Tin Star testing

@dusk777 - Which names correspond to which stat? Are you talking about the influence bars or when the MC’s name is first selected? If it is the latter, then a name could naturally lend itself to a stat, one of the names came about in honor of a Beta tester and finally if it didn’t fall into either category then I chose at ‘random’ so as to create a broad swath of bonuses to certain stats.

As for the Obsidian war ax. It can possibly be obtained from the Indians in chapter 6 or one other, as yet secret, way. :slight_smile:

@Bloodwyche - Ah, there is the lower-case indian typo. Excellent. That was starting to bug me.

@AngelOfTheBroken -I can neither confirm nor deny your possible insight into Marshal James. Nope. I shall not say a thing. :wink:

And good catch on the mix up with the lackey approach. I failed to indent a passage apparently.

@VoodooDolly- Hmm. I’ll get right on fixing that. Thanks. What did you think of the Upton interrogation scene? It was new this last update and I’m not certain it is all it could be.

@FortunesFaded - Another typo that spell check would never catch. I appreciate you noticing.

@P_tigras - I’m afraid that helping Maria reclaim her lands is a wee bit beyond the scope of Tin-Star. Still, that would be an excellent idea for a story; a tale of love and honor in a lush land as turmoil descends upon a passionate people…

Awesome, another game by the guy who made Apex Patrol. Really looking forward to this one.

@AllenGies Sounds like a great idea for a sequel, and you could potentially even bring along some favorite sidekicks like Caraway and Schmidt.

I’ve spotted what may be another glitch. If in the scene where the MC is talking with Little Boots prior to meeting the Uptons you can pursuade her to give your gun back. However when you enter the main cave the gun is on the floor next to Hungry Snake.

Think I’ve found another bug:

"The badge clatters to a final halt upon the table.

“I think you know the troubles that have plagued this town. Gunfighters come a calling, or tempers flare and pistols appear.” Preston recalls. “We had four Sheriffs in rapid succession, and just as many Marshals too. Not a good time to be a law-man, though Martin, our grave-digger, would no doubt dispute the point.”

The badge clatters to a halt upon the table.

“I do not wear the badge and I do not patrol the streets.”

@AllenGies

Heh, okay. Oh how I love to try and dissect everything~ :smiley:

“I want whoever funded all this, whoever called for the murder of my brother and whoever sent Steele in to impersonate a Marshal. Heck, I’ll even arrest the lion tamer.” Marshal James indicates. “Say, Julie is going to be burning a pot-roast tonight and I don’t want to have to eat it alone.”
In the options following that I can react to the pot-roast thing, but not to his off-hand comment about the lion tamer. I’d have liked the option to inquire about that and have him give one or two short sentences to that (“Didn’t you know? Regina has two pet lions” or something like that).

Talking to Julie about Simon, these two option are missing a disable reuse command:
“Would you be lonely without him?”
“Anything I can do to help?”

“That’d be a return to California. I’m a Marshal out there, and my leave of absense is almost up.”

“I’d wager whoever is pulling the strings has got a that much reach.”

Later on I call him Simon when I haven’t asked him if he’s okay with it.

Since I’m already having a casual talk with him over dinner, I’d appreciate the option to ask him for an update regarding my family/friend/hospital/lawfirm/… he is protecting for me back home.
The scene where we talk about the Upton Conspiracy also seems a bit short. A little more of a discussion/speculation about the possibilities would make a good fit, instead of just going along with him without contributing anything.

Interrogating Steele, I get this:
((Start here. A quick, no lose, interrogation)) It only takes a week to ride to Carson City and arrange to see the false Marshal.
I’m reasonably sure that authors note shouldn’t be there in the public version

Talking to the railworker, I have the option of remaining silent and to stare at him during the whole conversation. I admit I was a little disappointed that even with my Legend-Point worthy Intimidation skill he wasn’t even the slightest bit unnerved by that. For someone who’s already on edge due to the Indians, Bandits and whatnot, he sure has some balls of steel :wink:

During the train ride I get the option to make sure that nobody makes trouble and this comes up:
No one dares both you in Nebraska.

Choosing to hunt:
There just isn’t much game in Pennsylvania, if only because the doves are too content to flutter up as the train screams past.

(Gunfighting slightly increased) Pennsylvania is a tidy sight, marred only by the occasional pit mining site that reduces huge hills to craters.
Up till that the first sentence was about the current state I was in and the second about the new state I was entering. This instance it’s the same state for both.

I’d also like the option to chat with my companions during the train ride. They don’t crop at all apart from a sentence at the start (Schmidt was handling his horse and Carrie… I can’t even remember).
That goes for the rest of the Chapter too, the companions are awfully quiet during the whole trip. More interaction or comments would be better.

Upon entering the Upton house, this comes up:
Schmidt takes up position by the front door, fades into the many shadows.

Miss Caraway settles in opposite a mirror in the hallway, keeps an eye up and down.
I’m guessing the space comes from a couple variables, but the broken up text seems a bit strange.
Those spacing errors come up a couple of times during the story. Should I make a note when I find them?

Regarding the Legend score, I’ve been wondering for some time now at which point I met Billy Tate in the story. It’s been awhile since I played from Chapter 1, but the couple times I did, I didn’t notice it At which point do I have to look out for him?

Lastly, between Chapter 9 and 10 there is still the Beta-Break (“No new Chapter yet”).

Stats from my latest test run, I think I may have broken something… :wink:

Miss Caroline Slaughter:
Traits: Has an unusual bullet scar. Doctor.
Current Companions: Old Dan Schmidt, prospector. Miss Caraway, gunslinger.
Health: Healthy and vigorous.
Wealth: Wealthy.
Values:
Order 29
Honor 72
Law -4
Notoriety 30

Skills:
Gunfighting 69
Sharpshooting 63
Brawling 66
Riding 48
Survival 42
Legal 26
Engineering 12
Explosives 41
Persuasion 45
Intimidate 49
Stamina 40
Resolve 40
Influence_Carson 74
Influence_Schmidt 90
Influence_Caraway 130
Influence_Preston 78
Influence_Hartigan 79
Influence_Albion 73
Influence_Yiska 96
Influence_Maria 73

@AllenGies

Ran a playtest to Chapter Seven and chose to enter the cave by the front door. After suggesting to Little Boots that she see Hartigan I get the following:

["“You’re the Marshal… how could you know…” Little Boots begins, trails off as the implications hit. “Oh, I get you. This was a test.”

She passes back your Remington forty-four and then hurries off into the darkness."

At which point you have the option to listen, enter with the gun holstered or drawn. When I chose to arrest the conspirators I got the following:

["The cavern becomes so silent and still that you can hear the absent drip of water somewhere close by.

Your pistol rests beside Hungry Snake, right where Little Boots left it. He flicks a glance at it, grins with far too many teeth. "]

So something has gone wrong at that point,

Adding on with the interrogation of Regina:

I can talk about the death of Hungry Snake and either take credit for it (in my case the truth since I did kill him with the Obsidian axe) or blame one of my companions/acquaintances. In my case I think there should be an Honor penalty since I’d be blaming someone in my stead.
The option also says that I gunned him down, but I did… axe him down? Well, he didn’t die by bullets in any case :slight_smile:
There is also a disable reuse command missing. I tried the option a couple of times to see the different reactions and suddenly Regina got angry and spilled the beans.

I admit I was a bit surprised at how easily she can be outwitted. Including the showdown on the train, I think you can get her to inadvertently spill the beans four or five times. It feels like after the third time there should be a snide remark :wink:

But her mood change at the last one (where she tells about New York) seems a bit abrupt. First she clutches her dress, swaying slightly and talking to herself and the next sentence she’s angrily shouting at me. While the change itself is reasonable, a couple extra sentences to illustrate her working herself into a frenzy would give off a more rounded impression.

While talking to her about her brother, I can talk about his death, but since he was burned to a crisp in my playthrough there should be the possibility of rubbing a bit more salt in her wound (after all, death by fire is a little harsher than being shot).

On a side note, between the options of how to find the mastermind (ask Hartigan, interrogating Steele or the Uptons, running down leads, etc.) I also have this option:
Given your discussion with the Uptons, there is only one place to head. New York city.
At this point I only talked to them on a moving train while shooting at each other. I don’t think I should be getting this option.

@AllenGies

A thought…

Is there any way to take over the town from Preston?

Also tested the new version of Chapter ten, I’m hoping that in the final version Carrie, will be commenting on both New York and the journey there, I was really surprised at how the characters you bring along just seem to vanish until you reach the mansion.

And from early in the game, if you chose to finish the bottle when you first meet Carrie:

["“That’s what I like to hear.” She grins, pours two shots.

You don’t remember much after that. Just a ways down the main street, tucked in beside the gleaming glass of the Babylon saloon…"]

Somethig seems to be missing between "You don’t remember much after that. " and “Just a ways down the main street…”

So I’ve been wondering, Deputy-wise, what is everyone’s favorite pick? I see merit in all three of the obvious choices (Caraway, Carson and Schmidt), though it’d be interesting to see how many people approached some of the smaller (though still interesting) choices such as Frank Spears.

For me, I’ve tested out having Caraway as deputy (while dating her) and also Carson. I liked Carson a bit more, because due to my actions in the game most of the time I don’t get to know him until later in the game - as Deputy, it provides a lot more interaction with him. He’s also the most level-headed of the bunch, and has a good set of morals. Caraway was fun though, but I felt like it was a conflict of interest, her being in a relationship with the MC, and his deputy. Schmidt I feel also would be, simply because everyone knows him so everyone probably respects him.

Also, some deputy options I’d like to see (not really :P) -

Matthew the General Store Owner (“Stop right now, in the name of the law! Would you like to buy these dime-novels? It’s only ten cents… Awh come on! What else are you gonna read in prison?!”)
Hartigan (“Oh, I thought being deputy would make me exempt from getting arrested. So… No more armed robberies? Ah. I quit.”)
Martin the Telegraph Operator (“Yeah Marshal, I’ll be write there! Just lemme finish documenting your every action!”)

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Well the way I see it my bosom companions will back me up anyway, also I feel deputizing Carrie when her father is as local criminal is problematic, and Carson doesn’t live in town so that’s taking him away from his family, so I always go with Andy as my deputy.

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I’ve the same reasons as stsword why I don’t deputize Carrie and Carson. Also, Schmidt would only be a deputy temporarily. I realize “the roam the world” kind of thing he does would catch up to him sooner or later. Anyways, Frank Spears would be my obvious choice. He did fight against Hartigan’s gang beside me. He’s dependable and stable under fire.

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@Bloodwyche -Wow. That’s a lot of great feedback. I’m digesting and incorporating it this weekend. There will be an added bridge and bonus for drinking with Miss Caraway in Chapter 2 (I’ve actually been meaning to do something special about that section for a while now), as well as more fleshing out of the talk with Marshal James and Julie in Chapter 10, etc.

You asked about the spacing issues. Yes, when you find one of those, please tell me. They aren’t as endemic as they once were owing to the fact that I’m much more specific about using line_breaks, but if I’ve overlooked something I want to fix it before it breaks the flow.

Your play-through managed to get the Law stat negative and that has prompted me to add a special legend notation event for that in regards to honor, law and order stats above one hundred and below zero. Afterward, those will be reset to a hundred or zero afterward just to keep things tidy.

@Nasdaxow -Good point about the interrogation. I’ll take a look at the ramp up to revelation with Regina. I’ll also check and see if I’ve screwed up the variable to trigger the ‘You’ve talked with Regina and Reginald’ option. It is supposed to be triggered when MC talks to them at length in Chapter 7 and they monologue things out but it doesn’t seem to be playing out that way.

@FortunesFaded - Those alternate deputy options are hilarious. That is also why the pool of candidates doesn’t include Mother Maddy, Jeff Donner, Miss MacMurphy, either one of the Admunsens, Many Falling Rocks, etc. :slight_smile:

@ststword - You tend to choose Andy as your preferred deputy? How do you think he works out?

Are six potential deputy choices sufficient? (I really hope so)

I think Andy does great, that’s why I’ve never even bothered choosing Frank as my deputy

Andy, to me anyway, comes across as knowing how to handle himself in a fight but having the level headedness and social skills so that only happens as a last resort, which fits Doc Kang’s marshalling style perfectly: Talk softly and carry a shotgun he can perform surgeries with :slight_smile:

I’m sure Carson would do just as well, and if Carson were more local I’d seriously consider asking him, but he spends too much time away from his family as it is I’m sure.

@AllenGies

I lookforward to playtesting the updated version. I spotted something I’ve not yet done another run to confirm. In chapter five if you visit all the characters in town before going to Elko it seems to do something funny if you do not visit Yiska first, what happened was that the option was there, but selecting it took you back to Tumbleweed Jack.

@AllenGies I’m just curious as to why you didnt mention slavery or was that topic controversial?

@ststword -I’m glad you see Andy like that. It was largely what I was looking for when writing what I could for him. After all, he doesn’t appear unless you save him in chapter 5 and so most people might never have the option to choose him as a deputy.

@Bloodywyche -Interesting possible glitch there. Tell me what you find out. I’ll put it on the list to look at later.

@WizKid4evr -Slavery is a tough issue at the best of times. The story takes place in 1867-68, post American Civil War. Slavery as an institution has been abolished by constitutional amendment. Nevada became a state in 1864 and voted strongly for Lincoln. California entered as a free state years before that.

Slavery on the frontier was rare. African-Americans were also fairly rare; Timothy Sadler is the only African-American I’ve written directly into the story, though the Marshal certainly could be. There was a note about there being galvanized Union men in the cavalry regiment, which is to say southerners who fought against the Union but then swore loyalty to the United States following the surrender of the Confederacy.

I suppose it is more specific to say that slavery as an issue never came up in the story and there was no reason to explore it further. Maybe if there was an extended scene with Timothy or some of the galvanized Union men…

when I pick caraway as a companion before the bear and then died and went back to pick Schmidt it still said caraway.