I have an intrisic distaste for anything that markets itself as “unique”, but I’d give it a try at least. Would have to see it in action to know whether or not I’d actually want to play it.
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Hi Lili!
That’s fair. And something I can definitely take a look at removing from marketing. In general, it’s just a form of marketing limbo I’ve used!
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I could use some fresh eyes on this—
I have this plotline where the MC is leading a post-apocalyptic exploration/salvage team that explores a pre-apocalyptic military research base/bunker/underground city (off-brand Vault-Tec Vault, if you will) and finds out it’s still inhabited by the original inhabitants, or at least digital copies of them (some of them have bodies that have been kept in some kind of stasis, others are just brain uploads on a central server), who live in a simulation where they don’t know the world has ended (although the reality has bled through enough that the ones who still have bodies have an inkling that something is off).
The problem: I’m not sure how I should let the MC to deal with it.
I mean, the obvious options are
- Destroy the base, since it’s aggressively defending itself against intruders (of which you are one)
- Shut it down and loot the base
- Let the inhabitants know what’s happened and ask them for help
But maybe there’s others I should consider that I can’t think of?
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Could the MC interact with the inhabitants and trick them into believing the simulation again (or repair the simulation) in order to get their assistance or persuade them to switch off the defences from the inside? So, a talky response that’s sneaky/ruthless?
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Do you mean cheat them to shut themselves off, or just shut down the defences?
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The rewrites of the melee tournament are going well, and I feel a lot happier about it.
My current task is to find ways to hint at Marian’s disguise before the player can discover it.
Here is how I introduce Moran (Marian).
Moran description
"And his opponent, a newcomer around here," the official says. "A travelling swordsman, please cheer for Moran!"
The swordsman walked towards the official, his thin body dressed in the loose garbs of a commoner and his dirty auburn hair tied in a ponytail. As Moran walked towards the official he held a wooden shortsword loosely in his left hand. As he passes you by you notice that he is
*if (tall)
shorter than you.
*goto match_one_choice
*elseif (average)
a similar height to you.
*goto match_one_choice
*else
taller than you.
*goto match_one_choice
It’s okay for now, but I want to improve it, and I think mentioning feminine features would be too obvious (mention soft features, maybe? I’ll keep thinking about it).
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Observe the base/inhabitants without invading?
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To what Harris suggested I would add another option: repair and tweak the simulation, cuz some PCs and players will want to do crazy things. Especially if this is post apocalypse, I feel like that’s a nice possibility.
Maybe a scent clue? Tricky, cuz you don’t want perfume here as she’d be to smart for that, but maybe a hint of tea on her breath or something?
Or some body language that she does that you can have in another scene without the disguise; I.e. a special shrug, a characteristic arcing of an eyebrow, a tapping of a foot. Would depend on what her character and personality are like, but maybe that would work?
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You could just not mention the masculine things? e.g.
The swordsman walked towards the official. You spend a moment evaluating your opponent. A thin body, taller than you. The loose garbs of a commoner. Dirty auburn hair in a ponytail. Wooden shortsword held loosely.
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Would “a beardless youth” be too much of a cliché?
I suppose you could, but you’d just be staring at a door.
Especially because this is a post apocalypse, I don’t think it would work. The MC may or may not know what a server is (based on where they’re from), but the art of ancient programming languages has been lost to all but precious few, none of whom the MC knows.
Now you can slip in the simulation and communicate with the people, but you can’t change the code of it.
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Thanks, my friend, really good advice! Speaking of story vibes, I was watching a political commentator the other day, and he made an interesting point: he prefers Invincible over The Boys (the show, not the comics), because in Invincible, being “good”—however you define it—actually counts for something. In The Boys, being good usually just gets you wrecked. He argued that we could use more hopeful stories these days.
Personally, I’m into the grittier superhero stuff, but I also like it when it’s more than just “everyone’s a jerk, including the main character.” I want some complexity, where the world’s messy, but being decent still matters.
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Turn the base into an energy plant and harvest energy from their bodies to keep the World running…
Oh wait–
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That could work, I’ll give it some thought.
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Haha! But that reminds me, I had completely forgotten the part about brain jars as wetware CPU that was the whole point of why the simulation exists (to avoid sensory deprivation problems) in the original plan when I was plotting this as a Fallout NV mod.
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Won’t post in here an absolute ton, but one of the key things I’m working on with the Frontier is a focus on polished aesthetic and sci-fi flair.
Amongst this is an incredibly deep world-building that is based upon a variety of factors and companies, with several being parodies of real life companies we see today having rocketed to the future.
One of these is ArcCo.
Spoiler!
Originally known as Intelligent MicroSystems, creator of the globally dominant **Glass** operating system; ArcCo was founded in **2074** following a corporate realignment.Utilizing their extensive technical capabilities, mass funding through military contracts, and lobbying arm, ArcCo ratcheted to the top of global megacorps as Humanity moved towards the stars, and has played a pivotal moment in developing many of the key technologies Humanity uses today.
To add insult to injury in regards of the former leadership of Earth; ArcCo played a pivotal founding in multiple of the key settled systems throughout the known Universe, and is responsible for their upkeep, maintenance, operations, and legislation - serving as its own quasi-government organization.
While I went into details on ArcCo in the spoiler, the evolution of their former operating system Glass powers the Y.O.U (Your Own Universe) device, which serves as a small use, portable holographic device, identification system, access device, and historical database machine.
The Y.O.U is thematically the foundation of the ChoiceScript_Stats page, split through several accessible files that operate elsewhere in the game (as ChoiceScript_Stats is known for being… yeah…)
To add to this thematic flair, I’ve stylized the Y.O.U and many of its so called ‘modules’ in a sci-fi way, complete with authentic dialogue powered by the operating system. This will be prevalent in many areas of The Frontier, and is seen in examples below:
I’m super excited for everyone to get to toy around with the upcoming W.I.P build that should be out not too far from now, given one of the gamestarts is operational!
4 Likes
Accidental doublepost.
How do you feel about the thematic styling for the game?
- I love it!
- I like it.
- It’s okay.
- I don’t really like it.
- I hate it.
0
voters
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So last month I set the target to write 50k words and fixing the grammars and spelling mistakes, which I did complete. This month the target is the same as before of 50k words and continue improving my game.
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My game’s opening hook always felt like it was not quite there. But after thinking about it for a few days and trying things out, I finally have a version I’m happy with. The hook is important! Worth spending time on it.
My current hook
Three months ago, you took up boxing on a whim. Now you’re slipping out of work early to fight strangers in basements and ferry terminals. It wasn’t a plan. It just happened.
Last week, you fought inside the half-abandoned Kwun Tong ferry pier. Half the crowd smoked throughout. One guy wore a face mask printed with a grinning cat mouth and bet on both fighters. You won a lukewarm Vita lemon tea and a single glutinous rice dumpling in a plastic bag.
Hong Kong’s underground fighting circuit isn’t what the forums promised. No rankings, no brackets, no officials. Just names whispered between gyms. Fighters who can do things that shouldn’t be possible. You’ve seen a man throw a fireball. No wires, no tricks. The air shimmered before it hit. The others barely blinked.
Each month brings a new opponent, a new lesson. There’s no final boss. Just warehouses, abandoned nightclubs, and a city that flickers at the edges, like it’s remembering a different version of itself.
You come for the fights. You stay for the ones who keep showing up, win or lose. You’re not here to save the world. Just to see what happens when you stop sitting it out.
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I had a decent bit of writing last night, but I’m going to have to take a break for at least a few days, as my elderly cat Merlin passed away during the night, and I found him under our bed this morning. So I’m heartbroken at the moment, and I need to focus on my family. He’s been a part of mine and my wife’s life for 17 years and part of my sons’ lives for 13 and 10 years, respectively. He was my first baby, and god, I miss him already.
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I’m so sorry to hear that 
Do take whatever time you need, it’s really hard.
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