Wednesday, October 16, 2013

R.I.P. Daddy

No silly video posts today.

Just an update on why there hasn't been a release.

On Monday, my dad picked me up to go out for lunch together. Totally normal. We do it about once a week.

This time, we drove through an intersection where a large truck was driving through the red light and smashed into our car. Of course the guy was drunk.

I ended up with a leg and wrist smashed up, along with lots of little cuts and bruises and a ton of aches and pains.

Daddy died in surgery at the hospital from his head injuries.

Thankfully, we were the only two in the car.

Of course, the drunk driver was fine with just a cut on his face.

I have been sitting at home staring at the walls and letting my husband take care of me as I try and process.

It's kinda hard.

Everyone talks about me getting over it someday and time healing wounds and all that junk, but time isn't going to bring Daddy back. That is something I'm just going to have to get used to.

I know I'll get back to work on Journey and want to get involved with stuff again. I know this kinda thing happens to someone pretty much every day. I'd just rather it have been someone other than me and my Daddy.

For right now, i just want to stare at the walls and wait to feel again. Maybe after the wake tomorrow.


Monday, September 30, 2013

Quick update



I've been working on starting up the Wild Lands storyline, and I can tell you it's definitely going to be a much more.. intense path. I don't think I'm going to add any kind of disclaimer on it, given that the text does a pretty good job of warning Terry not to sabotage the auction, but I do wonder how some of the players are going to take it. I suspect some might really like it, and that's totally okay with me.

As I revealed in the TFGamesSite thread, it also is going to be the part of the story where M/M sex is going to happen. Again, there wno't be a disclaimer and it will be consensual. I know that some people are far more bothered by male on male sex than female on female, and I think that's totally wrong. There is same sex female sex in the game, and I always intended to have male on male sex. It just fits with the world. I think in some ways the Wild Lands will be just as people expect it to be, while in other ways it might be somewhat surprising.

I think of it as three different points on a line. In the center is the Enclave, while on the far right are the Forest Females and the far left are the Wild Land Bandits. That's not to say they are going to be examples of far right and far left politics in their societies, but there might be elements of it that show through. We'll see.

Anyway! I'm typing away. I am hoping for a release next week with the first path established. If that doesn't happen, it won't be any later than two weeks from now. No worries, though - I'll be updating here again before that!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Stopping for a while


This is probably one of my Dad's two favorite musicians. U2 would be the other. I'd spend hours hearing Tori Amos's music being played around the house, whether I liked it or not. Haha, I kid. Hearing it pretty much since birth meant I had no choice but to like it. Honestly, the words are creepy weird but her music always sounds really nice to me. In this case, I just liked the theme of the music video and thought it would fit my post here.

Oh..

What?

Stopping for a while? Oh, yeah. I'm stopping for a while. Meant to tell you that. Well, stopping working on the Enclave storylines for a while, anyway! That's right! It's on to the Wild Lands now! I'm releasing 1.0 of The Journey Outside for the enjoyment of others, and officially stopping all work on current threads in order to introduce the Wild Lands and the much heard about bandits.

It'll start with the slave auction where you have no buyer and go from there. I'm looking forward to it!

So here it is.. the final release for the first third of The Journey Outside in its 90,000+ words glory. The second third, of course, will be the Wild Lands, and the final third the Forest Females.

Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ljlybsppsv7yxs/JourneyOutside1.0.zip

Sunday, September 15, 2013

And the lightbulb of ideaness shines!



I fell in LOVE with this song when I was in high school. It just really captured me. I loved the whole album, and recommend it and any of her other albums to everyone, but this song really just does it. I kinda tear up every time, but I really wanted to share it. She is definitely one that should be better known, I think.

Anyway, on to the reason for this post. I'm getting downright active on this thing!

The thing is..

I have figured out what my next game is going to be!

Hooray!

I can stop thinking about it now! It's going to be dark but humorous with a lot of unexpected consequences from choices that are made. It'll be both shorter but more varied than what I'm doing with Journey, since there won't be a whole world to build or specific timeline to follow, which is cool.

I'm still going to finish Journey first, but it's nice to have an idea of what's next on the road of creativity!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Channeling the Masculine



I was trying to think of a video that would encompass the theme of this post, or at least touch on it, and the above was the closest I could get. I can only imagine just how awkward that would be!

So I've been working on the male path with rescuing Barbara. It's fairly streamlined to begin with, which I kinda feel bad about, but honestly there just aren't that many decisions to make in the beginning of it. It does branch off significantly from there, so tomorrow night's writing should be more varied. That Master Lang is just such a tricky, tricky character! Can't turn your back on him for a second.. especially when you're rather valuable to him. He does like to get what he wants.

Writing the male path is always challenging, but kind of interesting at the same time. There's a love scene where I really had to work on considering the.. other side.. so to speak. It was definitely exciting and fun to write, and hopefully I didn't write anything that would be unrealistic or badly or inaccurately described. Mignon, the mastermind behind the visual changes, has been kind enough to help "fact-check" my writing so to speak, so at least if there are any problems they can be changed fairly easily in revision.

More than anything, though, I've enjoyed getting back with Barbara again for a little bit. She's one of the few genuinely kind and innocent people in the world I've created, without any real motivation beyond just wanting someone to care about and protect her. As a writer, I'm glad to be able to provide that, at least as much as I can.

Oh! Before I forget, I had some questions on how my back is doing, which is really sweet!! I am officially pain free! I still have to do a Mobic a day for a couple more days and a Flexeril when I sleep to keep from injuring it more, but that mainly just means I get to have a really nice, drugged night's sleep! I can live with that! I was even able to get out and work in the yard for a little bit before it started to be uncomfortable! Progress is a good thing!

Anyway, no actual download or anything like that.. just a status report and a bit of rambling. In my off-moments I kind of play around with what it is I want to do once Journey is over. I haven't settled on anything yet, but I suspect it will be shorter and more tightly focused. I'm limiting myself to only one project at a time, so that I don't get distracted or discouraged, but it never hurts to play around with thoughts in my head. One of the better tricks I learned was to let go of ideas and just let them live in the back of my head for a while, fleshing them out without really thinking about them. I call it "percolating."

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Because I got Version 9



So yeah - my husband is a huge Kevin Smith fan, and he's been teasing me for the past two weeks over how loopy I get on Flexeril. Seriously, I have a total weakness for this drug, and I have no idea why! I'm either knocked out drooling in bed or staggering around, trying to figure out two plus two! I can't tell you how many times he's referred to this song, so I should at least share the evil, I think.

The good news is that I'll be stopping getting high as of tomorrow, which is gonna let me get caught up, since I'll be able to type without having to redo every other word and constantly check the spelling.

But more importantly still...

I'll be pain free! Hooray!

So this is the version nine update. I think we polished the graphics quite a bit and added a widescreen option for those that have crazy high resolution on their monitors. I just have a little laptop, so I don't know about all that, but I'm assured that it does make a difference. There are other options that we could pursue, from options for turning the images off to other options that would help customize the experience for each player, kinda like display options in games. We'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, here's the latest!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ixza8ic9hvn9cpd/JourneyOutside9b.html

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Color of Cafe au Version Eight!



This video makes me think I need to own a corset or twelve! Fun fact.. two of my favorite movies are Moulin Rouge and Mamma Mia. I'm very fortunate, because any time I want to watch one of my favorite movies, my husband never complains! Apparently, he enjoys the "scenery" while I enjoy the story. I'm pretty sure if Amanda Seyfried came knocking on our door this afternoon, he'd leave me without a second thought. That's okay, though, because if Ewan McGregor comes knocking on my door, I'm out!

That's said, Pierce Brosnan's singing can still manage to run him out of the room every time. Can't really say I blame him for that one.

Who hires someone who absolutely can not sing to star in a musical?

Anyway! We're not here to talk Mamma Mia. We'll save that for another time. Right now, I have a present for everyone! That's right.. the official release of Version 8!

There are some.. distinct.. visual differences with this release, so please feel free to leave a comment here if you experience any trouble at all!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/24hmhykdofb6bpc/JourneyOutside8a.zip

Monday, September 2, 2013

That's all I've got to say about that..

Been knocked out by a pinched nerve in my lower back combined with significant drugs, so there wasn't as much writing as I had hoped for, but big changes are coming in the next 24 hours, nonetheless! These changes are thanks to mignon and barabbas from the TFGamesSite.com website, and I really can't thank them enough! So enough of that.. here's the teaser!


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

How Can You Afford Your Rock and Roll Preview?



People point out the weirdest songs to me sometimes!

Shhh... don't tell anyone I did this, but I'm going to put up a preview here.

It's not finished by any means, but you can get a sample of the Forest Female path as well as the Male path with Barbara.

Feel free to download and check it out.

Most importantly, this is going to be the first version released with SugarCube, so let me know if there are any problems!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zn5o0am4ydizajs/JourneyOutside8Preview.rar

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Plot Thickens!



I hope no one is really offended by my including videos with my posts. They are just things that capture my attention at that moment, and kind of reflect my mood at that time or things that had happened. The above video, "Otherside," is one that my husband pointed out to me that I really fell in love with. It makes me wish I could do more visual stuff.

Anyway!

We're not here to talk videos.

We're here to talk The Journey Outside. Well, I hope we are, anyway. If you're here to talk about iCarly, that's a different blog.

This is the delayed release that I skipped last week, other than a sloppy preview. I'm running into a lot of "to be continued with the Wild Lands" endings at this point.. and that's a good thing! I'm excited to take us into the Wild Lands and have everyone meet all the happenings there.

It's going to be hairy. We're talking anarchy, chaos, death, war..

Yeah, an entire war. That'll be interesting to write!

So as I reach more and more "To be continued" endings, that's going to leave two significant areas. The Forest Women and the Wild Lands and its bandits. That means that the next update is going to focus on completing the Forest Women lines, expanding it and adding details. That will make sure that I don't have to split the difference between the two competing stories.

Also, I am aware that the male path you're going to experience is pretty stream-lined right now. That's for two reasons. One, most of the choices on that path are going to occur once you head to and arrive at the Wild Lands, and those choices are going to be pretty radically different. Also, it's because there an entirely separate path where you choose to travel with Barbara rather than Coren, and that will include many variations.

Just remember that this is a work in progress and, at this point, is still far more complete in my mind than in writing. I'm looking forward to changing that and hope you come along for the ride, but this is still very much Beta.

OK, on with the show!

Download version 7: The Journey Outside v7

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Bring on the Promised Preview!



As I promised a few days ago, here is a sloppy preview to hold those desperate souls over that don't want to wait for next week's release. There are some nice experiences to be found in the harem, and the male path to Seattle is written if stream-lined, so it might be worth checking out for you.

Up to you, really. As always, if there are any problems with it, let me know here or at the TFGames forum.

The Journey Outside v. 0.65

Monday, August 12, 2013

Am I Wrong.. to delay a release?



^^ I was reminded of this song while talking with someone I consider to be a definite friend. Had to share it, so listen and enjoy. Or not. Either way.

I wanted to post up that the release this week is going to be exclusive to this blog, since it hasn't made nearly the progress that I was hoping for. Not for lack of effort - It's just proven to be both more detailed and more challenging to get exactly right. There's a lot of plot and world-building as I move into what I consider to be the second act. The male path will be more clear, the Forest Female path will be more defined, and the brothel path will lead up to a rather critical encounter that I won't spoil here.

In other words, things are starting to come together rather than being entirely separate. Terry is starting to have an effect on the world around her/him, depending on when and where she/he ends up.

It's been fun to write, without a doubt, but I really want to make sure to get it as right as I'm capable of.

So anyway, if you're interested in seeing where it's going, take a look here Tuesday or Wednesday. If you'd rather wait until it's more complete, that's totally okay as well! Either way, hopefully it will end up satisfying!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Version 6 Released!


Prince - Get Off - MyVideo

I have spent far too much time loving this video. That a man who is all of five feet can drip so much sex just knocks me outta my shoes!

There are some fun elements to discover that I enjoyed writing, enjoying the chance to smack someone and, potentially, end up paying for it. I'll leave it to the player to find it.

Some elements are still pretty linear, but there will be other options added later. I have to keep myself somewhat focused, and that's one way that I can do it.

We've gotten up to around 63,000 words, which makes it around 30-35% of what I've estimate would be needed for a final version. Luckily, I'm still really enjoying working on it. The world is complicated enough and the paths varied enough that there is always something to catch my interest for writing.

As always, thanks to all those playing the adventure, and I hope it continues to be enjoyable as I keep working on it. Best wishes to all.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/efu8lrhvj6s2s5u/JourneyOutside6.rar

Struggling With a Penis


Who knew it would be so challenging to write sexy times from the perspective of man parts?

I've been working my way through the challenge, writing what I can and stepping off to do some female scenes to keep the creative juices fresh, so to speak.

I still plan on releasing what I have done this week, probably Thursday or Friday at the latest, but it won't be quite as much as anticipated.

Of course, a recent addiction to old Columbo episodes probably isn't helping.

On the plus side, I really like what I've written this week. There is a really fun scene in the brothel where you get another option for resisting, and on the male side I'm getting ready to write them kicking back at a tavern. No details here in the interest of spoilers, but I'm pretty sure if you are reading this blog, you're aware of the fact that there is a brothel, and that there is a male path.

So yeah. If not, my bad.

OK, back to work for me!


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Version 5a - Now with more artistic lighting



What? I like the video for the artistic lighting!

Anyway, there were a couple of missed back macros with Version 5, so I skipped posting that here and will instead put up version 5a. I would recommend just using this version, as it will keep you from getting trapped with a description.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/48kegreee7b6r48/JourneyOutside5a.rar

Monday, July 29, 2013

Cooking up a preview


Surprise! A day early, I'm putting up a blog-exclusive preview of the release for tomorrow. There's still more to be added, but this gives a pretty decent idea of what is going on with the Forest Women as well as another flash-forward ending. Some dialogue throughout was cleaned up, as well as redefining a few plot details.

Enjoy some tasty country cooking, TF style.

In an unrelated note - that is easily one of the most bizarre videos I've ever seen on Youtube.

In an additional, but actually related note, I've fired 4shared. I'll be hosting exclusively through Dropbox now. If that causes anyone any trouble, please let me know.


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Enough is Enough


You guys have waited long enough for the next update. I'm planning on putting one up this Tuesday. It focuses exclusively on the male path, and even has a new ending.

With those done, I'm going to be going back and wrapping up the brothel and RichSub paths for the week after.

After that, the plan is to head into the woods. I want to hold off a bit on the bandit camp as that is, essentially, the other half of the game.

So.. yeah. Look for an update on Tuesday at some point between midnight and midnight.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

And another attempt to release a working version 4!


The very sweet kappakappa was kind enough to inform me (and seemed a bit embarrassed to have to do so) that the links were still broken on the RichSub path at the end.

I have no idea why they were still broken, as they tested appropriately before, but broken they were.

So, that means 4b must now come around.

Links are below.

http://www.4shared.com/rar/tnzkJG1q/JourneyOutside4b.html
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b6ip4g8u2kjsfn2/JourneyOutside4b.rar

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Version 4 release - Sexy Jesus Approved



Yeah, I like sharing random videos on these things. I'm all about the entertaining, what can I say?

Anyway, here's the polished version 4. Look for a non-polished version 4a at some point this week before the next release. I'm able to get back into steady writing, so that's a definite plus.

The brothel path is coming along nicely and I think it's safe to say that the male path I'm going to write first leads to him heading into the forest and finding some potential enemies.. or allies. That'll be up to you.

Download paths for 4a..(updated due to some broken links)

4shared - http://www.4shared.com/rar/Z07Stuhn/JourneyOutsideV4a.html
Dropbox - https://www.dropbox.com/s/vp2dsd9oakffq8c/JourneyOutsideV4a.rar

As an addendum, I've received more than a few questions privately asking why Miranda would so easily accept the idea of female slavery. I will give a spoiler and non-spoiler answer here. Feel free to add to the debate. Questions can be asked publicly, too!

The non-spoiler answer refers to the explanation that Miranda offers. She is, for the record, a reliable narrator There are two clearly defined societies in our world, although only one has really been shown at the moment. The bandit camp and the Seattle Conclave. That Miranda looks at the Seattle Conclave and decides it is kinder to women.. well.. that says a lot.

In addition, there is a generation in place now that has grown up without the old civilization and without the idea of freedoms for everyone. Freedom is great for a society of high technology people with a surplus of population. It requires a nation that can spare population for philosophies in order to enable that kind of civilization. In this world, with a drastically smaller population that was lost in a very fast time frame.  Writing this, I am estimating a world population of 6.5 billion down from 6.5 million. which historically would put the population to the level it was between 5-4,000 B.C.E.) Electricity is controlled by the right through limited natural power generator access and the staff capable of running and repairing them, textiles are going extinct as hide-based clothing is increasing, and the natural world is beginning to fight back against a weakened humanity. Taking all of that in, Miranda makes the decision that slavery might be a necessary evil to feed into increasing the population and establishing a rudimentary civilization.

To be clear, that is the decision that she reached. My opinion is not present in this work, but it can be inquired upon.

For the spoiler answer (and rest assured it is much shorter)  Miranda reveals that she is a member of one of the families that supplied the DNA for the serum. Those who receive DNA from her family line are likely to be tall and redhead. Very soon, the male path will be venturing into the woods and encountering the female tribes that live there and remain free, if shut out from society. It is not coincidental that these women are tall with red hair. Also, Miranda was very much inspired by [i]Casablanca[/i]. 

So there you have it. The questions were good and definitely worth addressing, which is why I'm doing it here as well as at the TFGamesSite discussion thread..

Please do feel free to ask questions like this and I'll do what I can to answer them, though I make no promises you will always like the answer.

And thanks again to everyone who has played. That people have been enjoying my work makes it all the more worth it!

Friday, July 12, 2013



Here is the promised preview build of the next release. It has sloppy ends to storylines, but if you are someone who likes teasers and hints of the future, this is for you. If you hate spoilers, find somewhere else to be for this one. Just wait for the full release in a few days.

http://www.4shared.com/zip/1xjJtFr9/JourneyOutsideV3a.html
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9mcm1ktld4rlyqr/JourneyOutsideV3a.zip

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Good news everyone!

I've been stuck on an incredibly inconvenient 3pm-11pm schedule for the past few weeks. This, naturally, is a great way to write off an entire day of productivity.

Not to mention challenging to find time to spend with loved ones.

That being said, I have figured out a way for me to keep working on The Journey Outside while at work. It lets me get in at least a few passages a night as opposed to none.

So there is that.

I honestly like the idea of spending a decent amount of time over the next few months writing everything out that I have in my head. Hopefully, at the end people will enjoy it even more than they are now. I think I'll make history over at TFGamesSite as being the first person to complete their very first project.

Kidding, of course, but not far off from the truth. Inspiration can be such a fickle bitch.

But we worship her anyway.

Look for a preview release Friday at the latest. Also, seriously considering superheroes for my next venture.

Monday, July 8, 2013

OMG we're back again!

Watched This is the End yesterday. I laughed a great deal more than expected throughout the movie. Michael Cera stole every scene he was in, and rightfully so. A bit more pot humor than I would have liked, but that is easy to overlook overall. More Jay Baruchel is never a bad thing.

Anyway, you're not here for my movie reviews - and that's a good thing.

Yep, there's an update. I'm still alive and kicking. With family gone, I'm able to do some more writing and begin to get back to world building. In the meantime, I cleaned up some language, added back macros to all descriptions, and even found the time to link each and every current passage to their appropriate descriptions. Should make things easier in the future.

Getting ready to add to the male path and introduce the bandits once I'm content with the brothel and "Sub2" storylines. I'm looking forward to the male and bandit lines just because I get to spend more time with Barbara that way. I'm sad that way.

Downloads below.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zyqeiyw7ls2oy0w/JourneyOutsideV3.zip
http://www.4shared.com/zip/nDg3NBUc/JourneyOutsideV3.html

Sunday, June 30, 2013

A week of slow progress.

I've got family visiting this week and am still stuck on my crazy stupid schedule at work (3p-11p you can just write off the whole day), so updates are going to be a bit sparse this week.

I'm thinking I'll take the chance to do some technical cleaning. Work on the pacing, add a bit of detail, and add in a ton more descriptive links so that people can click on them as they choose.

I will get done all I can and get an upload by the middle of the week.

Why the middle of the week?

All the cool kids upload in the middle of the week.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Making progress.

I'm moving forward very quickly on the SubFem2 path. It's far less pleasant than the SubFem1 path, but not every outcome in life can be a happy one.

Sometimes the bad comes with the good.

I've thought some about how there are going to be paths that some people enjoy more than others, and I think I like that.

The crapshoot of where you end up (at least I hope) will cause people to go down paths they might not normally go, and if they stick with it a new experience could be provided.. a way of looking at another side. Having experienced it in a transient and pale way.

In other games, it can be very clear where you are headed. A dominant male. A submissive female. Paths to become more one or the other.

With Terry, he is in a world he has no comprehension of and is therefore forced to be pushed along for the ride, only able to make decisions based on the circumstances at that moment and a hope that it works out. With the very first infection and the death of his parents, he becomes propelled into events far outside his control.

I think I like that. I think I want to keep it that way. Not sure if I'll add the Back Macro because of this or not. I'll have to see.

I do like the idea of being "not in control."

Anyway, here's what I've gotten done since the initial release. Up to date as of this morning. This is not for general release, bear in mind. Enjoy at your own risk, whatever that means.

http://www.4shared.com/rar/A1mLu8io/JourneyOutside_v2.html

Saturday, June 22, 2013

It's time for the first official release! With the first story path complete, I'm going to go ahead and put this out into the wild with the intention of working on the first male path and the second submissive female path next. As I've said before, bear in mind that I'm doing this manually instead of using code, so it can sometimes take a little bit to get everything up to speed.

I might go back later and touch up dialogue but the certainly the intent of the first path is complete, so I am choosing to consider that a win! I'm looking forward to seeing the reactions of others and working on it further from here. Hooray for progress, eh?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5i63ez01k00lj69/JourneyOutside.rar

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Welcome to my development blog

Welcome to my development blog. Of course, right now I really only have one project that I'm developing, but that won't always be the case.

My current project is The Journey Outside, and it's going to take some time to complete. A choose your own adventure style game developed with the Twine system, it's an adult, erotic game set on Earth in the future after is has been decimated with a mysterious plague.

 There are currently 13 disparate paths planned for this project, but that can always be adjusted over time. Up, not down, that is. The basic 13 are simply non-negotiable. Some might be longer than others, and all of them feature the risk of death for decisions made.

As I develop this, it is intentional that many of the choices have no obvious outcome. For example, there is one section where you are able to choose between "asking to be saved" and "asking about your options." The outcomes are wildly different between these two, but simply looking at the choices gives you no hint as to how it will turn out. I do this so that there is always a since of edge, especially on the first play-through. You make decisions based off of the information your character has at that moment, no more and no less, and the consequences are what the character has to then deal with.

Of course, this isn't the real world and there is a "Back" button on every browser that will let you try alternate paths, but I highly discourage doing this as it will definitely take away from a large part of the experience - the unknown. Also, there are naturally going to be moments where the story is moved forward without a direct decision. Certain reactions to situations will be handled by me, while the direction is handled by you, making for a very collaborative effort.

In honor of that collaboration, I don't know that I'll ever consider this first project to be "complete." In other words, if there are ideas presented by fans of the game that they wish to see added or played out, I could definitely consider that, assuming it fits with the overall ethos of the project.

Finally, be aware that I am not a programmer, which is precisely why I love Twine so much. It works out of the box without any programming skill needed. There are no stats being tracked or any technical tricks. Each storyline is written from beginning to end by hand, so hopefully it will make for a smooth experience as you read. If, however, there are any jarring moments, please do let me know.

With that said, allow me to present 0.1 of my project: The Journey Outside.