Patch C.1 Release

Yes, you read the title correctly. There's an update. And there's a lot to talk about to do with this one, so I wish there was a table of contents I could do for this post, but alas. I'll try to answer all the questions I anticipate you might have in this post, so without further ado...

Why is this?

Why? Just to suffer. Well, it's that, but also because I've felt for a while that I don't like leaving the game in a buggy state, but I also didn't want to commit to releasing it fully and getting back on a schedule. So this update is supposed to be a kind of best of both worlds - new content for you, no pressure or anxiety for me. Problem solved! Well, not exactly. But it is something.

I primarily wanted to include Dr. Sharpe's route in a build, since it's something I've had sitting in my developer copies for a long time. Suffice to say that Dr. Sharpe's route was finished up to the end of week 3 before Charlie's week 2 was. So if any of my old playtesters are still around, they might recognize that most of what they played back in 2020, if the dates on my files are to be believed, is in this build (I fixed the second dream sequence though, the one you all hated with a passion).

What is this?

This is a major update, but not a full week, which is why it's not called "Build D". I'm calling this update "Patch C.1" to avoid the confusion of calling it "Build D" when each build before it had a whole week's worth of content. This patch has around half a week of content, depending on the route. It was originally meant to be a small bug-fixing patch, but I got carried away and added a bunch of new content as I tend to do. Well, not new per se, most of what's in this update was already in my development copy in some form. However, a lot of this content has never been playtested or fully implemented, so it was riddled with game-breaking crashes, flow issues, etc. So I knew that before implementing any new content, I had to playtest the whole thing and fix whatever I could find. 

This update doesn't exhaust the content I have, in various stages of WIP, in my development copy, but I wanted to set a reasonable goal for myself that I could accomplish on time (who is this, working on a sane schedule? it's called character growth). So it's possible that there may be further updates like this one if I ever decide to implement further content, but I'm purposely not stating when/if that will happen because Absolution is really a side project at this point. If I want to return to it again, I would like it to be of my own volition and at my own pace.

What's in this?

Oh, you want to know what this build contains? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here are some highlights.

HIGHLIGHTS: New story events

A lot has been added with this update, despite it not having a full new week. Below is a list of completely new content. Most of it has been sitting in the game files for quite some time, but was never fully tested or implemented. Much of it has also undergone major edits for this update, following meticulous playtesting. However, due to the scope of week 5, there may still be some bugs, which I will be fixing with patches if necessary.

• Dr. Sharpe's route for weeks 1-3 has been added. It contains 12 unique events and alters many common route events.
• The previously available patients' routes are now longer with the addition of events following the main character's return to the hospital.
• This means that overall, 8 new patient sessions have been added (3 with Tom and Charlie each and 2 with William).
• 3 new dream scenes have been added, 2 for Dr. Sharpe's route and 1 for Tom's route.
• The first 2 days of the week 5 investigation events are now available.
• A common story event that happens regardless of your previous choices has been added.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sanity and alignment

This update marks a decisive shift in my approach to the Sanity mechanic. Originally, I viewed it as just a minor aspect of the game's resource management gameplay - making the "wrong" choices in dream sequences could lead to a game over, which gave more mechanical weight to choosing to stay in your office during your break. In short, it was a simple to be managed throughout the game. However, as time went on, I realized that Sanity could be used to make every playthrough of Absolution even more unique. At first, I was adding Sanity-dependent narration and choices as a small nod to player choices, but this update really brings Sanity to the forefront. I hope you enjoy finding all the unique options granted by Low Sanity - I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy the consequences, though!

• A bar showing the main character's sanity has been added to her Characters Info entry. It is updated in real time.
• Adjusted the formula that initially calculates the main character's alignment.
• Introduced several new ways to lose and regain sanity based on your choices or particularly traumatizing scripted events. Though the primary way of losing sanity is still making the "wrong" choices in dream sequences, there are also a few instances of sanity loss in the waking world, whether as a result of your choices or as scripted events (the main character needed the nerf, I think).
• The main character's sanity affects narration and dialogue in numerous points throughout the new events, particularly during the common route. If you pay attention, you'll even notice her narration changing in generic events, such as going home after work.
• Locked several choices on week 5 behind the main character's sanity, whether high or low. A low sanity playthrough may prove to be an exciting challenge, if you manage not to get a game over.

HIGHLIGHTS: Fixes and improvements

The amount of bugs I've fixed in week 5 content is truly staggering. This portion of the game is not only the most complex, but also has never properly been playtested, so getting even a portion of it to a polished, stable state was a huge undertaking. That said, since I was playtesting the game from start to finish multiple times, I've also fixed all the bugs I encountered along the way on weeks 1-4. Some of these bugs may have made it into the previous released build (C), while others yet may have been created in my development copy with the addition of late-game content. While I was going through the game, I was also getting many ideas on how to improve the overall experience with many edits and additions.

• Revamped the History screen. Dialogue history is now cleared at the start of each in-game day and displays the current day and month.
• Went on a veritable crusade against audio files that refused to play when they were supposed to through the script.
• Fixed a few issues to do with the Character Info screen, such as update notifications appearing when nothing was updated, or Dr. Sharpe's age being listed as "None" (which is not actually accurate, believe it or not) in some circumstances. Also updated a certain mysterious man's portait in said screen, as the game was using his old sprite for it until now.
• Fixed several bugs in the week 4 optional social event. I'm not sure if they existed in Build C, or only in my development copy, but there were many instances of missing sprites or game crashes due to typos in file names. My favorite bug of this variety was when Dr. Young would randomly appear at the center of your living room halfway through your hangout with other people, uninvited, utter a few lines of dialogue and then never be acknowledged by anyone despite glitching into everyone at the center of the screen.
  
• Fixed innumerable crashes, bugs and flow issues throughout the whole game, particularly weeks 4 and 5.
• Fixed several typos, punctuation errors or instances of awkward phrasing (my English is improving).
• To give you an idea of how many tedious fixes I've made this past month, the notes I'm using for this devlog have 340 lines of fixes, changes and playtesting comments (I did the playtesting myself this time).

• Remade the Bible quotes on Michael's dream sequences. When I was starting Absolution, I wasn't very familiar with English versions of the Bible, so I picked at random and had to include a copyright notice in the "About" menu. Now the game uses the King James Bible - I feel that it does particularly well at well, sounding like the Bible, regardless of the faithfulness of the translation (but we're not in Bible study, so we don't need to get into the details). And it seems that a lot people in the US agree with me since it's very popular (in some circles), so it might be familiar to you if you're American. This also means that there a new, more legible font for the quotes on Michael's route, and some of the verses were changed to be more in line with what's happening in the actual scene.

• Added an imagemap to William's third dream sequence. In English, that means there's  fancy new arrows on the screen instead of a tedious text-based menu of where to go. You'll know when you see it.
• That same dream sequence also now allows you to pick up and use the newspaper in the storage room to great effect - a highly anticipated feature. I recommend using it on the piece of cloth two rooms later, it's very useful.
• Also in that dream, I made the music stop when there's a jumpscare (there's a few of them) and added a cool new jumpscare sound I found in the game files. I don't think I've used it in the actual script before, I just exported it a long time ago because it sounded cool.

• There a super special rare secret hidden ending to William's route. It was also accessible in the previous build, but I've made it (hopefully) a little easier to access, though you likely won't get it on your first playthrough unless you're psychic or have read spoilers (more power to you, either way). The ending was also quite hastily put together, so I wanted to give it the polish it needed. Hopefully someone will discover it this time around, I'm really proud of it. 

• I've also overhauled the second dream on Dr. Sharpe's route with a fancy imagemap and a whole new segment, but you wouldn't realize it's new unless you're one of the few people who playtested the game years ago so...

Oh look, the update has its own trailer:

How much is (in) this?

In case it needs to be clarified, Patch C.1 is a free update, just like all the previous ones. Unlike with previous updates, however, the game's price hasn't increased. In fact, there's a 40% off sale on both my paid works (Absolution and my DnD 5e bestiary) until the end of this holiday season. You can also get them in a bundle for cheaper, if you're so inclined.

Also, if you want an estimate of how much new content there is in Patch C.1, check out this handy table I wrote that compares a few select builds of the game:

What now?

Now? Nothing, really. Now I wait for you guys to play the update, listen to feedback, maybe post a bug-fixing patch in a few days if necessary. And you can play the new version or not, I'm not your dad. What I and a lot of you will likely be doing soon, though, is unwinding during the coming holidays. I wanted this update to be a little holiday treat for the community, if anyone is still out there to enjoy it. I doubt any of you expected this, since I kept quiet about the update on purpose, but I hope it's a pleasant surprise.

Wishing everyone happy holidays and a great 2024,
~ Viktor "Navypink"

P.S.: It's not entirely accurate to say that I kept quiet about this update. I actually kind of announced it in my latest OST video. So in case any of you were wondering why I was so obnoxious about it, now you know. You may have noticed the numbers flashing between each track in the video - that was a code, and there was a key earlier in the video, it was a whole thing. Anyway, I just figured it would be a fun thing to try.