Games by JimD Newsletter #40 – Project Updates, Artwork Commissioned

Welcome to my 40th newsletter! Happy New Year and thank you to all of you who have been my patrons over the past year or have joined recently. I feel stunned and completely gracious for those who support me in the games I produce. I’m very excited for this year. I have two releases coming up in early summer. With the main story of Out for Blood completed, I am going through the process of editing, adding specific paths that enhance the story, and playtesting. With the majority of that game completed, I can now focus on Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven. Part 3 is progressing nicely with over 20,000 words added this month. I’ve also been working on editing chapter 9 which has taken some time away from new content. However this is all in preparation for release in the summer. I’m excited to show you a more clean and polished version of the story.

In this newsletter I will discuss my progress on my games, talk about some artwork I commissioned, and also give brief news on the return of long-awaited characters.

Let’s get started.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3

Part 3 is currently at 413,849 words! I am anticipating releasing over 420,000 words in the next test version in 5 days. I am continuing with the military depot, which takes up chapter 11. This is a tough chapter as it involves both the science storyline and the military storyline. This also includes a very complicated balance of keeping time and using sources of light to add more pressure on the MC. You have a limited amount of time to achieve all of your objectives as you search the military depot. At the same time, certain sections of the depot are in a complete blackout. This made writing and coding this chapter much more time-consuming.

My discussion below includes spoilers, so please be aware of this before you continue on­…

I also introduced a “character” who may be somewhat controversial as it is artificial intelligence. I’ve already received a few comments saying it feels out of place to have an android moving through the depot as you search and scavenge. I like to discuss my decisions to add certain elements to my stories as it may help other developers understand my reasoning and how to think about certain implications of features or characters in a game. Many of the obstacles in my chapters can be solved by an aggressive stance, diplomacy, problem-solving, or evasion. In a solo mission, when the MC is facing real threats like zombies, there is no opportunity for diplomacy and very little chance for evasion. I added the android to allow less combat-oriented main characters an opportunity to advance through the military depot without raising a gun or a sword. This still provides a chance for problem-solving and diplomacy even if you have 0 ratings in combat skills. This is not just a combat-oriented game. I want other styles of play to shine just as much as the automatic-rifle wielding commandos. For those characters who do not want to come across or deal with an android, you can completely skip dealing with him. This is purely optional content.

Art Commission

In other Safe Haven news, this past month I commissioned artwork for Part 3 from an amazing artist, Amy Wilkins. You may know Amy from her work on Night Road and a number of books produced for Vampire: the Masquerade. You can check out her portfolio at her website to see a taste of her incredible illustrations.

Amy is known for portrait work, so I commissioned a specific piece that will be revealed in the next month or so through my Patreon beta tests. This piece will obviously be included in the full Part 3 release. It’s a pivotal piece of artwork that puts a stamp on an important development in the story. I was able to pay for this artwork from the money I collect through Patreon, so thank you for your support which allows me to enhance all of my games. I can’t wait to share this original illustration with everyone.

I will continue to commission work from Adrienne Valdes but got to know Amy from my other project, Out for Blood. Adrienne is also closed for commissions at the current time.

Returning Characters

Ever since the release of Part 1 of Safe Haven, readers have asked if they will ever see the return of the dates from the prologue. You may recall Jake, Derrick, Vivian, and Nicole who were all possible matches on the fictitious dating site, PrimeMatch. In the prologue you can either choose to go on a date or go through a short encounter based on your background or profession. If you choose to go on the date, you later find your date running at the first sign of an infected.

These four characters are some of the most sought after characters in the game. You would be amazed how many messages I receive asking if they will ever return. Rest assured, at least one of them will be returning in chapter 12!

These four characters provide an insight into the mind of many readers of choice games. If you introduce a potential romantic interest, readers will want to pursue that relationship. It was extremely shortsighted of me to think readers would forget those characters when I created such a buildup to the relationships. Originally I thought these were throwaway characters. The whole purpose of the prologue is to set up starting stats and build the main character, not immediately push anyone towards romance. It was a mistake to include romantic options this early in the story, and I don’t blame anyone for wanting to see what happened to those characters or wanting to see them again to address how quickly they abandoned you at the start of the outbreak.

To fix this oversight on my part, I will be adding a few new variables to the prologue to track how things went on that very first date. Unfortunately any game you had saved will not include these variables. However if you would really like to have a relationship with those four characters, you will need to replay the game from the start. It’s probably a good idea to do that anyway when a new part is released.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Out for Blood

Out for Blood has a current word count of 414,896. As I stated at the opening of this newsletter, I am currently editing and adding specific types of content to increase specific paths of the story. The next phase of development is to hand off this version to the editors and reviewers at White Wolf/Paradox Interactive, who will read through the entire story and provide notes and suggestions for how this game handles their IP. In other words, they are going to make sure the content stays true to the World of Darkness. I’ve never worked with an editor in this capacity, so I’m excited to see how this phase of editing turns out.

Since those reviewers read every single word, this type of review takes anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. During that time I will continue to make some adjustments and edits, but I will not spend too much time on new content. All of my efforts will be spent on Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven.

Until next time, stay safe and thank you for all of your support!