Finished WIP: Attack of the Clockwork Army

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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This game now has a tentative release date of 7 November.

THANK YOU for all the generous help and advice and testing. It is MUCH appreciated.

Hello!

This is my finished, polished, fully auto-tested game, looking to be even more shinier and more polished before it’s finalised for HG.

You can see the cover (and click through) at [not any more; it’s been removed]

Let me know what name you’d like for the beta reader list, if you want something other than your user name. You can email me directly at fellissimo@hotmail.com if you want.

(I’m also writing a CS piratical fantasy for the IF Comp. Please PM/email me if you’re interested/able to help beta test it before the end of September deadline.)

Here’s the descriptions, which could also do with a polish if you think they can be improved:

Email Subject:
Win Australia with the power of Steam and Science!

Web:
Fight Clockwork Men and Bushrangers in the Battle for Australian Independence!

Android/iphone:
Win the Steam-Powered Fight for a Nation!

When the battle for Australia begins, will you join Her Majesty’s new clockwork army to keep Australia peacefully British once and for all—or will you cast your lot with a ragged crowd of ex-convicts?

Will you be a deadly fighter, or torn between the conflicting loyalties of those you love? Can you overcome your fatal flaw before it’s too late?

Are you ready to turn the tide of history? Play to find out!

Bullet Point List:
• Enjoy a steampunk journey across drought-stricken Australia.
• Face half-mechanical beasts, bushrangers, and clockwork killers.
• Use your magical metals wisely.
• Protect or abandon those closest to you.
• Follow your scientific observations or your gut.
• Choose kindness or wittiness; contentment or passion.
• Choose your name, gender, and sexuality.
• Overcome your fatal flaw and grow as a person—or it may get you killed.
• Develop your courage, happiness, and mechanical skills.
• Fight for Britain or Australia, or choose a healer’s path.

[edited to remove any mention of the myriad possible epilogues. Thanks for the advice.]

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Steampunk,Fine
Drought,Fine
Half machine beasts,Fine
Killers and rangers,Fine
Australia?,Just nope.

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WHAT!? (20 characters)

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Um… that was @Felicity_Banks not me.

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As Emmeline’s sister, I take the lead and stop the argument escalating.

I remember playing as male.
So brother would be more sound wouldn’t it.

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@faewkless I’ve heard that Americans won’t buy anything associated with Australia - is that what you’re saying?

Would you recommend trying not to mention Australia in anything promotional? (Taking out Australia altogether just isn’t possible, although the story does begin in London.)

I am Australian, if that’s relevant.

@Jjcb There is an epilogue scene that summarises the rest of your life - including various careers based on stats. There are 2,700,000+ possible epilogues. Should I say “2,700,000 possible epilogues” instead? Or something else/nothing?

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No.
You probably haven’t heard of the reputation among some that australia is a fearsome place.
There are stories told of the fearsome wildlife there.
I dislike anything were scorching.
Dense jungles.
Large spiders.
Evil Koalas
Etc.
May be the norm.

Either that really happened or that is a joke about how it might be.(I think(read:hope) its a joke)

(Please tell me these are all rumors and australia is as safe as any normal place)

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As an Australian

  • Jungles, what are those?
  • I’ve seen quite a few red-backs but not many large spiders.
  • Koalas are too stoned to do anything. Always.
    I notice you didn’t mention the one thing you should be afraid of. 'Roos.
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I forgot about those.
It’s more muscular than me.
And taller.
And faster.
The only way I would look at that thing is on the other end of a sniper.
Loaded with exploding rounds.
Oh dear god.
(Also apparently australia has rainforests)
So deserts and rainforests.
GG nature this is why I stay indoors and not live there.

Basically to sum it up @Felicity_Banks I hate when nature tries overly hard to kill me.

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LOL
Yep. Australia is terrifying. Just look how we train our infants from birth to wrestle crocs (while dressed as drop bears). He’s yawning, by the way. Because that’s how Australians roll.

Oh yeah, and my grandma once killed a snake with a stick (then skewered it for parading purposes). And one of my favourite playgrounds turns out to be a haunt for brown snakes - a snake known to attack people for looking at them funny. I heard a little boy’s mum apologising to him, and saying she’d “definitely believe you next time.”

When an Australian sees a Hunstman spider (large, black, hairy, and poisonous) in their home, they don’t kill it - they name it (my Mum - a grandmother herself and an Anglican priest - always calls them “Fred”). My house and yard are absolutely infested with redbacks and my neighbour once kept a sheep in their yard for a week and then killed it and hung it in a tree (no, I don’t live in a rural area. I live in the capital city, Canberra.)

I do believe the bird-eating spider (there’s a hint in the name there - it’s not a joke or exaggeration) is one of ours. The Northern parts of Australia have serious issues with cane toads (yes, venomous) and even seriously deadly jellyfish. Our adorable native possums also have serious claws, quite apart from the screeching horror of their night-time activities. The first time I stayed in a house with possums, I called our emergency services (and a friend who skidded his car into the driveway armed with boxers and a baseball bat. That bat was later involved in a car chase, but that’s another story).

A wombat can destroy a car just by being in the way. And they have awesome claws (supposedly for digging, but I KNOW BETTER). Platypuses have poisonous spurs on their legs.

My car and I have had several encounters with kangaroos. They didn’t end well for anyone involved.

Also, Vegemite. If someone offers it to you, just say no. Even/especially the chocolate kind.

Also, bushfires and floods. At the same time.

So yes, Australia will kill you in a thousand different ways before lunch.

But don’t go inside. Spiders love inside.

Worse, politicians are often found inside. They are the most terrifying, poisonous, spineless, horrifying creatures of all.

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Why can’t it be set in Australia?
And by the way, it’s the cassowaries you should really be scared of lol. As much as I really do love the birds, and they’re beautiful out in the bush, I’d never try to catch a wild one without head to toe protective gear. Was once asked to do so and this is the photo I provided as the reason why I thought it was a bad idea. (They can get kind of velocirator-ish when you upset them, complete with disemboweling claws).

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Come to think of it, I was once asked to climb into a pool check a very large salt water crocodile (long story) because “I was Australian” which I also declined strangely enough (I must have missed the early introduction in Felicity’s photos,). Crocs worry me more than drop bears.

I’m going to be very un-Australian and agree that you should decline offers of vegemite whenever possible. It is made from a beer byproduct that is fed to children through out Australia though so if you’re curious go for your life.

Yes I do have a resident huntsman as well. He accidently dropped off the ceiling onto my pillow while I was there a while ago. I’d rather have him than mosquitoes.

(On a more related note, if you still need beta testers when I get back I’d be happy to have a read through :slight_smile: )

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And just for fun:

(Sorry Felicity, I’ll let your thread go back on topic now).

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@Felicity_Banks

No it’s not that. Is the fact that your game has so many endings. Most of the games here have only 5-20 endings and that has basically become the norm. So I hope you understand my reaction upon seeing such a high number of endings.

@addicted

OH HELL NO!

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i prefer less endings but longer game in general, i guess that making all those endings have made this game short in every play.
still is enjoyable, so Gj @Felicity_Banks :wink:

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2.7 mil? Slow clap

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I’m not sure what you mean by 2,700,000 endings. I mean…even if each ending was only one word, that would make this story over 2,700,000 words, which is even bigger than Tin Star.

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I like what I’ve read so far, especially the magical metals bit, pretty cool idea, seeing as silver’s a magical metal, where’re the ghosts at? (After reading may of the previous posts above, probably in Australia too :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:)

Also… that opening scene… certainly one of the most novel I’ve seen in a while, lol.

2.7 Million? How did you calculate that number?

@Samuel_H_Young I think the OP may have meant 2.7 million unique combinations of events that comprise of an epilogue. I remember for example (of all things) the old GameCube game Shadow the Hedgehog had about 16 different endings but was branched in a way where you could pick which next level you wanted to go to (in a widening pyramid shape) and it resulted in 80 (EDIT: Actually. according to sonicretro.org here, 326 possible stories in the game) unique story paths.

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Okay, so the infamous 2.7 million epilogues work like this:

You can fight Brit or Australian in the battle (2 options) and win or lose (2x2=4 options):
You fought Brit and won.
You fought Brit and lost.
You fought Australian and won.
You fought Australian and lost.

There are two gender options and four relationship options (plus an opt-out option). That gives you five relationship options. Your partner may be alive or dead; that’s another four. You relationship stats may be low, in which case you break up (another four options). They may be good, and you have a solid relationship (four more options). If they’re VERY good, you have kids (4 options) - by adoption if you don’t have a hetero pairing (another four options).

Then there are things that happened to each of your siblings (married, scarred, wounded, brain damaged, recovered from injury) and a career based on your stats (eg someone with lots of mechanical skill may become an inventor).

It multiplies fast considering you can have a difference of one word but an otherwise identical epilogue.

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well, if you dont want bad reviews from people when you sell the game… i suggest you to specific this in the description, otherwise people will feel like you tricked them or something :wink:

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During the battle after joining the British side it says I see someone in the river, but an error prevents me from seeing their name, it just says {patrickname}, so I have no idea what to do with them since I don’t know who they are

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