Liked your choice of weapon selection, reminded me of your previous games. A Little saddened that it didn’t specify rifle selection, but all good. I’ve started to see a theme in your games, in all of them you’re some sort of military/law enforcement. Just saying.
The Voltaire reference was awesome. As usual, Allen Gies wit for the win.
More comments later.
Voltaire references are easy when you’re evil. :))
… I’m sorry. I’ll hit myself. *Smack*
I’ve been waiting for a good western. Very well written so far, although it seemed to me at first you died at the rope and the guy recruiting you was a ghost or angel or something. That would’ve been interesting. 
Oh well, maybe next time. I love it so far, keep it up. 
I did not pick every option avalaible just yet, but I’d like to dissipate a doubt: The gender of the person you allegedly murdered, what difference does it make plot-wise?
The game definitely has your previously seen style, and I cannot wait to play the full version. I did not notice any grammatical mistake so far.
Well, I tested how much murder you could get into, and was pleasantly surprised to see a chance to blast away at lots of people.
One thing I noticed: if you shoot Denny, you get ((Yep, Denny’s dead)) before you’re asked about your gun. Is that placeholder dialog?
I’m glad people liked the Voltaire reference. It just popped in there when I started writing and stuck around because it felt like an excellent fit for the situation.
Zed- I had originally considered a couple of different character types to be playable. Gamblers, actors, cowboys, etc… but each of those would require a different back-story and motivation. If this production included more than one guy sitting in his bedroom plugging away at a keyboard (Actually two keyboards since my writing computer isn’t powerful enough to run the testing programs past a certain point) then I would consider it. As things stand, being a Marshal gives you both reason and means to participate and lead in all portions of the story with only a minimum of fuss. If that is my present motif, then I’ll consider breaking free of it next game.
ArchAngel950- That’s an interesting idea, getting your second chance via divine intercession. I’m sure its been done before, but that doesn’t make it any less tempting. But I think this game takes place in a world without the overt supernatural. Mind you, you can always choose to interpret Marshal James’ presence and offer as being indicative of something more. But if he has wings or horns, he’s hiding them well.
VoodooDolly- The answer to whether or not the gender of the person you killed matters is… I don’t exactly know yet. I am nearly finished with the first draft of Chapter 3 and expect at least six chapters to this story. The victim’s gender might be chrome but it might also come into play down the line when your outstanding debt comes due.
Either way, there is a variable that takes it into account. Do you have any insight or preference on the matter?
Ramidel- I deliberately made it possible to gun down a lot of people if your character is so inclined. You can even gun down potential companions, if you want. This is, after all, the old West.
The ((Yep, Denny’s dead)) portion shouldn’t even be visible, but apparently it is for some reason. I’ll remove that as it was just a reminder to myself that the only way to access one fork of the story in Chapter one is by killing Denny and having to outrun the posse.
On a more general note, were there any rough spots? Lack of description? Improbable happenings? Odd scene jumps? These, and more, are all things I would like to fix.
The scene with Denny after you pick your weapon could be a bit longer instead of it just going on to how will you get to the next destination. I’m thinking maybe asking him some questions not sure what they would be about. I really hope that this made so much scents that it makes dollars.
Terrific start, Allen – excited to see where it goes from here. A couple of possible fixes:
* After one of the ways I said yes, I’d be a Marshal, the Marshal responded, “Glad to hear it”… and then a second later, as he always does, he settled back with a little nod and said, “Glad to hear your affirmation.” Unlike his other first responses, this one makes him sound weirdly repetitive.
* On one fork (where I didn’t get the option to simply shoot Denny dead), I confronted Denny about the horse and put my hand on my gun… and suddenly I was leaving him to nurse his wounds. Would be good to have at least a little description for the gunfight.
* Keeping the “animal companion” an unspecified animal doesn’t quite work for me – the Marshal referring to “your unforgettable beast” or “scruffy companion” just sounds odd. Why not offer a specific option or two like “My old dog, Rawhide,” or “My bear, Buck – raised him from a cub and fed him two of my fingers.”
Things I love:
*the Marshal’s responses when you say your faith is the most important thing to you. (“That’s asking a touch of the sea from me…” “Now, you’ve given me two fistfuls of smoke to grasp…”)
*“There has to be a law against this!” “You want four years to find it or six seconds?”
*And of course, that Voltaire quote. Perfect.
@AllenGies,
I saw an option for a response, it was basically:
“So you’re offering me a chance for Redemption?”, and after I saw it and didn’t click it, I never saw it again during subsequent play throughs. How do you get that response?
Do you have any insight or preference on the matter?
No, to be honest, this is the first time I’ll shut my mouth, sew my lips and expect whatever it comes tied to my chair, ha-ha.
I also have to admit that the wild west is not my favourite place, and it is probably the last one I would think about for this type of game, but somehow you make it work so far. I’m sure I won’t be dissapointed nor bored by the finished game. Keep the good work!
Lexlexx- Good point about Denny. I’ll add a little part where you can talk with him, if you haven’t been fighting him of course.
Havenstone- I clearly missed that doubling up of the Marshal’s responses. Likewise, a little more description of the encounter with Denny will clear things up. Lastly, I think I’m going to drop the Animal companion from the hostage list. Much as I want to give the player a pet bear or tiger or some other exotic animal; as you pointed out, it just doesn’t fit. That doesn’t mean you can’t acquire a pet later, mind you… at least, I’ll keep the door open for that.
Zed- Some conversation options depend on certain previous choices. Being a Lawyer, being Stoic, being religious, etc. That one is, I think, a rare non-religious option. If your character is religious, then you can’t see it.
Chapter one update will take place tomorrow or Saturday. Then I’ll work on debugging and editing chapter two with an eye toward putting that out for beta next week.
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ArchAngel950- By the way, on further review, I think I am going to use a variation of the ‘Did you die on the scaffold back in San Fran?’ for part of chapter five. It is just too powerful to resist.
Please don’t make it all just have been a dream… 
Awesome! Can’t wait!
Late to the party, but I finally played this and I love it! I look forward to further updates.
wow love it so far keep up the great work =D>
Made it to town did not shoot anybody and learned stuff. Good game looking forward to more
Not to worry Shoelip. It isn’t all a dream, but there might be some confusions and uncertainties to unravel in chapter five. Can’t say more, because I haven’t written it yet.
For those who have yet to Beta, here is revised chapter one. Chapter two has now entered the painful debugging phase.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/89217689/web/index.html