So the updated Grimoire is 90% done!
See it in action below:
Additionally, the writing of Episode 2 has been finally been completed.
Expect the revamp of Episode 1 within the next week and Episode 2 to be released shortly thereafter.
Confirming that everyone is alive (mostly) and well!
Just letting everyone know that the Spritewrench team is currently working on Episode 1 revamp AND Episode 2.
The editorial team has been hard at work addressing grammar issues and making writing suggestions, and though moving slower than anticipated, progress is being made.
I'd like to welcome all the new players who would have purchased the game over the holidays.
Hope 2019 finds you in good spirits and health.
First off, I'd like the Yogcast crew for letting Grimm & Tonic be a part of the Jingle Jam 2018. It's heartening to have been a part of a bundle that has raised over $3 million for charities!
Additionally, thanks to all the person's who've provided feedback on their experience with the game so far. I've made a note of the issues raised. Namely, those regarding the Grimoire and the general flow of the game. I'm currently designing alternatives that retain narrative integrity while addressing these pain points.
Below are my current ideas, and I invite feedback from the wider community.
Grimoire Revamp
The idea here is to make the Grimoire easier to navigate and present key information related to the updated conversation structure. Speaking of the "Conversation Structure" ...
Conversation Structure
I've begun exploring ways to simplify and standardize the way that conversations are handled in the game. In light of this, I want to revamp Episode 1 and have this design pinned down before continuing with subsequent episodes.
The intention is to have dialogue reveal a patron's preferred drink based on the player's conversation choices. Additionally, you can see that there are newly proposed stats on each drink. The idea is to use this information as "hints" to guide the player towards specific cocktails.
I'm looking forward to feedback on these changes. Understandably, subsequent Episodes will be delayed as we finalize this design
Bugs A discussion post has been opened to collate issues and relate known solutions.
Achievements Unfortunately, this feature will be delayed in light of the pending revamp. Will continue to keep everyone posted.
- Added unlockable side story: "Dude, Where's My Licence?"
This update brings the total number of side stories to 2!
Play through Episode 1 and spot the changes and which decisions unlock them.
As for Episode 2, the first draft for the dialogue for 3 out of the total 6 characters has been completed.
I'm a little behind but the great work continues!
It's been two weeks since the last update and apologize for the radio silence.
I recently moved and despite my planning things out to the best of my ability, stuff still ended up being a mess.
Writing progress has been slow, as by nature I tend to adopt a more exploratory style. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of revisions. On the upside, I've been able to address a few of the pain points (such as the Grimoire) over the past couple weeks.
In the next update (v0.1.3) we'll get to find out what happened to Usha in B-Side #2!
Hoping to have it out soon!
Another week has passed and development of Episode 2 (as well as the B-Sides) continues. Unfortunately, I was unable to deploy an update with the second unlockable side story this week due to some unforeseen circumstances, which I expect to carry into next week.
So don't expect any content update until November 9, 2018.
In the meantime. I'd like to introduce everyone to Or Ben-Mor.
Occupation: White Hat Warlock
Age: 18 (underage patron!)
Birthday: 1 March 2000
Sign: Pisces
Orientation: Asexual
The resident hacktivist of the DEAD-END bar. Or's an intellectual with sub-par social skills. Very concerned about the amount of control that big companies have over the data they gather from the everyday use of commercial Spells and Enchantments. He never stays in one location too long otherwise, the government can pinpoint his location.
So it's officially been two weeks since Grimm & Tonic launched and the reception so far has been decent, straightforward and most importantly, fair. Research and feedback primed me to not expect anything too great in terms of reception. This was based on the amount of content that is currently available in game as well as the nature of Steam at the moment. Despite this, I'm gratified by the positive responses the game has received so far. Thanks, truly.
Grimm & Tonic was always to be an exploration in interactive fiction. It is an attempt to merge the sequential nature of webcomics with the interactive nature of video games. As I pivot away from the initial paradigm of weekly web releases. I feel that Early Access is the next best fit, to carry this design ethos forward. For the foreseeable future, you can expect weekly updates in the form of tweaks, additionally endings, unlockable side stories and teasers for upcoming episodes. It is my hope that with your feedback, Grimm & Tonic will grow into a more coherent product with less rough edges. So keep the feedback coming.
This week's update introduces the very first B-Side Story: Glass Half Full. These stories are intended to be short (approximately 5- 10 mins long), with no choices, and focused on one or two characters. The idea is to use these stories to flesh out the cast and reframe events that occur in the episodes from their unique viewpoints. They will be unlockable via your actions in a given episode. (HINT: Glass Half Full is about Saul and his cat)
Additionally, for this week I wanted to incorporate a few achievements alongside a third ending for Episode 1. Unfortunately, my current production cycle seems to be too ambitious and it might be better to have a weekly sprint dedicated to each of these items (Achievements and Additional Endings) respectively.
