PROGRESS UPDATE: I will (finally) finish Chapter 6 today. I’ve just written the last significant choice of the chapter, and it’s a really, really great dilemma (I hope)! Expect an update in the next couple of days.
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Chapter 6 has just gone up. Just under 320k words. This is the last of the six main chapters, but it’s still not (quite) done: I have to do the Endgame and Epilogues, which should resolve the framing narrative nicely. Still, we’re super close now. One more big update to a complete draft! As always, if you don’t have a save, you can skip to Chapter 6 at the end of the Prologue. Chapter 6 details below.
Chapter 6: Hong Kong Crazy
British Dependent Territory of Hong Kong, 1937. A Triad war roils the streets of the “Pearl of the Orient”, the black market is flooded with priceless objects from ancient Chinese history, and the British authorities call on Dr. Spillane and Sam to investigate. But they’re not the only people looking into this: soon they find the Nazis are also scouring the city, searching for a particular object that they believe is in Triad hands. Join our heroes as they get reunited with - um - a character they’ve already met before (!), and undertake a perilous mission influenced by Hong Kong cinema and classic espionage fiction, where nothing and no-one is quite what they seem.
Featuring a fully-functioning casino, sexy slow-dancing with Maria Garcia Perez, the chance to save a repentent Nazi (don’t worry, you can still punch him if you prefer), a crazy big gunfight between six different factions, and the introduction of your exciting new RO, Johnny Wu!
Let me know what you think: all feedback warmly appreciated.
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I can’t play chapter 6. The game ends at the end of chapter 5.
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I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I forgot to take the *ending command off the end of the saved version of the last scene in Chapter 5!! I’ve updated: should work now.
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*obliterates the like button*
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Ughhh the update is so awesome and I like Jhonny Wu more than the first time we met him.
I have comment about playing as female MC. It’s clearly the story is written from Male MC perspective, for example when Spillane is being interrogated and going to be tortured, Maria comes into the room and the nazi doctor (I forgot his name) said it wasn’t something women should see. But he is torturing a woman so that remark sounds weird. Also when Maria is with McCrea, it seems like if Spillane is woman, McCrea would think both of them are into him instead of feeling competitive toward Spillane over Maria’s attention. He sounds like that kind of pig who would leer at every woman.
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If you changed the line to “It’s not something a lady should see” you could get in a veiled jab at Spillane for the same price. 
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We all know ladies are fascinated by things they are not supposed to see 
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Oh this is the better way because even though Maria isn’t really a lady-like person but for Nazi she most probably is, especially compare to Spillane who is a vermin for the Nazi in whatever gender they are.
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Thanks, glad you liked it!
When he says that, he’s mostly saying it to piss off Maria (he just really, really likes making people feel off-balance and uncomfortable), and the MC isn’t really the intended audience. But I think @Myrtle’s suggestion is really good, because why wouldn’t he try to get a dig in at Spillane’s expense at the same time? And I really like your thoughts about McCrea reacting differently to a female MC. You’re right, that’s exactly the kind of person he is! Please do let me know if you find other places where it seems male-perspective.
Thanks again, very useful thoughts!
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Oh! S***! I didn’t see that the game have an update. I’m so excited to play it. As always I want to play it from the beginning so it will take a lot of time to read it and lately, I don’t have time for almost anything… just for wishing to be dead, figuratively, not literally. But seriously I need to rest or a break. I want to make time for the game, so probably when I wake up in the middle of the night instead of looking at the ceiling for hours, I’ll play your game.
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Thanks! Take your time. That’s very committed of you to play it from the start each time, I’m honoured that you’d give it so much attention!
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Not gonna lie, my first thought when checking the forums lately has been ‘omg will today be the day Chapter 6 is ready’, and this did not disappoint! …Though I did initially leap onto it before the *ending thing in Chapter 5 got fixed, and assumed my save had been corrupted, so I restarted and also played the entire game over from the beginning, haha.
First of all, I was delighted by the return of my Problematic Favourite RO (even though you tried so hard to convince us he was dead, you cruel and crafty author). With a dramatic entrance that immediately sent the body count shooting upwards. I love him more than ever…and would still love him even if the narrative didn’t keep reminding me how pretty he is, honest. His struggle with redemption - and whether it’s even possible - was interesting, and I liked the interaction with Drunk Park Nazi.
And then starting the romance is like…
Zhu: Let’s talk about how I killed my former boyfriend.
MC: Holy shit.
Zhu: So, want to take his place?
MC: Absolutely yes.
The type of madness I am 100% here for.
Also wow, I looked at all that coding you did for the casino and it made me feel really guilty that I got through the Lotus Blossom part without gambling.
A couple of things I did notice: despite all evidence suddenly to the contrary, the Relationships screen never stopped insisting that Jian Zhu is dead to me. And there’s a little tiny typo here…
But yes, another excellent chapter and I am hyped for the grand finale!
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Thanks for much for your comments, I’m happy you’re liking it. I’m glad there is a “Team Zhu” out there. You might be its only member, but I’m still happy that it exists!
The stats screen thing you mentioned shouldn’t be happening, and didn’t when I playtested, so something is obviously going wrong. I’ll look into it tomorrow.
Ah yes. The casino code (shudders in horror). Fun story about the casino. When I was first learning Choicescript, I decided I should create a scene to teach myself all the different functions. So I made a cyberpunk street-market which could serve as a hub area in a game I’m never gonna write. It contained a casino, Dame Fortune’s, complete with a faulty android croupier with a terrible French accent. I was looking back over it before I started Chapter 6, and was really happy with the gambling mechanics, so I thought to myself “right, Chapter 6 is now going to include a casino!”. So it’s mostly just copy and paste, although I did have to code blackjack from scratch, and that ended up being waaaay more complicated than I thought it would be!
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I’m not completely clear on how amoral Spillane can be, to be honest. On one hand, they have the opportunity to talk shop about hedonism and getting relics for themselves, but on the other, things always end up being taking them to some authority. While I have no major gripe with that, per say, it does strike me as odd. Perhaps in the second book we’ll really go full Belloq (minus working with Nazis).
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I think you can decide their morality. You can play as someone who is all for money and fame, or someone who is supportive toward the oppressed.
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Hmm. I think my thinking was that amoral Spillane would sell to the highest bidder rather than keep them for themselves. You can usually choose whether to sell the Relics for a bunch of cash or give it to someone more deserving.
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On a further note, I have been unable to replicate the error that Elysian caught about the stats screen. I’ve tried a few times now, but it all works fine for me! Could everybody else keep an eye on that? When you get reunited with a Certain Old Friend during Chapter 6 (you’ll know the moment when you get to it), please check what the stats screen says about that person, and let me know if it says something inappropriate. It may have just been some weird quirk in Elysian’s game, but if it’s reproduceable, I shall have to try again to get to the bottom of it. Thanks everyone!
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Oh, reason to replay it. I shall keep an eye on that part.
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Well, you did a great job in chapter six too! I’ve enjoyed playing it. Also, as I said two months ago, I knew it!! I was right in not trust the stat screen xD
At the boat scene on chapter six Zhu appears like he’s dead but he’s alive.
And yes, I’ve been playing it at 4:30 am.
Also, put my name on that “Team Zhu” too 
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