springsaladgaming

[springsaladgaming]

What's New In IF? Issue 6 (2024)

By Erika, Marjorie, Axelle, and Noi

Now Available!

Itch.io - Google Drive - Keep Reading below

Did you know that you can learn a neat fun fact about IF on the itch.io version?

EDITORIAL

Not a content machine…

Though we manage to fill our pages with many projects appearing on the scene or updating regularly, it is important to remember that creators are not content machines.

They are like you and us: people, with ups and downs, with period of great productivity and creative struggles, with life affecting all of it. They put a lot of effort into making really cool stories (and most of them as a hobby!), so much more than we do with this!

And they share with us this labor of sweat, blood, tears and love, with little in return: a sign that someone played their project and enjoyed it.

Whether it is a quiet like or rating, a loud review or comment, a simple share (that can trickle away towards new eyes), or even a few coins their way, there are many ways we can tell them:

We see you, and we appreciate you.

Let's try to do this more, yeah?

We hope you enjoy this issue!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXELLE, AND NOI

EVENTS

CONFERENCE

You can now register for the Narrascope! It is happening June 21-23, in hybrid. They've also released the schedule of talks!

ONGOING (VOTING)

The voting period for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam ends in less than a week. The competition is looking for beginner players!

ONGOING (SUBMITTING)

If Spanish is in your wheelhouse, the Spanish IFComp (Rayuela) is currently ongoing! You can submit a game until the end of June, with the themes Es un sólo botón and/or Conexión.

Also ongoing is the ParserComp, which are looking for parser games, both with a classic feel or a more experimental approach.

If you are looking to make a Visual Novel, the Otome Jam will be looking for entries until July 1st.

🔥 Fuck Capitalism Jam 2024 🔥 is also a fun jam to participate in, and ends in a short week! (We know it's not technically IF, but they took IF entries before)

Today ends the REALLY BAD IF JAM, hosted on itch.io, where the goal is to make bad art (IF-style).

A Visual Novel focused version, “Worst Ever VN“ Challenge, will still accept entries until next week..

ENDED

The Locus Jam (@neointeractives)ended this week, with 15 short games! All entries were only allowed one location!.

There were also two entries that came out of the Text-Based Game/Visual Novel Jam, which you can find on itch.io.

The Narrative Design Award competition has just ended, with 26 entries with nautical themes.

OTHER

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running, with new submissions, since last week! It is happening on itch!

GAMES

NEW RELEASE

Do you like Call of Duty? A short fanfic in the CYOA format can be played on Tumblr. (@gauloiseblue)

Juniper's Under Story (Ren’Py) is a short beautiful slice-of-life visual novel. (@romanhyacinths)

The Final Song (Twine) is an educational historical fiction story set on the last days of the Siege of Leningrad.

Power Quest (Twine) is a short educational piece about renewable energy.

Don't forget about the cool games released in the events mentioned in the previous pages!

NEW RELEASE (WIP)

A Twisted Wonderland fanfic interactive project where your choice can affect the story is ongoing on Tumblr. (@sanalang-ao33)

Blackwood Manor (CScript) is a dark Victorian mystery project, where you play as the new Housekeeper of strange noble siblings. (@ang3lwithapen)

GAMES UPDATES

Thicker Than (CScript) has updated, passing the 300k total words mark. (@barbwritesstuff)

The Lonely Shore (CScript) has released an update with more activities. (@thelonelyshore-if)

Spellbound (CScript) is another project that passed the 300k total words mark.

Life as a Lich (CScript) is looking for testers ahead of release.

First Bull Run (CScript) has updated.

A Dance with the Devil (CScript) has updated its demo.

The Ultimate Magic Student (CScript) added over 30k words of content.

Core Uprising (CScript) completed a route.

My One and Only (CScript) has updated. (@reds-corner)

Aquarii (Twine) added Chapter 2. (@aquarii-if)

Valiant (Twine) has updated Chapter 2. (@valiant-if)

The Thousand of Us (CScript) added more content to the demo. (@ivanwm-05)

The Mouth of Elysium (Twine) has released its demo. (@blood-teeth)

Our Life: Now and Forever (Ren’Py) has updated its demo. (@gb-patch)

Mission Light (Twine) has released its demo, currently a prologue. (@mission-light-if)

Crash Course in You (Twine) released the rest of its First Chapter. (@fakeyellow)

Everbloom (CScript) has been fully released for free. (@darielivalyen)

Skin and Scales (Twine) has added Chapter 2 to its demo. (@skinandscales-if)

The Reaper Watches Me (Twine) also added its second chapter. (@thereaperwatchesme)

Dragon of Steelhorne 2 (CScript) is opening a private beta head of an IFComp release.

Blood Legacies (CScript) has almost doubled the wordcount of the demo. (@bloodlegacies)

Sense and Sorcery (CScript) has added new routes.

OTHER

Kit, author of The Nothern Passage (@northern-passage), is setting up a charity raffle for Palestine and looking for creators and artists for prizes.

The Neo-Interactive (@neointeractives) group has announced their Neo-Twiny Jam will raise money for LBGTQ+ causes through donations and submissions (announcement).

BLESS (Blood+Flesh+Soul) is turning into a Kinetic Novel. (@mahadeoh-blog)

Fields of Asphodel (CScript) has been submitted to Hosted Games. The demo is not available anymore. (@chrysanthemumgames)

We apologize if we missed an update or a release. We are but volunteers trying to find as much info as possible, but sometimes news pass through the cracks.

Please, let us know if something should have been added to the zine, and we will shout it out next week!

HIGHLIGHT ON...

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Ascendance by Ascendance-if (@ascendance-if - Twine)

“Well, it's cool because there are really nice side character friends and those moments with them were absolutely lovely. Also, the premise of the story of being a creature who had experienced various lifetimes as different species in different worlds and having met and interacted with the LIs and be able to still reconnect with them no matter who or what you were and are is lovely as well.”

submitted by FeveredRain

Posey Picks and the Bus Stop by indooranimal (@derekachoy - Phaser)

“Such a cute VN. It's like giving a heartbalm after playing really dark stuff. It's so silly and the endings are so funny, but I like it a lot. And it's like surprising large and branching for a VN. You should play it.”

submitted by Isaac

The Impossible Bottle by Linus Åkesson (Dialog)

“Truly one of the best parser I have ever played. A magical experience where I didn't feel frustrated once. I am in awe of how accessible it was for a (then) non-parser player (click to action). And the twist… … so so cool. Best winner of the IFComp for sure.”

recommended by Eric

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserve some highlighting? Tell us about it! A old or recent game that wowed you so much you want to spam it to everyone? Tell us about it!

We'll add it to the page!

FINAL WORD

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

@elegantunknownphantom, Eric, FeveredRain, Isaac, and a couple of anonymous users!

Your shared news, helpful tips, cool links, filled form, written Sheet line, sent emails… all these little attentions toward the Zine help us so much!

We also would like to thank all of you who told us of cool recs that didn't appear this edition. We'll try out best to fit them in next week!

And a final thank to all of you who not only read our zine, but liked it, shared it with others, left a little sweet reply or dm, or even rated it on itch! Those little bits of support really help us so much!! Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~

As a final parting word, we thought of bringing back this little challenge for you all:

If you enjoy a game or a project, or if you admire an author and their work, try to send them a little message of appreciation this week. A little comment or rating for their game, a compliment in their askbox/dm, gushing in the tags of a reblog or in a review…

Spread the kindness!

See you again next week!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXELLE, AND NOI

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 6

[springsaladgaming]

this is a formal interest check for a charity raffle with the IF community

if you are an IF author or artist and you're interested in participating in a charity-drive raffle, please check out this form! we are aiming to do one big raffle with a single prize pool, where people submit proof of donation in exchange for a raffle ticket.

prizes we are currently considering would be things like a spicy snippet or a cosy snippet, etc. potential sketches from artists or a rendered bust, etc. and we'll allow the authors & artists to dictate how much/what exactly they're comfortable offering. donating to multiple gfm will mean more entries into the raffle. we'll be offering a list of potential gfm to donate to (we're going to try and focus on ones with low funds) & any artists/authors offering prizes can specify if they want to sponsor specific gfm.

this is subject to change! we are just trying to gauge interest right now and see what we can put together on our side of things which depends entirely on the people willing to contribute & if we get enough interest.

here is the google form for artists and authors to fill out:

this was inspired by the book auction for gaza as well as the many other art raffles i've seen here and on twitter.

[springsaladgaming]

Hey there! Just checking in to see how you’re doing. I hope you’re well!! ❤️

Hi, Anon! I'm doing okay! On the financial struggle bus right now, but I'm making it by. A few of my dnd games went on hiatus for a while due to some real life drama between players, but those are picking back up again so that's a definite plus to life rn. I've also made it through a mental rough patch and am feeling more creative again, so that's another plus! Thanks for checking in! I hope that you are also doing well! 🧡

#non writing #ask

[springsaladgaming]

Game Update - 5/7/24

The next update is ready to play!

Features include:

An update! 😅

An entire recoding of Chapter 4! including a new chapter title (2 of them, technically, as it’s different depending on the route you chose at the end of Chapter 3)

Some actual communication between characters about what’s going on!

Gavin Cowles!

A reminder that previous saves made in Chapter 4 will be broken! You will need to load a save from Chapter 3 or earlier to play, or start a new game!

There isn’t a lot of new content this time, as most of the work for it was on the back end and overcoming behind-the-scenes obstacles, but I’m so happy to finally have an update for you all! I say “thank you for your patience” a lot, I know, but I really can’t say it enough. Your continued love and support is what kept me going while I battled the various demons that kept getting in my way. Next update should be a lot bigger, and include some conversations you’ve all been waiting for!

(On the last page, if Gavin mentions someone other than your chosen RO, let me know! I’m still trying to iron out the code on that one… so far I’ve only seen issues on no-romance runs thinking you’re romancing Li, and I think I’ve fixed that, but if I haven’t/something else comes up wrong, please tell me)

What you can expect in the next update:

Another update! 😂

Gossiping about your love life!

Gossiping about your friends!

Gossiping about your… sister’s love life?

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💙💙💙

[springsaladgaming]

A custom Sugarcube 2 template for desktop, tablet, and mobile.

🔗 - Check it out on Itch.io!

Features:

Splash page, start menu, and main body passage.

Custom navigation bar.

Links, buttons, and other UI styling.

Change font style, font size, line height and themes.

Toggle fullscreen, autoname saves, notifications, choice indicators, and passage fade transition.

ChapelR Macros.

and more!

i've wanted a simple template for myself for a little while now - so here it is! hopefully it's helpful to someone else!! there are annotations in the code to help but i am always down to answer questions about it. feel free to use it as is or hack it up - enjoy and happy coding!

[springsaladgaming]

Merry Crisis Public release

The latest chapter (27th Dec) is AVAILABLE right now for EVERYONE! :) I'm sorry that it took longer than I thought it would, but I'm so excited to finally share it and can't wait to hear what you guys think!

Crowdsourced playlist | Ko-fi / Support me

Features: 

The lead-up to the Nat surprise (!)

Visit a columbarium with your family (to commemorate your grandparents 👴👵 and relive some childhood memories!) <Flesh out your MC's family life>

OR: Skip the columbarium family trip and have lunch with Qiu (at their workplace 💼; or lunch with Shay (includes an optional boxing 🥊 session and the potential to meet someone dear to them🍲).

Meet Qiu or Shay at a 'winter'-themed  funfair/carnival in the evening (or save it for a future Nat date)🧸🎄🍻 <win stuffed animals, drink mulled wine, sit on the lawn and... experience... snow(?)>

Bonus scenes at night if you choose not to go to the funfair (e.g. board games with Joony, write a song if you're a musician etc.) 

Wordcount: 67k (this brings the total wordcount to ~220k words!)

Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :)

And as always, a big thank you to all my beta-testers and ko-fi supporters and everyone who has continued to play and leave lovely messages <3

[springsaladgaming]

The second part of the mini-update for Chapter 9 is now up and playable for Ishari Tier Patrons.

Play the game here.

The update schedule is as follows:

8 April 2024: Ishari Tier Patrons ($15)

11 April 2024: Vinia Tier Patrons ($10)

16 April 2024: Cyre Tier Patrons ($5)

23 April 2024: Nomad Tier Patrons ($2)

New to the update:

Added around 37K of code and words. Word count will probably range between 30-35K;

Added more name options at the beginning of the game;

A late-night chat with Zikar (optional);

The Vinia family one-on-one scenes;

A memorial ceremony (optional) to honour Yara and Ahlf;

Dialogue scenes with Rana; and

Choose to give Rana her gift (based on earlier decisions).

This is the family portion of the chapter, so you'll not get any RO scenes this time. It mostly deals with the arrival of the Vinia family in Ishari, so if the family or Rana doesn't interest you, I suggest waiting for the next (and final) portion of Chapter 9's update.

Enjoy!

[springsaladgaming]

Merry Crisis Early-release: Chapter Three!

The latest chapter* (27th Dec) is AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW for ko-fi supporters! <I am so sorry for the delay!!>

Features: 

The lead-up to the Nat surprise (!)

Visit a columbarium with your family (to commemorate your grandparents 👴👵 and relive some childhood memories!) <Flesh out your MC's family life>

OR: Skip the columbarium family trip and have lunch with Qiu (at their workplace 💼; or lunch with Shay (includes an optional boxing 🥊 session and the potential to meet someone dear to them🍲).

Meet Qiu or Shay at a 'winter'-themed  funfair/carnival in the evening (or save it for a future Nat date)🧸🎄🍻 <win stuffed animals, drink mulled wine, sit on the lawn and... experience... snow(?)>

Bonus scenes at night if you choose not to go to the funfair (e.g. board games with Joony, write a song if you're a musician etc.) 

Wordcount: 54k + 12/13k words (for the winter fair, should you choose to go with Shay/Qiu)

Can't wait to share it with you guys!

(P.S. if you helped to beta-test, a big thank you <3 I'm about 60% done with everyone's feedback, and I'll continue to tweak and edit over the course of the week! Once I'm done with everyone, I'll send each of you a thank you + confirmation email!)

*It's Chapter Three now, but only because I re-named the chapters, essentially what would've been called Chapter Four previously.

[springsaladgaming]

Doki Doki Dollmaker, an indie BL visual novel is OUT NOW! Get it 10% off for release week. ♥

Hello! My name is Karitsa and I'm a solo indie developer. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in Spring 2021, my very first visual novel, Doki Doki Dollmaker is out now! It's a Boys Love (BL or BxB) romantic comedy filled with colorful characters and wholesome moments. I've been working on this passion project for over a decade now, writing, producing, and programming in my spare time. Doki Doki Dollmaker couldn't have happened without support from family, friends, fans, backers, and the talented artists, musicians, and editors commissioned to bring its story and characters to life. I'm so grateful for the support this project has received over its years of development and sincerely hope the full release exceeds expectations!

The full version is now available for purchase exclusively on Itch.io along with a free extended demo for Windows, Linux, and Mac. (Due to limitations, the Linux and Mac versions have not been extensively tested.) Please consider leaving the project a rating/review on Itch.io - it really helps the project's visibility!

Doki Doki Dollmaker is only available for download on its official Itch.io page. If you find this visual novel on any other website or platform, it is an unauthorized copy. In the event of unauthorized distribution, we cannot guarantee the safety, quality, or accuracy of unofficial copies and/or translations.

Currently, players are unable to skip the end credits sequence. In the future, I'd like to implement the option to skip credits if already seen once.

♥ All feedback and potential bug/typo reports can be sent to: [email protected]

♥ Project FAQ can be found here: https://dokidokidollmaker.tumblr.com/faq

♥ Content Warnings can be found here: https://dokidokidollmaker.tumblr.com/contentwarnings

♥ Game Credits can be found here: https://dokidokidollmaker.tumblr.com/credits

Itch.io: https://karitsa.itch.io/dokidokidollmaker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DokiDollmaker (@DokiDollmaker)

Development Blog: https://dokidokidollmaker.tumblr.com

Kickstarter: https://kickstarter.com/projects/karitsa/doki-doki-dollmaker-a-heartfelt-bl-visual-novel

[springsaladgaming]

So sorry for the delay! ! My VS Code program wasn't calibrated with CSIDE and in the indentions basically messed up. The prologue coding is so wonky that honestly if I do anything I end up fucking up 2839393 lines of code. If you've been following a while, you're probably well aware of much hatred for the prologue's coding lmao but we live and we learn.

Storyline wise, not much has changed. Scenes are largely the same, since I'm pretty happy with what I wrote a year ago. For this rewrite, I focused mainly on the big things like choices that will impact the rest of the story and O's gender selection. Some new things include:

you can now play with Orion or Oriana Quinn

you can now express if the band went through a musical rebrand after seven and what the old genre was (which will come up later).

you can now choose whether mc "changed" after seven and what change that was (there's 4, technically 2, options and a "default" vague option, im open to more options since I wanted to do this but couldn't really think of any believable ones beyond the four).

new mc personality: attached vs detached. your mc can have an extra attachment to the band for obvious reasons, or can feel the opposite.

coordinating outfits can now be exclusive to the band members. your mc can be the unique unicorn of the group since they're the lead singer (this is definitely not gonna bite them in the ass later)

adding to that, your mc's reason for fame can be due to wanting to keep the band together.

a new flavor text feeling about seven is now added which is basically "idk how I feel" instead of hating or loving them, you can just make it that MC's feelings for them is just a big question mark. REALISM!

stat changes: stern/playful -- same thing as humorous/serious I just wanted words that encompassed a wider range of behavior Leader/follower - whether mc takes on the leader role or not camaraderie - a band stat that measures the trust/morale/closeness of the band

u can probably see where im going with the stats huh....

smaller changes include:

more choices and options

prose changes + dialogue additions and expanded/ added scenes

The beta testers have not touched this yet, as I wanted to bring it out to collect some last suggestions, ideas from Patrons. Of course, as always, if you do catch errors, please let me know.

My main concern for errors: O's pronouns. It was a long process but I may have missed a few pronouns here and there. Please let me know if you catch any <3

PROLOGUE: 93K WORDS (for context, the old prologue and chapter 1 were 92k together. The prologue is a tiny bit inflated but :))) 

I will make a post about beta testers soon. I've been quiet on that front because I've been just prioritizing getting this out first.

Now available for Band tier! (6$)

[springsaladgaming]

I’m back and the first thing I did when I woke up was finish the new demo lol!! I’m enjoying all the new details and branches you’ve included in this version, and I can’t wait to go back and play through all of them!! Also super excited for that work event that Sungjae interestingly does not want us to go to? 👀👀 What secrets are you hiding brother? Will the Rosso (not sure if they’ll still be under that name) family be there? Did Sungjae know Ansel? (This one’s based off the route to explore Sungjae’s room.) What’s going on? 👀 I’m super excited for what you have in store!! 😊

Aaaand I realized too late that this is the same anon as the last ask, so hello again!

And to most of this I really just have to say 🤐

What I will say is, some of the clues and forshadowing in this story are split into different routes, so in order to get the full picture some replaying is required. (I like that when I read IF, personally, so it's what I've chosen to do here.) So it's really important to me that all the branches are enjoyable and contain something equally rewarding as other simultaneous branches.

It can sometimes feel really weird to try and measure writing in an IF by quantifiable things like word count or stat increases or what have you—after all, it's a narrative and that's what is most important. That being said, there is nothing quite as irritating in a choice-based game, IF or otherwise, as feeling like you always have to pick a certain route because you simply get more content and/or rewards for taking it, even if it might be an ooc route for you to take.

So I'm glad to hear you like the different branches for different spots in the narrative, and I really hope others are feeling similarly.

Thanks for sending a follow-up message! I suck at publicizing myself and staying visibly active between updates, so I don't get a lot of asks, but I love receiving them, so the fact that you took the time out of your day to send them means a lot to me! 🧡

#ask

[springsaladgaming]

Hiii I just finished reading the old demo of your game and am on my way to reading the new version but can I just say… I LOVE THE CAST OF CHARACTERS YOUVE INTRODUCED TO US SO FAR!! I don’t know what changes have been made to the demo between the old and new one yet but when Alex and Ansel are more serious/affected by their circumstances it makes me 👀👀 Love when the playful/composed characters are caught off guard hehehehe. I need to see more of Rene to make up my mind but I absolutely already love Cherry and Lucia, they’re super cute on their own and as a duo (platonic or otherwise) and I’m excited for more moments with them!! ALSO I AM IN LOVE WITH TEAGAN HE IS EXACTLY MY TYPE AND HEARING HOW SURPRISED ANSEL WAS AND WHEN HE SILENTLY CHECKED UP ON MC I JUST 😭🤲🏼❤️ immediate beloved. Lastly but certainly not least, I’m looking forward to seeing how the family dynamics pan out 👀 I can kinda see how MC’s mom ended up being the way she is now and it makes me sad :// but also SUNGJAE!!! I love older brother characters and this one tugs on my heart strings 😭 while also making me 🤔 he has some secrets of his own for sure, and I can’t wait for the siblings to have a breakdown over that ahaha 🤡🥲 Anyways all this to say, I enjoyed reading and I’m on my way to read more of your story hehe!! Thank you for sharing ❤️

Hi anon! I'm so glad you're enjoying it all so far!

I have the penchant to write characters before I've even made a cohesive plot, so in the case of Ninelives especially the plot has been built around who each of these characters are.

The cast of romance options are great, to be sure, but I do especially love writing MC's family. (Would it surprise anyone to learn that Arthur is actually one of my favorite characters to write?) There are pieces of the story that revolve heavily around the family dynamics, some of which are optional to explore, but Sungjae takes a big role in the overarching plot and it will be fun to see how people's perception of him changes throughout the story and whether people shift their opiniom of him.

As for the ROs, they form their own little family, of a sort, and that one won't be without its own conflicts. 😉

Again, I'm so happy your are enjoying it, and thank you for taking the time to send me a message. I hope you stay well! Looking forward to sharing more of the story!

#ask

[springsaladgaming]

DESCRIPTION

When your village is razed to the ground, you're left fleeing with an exiled prince. You can trust no one but each other. Your father's dying wish was to protect the prince, but can you really trust a man who was exiled from his kingdom?

Journey across the borders in search of allies. But in this deadly game of treachery and deceit, there is more than just the prince's life at stake. Will you flee from the past that haunts you or will you embrace the fate that awaits you?

The decision is yours.

Crown of Exile is a 17+ interactive fiction game, with its main focus on character development and interactions with NPCs. It is intended for mature audiences and will contain scenes of violence, mild sexual themes and vulgar language. The game is still a work in progress and is currently being written.

FEATURES

Play as male or female.

Romance or befriend one of four characters.

Uncover the shrouded history of your past.

Delve into politics and scheming.

Help the exiled prince reclaim his throne.

Flee from your past or embrace your fate.

Follow a single religion, choose more than one or reject the gods completely.

Develop skills in leadership, politics and warfare.

ROMANCE OPTIONS

Prince Irus (he/him): Prince Irus is the illegitimate child of King Erlan and a low-born noblewoman. Stubborn and headstrong, Prince Irus believes that the throne of Cyre belongs to him. He is determined to reclaim his rightful place as King, regardless of what anyone says.

Queen Elora (she/her): Queen Elora is the ruler of Vinia, a neighbouring kingdom to Cyre. Queen Elora is charming and attractive, but beneath her beauty is a cunning woman who wields her power with expertise.

Sir Oren (he/him): Sir Oren is the captain of the guard of the Vinian Royal Guard. While Sir Oren can come across as straitlaced, he can be kind and generous to those he respects.

Anu (she/her): Anu is a Priestess of Ehulla and believes that the only way to end the war between Ishari and Cyre is through bloodshed. Brash and unafraid of confrontation, Anu will fight for what she believes in.

Last update (public demo): 1 January 2024 (first 8 chapters). Last Patreon update: 25 December 2023 (first 8 chapters). Please note that the demo will no longer be updated for the public build.

LINKS:

Demo

Patreon

Ko-fi

Report a bug

Soundtrack

Pinterest

FAQs

Crown of Exile Fan Works

[springsaladgaming]

Hello, where we may send you bug reports?

Hi anon!

The easiest way to send me bug reports is through an ask here on tumblr. You can give a detailed explanation or send a screenshot or whatever else works for you.

The very first page of the demo also has a link to an email used exclusively for my interactive fiction writing. I've included it for convenience, in case someone has a report that can't fit in an ask or doesn't have a tumblr, but I understand that might be a privacy concern for some. Know that I will never reply to a bug report made via email, but if you wish to remain completely anonymous, the best thing to do is use a tumblr ask.

#ask

[springsaladgaming]

happy holidays! hope you have a good new year and excited for more of your story next year!

Hi anon!

I, too, am excited to for more of the story next year! Now that I've seemed to claw my way out of creative burnout, I'm gonna do my best to stay here in a place where I can be regularly productive—and not just for y'all, but for me, because it's easy to forget how much fun creating is when you aren't actively doing it.

Thanks so much for the support! Happy holidays, and I hope you have a fantastic new year as well! 🧡

#ask

[springsaladgaming]

Ninelives Demo Update!

Hey, all! Happy holidays, and say hello to a demo update for Ninelives. (Finally, amiright?)

The total word count (including code) now comes to ~69k (nice)

Changelog:

Branch B of the Under-Cover scene in Chapter 2 has been completed.

The first part of Chapter 3 has been added.

General bug, spelling, and grammar fixes throughout.

Features:

Get a glimpse into Lucia's character before she is officially introduced in later chapters.

An alternative way to meet/not meet some of the characters, which will change scenes later in the game.

Gain some insight into Sungjae and Arthur.

Additional choices to emphasize personality and flavor some back story of the main character.

No major changes have been made to already existing content, so old saves should work. My apologies if they do not. 🙏🏾

Journal information has not yet been updated to include any new content.

I've been attempting to get Open Dyslexic working with this project, but for some reason the template I'm using is not cooperating with font additions very well. I will keep working on this for the future.

I anticipate a number of bugs and errors, as usual. Please feel free to send report here on tumblr or through the avenues provided within the game intro if you find any bugs.

Play the updated demo here!

#demo update #ninelives if #progress update

[springsaladgaming]

Holiday Drop: Patreon Bonus Stories II

Hey everyone!!

I know I haven't been as active with updates and posting on the blog in general over the past few months. Progress on CH12 has been painfully slow going, though I'm still working on it, and hope the new year will kick my ass into gear 🙏🏼

In any case, I've decided to make it up to you by releasing extra Patreon snippets.

A whole bunch of them, actually. If you'll recall, back in October I released 1 snippet for each LI, this time I'm releasing 4 snippets for each LI showing scenes from the game told through their point of view, with a combined wordcount of 9052 words.

The snippets included in this file are:

Meeting the Crown for the first time

Comforting the Crown after the nightmare in CH3

Seeing the Crown dressed up for the first time in CH4

Seeing the Crown's coronation vision in CH7

I've also included snippets showing how the Crown's parents met each other, how X met Tûjo and Heval, and how Perjin met R told from Perjin's perspective.

You can download the file from this link. It's a zip file, so you'll have to unzip it ("extract all" option after right-clicking it), then open up the index.html file in any browser of your choice. Just make sure not to move any of the files outside of its folder, or you'll break the images/fonts!

If you enjoy these snippets, consider pledging to my Patreon! You can view the total list of available snippets for each tier in this Google doc, it'll be updated as I add more stories each month.

Thanks so much for all your support over these years, hope you enjoy these bonus snippets.

Happy holidays!! 💖