These ones?
Sounds tasty.
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I almost forgot, I wanted to show everyone a quiz. In honor of valentines day!
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Writing fight scenes for a novel is fun and enjoyable!
Writing fight scenes for an IF game is the bane of my existence
I thought having different weapons and monster types would be a cool level of fight customization. I genuinely didn’t realize how hard it would be to code everything in place. Next game I make will default to one weapon because holy shit is writing 10 different variations a pain. I hate it so much >:(
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There’s a fight in A Kiss from Death with like 10,000 words of code for about 1,000 words of narrative. After that I simplified my approach.
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Yep that’s about right. Every time I decide to include one I wonder what on earth I was thinking. They sound like fun, they’re not fun to write. Especially not when you’re coding in the x-teenth variation on the same attack depending on the player stats, what attack they’ve chosen, what items they have to work with, what the difficulty level is if present +/- a random roll check.
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I just realized there’s a *gosub_scene for certain events that’s supposed to happen 4 times each chapter, but I only put it once at the beginning of the story. At least it’s an easy fix!
Hahaha, tell me about it. My fight scenes are deliberately simplified to give off 90s RPG vibes, but it’s still a pain figuring out different ways to say “the enemy attacks you” without making it sound too silly.
“The brigand whomps you!”
This isn’t Super Mario, thesaurus!
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I hate writing fight scenes, period! (Except maybe for a videogame, where you can just put “fight here” and leave the rest to the player and the character AI, but I haven’t really written videogames, so I don’t know for sure.) And yet I write in genres that have a lot of fighting. Go figure.
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Hi, everyone. I have been ill and not in a good place lately. But I challenged myself to write an entire game in less than a week for a streamer I mod here in Spain. And I did!
So to my own surprise I still have the capacity of saying I will do this in this deadline and done it.
It has been a success. I got several people who played it like at least 10 times to got all achievements.
It is in Spanish and not long so I don’t know if I should put a link here. Maybe I should due there is no many Spanish games even if are small jam things.
I also made a very comical over the top cover I had fun making.
Cover
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It is good to see you, Mara; we believe in you, more than you believe in yourself at times, I know.
It is a success, indeed. 
Link the game as your “snippet” contribution for the month!
I like the cover. Well done.
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Thanks, @Eiwynn I will do so.
Warning 
SPANISH small game ahead
https://dashingdon.com/play/poison-mara/sky-una-cita-para-el-cielo/mygame/
Fun fact This reminds me the post of the dude that said I was an imperialistic American faking being Spanish. Good times 
EDIT This made me wonder if forum need a small jam for people present small games in foreign languages. It could be fun a small diverse event
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Happy 15th of the month, everyone!
It is the one-year anniversary of the tradition of sharing excerpts!
Once again, I invite everyone to share an excerpt.
Remember that excerpts shared here are not intended to elicit proper critique and feedback, but a friendly word is always welcome.
This month, I am going to share an excerpt where the reader meets a major npc character for the first time.
02-15-24 Excerpt
" 'Ello, $!{name} …" A woman dressed in earth toned gardening kit looks up from her weeding of a vegetable patch as you step through the access tunnel “I am Ruth.”
“Er —” your nose is assaulted by a potpourri of lavender, hyssop, jasmine, and mint that forms a scent of divine bliss. “Hi Ruth. It seems you already know me.”
“Yes.” Jessamine vines, covering the garden walls that are not pierced by phlogiston lamps compete with row upon row of vegetation. “The rose ties us all together.”
“Ah.” Various vines and plants that emit pale but bright phosphorous white-green light compete with the glow of the phlogiston lamps. “That is disturbing to know.”
“Mmm.” Ruth stands, brushes her knees and front apron free of dirt and weed debris and advances towards you, smiling. “How may I help you today?”
“Well…” You allow your eyes to roam around the gardens as you answer Ruth. A riot of colors as varied as the smells surround you. “Is the Gardener here?”
“No.” Ruth jerks her thumb towards tunnels piercing the far wall, and then twirls to face a particular path that winds into the garden’s interior. “She is in the tunnels.”
“Uh huh…” The path allows you egress into a stand of multicolored apple trees. Ruth stops at a bench and sits down as she listens to you. “How long will she be gone?”
“Eve is expecting you.” Somehow the orange of the phlogiston lamps combine with the natural phosphorous light of the plants to sooth you. “She’ll be here shortly. Sit.”
*page_break
“Hello, $!{name}.” Like Ruth, Eve’s work clothes are also earth toned. Unlike Ruth, Eve’s rugged and simple cut clothes are immaculate. “I am Eve. Please follow me.”
“It —” You rise from the bench that you are sharing with Ruth and walk behind Eve, as she takes you deeper into the gardens. “It is nice to meet you Eve.”
“My children and I …” Signifying an easy-going attitude, the laugh lines around Eve’s eyes and mouth add a warmth to her demeanor. “We have been expecting you.”
“Er?” Who does Eve mean by her ‘children’? Is Ruth her daughter? If not, who else will you need to deal with, besides Eve? You better find out. “Your childr-?”
“Carmilla…" Eve adjusts the bun atop her graying head and tucks a few stray hairs peeking out back in a tidy, compact motion. “She has been calling out to her sisters.”
“You give them names?” Eve must mean your blood-rose and others like it are her children. Why do these vampiric roses even have names? “The blood-roses I mean?”
“The blood-roses…” You and Eve approach what seems to be a small picnic laid out before you. She sits as she talks, and so do you. “They choose their own name.”
“Gah!” Even knowing that you are meeting others at the chow house later, your stomach rumbles seeing the picnic before you. “Everything here is so tempting.”
“Would you like a taste of the garden’s bounty?” Glittering hazel eyes attempt to tempt you as Eve smiles ever so innocently. "We have several different types of apples.”
I am in the midst of this task – the structure has been redone and resculpted to better fit the narrative purpose and choice structure, now I am fleshing it out.
This task is still waiting in the wings.
I hope everyone’s mid-month journey is going well!
Remember that writing is a journey, with both peaks and valleys, no matter if your a fast travellor or a slow one, such as myself.
10 Likes
That would be incredible. Absolutely second this. Would love to read authentic text in target languages to both be fun and educational.
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The Boat: An epic adventure
The boat is red.
The boat went fast.
The boat docked at port.
The end.
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Well, I will do one. I have to plan it but a diverse jam will happen i n April or May.
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Chapter 5 of Pushed (Updated with chapter 5) is updated! 
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Oh yes! I want to write an interactive epic poem! 
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I did draft Chapter 8, and I’ve had my notes back for revisions which I’ll do soon; right now I’m coding Chapter 9 after a diversion of several days of romance-incompatibility coding and writing. This is the start of one of them:
One evening late in the staff room when a rare rainstorm is pelting down outside, you find Savarel and Raffi in awkward-looking conversation. They startle as you approach, but Raffi gives you a beaming smile.
"Oh, we were just talking about you," ${raf_they} ${raf_say}. "You want to sit? I mentioned how
*if raf_romance
things were going with the two of us,
*else
we'd sort of talked about things happening with the two of us, but not exactly,
and then Savarel said
*if sav_romance
you two were walking out,
*else
you'd had a conversation,
so…yeah. I mean, it's amazing to hear! I'm so happy for you."
Savarel fiddles with ${sav_their} cuff, not looking at either of you. "I guess what I wanted to check is whether there was a misunderstanding."
"I don't think it's a misunderstanding," Raffi says cheerfully. "I don't mind not being the only one."
Frown lines deepen on Savarel's brows. "Yes. I do," ${sav_they} ${sav_say}, then, hastily, "or—I guess I don't want—it just would feel a bit…"
Raffi's smile falters. "I guess it's that you'd rather not share with me, specifically."
Running and rerunning RandomTest on the below bugfinding code is what has been causing me hassle over the last couple of days but it now all seems to be working well, hooray!
bugfinding code
*if ((mat_romance) and (raf_romance))
*bug Matia and Raffi should be a mutually exclusive serious romance as of Ch 8
*if ((mat_romance) and (sav_romance))
*bug Matia and Savarel should be a mutually exclusive serious romance as of Ch 8
*if ((raf_romance) and (sav_romance))
*bug Raffi and Savarel should be a mutually exclusive serious romance as of Ch 8
*if ((raf_romance) and (var_romance))
*bug Raffi and Varenn should be a mutually exclusive serious romance as of Ch 8
*if ((sav_romance) and (var_romance))
*bug Savarel and Varenn should be a mutually exclusive serious romance as of Ch 8
*if ((var_romance) and ((fio_discuss_romance) and (fio_interest)))
*bug Korzha should not start a serious romance if PC is with Fiore
*if ((mat_var_romance) and ((fio_discuss_romance) and (fio_interest)))
*bug Matia/Korzha should not start a serious romance if PC is with Fiore
If you’re trying to make sure that a player can’t accidentally end up doing something that will result in continuity errors, I greatly recommend using *bug so that RandomTest can spot it - I grumble about it, but it’s better that I did it now rather than once the entire thing was written… or for it to be discovered at the beta testing stage.
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I don’t have a snippet this month, because the semester kicked into high gear and I’m in this semesters play, so I haven’t had much time. But I did want to share something for the occasion, and since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, here’s some info on my ROs:
Summary
Jeremiah/Uriah (can’t decide) is a rebellious bad boy with a sensitive side. After loosing his mom, his dad became a total asshole. Jeremiah/Uriah doesn’t dwell in his bad emotions, he relieves them by partying, drinking, and having fun. After your mom died, that’s exactly what you needed.
- At the start of the game, the MC can either A) be one of his closest friends, and choose to stay that way or romance him. Or B) be in a physical but not emotionally intimate relationship with him, and develop a romantic bond with him over time (this is an early lock in choice)
Summary
Rowan/Wyatt (still can’t decide…) is the ideal student. He’s smart, sweet, handsome… and your ex. You two were a power couple. You were sophomore class president, and he was the vice. You two constantly switched between who was top of the class. And he always knew how to make you smile… until your mother’s gruesome murder. After that, he always wanted to talk. He thought it would “help.” But that was the last thing you wanted. It eventually became too annoying, and you broke up with him. But that didn’t stop him trying to talk to you. Not as a creepy ex, but just as a concerned friend. You would find it cute, if it didn’t bother you so much. But now that you’re convinced your roommate is missing, you’ll need the sheriff’s son’s help.
- you start out the game by being annoyed by your ex. But when you need his help, will you warm up to him? And will you rekindle your relationship with him?
7 Likes
I’m still editing, so these aren’t new, so if I’ve shown them before, apologies 
Enter spy agency or three
To get to the airlocks where Producer has docked – she’s too large for a hangar, but Gateways have great docking rings – you need to walk through a large hangar for smaller ships. As always on such stations, there are some shuttles and patrolcraft, both civilian and military. Your attention is grabbed by one such ship, haphazardly landed and emitting smoke (as if the station’s air didn’t smell like burnt rubber and dust already), and move closer to get a better view of it.
Well, what is left of it. Right now, the ship appears a mangled mess.
“It’s not going to be worth much in that state, you know,” you hear an amused voice speaking from behind you. “Can I help you?”
You turn around. You’re approached by a man in a navy uniform, wearing the insignia of Navy Intelligence (not a good sign), and carrying a take-away meal (a better sign, he’s clearly not on hunt right now). “That’s your ship, then, I take it?” you say.
“Yes,” he says, turning to the ship. “Did you want something?”
“Not… really?”
“Are you telling or asking?” He quirks an eyebrow.
“Both?” You’re not quite sure what you should do. On the one hand, you can never know what Intelligence is up to – and most of the time, it is best to not know – and for a moment you wonder if Connor actually managed to draw the attention to himself by doing something blatantly illegal. On the other hand, he seems more amused than irritated, ready to eat, and such everyday situation is so far from any scary tales about Intelligence that the whole situation is just… bizarre.
Of all the ways he could have reacted, he throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, I see.”
You decide to push your luck. “What caused… this?”
“You wouldn’t believe if I told you.”
“Try me.”
He eyes you. “Just who are you, anyway?”
“Repo,” you say. “Security Lieutenant Repo.”
He stares at you for a moment, then provides a hand. “Special Agent Sterling. Navy Intelligence.”
“So…” you gesture to the ship. “If there’s someone out there melting Navy ships, I need to know.”
"Right. Well, I’m not sure I really know the answer myself. There was this strange alien ship – "
“You don’t say.”
“I told you you wouldn’t believe me.”
“No, no, I actually do, believe it or not.”
That seems to grab his attention.
“We actually encountered one a while ago.”
Sterling seems in thought. “Right. You’re Producer. The IPR Underscore incident.”
“Underscore? Seriously?”
“I know, right?” He sits on one of the landing gears on the ship and starts to eat his meal. “Have you seen them again? The alien ship, I mean.”
“No,” you say. “We haven’t. You’ve read the reports then, I guess?”
“Mm.”
“How did this happen?”
“It was weird,” he admits. “There’s been a trail of disabled ships, USF and IPR alike, I’ve been following. Something attacked by an unknown enemy. Then I ran across the ship itself.”
“And then it blasted you?”
“Not at that point, no. It was preparing to leave, when I got this brilliant idea to scan it. It didn’t take kindly to that and, yes, blasted me. They must be terribly shy.”
“So how did you manage to get here? There’s no derelict ship in this system, and even if it would have been already brought away, there would still be traces, if you’re still here – it’s not that difficult to get a ride from a Gateway. And if there were traces, I’d have heard of it. Either to look out for something shooting at USF, or to look out for IPR… who are shooting at USF.”
He nods approvingly. “Not bad. You do know your job.”
Enter mild foreshadowing
Vega is still sitting in a cell, still unwilling to talk about Eraser. Sterling has settled on the ship, and you bump into him every now and then; you’re informed he has a free rein and no need for escorts. It’s not exactly standard procedure on visitors – not even all crew members are allowed everywhere – but it also isn’t a good form to threaten NI Special Agents with unnecessary restrictions, and he isn’t really doing any harm. He’s not even bugging Connor.
One day when you’re doing your rounds, you see him in the brig. Not behind the bars, no matter how amusing that would have been, but sitting across Vega’s cell, staring them intensely. Vega doesn’t seem to care; they are lying on the cot, arms behind their head, staring at the roof, in the same position they seem to always be in when you check in, paying no attention to anyone.
Sterling hears your steps, gets up, and comes to you.
“Getting acquainted with our guest?” you ask.
“In a sense,” he says. “Are they always like that?”
“Like what?”
“You know,” he gestures to Vega’s direction, “like… that.”
“Afraid so,” you reply.
Sterling shakes his head. “I need a drink.”
“Is that why you’re here?”
“What, to get a drink? I hate to break it to you, pal, but there’s enough booze for the whole army and half the navy at the Gateways.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighs. “The brig, sure, here I’m for Vega. Not that I seem to be gaining anything, they’re not talking, just staring. Did they give you that strange look that seems to say ‘I know all your deepest secrets’? Gives me the creeps, let me tell you that. And I’m Intelligence.”
“Can’t say that they did,” you say, thinking. No, Vega didn’t give you any strange looks. Most of the time they’re not looking at you at all, just staring the roof or a wall.
“Well, anyway. For the ship, I’m strictly to get a ride – in case you didn’t notice, my ship isn’t exactly in a serviceable condition. Just figured I’d spend my time productively while I’m here and see if I could get them to reveal something.”
“Get a ride,” you say on a flat tone. “Producer’s not exactly a prime hitchhiking attraction. We’re flying at the ass end of nowhere.”
“What a coincidence! That’s exactly where I’m going.”
You blink. It’s impossible to tell whether he’s joking or not – there are the people who are easy to get a read of, and those that are impossible to get a read of, and Sterling’s strictly in the latter camp – but on the off chance that he’s, in fact, not joking, you can’t possibly imagine why he would want to end up in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a ship that can’t move. At all.
Enter command crew
In fact, the regular nights are boring. Which, of course, is why you are in charge instead of Lieutenant Commander Moreau: no one even expects anything to happen (and if something big does, she gets woken up and called to action in a flash). Not that you complain, of course – you’ll much rather take the boredom than a life-threatening hull breach (which, in fact, happened a few months ago. No one definitely was bored that night. Kozlov’s still having nightmares of it).
After a couple of decks, however, you receive an alarm – not a ship-wide one, but in your comms – so you make your way to the conference room in the details attached for briefing.
This time, you’re the first in there (apparently you were closest). One by one, others arrive: first Connor and Ekström, who work the same shifts you do (on their respective departments, of course), and then, of all people, Sterling walks in.
“Wait, what,” Ekström says. “Did you call us here?”
“No, I didn’t,” Sterling says.
“Then why are you here?”
“Relax, I was invited. Just like you.” He takes a place at the table and sits down.
Then the three Lieutenant Commanders, the bosses of you three (in addition to Moreau there’s Tamm, the head of medical, and Tähtinen, the head of engineers), arrive, accompanied by Commander Sol. You half expected for the Captain themself to arrive, but they’re of course asleep, and Sol is more than qualified to deal with important issues (which this must be, otherwise it could have waited for the night shift to end), unlike you and your fellow lieutenants.
“Alright, then,” Sol says. “There’s a mission for you four.”
“Just us?” Connor asks.
“With him?” Ekström asks, gesturing to Sterling.
Bilingual moment
“Go to the bridge,” Ekström says. “We have things well in glove here.”
“Hand,” you say.
“What?”
“It’s ‘in hand’.”
Ekström blinks, which you can see only because her visor’s tint is turned off, clearly confused.
“You said ‘in glove’.”
“Right. Of course. I’m stressed.”
“Seriously, LT,” Winters says. “Priorities.”
7 Likes