[Twine] Empire of Corruption (text-based RPG/life sim)

[Sitribella]

Empire of Corruption is a text-based RPG with life sim elements written in Twine, currently running (as of the most recent build) 150,000 words, with a few solid hours of story in place. It's a revival of a project I started several years ago, which was then derailed due to medical/pandemic-related awfulness, and has been built from the ground up and totally redesigned. (Even the setting is different, though if you played the original version back in the Before Times, the core cast has been carried over.)

After a data-heist goes wrong you end up left for dead (and dead broke) in Harrowgate, the tarnished jewel of the east-coast sprawl. It's a world of lust and crime, transformed by the rise of animal-human hybrids and old, mythic races in a cosmic phenomenon -- the Fable Shift -- that returned magic to the streets of the dark future.

Wait, is this just Shadowrun with boobs?

No, it's not just Shadowrun with boobs, there's also a lot of 90s anime and B-movie influence in there and-- wait, I mean, I deny everything and any similarities are coincidental. I knew I should have practiced before I came in here. (Serious answer, it obviously takes inspiration from the greats -- William Gibson in particular -- but I'm working to make this a neat setting with lots of interesting stuff and lore to explore in its own right.)

Kinks and pairings?

Your character can be any gender (including enby, you pick your appearance from a spectrum and it's separate from your genitals, for maximum flexibility and player comfort.) Most sexual partners are female, and that's going to be the general arc so I wouldn't recommend this if you're exclusively wanting M/M pairings. There's a heavy BDSM vibe and the player-character will have opportunities to be dominant and/or submissive depending on the situation.

How much game is in the game right now?

You can explore a lovely (it's not lovely) neighborhood in the worst city on earth, rent a home, carry out freelance missions for gangs and corporate cops, become a pimp (or work as a whore, or do both), and start putting together the foundations of your street-level empire. There are two complete quests that result in recruiting agents to your cause, and a big chunk of the third story arc (which will soon open up new illicit businesses and fronts to explore) is waiting for you.

I'd estimate it's a few hours of content (really depending on how fast you read and how you choose to explore) with a solid foundation to grow, and I've been adding more story and material every single week since we launched a month ago.

Where do I get it?

The current public release is update two, and you can grab it at:
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kRNThjKlt7jFom9iQXwJAc3FihbQ7nsN/view
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/tRFlBSwZ#eg55Zcp-uPbreDSqkkOLa0RhF9tHp8Wzqx-xtUGopv8

The game runs in a browser; I've tested it on Chrome and Edge, but it should work on just about anything. It MAY work on mobile; I don't see any reason why not, but I haven't had time to do serious testing on mobile browsers (and my vision sucks.) Your save files are stored in your browser cache.

Also, you can find some tips for starting out over at https://www.patreon.com/posts/tips-for-out-88045294

If you enjoy the project, I'd be honored if you'd consider supporting the patreon over at https://www.patreon.com/sitribella as subscribers at the $5 and $10 tier get instant access to the game two versions ahead of the public release. Right now that's update four, and here's the changelog if you're curious:
V3:
-- The next part of Glitter Trail is up (just one quest step, but it's a long one.) Crack into Blackwood Asylum with Vliss and face the madness waiting inside.
-- A hair salon has opened in Samsung Plaza, offering a way to change your hairstyle (with colors and details you can't pick during character creation.) (Note: due to a tiny bugfix, you may experience wonkiness if you're using an existing save and your character is bald. Just select any hairstyle option and it should fix itself.)
-- The NewU clinic has opened in Samsung Plaza, where you can purchase cybernetic eyes (including colors unavailable during character creation) or undergo a procedure to change the pigmentation of your skin.
-- The Jade Dragon tattoo parlor has opened in Columbus Square. Custom-design your own tattoos or get a new piercing from a bunch of styles and options. (Note: no genital piercings yet; I'm working on the code for major body transformations, including cybernetic and genetically-altered genitals, and I have to get that hammered down before adding embellishments. They are planned, though.)
-- Miscellaneous small bugfixes and typo corrections.
V4:
-- The next two stages of the Glitter Trail quest are in. You've saved Juniper's butt (literally), now save her...meat (also literally)? (Note: you get a cash reward at the end of this string and I strongly suggest saving it as some big investment opportunities are coming up over the next few updates.)
-- The Blackwood Asylum is open for business (once you liberate it as part of the Glitter Trail quest.) Use sketchy and probably deeply unsafe hypnotic protocols to heal your Troubled and Vulnerable traits. Also has groundwork in place for future improvements/unlocks once you get a hacker nest rolling (in an upcoming update.)
-- New repeatable (with multiple variations) scene with Valoris; recruit her and get a room at the Starlite, and she'll give you a private dance (with benefits.)
-- New repeatable (with multiple variations) scene with Agatha. She won't sleep with you but she'll happily beat you into submission. That's just good nursing.
-- Fixed a rare but weird time-handler bug that could trigger if you started an event exactly at midnight.

 

[Diarmait]

I remember the original of this game and still have a copy on my computer. Will give this one a try and see how it stacks up.

 

[Sitribella]

Pleased to release update three for everybody today! You can grab it at:

On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/89415883
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AGXseZwYrhFwbwEDina8nt-E7UhMDzqB/view?usp=drive_link
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/cZ0w3LiZ#OBXbYfY4ALUAuhp9lkXNQoHsv4jaullPv1mdJ9EYKwk

Changelog:
-- The next part of Glitter Trail is up (just one quest step, but it's a long one.) Crack into Blackwood Asylum with Vliss and face the madness waiting inside.
-- A hair salon has opened in Samsung Plaza, offering a way to change your hairstyle (with colors and details you can't pick during character creation.) (Note: due to a tiny bugfix in the character creation code, you may experience wonkiness if you're using an existing save and your character is bald. Just select any hairstyle option and it should fix itself.)
-- The NewU clinic has opened in Samsung Plaza, where you can purchase cybernetic eyes (including colors unavailable during character creation) or undergo a procedure to change the pigmentation of your skin.
-- The Jade Dragon tattoo parlor has opened in Columbus Square. Custom-design your own tattoos or get a new piercing from a bunch of styles and options. (Note: no genital piercings yet; I'm working on the code for major body transformations, including cybernetic and genetically-altered genitals, and I have to get that hammered down before adding embellishments. They are planned, though.)
-- Miscellaneous small bugfixes and typo corrections.

Meanwhile, update five has just been released for patrons. Changelog:
-- Talk to Madame Morda after recruiting Valoris, and you will be able to assign your streetwalkers to dance at Carnivale via the Agent menu. Dancing consumes a little energy but provides a boost to popularity. Agents assigned to Carnivale can be found there, if you need to talk to them.
-- You can hire Morda to give dance lessons to Seni (unlocking her "Exotic Dancer" tag and making her more attractive to certain customers.)
-- If you've become a whore yourself, you can hire Morda to give you dance lessons. This unlocks the ability to dance at Carnivale for tips (and Charm experience, up to level twenty.)
-- A new store, Techtopia, has opened in Samsung Plaza. You can buy a couple of new cyberdecks there (they're expensive and more of a long-term goal than something most characters can grab in the early game, but I needed to start working on the code for software and chip upgrades so here we go.)

Also I'll be running a supporter poll in a couple of days; there are a few questlines that all need to be resolved before the big chapter one finale, and y'all get to choose which gets tackled first.

 

[v3hemenc3]

Holy shit, this game was awesome back when I played it. Good to see you're back dude, hope you'll continue developing this iteration of the game!

 

[dark tenor]

Hi.

Wow! this one rocks! I'm loving the lore and the world.

It's great to find something screen-reader accessible and well written.

I'll drop a post on the forums over at www.audiogames.net, since good rpgs erotic or otherwise, are always in demand, and there are certainly a lot of shadowrun fans!

I did have a couple of questions;

first: How does the system of wounded/shaken/troubled etc work, and when should I start worrying about it?

It seems some status effects go away on their own, or via sleeping, where as others do not.
I also wonder how much experience constitutes one level, both for negative stats, and for positive ones, and how those levels in turn affect dice rolls.

 

[Diarmait]

Did a play-through of what's there currently and it's interesting to see the old characters in the same or similar roles. Have to say I was not expecting a sci-fi fantasy combination themed setting, but it's a pleasant surprise. Hope it gets to near what it was before.

 

[Stemwinder]

I do remember playing the first version. The cyberpunk fantasy angle is a bit more memorable than the original one. You've got to do something about the flash every time you click on something, though, that gets rough on the eyes.

 

[SmithEK]

is this only for windows? or can it be downloaded on Linux as well?

 

[Sitribella]

is this only for windows? or can it be downloaded on Linux as well?

It runs in most standard browsers, so I believe it'll work with Linux but unfortunately I don't have a Linux box to verify.

 

[Sitribella]

Hi.

Wow! this one rocks! I'm loving the lore and the world.

It's great to find something screen-reader accessible and well written.

I'll drop a post on the forums over at www.audiogames.net, since good rpgs erotic or otherwise, are always in demand, and there are certainly a lot of shadowrun fans!

I did have a couple of questions;

first: How does the system of wounded/shaken/troubled etc work, and when should I start worrying about it?

It seems some status effects go away on their own, or via sleeping, where as others do not.
I also wonder how much experience constitutes one level, both for negative stats, and for positive ones, and how those levels in turn affect dice rolls.

Ack, sorry, somehow I totally missed that I had more replies waiting last time I posted! Thank you so much! Also, negative traits basically counteract positive ones. If you've got a base chance of 80% to kick a door in (example off the top of my head) and 5 force, you'll have an 85% chance. If you've got 5 Force and 5 Wounded, they cancel each other out and you just get the base chance. The base chance to succeed is deliberately high specifically because I want players to succeed more than they fail and not to have to sweat minor negative trait accumulation. Basically, if you're seeing REALLY low success chances, it's a good time to heal up (and make sure you're not sleepy or hungry, since those have pretty heavy effects as well if they're allowed to go on for too long.)

There are ways to heal all negative traits as of Update Four. Sleeping heals Wounded, you can get both Wounded and Shaken healed at the Halsted Free Clinic, Miyako at the Tattletail can fix Scandalous, and you can get Troubled and Vulnerable healed for free at the Blackwood Asylum once you liberate it. There will be many other, more convenient methods in future, but that'll get you through the early quest chains.

 

[Sitribella]

I do remember playing the first version. The cyberpunk fantasy angle is a bit more memorable than the original one. You've got to do something about the flash every time you click on something, though, that gets rough on the eyes.

Fixed it in the latest build, finally -- you're right, that was not great. And it was one line of code causing it. One line, and it took me weeks to figure it out. Not my proudest moment.

 

[Sitribella]

Update four is up for everyone today! You can grab it at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/89880395
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z2XVf5NKXKhHuNla4PuDni9TCFTW4gEM/view?usp=drive_link
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/sBcjmTBQ#R_UoXDweY1mjCirt5tj-o1_0f_gbjsbgA4YEzx9yZhs

Changelog:
-- The next two stages of the Glitter Trail quest are in. You've saved Juniper's butt (literally), now save her…meat (also literally)? (Note: you get a cash reward at the end of this string and I strongly suggest saving it as some big investment opportunities are coming up over the next few updates.)

-- The Blackwood Asylum is open for business (once you liberate it as part of the Glitter Trail quest.) Use sketchy and probably deeply unsafe hypnotic protocols to heal your Troubled and Vulnerable traits. Also has groundwork in place for future improvements/unlocks once you get a hacker nest rolling (in an upcoming update.)

-- New repeatable (with multiple variations) scene with Valoris; recruit her and get a room at the Starlite, and she'll give you a private dance (with benefits.)

-- New repeatable (with multiple variations) scene with Agatha. She won't sleep with you but she'll happily beat you into submission. That's just good nursing.

-- Fixed a rare but weird time-handler bug that could trigger if you started an event exactly at midnight.


Also, version 6 has just been released for our $5/$10 tier patrons. If you're curious, here's the changelog:
-- The first four steps of Vliss's recruitment quest are in (triggers after you reach at least stage nine of the Glitter Trail ambition) along with a new codex entry to find.

-- Visit the lovely Cherrycream Farm! Let a total stranger ride you like a horse! Get forcibly milked! Question the life choices that brought you to this point! (Two new avatars for your deck, two new repeatable encounters with multiple variations.)

-- The NewU clinic now offers gender transformation therapy. Shift your character's appearance at will (well, after you pay them.)

-- A new toggle under Options lets you override your character's pronouns (specifically the way some NPCs will address you -- for instance, calling you ma'am or sir) regardless of your character's actual appearance. If you change your character's gender later down the line, this toggle may need to be reset.

-- Fixed the screen-flashing between passages issue, game should look/play much more smoothly now. (It was one freaking line of code causing the whole problem.)

-- Serveral typos fixedd. (Also changed my testing methods so they should be caught more frequently.)

 

[Diarmait]

Fixed it in the latest build, finally -- you're right, that was not great. And it was one line of code causing it. One line, and it took me weeks to figure it out. Not my proudest moment.

Some of the simplest things are usually the hardest to find. Don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[jerome292]

Hum. I finished Valoris's quest and max affinity in the 4 th update.
yet i don't think i have start the Glitter Trail quest nor met Juniper, Vliss or Agatha. Any tip to start it?

 

[Sitribella]

Hum. I finished Valoris's quest and max affinity in the 4 th update.
yet i don't think i have start the Glitter Trail quest nor met Juniper, Vliss or Agatha. Any tip to start it?

Once you've visited the Halsted Free Clinic a couple of times (you may have to just pop in and out again to make it trigger), you'll see Dr. Chastern worried about something. That's the trailhead for Glitter Trail, and it'll lead you to those characters along the way.

 

[Aravel]

Once you've visited the Halsted Free Clinic a couple of times (you may have to just pop in and out again to make it trigger), you'll see Dr. Chastern worried about something. That's the trailhead for Glitter Trail, and it'll lead you to those characters along the way.

It seems the option to start the quest only appears once, and it locks you out if you miss that first prompt.

 

[Sitribella]

It seems the option to start the quest only appears once, and it locks you out if you miss that first prompt.

Oh wow, that is an issue; okay, I'll get that fixed ASAP and try to make it retroactive for current save files. Haven't opened it up yet (or had coffee) but I suspect I know where the problem is.

(Edit: yeah, literally just fixed it; it'll be patched in the next update, and even if you've missed out, it'll show up for you so you don't need to start a new character.)

 

[Sitribella]

Today, update five is free for all. You can snare it at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/90477784
Google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_F9h2z32jjjcopuYuAbTswx2N5c2GXcL/view?usp=drive_link
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/1NVDQCBB#ytzns37DseXsV871uEY45Jar9UgQoMle--9bn4S04Q4

Changelog:
-- Talk to Madame Morda after recruiting Valoris, and you will be able to assign your streetwalkers to dance at Carnivale via the Agent menu. Dancing consumes a little energy but provides a boost to popularity. Agents assigned to Carnivale can be found there, if you need to talk to them.

-- You can hire Morda to give dance lessons to Seni (unlocking her "Exotic Dancer" tag and making her more attractive to certain customers.)

-- If you've become a whore yourself, you can hire Morda to give you dance lessons. This unlocks the ability to dance at Carnivale for tips (and Charm experience, up to level twenty.)

-- A new store, Techtopia, has opened in Samsung Plaza. You can buy a couple of new cyberdecks there (they're expensive and more of a long-term goal than something most characters can grab in the early game, but I needed to start working on the code for software and chip upgrades so here we go.)

Also, update seven has just gone live for $5/$10 tier patrons, including a fix for the issue that was locking people out of the Glitter Trail questline. If you're curious, here's the changelog:
-- Vliss's recruitment quest can be advanced to stage seven. Build a profile on a corpo target and then buy drugs from a catgirl with a dick. In other words, just an ordinary night in this city.

-- There are a pair of vignettes to randomly stumble across, offering a bit of foreshadowing for chapter two and hints at the bigger plot in the background. There's a weirdo in town. No, not that one. Not that one either. A new weirdo. (To find the first vignette, pay a couple of visits to the Harrowgate Tech campus.)

-- Bugfix: resolved a problem with players being locked out of the first scene of the Glitter Trail ambition. If you were affected, you should be able to access it now.

-- Bugfix: formatting issue at the NewU clinic fixed.

 

[Sitribella]

Update six is out for everybody! You can grab it at

https://www.patreon.com/posts/91037033

Changelog:
-- The first four steps of Vliss's recruitment quest are in (triggers after you reach at least stage nine of the Glitter Trail ambition) along with a new codex entry to find.

-- Visit the lovely Cherrycream Farm! Let a total stranger ride you like a horse! Get forcibly milked! Question the life choices that brought you to this point! (Two new avatars for your deck, two new repeatable encounters with multiple variations.)

-- The NewU clinic now offers gender transformation therapy. Shift your character's appearance at will (well, after you pay them.)

-- A new toggle under Options lets you override your character's pronouns (specifically the way some NPCs will address you -- for instance, calling you ma'am or sir) regardless of your character's actual appearance. If you change your character's gender later down the line, this toggle may need to be reset.

-- Fixed the screen-flashing between passages issue, game should look/play much more smoothly now. (It was one freaking line of code causing the whole problem.)

Meanwhile, update eight has just been released for $5 backers and up. Changelog:

-- Vliss's recruitment questline can be advanced to level eleven. Activate the honeypot trap, make a raid on Archon Bangladesh, and steal some sweet, sweet data. Of course, getting paid is the tricky part: never trust a fixer when there's money on the line. And then there's…Wrath. You'll see what I mean.

(Note: you'll end up with a nice little payday for your trouble. I strongly suggest saving it: the second part of Vliss's questline will involve your first real-estate acquisition, and you'll have plenty of uses for that cash shortly.)

-- Several typo corrections throughout the early game.

 

[jerome292]

Hmm, the

Oh wow, that is an issue; okay, I'll get that fixed ASAP and try to make it retroactive for current save files. Haven't opened it up yet (or had coffee) but I suspect I know where the problem is.

(Edit: yeah, literally just fixed it; it'll be patched in the next update, and even if you've missed out, it'll show up for you so you don't need to start a new character.)

Hmm, i have the update 6 game and yet the gliter tail quest still don't start after valoris's quest
i keep going to the hospital and yet nothing happen.

 

[Aravel]

Hmm, the

Hmm, i have the update 6 game and yet the gliter tail quest still don't start after valoris's quest
i keep going to the hospital and yet nothing happen.

Also, update seven has just gone live for $5/$10 tier patrons, including a fix for the issue that was locking people out of the Glitter Trail questline. If you're curious, here's the changelog:

It was fixed in update 7.

 

[jerome292]

It was fixed in update 7.

thank you

 

[Sitribella]

thank you

I'm working hard on the new update, so hopefully that'll be out and update 7 will reach the free tier sometime in the next few days! (I keep reminding myself that I said TWO weeks between updates, and someday that'll happen, but weekly-ish seems to be my pace right now.)

 

[Sitribella]

Hi, everybody! Sooo, coming today with an update about the next update (wow, that sounded weird.) Here's the quick TL/DR version: I'm aiming to have it out next weekend or a couple of days after that. Technically not a delay, since two weeks between updates was always the plan, but I've been pumping 'em out almost weekly since we launched and I didn't want anyone to worry.

A small number of users have been experiencing issues with saving their game. After a metric ton of troubleshooting (seriously, this was my entire weekend) I've figured out the issue. The game currently saves your data to your browser's local storage, and that storage space is limited. While our save files are small, if you've got a bunch of other stuff in there it can get filled up and result in the failed-save error, and there are all kinds of invisible things that can happen depending on what browser you're on, how your system is configured, etc etc. (And of course, it's a pain in the butt to even see what's in your browser storage if you don't know how. You can clear the cache, but...that will also wipe your saves, so that's no good either and besides, I certainly don't expect my players to have to do troubleshooting to play a game.)

The solution, then, is to ditch that save system entirely and move to one that saves your data as tiny physical files. Easier, cleaner, and better for you as well since it's not cluttering up your browser storage and you can't accidentally lose your data if you clear your cache.

Here's where we get into the weeds. The game is coded using the Twine engine, which is pretty perfect for my purposes. But. Twine has a few formats that basically act as different programming languages. Different formats are good at different things, and some have more features than others. Sooooo guess which format I picked when I started the project? That's right, the one that has a hard-coded save system and absolutely no ability to change it.

If you just heard a scream of anguish in the distance, that was me.

The only workable solution is to convert the entire game over to a more open and flexible format. By hand. One line of code at a time. Now, the differences between formats aren't enormous from a developer standpoint -- it's not like going from Basic to C++, more like "this format uses parentheses and this one uses squiggly brackets" -- but I'm still gonna have to do this the long and hard way. (And usually I like the long and hard w-- wait, sorry, got distracted)

I'm taking some vacation time from work this week so I can throw myself into the great convertening, and I think I can get it done by this coming weekend. Again, still within the time I set for updates, but I don't want y'all to think I'm slacking.

What will this change mean on your end, as a player? Very little. Your saves will unfortunately break with the next update, obviously, but I'm going to code a toolbox menu with skip-ahead options that'll let you autocomplete major quests and basically recreate your save with just a few clicks. The added flexibility will let me do some slicker things under the hood and create a better gameplay experience. Ultimately it's going to be a really good thing all around, this week is just gonna suck for me as I tool this beast into shape.

(Fortunately, my good friend Dr. Kiki -- formerly of Miskatonic University -- says she has an experimental procedure to boost my brainpower. I'm sure this is an excellent decision I will not in any way regret.)

 

[Sitribella]

Woof. We made it. Some sixty-odd hours of work later, the entire game has been rebuilt in scratch in a new codebase. I am exhausted. Anyway, that means today is the day update 7 goes free for everyone! Please remember that saves WILL break with update 9 (though there's also a spiffy new menu in U9 that lets you jump-start quests and automatically clear early content), so you may or may not want to wait to go back in.

Changelog:

• Vliss's recruitment quest can be advanced to stage seven. Build a profile on a corpo target and then buy drugs from a catgirl with a dick. In other words, just an ordinary night in this city.
• There are a pair of vignettes to randomly stumble across, offering a bit of foreshadowing for chapter two and hints at the bigger plot in the background. There's a weirdo in town. No, not that one. Not that one either. A new weirdo. (To find the first vignette, pay a couple of visits to the Harrowgate Tech campus.)
• Bugfix: resolved a problem with players being locked out of the first scene of the Glitter Trail ambition. If you were affected, you should be able to access it now.
• Bugfix: formatting issue at the NewU clinic fixed.

And it can be found at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/92023254
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t1z2ZzA1vosLUEaK-y3eyaS0olEmZYZw/view
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/AQlRnBjY#Qr2etiXDkKdpBzz982tnkjA411I6L5_GP0O1p6cLoQ0

And if you're curious, here's the changelog for Update 9 (released today to $5/$10 tier backers):

• The entire game has been ported over to a different, more powerful Twine format, allowing me to fix several ongoing issues and set the game up for long-term success.
• New save system: the default still saves to your browser storage to make moving between new updates totally seamless. However, you can now also save to a physical file in case you have issues with the browser method or just prefer physical files. (Save files are around 24kb in size, so still nicely tiny.)
• Toolbox menu added (defaults to off, turn it on through the options menu.) The Toolbox can adjust your stats or give you instant cash (you dirty cheater, you.) More importantly, it includes fast-start options to automatically complete Seni and Valoris's recruitment quests if you're beginning fresh but want to jump over the earliest content. More jump-starts will be added in future, for each complete major questline.
• In preparation for eventually adding graphics to the game, introduced a new startup banner as well as banners for the Grisham and Little Korea hub areas, just a lil' bit of visual flair. For a pure text experience, graphics can be toggled off from the options menu.
• Next two scenes of Vliss's recruitment quest are in. (Content is very light this week due to the massive amount of work in the engine overhaul, I'll make up for it with the next one.)
• A raft of minor optimizations and improvements, including:
• The TV set in your room at the Starlite now lets you choose which program to watch (it was randomized before, making it annoying to see all five short scenes.)
• Hunger and rest is presented more clearly, with graphic meters so you can check your status at a glance. Trait meters now show the specific amount of XP needed to level.
• That annoying and persistent bug where you could end up getting unintended rerolls/double effects/etc if you switched from the game to your side tabs is squashed forever (I totally reworked how those tabs operate from the ground up.)
• Small balance passes and tweaks throughout. (For instance, setting off alarms on data-raid jobs no longer increases overall difficulty, as that tended to create a 'death spiral.' You still get booted and lose the run if you trigger four alarms, though, so risk remains. Generic job rewards have been rebalanced to pay out more at higher difficulty levels and should have a smoother curve over time.)

 

[Sitribella]

Oh hey, it's New Update Sunday! That's a very official holiday I just made up. Version eight is now free for everyone, and you can grab it at:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/public-release-8-92764325
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VgYJ-8V1eoIIK2gvzp_PWTGP_MqmmLvi/view
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/lEERHBDA#wYAWIpqyGUPoN_1YlhI4WycSQV6XfyUmV8IZtmpuWJE

Again, a reminder that version nine necessitated the game to be rewritten from the ground up to fix a save issue, and as a result, your saves will break with the next public release; up to you if you want to wait or not, but I implemented a quick-start menu to get you back up to wherever you were quickly.

Changelog:
--Vliss's recruitment questline can be advanced to level eleven. Activate the honeypot trap, make a raid on Archon Bangladesh, and steal some sweet, sweet data. Of course, getting paid is the tricky part: never trust a fixer when there's money on the line. And then there's…Wrath. You'll see what I mean. I apologize for Wrath in advance.

(Note: you'll end up with a nice little payday for your trouble. I strongly suggest saving it: the second part of Vliss's questline will involve your first real-estate acquisition, and you'll have plenty of uses for that cash shortly.)

--Several typo corrections throughout the early game.

Today also marks the release of Update 10 for our $5/$10 tier backers, and it's a big one. Changelog:
--Conclusion of Vliss's recruitment quest: purchase your first underground business, a decker den, and a not-at-all suspicious front business to keep it hidden from the law. You can acquire multiple upgrades, including a private office where you can safely connect to cyberspace and find a bed to turn it into a new home.

--New type of recruit: Deckers. Vliss is the first, and she can be directed to work security (reduces police heat and the chance of getting raided), mine for crypto (passive income), or generate research points. Research will be used for a number of upcoming features; right now you can spend it on upgrading the Blackwood Asylum simulation code, making Agatha's healing techniques more powerful.

--New repeatable scene: meet with Seni and Valoris at Carnivale for some semi-public entertainment. (Requires recruiting both of them and unlocking the option for them to dance at the club.)

--New repeatable scene: get a little tied up by Vliss. (Requires finishing her recruitment quest.)

--Added auto-complete for Vliss's recruitment quest to the toolbox menu and fixed a bug with the Valoris auto-complete that wasn't unlocking your first cyberdeck.

 

[Sitribella]

Happy post-Thanksgiving to all who celebrated/endured/survived it! I'm back from family-type turkey things with a new update. Today version nine goes live for everyone. This was an enormous chunk of work, and you can get it from:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/93769006
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IUGFOPR41YDKydRRywij-AWwtpeLyKbH
Mega: https://mega.nz/file/QFtTQK6I#LC0XPSMt7LkPItWGXKjrGI8Ck3o6dyUBAktTrMK-kEM

Changelog:
The entire game has been ported over to a different, more powerful Twine format, allowing me to fix several ongoing issues and set the game up for long-term success.

New save system: the default still saves to your browser storage to make moving between new updates totally seamless. However, you can now also save to a physical file in case you have issues with the browser method or just prefer physical files. (Save files are around 24kb in size, so still nicely tiny.)

Toolbox menu added (defaults to off, turn it on through the options menu.) The Toolbox can adjust your stats or give you instant cash (you dirty cheater, you.) More importantly, it includes fast-start options to automatically complete Seni and Valoris's recruitment quests if you're beginning fresh but want to jump over the earliest content. More jump-starts will be added in future, for each complete major questline.

In preparation for adding graphics to the game, introduced a new startup banner as well as banners for the Grisham and Little Korea hub areas, just a lil' bit of visual flair. For a pure text experience, graphics can be toggled off from the options menu.

Next two stages of Vliss's recruitment quest are in. (Content is very light this week due to the massive amount of work in the engine overhaul, I'll make up for it with the next one.)

A raft of minor optimizations and improvements, including:
The TV set in your room at the Starlite now lets you choose which program to watch (it was randomized before, making it annoying to see all five short scenes.)

Hunger and rest is presented more clearly, with graphic meters so you can check your status at a glance. Trait meters now show the specific amount of XP needed to level.

That annoying and persistent bug where you could end up getting unintended rerolls/double effects/etc if you switched from the game to your side tabs is squashed forever (I totally reworked how those tabs operate from the ground up.)

Small balance passes and tweaks throughout. (For instance, setting off alarms on data-raid jobs no longer increases overall difficulty, as that tended to create a 'death spiral.' You still get booted and lose the run if you trigger four alarms, though, so risk remains. Generic job rewards have been rebalanced to pay out more at higher difficulty levels and should have a smoother curve over time.)

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Also, version 11 has just gone live for backers at the $5/$10 tier. If you're curious, here's the changelog:
-- The first four stages of Juniper's recruitment quest are implemented. Some people are born sluts; others are not very good at it, at all, and need mentoring.

-- The first wave of cyberspace gear (besides avatars) is here: you can buy three programs to buff your stats over at the Techtopia outlet in Samsung Square, and three more programs can be researched and acquired at the research board at the Blue Moon Ranch.

-- Fixed a plethora of bugs introduced by the engine swap (advancing your relationship with Pepper now unlocks the correct codex entry, failing a cyberspace mission now correctly ejects you from the system, and a bug where you could skip meeting Kiki/visiting the Library as part of Valoris's recruitment has been repaired.) Fixed an issue with quick-starting Vliss's quest. Fixed an issue with your first cyberspace avatar choice. Numerous typos corrected.