Feb, Monkeys, etc...

I was really trying to have a demo of Crooked ready by the end of the month, but it isn't quite ready yet. There just aren't enough days in the hour. Anyway I started coding again (almost made it a month) and added some good stuff.

First I added the ability to set a priority for rules. It helps in scenarios where multiple rules have matching criteria counts, but one should be selected over others. I don't see myself using it all the time, but it was easy enough put together.

Then I added pre and post rules. For a while I planned on adding the ability to "sticky" passages, making them always be evaluated before the current passage is displayed. It turns out that is much easier to just have the system do a query for pre and post rules automatically. If there are no pre or post rules defined, then the system won't display anything.

The major thing I wanted to blog about is that I've settled on a unified way of modifying a span of text. Previously if you wanted to make text bold for example, you had to wrap the text in a set of html tags like this:

 <b>my text</b>

My idea was to make this better, and I came up with this:

[b, "my text"]

Sure, in this case there is not much of a gain as far as amount of syntax to write, but check out this comparison of adding colored text:

<color=#ff0080>my text</color>
[#ff0080, "my text"]

It's an improvement. The ease is really clear when you have multiple styles for a piece of text:

<b><i><color=#ff0080>my text</color></i></b>
[b, i, #ff0080, "my text"]

Short Body Gen survey

I have put together a feedback form for Body Gen. If you've downloaded a copy, consider filling out the form for feedback or something. Body Gen Feedback

Text Piece Tuesday III: Beyond Cyberspace

First a quick notice that I've updated Body Gen again. v005 includes a masc/femme personality stat that affects things like sex prefs, body hair, makeup, etc. This little tool is really coming along nicely. You can grab a copy over on the Body Gen page and lemme know what you think.

Now on to the TEXT! Slight nsfw warning! (but not too nsfw)

Body Gen v004

I keep tinkering with Body Gen and thought I'd post an update.  Best addition is color palettes for skin tone and hair color.

You can grab it from the Body Gen page if you want to check it out.

Text Piece Tuesday II: The Secret Of The Ooze

What's that? It's Tuesday again and you are here for a text piece from your old uncle plaguey? Oh all right, I can't say no.

(Copies and pastes text)

Here you are, but don't tell your parents I gave ya this before suppertime.

I might be making things too complicated

My goal for this week was to redo the intro scene to add more variation, but it has turned into a complicated mess. This is roughly half of the scene mapped in Twine. I guess it will just take another week to finish at this rate, but that puts me behind on everything else I wanted to do. I'm not really certain that adding more options necessarily makes the scene better either.

Anyway I picked up a useful script that does flow style layout groups in Unity UI. This is a nifty replacement for the SHITTY lists that I had setup to interact with the world system previously. Here is a gif.

It is always nice to add something without actually coding it myself. I also found a few bugs with the world system, but I'm still going to hold off on coding for another 20 days...... It's tough.

Today I got a lot of work done on the game

Wait, not game. What's the word I'm looking for ... oh that's right, excel spreadsheet is what I meant. I got work done on the excel spreadsheet that lists characters in the game. Yeah I put these bad boys together all by myself.

I better put that NSFW warning back up before GOOGLE pulls the plug on this blog, and not in a good way. I'm here all night ... apparently.

I also scoured the INTERNET for potential images to use in the home screen and found this little gem that both describes the game and sums up my current progress.

Sigh.

I did write a bit though. Only problem is I'm jumping ahead to scenes that won't be seen until later on in the game. It's just that they are soooo good I couldn't help it.

22 days left. I gots this.

Promo image for the ad campaign

Note: there will be no ad campaign


Actually, I guess I'm struggling to resist the urge to code new stuff for the game. I've already got three new ideas that I'd like to start building, but I made a pact. And for whatever reason, I won't give in ... only 25 more days in the month, I can do this!

Text Piece Tuesday

Since screenshots don't make much sense with words, I guess there is this thing where you post a snippet of text for text games on Tuesdays. Without further ado, here is the opening passage for Crooked.

---

Dear Adaobi,

    What more can I say to you? You've heard it all.

    Everything significant that I've done this past decade is no news to you. There are probably Americans searching for you even as you read this, wanting any information about me you are able to give them. Some of them, I fear, may do more than ask. Even so, I am asking that you remain quiet about me and our correspondence. If there is one thing that you owe me, it is that respect, and you know it.

    Still, it is abundantly clear that an apology is in order. You wouldn't have sent all of my letters back if everything were peachy. Despite the fact that they were torn into pieces, it says something that you thought enough of me to keep them after all of these years. From where I'm sitting now I have more power than I could have ever dreamt of back when we were first introduced. Yet I'm not free from the wolves at the door, and haven't been for a long time. Adaobi, I'm taking this moment to write you because I may not have this opportunity again.

    I've hurt you. I can't take that back. I've done far worse to others who've mistakenly given me their trust, or foolishly betrayed mine. For some, I never had the chance to apologize, even if I thought to do so. My choices live with me every day. Some faces I'll never escape, and this weight alone may be my end. If by chance this letter reaches you, it will be my last.

    Adaobi my dearest friend, I am sorry.

---

Yeah I already get awkward enough writing to begin with, but add to that certain harsh reviews I've gotten in the past, and it makes posting this feel embarrassing. But I remember to tell myself that anyone reading this has probably checked out my past stuff and is still here for whatever reason so what the hell.

I might cut out this part of the game because it's really a crazy side story. Then again the whole game is planned to be a collection of crazy side stories. So yeah, if anyone needs me I'll be under a rock.