Want to start off by saying how much I love these games. I mean, the intricate narrative, the addicting gameplay, the wonderfully descriptive lewd scenes—it’s all seriously top tier. //-u-//
On to the question, I could’ve sworn I read that Cruel Serenade’s save data can be linked with Gutter Trash, is that true? What gets linked over, your level? Items? If so, how would I go about doing it?
Thank you :)
Well thank you! Glad you're enjoying the games so far. I've always felt that people leave a lot on the table when they make explicit games; there's so much more you can do with an interactive medium than a simple graphic novel or a fighter that shows you a few mediocre cg when you lose or whatever. For a while, the Japanese were KILLER at this, and really inspired in terms of the fun a person could have if they cared. So if I've been able to capture and bring along at least a little of that, I'm glad.
On saves, you're correct! There are two saves with the game, the normal RPGMaker system, and an extended system I call "Data Crystals". In your game folder for GT, under js\plugins, you will find a "DataCrystal.js". This is, at first, a default placeholder. DataCrystal has an "inbox" and "outbox" location for each game (except the first, obviously, where it only goes out). When a game is finished in one of the survivable endings (where Mezz continues on one way or another), DataCrystal.js is written to the MAIN game folder (next to the exe). This contains certain details about how you played the game. You can then take this file and place it in js\plugins for the NEXT game, overwriting the placeholder file. When you start up the game (say GT) and start a new game, it will read this file and, depending on how you played the PREVIOUS game, unlock certain new scenes around Haven. The idea is that depending on how you play each game, certain corruption side-plots open up around Haven. Alternatively, if you avoid all this, you get a "pure" subplot, starting in chapter 3, where you get to date Scratch (NOT in the initial release, but will be there eventually). GT, like CS1, will also write a DataCrystal file to its main game folder on completion, which can then by carried over to Chapter 3 in the same way. As far as what matters for this, it's mainly how many times Mezz was defeated in the main "defeated by mobs" loop that each game has, though certain other things are tracked as well.
Awesome! Managed to get it working for the less "pure" route in GT haha. As for your hopes of making an standout explicit game on par with your Japanese inspirations, I feel like a bit of a broken record, but personally I think you're totally killing it and look forward to what is coming next :). Out of curiosity, have you thought about potentially updating the Data Crystal so that it carries over unique skills/key items earned in previous chapters as well as maybe levels for further immersion?
Aw, well thanks! Good to hear.
As far as adding more, it's important to manage scope on these things. A lot of stuff isn't carried over by design, because it makes balance and managing various things overcomplicated. I decided on 3, for example, to just stop scaling Mezz's level every game because the games aren't really ABOUT that and balance rapidly becomes over-complicated. I'll also usually have a particular special skill, and battlesex mechanics for each given game, and not carry them over so each has room to breathe on its own.
