this. Mostly will be allegorical to modern politics.