So, first off – here is the link for the test game variant → Link to Test Game Variant
As this is the test game only, there may be some revisions at some further adjustments, but at present the new sections has this for the change log:
Change Log for new stuff
Update Version: In Progress
-Added in a short scene in chapter 11 where the prot and her sisters give Mera advice on what is the best trait for a young woman. This will become more important as the plot moves on in a few chapters.
-Added in a short scene in chapter 11 to help set the tone and scene as the prot’s party enters the misty trail. Some family interplay.
-Various typos, spelling errors, and grammar faux pas fixed — as always, plenty more to address.
-Added a scene where you can either haggle with the innkeeper or not haggle on the prices of the rooms in chapter 4 evil_inn scenes.
-Added various scenes for chapter 4 evil_inn plot arc; you can now wander around the inn and have various conversations and interactions with the guests and your family and company.
-Added a division point scene where one of your sisters will move in with you for the chapter 4 evil inn plot arc; this scene serves as a bridge between the first third of this plot arc and the next third.
-Numerous other scenes added into the Chapter 4 Evil Inn path, to many to individually list. Honestly this chapter has become as large and larger than many games at this point. Here’s hoping people like it!
-Added in sorority/loyalty points for some key NPCs. In mid and late game this will allow special diologues and actions and be awarded any time you end a chapter with a relationship > 90 for a given NPC. Some interactions here and there in earlier chapters may also decrement or increment these sorority/loyalty points.
-Added in vars for key NPCs for the Evil Inn chapter 4 plot arc.
-Added in personality points and some ancillary points related to other prot dimensions such as decorum and consequence. While these for the most point won’t be leaned into all that hard in the early sections of the game, I will use them mid game onwards pretty heavily. Used these in some of my other projects , namely AtW and CC, and feel this system is pretty strong and a good model for real life.
-Added in adjudication of the personality and ancillary points in a few key places such as chapter 3 after the personality resolution scene, chapter 6 after the first leveling event, and then a couple key areas; idea is that the player and prot should have enough points to be able to try to chart a path and have her personality felt, but not so much that there will never be any strain or effect felt, a balance.
-Was shocked and horrified to see that Lord Red never had sufficient variables added; for such an important NPC he needed that, so he now has a suitable assortment of variables, as will a very important character linked to him which I can’t discuss further due to spoilers.
-Added in some minor adjustments to prior chapters to accomadate some of the new vars.
-Added in some new scenes for chapter 14, wherein the prot’s uncle’s maid gives a report on the prot to her uncle, and then a scene where the prot meets with first her uncle and then his selected betrothed for her, Lord Red. This then now flows naturally to the Stara scene designed in a prior update. Sandbox section for this chapter still needs to be added. Also of note, the number of days the prot will have as free play before she must either agree to marry the man her uncle selected or tell him who she will marry now will be set depending on prior actions with the prot’s uncle and his maid. Small things here can make a big difference, albeit uncle Damian is very capricious and irascible.
-Added in more for the prot’s introduction in chapter 6; that particular scene is about half done to a third done now, but I still need to add on a bit more to conclude it one way or another.
-Added in a couple files to bridge between core game and the excerpts.
-Added in a good amount of content for the rough road chapter 4 section, though more still be added yet.
-Added in for the prot’s introduction chapter in chap 6 a new scene with Ietherain the fey woman. Little menace, little teasing, little dancing. Hopefully enough to build towards the next RO scene on her path.
-Added in for the prot’s introduction chapter in chap 6 a short scene with Mr. Northwood, some thralls, and perhaps a promise.
-Added in ch 14 scene with Ravana where the two can explore either accepting their mutal situations or perhaps pursuing some alternatives.
-Added in ch 14 scene wtih Ravana where the prot may finally gain a sort of invitiation to vist the Wanderflame estate.
-Added in ch 14 a scene where cousin Mordred has a few dangerous ideas.
-Added in ch 14 a scene where Stara may try to be helpful (or not).
-Added in ch 14 a scene where Lady Whiserie comes over to visit the prot. This scene can only be triggered if the prot prefers women. It eplores a few plot points and may advance, modulate, or end the prots friendship and/or relationship with Lady Whiserie, depending upon prior choices and the choices of this scene. It ends with a visit from cousin Mordred, which may explore his RO options for both the prot and lady W potentially..
-Added in ch 14 a series of scenes where the prot may initially try and then finally succeed at visting the infamous Wanderflame. This small little dinner party with the prot, her sister, and Wanderflame may have some small consequences both for the Wanderflame path and Ravana’s ways in this game. In order to see these scenes the prot must either go through a series of trials to get admitance to the Wanderflame estate and actually meet thee Wanderflame, or she must get an invite from her sister Ravana.
-Added in ch 14 a series of scenes with the fey lady Iethraine. Scenes will play out slightly different depending on current rel and appeal scores and if she can be a potential prospect. Depending on how the scenes play out, towards the end the prot may get a chance to complete Eilereen’s quest regarding the three-eyed wolves, though I will state I made that last scene a little abreivated due to time constraints.
-Added in ch 14 a rather short Sarah Swein scene. In order to trigger this scene you must stay home in the morning, prefer women, and have a high enough rel or appeal score.
-Added in ch 14 a short scene where on her promenade the prot may encounter the duke (5%) chance. Scene may be played only once, but small advancement on that RO if you play your cards right.
-Added in ch 14 a short scene where on her promeande the prot may encounter the duke’s sister Merideth (5%) chance. As with duke scene, only one go on it, but may have small advancement on RO path again.
-Added in ch 14 a short scene where on her promenade the prot may encounter the duke’s younger sister Thera (5%) chance and be informed of a vision and have a very small advancement on that RO path.
-Added in ch 14 a very short scene where on her promenade the prot may encounter Sarah Swein and her group (5%) chance.
-Added in ch 14 a short scene where the prot may encounter the thief-taker Justin Devers and a group of soldiers (5%) chance.
-Added in ch 14 a very short scene where on her promeande the prot may encounter the fey Gleheir. May cause her a quick spat of trouble.
-Added in ch 14 a short scene where on her promenade the prot may encounter Lord Whiserie (5% chance).
-Added in some ch 7 scenes; one where an antagonistic incident may lead into a very brief touch of romance, depending on the prots prior actions and rel/appeal scores. May also culminate in a more metaphysical scene instead, depending, i.e. the spirit within plot. Either way, these scenes will flowm into a philosophical bridge scene which then flows into the baroness encounter scene.
-Added in ch 14 scenes where prot may go to visit Lord Red her intended.
-Added in vars for Lord Red’s daughter. Won’t be used until future chapters, potentially.
-Started to add in ch 14 scene where Lord Red and his hunting trope can be encountered on the misty trails; this scene is only started, as I didn’t have time to finish it. Will add onto it probably next update beyond this one.
-Tried to add in bridges and such for chapter 14; as a lot is incomplete, this was rather a hodge podge, but hope it flows well enough to still be played. More incomplete than complete though. Also, I should note if conditionals are wrong this may mean missed scenes as well. Despite that, hope players find something to enjoy in there – some of these scenes I am rather proud of. In a future update I’ll add more to this chapter, obviously.
-Added some very minor bridges and tweeks to chapter 15; as I didn’t have much to really advance this chapter except in a truly negligible way, don’t expect much extra for this chapter vs last time. Hopefully next update again, but we shall see.
-Finished bridging a few new scenes for chapter 11, wherein the prot can have a brief and psuedo-romantic or even teasing encounter with either Monique, Gary (both rogues), Elerin, or Lysik (mist-realm barbarians), or Lord Whiserie. These are rather brief, but should add to their routes. These now all should bridge back in, and flow into the Mera key trait choice scene.
-Adjusted a couple minor things in chapter 10, such as if you and Sarah share a kiss it will now tag her as your first kiss and add a short bit of special text, and added some very tiny amount of bridging to make adding to this chapter easier in the future.
-In chapter 8 some flags were adjusted to better handle the thief-taker enthrallment/enrapturement scene. Technically, if the prot is hit with the half-incubus’s aura in full, she is enraptured, and not entrhalled, but I now trip both flags as some checks later on falsely considered it enthrallment instead of enrapturement. Had wished to add an alternative route for this chapter for players and prots that really don’t want to go on the little fatefful walk Morgan, but didn’t have enough time to do it. Possibly in a future update. This is mostly to be added to cut down likelyhood of the enrapturement as right now it is probalby more likely than not, and I’d like this to be maybe around a 25% possibility than a near certainity. Some other very minor adjustments for this chapter.
-Some minor adustments in chapter 6, to help bridge a few things that were half started.
-Rebridged excerpts back to the main game, though some of this was kind of messely done. Hoping to finish these excerpts next update, one way or another, though that may be a while.
Now, summary of this is that there is of course the addition of the excerpt sections and a little bit more on that but nothing complete yet, a few minor additions to some sections such as the Introduction Ceremony, a few tweaks here and there, and a good number of additions to the various RO paths . . . but at present some of these are gate guarded by rel / appeal scores, other scores, or past choices, or, dumb luck; I rather think some of this will still feel rather bare bones and I realize some of the chapters need very much more content, both in terms of ROs and others . . . yet we shall get there in time.
Just not with this update.
Though still . . .
Granted, one must scratch off some of this due to word rep, the alt starts, poor coding, and the linear section, but rather proud and pleased we are creeping towards the 800k mark. In short, the game comes along little by little.
In any event, I am probably going to take a little time off as the last week has been a bit of a marathon getting this going to even the modest extent that it has. Today I think I was about 13 hours of work on all this, which on one hand is great, but the real world calls, as it always does, and to much screen time requires a ton of constitution saves. Erg, yes . . . but after a suitable time I shall dive back in and continue to edit and bug test, etc. Once I feel it reaches a suitable level of good enoughness, I shall post it to the main game files on COGdemos and post here. Upon doing that I shall consider it fair game to resume adding new vars and such to the test game, etc.
Till then . . .
P.S. I will say it was a nice capstone that there seemed to be some sort of Jane Austen Marathon on PBS today, so I totally had that going to give me some additional energies to get this going.
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