Games by JimD Newsletter – Safe Haven, New Games?

Welcome to my 68th newsletter! This month I took a trip to New York, and this was my first vacation in over five years. I visited Central Park and went to a Broadway show, among other touristy things. Being away and not working for four days was strange, but I felt renewed after the trip.

While in New York, I had dinner with Jason Stevan Hill, one of the founders of Choice of Games. I have been working with Jason for the past twelve years, and this was the first time we met in person. It was great to hear his perspective on Choice of Games, where the company is going, and some of their plans for future game updates. He swore me to secrecy, but I will say that some significant new features are coming. He already announced that they would finally allow readers to delete saved games. If you have 200 saved files, you can finally delete some when this new feature comes out.

We talked for over two hours and had a great time. Jason wondered if I was working on other projects, and I mentioned Deadbury Academy. He was excited about this game and asked to put it on track for release as quickly as possible. I wasn't quite prepared for that, but after returning from my trip, I started working more intently on the project. I will talk more about it below after providing an update on Safe Haven.

Let's get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4

Part 4 currently stands at 321,000 words, with an addition of about 20,000 words this month already. Before my trip to New York, I had written a lot of content so that I could be ahead of my schedule. I am currently working on fixing the Jillian pregnancy storyline. Here is how it is going to work:

• If the MC is male
  • If Jillian is taking birth control pills, she does not get pregnant.
  • If Jillian is not taking birth control pills, she gets pregnant with the MC's baby. (In theory, it could be Lyle's baby, but no one in the group will question who's the father.)
• If the MC is female or non-binary or the MC is not in a relationship with Jillian.
  • Jillian will either be pregnant or not, depending on a random roll at the beginning of Part 4.

Usually, I don't make random events occur in the game, but I also feel that this will provide different content on subsequent playthroughs. Also, you will find out if Jillian is pregnant early in Part 4. You can always restart if you want to play the storyline differently.

I'm also working on the Wendigo fight scenes and will hopefully change them for the next beta update.

On social media, and mentioned that I am finally adding some hand-to-hand weapons in Part 4 of Safe Haven.

• Brass knuckles: mod 5
• Gladiator Cestus: mod 8
• Spiked shin guards: mod 8

You will choose these weapons to fit into either your primary or secondary slot and then decide which one you want to attack with when preparing for a fight scene. They will use your hand-to-hand skill.

Deadbury Academy

As I mentioned in the introduction, I will work on this game over the next year and hopefully release the first part in 2024. It will have some of the same features as ZE:SH, but the skills will be streamlined, and there are new challenges to explore alongside some familiar favorites. I'd like to have a 20,000-word demo to share in June.

Below is a brief description of the game:

Deadbury Academy: what happens when a zombie outbreak starts outside an elite boarding school? Take the role of a student at Steadbury Academy in an all-new survival horror choice game.

StoryLoom Projects

As many of you know, I started writing for StoryLoom and have decided to make my next game set in the Zombie Exodus universe. The game will be called Zombie Exodus: Stronghold, and here's the description:

In the wake of a year-long zombie outbreak, the protagonist, living in a fortress designed for the elite, grapples with an impending transformation after being bitten during a breach by the infected. Amid the chaos, they must locate a hidden cure, make tough choices to save their two friends—who are potential love interests—and navigate the crumbling, zombie-ridden fortress.

Since I am finishing my last game and ending another, I am running a new sweepstake on my Discord for anyone who wants to enter. By playing the games listed below, you can be entered to win your choice of one of some valuable prizes. You can find the sweepstakes over on my Discord. https://discord.com/invite/sF6SWER7PV

if you are not interested in entering, you can still play the games for free. Below are the two games I wrote:

Revenge Magic: Early in his mage training, Josiah's life takes a turn after a fateful day that sends him on a path of vengeance. Will he bring those who wronged him to justice, or will his need for revenge take over?

https://storyloom.com/stories/c8c34a67-2865-1223-6bce-cf9186a45fff

Your Trial: Alex awakens in a jail cell with no memory of his past. He soon learns he's on trial for murder and will need to defend himself or be imprisoned for the rest of his life. This sets him on a journey of twists and turns and self-discovery.

https://storyloom.com/stories/72c2986c-7bad-404b-6d54-ca41d6d5e5e3

That's all for this month.