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No worries. I take breaks as needed. I know it probably doesn't seem like it but I promise I spend a lot of time just reading or chilling in addition to writing and drawing!

Gilded Shadows always goes on sale during the major sales for similar amounts as the sales here. I don't really remember the exact percentages but GS is signed up for at least two upcoming Steam sales so I would keep an eye out there and/or wishlist it there if it's not so that you'll get a notification! 

Thanks for replying!! I'll keep an eye on both of these to see if they pop up in any of my tests going forward.

If the second error was indeed caused by rollback, I'm not surprised you can't recreate it. There was a weird game-crashing error related to rollback that I experienced during the development of Gilded Shadows and it could never be recreated consistently in the same place with the same actions. We had to eventually chaulk it up to something with Ren'py and move on because it didn't seem to be related to my code specifically.

But hey, I get to mark 'mysterious error' off my indie dev bingo card in my journal! A silver lining! 🤣🤣🤣

Thank you for reporting these!  （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～

1. That choice does get posted to my choice history normally so it doesn't look like anything is wrong on my end at a glance, but I'll keep testing to see if I can recreate it.

2. I can't recreate your flowchart error either but that definitely does not mean it isn't there! Rollback can cause weird errors in Renpy and you had just rolled back so that possibly the culprit but can you tell me which chapter this occurred in? Each chapter's flowchart is an individual thing so it'll be helpful for testing if I know where to test!

Thank you!

~Esh

Ha ha. Sorry about that! *hands you some tissues* ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

I haven't checked the tag recently but a few months ago, it was quite bad for a while. 😭😭 I have added the tag for now though! 

The MC in this game will not be misgendered intentionally (if the MC is ever referred to as 'they' it's just a coding mistake! Occasionally I forget to bracket a pronoun or verb so the wrong one gets used but this is not because the writing is assuming a gender; it is just a coding mishap).

When it comes to feminine clothing, I find that it's a little tricky because what I personally consider feminine, masculine, or neutral can be very different than other people. I will never put something like a dress or lacy stockings on the masculine base by default because I know that is not everyone's preference. There are minor differences in how the MC dresses based on the body that is chosen, the corset in the default outfit is lower for the masculine bases and doesn't cinch the waist as much. There's a waistcoat that has a more masculine neckline if you pick the male sprite. And though the MC starts out with very long hair, you can choose to have them cut it later on in the game.

I will probably continue to make those kinds of small distinctions going forward as I create new outfits for later in the story as well.

I tend towards androgynous character designs in general so the MC isn't super-duper macho, but I don't think the masculine version of the MC appears more feminine than some of the other male characters. Other male characters wear corsets and have long hair and delicate features. My style just tends towards pretty boys. 

But I will never go super-feminine with the MC's clothing or hair on the male/masculine sprite base by default. 

edit: I should say the MC *does* wear a long nightshirt at one point in the demo but in my defence, men really did wear these historically. And the MC switches to regular night clothes later on. 🙂‍↕️

This can be played as a BL and the MC is *not* coded as a woman. 

The only reason I don't really use the BL or Yaoi tags is that they're really busy tags with a lot of AI games, and I just am not sure my game would rise to the surface and be noticed on those tags, which isn't true on the otome and amare tags. Since I only get 10 slots for tags, I try to use ones that I think will get my game noticed rather than tags I'm not sure will be helpful. Those tags are just really overwhelmed right now. 

It has nothing to do with the actual game genres. But I can always add a BL tag if you think it would help or if it would make you feel more confident the game can be played that. 

Though I do not write perfectly, I do absolutely do my best to make sure the writing doesn't imply a specifically preferred MC gender and I take what opportunities I can to differentiate the text based on the player's customisation choices. There is not as much opportunity for it in the demo content because it's very early story development but later in the love interest routes, if I feel there is a scene that might play out differently with a male or masculine character, I will try split the text and write in variations rather than go for a neutral version of events.

This can be small things like using different compliments or visual things like the MC wearing their towel differently if using the masculine base or story related things like the MC leading while waltzing with certain LIs. 

Again, it's not always perfect but I do strive for authenticity in storytelling no matter which customisation options one picks!

Please post genuine errors here. 

Do not post typos and the like - beta testers will try to catch those and I prefer to keep them in one place. If you find a game-breaking error, please post:

1. Where you encountered it
2. Are you on PC, Mac, etc
3. And any error message you receive in full

Thank you!

It depends on what you mean by 'break' LoL. Do I ever just go a week without writing or something? Not really. ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ

I think it is sometimes tricky for indie devs because our hobbies tend to be writing and art which means if we are doing a hobby, we often default to working on our games because if I'm going to write anyway, why not? So it's rare that I go a few days without working on my games for that reason. But that doesn't mean I work all day every day. 

I have another writing project I work on sometimes (YES THAT IS TAKING A BREAK) and I have been a lot better about reading or playing other games so I'm not working 24/7, I promise! 🤣🤣

I agree! I really try to avoid the obvious motifs like gears and goggles everywhere but I really love the vibe of somewhat Victorian, copper and brass....and gadgets! So I'm doing my best to have all that come across! 

(*✧×✧*) Are you mocking me? Rofl! 

It's true though. I can't help but do big projects. 🤣🤣

Don't tell anyone but I am working on a companion novel for Thornewood. 🤫  It takes place elsewhere in the world but is the same setting.

I work on it a couple of times a week late at night when I'm chilling. I'm not very far into it at all. LoL. It's like 10k long right now.

It'll be a while for the full game but hopefully the demo won't be too long from now. I still have a lot to write for the full game though. \(￣︶￣*\))

Hello!

The short answer is that there are customisation options for gender outside of just the apperance.

To clarify, the statement  when I say "pre-defined personality and history", this is not referring to the character's gender identity at al!

The "pre-defined personality" referring to their literal base personality traits (calm, brave, observant, anxious) and their literal backstory ("raised in a spooky tower by a Witch").  These two elements are not customisable and are also not connected to the character's gender. They are a part of who this person is regardless of what other options the player chooses.

The customisable elements include:

Visual Elements: 

• Body shape (out of four options)
• facial shape (out of two options)
• hair colour (out of 6)
• skin tone (out of 6)

Story Elements: 

• Pronouns + Verbs
• Titles/Other nouns (daughter/son/child, etc)
• First name

Story wording does change sometimes based on these options so the story is not written in a way that assumes a gender neutral state. This can be as minor as who leads if the MC is dancing with a love interest or it can change certain aspects of how a love scene plays out. 

Hope this helps.

Thank you! （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～

Ch 5 is the last bonus scene - it was harder to write them for later events given all the plot things happening so they stop after the chapter 5 event! 

There is also an image gallery in the music room that you can check to see if you've unlocked those! I think there are just 2 images per character. <3

No worries! I know that with a lot of in-progress and unfinished games out there, it's sometimes better to verify! (*^▽^*)

This game has been finished for nearly three years, yes.

No one else has reported issues but without more information than this it's impossible to begin to deconstruct what the issue might be. 

Ha ha - the variation there is based on some of your choices when you first meet him in the mess hall if I remember correctly. It's not based on your route because there aren't really distinct "routes" per se until the very end.  So things like that will tend to be based off specific earlier choices more than who you are targeting a playthrough.

Kav is a gremlin and the mental image of him curtsying to the MC does make me laugh. \(￣︶￣*\))

No worries! I couldn't either. 🤣🤣 I literally had to look up what they're called in the game to make sure I was referring to them correctly. 

I'm struggling to follow, a little bit, which endings you've gotten and which you have not but I think you're striving for the "Dramatic Ending/Inevitable Path Endings" - 

For Asher, Daaz, Raif, and Yren, you can essentially get on their romance path in Chapter 5 and then keep your score as low as possible and you should unlock these alternate endings. 

With Kav and Noel, though, it's a bit different and I think Kav's dramatic ending is probably the trickiest to get.

I don't have an exact guide for unlocking the Dramatic endings but for Kav, I would probably recommend saving after you're safely on the route (just so you can go back to, say, the beginning of Chapter 6 vs replaying the whole route. And then nurse the points from that moment onward so that by the end you look like you have about 75% - 80% of the bar filled by Chapter 12...and you keep it there (I know it's tricky because there isn't percentage marker on the bar, and you only have about a 12 point window where if you're below the threshold you get the Vael ending and above it you get the companion ending.

Noel's works a little different than this. You should be able to get his dramatic ending by ensuring you choose: 

"Yeah, but you know I can't do much to help you at this point, right?" 

way back in Chapter 7, then keeping your score low. This should help you bypass his bad ending in chapter 12 but also not lock you into the Companion ending.

Glad to hear you like Yren! He is a good been

There really isn't one! Because they all share roughly the same story line right up to chapter 11, there's no real reason to do a particular play order! 

Ha ha. Don't worry - Khyrri is very popular so you are not alone. Rofl

Try to raise his affinity metre as high as possible before you enter chapter five. This should mean that the end scene you get is slightly different and the bonus scene unlocks after that variation.

Same, honestly. Kav turned into such a force of nature. I love him.

Thank you!! (o′┏▽┓｀o) 

The MC doesn't really evolve route-to-route, unfortunately!  Though I do think I have a track record of writing MCs who finally hit a breaking point and pitch a fit over what's going on around them. Wil might be a little worse because they've put up with way more than my other MCs to date though! 

They're 1-2 months out from having lost their entire life. They have weird aliens stalking them across space time, guilds after a key in their head, people threatening the ones they love, a father who is AWOL after starting this whole mess. 🤣

They're pretty justifiably annoyed at the entire situation so I have to admit that they have multiple "tantrums" and "bratty moments" across multiple routes (some far worse than Asher). 🤣🤣 Sorry about that. LoL

The guide will be updated when I have the time and energy. The answers for the last few chapters do matter but if you've followed the guide up to Chapter 10, it's unlikely you can mess up that badly in the last chapters. There are also stat metres that can be used to help get you through the last three chapters for the time being. =)

Stop enabling me! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Awww. Thank youuuuu! (o′┏▽┓｀o) 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! (✿◡‿◡)

Same! There are more sci-fi games than there were when I first dipped my toes into it with Gilded Shadows but it's still severely under represented. I think it's not helped by a lot of players thinking they don't ike science fiction because they're less into hard sci-fi. But I stick with science-fantasy so it still gets pretty out there with the "science" part xD

I hope you enjoy playing WSC and love everyone!  (o′┏▽┓｀o) 

Ha ha - you aren't the only one (and of course, I did write him that way intentionally). I wanted him to come across like he's yes, obsessed, and yes, carries it too far. But if MC gives him the time of day he stops thinking of them just in terms of the key and views them as a person he very much wants by his side.

I thought about doing some bonus scenes with him and Savarre both but honestly, by the end, I just did not have the time or energy. Live turned way too chaotic in recent months. Even though it's calmed down a little, it's still pretty up and down (today is a really busy day for example - actually this whole week is. So many deliveries and tradies and all kinds of things) 😭😭

But I'm glad you like Je Aen! 

Thank youuu! It was technically monetised through patreon but that's sematics when it can be downloaded without paying ha ha. I hope you enjoy it! <3

Fortunately the next game is already about half written but only if I avoid the temptation to add two additional love interests. ╰(*°▽°*)╯  And let me just say........my track record on resisting that temptation is pretty bad.

Thanks! I really like writing sci-fi but I really enjoy fantasy too and while I still have some more science fiction and science fantasy stories in me I really wanted to go back to pure fantasy for a while! (✿◡‿◡)

Fortunately in the code there is a difference between doubling and sharing. When they share story, it means you can skip the seen text and get through it faster. Shared content, I also only have to write one time.

I tried to have them share as much as possible to facilitate skipping and make the rest different enough to be interest when you replayed it. But honestly it still gets tedious to write the same scenario 6 different times. I can see the value in it. I know with my other projects people have asked me to imagine things like "What if Caleb dealt with the things that happened in Ari's route"

So the scenario of how different people handle the same events can be interesting story-wise but it's still super tedious ha ha. I just find it way more freeing and enjoyable to explore different plotlines entirely.

Thank you! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Yay! I hope you enjoy it!  ( •̀ ω •́ )✧