Thank you for the kind words, and you’re welcome for the reference! People on other platforms have also been consistently asking me for something like them for awhile, now, so I figured I might as well try, lol.
Character customization was added to both MC1’s and MC2’s introductions. I tried to be as thorough as possible (with what I could think of, anyway), with eye color, complexion, hair color, hair texture/style, hair length, face shape, and body type. There are a few extra options for MC2 if you also wanted to change your fur color, decorate your antlers, or have rosettes like Harper.
I’ve actually been keeping a save file for myself right at the end of MC1’s introduction (where you can choose the three backgrounds for MC2) for play-testing purposes. When I went back to it on this current update, it just loaded me back at the start of MC1’s introduction with all of the stat increases/decreases kept from the introduction I’d just played. It might be better to have a new play-through, though I will soon be implementing a quick-start feature to skip the introductions and jump right into new chapters once they become available.
Oh, that’s a lot! Okay then, between that and what you said about the game booting you at MC1’s intro, I’ll just start over then!
Thanks!
Oh also! I’m still debting if I prefer romancing Laz with MC1, or do the MC1/MC2 romance. Could you give me a bit more insight about how the “both MCs romance” is structured?
Does the player control both MCs when they’re both present in a scene, or does the player control only the “MC of the chapter”, and the other one becomes an NPC of sorts and has a set behavior depending on choices and personality made by the player previously?
All romance options are structured similarly to Too Different, with there being both a relationship stat and romance threshold. The romance threshold is a certain number of interactions that the player much meet or exceed in order to deepen their relationship with a character (it’s my way of trying to ensure no one can just randomly choose actions that a character is guaranteed to like and get a bedroom scene without some emotional effort and character development). For example, if you attend Belvidere’s Yearsend party and go for a walk with Lázaro when he prompts you (and also never bail on him, lol), that counts as a +1 to his romance threshold. These moments are plot and choice-dependent, of course, but they work the same whether you are romancing the other MC or Lázaro, Belvidere, Prudence, and Blythe.
A bit of both. The perspective changes (i.e. in choices referencing “I do something”, the MC who “I” refers to might change chapter-to-chapter, though not within a chapter), and the other MC will react according to their personality/relationship stats to what the player-controlled MC is saying/doing. I’m also going to give the player the chance to choose what the MC that they don’t control says and does sometimes to keep it interesting.
Aaah, you’re making me so conflicted!
I love Laz, but at the same time I really love the concept introduced when MC2 appears, with the idea of some beings being “split” in two. I tend to LOVE that trope in romance.
If I knew about that beforehand, I wouldn’t even hesitate and go for the MC1/MC2 romance. But of course, I got attached to Laz and so… internal conflict intensifies.
No problem – I enjoy talking, if you couldn’t already tell by my verbose writing style, haha!
Laz would understand. He is half in love with his work, anyway!
EDIT: I forgot to mention in the previous post that some actions available to the player while they are choosing for the other MC will still be gated behind stat/relationship checks.
Oh dear, I didn’t expect that comment. It made me laugh way more than it should have!
Oh that’s okay, it makes sense! My character is pretty decisive about his stats, so I don’t think I even CAN fail a check as long as I select in-character options!
And after thinking about it, I think I’ll go for friendship with Laz and Bel, and the MC1/MC2 romance, because I realized a very simple fact.
Considering I only romance male characters, and that, if I understand correctly, Blythe is a pretty “bad” character (as in, traditionalist and elitist etc)… well, that leaves only one “full-NPC” option, which is Laz. But then, MC2 wouldn’t be able to romance anyone
I guess I was really overthinking that, when I could have asked myself “which one is the only option that allows me to have a romance for both MC’s?”
Okay, I’ve finished playing the update! Well, didn’t check it out for the backgrounds I’m not interested in for MC2 though - only the seal people.
By the way, I see it’s marked as being in progress when species selection comes at the end of MC1’s chapter, and yet the story goes from start to the meeting… What’s missing, then?
I spotted one error!
When preparing for the pilgrimage:
In my playthrough Y’aana hates MC2 so I didn’t get that option, but from what I’ve seen if skimming the code, when the siblings prepare for the pilgrimage, one of the options favorable to her is “I can hardly wait to travel with him again, either!” - should be “travel with her”
With that being said, I was also wondering about three things - a question and two suggestions.
In the first chapter, when meeting Bel after having met MC1’s brother, the choices that raise Bel’s relationship - including accepting the ride - also raise society standing. But considering Bel spends their time with Laz and is considered a deviant etc, shouldn’t it lower it?
Considering how the society is, maybe the physical appeareance should come into play in some dialogues, like MC1’s father could be frustrated at a son with a delicate face and short stature or a daughter with square face and muscular body, as these wouldn’t be considered traditionally beautiful - or adequate - for said genders?
Same about the insults of the bully teens when MC1 goes to meet their brother. I guess that could use the same insults as for non-binary characters.
Of course, in order for it to not be unmanageable coding-wise, only some specific associations of face shape/type and body type could do that?
Also, it would be nice to have a “worldly” reaction to the pilgrimage, that would not necessarily be all about learning more of MC2’s people, but rather something along the lines of “I’m eager to see more of the world!” or “I wonder if we’ll meet interesting people on the road!”
Well, I think that’s it! I’ll try to design my MCs when I have the time and inspiration.
Ah, speaking of which! When creating a seal MC2, the character creation still includes skin tone, but they are entirely covered in fur, right? Now, obviously, they have skin underneath, so does that mean it applies to the small zones for example around the nose that may have a less dense fur, or something like that?
I actually caught these independently, myself, lol. They’ll be fixed when the next update rolls out.
Belvidere is seen as non-threatening enough that they still occupy a high place in Society. They don’t overtly make waves, so the young people that want to feel rebellious attend their soirees to “live dangerously” without being in any actual danger from the secret police.
These are good ideas – I’ll see about adding them!
There is a new update available for the members̶ of my Patreon page! This update will be accessible by the public one week from today. In the update, I’ve completed chapter 1 (MC1 and MC2 meet for the first time), fixed some spelling/grammar and continuity errors, and written some 37,000 more words.
There are also weekly developer insights that I’ve started doing and new lore/supplementary content that I’m adding constantly, so if that sounds like something you would be interested in, consider becoming a patron!
Morgan Set and Aa’rp Southshoal (yup, I always select names from the premade list - makes it more “canon” to me, and makes it fit the universe)!
I suggest opening in another window or downloading to better see details!
Morgan is quite short and Aa’rp is relatively tall, so that reduces the height difference between the two. I don’t mind height differences, but I found it funny to make them “closer than they should have been” on that aspect too!
Also, since we didn’t get any specific “seal directives” as to the seal-people, I have based Aa’rp on the leopard seals, which are my favorite marine animal ever. Their sharp features and sometimes almost reptilian snouts are so beautiful, and make for a handsome anthro!
Morgan has his father’s eyes, too! Though… that’s probably the only thing he inherited from him! I can’t even imagine how will daddy react when he learns his son is not only a radical, but also interested in other men, and a “savage” of all people!
They both have darker skin or fur than hair, which isn’t difficult considering they have WHITE hair, but if you look well, it isn’t the exact same white. Morgan has a warmer hair color than Aa’rp.
Both are also “spotted”, in that Morgan has light freckles and Aa’rp is speckled.
And obviously, I selected the raven for both! But I thought the design of the beast Morgan has and the spirit animal Aa’rp has would be total opposites, considering cultural differences. So I designed a very stylized bird for Aa’rp, which also fits the abalone in shape, considering he has that pendant made of it, and for Morgan I made a proper heraldic animal (which he wears on his cape).
I hope you like them!
Also, I found myself thinking… is there any reason why, when making a seal MC2, the rosettes on the fur HAVE to be dark grey?
It would make sense to be able to select rosettes without the color being mandatory, especially for characters who are brown or white, for example. Mine is speckled anyway, so it’s not an issue, but it might be for some people!
I also have two questions about the inner workings of two people who share a soul (unless it’s too spoilery).
If they are born on the same day, I would assume if they die of old age, it would be the same day too. But what happens if one of the two is killed? Does the other one die to?
I believe you said some time ago that MC is a hero incarnate as long as we follow the radical storyline, right? Like, one of the three… But considering the heroes being “reincarnated” is a matter of soul, does that mean both MCs would be one of the heroes? As in, the SAME one? That would be so awesome! I mean, it would be the “rarest type of people ever”, no? Considering people sharing a soul are already rare, and heroes reincarnated just as much.
Holy cats, that’s incredible! O:
Would it be all right with you if I posted that to my Tumblr blog? I would of course credit you and link to any of your social media if you’re fine with it.
I am guilty of this, as well, whenever I play anything!
I love your design choices! I’m always interested in seeing how people interpret what I’ve written for themselves, if that makes sense.
I noticed this, too! The way you stylized the ravens is very distinct, but still recognizable as the animal.
Very much! (:
Yeah, that makes sense. To be honest, I was thinking of a leopard seal, as well, when I wrote that, and I think their rosettes are only dark gray.
First question
I envision it more as living on with only “one half” of themselves, if that makes sense? They would for sure notice an absence, though they might not be able to explain where it came from or why the feeling of “something missing” won’t go away.
Second question
Some of this is going to depend on player choice. The Heroic religious minority believes in the literal interpretation, but I want the player to be able to choose if they believe in the reincarnation literally, they are just playing along to gain allies, they don’t know what to think, or else they view their Heroic role as more of a symbolic station than a literal one.
I made the Hierarchy (the official religious authority) in-game intentionally abstract and sometimes hypocritical in its interpretations, as their stated goal (along with the state) is mostly B.S. bio-essentialism “oh, no, it’s totally fine to kill all those people! They aren’t actually people, you see!” designed (purposefully or not) to make genocide/colonization easier. When they do talk about the metaphysical stuff that makes souls being cyclical, it’s very vague, so it’s entirely possible to interpret that MC is the inheritor of the literal, actual soul-stuff of one of the three Heroes. That interpretation would be heretical, though, because Whitaker and His Beloved Knight were righteous enough to earn freedom from the cycle and rest in blessed unconsciousness for eternity (Grimdiis is just kind of ignored altogether).
I enjoy answering them! I think it’s nice to be challenged to dig deeper into my own world-building and add/take away things that would make things easier to understand or else more interesting!
Sure, feel free to repost my art! I’m glad you like them (and the ravens too)!
I’m not very active on social media, and that pic isn’t even submitted to it, but I guess you can link to my twitter if you want. It’s @Kurozora_Konoi
Otherwise, just linking to my post here is fine too!
And thank you for your answers! I’m actually not a fan of reincarnation, so I’ll probably go with some sort of idea that the “essence” of these heroes is inherited, but not their literal souls!
just to let you know if you save on the stat screen and you load the game back up it’s stuck on the stat screen and you can no longer play the game. You have to restart
That’s a quirk of the host site, dashingdon, and isn’t something any WIP author on the forum can help. The best you can do is keep track of where you are, and being careful not to visit the stats screen on any WIP either seconds before, or after you save to avoid these errors.
Fixed various grammar, spelling, and continuity errors.
Added a quick-start option for those who just want to play the new content.
Follow my Tumblr blog or join my Patreon page to see additional lore, what-if scenarios, and early updates! You can also always feel free to ask/tell me anything on this thread! (:
EDIT:
What LadyUmbreon89 said is correct, but do you think it would help if I wrote some kind of warning about it in the demo? Something like what I already have in the newest update about how using quick-start might have unintended consequences, maybe?
Hey! I finished the update, and it was so cool!
I can’t wait for the two MCs to interract more! And to see the consequences of failing the assignment
But hey, I had 2/3 tasks - it’s not THAT bad, right
It’s hard for me to tell anything constructive aside from the fact I liked it, so I won’t spend forever on that.
I've spotted a fair share of errors though, mostly caused by the hassle that must be coding all of these variations with the two MCs, their personalities and so on:
When Pri comes looking for MC1:
During the scene where the two MCs talk for the first time, in my playthrough she said:
“Morgan! There ya are!” she exclaims. “I’ve been lookin’ all over fer ya – I was gettin’ worried, there fer a minute, HAW!”
From what I see in the code, she should have said that, though:
“${mc1_name}! There ya are!” she exclaims. “Me ‘n the squad’ve been lookin’ all over fer ya – I was gettin’ worried, there fer a minute, HAW!”
I have more than 4 camaraderie points - I basically have the max possible, I think. I believe it’s because having only Pri affinity takes precedence over having Pri and corps affinity?
Right after that:
The first answer to Pri (“I was out when I ran into ${mc2_name}, here,” I explain.) doesn’t seem to alter affinities or standing or anything at all. Was it intended or not? Asking cause it seems the other options here alter things.
Then, when MC2 talks to Pri:
A lot of the checks and affinity increases or decreases seem to be for Bel instead of Pri as it should (both the check and the in/decreases for the first option, and only the in/decreases for the second option):
*disable_reuse *selectable_if (mc2_belvidere_rep < 50) #“I didn’t expect you to remember me fondly…” ${mc2_name} continues.
Prudence smiles. “I’ve gotta deal with more than one grump in me job, so yer attitude don’t stick out much, HAW!”
She wrinkles her nose with the effort of thinking. "I think I've got it... A few years back, on the road, right...?"
${mc2_name} nods dismissively.
*set mc2_belvidere_rep - 2
*set mc2_kind - 2
*goto ch1_12
*disable_reuse *selectable_if (mc2_prudence_rep >= 52) #“I thought you would’ve remembered me…” ${mc2_name} continues sadly.
Prudence looks somewhat distressed. She doesn’t like to be the cause of anyone’s sadness.
She wrinkles her nose with the effort of thinking. "I think I've got it... A few years back, on the road, right...?"
${mc2_name} nods.
"Well, I've got it now, y'know?"
*set mc2_belvidere_rep + 2
*set mc2_kind + 2
*goto ch1_12
Once the MCs are left alone in the camp:
The first option says:
“Finally, a change to question him!”
Should be “a chance”, right?
When the two MCs have the opportunity to talk at camp:
One of the questions is:
“How are you feeling…?” I ask sympathetically.
It was greyed out for me, which seemed weird since it appears to be a genuine question not some weird taunting. It makes me think there is a code error: one of the things required for it to appear is “mc1_kind < 50”, and I guess it should be “mc1_kind > 50”
When Pri suggest MC1 to ask MC2 for help with their task one way or another:
The second point about exploitable cultural weaknesses.
In order to select the first option, it’s required to have “mc1_radical <= 40” - I don’t know if it’s an error or not, but considering most of the time its either more or less than 50 instead of 40, I believe it may be a typo?
If refusing to exploit cultural weaknesses:
The follow up is:
You’re not even entirely sure what an “exploitable cultural weaknesses” would be, even, but you understand quite well that you don’t want anything to do with it.
Repetition with “even” appearing by the start of the sentence and around the middle.
This isn't an error but an observation and/or question:
Shouldn’t the “Try to take enough notes to satisfy the Sovereign’s order” option in MC1’s introduction, when travelling with Pri and her team, count as “mc1_mandates_fulfilled + 1”?
Sure, what MC1 did is not really structured nor good, to say the least, but it’s still something done?
When reaching Laz's hideout and asking the first question:
Laz answers:
“Really, now, Aa’rp… What kind of subversive element would I be if I didn’t have a few underground bunkers lying around, eh? Hm-hmmm-hmm!”
So he adresses MC2, but the question was asked by MC1, right? The perspective didn’t change here, and the prompt doesn’t say it’s the other MC who asks.
When coming back to MC1's home:
I’m not sure if that was intended or not, but when Pri adresses MC1’s family, she starts with: “I return my Liege (…)”.
She uses a gender neutral title (Liege), and I was wondering if it shouldn’t be Lord/Lady accordingly, depending on MC1’s gender (if they are not NB)? If it was intended, because decorum says she should phrase it that way or whatever, then it’s fine obviously.
And on the same page:
“Prudence turns to face Morgan” - it referred to my MC1 by name, but the perspective was still his, so it should have been “Prudence turns to face you”.
