Non-binary options are officially in! Or, to be more accurate, will be in when I put up the patched edition towards the end of the week.
7 Likes
One other thing I noticed while playing:
I chose to use our opponentsā secret identities against them. Firstly, I recall that this caused Al-Jinn to react negatively, even though sheād been against the idea that people could use their secret identities to escape prosecution (which would seem to be along the same lines). Admittedly, she could just have felt that I was going one step too far, but it would have been nice for that to have been referenced directly.
Secondly, there were no consequences that I could see. Maybe itās something youāre saving up for the sequel, but it would be nice to have some comments in the actual epilogue. (If they are there, and I missed them, sorry.)
Thanks for all your hard work 
1 Like
I choose Alan has the person i became friends with and i end up with this later in the game.
You meet Alan in Paradigm Park, by the lake, just where they said theyād be.
Dawn watches you as you approach. Her hair is shorter than you remember, which is one of the few things you can remember about the twins. Red hair and heavy Irish accents. āThanks for coming,ā she says, and you realise that her accent is essentially non-existent, too.
It makes it look like i was talking to Dawn here and when i click next to go to the part of this Dawn replace Alan again.
Thatāsā¦ very odd. I donāt see anything immediately wrong with the code that could cause that to happen.
Ah, wait, I think I know. So, Iām assuming you selected Alan back in Chapter One but then either didnāt go on the camping trip or didnāt kiss them if you went on it? Would that be accurate? If thatās the case, I can see where the code got a bit mixed up.
edit: If it is what I think it is, itās been fixed. Sorry about that!
1 Like
Hi everyone. Iāve just uploaded the new build in the OP.
Here are the changes.
.91 Changelog
General
Renamed Classical/Anti-Hero to Classical/Modern for accuracy
Altered Classical stat to fairmath
Adjusted numbers for several relationship and classical fairmath modifiers
Various spelling and grammar corrections, as well as more general prose editing
Added non-binary options!
Chapter 1
Fixed up a pronoun issue on the camping trip.
Fixed up certain points which could confuse later events about the playerās relationship with the twins.
Adjusted Matsudaās classroom talk to reflect the need for a speciality without over-specialising.
Added a Bravado check when you encounter Frederic on the camping trip.
Added an opportunity to learn more about powers if the player does not go on the camping trip.
Added a check to prevent someone from accidentally, or deliberately, mixing themselves up with a future team member (or Sentinel).
Fixed decisions that could lead to strangeness with the twins later in the story.
Chapter 2
Minor changes to Aegisā discussion logic.
Chapter 3
Fixed some logic related to Animaās intervention against Maekir.
Added things to the Frederic encounter based on the Chapter 1 changes.
Adjusted usage of ātheyā in regards to the playerās pronouns.
Chapter 4
No major changes.
Chapter 5
Made the extent of Al-Jinnās argument against Blueshiftās plan more apparent.
Adjusted the prose to account for some geographic irregularities in the lead up to the final confrontation.
Adjusted the numbers in the Sentinel fight to make it slightly easier to not get locked into the ābad pathā.
Adjusted wording through each stage of the Sentinel fight choices.
Added additional detail to certain scenes during the final confrontation.
Adjusted results of the romantic option when talking with Chevalier or Al-Jinn based on Chapter 2 results.
Chapter 6
Added ending states reflecting the playerās choice of romance options.
Statscreen
Added a trigger to port Exarchās file to this screen for later reference if required.
Slight expansion to the contact transcript.
Added a Sentinel file.
7 Likes
Nami
87
Really enjoyed the game too, Iāve played many times to test different options and endings (and also because I kinda failed miserably once and again 
).
I have one question/suggestion of something that, to me, felt somehow quite off. So I played onces with the MCās parents being death, and then Aegis explains that it seems Chevalier took their killer (Collider) and that you may know more about this if you ask him. Then, if you romance/get close to him, you (o him) actually mention Collider in a discussion but nothing about your parents is said (not even thought about by the MC). Which, as I said, I think is kind of weird. It would be cool if there was a line, or a dialogue option to choose, about asking Chevalier about the fight or thanking him or even only telling him that Collider killed your parents (?)
Also, Iāve found two more times of the āthemā being misused: link and link
1 Like
Baam
88
I enjoyed the story and all but some options simply didnāt feel as such. Like, when you go to the bombing place and the other two show up and tell you to leave and you just canāt do anything about it. But what annoyed me the most, and I might get harsh here, was Dawnās death. She shows up after a bloody year with some conspiracy theory going on and the MC is suspicious about the way she is behaving but lets her go anyway? What? If the MC had a bad feeling why it isnāt an option to go after her? To try and save her if you play your cards right? Otherwise the whole CYOA idea gets lost and you might as well be reading a normal book. And her death just pisses the MC off but itās not something that ultimately needed to happen for the sake of the story. I really liked her, even though she didnāt appear much, but when she finally comes back she gets killed? Just like that? It felt way too forced. And Iāve read that you hinted that because of her powers she might still be alive but you donāt implement that in the story, the MC never even thinks of the idea that she might have faked her death or survived (unless I missed itā¦thatād be awkward), and by the way, what happened to her? One scene she is fine but in the next one she is dead. Ho did she die? How did the MC find out about it? Where did it happen? There are too many gaps in thereā¦ sighs like Iāve said, I really liked her, hence me being pissed off at her death, so you did wrote her pretty likeable. If I had to put the story a score, itād be a 7 out of 10.
5 Likes
This was a really strong game. I enjoyed the story arch, it didnāt feel repetitive as some of these games can. The characters were distinct enough to be engaging and the writing flowed rather nicely. I hope that further games are planned because this was a really fun read.
This is a fair point and Iām glad you posted it. It stems from a few things, which Iāll put in spoiler code just in case.
Ultimately, the grave scene was one of the first things I wrote. I liked the imagery, I liked the feeling of it. A lot of Paradigm comes from random images and feelings (Superman standing in a schoolyard and heās frowning, the protagonist standing over a grave and saying theyāre sorry, a rainbow serpent villain who sheds his skin, and so on).
From a more artistic perspective, as someone whoās been playing IF for a very long time, I always find it more annoying to be given a choice which is overwritten than just not choose at all. In a game which is all about choice, I think itās important to still have things that happen regardless - but doing that by no-selling the player can be worse than having things proceed without the choice, even if the end result is the same.
Initially, the player was going to be able to send a member of the team to watch the twin there and possibly save them (based on relationship stat). But it never felt right and it always opened up more problems. If who they send stops them, well, great - but then what do I open the chapter with? If they donāt, then what was the point? If they donāt, whatās the explanation and, if the conspiracy is killing people, then how and why did they get away? According to my initial testers, It never felt satisfying to have it come down to factors like this and constructing it how it presently is received a much better response.
It does, however, play into my wishes to come back in the near future and do something like a Directorās Cut update where the player can just blow the narrative open.
@chrisbat - unfortunately, I have no real sequel plans at this time! I have a few concepts and a few ideas about really getting into the minds and histories of the other SOLAR team members, where the player can maybe even turn the team into a spandex-and-capes sort of unit, but nothing much else. I have an idea for a space sci-fi game about the history of the Solar System during a planetary war for independence that Iād be looking to work on, something which leans more towards CYOA than the narrative-focused style Paradigm employs.
2 Likes
Thanks for this! Good point about Collider, there should maybe be something there. Iāll see what I can do.
Asura
92
Who was the character you wanted to romance but couldnāt? Iām curious since I felt the same way. 
Laguz
93
This was asked before, but I canāt be arsed to find the post. Itās Blueshift
Asura
94
I found the post after I asked the question. For me it was Anima.
1 Like
But then how will my MC get to resurrect Alan, redeem Damian, and then have a (consensual) three-way relationship with them? 
4 Likes
When the author comes up with what they think is an interesting main plot line! 
I do have some ideas for the whole Blueshift or Anima angle some people want, though, so they can rest easy on that front.
2 Likes
system
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99
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