iberiantalesif-game

[iberiantalesif-game]

I found your story interesting but when I play, it's almost impossible to advance. The bar with the IF name is very large and doesn't let me read the things at the top, and I can't click. So basically I haven't been able to get past the pronouns part so far, since there's no way for me to confirm with the bar preventing it. If you can fix this please

*Runs to the bed, jumps and proyectiles themselfs to lie down and scream*

Hi, my mistake, but that was not suposed to be seen, as it was just me trying and failing the pronoun coding, thank you!

[iberiantalesif-game]

dashingdon is shutting down at the end of the month - anyone with cs demos should move them over to the new provider manually, or find somewhere else to host them. at the very least, make a backup of your files so they aren't lost forever!

[iberiantalesif-game]

New year, same IQ level

Hi. Been a long time hasnt it? Your questionably literate writter is still alive and with a new water bottel that can contain 2 L of cold peach tea and is now obssed with scented candels.

But you dont care about that! So, what´s new for the game? Still a disaster at coding, but at least im getting somewere with story planing.

I am devastatingly on exam season since November, (pray for me please I need god to survive this at this point) so there wont be any important updates until may or so.

So, congratulations to everyone that reads this nonsence, your surviving my efforts to make this project fail and reach no one.

Have a lovely day/night and stay safe out there!!!

Greenbee

[iberiantalesif-game]

sorry for the late reply, portuguese anon here!! i suggest the blog: herminius mons. unfortunately, a lot of our traditions/beliefs were erased by the roman empire and later by the church

Yes! Lets not forguet also the iner fights when the Romans installed the Visigods, a northen tribe from the north of Europ that lived near the limits of the empire. They reached a union of language, legal rights and religion to be able to mantain their dominancy over the entire peninsula! They fused with their celtic culture with the remenents of the native and dominanat roman practises.

Hundred of years of mixing diferent cultures to create things like modern flamenco and what today is the traditional regional indumentary!

Il give it a very detailed check out! Thanks anon! <3

[iberiantalesif-game]

as a portuguese person who's obsessed with (pre roman) celtiberian culture and religion i just want to THANK YOU SO MUCH for this i am def excited to start this

Oh! Thank you so much!!! Im so glad to have you here <3 Im excited too to learn all I can about preroman celtiberians!. If there is any tradition or facts about this topic that you would like for me to include specificaly in this story I would be more than happy to read any ideas you would love to see <3 <3

[iberiantalesif-game]

Thank you so much for the mention!! ;) I feel very gratefull you counted with the game for this news. <3

What's New In IF? Issue 31 (2024)

By Aj, Dion, Briar, Jen and Peter

Now Available!

Itch.io - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

Apologies for the delayed Issue!

As you might know, we unfortunately had to delay this Issue due to some personal matters. But as promised, it’s finally here! We wouldn’t want you to miss out on any news.

As this Issue says on the front page, it contains news from November 23rd to November 29th.

But! The Events should be updated to match their status on December 4th, as they are more time-sensitive.

Issue 32 should be released on time. That means two Issues this week!

We want some feedback!

As we’re starting to get a hand of things, we would love some feedback from you guys! What you enjoy, want more or less off, how we could improve... Anything goes! We even have a nifty form.

We hope you enjoy this new issue!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : Videotome Jam - "Waiting" ~

November 16th to December 1st 2024

Videotome Jam is a two-week-long game jam for games made in any of the Videotome engines with the optional theme of "Waiting".

What is Videotome?

Videotome is a series of small homebrew IF/VN engines made by Freya Campbell (communistsister), an indie game developer focusing on narrative games that are usually:

science fiction, horror, &/or romance

close to 100% LGBTQ characters

free/PWYW with low tech requirements

liable to make players keysmash due to feelings

Videotome was first released in April 2022 as a part of a game entry for the Domino Club collective. The initial idea for the engine was to make writing text-heavy games as hassle-free as possible, focusing not that much on the visual presentation format, but more on the writer's experience. It would allow writers to write in a notepad and then it would somehow grab the .txt file and parse the lines into an array, spitting them out one line at a time as a kinetic novel.

At the moment there are four engines available:

Videotome, for linear, no frills text / images / music;

Videotome ADV, adding a more conventional layout with ignorable choices and branching;

Super Videotome, for more fully featured and freeform image/canvas use;

Videotome Heartbreak, adding a stat raising dating sim & storylets structure to the above.

If you're more interested in the process of making these engines, check out the devs blog post - Words, Friction, Syntax: Stuff I thought about when making Videotome. (The post also includes a very interesting case study concerning other game engines Freya has experience with.)

If you want to check out some examples of projects made with Videotome, take a look at this collection. It includes games made by both Freya and other devs.

~ ENDED ~

The Educational Jam has ended. Check out the thirteen entries and learn something new!

The voting for ECTOCOMP 2024 is officially over! Check out the results!

You can now check out all 16 entries to the Videotome Jam!

Disabled Rep VN Jam has a very simple premise but a very important message. Check out the submissions!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

A Very Hallmark Game Jam has entered the voting phase. You can now vote for your favourite out of the five entries.

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!

This year’s Yuri Game Jam is in full progress. The devs have until December 2nd to submit their projects.

Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.

Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.

Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.

The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.

IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on your projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they are previously released! You have until January 15th 2025 to join.

Winter Visual Novel Jam 2024 is here! You have until January 1st 2025 to submit your projects.

Are you familiar with Decker? Then why not take a part in the Deck-Month 2?

Another bitsy jam is here. This time with the theme "better late than never".

~ OTHER ~

PIZZAPRANKS is accepting submissions for their Indiepocalypse Issue #61. If you’re a dev and would like to try out your luck, definitely check it out! Any game is welcomed, not only IF.

~ NEW RELEASE ~

You stand at the edge of a vast and foreboding cave system, its mouth yawning like the jaws of some ancient beast. This is no ordinary cave—it is the entrance to the Caverns of the Forgotten, a labyrinth of twisting tunnels, hidden chambers, and unfathomable mysteries that have claimed countless explorers before you.

Generations ago, invaders brought magic to the Kingdom of Jubai, setting battlemages at the top of the noble power structure and leaving everyone else oppressed. Now, a secret organization of mage hunters has risen up, phoenixlike, to stand against the mages' power and overthrow their rule. Can your secret order of mage hunters save the kingdom, or will internal strife tear you apart in Magehunter: Phoenix Flame (CScript)?

Today is your first day of work here at Toy Maker’s TOY BOX (Ren’Py). Pull apart stitches or rip off an arm or two; we support whatever you must do to ensure that you only save toys of the highest quality. Should you ever feel unsure, there’s no need to panic! Simply toss the trash where it belongs: the incinerator. After all, it’s of the utmost importance that inspectors upkeep the Maker’s image.

You're struggling for friends in a new town and decide to check out a cute diner! — 'That New Diner', huh? Odd name for a restaurant, but I see advertisements for it everywhere. Might as well check it out. Who knows, maybe I'll meet somebody?

What does the glass sound like? Quite tinkly. It crumbled into sand under the feet of all those worried people circling around. As for you, there was darkness in your eyes for a long time. And the glass has melted into silence long since. But what is this place? And who is this stranger standing in front of you? And most importantly, where — or who — did the bullet hit? — Monarch (Ren’Py) is a short visual novel game that was made during Ukrainian Micro Visual Novel Jam in 10 days.

Halloween is a big deal in Port Gillain, steeped as the town is in old folklore and ghost stories. You, the local psychic, regularly attend the festivities. This year, you can bring a friend. The Second Sight: All Hallow's Eve (Twine) is a companion story to The Second Sight: Dead Reckoning.

Your Aunt’s House (Adventuron) is a short story about mourning. @kessielrg

The story centers around Larry, a cab driver eking out a meagre existence in a dystopian near-future, until he unwittingly finds himself centre-stage in the midst of a technological revolution. — For the first time this multi-media project can be experienced in the form of an interactive novel. Larry Folger Volume I contains all the chapters of the ongoing narrative complete with music from the series.

Your feather, my wing is a game about getting close to the object of an experiment that your 'super-secret lab' leads! It's all about fun, fluff and cuddles. Nothing serious and if anyone from the "normal world" came to this organization, they'd be disappointed by the lack of pathos, mystery and seriousness. But do you care?

Nestled at the edge of an ancient forest, Ravenwood Hill looms like a shadowed sentinel against the pale moonlight. This is no ordinary place; whispers of its dark history echo through the trees, carried by the wailing wind. The townsfolk speak of disappearances, of mysterious lights flickering in the mansion atop the hill, and of secrets buried deep beneath its crumbling foundations. In Ravenwood Hill, you are the only one brave—or foolish—enough to uncover the truth.

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Iberian Tales (Twine) - Life was once tranquil on the isolated coast of your city, surrounded by a loving family and promising prospects for success in your societal position. However, tranquility shattered as flames engulf your city, escape becomes the only viable option, if luck favors you enough to evade the soldiers blocking your path that is. @iberiantalesif-game

The Thorned Garden (CScript) is a Harem Intrigue game where you can die at any turn. Build up skills and connections to survive and climb the rankings. @opossumfern

Locked in a luxurious but ominous hotel, you are forced to face trials alongside five other people. Who abducted you and for what reason? What does the future hold with different organizations fighting for power over the world? And just how much is at stake when you play a twisted game without rules? Whether you want it or not, welcome to the Threshold (Twine). @thethreshold-if

5 days (Ren’Py) - Every step forward feels like another memory slipping through your fingers and yet, the world moves on — forcing you to find a way to follow, even when it feels impossible to let go.

~ UPDATES ~

As Gods Fall (CScript) released Chapters 4 and 5. @asgodsfall-if

Knight of Greenhaven (CScript) released Chapter 2.

Lost in your eyes (CScript) released part five of Chapter 3 on Patreon. @kathrinesadventures

Saturnine (CScript) added new content to their demo. @satur9-if

The Thousand Of Us (CScript) added new content to their public demo. @ivanwm-05

Weeping Gods (CScript) added new content to their demo. @jcollinswrites

The Summoner (CScript) released a part of Chapter 4.

Ashenmaw - Dragons of Marrowoods (CScript) added a part of Chapter 1 to their demo. @ashenmaw-if

Our Life: Now and Forever (Ren’Py) added Step 2 introduction scenes to their public demo. @gb-patch

Wasteland Pony Express added new content to their demo. @katieaki

The In-Between (CScript) released Chapter 11. @dalekowrites

Crown of Exile (Twine) released Chapter 10 on Patreon. @ramonag-if

~ OTHER ~

350p Adventure has been ported from Infor 6 to PunyInform. You can either download it or play it online in your browser. — (Some interesting trivia: The game is sometimes called Advent, because the system it was created on in the 70s would not allow filenames to be more than six characters long. This game is sometimes considered as the very first text adventure.)

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

our awesome mysterious anon!

all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on the last issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us! Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And see you again on Saturday!

AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 31

[iberiantalesif-game]

Hello, I just found your blog. It has an interesting premise, but I noticed that I can't seem to play it on a mobile device (as I mostly use my phone, when scrolling through the Tumblr content). I wanted to know, if anyone is facing the same problem or is it just my phone? Even though, I haven't had the opportunity to check the game and your blog out, I would still like to thank you for your work!

Someone has reported problems, yes, but I dont really know how to fix them beyond trying on ichio settings. Im looking for mabye a mobile friendly code that can help, but I cant make any promises as im only one person behind all, and I have a very deficient knowlage about programing.

Still, thank you for the suppot <3 Im very touched. Have a lovely day/night.

[iberiantalesif-game]

Hi, on mobile I can't read the text at the top of the page because it's blocked by the banner, and I can't scroll to read it either (which I think another anon mentioned?)

(Sights in "Handy Manny")...Il fix it, its my first time publishing anything on Ichio, sorry for the inconvinience and thanks for the report back. The pc version should be fixed now.

[iberiantalesif-game]

I just noticed something, wasn’t their an option to be an noble? What happened to that?

Got overwhelmed and rewrote the whole thing because Im weak lol

If its conforting, now all MC´s come from "noble" decend by default.

[iberiantalesif-game]

Hi, I'm really looking forward to playing the demo but I noticed there were quite a few typos. I’d recommend either writing in a word processor with a spell check (like Microsoft word or Google docs) or using something like Grammarly. Both would help catch a lot of the typos, and would be quicker than us submitting them all.

Also by comparison, there weren't many typos in the intro post, so I wonder if you did something different there?

I was obsessing over the first few texts for months witch made me unable to progruess due to a perfectionist obssesion with descriptions and not tying my hands too much for future ideas.

Then said fuck it and decided to ignor the small picture and met the end goal of actually creating the thing even if it was the worst thing I wrote.

That was the main diference between the begining and the end. But it will be polished.

I also had problems with gramarly, and Im still finding a writting system that works for me.

Note: I do write on word, but its in my default language, and its sad to say, but its has given up on me, it no longer gives me feedback on the speeling and idk how to make it do it :`)

[iberiantalesif-game]

Will there be any features that you might add that make it so we could create an alt history, like his is all ready basically alt history by adding the MC and other variables, but I’m talking like if we side with one faction that was destined to be defeated irl, could we change the outcome and have it so they come out on top? Or maybe an historical character is destined to die or succeed and the MC helped in preventing those outcomes

Yes, I intend to do this :)

[iberiantalesif-game]

take your time and make sure you drink water and take care of yourself dear author :3

Very late but I did drink more water. <3

[iberiantalesif-game]

How are things going?

This is very late, but all ok. Lucky to be working on things I love. Hope your well too <3

[iberiantalesif-game]

I'm so happy there's a demo 😭🙏 But unfortunately I can't scroll to read the texts properly :(

:`( Give me a sec

[iberiantalesif-game]

Link for the Demo!

Finally here, no further coments LMAO

[iberiantalesif-game]

Development blog

Here we are, months later with no news. I have a rewritten project that I´m stuck with and still losing the same battle over and over with the programming learning experience. Cant for dear life make it work.

Still, here I am, like a cadaver rolling down a hill.

Anyways! I consider failing progress, so il be back when I actually have something report that might intrest you.

Thank you all so much!

[iberiantalesif-game]

I’m guessing this takes place after the 1st Punic war, if it is could we work with Hannibal in his crusade against Rome?

:) Hello! To be honest, I'm still debating many aspects of the story, like the accuracy I want to portray of the era its set in, the themes I want to explore, and what I'm willing to sacrifice for realism .

I also have mixed feelings as an author, the journey MC has to go through to get to that point its VERY far from glorious and even less heroic.

But only time will see!

Thanks for the ask!