🌈 Dear Diary, We Created a Plot Hole! (A Slice-of-Life Fantasy Adventure set in the Philippines) ~ [UPDATED Aug 31 | 608,000 words]

[LiliArch]

Happy late birthday!

[ElliWoelfin]

Happy late birthday

For my own perspective, I think that the neurodivergent traits work really well, to get some general stuff without actually going and diagnosing or anything specific like that (I’m decidedly autistic, if that gives my opinion any additional worth). I like the best friend changes, particularly the “reducing relationship loss” change; to me that feels overall a more realistic interpretation of that.

I’m tempted to try and figure out just how much more huggable Rosalyna is since release

[Christopher_Bull]

Yep Roselyna is always more huggable with every update. I’m just a bit surprised about the Wayne situation but that just means one less person fighting for the right to have Roselyna.

Also happy birthday

[Sade98]

Happy late birthday

[Franzinyte]

Hello, just a quick update about the neurodivergent traits!

After some consideration, I’ll still keep the choices (and reword them), but I’ll scrap the traits entirely and opt for a more nuanced approach with less focus on the more stereotypical traits.

I’ll try to add in more nuanced instances of neurodivergence in choices where they’re relevant, but I won’t be tying any of the choices to a variable anymore. This way the choice is more organic to the current situation and not something the MC will do every time or automatically, and you can still headcanon it if you want.

I hope this is much better than what I initially planned, and sorry if I offended anyone!

---

@ElliWoelfin Yup, I like “reducing relationship loss” better gameplay-wise, but I never really thought about that change until I coded in the [Fairytale Heritage] Passive.

I’m not sure about release, but I can tell you how much less huggable Rosie was (in both senses of the word), when she first popped up into my mind, hehe.

@Christopher_Bull Wayne and Rosie were never meant to be together at any point during the development, but I’ll admit that the idea of people fighting over Roselyna is a very amusing thought I’ve never imagined before.

Anyway, thank you all for the late birthday greetings

[Christopher_Bull]

I just thought it was a thing because the game kept hinting that it might happen. But who wouldn’t like her lol. Only a monster would reject her hugs.

[Christopher_Bull]

Also quick question can we actually befriend B? I tried to but it got cancelled out regardless of being the star or heart. I got a feeling that Lily is a big part of why B is a jerk in the first place due to something tragic in the group.

[Abe]

You can befriend B but i believe that would happen further down the story (like Volume 3-4 i believe. we’re in Volume 1 btw.) as far as i remember, being on B’s side will help you befriend them faster.

[Franzinyte]

@Christopher_Bull Yup, that’s exactly why I’m removing the Waynelyna options. The secret you’ll discover in Chapter 4 explains why they won’t be a thing, but I actually think it’s really sweet.

And yes, you can befriend B, but not until Volume 2 during Wayne’s Secret Exchange. It would be very unrealistic if you can just become friends right at the start.

@Abe I think you’re confusing that with the conclusion of B’s sidequest. You can’t finish the [B’s Gambit] sidequest until Volume 4, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start being friends with B earlier.

[Abe]

Oh! Whoops. i did equate “finishing B’s sidequest” as “finally being friends with B”. My mistake!

[Kelly_Seastar]

It’s ok. I conflated The Superhero genre with Scifi because Scifi takes place at the space station, and a space station is one of the possible locations for the super HQ!

[Christopher_Bull]

I didn’t even notice this until now thanks to you. The difference is that the station is forced.

[Kelly_Seastar]

Happy Birthday Rosie!

[Franzinyte]

Hello everyone! If you haven’t been following the blog or aren’t in the Discord server, I’m just dropping by to let you guys know that the next update is coming soon! It’s got a lot of new traits, secrets, trinkets, sidequests, and plot-relevant stuff!

I’ll be trying out a new beta process this time, so stay tuned!

[Franzinyte]

138,000 words and several delays later, the Chapter 4 Public Beta is finally ready!

CHAPTER 4 UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS:

~ 369,000 total wordcount (including code)
~ 138,000 additional words (including code)
~ New average playthrough of ~96,000 words!

• 21 New Secrets to discover, 20 New Character Traits, 17 New Passives, 1 New Phobia, 5 New Trinkets to collect, 8 New Achievements, 3 New Main Quests, 3 New Sidequests, 7 New Status Effects, and 1 New Song to sing along to!
• Tito Nestor, Tita Stephanie, and Lily’s moms’ introductions!
• Get a sneak peek into the story worlds you’ll visit in future, in the Story Exchange!
• You can now choose the name of MC’s dad! (+Diary Entry!)
• You can now choose a second bestfriend if you pick your twin as your bestfriend!
• New choices and bestfriend scenes for JM and Lily in Chapter 3!
• Added a new trait option that reduces the frequency of Filipino expressions and gives additional context.
• A lot of references to In Auctorem Credimus!
• Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!

The full change log can be found by selecting "What’s New?” in the start menu. It’s way too long to list here!

How do I join the Public Beta?

You can join the public beta by joining the DDWCaPH! Discord Server. From there, go to the #roles channel and ask Ma’am Bianes to give you the Open Beta Tester role and get access to the link and the discussion/bug report channels.

Why limit the beta test in the Discord?

Let me begin by saying that I didn’t want to do this. But the last time I did a strictly private beta, I got ABSOLUTELY ZERO feedback weeks after release until I explicitly asked for it.

This is the best compromise I can think of for now, that should still be convenient for most people.

Chapter 4 also isn’t 100% complete yet. There are still a bunch of choices I haven’t written yet, but I’m leaving them for a later update because I’m not in the right headspace to finish them, and after 138k words, I need a break from writing.

When will Chapter 4 be out for everyone?

I’m not really sure. Depending on how well this beta goes, it might be after a couple weeks, or after a month.

I also want to draw some new character art, so I might wait until those are done as well.

Again, depending on how well the public beta goes, I may keep doing this, or go back to doing private beta tests. If I do go back to private beta testing, Chapter 4 will be the LAST PUBLIC UPDATE until Volume 1 is fully complete.

If you want the next chapters to still be in public, be sure to send in your playthrough codes and feedback in the survey! They really mean a lot to me, but I’m not releasing chapters publicly anymore if I’m getting absolutely zero reception.

---

If you’re one of the people who checked out the leaked version of the demo: Sending me feedback is THE LEAST you can do.

[Christopher_Bull]

Welcome back and I have joined the discord server. I thought the game was gone so I’m relieved it’s back

[Abe]

It wasn’t gone. We’re just really busy with Chapter 4 beta. Sorry about that.

[Franzinyte]

Nope! I’ve been posting updates on the blog and I didn’t want to bump up this thread before the beta was ready.

And if you’ve been on the server, an earlier version of the demo was actually available a couple of weeks before the announcement. I made a poll on the blog, and 90% of people wanted me to polish it up first before releasing, so it got delayed while I did that.