[WIP] All That Glitters (Hollywood Drama/Romance) (Ch 4 Update!)

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Oooh, tysm! My goal is definitely to finish the game. Even if I tweak a bit here and there, I try to avoid getting stuck in endless rewrites so I can keep moving the story forward. Plus, the love so many people have shown for the game is a massive motivation for me. So, I’ll do my absolute best to stick with it and see it through to the end, hehe! :wink:

It makes me so happy to see that some of you are already replaying the game to try out different routes! It makes all the hard work totally worth it. :slight_smile:

Sutton and Cross’s attitudes are set from the get-go for the sake of the plot, but from here on out, it will be up to you to decide whether you want to become friends, more than friends, or just fully embrace the chaos, lol! I hope you have a blast either way!

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Coco romance :pleading_face:

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I’ll settle for at least a smooch

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Hey, I just wanted to say I’ve really enjoyed this WIP so far! When I got to the ending of chapter 4 I was genuinely like, “you can’t end it there, I need to know what happens next!”

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Really enjoyed the update just a small thing that I need clarity on. But we have Apartments in both LA and NYC? I’m asking cause while New York isn’t specifically states like LA is it makes sense since Coco references that shes ahead of you in the call in the beginning time zone wise, as well as Leo working on Broadway. Its nothing major just wanted to ask.

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You’re totally right to be confused, and thank you for catching that! This is a classic case of what happens when I start writing a scene, take a break for a few weeks, and then come back to it later—details just slip! :sweat_smile:

My initial idea was to have the MC live in NYC, but I later changed my mind and settled on LA instead. Leo just comes and goes. Since I took a little break between writing those parts, I completely forgot to go back and update that specific time-zone reference with Coco! I’ll definitely fix that chat for the next update so everything aligns perfectly.

On that note, I actually have a growing to-do list to polish and improve the prologue and chapter one, as I’ve noticed a few other details that need a change. Since my main focus right now is pushing the story forward and working on new content, I’m keeping those early edits on the back burner for a bit—but they will definitely get a facelift in the future!

Thanks again for pointing it out and helping me improve the game. Also, a huge thank you to everyone who comments and leaves feedback! Reading your kind words seriously makes my day every single time. :two_hearts::sparkles:

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I mean MC in all possible careers is, or until recently was, a successful celebrity. So having multiple homes is practically the standard for those kind of people. I would actually suggest the mc have a proper house (or penthouse) in LA and a “smaller”, think Friends small which is still quite big by NYC standards apartment in NYC. Headcanon my mc probably has his own home or apartment on Ibiza as well.:wink:

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That actually works out perfectly, yes! Since the MC will be going to NYC soon, I might just give you the choice to pick which city you prefer as your main base, and whether your MC owns multiple properties or not. :wink:

Also, love the Ibiza headcanon, that is pure celebrity behavior! :palm_tree::sparkles:

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Okay, I’m invested, my only request is to make more career scenes

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Glad to help.

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Hi! So far really enjoying this project (I’m already gonna have a hard time picking between Nia and Ruby), but one thing that is confusing is my relationship with alcohol. Sometimes the characters note that I don’t drink (like the waiter at the gala) but then other times I’m drinking wine or whatever else. It’s just inconsistent unless I selected the wrong option (I selected “wet my lips but don’t drink” when Coco first called me into her office, for reference).

Secondly, will our character be able to support causes or charities (like the ocean conservancy at the gala), either genuinely or as an image boost? Seems a very Hollywood thing to do. Either way, thanks for all the work you’re putting in! Can’t wait for the next chapter!

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Well that was a lot of fun. I played as a fading male actor interested in women in my first playthrough so my thoughts are based on that. But the story seems well written and polished.

Mc seems to be late 20s but there were a few places that made me feel older. Probably because I was playing the fading child star version so an experiencd even cynical mc makes sense, but it did have me a bit confused early on. I liked that vibe quite a bit but earlier clarity on age might help.

I also really wanted more feedback during my filming scene with the friend (Leo? Terrible with names). As a straight man playing another man’s lost lover I wanted to know how brave a choice that was. Oscar bait period drama? Whatever. But John Wick style action heroes? That’s a bold choice. I even chose to go off script with the kiss and didn’t get much reaction.

Another place I wanted more reaction was when my ex was dating a woman. It’s just a good place to get some positive recognition for a bi character. Especially one who doesn’t have many redeeming points as of yet.

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Can’t the code be seen? I just want to read the code XD

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Hi! Thank you so much for pointing this out! :heart:

The option to play as a non-drinking MC was actually a late addition to the game. Originally, the script defaulted to the MC drinking in every scene, and when I went back to implement the non-drinking path, it looks like I missed a few spots!

You definitely selected the right choice (“I just wet my lips. I’ve never been a fan of alcohol”), so this is a coding oversight on my end. I’ll comb through the script, find those sneaky scenes where the MC is drinking anyway, and fix them as soon as possible.

I don’t have anything planned along those lines yet, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind because, like you said, it’s a very Hollywood thing to do! Thanks for the suggestion!

Thank you so much for this incredibly detailed and thoughtful feedback! You make some excellent points here. Writing an IF with so many different branching paths and MC backgrounds means I’m always trying to balance a lot of different perspectives at once.

I absolutely love both of your suggestions, and I’ll keep these in mind for future updates to make the paths feel more reactive and complete. Thanks for helping me improve the game! :heart:

Hi! I completely understand the curiosity, but since this is my very first game and I’m still learning how to code, my script is an absolute, chaotic mess right now and I’m a bit too shy to share it! :face_with_peeking_eye:

Just a quick heads-up on how things are going! These last few weeks have been pretty quiet on my end since I haven’t had much time to advance with the writing. However, July is looking much better! I’ll have a lot more free time starting next month, and I’m so excited to finally sit down and get back into the writing groove.

On another note, I recently caught a coding bug right at the start of Chapter 3 for the Singer path. It turns out the game has been skipping a small scene this whole time! :sob:

I won’t be able to sit down and look into it until the end of next week at the earliest, but I’ll make sure to upload an update to fix this issue and clean up those other minor bugs as soon as I can after that!

Thank you all for bearing with me and showing so much love to the game! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Hey everyone! Just a quick heads-up that a new hotfix update is now live! :police_car_light:

I’ve just updated the game to fix the Chapter 3 singer route bug, clean up the alcohol/no-drinking inconsistencies, and add a few new options to previous choices (including a brand-new scene with Cross at the gala for the workaholic path!).

Please let me know if you run into any more bugs or weird inconsistencies.

Hope you enjoy the new tweaks and thank you so much for all your help and feedback! :heart:

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I can’t to see the different POV Sutton POV would be interesting to see

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I played through the different talents and paths a while ago, but have not gotten around to giving my thoughts on them. So there you go:

Actor/Actress & Rising Star

This was the first combination I tried and it is still my favorite. I feel like actor/actress lends itself well to the story, giving additional reason as to why the MC is being introduced to a stranger and expected to be able to fake date them believably. I also adore it because it adds extra tension to flirting with Sutton, making it more uncertain on their part what is real and what is fake. Which means I’m definitely romancing Sutton with an actor/actress!!

As for the path, I really enjoyed it and fit the character I wanted to play very well (charismatic, social, optimistic etc.).

Model & Workaholic

This was my second variation and I was surprised to see that the path affects the personality of the MC. It worked out and gave my MC on this path a distinct personality which I enjoyed. Not sure yet who to romance here, if anyone. But it’s definitely fun to play a more no-nonsense kind of character who’s efficient about their goals.

One thing I wasn’t sure about was what a model would do as a workaholic. I’m not saying they can’t spend their whole day working, but I wasn’t sure what kind of things they would do, especially if it’s something that could potentially be worked on and dropped as needed. I’m referring to a certain scene that I won’t be able to remember where it is now. But your MC is basically advised to go to bed and get some rest (or sth like that) and the MC indicates they will stay up late to work.

If you really wanted to round out your paths, then it might be helpful to describe what exactly it is that the different careers are working on so late. However, I don’t think it’s really necessary either; you could maybe add it to a list of considerations for later.

Singer & Scandal

I was SHOCKED how much I loved the scandal path. I typically prefer perfectionist or charismatic MCs, so I felt uncertain about this path before going into it. However, for starters, MC hasn’t really done anything horrible so far. They’re just living their life for the most part and getting caught in bad moments (and being judged for them). Additionally, I felt more comfortable picking choices that broke rules one way or another. For example, my favorite moment is when you take the picture at the gala with everyone and you can choose to make a silly face, making everyone laugh. It paints the picture of someone who’s lacking rules and boundaries, but precisely because of that is such a magnetic personality. I’m excited and hopeful that it continues that way. ALSO, definitely romancing Navarro with this path!! The moment they were introduced, I fell in love with that passionate, kind of twisted chemistry.

And the job: I felt it was portrayed well. I didn’t even notice that a scene was missing (because of the bug) and felt it was as rounded as the other careers. So I liked it.

TV Host & Fading Legend

This combination is a path I cared for the least, but that is entirely subjective preference. I left it for last, kind of picking the choices I hadn’t yet selected in the previous playthroughs. Mainly, I’m not really interested in playing a TV Host MC and couldn’t really envision what that would be like. I did really appreciate being able to go up to another interviewer + cameraman and strike up a conversation. That was a fun moment that made the MC feel integrated into the world.

I can’t really say anything about the path. I felt it was portrayed well. I might try it with another career to see if it feels different.

Are we going to get POVs?

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Wow, thank you SO much for taking the time to share such a detailed, thoughtful, and incredibly comprehensive breakdown of all the paths! Reading reviews like this is a writer’s absolute dream :face_holding_back_tears::heart:

I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed the Actor/Actress + Rising Star combo with Sutton—that “is it real or is it fake?” tension is exactly what I am aiming for! And hearing that the Scandal path completely shocked you in the best way possible makes me so happy :musical_notes::camera_with_flash:

Regarding your note on the Model + Workaholic path: That is actually an excellent point! It can definitely be a bit vague what a model is doing working late at night (maybe answering emails from their agency, reviewing portfolio proofs, or planning upcoming shoots). I love the idea of rounding that out, so I’ve officially added it to my list of considerations for future polishing! Thank you for the helpful feedback. :writing_hand::sparkles:

To answer the question about POVs: As of right now, I don’t have any plans to include different POVs within the main game itself.

Thank you again for playing all the different variations and for supporting the game so beautifully! Your feedback means the world to me! :heart:

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Hi everyone! I hope you’re all doing great.

Chapter 5 is currently heavily under construction, and I’ve reached a very fun narrative branching sequence: The MC is reading the internet’s reaction to their “PR date” with Sutton.

I just posted this fun little game over on Tumblr, but I really wanted to bring it over to the forum too in case you’d like to join in on the fun! I need to write some fake internet comments reacting to the paparazzi pictures, and I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to involve you guys directly in the worldbuilding!

If you’d like to see your take featured in the game, feel free to drop your best fake internet comment (along with a fake username). I’ll be picking my 5 favorites from the community to be officially coded into the game :slight_smile:

To make sure it fits perfectly with the branching narrative, please specify which MC background your “internet persona” is reacting to:

  • :collision: Scandal MC: (Vibe: “Sutton is crazy for dating a walking PR disaster.”)

  • :chart_decreasing: Fading MC: (Vibe: “They are definitely using Sutton for clout to be relevant again.”)

  • :glowing_star: Rising MC: (Vibe: “Hollywood’s new golden couple! I’m seated! :popcorn:”)

  • :briefcase: Workaholic MC: (Vibe: “I literally didn’t think the MC had time to sleep, let alone date Sutton.”)

Feel free to channel any persona: a hardcore Sutton/MC defender, a hopeless shipper, a cynic who knows it’s a PR stunt, or just an absolute hater. Give me your best “chronically online” takes!

Thank you so much for playing and for your amazing support! :sparkling_heart:

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For the Faded Star and my character I’d like a headline that has the kind of feeling of something like;

In a desperate attempt for relevancy; How “character” Is Weaponising a High-Profile Romance for a Comeback"

Something quite harsh and giving the impression my character is literally hanging on for clout. Which is kinda true but also maybe not if the romance becomes real :smiley:

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Just binged the entire thing on the workaholic playthrough and I fear I’m completely Down bad for Sutton idk what it is but the attitude and him calling mc boring now I’ve made it my ultimate mission to woo him.

Also the ex flashback in chapter 4 wooffff Skylar is so :skull: yeah I don’t like them even when I try to be civil even in the flashback all they care about is image poor mc fr

I’m really curious how mc crashout happens because that stress meter is making me stressed :sob:

Also I’m very curious on making a comment of my own to potentially be in the game but idk enough about Sutton or his affair??/ Career to make one about him definitely gonna browse the tumbler and see if I can think of something.

Edit:here’s what i came up with (it’s hella delulu)

Workaholic Mc path as i don’t know much about sutton i just wrote a delulu love fan who instantly ships them and made it delulu as possible.

@suttons_golden_globe “Sutton’s left eyelash blinked right as that camera flashed. If you look closely at the photograph, he looked at MC’s “Outfit” three times. Three times = “I Love You” They are communicating in binary because MC is a robot. It all makes sense!!!.”

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