Oh, please, not at all. I have actually implemented save naming now, and it has genuinely helped me with testing and keeping track of where I am myself. So thank you!
I will also enable the option to quickly skip scenes that have already been seen and read. All related bugs should hopefully have been taken care of.
That being said, I changed a lot in the code. In terms of structure, almost everything has been reorganized. Meaning…
I am intentionally going to break all save files with the coming patch!
…
Yes. My answer to accidentally breaking some saves is to break all of them.
I know this is frustrating, but I think it is necessary in the long run.
Previously, almost everything was placed inside one main hub. Now, I have created a smaller main hub, with the individual chapters placed into their own files.
This means that anything new or major I add for 0.4 will also be placed into its own file, and should not cause the same problems for previous saves going forward.
My previous approach might have been fine if this were a complete game released all at once, but it’s not. It was quite naive of me to simply assume that everything would remain safe.
Still, I hope that being able to skip everything already seen will help soften the issue.
I have not tracked the time yet, which I will do, but simply skipping through should bring players back to the latest ending fairly quickly.
I originally planned to change the main menu depending on the latest ending reached. For example, the main menu would turn completely black after the Chapter II ending.
I might pursue that once the game is fully finished, but for now, to keep things consistent across all platforms, I am keeping the same main screen for everything.
Thank you for your kind words! I am a bit of a sucker for details like that, and I have been restraining myself from overdoing it.
However, this is another thing I would love to pursue more after completing development.
Thank you! I also considered giving the book a voice, but I decided against it for lore reasons.
…Also because, considering the amount of lines, it would not exactly be… cheap.
Thank you again. (You’ll probably read that line a lot, haha.)
I personally don’t go too deeply into the AI image topic, so I’m not very knowledgeable about it.
I know what most people probably know, and I also understand that the current perception is that, if a game has an AI tag, the first assumption will usually be that the images are AI generated.
That is a bit of a disadvantage.
My game is flagged as AI-generated, with the small line specifically mentioning “Code.” However, most people probably do not really see that.
I am thinking about removing the AI tag, since it would not go against any itch.io rules, and instead simply explaining myself how AI is being used on the store page.
Mainly to distance the game from the stigma of “AI tag = AI-generated art.”
But I am not sure yet.
Especially since, and I am always very vocal about this, the game is inspired by DDLC. The art style itself, while having its own touch, has clearly also taken notes from DDLC.
But oh well.
This is genuinely very fun, so please let all the thoughts out!
I want those who theorize to feel rewarded when they are right, or motivated when they see that the story goes in another direction.
I will never rewrite the story I have simply because someone commented everything I had planned.
It is quite interesting to see how most theories seem to have a similar origin, only to then branch off into different directions.
I am genuinely curious if anyone will be able to analyze everything hidden in Chapter III, since… a lot of lore was hidden in plain sight just cryptic.
And a lot of things will be answered, probably, starting directly in Chapter IV.
And Tumblr… me too, lol. I am currently prioritizing the patch, which I plan to release next week or so.
And… eh, I know what they mean! I am just a noob. Not… whatever is lower in the ranking than a noob.
Thank you for the offer, but I should not put the work of finding sources onto you, haha.
I will go into detail about the plan I have in mind in the release devlog for Chapter IV.
That is still a while away, but I think you might be a bit shocked by just how much is already preplanned.
I will say, though, having “falling action” in a video game like this for an entire version might not be the best idea.
Oh, that is interesting!
I see your points. Yes, I definitely see the similarities.
Welp, this is the part where I cannot really go into detail.
Just a few vague maybe, maybe not thoughts:
Thoughts(Beware)
Who is good, and who is bad?
If someone tries everything to escape their prison, including using others, is that a good or evil goal? Or is it perhaps neither inherently, and simply a justified explanation?
It is interesting that the book itself tries to assign roles to everyone. You, the human, are only a wildcard. He “is the evil that has to do good,” which could indicate that he sees Myrddin as the good, or at least not as the evil of this situation.
Or perhaps he is using that assumption because, from your perspective, based on your experience with both of them, he is the evil one and Myrddin is the good one.
There is also quite a strong parallel there. The “good” Myrddin is accused of lies, while the “evil” assures the absolute truth.
The book already assumes that you have grown fond of Myrddin. So why would all those accusations be true, knowing him as witty, awkward, sometimes childish, but also thoughtful and kind?
You need a rational basis for that accusation. Hence, showing you the torture. There is your reason for why Myrddin might have a motive to do anything in order to leave.
But who is to say that scene itself was actually real?
How come Myrddin did not say anything during that whole scene? Surely he would want to protest and protect the bond you built, no?
Well, perhaps he was restrained somehow. Or maybe the memories of all that past pain came back, putting him into a cage inside his own mind.
Or perhaps this entire scenario is… fake, and there was never another presence to begin with, only Myrddin?
Hmm… It is fun to propose ideas to the mind that might be complete humbug, haha. (Or are they? …Oh, I am just messing with your thoughts a little.)
Good recovery! And good luck with your activities!
Have a great weekend!