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!