I like your updates. They’re interesting.
I’m starting to get a vague idea just how much work there’s involved in trying to get your game out there even after you’ve finished writing it.
And it’s reassuring to know that everything is going along smoothly. I look forward to playing this.
Good luck with your PR experiment. I’m not sure whether that effort will pay off, but I hope so.
Thanks. I’m hoping to lay out my experiences briefly once its all over
Plus I’m really excited about writing the next one, so it’s hard to force my attention and care back towards book 1 to try and do my best with it.
I’ve also just hired that new staff member I was talking about - so from the end of September I’m going to be able to devote hours each day rather than each week. Why am I excited? Because Blood took like 3 1/2 years to write working full time on other things. I want to write the next one in a single year - and going part-time I might actually do it!
You know that you can count with me if you need ideas or feedback
Yay! 200 subscribers to my website. Thanks everyone - may actually get some readers for Blood after all!
Looking back to the first reply I ever got to my thread:
Shortly followed by
What can I say. It was a steep learning curve 
Thanks @poison_mara
So, in between writing the linear path I built this to try out an ‘Open World’ style mechanic in choicescript.
It’s called Explore Stonecross and is intended as a bare bones mechanic:
1/ Allowing the reader to move around freely.
2/ Randomly generating the places you travel around.
3/ Then remember them, so you can return there (and some day interact with the things you find there.)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47183494/pics%20charles/storymap.jpg
Huh.
I didn’t even know you could do something like that in CS. How long did it take you to finish it?
Looking at the code makes me dizzy.
And I have to admit I don’t like it that you have to type where you want to go each time. Can’t you just include ‘normal’ choices instead?
Took me a couple of full days? That’s not including thinking time, or copy/pasting from earlier experiments!
I agree about having to type the directions. I wanted to prove that ‘parser’-style Interactive Fiction was just as possible using choicescript.
I think when I use it I’ll have a setting which swaps between the two. The main benefit of this system might be that I could highlight words within the body that a reader could ‘interact’ with using the ‘parser’.
A man sits in a chair.
So the reader has the option of typing, ‘Talk to man’, or ‘take chair’
-type of thing.
Or maybe a nicer way to do this would be a choice of directions in the normal multiple choice format, and then an ‘interaction’ parsing box below…
The code is ridiculously dirty as its a copy and paste job from another mini (Wilson) and the subsequent development in randomisation - so lots of redundant stuff in there.
Really appreciate the feedback @KP_Paul 
I also learnt that Choicescript really doesn’t like negative numbers in variables.
That was a pain in the backside to workaround 
Yeah, I saw Wilson.
Looks like this wasn’t easy at all.
Personally I don’t like those parser-style games - I’m not good at figuring out what objects I can interact with and what is the correct phrase the game is waiting for to make that happen. Every time I tried playing one I basically just tried a few things for a few minutes before I grew too frustrated. But as long as you don’t use it excessively (and as long as it’s easy to figure out what I can do in each scene) I probably wouldn’t mind all that much.
I’ve combined the open world style feature (skip to page 95) and the page-turning feature I’ve been working on with ‘Blood’.
UPDATE - The Aegis Saga - Blood, first two chapters
I’m now in a position to try to catch up with @Fiogan (this is the reason I haven’t been on top of the edits, but now… I’m ready!)
Some pages were missing(blank, no words, just the choices to turn the page or return) and after that, it seems the story was switching between taking fish or a bell. One page would be the fish, the next it would be the bell, then back again(and so on).
Thanks @Outrageous , that’s really helpful!
AHHH! It now passes Randomtest!!!
I think I’ve fixed the blank pages and the label issues… this thing might actually bloody work!
Wah haha 
Um - I may have an issue with how slow it runs…
Umm, sorry to rain on your parade, but…
Playing with the other children still does not work quite right. I got this when I tried to pick up an item Ruric dropped:
explore line 396: Non-existent variable 'gosub
There was also a blank page when I was trying to teach the dog how to bark. I don’t remember where exactly it was, though.
And it really is slow.
Thanks for taking the time to find that @KP_Paul. Believe the gosub issue in the childrens game is fixed.
Hunting those last elusive blank pages.
Tried to rework the code to make it faster… hmm
Must.Have.This! Sorry, I know writing takes time, but this Princess needs to see how all this comes out! lol
Should this release soon because it was an honourable mentions in the CS comp
Can’t find it on hosted or CoG
Hi @Chopper, I have a to fix a few bugs then resubmit it to HG. (I wasn’t sure if we were going to get any judges feedback from the comp, but now I’m guessing that I won’t, so that process shouldn’t take too long). With all the contest submissions I’ve got no idea how much time it will be before publication. And you do get some technical feedback as part of that process, so it slightly depends on what they say needs improvement. 
Final beta test
I intend to test The Aegis Saga for two weeks, before submitting it on Monday 16th of September.
If you’d like to test it, please tell me here on this WIP topic or in a private message, linking one piece of constructive feedback that you have given a WIP.
Forum users with the beta tester badge do not need to provide this.
As this is the final beta testing I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept testers who can’t link to a post they’ve made, which I can access, where they’ve given constructive feedback.
I’m grateful to all those who are interested, and I want to say thank you for everyone on the forum who has helped me get this far.
What I’m looking for (might look familiar)
I’m looking for “high level” and “low level” feedback. Not mid-level feedback.
Low-level = typos and continuity errors. A continuity error is when a character’s gender flips, or someone comes back from the dead, or you run into a plotline that just doesn’t make sense (because it’s probably a coding error).
For these low-level issues, SCREENSHOTS are VERY HELPFUL. If you see a problem, take a screenshot, or copy and paste the text that is in error, and private message me that.
“High level” feedback has to do with things like plot, pacing, and characters. “Scene A didn’t work for me because x, y, and z,” is useful feedback. “B character was entirely unsympathetic, because u, w, and v,” is also useful feedback.
“Mid-level” feedback describes things like grammar, style, or the use of commas. I do not want mid-level feedback.
“I had a great time and saw only a few spelling errors,” is not such useful feedback. Asking to beta test and linking to previous WIP feedback like this is less likely to be accepted as proof of constructive feedback.
Hey I would like to beta test.
Hi @Koda222, lovely to have you back. Thanks for offering your time again 
I’ll pm you a link.
