forevergoldgame

[forevergoldgame]

Episode 1 Progress Update

According to timestamps it's been approximately 3 months since our last update. Embarrassing! This is why I'd never survive as a career social media person. Thankfully, the lack of updates isn't due to a lack of progress - we've been working on the game the whole time. There's just a bit of a story to tell there... you may have heard the phrase, "progress isn't always a straight line." It is a phrase that haunts the mind of every creative, but our contempt for it does not make it any less true.

This post is all good news, though! Keep reading for more details.

So, what happened?

As we said last update, after the demo we more or less jumped right into producing Episode 1. We had a clear vision of the common "beginning of story" pitfalls we were going to avoid, and our strategy for avoiding those. There was just one problem:

We spent so much energy avoiding them in our first pass of Episode 1 that we accidentally ended up ignoring what the story needed and recreating the issues we aimed to avoid.

Luckily, we had only wasted maybe a month or so on this version of the story. We knew it would cause delays, but we didn't want to write an update about it until we had a draft of Episode 1 that we trusted. An update that only reads "um... yeah we don't like it, we're going to do something else but we dunno what yet" doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a project, you know?

It is safe to say we have that better draft now. There are still many scenes to finish and editing passes to be done and bugs to quash, but this improved version of Episode 1 has made it through the uncertainty of development and I can say with confidence it is the version of Episode 1 you will receive.

Compared to the draft we burned, this one is much better suited to the twine medium. While certainly longer than our freakishly truncated first draft, the pacing is far more organic, allowing players more opportunities to play and make decisions as they are brought up to speed on the status quo of the setting and Quincy's place in the world at the outset. Though there is a lot of ground to cover, my hope is that it will be interesting in and of itself and not reek of "unskippable videogame tutorial."

With that out of the way, I'd like to address a question a few of you are probably thinking:

"Will these sort of draft rewrite delays be a common issue?"

Nope! We meant it when we said that our aim for future releases is smaller, frequent updates. The problem with Episode 1 is that it is a unique challenge to build and by nature cannot be a "small update."

There is no other point in the story (aside from perhaps the beginning of Act 2) that is going to be as fiddly as this. Episode 1 bears a lot of responsibilities that other episodes just won't. It has to be a hook for the main plot. It has to give readers enough information about the setting and how it works to understand said plot. It has to introduce a number of core characters. Toughest of all, it has to do these things competently enough that people who read it want to come back for Episode 2!

So, we kind of have no choice but to put in the extra time here. Them's the breaks!

In other news...

The delays on the writing end gave me more time to sure up the UIX and fix/pretty up some stuff I was originally going to let be. I won't detail everything I've done, but mobile users will be pleased to know there will be an adjustment slider for swipe sensitivity and all users will be pleased to know that the layout just generally breaks less in the coming version of the game. I've continued to implement user feedback and make navigation more intuitive where I can.

I've also prettied up some layout elements even though no one asked me to...

...and redrawn other utility art for the game. Look at this map! You can kind of tell what Vestur's landscape is supposed to be like now! You can hardly detect how much I struggled when deciding where the major rivers were!

As we continue to lick Episode 1 into shape, we hope to share more specific tidbits with you all. If all goes well, the phase of development where we can show teaser screenshots is right around the corner.

Thank you for your patience!

-LS

[forevergoldgame]

SURVEY: UI Themes

Another small survey while I'm rooting around making UI adjustments: I use 3 of my own devices for development (computer, tablet, phone) and while the UI themes look fine on 2/3 of those, the contrast is quite borked on device #3. As a result, I'd like to take stock of what everyone else is seeing.

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Regarding SFX + Music

We've gotten some indications that people felt like the game was missing audio feedback from the UI/mood tracks/etc. It was an idea we toyed with early on, but didn't put much thought into because both of us are more "read in silence" types.

(Keep in mind that if we do add sound, you will be able to mute it in menu settings. I would never inflict noise on readers without giving them choices. My main hesitation is simply the fact that it's one more thing to troubleshoot.)

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Trying to get some data on the "difficulty curve" of the debate segments, since few people mentioned it in feedback:

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Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear your enjoyed the characters. We think about them constantly, so of course we have full playlists for them full of songs pertaining to their tragic (or not so tragic) backstories and future events. Here's one non-spoilery song for each party character.

Make of these what you may! (I'm sure these selections show our age, ha.)

-Dan

[forevergoldgame]

Post-Demo Update

So, we're a few days out from the demo being out for a month, and so I thought it was about time we start giving proper updates... or at least a proper followup on the event!

We would like to give a(nother) warm thank you to everyone who has left feedback so far.

THANK YOU! 💛

Honestly, we're delighted at how well such an experimental shot-in-the-dark of a project has been received by the small audience who has chanced it!

Both compliments and criticisms are very valuable to us at this stage of development. Do continue to send us your thoughts if you have them. We want to hear everything - what you liked, what you didn't, which character you want to punch in the face most, etc.

Now, onto more specific talk about development, because that's something we can be reasonably open about now that people can actually see and smell how the game works.

So, what've we been up to since the demo dropped?

The short version is: we've been hard at work building the first proper release of the game.

However, we have a little cleanup to do (not to mention writing) to get everything in order! The tasks at hand are...

Fix some back-end stuff.

Nothing is ridiculously broken, don't worry. The demo just taught me a lot about managing Twine variables and how the engine handles memory in general. In the 27-ish days since the demo dropped, I've done a ton of data reorganization that should greatly reduce the amount of memory the game uses in browser saves and prevent the twine variables from bloating as the the story progresses and the amount of information tracked increases. 👍

Do some minor interface fixes based on user feedback.

Again, nothing crazy - mostly simplifying navigation and choreographing information better. Look! A nicer, more intuitive codex with a search function and better touch navigation for mobile users!

Write like crazy. Conjure new portraits for all the characters appearing in the first release.

As usual. ;) We're on it. Don't worry.

And the big one: reassess how we plan to handle releases.

When this project was in the planning stage, we came up with the "2 Acts, 4 Parts per Act" idea with the intention to release the game in 8 installments, with each installment being comprised of multiple large quests and spanning roughly an in-story year. However, once we got into the meat and gristle of development, we realized this would make each installment take a ton of time to make, leave unpredictable gaps in releases, and complicate testing & bug fixing.

So - we're aiming to ditch our original release approach for one which allows us to make smaller, more frequent updates and give you more new stuff to play faster.

This does not change anything about the story itself, but it will take some squinting on our part as we figure out the most logical "breakpoints" in the story so that each installment feels like a satisfying addition.

Until next time!

-LS

[forevergoldgame]

It's not especially well understood. And people with the Touch aren't very good at explaining it either.

[forevergoldgame]

Like with real animal husbandry, "Is it possible to..." and "is it a good idea to..." yields two different answers!

Is it possible? Hares are working animals. Sometimes it's necessary that a hare be trained to behave in the field around things it thinks of as prey. (Carriage hares can't be snapping up pursedogs as a mid-day snack, after all.)

The success of such endeavors depends on how good a trainer the hare's bonded person is, as well as the temperament of the individual animal. So yes, it's possible.

But is it a good idea? Only if you're willing to take the risk of Fido mysteriously going missing.

[forevergoldgame]

Demo Feedback

Thanks to everyone who has given feedback on the demo thus far, whether through google forms, itch reviews, or otherwise! For the sake of clarity, I would also like to state that you are also welcome to send feedback to this devblog through asks, as well as send questions about development/the process.

-LS

[forevergoldgame]

✨HERE✨

Forever Gold is a dark fantasy, text-heavy roleplaying game being developed in the Twine engine by Broncoburro and LSDolphin... and the demo is playable now on itch! (And rbs ARE appreciated.)

(A disclaimer: Forever Gold is a game for mature audiences. It does not feature adult content, but the subject matter can get serious in a way not appropriate for all ages.)

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TWO DAYS UNTIL THE DEMO DROPS. (What are these two laughing about?)

How time flies!

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Forever Gold's demo will release on June 26th, 2024 on itch. It's been quite the development road to reach this point. We're excited to show you the first look of Vestur!

Forever Gold is a dark fantasy, text-heavy roleplaying game being developed in the Twine engine by Broncoburro and LSDolphin.

Take a looksie below. : ) (The game is free and playable in browser, on both desktop and mobile.)

(A disclaimer: Forever Gold is a game for mature audiences. It does not feature adult content, but the subject matter can get serious in a way not appropriate for all ages.)

“Even among the finest breeding, aberrations of nature can occur. A prized goat births a kid with two heads. A pedigreed cat bears a one-eyed kitten. An archduke begets a son with the haretouch."

You are Duke Quintrell Barghur: a cursed black meur wielder, misanthrope, and an all-around painfully awkward man. When a mysterious affiliation called the "Brothers of the Barehand" starts stirring up political unrest, you are summoned from your lowly job of mine inspector to join the Prince Convoy. With the rest of your companions, you must travel the Tri-Kingdom of Vestur, quelling unrest and managing the complexities of public and court life... all while navigating the pitfalls of being, well, you.

Halfway between visual novel and interactive fiction, Forever Gold is incorporates artwork and writing with role-playing game mechanics such as skill systems, dice rolls, and lasting narrative decisions.

In the demo, you've been summoned to Diadem Castle by Prince Oscar Andimeur for unknown reasons. The demo spans one major quest from the first chapter of the game.

Play in either human or wolven mode - a visual reskin depending on your personal preferences.

You've a variety of companions on the Convoy who can accompany you. They may aid in quests, help surpass skill checks, or...

...drive each other crazy and be of no help at all.

A lot of artwork is sprinkled throughout the game - every character has several portraits, and in addition, illustrations are sprinkled throughout.

There are several systems to help you navigate the world of Vestur - from a map system, to the party camp, to the inventory and the codex... we can't name them all as this post is long enough, but here's some screenshots!

...And I think that's a good enough introduction! Thank you for reading. This game is a labor of love by two hobby devs - we've spent many a weekend coding, writing, and drawing for Chapter 1. We hope you'll give the demo a play on the 26th!

You can follow the game's progress and see all our extracurricular artwork by following this blog or checking out the website. : ) Additionally, we welcome questions (and sometimes draw answers for them, too).

[forevergoldgame]

Can I condense the premise of Forever Gold into 3 panels?

Well, kinda. THIS IS EXAGGERATED, SURE, but... not as much as you would think.

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Still pouring 90% of my energy into Forever Gold's demo but as a side project I'm trying to bang out some new character sheets before Artfight. Here's Itaja (human and alternate snout version).

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The love of a creature is a salve to life's many miseries. 🖤 (Particularly if it's a huge, carnivorous monster who suffers no-one but you.)

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They do a bit - the biggest difference is between the "wild type" hares still used by nomads, and the "standard" stockier varieties you'll find in cities and towns. Standards have over time gotten shorter and more compact to work better as cart animals.

They are entirely black with red eyes. But try to tell someone haretouched this, and they'll insist they range an infinite number of colors, and that their eyes run a gamut from sparkling ruby red to deep scarlet. It's true that different pelts will shine different greens and blues in the light, but... the color naming can get almost fanatical.

Hares also can have some general individual differences like ear length, tail shape, snout length. To the layman though, they're hard to tell apart.

They're not bred for color. In fact, they're rarely bred for... many reasons. Hares have a long lifespan (longer than humans, sometimes...) and a haretouched human will usually only bond to one hare in their lifetime. They are difficult to breed too-- they get aggressive.

Hares are not purposefully bred in nomadic society. (You just go find one on the tundra, or sometimes a doe comes back pregnant.) In the settled north, they're bred only when too many cart hares have died in mining accidents or the like.

Still, if they were capable of coming in colors other than black, it seems like it would have happened by now.

...There are some old nothern legends about a snow white hare who only appears to those the "most cursed", but they're half-forgotten oral traditions at this point.

[forevergoldgame]

Two of Vestur's future rulers have a fine conversation about teapots. (Colored by @lsdoiphin, of course.) There's an understandable expectation for the heirs of Vestur to bond. It's just... difficult when one of them is like 10 years younger than the rest. But as far as the situation of "grown man forced to awkwardly hang out with random child" could go, Duchess Rhea and Prince Oscar get along pretty well.