Games by JimD Newsletter – Game News, Progress

This newsletter provides updates on my major games in development and also answers a few important questions I have been asked this past month:

1. Why are you wasting time adding content to Part 2 when you could be writing Part 3?

2. Why are you spending time writing side games when Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven is not finished?

First, updates…

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven

This month, Ethan worked on character conversations for Lopez, Gina, Parker, Reilly (in-progress), and Jillian. I have been editing and coding the massive pharmacy run mission for Part 2-2. A longtime reader asked for info on this mission, so beware spoilers below:

BEGIN SPOILER

In this mission at the start of chapter 7, you will go with Jaime to a strip mall to scavenge for supplies. Jillian and Parker may also join you, if available. The trip quickly goes south, making this mission as tense as the Silverthorne stand-off.

END SPOILER

For my supporters on Patreon, I also am publishing a short story telling the story of Madison and Brody as they escape their home and travel to Chipper Ridge High School prior to meeting (all non-teen) main characters in chapter 3 of Safe Haven.

Vampire Fiction, er Maybe

I should be finishing Episode 2 tonight, clocking in at 20,000 words. That means, so far, the game is 40,000 words long. Normally, the publisher requires 3 episodes before releasing a game but due to the word length, they would like to release the first two soon.

The only issue right now is that name. They voiced concern over the name, Vampire Fiction. I have come up with a few options and pitched them to my editor. Once we settle on a title, I’ll let you all know.

Zombie Exodus: Dead Zone

I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to ZEDZ in September. With Ethan going back to school and me focusing on Safe Haven and my vampire game, we put this spin-off series to the side. Our plan is still to finish by Summer, 2019.

Q&A

Why are you wasting time adding content to Part 2 when you could be writing Part 3?

There are two main parts to this answer: time and value.

Time—I had promised Part 2 of Safe Haven in the 3th quarter of 2017. Unfortunately, I planned wrong and got started late on writing Part 2. After Part 1, I experienced burn out, so I took time off from writing. When I started on Part 2, I had a lot of trouble coding the Battle on the Hill. Early testing showed that choices mattered too little, so I kept writing and coding. When I was happy with that chapter, months had passed. While the central story of Part 2 was not rushed, some core areas were given limited attention. This is a great segue into…

Value—I always hear that Part 2 is too short. Now, I am used to criticism. People have been saying my games are too short for years. Most players don’t play choice games more than once, believe it or not, so they will find an average playthrough of 30,000 words short. Clearly the value of my games is found in replay. Safe Haven’s strength is in replays.

However, after I published Part 2, I felt that it needed a bit more to round out specific storylines. Like I said, Part 2’s main story is fine. Some things needed expansion: science and soldier side stories, the exploration of the area outside of the campsite, and the interactions with other survivors. I felt there were stories not being told in Part 2. When Safe Haven is all finished, I want people to play from beginning to end and feel it covered a complete story for their character. This is why an update to Part 2 is needed.

Why are you spending time writing other games when Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven is not finished?

Zombie Exodus has always been my most popular story, but all of my writing so far is still a hobby. I am a fan of the zombie genre and enjoy exploring my love of apocalyptic settings. Sure, I make money from my games, but this is largely a labor of love. As such, I want to explore other story ideas and want to expand into other areas of interest. I don’t only enjoy zombies but many other fantasy or sci-fi settings and themes. So, in writing about vampires or stopping time, I get to be creative and express myself in other genres.

The misconception that leads to such questions is that no work is being done on Safe Haven. Not true.

When I was writing A Wise Use of Time or Part 1 of Safe Haven, I worked 2-3 nights during the work week and half a day on the weekend. In total, I may have written 8-10 hours per week. Since Part 2 released, I have been writing 4 nights per work week and a full day on the weekend for 15-20 hours per week. In addition, I paid for writers to work on content for Safe Haven. As you may know, Ethan Underhill worked for me this summer. We would brainstorm ideas and collaborate on outlines, and he would write. This freed me up to keep working on other projects. Mia, who wrote other scenes of Part 2, also wrote new content, as did Brittany Martin. Once these writers turn in scenes, I code and then heavily edit them to maintain the voice, style, and continuity. So, the opposite is true of the assumption—the work on Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven is not slowing down. It’s speeding up.

Part 2 will add a ton of new content, and I can’t wait to release it.