jimdattilo

Games by JimD Newsletter – ZE:SH Part 4, Bug fixes.

Welcome to my 56th newsletter! Spring is finally here, but in my area of the world (New Jersey), we will be hitting the 90s this weekend. I can’t believe the heat is already rising to those levels. It makes me think about Safe Haven where the temperature in Colorado is rising for our group of survivors. As some of you know, I am planning a time skip for Safe Haven. I would like readers to experience survival in different types of weather and temperature. Being chased by zombies through snow...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 17

Continued from scene 16 

“I have a friend in the woods just as a precaution. Like you, I’m not the most trusting type,” you say.

They share a look. Serena takes a bite of toast and then sets her plate on the ground. “Are you hungry? We don’t have a lot, but we can share. Eggs and toast at least. The eggs are from powder, but they actually do taste like eggs. The bread is ...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Content poll

In the zombie horror genre, different types of zombies have been introduced, from the slow-walking, relentless version in The Walking Dead to the ultrafast version in Black Summer and World War Z.

As I push the timeline forward in Zombie Exodus, I'm wondering what types of zombies you would enjoy seeing IF I were to introduce a different style or two (or maybe more).

So far in the game, I have already included the slow-walking, relentless version, so that will not be on the list b...

General Content Poll

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven has a varied amount of content: fighting zombies, romance, social interactions, exploration, inventory management, base building, and even crafting. Going forward with Part 4, what are your top 3-4 types of content you would like to see prioritized?

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 16

Continued from scene 15 

“I think we should just approach them and ask for help. It’s too dangerous otherwise, and they look like normal people who are probably friendly,” you say.

Jesse’s eyes go wide, and her face flushes in anger. “Are you out of your mind? You’re just assuming two people we meet in the middle of nowhere are friendly? Fooling around with Portland got...

Schedule for May, 2022

5/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 16 and poll. ($3+ tiers)

5/7-- General content poll. ($1+ tiers)

5/12 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario  poll.  ($5+ tiers)

5/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 17. ($3+ tiers)

5/20 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

5/25 --  Monthly Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4, Monthly Alpha Test ($10+ tiers)

5/29 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 18. ($3+ tiers)

For those of you at the Creator level for 6 mont...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 15

Continued from scene 14

“We don’t have time to sail to the farming community. We should look to the north for antibiotics and supplies.”

Jesse and Portland agree. The three of you eat a quick breakfast of the grilled fish and some wild mushrooms Jesse found growing just outside the clearing. It’s not exactly breakfast food, but you enjoy the first substantial meal you have had in days.

Bec...

Games by JimD Newsletter – ZE:SH Part 4, True Faith is here!

Welcome to my 55th newsletter!  Happy 420. You may know that as a reference to marijuana, and although I do not partake in that type of leafy green, it is now legal in my state of New Jersey. Who knows? If it’s good enough for Bailey, maybe it’s good enough for me.

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4 is well underway, and I’m getting closer to releasing the first public beta. I continue to update Part 3 with bug fixes and extra content, but that’s slowing down. I wil...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 14

Continued from scene 13 

You climb from the top bunk and slide in next to Portland. As soon as you hit the bed, she kisses your mouth and rolls you onto your back. You’re amazed at the softness of her lips and the gentle touch of her hands on the sides of your face. Tired from the day, you lie back and let her take charge, excited to focus your thoughts on her alone. She climbs on top of you, straddlin...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario poll

Since Part 3 is published, I have received a considerable number of bug reports on requests for additions to the game. For example, here are some things people would like me to add:

• ways for non-leader MCs to influence Rachel or Jaime on building the junkyard.
• additional uses for buildings in the junkyard.
• more mentions of challenges.

The users are some of the updates or features people with blank to see. While the bugs will all be fixed, I am trying ...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven General content poll

Part 3 introduced a number of new groups and characters in the area around the junkyard. As I am writing Part 4, which of the groups are you most interested in seeing? Please select the top three.

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 13

Continued from scene 12 

“We can’t move Cameron, and I’m not leaving him. Let’s just stay here for the night,” you say.

Jesse scoffs and turns away from you. She mumbles under her breath, “Always getting’ overruled like I’m some kind of…” Her voice tapers off.

“There are three cabins. Let’s put Cameron in the first one for this from the others and lock the door. If he ...

Schedule for April, 2022

4/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 13 and poll. ($3+ tiers)

4/7-- General content poll. ($1+ tiers)

4/12 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario  poll.  ($5+ tiers)

4/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 14. ($3+ tiers)

4/20 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

4/25 --  Monthly Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4, Monthly Alpha Test ($10+ tiers)

4/29 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 15. ($3+ tiers)

For those of you at the Creator level for 6 mont...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 12

Continued from scene 11 

You stare at Cameron for a moment and realize you have to take charge. “Cameron, get on the ground. Let’s get something we can use to tie around his upper arm and stop the flow of blood.”

Cameron flashes a look of horror. “What? What are you doing?”

“If we move fast and take off your hand, we can stop the infection from spreading.”

“We don’t ha...

Games by JimD Newsletter – ZE:SH Part 3 Release & Bugs

Welcome to my 54th newsletter!  I am still in the midst of home renovations which have not gone very well. It’s a constant distraction, but at least it has not slowed down my efforts with both of my currently active games. I will say I doubt I will ever go through home reservations of this scope again.

As you know, Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3 released at the beginning of this month! I’m going to talk about the reception received, bug fixes, and my schedule going ...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 11

Continued from scene 10 

“Portland, why don’t you cause a distraction on the far side of the cabin to draw the zombie over to you. The three of us can then open the door, sneak in, and take it out.” You point to the back outside wall.

She nods and picks up a large rock from the ground. “Ready?”

You, Cameron, and Jesse step to the door and prepare to fight. When you flash a thumb’s...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven content poll

One thing I do not do in my games is assume how the MC is feeling. It drives me crazy when I read another choice game and the author tells me how my character is feeling. It's right in Zombie Exodus and Safe Haven, I try very hard not to assume anything about the MC without asking you, the reader.

Along those lines, there are choices that I like to call "feelers". It's not the best word, but it's what I call it. A feeler is a fake choice that asks the player how their character feels ab...

General content poll

In the recent release of Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3, I wrote several dead ends where choices you make lead to death. This has led to some pushback, since it resets your character back to the beginning of Part 3. Some people have asked for checkpoints like I had in the original Zombie Exodus. Coding checkpoints is actually quite difficult. The number of variables in this game is huge, and adding checkpoints would be an incredible amount of work to test and edit every time a new variable...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 10

Continued from scene 9 

“Let’s just sail while it’s still light out, and then we can find a place to camp. There are so many abandoned places, I’m sure we will find at least one.”

Everyone agrees and settles back into the boat. The wind persists for several more hours, keeping you at a steady pace along the stream which widens and flows into a river. On the shores, you can see signs of in...

Schedule for March, 2022

It's release month! Here is a schedule of things you can expect to see this month.

3/3 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3 releases!

3/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 10 and poll. ($3+ tiers)

3/7-- General content poll. ($1+ tiers)

3/12 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario  poll.  ($5+ tiers)

3/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 11. ($3+ tiers)

3/20 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

3/25 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4 Monthly , Quarte...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 9

Continued from scene 8 

You take a step towards the boat. “I really don’t want to steal this, but we need to get moving. Besides, Portland needs to get off that ankle for a while.” You and Jesse help Portland get into the center of the boat. Cameron waits until you’re all ready and then pushes it off the shoreline. As it starts to move through the water, he jumps on, rocking the boat from side to...

Games by JimD Newsletter – ZE:SH Part 3 Release Set

Welcome to my 53rd newsletter!  I am in the midst of a home renovation which had me lose about a week of work as I spent five days in a hotel waiting for pipes under my house to be repaired. That slowed me down a bit, but I still made considerable progress on Safe Havenand Out for Blood. The biggest news is that Part 3 of ZE:SH will be published on March 3, 2022. The final version is in to Hosted Games, and a price has been set at $4.99 USD. I will actually explain a bi...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 8

Continued from scene 7 

“Let’s take the stream. It’s safe and should be faster and easier than the woods,” you say.

The group follows after you only northwest trail through the forest. Within the first half-hour, you find a bush full of blueberries and split them among the group for a quick burst of sugar in the first calories you have had in a while. Shortly thereafter, you find numerous c...

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario poll

If you played through the beta for Part 3, you will know that the junkyard group throws a prom that occurs in chapter 9. That was chosen by a poll on Patreon. I have received feedbackthat readers greatly enjoy this type of content, so I would like to include another celebration or holiday in Part 4. In this poll, you will choose that celebration/holiday. It also may require a time jump ( for example, if everyone selects Christmas), but time jumps are already planned. Also remember, the game i...

General Content Poll

This poll relates to the paths an MC can take during a scene. Usually, the MC is presented with a mission or some event, and they must make choices that affect the story going forward. When there is one linear path, players can replay the story but read through much of the same content.

Another option is to design two large paths for the MC to take. I did this in Zombie Exodus when you can go the farm to save Carl or stay at the cathedral and help defend against zombies. Both paths...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 7

Continued from scene 6 

“Let’s hit the farming community. It sounds like it’s out-of-the-way and offers the best chance for all of us to thrive for a while,” you say.

“I don’t hate that decision, “Jesse says and starts hiking northwest.

Your a group follows after her, and it’s flat forest for the first hour until the woods grow denser. Terrain becomes uneven, causing you all t...

Schedule for February, 2022

Here is a schedule of things you can expect to see this month. 

2/4 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 4 and poll. ($3+ tiers)

2/7-- General content poll. ($1+ tiers)

2/12 -- Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario  poll.  ($5+ tiers)

2/15 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath scene 5 and poll. ($3+ tiers)

220 -- Newsletter. ($1+ tiers)

2/25 --  Monthly Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4, Alpha Test ($10+ tiers)

2/28 -- Zombie Exodus: Aftermath sce...

Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, Scene 6

Continued from Scene 5 

You open your bag and show them the canteen, first-aid kit, and a multitool.

“Good stuff,” Jesse says. “I got this revolver, a few changes of underwear, a bottle of whiskey, and a can of pork and beans.”

Cameron opens the small plastic bag he brought and looks inside with disappointment. “I only brought some clothes.”

“I didn’t have time to bring ...

Your name in ZE:SH, Part 3 credits

If you would like to see your name in the credits of Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 3, please provide the exact name or nickname you would like to have included. Feel free to list the name or nickname in the comments below or send me a direct message to Patreon. Even if you were included in the credits of earlier parts, you are eligible to appear in the special credit section of Part 3.

Games by JimD Newsletter – ZE:SH Part 3, Vampires True Faith

Welcome to my 52nd newsletter!  Happy New Year to all. It’s currently snowing outside my window, and I’m enjoying writing this newsletter as I watch it come down. It reminds me how Safe Haven started with a snow scene and I have been writing that story for the past eight years. I wish three parts did not take me as long to produce, but I’ve also come out with two other games since then and also helped code another. I don’t regret any of it, although I’m happy to say I am going ...