jimdattilo

Safe Haven Content Sneak Peek

Here's an encounter from Part 4 while scavenging a college hall.

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As you step out from the sprawling lobby of the Hawkins Science Pavilion, the ambiance of the hallway ahead sends a ripple of unease through you. It's a long, wide corridor, its other end seemingly touching the horizon of your vision. The walls are pristine, yet eerily quiet.

The soft thud of your footsteps on the tile resonates through the eerie silence, bouncing off the walls adorned with accolades and me...

Games by JimD Newsletter – More Game Updates

Welcome to my 73rd newsletter!

It's almost Halloween, which is my time of year. Most nights, I've been watching classic horror movies, such as Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th. I often wish I could write a slasher game in the style of Dead by Daylight, where you must survive against a supernatural killer and find a way to destroy it. Or even a game in the style of the Purge, in which you must stay alive through the night when laws are suspended. Of course...

Content Poll

How do you feel about choices in which one character dies or another character dies, and you need to pick one? This is a choice you may have seen in some games, especially in the first season of Telltale's The Walking Dead game.

I don't think this is something I want to do in Safe Haven necessarily, because skills usually come into play. Maybe you have an option to save both? However, in a game like Stronghold, that is more of a visual, is it acceptable to do this kind of choic...

Zombie Exodus: Side Stories, Brody & Madison, scene 18

continued from scene 17

Madison's voice cuts through the tense air inside the Land Cruiser. "Brody, drive Sarah near her friend's house and let her out at the corner."

Brody nods, his grip on the steering wheel firm. "Sure thing," he replies, glancing at Sarah for directions.

Sarah guides them through the suburban streets, the once-pristine neighborhood now showing signs of neglec...

Outbreak Scenario 3

While scouring an expansive, abandoned market, you instruct your group to spread out for a more efficient search. The market, once bustling with life, now stands silent, with remnants of the past scattered all over. Time wears on, and after several hours, your bags are filled with invaluable finds: canned food, medical supplies, and some untouched bottled water.

As the sun begins its descent, casting elongated shadows across the stalls, you call your group to regroup. But as everyone ga...

ZE: Stronghold Sneak Peek

For those of you playing Zombie Exodus: Stronghold, your group is on the run through Zone 2, and you're currently being chased by commandos and a horde of zombies. A few chapters ago, you were being chased by a drone as it aimed its camera at you, most likely giving away your position to Management. It then let out a high-pitched tone that drew the infected towards you.

Below is one of the most pivotal choices of the chapter.

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Scanning the surroundings, you spot several d...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Artwork poll

My artist is currently finishing up Dante. Please vote for the next character I will have her draw.

New story poll

Here is the poll for the original story this month. Please feel free to make suggestions for new story subjects in the comments below.

This month, I am continuing to offer a few unique storylines. I'm also going to include a story based on Stronghold (something I have not offered before) and also an extended preview of the rest of Stronghold. Since the game has become popular, I'm offering more content related to that title.

Outbreak Scenario 2

I posted a poll yesterday for a scenario, but it was probably too easy. 81% of you voted the same way, suggesting that there was a clear choice. I want to make these scenarios much more difficult, so here is another.

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The Bridge Dilemma (10 months after outbreak)

You've been leading your group of survivors for what feels like an eternity, making tough decisions every day to ensure everyone's safety. Each face in your group represents a story of loss, hope...

Outbreak Scenario 1

Below is a scenario that could take place in a zombie outbreak. I may or may not use it in one of my games, but I'm curious how everyone would react to the situation.

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It is six months into the outbreak, and you've been leading your group of survivors for months now, always on the move, always searching for the next safe haven. Your responsibility weighs heavily on your shoulders. The faces of your companions are drawn and weary, and every day, the hunger gnaws a bit deeper. 2023-10-06 23:55:39 +0000 UTC View Post

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4 Sneak Peek

As I am continuing to write the mission where you go to the college campus, I am writing a specific scene from the standpoint of a more aggressive MC. You find a fraternity house where members have made it into a haven for their survival. The MC is able to get inside and now is caught in a standoff.

How would you react?

I also added a choice that does not appear in the game for those of you who would never act so aggressively towards other survivors.

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The room is di...

Dante - draft artwork

This is the artwork for Dante in the near final stages.

(For visually impaired users, Dante is seen in a tracksuit with a gold chain around his neck and a charm reading DANTE.)

Zombie Exodus: Side Stories, Brody & Madison, scene 17

continued from scene 16 

Brody grips the Land Cruiser's steering wheel, his heart pounding. With a hesitant jerk of the wheel, he swerves the Land Cruiser to the side of the road. The vehicle lurches and collides with a parked car, the loud crunch of metal against metal echoing through the silent streets.

Madison gasps. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh."

The woman on the road seizes t...

Schedule for October, 2023

10/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Side Stories (Brody and Madison) scene 17. ($3+ tiers)

10/6 -- Content Sneak Peek ($3+ tiers)

10/8 -- New story poll. ($10+ tiers)

10/11 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Artwork poll.  ($10+ tiers)

10/13 -- Content Sneak Peek ($1+ tiers)

10/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Side Stories (Brody and Madison) scene 18. ($3+ tiers)

10/18 -- Character or Content Poll ($10+ tiers)

10/20 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

10/22 -- Content Sneak...

A Day in the Life at the Silverthorne Camp

Waking up in my trailer on that fateful day off, I pulled back the curtains, letting the dull sunlight filter through. The sky above the Trailer Court was its usual shade of overcast gray, hinting at another day of uncertainty in this makeshift civilization.

Dawn's muted light made its way through the cracks of my trailer's curtains, softly drawing me from dreams of a world lost to chaos. In the moments between sleep and wakefulness, memories of a time before mixed with the present, lea...

Story of the Month Poll

This month, the winner of the story poll was — Surviving in another faction.

Please vote for the faction you would like as the subject of the story. I will be posting the story tomorrow.

Deadbury Academy Sneak Peek

For those of you interested in this story, here is a sneak peek with heavy spoilers. If you are interested in the pregnancy storyline, this sheds some light on it.

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The initial silence tricks you into assuming it's a wrong number or a prank.

Just as you're poised to shut it off, a voice you vaguely recognize breaks through: Timothy. "Hey. Hoping things are okay on your end." Each word seems a struggle, as if talking to you isn't easy.

"I know splitting up was the ca...

Games by JimD Newsletter – Publishing Updates, Random Events

Welcome to my 72nd newsletter! It's been another busy month, but I have made progress on all my games.

I'm constantly thinking about the future and planning to publish each new part. Readers of my games always want to know when the next part will be coming out or when a new game will be released. So many unpredictable factors go into releasing a game, but I try to be transparent about each step. The queue for publishing through Hosted Games is at least six months. If I submit Part 4 som...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Poll

I've been contemplating the integration of random events in "Safe Haven". By "random events", I'm referring to unforeseen incidents that could surface unpredictably throughout gameplay. These could range from surprise attacks on the junkyard by other groups, unexpected encounters with survivors during journeys, sudden zombie onslaughts, or wild animal confrontations.

Such events could pivotally influence the narrative. Players might stumble upon crucial items, come across new survivors ...

Kelly commission update

This is the artwork for Kelly in the near final stages.

(For visually impaired users, Kelly is seen with long brown, almost black hair in a tank top. Her numerous tattoos on both arms and over her chest are showing.)

Zombie Exodus: Side Stories, Brody & Madison, scene 16

continued from scene 15

Madison thinks momentarily, placing the cup on the ground next to her lawn chair. "The convenience store sounds best for us. Not only does it have fuel, but it should have food and other things we can use to survive the winter."

"Then that's where we should go," Brody says.

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Madison and Brody stand in their uncle's spacious bedroom, preparing to le...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4 Sneak Peek

Below is a sneak peek at the current mission I'm writing in which you go to a college campus.

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You pause for a moment, casting your gaze upon the Sigma Lambda Psi fraternity house. From the front, there appear to be no readily visible entrances. Yet, this seemingly ordinary house must have alternate access points along its perimeter. Your eyes land on a storm cellar entrance, which doesn't seem as fortified as the others. It could offer a relatively straightforward point of ent...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Artwork poll

My artist is currently finishing up Kelly. Please vote for the next character I will have her draw.

New story poll

Here is the poll for the original story this month. Please feel free to make suggestions for new story subjects in the comments below.

This month, I am continuing to offer a few unique storylines. I'm also going to include a story based on Stronghold (something I have not offered before) and also an extended preview of the rest of Stronghold. Since the game has become popular, I'm offering more content related to that title.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Sneak Peek

In the new mission I am writing, you are searching through a college campus for gear and supplies. You come across an emergency check-in area. Below is the setting for the scene.

I have included 4 options to choose from. Are there other options you would like to see?

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Your footsteps crunch on gravel as you venture deeper into the Emergency Check-in area, the remnants of a hasty evacuation stretching out in front of you. To your immediate left, a series of worn tents stand...

Zombie Exodus: Side Stories, Brody & Madison, scene 15

continued from scene 14

Three months later…

Three months have elapsed since that harrowing night when Madison and Brody found themselves trapped in their uncle's fortified basement. What began as a fight for survival has evolved into a new normal within the confines of the house.

Time had stretched in a haze of uncertainty, and as the minutes turned into hours, they had braced t...

Schedule for September, 2023

9/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Side Stories (Brody and Madison) scene 15. ($3+ tiers)

9/6 -- Content Sneak Peek ($3+ tiers)

9/8 -- New story poll. ($10+ tiers)

9/11 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Artwork poll.  ($10+ tiers)

9/13 -- Content Sneak Peek ($1+ tiers)

9/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Side Stories (Brody and Madison) scene 16. ($3+ tiers)

9/18 -- Character Poll ($10+ tiers)

9/20 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

9/22 -- Content Sneak Peek ($3+ tiers) 2023-09-01 16:19:08 +0000 UTC View Post

Deadbury Academy Beta Test (August 30, 2023)

Test version (click here)

I have updated the beta version of Deadbury Academy. This brings the total up to 51,000+ words.

Deadbury Academy is an all-new zombie apocalypse story that is not tied to Zombie Exodus. It is set in a modern day, elite boarding school.

Keep in mind, ZE: Safe Haven is still my priority. I only work on Deadbury A...