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One has a major bug fix and one doesn't, download 2 lol.

The story is still being worked on, I think. It's "released" as in you are able to download the game lol. I've been keeping track of the release dates, and initially I predicted a public release sometime early September, but it seems the dev has been rather busy with many other things (and some other issues), so I say give it a wait and hope chapter releases by the end of this year. So if you don't wanna be constantly, I would suggest checking just once / month or checking again later this year.

Ik, finishing the juicy story at the end is truly the biggest priority rn. I did mention that this is fairly low priority and almost no one will notice the issue, so it's reasonable to ignore and move on.

Makes me wonder about the short stories, this is quite literally the only thing I look forward to whenever I have a break lol, which is why I presumably overinvest in the details for no real reason at all. 

If this series does end for good, however, hopefully I'll be able to find something good to re-focus my attention elsewhere. 

This post, however, is made mainly because I'm pointing out where the colour scheme is inconsistent, and I'll update it with extra data when chapter 8 drops, unless I happen to not be on break. 

Side question, are you an Ollie or Marlo fan, or are you perhaps more of an Andrew supporter? Thanks for listening to my ramble / tangent regardless. 

No worries, best of luck with the final stretch!

Well, you did say not to be shy about the bugs, hopefully this isn't too much extra work (Warning: incoming long-winded ramble from a psychotic Otter Tale obsessor who has nothing better to do with their time): 

Patches: 

- Obstruction Fixed 

- C6 Tint Continuation Fixed 

- C7 Ollie Shirt Fixed

Yet to patch: 

- C3, C5 Zoom issue, inconsistent in C5, consistent in C3 (Medium Issue)

- Goggles (Mild Issue)

New Issues that Arose (This game engine is truly a wonder, how does fixing things make more bugs show up???): 

- Now, randomly on floor 1 of the apartment, Ollie's mouth is scuffed 

Seems to only occur when I'm skipping dialogue fast while searching for the rocks, not too huge of an issue, but sometimes does occur even without skipping.

Inconsistent Occurrence in C2, more often in C3. (Medium Issue)

Consistency of Rocks: 

Now this is a tough one to deal with, albeit it's only a real issue for those who pay way too much attention to the details. 

Lets see... The lore states in several instances that Owen has the Blue Sodalite and Ollie has the Orange Sunstone. 3 instances: C2 Breakfast - asking for wifi password, Owen is said to have sodalite, and Ollie has Sunstone. C3 Pizza Dinner - reaffirms that Owen gave Ollie Sunstone. C5 Flashback - Digs up 2 rocks, 1 blue one orange. Owen chose blue and gave Ollie the orange.

Now we tally up the instances of rock colours: 

Ollie (Instances of Blue): 

1. Global Sprites: Blue Rock across all expressions 

2. C1 Hug Scene at Port - Blue Rock 

3. C1 Lookout Point - Blue Rock 

4. C1 Photo - Blue Rock 

5. C1 Apartment 3rd Floor - Blue Rock 

6. C2 Breakfast - Blue Rock (Nice change, I noticed that) 

7. C2 Cooking - Blue Rock 

8. C2 Massage - Blue Rock 

9. C2 Ollie's Bottom Left Sprite - Blue Rock 

10. C4 Basketball - Blue Rock 

11. C5 Beach Ball - Blue Rock 

12. C5 Bar - Blue Rock 

13. C7 Closet - Blue Rock 

14. C7 Hug - Blue Rock 

15. C7 Fishing - Blue Rock 

16. C7 Bottom Oyster Ending - Blue Rock 

16 Total Instances 

Ollie (Instances of Orange): 

1. C2 Palengke Panic - Orange Rock 

2. C2 Sea Gazing - Orange Rock (The only instance in the entire visual novel where both Owen's and Ollie's rocks are lore-accurate) 

3. C3 Early Wake Up - Orange Rock 

4. C6 B Daman 1v1 - Orange Rock 

4 Total Instances 

4:1 Ratio of Blue to Orange for Ollie 

Owen (Instances of Blue): 

1. C2 Obtaining Sea Glass - Blue Rock 

2. C2 Sea Gazing - Blue Rock 

3. C5 Walking to Cave - Blue Rock 

4. C5 Owen and Marlo post sex - Blue Rock 

5. C5 Bar Scene - Blue Rock 

5 Total Instances 

Owen (Instances of Orange): 

1. C1 Ship - Orange Rock 

2. C1 Hug Scene - Orange Rock 

3. C2 Flashback - Orange Rock (Questionable, I thought he got his rock AFTER he went to Otter Tail, but who knows) 

4. C2 Breakfast - Orange Rock 

5. C2 Palengke Panic - Orange Rock 

6. C2 Massage - Orange Rock 

7. C4 Basketball - Orange Rock 

8. C4 Present Day Flashback - Orange Rock 

9. C5 Beach Ball - Technically Blue, but there should be Blue rocks on the side, and since we only see a sliver, it is charitable to assume it's Orange. 

10. C5 Owen and Marlo Sexy Time - Orange Rock 

11. C6 B Daman 1v1 - Orange Rock 

12. C7 Flashback Dance Floor - Orange Rock 

13. C7 Flashback Attempted Murder - Orange Rock 

14. C7 Fishing - Orange Rock 

15. C7 Handshake with Seru - Orange Rock 

16. C7 Top Oyster Ending - Orange Rock 

16 Total Instances 

16:5 Ratio of Orange to Blue is practically speaking almost a 4:1 Ratio, like with Ollie's rock colour ratio. 

It is worth mentioning the number of scenes where both rocks show up, and how it contributes to my 3rd suggestion for a solution (albeit a wild one) 

Same Lighting, Same Coloured Rocks: 

1. C2 Palengke Panic 

2. C5 Beach Ball (Ambiguous) 

3. C5 Bar 

4. C6 B Daman 1v1 

4 Total Instances, 3 Excluding Ambiguous

Same Lighting, Different Coloured Rocks: 

1. C1 Hug 

2. C2 Breakfast 

3. C2 Sea Gazing 

4. C2 Massage 

5. C4 Basketball 

6. C5 Beach Ball (Ambiguous) 

7. C7 Fishing 

7 Total Instances, 6 Excluding Ambiguous

4:7 or 3:6, not an unreasonably overwhelming ratio, kinda close to 1:2.

Since Owen's Rock quite literally changes colour over the course of sex (wild), it is possible it could be my favourite rock (Alexandrite) which is infamous for colour changes under different lighting, one downside however is that it does not change into neither a pure blue or pure orange like sunstone or sodalite so that is something to take into consideration.

3 Possible Solutions:

1. Change 16 Instances of Ollie having a Blue Rock to Orange, and 16 instances of Owen having an Orange rock to Blue. (Sounds like lots of work if you ask me, but it does save the need to change the lore of the novel)

2. Change 4 instances of Ollie having an Orange Rock to Blue, and 5 instances of Owen having a Blue Rock to Orange, and then change the 3 dialogue which mentions that Owen gets Sodalite and Ollie gets Sunstone into Owen getting Sunstone and Ollie getting Sodalite. (I personally like Blue on Ollie a lot more than on Owen, and also your stickers are favouring this colour scheme, so I would imagine this is the best solution, also a crazy fan theory that Ollie likes green because Owen's eyes are green, and vice versa could be applied here for the reason why Owen likes Orange, initially at least (Similar colour to Andrew's eyes), but obviously this goes both ways since you could argue that he likes blue because Ollie's eyes are blue etc etc etc) 

3. Standardise the rock colours in the 7 scenes where they appear to be different coloured, to be the same, and change the dialogue to hint that these are colour changing Alexandrites, so as long as they are consistent in colour under the same lighting, its safe and you don't need to go through the rest, though in reality the colour doesn't quite match up.

The choice is up to you, it's quite a bit of work to refine this many things for what seems to be a minor detail for most, so it's completely understandable if you would rather focus on finishing the final Chapter and just moving on.

Does this make me the only obsessive psycho who replays from the very start every time an update drops? Anyway, I went digging and realised the goggle issue is pretty consistent, it triggers every time Ollie flips to his excited expression.

An example:

I originally didn't think of this as a bug, but then I saw the image on this page where Ollie’s clearly not in an excited state, and still has his goggles on. So now I’m wondering if this was once a persistent accessory that's lost in the later builds?

Not as urgent, however, as the title screen obstruction (which I hope is being prioritised first), but I did want to flag this small thing...

Side note: I absolutely love the Otter Tale sticker designs and would’ve loved to snag a set… but unfortunately, I’m halfway across the globe, don’t have PayPal, and mailing overseas might summon too many logistical demons. Plus, if they arrive before I get to the letterbox, well… let’s just say that’s a conversation I’m not emotionally equipped for... Just wanted to say they look amazing, regardless. Hopefully, lots of folks in-region can rep them proudly!

Build 8 Thoughts + Bug Reports (SPOILERS AHEAD!):

I was not expecting to get bombed by the truth this early; you've completely outplayed my predictive structure. Despite knowing the truth based on the hints dropped in previous chapters, I was not mentally prepared for the truth to be here. This false sense of security made the inevitable and unchanging truth of Owen's past strike extra, but the helplessness to change what's past is truly heartbreaking.

A huge props to a subtle but powerful visual choice, however, every flashback C2-C6 (C = Chapter) all carry a nostalgic tint, but C1 and C7 are without such tint. This feels like a strong intentional choice as these moments are connected and are what Owen seeks to bury rather than treasure, like recurring scars, a brilliant way to distinguish those cherished from those that refuse to fade. 

I have one issue with the dialogue (like the previous one), except this is much more major, in my opinion. The fact that the Oysters picked will determine whether Owen chooses Ollie or Marlo, which is enormous and does not factor in past choices. I would suggest a best of 3 option - a weighted system that takes account of a net attraction towards either Marlo or Ollie for the incoming pride fiesta. However, judging by what you posted on Patreon, it seems unlikely that'll happen, so maybe some minor wording fix could smooth this disconnect.

In terms of this build, there are several great patches:

- In C1, Ollie's shirt no longer half disappears in the Cantina, which is nice, though there is a minor, subtle flash, so it is not a big deal and is considered mostly fixed.

- In C5 flashback, Young Owen's pants no longer vanish - a huge win (Regarding legality, too).

- Nanabi is no longer considered "Fox" in the dialogue, which is cool stuff.

Now for the bugs (real sorry to be a bother about this, but some of these are too major to ignore):

Highest Priority: Title Screen Obstruction

Screenshot as shown above.

If players play through C2 and exit the game after reaching the scene where Ollie and Owen gaze out to sea, the title screen will obstruct everything. Do consider fixing this issue if you can, and note that this does not occur for either C5 Underwater Tunnel Title Screen or C7 Andrew and Owen Partying.

This is a significant access barrier for those who do not know how to resolve the issue / first-time players.

Medium Priority:

Ollie Flashbacks in C3 and C5:

In both instances when both Young Owen and Ollie come on screen, the zoom becomes incredibly scuffed and very off-centre. This occurs specifically at "Can you be my boyfriend" and when Ollie is first taught how to swim.

C6 Tint Carryover:

The nostalgic lighting from C6 persists even post-flashback, covering the remainder of the story in nostalgic lighting. This also triggers an issue in C7, where Ollie wears his shirt for most of the chapter.

Low Priority: (These have been around since I first downloaded the game)

Ollie's Rock and Goggles:

Ollie's rock is blue in the sprite, yet orange is shown in non-sprite scenes. His goggles are only visible when he appears excited or in non-sprite form. Goggles seem to magically appear otherwise lol.

If any of these require further elaboration, do let me know.

Closing Thoughts:

Thanks, as always, for putting so much effort and care into this project. Although some bugs randomly appear in each patch, the story, the emotional layering, symbolism, and music are too good. Hopefully, the final build will come along smoothly as you push on.

Sidenote:

Goodness gracious me, Andrew, how tf do you not notice your bf disappear for at least a good 5 minutes???

Freaky Thoughts:

My fingers are still crossed for that unlikely threesome between the three at the end, even if Andrew is out of the picture for good.

Looking forward to seeing what's next, and see you (hopefully) sometime around September again!

Happy belated birthday!

Just a minor bug / oversight on Owen joking about Otters vanishing because of OTR regardless of choosing to talk to Marlo or not. This information is not given to you if you chose to have sex with Marlo and so Owen shouldn't technically know about this info and talk about it with Ollie.

That's all I have though, thanks for the amazing gift!

Here's a second part of the comment because my original was too long and I have to split it to 2, these are just random thoughts on the game

P.S. How is Ollie and Owen so smart 😭 I cannot figure out even a singular reliable combination to synthesise a specific pet (hints are nice but the fun comes from figuring out the recipe myself 😅), Skully is lore accurately very powerful though

I can't believe it took me so long to notice the Echo reference (cough cough red coloured wolf, otter and anchor) game still gives me the chills but I can't help but notice you slide these everywhere 😅

It would also be nice if you could give me the actual names on the ingredients, it seriously feels like I'm misnaming half of them and I don't like that 😭

Now I just keep my fingers crossed that this gets fixed, thank you so much for reading (If you are reading this)

Happy New Years!

I really enjoy this game, but I do want to point out that on this particular level the game is not beatable even when it is completed, ruining many good runs purely because of RNG. The blue bottle doesn't show up even after clearing the level, and the only way out is to close the game and restart the run. From data there is 13 different floor levels and 7 floors before the boss, so there's a 7/13 chance this level shows up and ruins everything 😭

Asides from this there is also a random crash that happens sometimes when I'm falling through the platforms, but that rarely happens so I'm okay if you can't fix that (I'm not too sure what causes the crash, just that it tends to happen while I'm falling), resulting in requiring to force stopping it with the Task Manager

Here are some fixes that I would not want you to implement:

You could also buff the bat monster thing because it's projectiles don't actually deal damage

Very rarely the knight gets very funny on the ledge, because it can't decide to move left or right, neutralising the threat completely

Thank you so much for reading my yapping and I hope you have a great 2025! (You won't believe me if I'm telling you that I'm trying my best not to make essay long comments, I just had this comment up for months but I didn't want to bother you till after the New Years since you definitely deserved a break after OTB6)

Hi, you're probably on holiday now but here's Owen looking absolutely concerned at what happened to Marlo. Spoilers ahead, don't view the rest if you haven't already seen the scene...

When Marlo offers to sit with Owen his face is bugged if you go from the start of the story, but the sprite is correctly aligned if you start from chapter 5. I don't know where else to post this so I'm sending this here. It's a wonderful early Christmas gift though, thank you so much for your hard work and rest well before you bother fixing this lol, you deserve a break!

P.S. Don't sacrifice Owen to the otr god he's a good boi 😭

Also R.I.P 4-Eared Andrew, he didn't live past 2024 😔

Also wondering if you are aware of the retry bug on Pizza Runner, because if you retry your score doesn't reset to 0 and it allowed me to farm a permanent funny high score of 6969 lol

Fingers crossed for Marlo, Ollie, Andrew, and Owen to somehow come together though, really having my fingers crossed for this story to not end up being a tragedy 🤞