Post by Luhnaire in TrueClash comments

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Hey Zaak! Luhnaire here ! (Yeah, I'm stealing that greetings :p)

So... I may or may not have played the game regularly since last time because, well... I did say I was invested, and it was hard not to. I hope you don't mind, because I just wanted to talk to someone about my experience with it.

I finally got to spend time with Diego. And... well, let's just say it's gonna be hard to choose between him and Matt. I really like his sense of humor and how he cares. It does feel like he was well written, so good job on that.

Also, I fumbled a bit with the game and tried every things I could think and am still missing around 40% of the visuals, so guess I'm actually quite bad at it. Lol. I think I saw a post where someone asked if we will get some kind of "branching scenarios trees" (I hope you get what I mean, cause I'm not an English native, and I really don't know how to say this better. Lol), but do you still plan on doing this at some point? It would help a lot for sure, but I can see how hard it'd be to do it when you have all these echos. Also, searching has its charms, but I feel like I'm so stuck right now that I don't know what to do anymore, even though I'm missing so much. I fear that I need to be really mean to everyone just to get what I don't have, though. And... with Diego and Matt looking at me like that, I need to steel myself for a wild ride. Lol.

I did go through the Harry route, too, but... As much as I wish he'd get better, I don't see myself romancing someone like that. I hope I'm gonna be able to help without romancing him.

I went through Adrian's route too and it felt terrible to be an assh*le to everyone. Plus, this route led me to this specific fight that feels impossible to complete... Is it, though? I feel like what I'm missing for Matt might be behind this, but it feels so hard.

Other than that, I hope everyone on the team is doing great, and I wish you all a great day. Expect from me again (if you don't mind) as I go through my journey with Trueclash :p

TrueClash Games30 days ago

Hey! You can totally steal my intro anytime, heheh.

And please, don’t ever hesitate to send messages like this. I genuinely love reading them. Feedback like yours helps me see both what’s working well and what still needs improvement.

Ahh, Diego and Matt, huh? Hehehe. In the version that’s coming out for free soon (around three weeks from now), you’ll actually get the chance to deepen the night with Diego even more.
Matt, on the other hand, gets a conversation with Mafalda that shows a new side of him. That upcoming free patch mainly expands on existing content while the one I’m working on right now pushes the story forward in a big way.

About unlocking visuals, I totally get what you mean. A lot of people have mentioned that too. There’s a lot of variation, and the fact that I use so many Echoes definitely makes it tricky to unlock everything.
To help with that, we’re currently working on a Memory Log system. Our GUI artist is first finishing some of the more standard elements — like improving dialogue boxes and building a new in-game menu (based on an idea we came up with). The log will be part of that menu.

And yeah, I know what you mean by “branching scenario trees.” Trueclash actually tracks your decisions in two main ways.
One is through branching paths. For example, at the end of the night you can choose to go home with Harry, Diego, or Matt (and in version 0.4, Joel joins that list too 👀).
But the other is scene transformation and adaptation. You can already see that during the beer-pong section but in the current version I’m writing (0.5), I’ve taken it even further. Scenes dynamically change depending on your past choices: characters say different things or react differently.
It’s not exactly a new branch; it’s more like the main storyline reshaping itself based on what you’ve done. Get it?

That’s what makes a “branch map” quite difficult to create, but I might still ask Alex to try something like that. He’s the one who made some of the guides on Patreon.

I’ve also been reducing the number of Echoes overall. Things that used to trigger an Echo (like a small dialogue change) no longer do. Now, only the truly meaningful or game-changing decisions create one. Hopefully this helps make the game easier to follow without feeling like you’re chasing every minor variation. But this is something to revisit when the log is ready to be worked upon.

About being “mean,” haha — there are actually two ways to be mean, after that you don’t have to be cruel to unlock more visuals. And yep, that one specific fight? It’s almost impossible to win. You don’t really miss out on anything major, just a slightly different line. I considered adding an achievement or image in case someone managed to win but decided it would feel unfair, given how hard it is, haha.

And yeah, I get what you mean about those looks from Matt and Diego… it’s definitely a wild ride.
You’ll mostly feel happy while playing Trueclash — but there will be moments that hurt, a lot. Especially in version 0.5 (currently in development). Let’s just say Alex needed a few days to emotionally recover from that one after he beta tested it due to happens with one of the characters there 😅.
But those imperfect, sometimes painful moments are what I think make a story truly good.

So, thank you again and we’ll be waiting for you on the next chapter of your Trueclash journey! 💙

Luhnaire30 days ago (1 edit)

Thanks for the answer!

So, first thing first : Joel, huh? I'm quite sure this isn't gonna make my choices down the line easier. I like the little bit I saw about him, and out of them all, he is the closest to how I would describe my type, so yeah, he's kinda cheating. Lol. I'll admit though that I alreday knew he was coming, cause I read a few messages here, and I know a bit about what's coming in v0.4. Can't wait to see Diego without his shi... I mean, learn a bit more about him.

(Seriously, though, I like to joke about it, but I really am more invested in the story than the rest. Even if I can't deny it is a very nice bonus that they look good topless)

I don't want to spoil too much to someone reading comms - like I did - but Matt's new side when you go the Adrian's route was already quite surprising. Didn't think he was gonna go that hard. But I'll be happy to see more of him. Though, I still need to hunt his last 3 visuals.

I love this reshaping thingy you implemented. It must be hell to track and adjust during one playthrough, so I totally get why you reduced the number of echoes. It's actually a nice thing. Cause if the whole game is that hard as the beginning to get visuals, it could ruin the fun at some point (if you're a collectionist and want them all). Like you said, all the minor variation are nice to read, but hard to get. I got another one yesterday I enjoyed quite a lot, to be honest. I managed to get close to Diego using my discussion with Matt about tatoos, I didn't know it was a thing.

I'm not sure we were talking about the same thing when I said branching scenario trees. I meant a way to see what choices we made, and where are the ones we missed. Like in Last Virtue's Reward (and its successor Zero Time Dilemma), or 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

Thank goodness I don't have to win that fight. Lol. I was ready to try hard the whole thing, but didn't really want to. Haha.

I feel like we need some darker moments to get more invested, so I don't mind. I don't like sobbing stories just for the sake of it, but when it's subtle and is here because they are humans, then I quickly get behind that.

Now, I'll need to replay some more games and try to get other visuals. Lol. Thanks again for the answer. Seeing you being so genuilely happy to talk about it (or at least, you're good at faking it :p) is great. I hope you'll keep this joy working on this game. See ya :p

TrueClash Games27 days ago

Haha, yeah — seems like a lot of people are gaining interest on Joel, heheh.
And I’m glad he’s… um… your “type on paper,” xDDD
Of course, you want to learn more about Diego — seeing him shirtless is just part of the process, right? 😏

Ahh yes! You definitely get to see a very different side of Matt there. That was one of the main goals of that ending, hehe.

And yeah, it’s definitely hard sometimes. Back when I was writing the beer pong sequence, it was honestly melting my brain — I was exhausted for days after finishing it. These days, though, I’ve found better methods to manage all the keys, so it’s not as chaotic anymore (thankfully).

That moment you mentioned with Diego — getting closer to him through the tattoo talk with Matt — that’s exactly the kind of feeling I wanted players to have.
Seeing how small choices can subtly shift relationships and unlock different moments. I obviously can’t predict or code every single possibility, but I still love sprinkling in those little variations whenever I can.

I actually noted down the names of those games you mentioned — Virtue’s Last Reward and 13 Sentinels. I’ll definitely check them out; maybe they’ll give me a clearer idea of how to structure the memory log in the future.

And about the darker moments, I completely agree with you. I never want to force drama just for the sake of it. I prefer when things happen naturally, making sense with each character’s personality and emotional logic. There’s always a “why” behind every decision, not just a narrative twist.

I genuinely love talking about all this, it’s a real passion of mine (or, like you said, maybe I’m just really good at faking it 😈).

Thank you again for taking the time to share all this. And seriously, if anything else comes to mind, don’t hesitate to tell me!

Luhnaire27 days ago(+1)

Oh, god. I'm gonna make this quick this time, but I had to talk about this.

I just got to one of the worst ending, being a proper ass to almost everyone, and it felt horrible. I did get two new visuals, but at what cost? XD

I realised also that one of the visuals I didn't have was because I had to play as female Ren. So now, I'm only missing one for Matt, one for Diego, and one for Others.

Also, thanks for your last answer. I feel like there was nothing very important to add, but thanks again for the kind words :)

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