I find the full game a bit linear at times, but the way we can "customize" our protagonist as different events occur around us realy incredible. I found it very fantastic how "naturally" I transformed my good-hearted boy who only wanted peace into a tyrant driven by revenge who was ready to kill anyone who said no to my actions. (Much like our older sister, by the way, when my MC was put in her shoes, i could understand her actions, not for nothing did i act in the same way, no, it is safe to say that i was much worse than her in the second half of the game.)
Overall I found the game to be a fantastic experience!
Very well done, Author!
And speaking of Ariana, is it possible to change her fate in the invasion, or is it really impossible?
I just thought I would say that this is totally worth getting. I loved the game and the writing was amazing. I loved the characters. To include the big sister. She was so driven and intense.
I romanced Wilfred and it was really, really great. I went with a slow-burn shy MC who was crushing on him from the get-go and it'll be really hard not to go for him again when I play it for the second time. It's got the dramas without being childish and fantastic progression. It just comes off as incredibly natural with how and when the relationship starts to become something deeper.
And Nathaniel? He's so interesting I almost swapped ships.
The writing? It flows perfectly, makes sense, had great descriptions and I never had any clue as to where the story was going to go. I WISH I could write this good.
I know some people might prefer getting it here but it's really worth it to get on steam. I recommend it. 10/10.
Looking forward to more content from this creator! :)
I know I shouldn't but Nathaniel *Chef's kiss* I am sucker for a wolfish grin. Also, I wish I could explore more with Nathaniel and Anafel (sp?). I have played and replayed multiple times and routes. I really do hope there is a sequel! Loved it!
Hi. I just stumbled across your work and it's awesome! I'm so glad I found it now, as the release of the full novel aint that far.
First, congrats on the upcoming steam release!
Second, wow. Your style is beatiful. I felt so immersed in the story that I couldnt stop reading at all. Everything from the small descriptions of the surroundings to the interaction with each character felt on point. I played it only once, rn, but there will be more playthroughs. As soon as its fully released.
And I will gladly spent money for it, because its just frigging great!
I love the way the story is written, and there's so much depth in the characters! I'm looking forward to the full game, and I haven't found any bugs by myself so far, even though i'm not looking for them. Great Game!
Been following your project since the early Choicescript version, and time and time again you've made me fall in love with Cyril. Congratulations on the release date! I can't wait <33
I've read since it was in Choicescript, and maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see text on the full screen. It's not really comfortable - for me at least - to read it on the small portion of screen.
But anyway it's still really interesting and I can't wait to see the full release on Steam :)
How to report bug? During the night where you write letter with Cyril The choices: It doesn't look as boring and I have nothing else to do switches. Other choices like that happen
Hi there! I hope this comments section is the right place to report bugs. I checked the FAQ post on the game’s development blog and couldn’t find anything related to the topic. In any case, here are a few minor things I noticed during my play through:
Not necessarily a bug, but the descriptions for Stanislas and Cyril differ from those offered for Ariana and Will. The former begin with “Appearance:” and simply list the physical traits of these characters, in contrast to the more complete “S/he is…” of the latter. I recognize the difference in style from earlier versions of the demo, so I’m guessing the former two have yet to have their descriptions updated to match the new style.
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When you elect to respond to Cyril with: “I’m just peachy… My parents just died, what do you think?” on the next page, the text is preceded by the following: <<54 to [function](10)>>.
Similarly, responding with: “I don’t need your concern.” results in the following being displayed prior to the text: <<50 to [function](-5)>>.
Likewise, the choice: “I’ll feel better when our enemies are six feet underground.” leads to the following to precede the text: <<54 to [function](5)>>.
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The next morning following the second-born’s arrival to Fort Queenscliff, when the servant enters their room to bring them breakfast, if you select the option: “‘Get out! I never told you to come in,’ I chastise whoever enters.” in the second paragraph on the following page, both usages of the word “himself” are preceded by $.
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When Cyril asks the second-born if they slept well, and if the player chooses: “‘What kind of vapid question is that?’ I ask in annoyance.” the next page, in which Cyril promptly ends the conversation and departs, nevertheless provides the player the option to approach Cyril again (“I approach Cyril.”)
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The option: “‘Um… Thank you.’ Somehow, his/her words sting more than they should.” and the scene it leads to features a minor typo. In the second paragraph, when Will says: “I know you have quite the political knowledge. I’m certain you’ll be an asset to the kingdom, as well.” there is no space between the former and the latter sentence.
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When Will trains the second-born, and the player chooses the following: “I keep looking forward, shifting to accommodate the new stance.” the next page displays both the text for this option in addition to the choice “I look back with wide eyes.” and the text accompanying it.
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In the wake of the assassination attempt on the second-born, when Will is convinced to stay with them for a spell and the player is given the choice to ask him/her how s/he’s feeling, the following two selections have their consequent scenes swapped: “‘Still, things haven't been easy on you, either. I'm here, if you need to talk.‘“ and: “‘So. Are you alright?’”
Here are a few more bugs I encountered during my repeated play throughs of the demo. I hope the way I’ve organized everything is clear. In any case…
Coding Errors:
If the second-born accepts Cyril’s invitation to dinner, chooses to kiss them, and then steps back, signalling their intention to go no further than a kiss, the following choice includes a code string instead of Cyril’s name: “‘Good night, $mccyril. Thank you for dinner and… everything else.’” The text that follows on the next page correctly features Cyril’s name (“Good night, Cyril. Thank you for dinner and… everything else.").
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For a second-born who has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 25 percent during the scene being described), when she asks the player character how much they know about Aether, the choice: “I glare at her, venom in my eyes.” is followed by the code string “</li>” and lacks the golden cube preceding it that distinguishes each option from the rest.
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Prior to the end of the demo, when the player is given the choice to visit Cyril, Will, and Ariana before heading out to do battle with Stan’s forces—for a second-born who has a poor relationship with Ariana, who attempts to leave the council room rather than standing their ground against an Aether-overcharged Ariana (“The pain is getting unbearable. I leave.”), the demo ends there rather than at its intended conclusion.
And if the second-born instead stands their ground (“The pain is terrible, but I stand my ground.”), the subsequent scene plays out as it ought to, but the scene immediately afterwards repeats the first paragraph from the former one, namely: “You refuse to retreat, and you stand your ground as Ariana comes closer, a gleam in her eye as the distance shrinks between you.” And the scene immediately after that latter one displays a blank screen with only the NEXT button present, which allows the player to reach the demo’s intended conclusion, but which I assume is superfluous and not meant to be there.
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After the player specifies the primary and secondary skills of the second-born, the scene which follows after the selection of the latter features inconsistent spacing between the third and fourth paragraph; the two are farther apart than are the first and second, or the second and third paragraphs. Namely, I’m referring to the following exerpt: “You glimpse Ariana awaiting you at the bottom of the staircase. She looks up as you scale down the stairs, beaming at you with a toothy grin that brightens her entire face.”; this is the inconsistently spaced fourth paragraph.
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When Cyril offers to let the second-born try their crossbow, the sixth response to this proposal: “‘No.’”, unlike the other five choices, does not appear in the subsequent scene.
To clarify what I mean, take, for example, another choice: “‘No, thank you. I dislike weapons.’” When the player chooses this, the scene that follows begins with the following sentence: “’No, thank you.’ You shake your head. ‘I dislike weapons.’” And it is followed up with: “Cyril gives you a simple nod.”
But when the player chooses the choice: “‘No.’”, the subsequent scene simply begins with: “Cyril gives you a simple nod.”; the second-born’s response does not constitute the first paragraph, as it otherwise does for the rest of the choices. I’m not sure whether or not this is a bug, but the difference in format caught my eye, and I thought to report it in case it really is a bug.
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When Will visits the second-born in their room to notify them s/he’s ready for their training session, if s/he is told to “‘Go away.’” by the second-born, and if the player in the next scene chooses the following: “[Dismiss] ‘Didn't you hear me? I said, “Go away”.’”, then the subsequent scene displays an error: “Error: <<set>>: bad evaluation: unexpected token: identifier”.
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Though I set Cyril’s gender as female, in the scene in which she begins reading Stanislas’ letter to Ariana, there is a minor inconsistency pertaining to one of her pronouns: “’To Her Majesty, Queen Ariana d'Arcadie,’ she [Cyril] reads in a clear, level voice.”
“’That's a good start.’ Ariana balances her weight on her right leg, arms still crossed tightly, fingers digging into her biceps, and eyes riveted to Cyril as he reads on.”
Rather than reading: “as she reads on”, the last part of that sentence in the second paragraph reads: “as he reads on”, contrary to the earlier usage of one of the female Cyril’s pronouns, properly specifying her as such.
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If the player chooses: “Move to the bedroom.” following the second-born’s dinner with Cyril, and then opts to instead cut their time short by selecting the following: “Actually, I should leave.”, the scene consequent to that latter choice, at the bottom left corner, under the button that reads ONE WEEK LATER…, displays a “2” that is (I think) not seen in any of the other scenes prior to the beginning of a new chapter.
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When Ariana expresses that, before dealing with Kalltland, Stanislas must be killed, the two following choices appear to lead to the exact same scene: “‘I’m looking forward to it.’” and: “Best to say nothing.”
This, I think, is an error in the case of the former choice. When, for example, the player opts to have the second-born respond with another choice in the same scene, such as: “‘That’s a bit extreme, Ariana,’ I say carefully.” the following scene has as its first paragraph the choice expanded and repeated, thus: “’That's a bit extreme, Ariana,’ you say, an uncertain edge to your voice.”
But when the player instead chooses: “‘I’m looking forward to it.’”, just like the choice: “Best to say nothing.”, the first paragraph of the scene consequent to it is: “She detaches her gaze from you, returns to watching your troops crowding the courtyard.” It is as though the second-born has not expressed their opinion at all, given the customary inclusion of spoken choices as the first line of dialogue in the scene which follows them, to indicate that the second-born has spoken their response or opinion aloud.
Syntax Errors:
If the second-born has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 41 percent prior to selecting the following choice, and then fell to 38 percent), when the player chooses to visit her during the first night at Fort Queenscliff and selects the following option: “‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep.’” the scene consequent to it displays a $ in the second paragraph, preceding the Ariana’s qualification of the second-born’s rivalry with her, based on the player character’s gender. “Ariana scowls, not missing your distrustful tone. ‘Still with the $brotherly rivalry?’”
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If a male second-born visits Barcot, when Cyril introduces him to Stephane as the Prince of Arcadie, the title preceding his name is not capitalized: “Stephane's suddenly bulging eyes remind you of saucers. ‘prince Maxime,’ he repeats, standing up to bow deeply.”
The same holds true if the second-born is female; the title “princess” is not capitalized.
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If the second-born has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 26 percent prior to selecting the following choice), during the first meeting of the council, in which the planned assault on the royal castle is devised, if the player selects the following: “None of them. I want no part of this.” the third paragraph in the following scene is missing a space, prior to Ariana’s second line of dialogue ("He'll stay by my side," Ariana decides. Then, meeting your eyes, she adds,"I'll make sure you don't drag all of us down.").
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If it’s Cyril who escorts the second-born to their room following the assassination attempt against them, and the player selects the following choice: “‘If it's all the same to you, I'd like to sleep, now.‘“ the second paragraph of the consequent scene is missing a quotation mark ("Of course," she replies. "Don't hesitate to call on the guards, if need be.).
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When the second-born approaches Stan and calls him by his formal title (“’Sir Stanislas Duval,’ you say.”), with the player being given the opportunity to specify how they wish for Stan to be addressed or address their character, the following two options: “Stan it is, then.” and: “I’d rather stick with ‘Sir Stanislas’.” feature inconsistent capitalization. Namely, the phrase “Your Highness” in the third paragraph in the scenes consequent to both of those choices does not have its first word capitalized. Thus: “’I believe this is your first time attending a meeting with foreign envoys, your Highness.’”
And if the second-born does not give their assent to being called by their first name (“’In that case, please call me Maxime.’”) and the player chooses otherwise, then in the subsequent scene, the following choices feature scenes which include the same inconsistent capitalization of the phrase “Your Highness”: “‘I am surprised you'd say this to me, of all people. I am the Prince, after all.’″; ″’What kind of talk is that?’ I ask disapprovingly.”; and: ″’I don't care what you think.’″
For the first choice (“‘I am surprised you'd say this to me, of all people. I am the Prince, after all.’″), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in paragraphs two and four: “’That, you are, your Highness,’ he concedes, a small, pensive smile at his lips.” and: “His smile strangely grows wider, more sincere. ‘Not really, your Highness.’”, respectively.
For the second choice (″’What kind of talk is that?’ I ask disapprovingly.”), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in the second paragraph: “’It's only the truth, your Highness. Surely you know better than I our Kingdom's history.’”
For the third choice (″’I don't care what you think.’″), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in the second paragraph: “He blinks at you. ‘Understood, your Highness.’”
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When the second-born, Ariana, and Will first arrive at Fort Queenscliff, once the trio, together with Cyril, enter the latter’s study and are prompted to explain what exactly it was that Stanislas did, I believe the phrase that appears in the scenes consequent to each choice, “their Majesties”, is meant to also have its first word capitalized. So, rather than the following: “’I’m not certain,’ Wilfred admits. ‘He called their Majesties “warmongering tyrants”.’”, the phrase should read “Their Majesties”.
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If the second-born has a good relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 73 percent at the time of writing this), and if their main stat is Politics & Tactics, during the scene in which Cyril asks them what part of the plan to assault the Royal Castle they’d like to take part in, the following choices: “‘Fighting on the battlefield is not really my strong suit.’” and: “None of them. I want no part of this.” and the scenes consequent to each feature a formatting error.
In the case of the first choice (“‘Fighting on the battlefield is not really my strong suit.’”), the fourth paragraph features an extra break, such that the text: “’I’ll look out for you.’” is on the next line rather than the same line.
As to the second (“None of them. I want no part of this.”), in the third paragraph, there is a space missing in the following excerpt: “Then, meeting your eyes, she adds,’I’ll look out for you.’” That bit of Ariana’s dialogue should feature a space after the comma following the word “adds”.
Additionally, the error present in the scene consequent to the second choice (“None of them. I want no part of this.”) is also present if the second-born’s primary skill is Swordsmanship, and if their relationship with Ariana is positive.
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Immediately after Ariana shares some of the Aether she’s accumulated with the second-born, when the player is prompted to react to her slicing their character’s hand and grasping it, all three choices (″’What was that for?!’″; “I shake my head and attempt to collect myself.”; and ″’I could have used some forewarning.’″) lead to a scene in which there is a spacing error. Namely: “’Sorry for the little jolt,’ she says, half-grinning, ‘there's not much I could have done about it. Besides, it's already healed up.’You look downward, towards your hand; while you can still feel a tingle right under your skin, you realize there is no hint of an injury.” There ought to be a space after the second part of Ariana’s dialogue and the second-born’s examination of their hand.
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When the second-born is having dinner with Cyril, and when they’re asked by him/her why they’ve chosen to hone their primary skill, either in sword fighting or politics, the second part of Cyril’s dialogue in the fourth paragraph of that scene is not capitalized. Thus: “’I was also wondering.’ She drinks a bit of wine before resuming, ‘why did you decide to focus on the study of our Kingdom's politics?’” The “why” in “why did you decide…” ought to be capitalized.
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During the sequence in which Ariana and the second-born are talking about her plans for Kalltland, and the latter expresses anything less than support for and does not remain silent about their thoughts on her designs, when Ariana thereafter questions how uncaring the second-born appears to be about their parents’ death, if the player chooses the following: “‘What does that have to do with anything?’”, the second paragraph in the scene consequent to this choice is missing a word. Namely: “‘It has everything to do with it. We wouldn't here, discussing Stanislas and Kalltland and getting ready for war, if that hadn't happened.’” The phrase “We wouldn’t here…” is missing the word “be”.
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There are several instances in which the phrase “Royal Castle” is inconsistently capitalized:
1. The scene after the player is confronted with the choice to specify the second-born’s feelings towards Ariana—namely, if they love, like, secretly dislike, dislike, or care not about her: “The large courtyard stands in the middle of the Royal castle, surrounded by looming high walls on all sides.”
2. The scene before which the player is able to express to Cyril their opinion on Stephane, in which Sylvie is introduced: “’Shouldn't they? We're not far from the Royal castle.’”
3. The scene in which the council to formulate the plan of assault on the Royal Castle convenes for the first time, after the player is prompted to choose the second-born’s stance on whether or not, and to what extent, they will offer their opinion on the matters being discussed: “’I’ve been receiving regular reports from our scouts keeping watch over the Royal castle.’”
4. The scene after which Cyril asks the second-born to provide them with an account of the attempted assassination: “She then adds, in a lower voice, ‘They can't be Stanislas's men either. The reconnaissance team would have spotted them coming out of the Royal castle's gates.’”
I am honestly impressed, I didn't read through all of it, but this dedication is something I can only dream to have. Would never be able to write such long texts about bugs, especially because I'd probably feel bad telling devs about errors in their games, even though most of them appreciate the help. (Just realized, of course programming a game and fixing bugs is even harder, but this comment is still impressive.)
I love it! It's very nice to know how soon it'll be released. I also love those kinds of stats and relationship % bars, it makes things simpler to understand.
OMGGGG, the cliff hanger this demo finishes on is DISGUSTING (In a good way). I played it for 2 hours straight, and I truly can't say enough good things; I'd love to gush about it in this comment but I wouldn't want to spoil anything. I can't wait to see more!
This is so good i’m so glad i stumbled on this. I love Wilfred so much and the writing is so excellent. I diddnt realize i was even reading i was just sucked into the world.
Stumbled upon this on the top page with my filters, and I am very happy that I did, now I'm screaming at my friend to read it because it's that good :)
During the scene with Cyril where you can offer to help write the letters, clicking the second option (maybe it’s not as boring as it sounds) leads to the first option (the scene proceeds with mc saying it’ll occupy their mind)
Was about to comment this. The options are switched. If you pick the first option it triggers the result of the second, and if you pick the second it triggers the result of the first.
← Return to interactive novel
Comments
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I find the full game a bit linear at times, but the way we can "customize" our protagonist as different events occur around us realy incredible. I found it very fantastic how "naturally" I transformed my good-hearted boy who only wanted peace into a tyrant driven by revenge who was ready to kill anyone who said no to my actions. (Much like our older sister, by the way, when my MC was put in her shoes, i could understand her actions, not for nothing did i act in the same way, no, it is safe to say that i was much worse than her in the second half of the game.)
Overall I found the game to be a fantastic experience!
Very well done, Author!
And speaking of Ariana, is it possible to change her fate in the invasion, or is it really impossible?
I'm really hoping for a sequel that can expand the minor romances. I really loved playing this
I loved every moment of this. The writing was amazing, the story totally got me and the characters were so rich.
And this has so much replaying capabilities!
Totally worth getting on Steam
I just thought I would say that this is totally worth getting. I loved the game and the writing was amazing. I loved the characters. To include the big sister. She was so driven and intense.
I romanced Wilfred and it was really, really great. I went with a slow-burn shy MC who was crushing on him from the get-go and it'll be really hard not to go for him again when I play it for the second time. It's got the dramas without being childish and fantastic progression. It just comes off as incredibly natural with how and when the relationship starts to become something deeper.
And Nathaniel? He's so interesting I almost swapped ships.
The writing? It flows perfectly, makes sense, had great descriptions and I never had any clue as to where the story was going to go. I WISH I could write this good.
I know some people might prefer getting it here but it's really worth it to get on steam. I recommend it. 10/10.
Looking forward to more content from this creator! :)
I know I shouldn't but Nathaniel *Chef's kiss* I am sucker for a wolfish grin. Also, I wish I could explore more with Nathaniel and Anafel (sp?). I have played and replayed multiple times and routes. I really do hope there is a sequel! Loved it!
Sorry, I'm deleting your comment because it's a pretty big spoiler for people who haven't played the full game. But to answer your question: no.
Good one.
Will there be a second part? It feels like there's something to say.
the final version was good, a bit short however. Wasn't expecting the direction it took after the demo i'll admit
Just bought it! So excited for this. Congrats on the release!!
Will there be a mobile version? Btw it's finally here😭😭😭
i'm almost having a heart attack looking at the steam page
!!! Soooo excited. Can't wait to see Cyril and Stan again. I'll buy the second it comes out 🥰
I'm so excited!
Hi. I just stumbled across your work and it's awesome! I'm so glad I found it now, as the release of the full novel aint that far.
First, congrats on the upcoming steam release!
Second, wow. Your style is beatiful. I felt so immersed in the story that I couldnt stop reading at all. Everything from the small descriptions of the surroundings to the interaction with each character felt on point. I played it only once, rn, but there will be more playthroughs. As soon as its fully released.
And I will gladly spent money for it, because its just frigging great!
So ya then!
Sincerely
Thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy the full release! :)
It's really good but when it's released on steam I won't be able to read it because I don't have money ☹️
Congratulations for the steam release! Very excited to play the full game!
CAN'T WAIT HOW MUCH IS IT GONNA COST TAKE MY MONEY
Literally counting down the days for this, super excited! 🥰
Eloping with Cyril forget this war bs. Sis bout to get us all killed fr
Has there been an update?
Hi, there will be no further updates to the demo, the full game will be available on December 9th on Steam.
I love the way the story is written, and there's so much depth in the characters! I'm looking forward to the full game, and I haven't found any bugs by myself so far, even though i'm not looking for them. Great Game!
Will you.....full game in here no steam only????
Is there going to be a price?
Been following your project since the early Choicescript version, and time and time again you've made me fall in love with Cyril. Congratulations on the release date! I can't wait <33
Same! Can't wait for the release! Also Cyril is so precious ^_^!
I've read since it was in Choicescript, and maybe it's just me, but I'd love to see text on the full screen. It's not really comfortable - for me at least - to read it on the small portion of screen.
But anyway it's still really interesting and I can't wait to see the full release on Steam :)
yay it finnaly updated!
How to report bug? During the night where you write letter with Cyril The choices: It doesn't look as boring and I have nothing else to do switches. Other choices like that happen
Thanks for the bug report, I've just updated the demo in preparation for the full release ;)
See you never, sis.
Real interesting, played though both of the SO routes and the writing is really good :>
This is already soo good!! I really can't wait for full release
Oh my goodness!!!! AAAAH, YOU MOVED IT HERE! I first played on dashingdon and I LOVE IT. And yaaaaay, end of 2022? I can't wait!
Hi there! I hope this comments section is the right place to report bugs. I checked the FAQ post on the game’s development blog and couldn’t find anything related to the topic. In any case, here are a few minor things I noticed during my play through:
Not necessarily a bug, but the descriptions for Stanislas and Cyril differ from those offered for Ariana and Will. The former begin with “Appearance:” and simply list the physical traits of these characters, in contrast to the more complete “S/he is…” of the latter. I recognize the difference in style from earlier versions of the demo, so I’m guessing the former two have yet to have their descriptions updated to match the new style.
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When you elect to respond to Cyril with: “I’m just peachy… My parents just died, what do you think?” on the next page, the text is preceded by the following: <<54 to [function](10)>>.
Similarly, responding with: “I don’t need your concern.” results in the following being displayed prior to the text: <<50 to [function](-5)>>.
Likewise, the choice: “I’ll feel better when our enemies are six feet underground.” leads to the following to precede the text: <<54 to [function](5)>>.
-
The next morning following the second-born’s arrival to Fort Queenscliff, when the servant enters their room to bring them breakfast, if you select the option: “‘Get out! I never told you to come in,’ I chastise whoever enters.” in the second paragraph on the following page, both usages of the word “himself” are preceded by $.
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When Cyril asks the second-born if they slept well, and if the player chooses: “‘What kind of vapid question is that?’ I ask in annoyance.” the next page, in which Cyril promptly ends the conversation and departs, nevertheless provides the player the option to approach Cyril again (“I approach Cyril.”)
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The option: “‘Um… Thank you.’ Somehow, his/her words sting more than they should.” and the scene it leads to features a minor typo. In the second paragraph, when Will says: “I know you have quite the political knowledge. I’m certain you’ll be an asset to the kingdom, as well.” there is no space between the former and the latter sentence.
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When Will trains the second-born, and the player chooses the following: “I keep looking forward, shifting to accommodate the new stance.” the next page displays both the text for this option in addition to the choice “I look back with wide eyes.” and the text accompanying it.
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In the wake of the assassination attempt on the second-born, when Will is convinced to stay with them for a spell and the player is given the choice to ask him/her how s/he’s feeling, the following two selections have their consequent scenes swapped: “‘Still, things haven't been easy on you, either. I'm here, if you need to talk.‘“ and: “‘So. Are you alright?’”
Thank you so much for the thorough bug report!
Would you be interested in being a beta tester for the full game, by any chance? ;)
Here are a few more bugs I encountered during my repeated play throughs of the demo. I hope the way I’ve organized everything is clear. In any case…
Coding Errors:
If the second-born accepts Cyril’s invitation to dinner, chooses to kiss them, and then steps back, signalling their intention to go no further than a kiss, the following choice includes a code string instead of Cyril’s name: “‘Good night, $mccyril. Thank you for dinner and… everything else.’” The text that follows on the next page correctly features Cyril’s name (“Good night, Cyril. Thank you for dinner and… everything else.").
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For a second-born who has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 25 percent during the scene being described), when she asks the player character how much they know about Aether, the choice: “I glare at her, venom in my eyes.” is followed by the code string “</li>” and lacks the golden cube preceding it that distinguishes each option from the rest.
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Prior to the end of the demo, when the player is given the choice to visit Cyril, Will, and Ariana before heading out to do battle with Stan’s forces—for a second-born who has a poor relationship with Ariana, who attempts to leave the council room rather than standing their ground against an Aether-overcharged Ariana (“The pain is getting unbearable. I leave.”), the demo ends there rather than at its intended conclusion.
And if the second-born instead stands their ground (“The pain is terrible, but I stand my ground.”), the subsequent scene plays out as it ought to, but the scene immediately afterwards repeats the first paragraph from the former one, namely: “You refuse to retreat, and you stand your ground as Ariana comes closer, a gleam in her eye as the distance shrinks between you.” And the scene immediately after that latter one displays a blank screen with only the NEXT button present, which allows the player to reach the demo’s intended conclusion, but which I assume is superfluous and not meant to be there.
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After the player specifies the primary and secondary skills of the second-born, the scene which follows after the selection of the latter features inconsistent spacing between the third and fourth paragraph; the two are farther apart than are the first and second, or the second and third paragraphs. Namely, I’m referring to the following exerpt: “You glimpse Ariana awaiting you at the bottom of the staircase. She looks up as you scale down the stairs, beaming at you with a toothy grin that brightens her entire face.”; this is the inconsistently spaced fourth paragraph.
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When Cyril offers to let the second-born try their crossbow, the sixth response to this proposal: “‘No.’”, unlike the other five choices, does not appear in the subsequent scene.
To clarify what I mean, take, for example, another choice: “‘No, thank you. I dislike weapons.’” When the player chooses this, the scene that follows begins with the following sentence: “’No, thank you.’ You shake your head. ‘I dislike weapons.’” And it is followed up with: “Cyril gives you a simple nod.”
But when the player chooses the choice: “‘No.’”, the subsequent scene simply begins with: “Cyril gives you a simple nod.”; the second-born’s response does not constitute the first paragraph, as it otherwise does for the rest of the choices. I’m not sure whether or not this is a bug, but the difference in format caught my eye, and I thought to report it in case it really is a bug.
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When Will visits the second-born in their room to notify them s/he’s ready for their training session, if s/he is told to “‘Go away.’” by the second-born, and if the player in the next scene chooses the following: “[Dismiss] ‘Didn't you hear me? I said, “Go away”.’”, then the subsequent scene displays an error: “Error: <<set>>: bad evaluation: unexpected token: identifier”.
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Though I set Cyril’s gender as female, in the scene in which she begins reading Stanislas’ letter to Ariana, there is a minor inconsistency pertaining to one of her pronouns: “’To Her Majesty, Queen Ariana d'Arcadie,’ she [Cyril] reads in a clear, level voice.”
“’That's a good start.’ Ariana balances her weight on her right leg, arms still crossed tightly, fingers digging into her biceps, and eyes riveted to Cyril as he reads on.”
Rather than reading: “as she reads on”, the last part of that sentence in the second paragraph reads: “as he reads on”, contrary to the earlier usage of one of the female Cyril’s pronouns, properly specifying her as such.
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If the player chooses: “Move to the bedroom.” following the second-born’s dinner with Cyril, and then opts to instead cut their time short by selecting the following: “Actually, I should leave.”, the scene consequent to that latter choice, at the bottom left corner, under the button that reads ONE WEEK LATER…, displays a “2” that is (I think) not seen in any of the other scenes prior to the beginning of a new chapter.
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When Ariana expresses that, before dealing with Kalltland, Stanislas must be killed, the two following choices appear to lead to the exact same scene: “‘I’m looking forward to it.’” and: “Best to say nothing.”
This, I think, is an error in the case of the former choice. When, for example, the player opts to have the second-born respond with another choice in the same scene, such as: “‘That’s a bit extreme, Ariana,’ I say carefully.” the following scene has as its first paragraph the choice expanded and repeated, thus: “’That's a bit extreme, Ariana,’ you say, an uncertain edge to your voice.”
But when the player instead chooses: “‘I’m looking forward to it.’”, just like the choice: “Best to say nothing.”, the first paragraph of the scene consequent to it is: “She detaches her gaze from you, returns to watching your troops crowding the courtyard.” It is as though the second-born has not expressed their opinion at all, given the customary inclusion of spoken choices as the first line of dialogue in the scene which follows them, to indicate that the second-born has spoken their response or opinion aloud.
Syntax Errors:
If the second-born has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 41 percent prior to selecting the following choice, and then fell to 38 percent), when the player chooses to visit her during the first night at Fort Queenscliff and selects the following option: “‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep.’” the scene consequent to it displays a $ in the second paragraph, preceding the Ariana’s qualification of the second-born’s rivalry with her, based on the player character’s gender. “Ariana scowls, not missing your distrustful tone. ‘Still with the $brotherly rivalry?’”
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If a male second-born visits Barcot, when Cyril introduces him to Stephane as the Prince of Arcadie, the title preceding his name is not capitalized: “Stephane's suddenly bulging eyes remind you of saucers. ‘prince Maxime,’ he repeats, standing up to bow deeply.”
The same holds true if the second-born is female; the title “princess” is not capitalized.
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If the second-born has a poor relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 26 percent prior to selecting the following choice), during the first meeting of the council, in which the planned assault on the royal castle is devised, if the player selects the following: “None of them. I want no part of this.” the third paragraph in the following scene is missing a space, prior to Ariana’s second line of dialogue ("He'll stay by my side," Ariana decides. Then, meeting your eyes, she adds,"I'll make sure you don't drag all of us down.").
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If it’s Cyril who escorts the second-born to their room following the assassination attempt against them, and the player selects the following choice: “‘If it's all the same to you, I'd like to sleep, now.‘“ the second paragraph of the consequent scene is missing a quotation mark ("Of course," she replies. "Don't hesitate to call on the guards, if need be.).
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When the second-born approaches Stan and calls him by his formal title (“’Sir Stanislas Duval,’ you say.”), with the player being given the opportunity to specify how they wish for Stan to be addressed or address their character, the following two options: “Stan it is, then.” and: “I’d rather stick with ‘Sir Stanislas’.” feature inconsistent capitalization. Namely, the phrase “Your Highness” in the third paragraph in the scenes consequent to both of those choices does not have its first word capitalized. Thus: “’I believe this is your first time attending a meeting with foreign envoys, your Highness.’”
And if the second-born does not give their assent to being called by their first name (“’In that case, please call me Maxime.’”) and the player chooses otherwise, then in the subsequent scene, the following choices feature scenes which include the same inconsistent capitalization of the phrase “Your Highness”: “‘I am surprised you'd say this to me, of all people. I am the Prince, after all.’″; ″’What kind of talk is that?’ I ask disapprovingly.”; and: ″’I don't care what you think.’″
For the first choice (“‘I am surprised you'd say this to me, of all people. I am the Prince, after all.’″), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in paragraphs two and four: “’That, you are, your Highness,’ he concedes, a small, pensive smile at his lips.” and: “His smile strangely grows wider, more sincere. ‘Not really, your Highness.’”, respectively.
For the second choice (″’What kind of talk is that?’ I ask disapprovingly.”), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in the second paragraph: “’It's only the truth, your Highness. Surely you know better than I our Kingdom's history.’”
For the third choice (″’I don't care what you think.’″), in the subsequent scene, “Your Highness” is inconsistently capitalized in the second paragraph: “He blinks at you. ‘Understood, your Highness.’”
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When the second-born, Ariana, and Will first arrive at Fort Queenscliff, once the trio, together with Cyril, enter the latter’s study and are prompted to explain what exactly it was that Stanislas did, I believe the phrase that appears in the scenes consequent to each choice, “their Majesties”, is meant to also have its first word capitalized. So, rather than the following: “’I’m not certain,’ Wilfred admits. ‘He called their Majesties “warmongering tyrants”.’”, the phrase should read “Their Majesties”.
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If the second-born has a good relationship with Ariana (her affection towards my character was at 73 percent at the time of writing this), and if their main stat is Politics & Tactics, during the scene in which Cyril asks them what part of the plan to assault the Royal Castle they’d like to take part in, the following choices: “‘Fighting on the battlefield is not really my strong suit.’” and: “None of them. I want no part of this.” and the scenes consequent to each feature a formatting error.
In the case of the first choice (“‘Fighting on the battlefield is not really my strong suit.’”), the fourth paragraph features an extra break, such that the text: “’I’ll look out for you.’” is on the next line rather than the same line.
As to the second (“None of them. I want no part of this.”), in the third paragraph, there is a space missing in the following excerpt: “Then, meeting your eyes, she adds,’I’ll look out for you.’” That bit of Ariana’s dialogue should feature a space after the comma following the word “adds”.
Additionally, the error present in the scene consequent to the second choice (“None of them. I want no part of this.”) is also present if the second-born’s primary skill is Swordsmanship, and if their relationship with Ariana is positive.
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Immediately after Ariana shares some of the Aether she’s accumulated with the second-born, when the player is prompted to react to her slicing their character’s hand and grasping it, all three choices (″’What was that for?!’″; “I shake my head and attempt to collect myself.”; and ″’I could have used some forewarning.’″) lead to a scene in which there is a spacing error. Namely: “’Sorry for the little jolt,’ she says, half-grinning, ‘there's not much I could have done about it. Besides, it's already healed up.’You look downward, towards your hand; while you can still feel a tingle right under your skin, you realize there is no hint of an injury.” There ought to be a space after the second part of Ariana’s dialogue and the second-born’s examination of their hand.
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When the second-born is having dinner with Cyril, and when they’re asked by him/her why they’ve chosen to hone their primary skill, either in sword fighting or politics, the second part of Cyril’s dialogue in the fourth paragraph of that scene is not capitalized. Thus: “’I was also wondering.’ She drinks a bit of wine before resuming, ‘why did you decide to focus on the study of our Kingdom's politics?’” The “why” in “why did you decide…” ought to be capitalized.
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During the sequence in which Ariana and the second-born are talking about her plans for Kalltland, and the latter expresses anything less than support for and does not remain silent about their thoughts on her designs, when Ariana thereafter questions how uncaring the second-born appears to be about their parents’ death, if the player chooses the following: “‘What does that have to do with anything?’”, the second paragraph in the scene consequent to this choice is missing a word. Namely: “‘It has everything to do with it. We wouldn't here, discussing Stanislas and Kalltland and getting ready for war, if that hadn't happened.’” The phrase “We wouldn’t here…” is missing the word “be”.
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There are several instances in which the phrase “Royal Castle” is inconsistently capitalized:
1. The scene after the player is confronted with the choice to specify the second-born’s feelings towards Ariana—namely, if they love, like, secretly dislike, dislike, or care not about her: “The large courtyard stands in the middle of the Royal castle, surrounded by looming high walls on all sides.”
2. The scene before which the player is able to express to Cyril their opinion on Stephane, in which Sylvie is introduced: “’Shouldn't they? We're not far from the Royal castle.’”
3. The scene in which the council to formulate the plan of assault on the Royal Castle convenes for the first time, after the player is prompted to choose the second-born’s stance on whether or not, and to what extent, they will offer their opinion on the matters being discussed: “’I’ve been receiving regular reports from our scouts keeping watch over the Royal castle.’”
4. The scene after which Cyril asks the second-born to provide them with an account of the attempted assassination: “She then adds, in a lower voice, ‘They can't be Stanislas's men either. The reconnaissance team would have spotted them coming out of the Royal castle's gates.’”
Super clear; thank you so much!
I am honestly impressed, I didn't read through all of it, but this dedication is something I can only dream to have. Would never be able to write such long texts about bugs, especially because I'd probably feel bad telling devs about errors in their games, even though most of them appreciate the help. (Just realized, of course programming a game and fixing bugs is even harder, but this comment is still impressive.)
AHHHHHHH??? THIS IS SO GOOD
I love it! It's very nice to know how soon it'll be released. I also love those kinds of stats and relationship % bars, it makes things simpler to understand.
OMGGGG, the cliff hanger this demo finishes on is DISGUSTING (In a good way). I played it for 2 hours straight, and I truly can't say enough good things; I'd love to gush about it in this comment but I wouldn't want to spoil anything. I can't wait to see more!
So glad I found this again. Love your writing and the characters. Looking forward to playing more of it.
This is so good i’m so glad i stumbled on this. I love Wilfred so much and the writing is so excellent. I diddnt realize i was even reading i was just sucked into the world.
hnggg i love this Cyril is so sweet im swoon
Stumbled upon this on the top page with my filters, and I am very happy that I did, now I'm screaming at my friend to read it because it's that good :)
During the scene with Cyril where you can offer to help write the letters, clicking the second option (maybe it’s not as boring as it sounds) leads to the first option (the scene proceeds with mc saying it’ll occupy their mind)
Was about to comment this. The options are switched. If you pick the first option it triggers the result of the second, and if you pick the second it triggers the result of the first.
Thank you for letting me know! I will fix it.