esfawkes

[esfawkes]

Leaks

It’s been brought to my attention that a lot of games — both ChoiceScript and Twine — are having their private demo/alpha/beta links and passwords leaked.

If you have a game with a private version, I strongly encourage you to change your password(s).

#interactive fiction #twine #choicescript #best to just assume that your game’s password has been leaked at this point

[esfawkes]

do you genuinely feel like you'll be able to see this project to its end ? it's been forever since an update's been put out, and i feel like with so much variations, love interests and just in general goals you've given yourself with this - it's probably too daunting for you

Can you please not?

Why would you send me this when I just said I was dealing with some health issues, both physical and mental? Is your goal to kick me while I’m down? I really don’t need this right now.

Maybe you’re right, maybe I’ve just been wasting everyone’s time, but I don’t understand what you hope to gain by sending this? Do you just want to make me feel bad? I genuinely don’t understand.

I’m sorry I’ve been so disappointing. I am. This isn’t how things were supposed to go. I’m sorry.

[esfawkes]

are u doing ok?

I’m having some lung issues right now and am struggling with my meds. Haven’t been doing too hot mentally either, but it’s a storm that will pass!

I’m sorry I haven’t been around more

#fawkes talks #asks #anonymous

[esfawkes]

How's your dog doing?

So not that long ago, we took Sadie to an oncologist, which was hours away in a whole other state. They ran a bunch of tests, which included taking biopsies of her liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, among other things.

They gave her some steroids and told us to give her Benadryl to try and shrink the tumor, then bring her back in a couple weeks or so.

The tumor — which was right beside her nose, making one side of her nose very misshapen :( — decreased in size immensely and seemed to no longer be tender to the touch. We thought that they may not need to do surgery after all to remove it, or if they did, it wouldn’t leave her very disfigured.

We took her back this week, and they were shocked at the state of the tumor. They ran some tests to make absolutely sure, then told us: The cancer is gone. They said they’ve never seen it go away like this.

We have to take regular pictures of her nose and bring her in immediately if anything starts to change, but otherwise… She doesn’t have cancer anymore!

So yeah, my dog is doing very, very well!! :)

#fawkes talks #she got lots of chicken nuggets on the ride home as a reward for making her cancer go away #i’m being flippant about it now but i was speechless when we found out #like we all hoped it would somehow turn out this way but then for it to actually happen??? wild

[esfawkes]

We’re taking our dog Sadie to an oncologist Monday. This is her very first appointment, and none of us have ever met with a veterinary oncologist before.

Are there any questions we should have prepared? I don’t expect much to happen during this appointment beyond deciding on a plan to tackle her cancer and scheduling scans and the like, but I really don’t know.

#fawkes talks #the vet was pretty optimistic when sadie was diagnosed but #i’m still very worried #the tumor is on her nose and we’re really scared that the only way to make sure it’s gone is to excise it #and that would disfigure her :(

[esfawkes]

I am probably going to be scarce on here for a while.

We have received some bad news regarding two family pets, while there are also ongoing issues with two others. It’s a lot to handle, so my focus will be on that for a bit.

Thank you for your understanding.

#fawkes talks #there so much happening all at once

[esfawkes]

About the forum, there's a category for non-choicescript games called "other interactive fiction", would it be possible to get your thread moved there rather than forgoing the forums at all (since you seemed to value it)?

That’s what I hope I’ll be able to do, since I really don’t want to have to abandon the thread entirely; it has over 4k posts and has been a huge help to me. I just worry about how some on the forum might react to the switch? Likely that’s just excessive anxiety on my part, but it still has me nervous.

#fawkes talks #asks #anonymous

[esfawkes]

Apologies if this has been answered before. When and why did you make the decision to not release through COG/HG?

I haven’t answered this before, because I hadn’t mentioned it outside my Patreon until that post, lol.

There were a few reasons, but the primary factor was COG’s policy regarding Patreon. When I first started my Patreon in… 2018, I think? I had talked to Jason personally via PM about the limits of what I could offer on there, given ChoiceScript’s license. At some point the policy for authors’ Patreons changed, and I confirmed it with Jason over PM.

The policy change was regarding early access content for authors who featured that as reward on their Patreon. It had originally stated that any content in the Patreon-only version(s) of the game had to be made publicly available — in a beta version or what-have-you — after two weeks:

Any ChoiceScript-based content that you give to your patrons must be released to the general public within two weeks of giving your patrons access.

While talking about this with Jason, I suggested they change that to a month, since Patreon operates on a monthly cycle, and fortunately they did, which I think was a very good decision for many authors with Patreons.

Unfortunately, it didn’t make any difference for my own situation, so I eventually decided to move Seven Heirs to Twine. Again, there were some other reasons for this decision, but I consider this to be the real catalyst.

It was not a decision I made lightly, as Seven Heirs was fairly successful on the forum, and I received a lot of helpful and high-level feedback on there that I (personally) don’t believe Tumblr is as conducive to. I think a forum like Discourse creates a better environment to have a proper dialogue with readers on what works and doesn’t work in a game. It allows for an actual back and forth. And, in my own experience, the lack of anonymity on a forum sometimes fostered a bit more… “professionalism,” for lack of a better word, in the interactions between author and reader. Not always, of course, but still, lol.

I had my share of really, really bad experiences on the forum, but it is still the thing I most regret having to leave behind in switching from ChoiceScript to Twine.

Once I have things a bit more settled on my end, I do have plans to address that, the current lack of a proper community for Seven Heirs’ readers, but for the moment the actual game itself is my priority.

I hope this answered your question!

#seven heirs #asks #anonymous

[esfawkes]

I received a lot of replies on my last post, as well as asks and messages, and I want to thank everyone who took the time to be so wonderfully kind and supportive. I read every single word, and I am so incredibly grateful.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. <3

#fawkes talks #all of you are so sweet and understanding #i really don’t have the words to convey my appreciation #and i’m sorry i haven’t replied to all of you individually #there was just such an outpouring of kindness and i couldn’t keep up #but seriously. thank you <3

[esfawkes]

You'll never finish the game, will you? you will make us wait for other years with the hope that we will forget it. Wouldn't you be more honest to say” I no longer have a passion for the game and am not going to finish it? “ you're like a yandere dev, the only difference is that he at least deigns to make updates.

I am deeply annoyed that you’ve made me feel the need to post this before I was ready, but since it has been quite a while since I’ve shared any real progress updates or sneak peeks here, I can see where you’re coming from, rude as your delivery was.

So here, a little walkthrough of the current developmental build of Seven Heirs:

Some of the content is still just placeholders, especially on the About You screen, but it shows you the main UI; the About You, Compendium, and Achievements screens; general notifications; achievement notifications; the name generator; the character creator and randomizer; the randomize option; and the back button (which goes back 10 “pages”).

This month I’m focusing on writing and finishing up some more of the desktop UI and behind-the-scenes coding before moving on to the mobile UI.

I’ve been taking a brief break the past couple of weeks since there have been a deluge of health crises with my dogs, but generally speaking, I spend every single weekday working on 7H. Some days are better than others, and I often struggle to remain on a single task, meaning I bounce around a lot from thing to thing, but progress is being made. Not that I need to prove anything to you, but here we are.

Anyway, yeah, Seven Heirs has been moved to Twine. SugarCube 2.36.1, Tweego, a bunch of custom macros created by myself and others, all that.

I encourage you to work on your entitlement and need to make assumptions, my friend. I think you’ll find more happiness that way.

#seven heirs #asks #anonymous #sneak peek #i’m painfully slow. i know. and i feel bad about it #but please don’t just assume i’ve given up #i cannot stress enough how much my life revolves trying to get healthier so i can make better progress on my game #i am sincerely trying my best i swear #:(

[esfawkes]

The Golden Rose: Book One is OUT NOW!!!

“As the artist mourns his fortune

So the Dynasty falls to crumble,

And the two branches snatch asunder”

You are a recent member of The White Company, a mercenary guild on the far side of the law. Your job consists of hunting artifacts and roaming ruins that the Church has forbidden to mention. One of your expeditions, however, leads you down a path that is much deeper than you ever anticipated.

“The Golden Rose: Book One” is a thrilling 1.2-million-word interactive fantasy novel by Ana Ventura, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Juggle friendships, new alliances, and flames of romance in this epic adventure that will take you to an Europe where History took a different turn.

Play as male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual.

Find romance, friendship, or rivalry with a cast of colorful characters.

Hunt down the thief that stole your forbidden maps!

Fight against bandits and city guards while trying to stray away from the all-seeing Eyes of the Church.

Explore ancient ruins and the cobble-stoned streets of the medieval city of Tarragona. Step into a grand cathedral, a sprawling market, a multicolored harbor, the dark gates of the city, or an aqueduct that no one dares to come close to.

Bond with a stubborn old horse.

Choose to ally with a street urchin or the feral captain of the Guard.

Uncover what is true in a world where denial reigns supreme.

Start to unravel your own mysterious past.

Immerse yourself in a world rich with characters, story, and lore.

Do you believe in Destiny?

- - - 

The Golden Rose: Book One is out for you to play!

You can find it at the links below:

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1892950/The_Golden_Rose_Book_One/

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.hostedgames.goldenrose1&hl=pt_PT&gl=US

App Store Omnibus: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hosted-games/id1302297731

Choice of Games: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/golden-rose-book-one/

- - - 

I hope you enjoy it! 🌹

#CONGRATULATIONS!!! #i am so proud of you and so happy for you!!!!!

[esfawkes]

Hi Fawkes, I was wondering what are the personality attributes in your WIP?

There are two sets of personality stats in Seven Heirs: Personality Stats and Mini-Personality Stats.

Personality Stats are the main personality traits of the MC, and at the moment there are 15 of them: Charismatic, Clever, Compassionate, Confident, Cruel, Expedient, Hotheaded, Obedient, Outspoken, Rebellious, Reserved, Supercilious, Timid, Vain, and Willful. There’s a whole mechanic of “confirmed traits” that exists, but it’s a bit complicated, so I’m not going to get into it right now. :)

Mini-Personality Stats are significantly simpler, which is by design. There are only 4 of them: Abrasive, Charming, Polite, and Witty. These exist to give the MC more, well, personality in the early parts of the game while their actually personality is still being developed. Whichever of the mini-personality stats has the highest value is the “active” mini-personality for the MC; if there’s a tie between two or more stats, the one most recently increased is the “active” one.

As the game progresses, the mini-personalities will be used less and less often in favor of the other personality traits, until they’re completely unused.

#seven heirs #game mechanics #asks #anonymous #the main personality stats are done in a way that allows for MC’s to have character development as time goes on

[esfawkes]

How do I see the library? I can't access the link

Here’s the current link to the Library!

#asks #anonymous

[esfawkes]

I really hope ur not gonna discontinue this IF!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH SO PLS DONT GIVE UP ILL WAIT FOR FOREVER!! I HOPE U FEEL BETTER❤️❤️❤️

I’m so happy to know that you like it! And no need to worry, I have no plans to discontinue Seven Heirs. I spend time every weekday working on it. :)

#asks #anonymous

[esfawkes]

are terrisen and Baelira the result of a affair?

They are not! While Eraven and Alapharen have brown hair, they each also carry the recessive gene for blonde hair. Hope this clears that up!

#seven heirs #asks #anonymous #eraven’s mother and older brother both rather famously had silver hair #so it’s not really a surprise that a couple of eraven’s children have light hair

[esfawkes]

which RO do you think would be best politically? I'm thinking Vesperion? High-ranking, powerful, respectable family, and marrying their heir would at at least delay anything they would want to do to me and make me seem better when it comes to the dead queen mess. After its Nethica, since well his family.

I think Paladin, ambassador (My memory is shit so sorry) might be worse. Since one doesn't have any power and the other is a representative of a foreign power.

The best politically… Probably Nethica?

Jasiphae and Vesperion would be very close seconds, but they both come with baggage (Jasiphae with her previous engagement to Terrisen, Vesperion with his family’s disapproval). Nethica, on the other hand, doesn’t have baggage like that and comes from one of the wealthiest families on the continent. That said, however… Nethica is a second son, whereas Vesperion is the heir to House Verathae…

As for the worst match politically: Elor, easily. Sebriel would be second, yet still considerably better. Iphorah and Senetha would be tied for third, given that they’re both forbidden to marry.

#seven heirs #romance options #asks #anonymous #jasiphae is the best match politically of the female ROs #followed by kaedra

[esfawkes]

Hey! Feel free to not awnser this if you don’t want to! But what are all of the siblings eye colors or hair colors just a little curious ? Have a lovely day!

I’m not sure if I ever actually posted the siblings’ appearances on here? But here are there descriptions from the old COG forum thread:

Neraven is the Crown Prince of Ophaesia, and according to tradition, he will be the next King of Ophaesia. He largely takes after your father in terms of personality; he‘s a serious, brusque man but commands respect with his implacable, exacting nature. He dislikes you at the start of the game. He is tall with an athletic build and tanned skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. He’s fifteen years older than you.

Keralith was married to the Crown Prince of Edoinel, Prince Marsion Sephien, when she was sixteen and has lived in Edoinel since. Seemingly shallow and effusive, she in truth possesses a merciless cunning. She strongly dislikes you at the start of the game. She is average height with a slightly plump figure and fair skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. She’s twelve years older than you.

Ilythis is married to King Haphus of Carthenium — a much older man who was married previously — early in the game and is sent to live in Carthenium. She is reserved and difficult to read. She comes off as quiet and meek, but there is an indomitable will within her. She doesn’t like you at the start of the game. She is fairly tall with a slim figure and pale skin, dark brown hair, and hazel blue eyes. She’s nine years older than you.

Olarion is exceedingly intelligent and skilled at learning people’s secrets. He’s mostly interested in academics and leaves the capital of Ophaesia to attend the University of Amethos when he’s fifteen. He can be charming when he chooses, but it’s often when he has an agenda. He wants to like you at the start of the game. He is tall with a lean build and fair skin, dark brown hair, and icy blue eyes like his father’s. He’s seven years older than you.

Terrisen is charismatic and easy-going with a good sense of humor. He’s considered the most likeable of your siblings and is popular among many different circles. He prefers to spend his time training alongside Paladins, with whom he’s fascinated. He’s indifferent to you at the start of the game. He is a little above average height with an athletic build and sun-kissed skin, honey blond* hair, and blue eyes. He’s three years older than you.

(*was previously brown.)

Baelira possesses a quick wit and an immense amount of charm she uses to keep herself and Terrisen out of trouble. While she is not opposed to manipulating people with pretty words to get what she wants, she has a kind heart and romantic worldview. She’s indifferent to you at the start of the game. She is considered to be a great beauty and is average height with a well-proportioned figure and fair skin, honey blonde hair, and honey brown eyes. She’s two years older than you.

For reference, Eraven is described as “extremely tall with an imposing build, slightly tanned skin, iron-grey hair which was originally dark brown, and icy blue eyes.”

And Alapharen was “considered beautiful while she was alive. She was average height with a slender figure and pale skin, honey brown hair, and honey brown eyes.”

#seven heirs #six flowers #asks #anonymous