Writing Updates

Happy Holidays to everyone!

So far this month, I have been working hard on Zombie Exodus: Stronghold and making significant progress. I will be releasing an updated demo (beta) this month, on December 24, for my patrons, and also releasing the first six chapters publicly for testing. Patrons will get at least an extra 30,000 words of progress, which will include the introduction of a new character and the first major “boss” fight. Without giving away spoilers, it’s a massive showdown that can occur at one of three different places in the fortress. You get to decide where it happens.

That brings us to a new feature I’ll be introducing: Stronghold difficulty levels. If you are using Gamemaster Mode, which displays hints about Skill checks and stat changes, you will now see difficulty levels on some major choices. This will provide you with a measure of the risks and rewards for following that path. For the first one I have coded, you will see something that looks like this:

• First path: [Easy, Reward: 1 Skill Points]

• Second path: [Difficulty: Moderate, Reward: 2 Skill Points]

• Third path: [Difficulty: Hard, Reward: 4 Skill Points]

Whether or not you see difficulty levels and rewards, you will still be given narrative information to help inform your decision. These will not be blind paths to follow. It’s not a matter of choosing left or right, but the story will provide enough details to allow you to make the best decision for your character.

You will also notice that different paths reward you with bonus skill points. This is the first game where I have instituted such a mechanic. You can probably guess that the third path, the most challenging one, will present a much more difficult scenario. You may not survive the path, and I will not provide a safe point before the choice.

If you would like to take a look at the actual choice, I am providing it to patrons as a sneak peek.