Lies & Legalities [WIP] UPDATED 07/21/24

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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Hello everyone,

I’m already working on another project, but what can I say? One day the idea for “Lies & Legalities” came to me, and I couldn’t resist. I will try to advance both projects, but L&L has my heart right now. There’s not much to see here yet, but I wanted to check if you would find the story interesting at all. So, I’m not really asking for feedback because, as I said, I’ve only finished the prologue and the first scene of the first chapter. However, if you already have some (constructive) feedback, feel free to write it here. I hope you enjoy discovering this project!

Summary:
In Lies & Legalities you play as a young attorney in a mid-sized law firm in the USA, uniquely gifted with the ability to physically sense when people are lying. From a young age, this talent has shaped your life, making you both a seeker of truth and a wary observer of the world around you. Your mother struggled with addiction and your father with infidelity, leaving you with a deep-seated drive to uncover the truth in all aspects of life.

As you navigate your career, each chapter presents a new legal case for you to solve. These range from corporate fraud to custody battles, each with moral dilemmas that challenge your sense of justice and your professional ethics. Your gift allows you to detect lies, but it’s up to you to decide how to use this knowledge - whether to climb the career ladder at any cost or to ensure justice is served, even if it means risking your career.

As you delve deeper into your cases, a series of murders linked to a vigilante killer targeting unpunished criminals emerges. The hunt for this elusive figure intensifies, leading you to make connections that will ultimately reveal a truth closer to home than you could have ever imagined.

Intertwined with your legal battles is a personal story filled with potential romances and friendships. As you make your way through the legal world, you will encounter a variety of fascinating individuals. Forge friendships, develop rivalries, or find romance among these characters:

  • Lucas Reid, your loyal and supportive childhood friend, now a dedicated police officer.

  • Chloe Bennett, a bubbly and quirky court reporter whose optimism brightens even the darkest days.

  • Ethan Carter, your ambitious and determined colleague, whose rivalry might turn into something more.

  • Naomi Brooks, your stern but fair boss, whose confidence and experience command respect.

  • Gabriel Stone, a mysterious and stoic investigator with a dark secret.

  • Jessica Martinez, your ambitious and sharp-tongued rival, a driven prosecutor who challenges you at every turn but is deeply principled and fights for what she believes is right.

  • Dr. Avery Taylor, a perceptive and intriguing therapist who seems to understand you better than anyone else.

What would you do if you could sense the truth?

Trigger List

Addiction and Substance Abuse: References to alcoholism and addiction issues.

Infidelity: The protagonist’s father has a history of infidelity.

Emotional and Psychological Abuse:Themes of manipulation and emotional trauma, particularly within the protagonist’s family.

Violence and Murder: Cases involving violent crimes, including murders committed by a vigilante.

Mild Suggestive Themes: Instances of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and mature romantic interactions.

Moral and Ethical Dilemmas: Scenarios that challenge the protagonist’s integrity and ethical boundaries.

Mental Health: Depictions of depression and psychological struggles.

“Lies & Legalities” is a gripping, morally complex narrative that explores the gray areas of truth and justice, intertwined with a richly detailed legal drama and personal relationships - well, at least it is striving to be :sweat_smile:. Your choices will shape the outcome, making every decision critical in your journey to uncover the truth.

Please don’t continue reading if that’s not for you.

Here is the link: https://dashingdon.com/play/fableforgei/lies--legalities/mygame/

Works In Progress gender-choice young-adult-fiction modern-fantasy adult-fiction romance nonbinary-inclusive

193 Likes
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I always love me some more lawyering, I’ve needed more since they release the Apollo justice trilogy. Also your writing is really good! Can’t wait for more.

Some small errors I noticed:

  • Jessica’s name isn’t present on the opening page (super minor but still)

And then there was the time at school, during the science fair. You had worked so hard on your project, a model volcano that erupted with baking soda and vinegar. You had been so proud, but when the teacher announced the winners, your name wasn’t called. The sensations had prickled at the back of your neck as the winning project was praised. You knew then that the teacher had favored another student, not because their project was better, but because their parents had made a generous donation to the school.

  • It says I had a prickled feeling when I had chosen the red and black vision

  • When it asks to pick a favorite subject English is written as

Englisch

  • When inputting you own last name, it bugs out a bit.
    Like after you put it:

Are you sure your last name is ?

When Mr. Thompson speaks to you

He looks up as you approach, offering his usual friendly greeting. “Morning, Mr. . Busy day ahead?”

1 Like
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Thank you for your feedback and the error reports. I’ll start fixing them right away. Right now, I’m really in the writing flow, which means I’m cranking out a lot of text, but sometimes a few little goofs slip through. So, thanks a lot for your effort and time. :hugs:

3 Likes
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Seems interesting!

I’ve noticed one little problem where the text describes MC office space:

You sit down with the file, ready to review the details. As you approach your desk, you can’t help but notice the chaos that has overtaken your workspace. Stacks of files and legal texts cover every surface, and the once vibrant plant in the corner has wilted from neglect. Even your attempt to bring a bit of life into this room has faltered under the weight of your demanding schedule.
Your office is a stark reflection of your life. There are no personal photos or decorations, just case files, legal books, and sticky notes covering every available space. The once cheerful plant now droops sadly in the corner, a testament to your lack of time and attention. You remember the enthusiasm with which you brought it to the office, thinking it would brighten up the place. Now, it’s just another reminder of the sacrifices you’ve made for your career.

Phrasing is a bit weird (files-notes covered dest and a wilted plant, then description of the same files-notes covered dest and a wilted plant worded slightly differently. Also, wasn’t there a personal photo of MC and their parents mentioned before? So there are a few personal items on that desk.

Good luck with your game!

1 Like
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So, I’ve fixed a few initial problems and inconsistencies (thanks again to Trotskyboi and Kotosinica for the time and effort). Unfortunately, this will probably mess up your saved games, but I hope you don’t mind. I’ve also added the second scene in the first chapter where the MC meets the client for their first case. Plus, I’ve now included an option for the MC to be nonbinary. It’s still not a huge game, but it now has about 12k words (excluding code), and there’s still more to come. :hugs:

5 Likes
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Sounds interesting and plot twist we are vigilante killer haha I wish

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I really love the idea that we ‘feel/taste/see’ when people lie to us and that we are now lawyers to help against injustice. Just a great premise and wonderfully sad beginning (especially with our parents)
I’m looking forward to read more about your story and hopefully we can meet our RO’s soon :laughing:

5 Likes
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Alright, time to Phoenix Wright.

Not much so far, but I like the intro we got!

2 Likes
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Correction: We wish :laughing:

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I see childhood friends and I click -

I am going to delve into this after work but I took a quick sneak peek and this already looks awesome!! looking forward to reading :smiley:

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Hmmm, nice.

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I’m super interested in this premise, and what we have so far is really promising! In a strange way it sort of reminds me of one of my favorite K-Dramas, Pinocchino, even if the premise is almost the opposite (A reporter uses her inability to tell lies in to solve crimes/murder mysteries), so I’m looking forward to this for sure.

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I love this so far, great premise. Excited for more!

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Definitely will be watching this! So far so good I love the flow! :+1:t2:

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Hello everyone!

I’ve finished Chapter 1 today and uploaded it right now. Chapter 1 includes the entire investigation of the first case. Additionally, Ethan and Lucas are introduced as characters. Overall, the game now contains about 36k words (excluding code).

In Chapter 2, we’ll see the conclusion drawn from all the gathered evidence and the court trial. Originally, I planned to upload both chapters together when they were finished, but I’d like to know your thoughts on the structure and gameplay regarding the investigation.

A huge thank you to everyone who has shown interest so far. :face_holding_back_tears: I hope I can continue to meet your expectations and maintain your interest. As always, constructive criticism, suggestions, and bug reports are welcome and highly appreciated. :hugs:

To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure how the save files work. However, since I’ve made some small adjustments to the existing text and added new variables, I suspect that your save files might not work anymore. I’m really sorry about that, but I hope you can still enjoy playing the game from the beginning again. As I mentioned, I did some fine-tuning on the text, so maybe it will all feel a bit new to you as well. :sweat_smile:

Besides that, I’d like to say something to all the authors who might be reading this: You’re all amazing! I’ve been playing Choice of Games for years now, but only recently did I muster the courage to create something myself. And wow, it’s incredibly challenging and complex. The coding, the many branches - I can’t even pretend I haven’t almost despaired over it a few times. You’re incredible, and thank you so much for all the hours of effort and hard work you put into your games. :blush:

19 Likes
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It is definitely interesting but the prologue I believe ended too abruptly
If it’s going to be in future that is protagonist background than I believe you should refine it a little for smooth story telling

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I like it overall but it would have been great if Ro’s genders were optional, for example I would have loved it if I could have changed Ethan’s gender.

1 Like
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Oh, I love Lucas, he’s such a sweetheart :two_hearts:
Overall the searching for the real culprit is interesting and I love to play detective :laughing: I’m glad that we could help the dog and both of the poor guys :grinning:
I’m looking forward to more :blush:

Btw. do you have a tumblr page? So you can show off your story to more people around.

And can we have the dog as a pet in the future?

1 Like
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Wow, really liked this

The way we will need to be strategic and careful of the choices we pick while investigating seems really unique, i also already really like how our ability is represented in the text. Also exited to get to know the other characters of the story, also Luís is soo adorable, need to protect him.

Also, really liked how we were able to help the dog…already love them

Looking forward to more

2 Likes
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Just tried it out and it’s pretty fun so far, it seems like it’s gonna be a complex game.

Thank god for the save feature.

2 Likes