shepherds-of-haven

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi there! This might be a bit of a nothingburger but I was looking through posts about the old books and noticed that of the guys from the Circle, clearly Red is one of the more main cast but you mention Neon more than Pan. Was Neon a more active field member in the books? Do either he or Pan do field work for the shepherds in the game canon?

Also, if you have any other tidbits to share about these two or the friend group dynamic with Red I would love to hear! I don’t expect them to come up more in game really but since my MC has the circle backstory and was part of the group I like to try and imagine the vibes in my mental fanfiction

Have a great day!!

Hi, thanks for the quesiton! And yes, Neon was more prominent in the old Shepherd novels because he was a Shepherd as well as an old school-friend of Red's and Arainia's! He was technically a field agent, but since he was on a different squad from the main cast, you only rarely saw him pop up on joint missions or in passing, and they mostly interacted around HQ or in the novels set in Haven!

If I'm recalling correctly, Pan's novel counterpart was a Mage, but he was actually a distant cousin of Arainia's as well as a schoolmate from the Circle, but he never joined the Shepherds: he just popped up now and then when the story needed him. So he wasn't very prominent at all and was kind of just like a visiting relative who sometimes had to crash at Arainia's apartment in the context of the novels LOL. But the details are fuzzy now, obviously!

And yes, both Neon and Pan do field work for the Shepherds; Pan's an active Lunar Corps member on his own team, but Neon is part of the Solar Corps and almost exclusively stays at home base and does Binding work or teaches students at the academy. Sometimes he does have to go out on assignments, though!

You might like one of Red's short stories on Patreon, which details some of his time at the Circle and his friendship with Pan and Neon (though it's pretty much the same as it is now). The three of them initially became friends because their parents were friends (Pan and Neon lived pretty much next door to each other) and their families would regularly travel to Red's town in the summers, so they were like childhood friends who hung out every summer?? Sort of like quasi-cousins or family friends that were just... there a lot and now you're all besties lol. And then when Neon and Pan were set to attend Solhadur, Red begged his parents to go, and part of the reason why they let him was because the other boys were going to be there, too. Neon was definitely the quiet one and the voice of reason, but he was also very withdrawn and shy, whereas Pan was more of a mischievous prankster (who could always talk his way out of trouble) and Red was sort of in the middle, being logical like Neon but adventurous and intensely curious enough to concoct or at least go along with Pan's more wild schemes. (Pan contends that Red actually got them into way more trouble, because his idea of a good time would be to explore some collapsed cave or sneak into the forbidden section of the library, whereas Pan's was, like, Shifting himself into their professor and dismissing class before the real teacher showed up, but noooo, he was the troublemaker...) If we're going stereotypical, I'd say Neon was the reserved nerd who always had his head in a book, Pan was the classic class clown, and Red was the "popular boy in class" whom everybody likes, but honestly they were all popular and well-liked and admired in their own ways (one must remember that "nerds" are not bullied or ostracized in Mage culture, but are generally admired for having those traits LOL). They also didn't just stick in a trio, they also had their own friends as well as a larger shared friend group that ate together and socialized as a group frequently!

Hope that's helpful--if you have specific questions about their dynamic and relationships, feel free to ask! :)

[shepherds-of-haven]

This has probably been asked before but i couldn’t find that ask so

How many chapters are planned to be in shoh?

Hi, this question is in the FAQ!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Is it normal for 0 achievements to be unlocked in the profile menu at the end of the alpha build despite getting pop-ups about unlocking them along the way?

No, it isn't! :') The achievements use a specific function so that your browser will 'remember' them even when you start a different save file or new playthrough (since not all achievements can be achieved through a single playthrough), so maybe your browser isn't registering that code. If you could drop a bug report through the official form with your browser and other details, that would help!

[shepherds-of-haven]

are we going to be celebrating MC's birthday too? mine was born in the spring so I was really excited for the season change 👀

Hiya, answered before in this tag! :D

[shepherds-of-haven]

This is gonna sound like such an odd and maybe rude question but I promise you that's not how I want it to come across. I'm just wondering like, how can you afford to do all of the side stuff? The art and the music and things. I want to make my own game and you're such an inspiration but I keep thinking there's no way I'll ever be able to be on your level. I can't even afford a single commission, let alone multiple. I'm just so lost??

Hi there, I wouldn't worry too much about it! The art and music for the game was generally saved for, commissioned, and accumulated over a period of many, many years--starting all the way back in 2010 or 2011! It definitely didn't happen all at once, and really only started in earnest (very slowly and painstakingly) as a result of Patreon. I was so thankful when people began supporting the game on Patreon or Ko-Fi, and I allotted a large portion of what I received in those early days (even if it was $50, $100 a month) to reinvesting it back into the game, through the creation of either more rewards for the Patrons or more assets for the game itself. For some of those early years, I probably only managed 4 or so commissions a year (which is still a lot, and I was very lucky to do so, but my point is that all of the art and music you see now didn't happen all at once--that would be very intimidating and hard to accomplish)! Then it started to build up steam as well as accumulate to the point where I could start using what I had commissioned in the game itself! (Having a very large cast was also a significant factor--it'd have probably been faster with a smaller list of companions!)

I was very fortunate to be able to put that money back into the game back then, so that was definitely a huge part of it! I'm extremely grateful for the support and the fortunate circumstances that allowed me to do so. However, I also used a lot of placeholder assets or things I made myself (Canva is a good tool for this); there are also a lot of free resources and asset packs that people provide for game devs online, like on itch.io or the lemmasoft (visual novel) forums; or many low-cost premade options on the artstation marketplace, gamedevmarket.net, or stock sites like pixabay or unsplash. Lots of free music and SFX effects, too, as long as you credit their sources!

Back then it was also easier because you didn't have to sort through so many AI-generated images (I'll refrain from being explicitly unkind, but I'd like to make my utter disdain for the practice known here) in order to find genuinely lovely, handmade assets that some kind soul posted up for like 1-5$, but they are still out there! And honestly, the absolutely wonderful thing about interactive fiction is that it doesn't need any of it: not the art or the music or the maps or the UI. :) Text, at least, is free, and it's really the core of a great IF game. As long as you have that, the rest is just a bonus! I'd truly encourage anyone wanting to make an IF game to just start with that story or mechanic in your head. Take baby steps and don't start out mountain-climbing by making your immediate goal Mount Everest: it will feel too daunting. You need to conserve your energy for the long haul. The rest will inevitably follow!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi! It’s been ages since I read this book, so I splurged on Patreon to read the alpha and I am blown away with the depth of the story and the new format. I’ve always been kind of worried that the cast was too big, but it’s absolutely incredible how you have developed them. Even side characters. I am trying to romance one character but am already planning my next run through. I’m kind of obsessed 😂

One question if you don’t mind - it’s a bit silly, hopefully hasn’t already been asked: I feel a little lost on where we are during chapters even when looking at the map. I can’t figure out where Lockwood is for example. Can you show us where the non-Haven chapters are set.

Thanks - another night of reading is ahead of me 🥰

Hi there, thank you so much for your very kind words, I'm so glad that you're enjoying the new updated version and that the cast hasn't proved too big!! I'm so happy to hear that! 🥹

And sorry about that--I did used to have a map of MC's travels that I (badly) made with software here, but when it comes to the game's official map:

...Sorry. I realize I could have potentially made it even more overwhelming and confusing, lol. And the reason why you're having trouble finding Lockwood is because it's called 'Falkirk' on the map! The canonical reason is that that was its old name before the nobles took it over and renamed it as part of their fief, but the real reason is that this map was made in, like, 2018 and was based off of my own horrible map from when I was in high school, so it wasn't originally designed with the needs of the game in mind, lol. Sorry for the confusion and hope that helps!

[shepherds-of-haven]

I haven't selected New Game on the demo yet because I just had to stop and tell you how much I LOVE IT this new version so far.

It's clearly a bad decision on my part to start playing on my lunch break but a girl has priorities! Good thing I wfh.

Thank you for all your hard work.

Thank you so much!! I'm so happy that people are loving the new version and UI. I used to leave the game open on the menu screen because the music and animations also made me feel how far we've come haha! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you continued to enjoy!

[shepherds-of-haven]

since hairpins are a sign of courting in ket culture can we gift the ornate hairpin (i assume for lavinet) to blade for his bday and there will be a special reaction?

Blade does a double-take and just starts choking lol

[shepherds-of-haven]

Silly question, apologies In advance! I’m new to your game and I absolutely love it, it has consumed me mind body and soul, and I’m interested in writing some fics Mayhaps. But some of them could be considered alpha build spoiler heavy! Do you have a stance on anything related to that? Should certain details be omitted or am I free to post whatever my brain cooks? Again sorry if this is a silly question just don’t wanna be rude. Thx for letting me know and I really really love ur work ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

Hi anon, thank you so much for your very lovely words! I'm so happy you're enjoying the game! 💖

And you're free to post whatever your brain cooks--you just might want to tag it as having spoilers if you share here on Tumblr! I cover this in the FAQ and am a-okay with fics being written about alpha build content, especially since I frequently answer questions about that same content here publicly myself! So have at it, I would love to see! And thank you so much again for the kind words!

[shepherds-of-haven]

hey uh new type of ao3 spam comment just dropped. (I know it's spam because the fic they left this comment on . doesn't have chapters. lmfao). Report this kinda comment as spam and don't take it personally it is literally recycled bullshit

[shepherds-of-haven]

I feel like this is how it would feel if I did that LMAO

....will Chase's torpedo happen during his version of the Ascendancy Festival?😳

I feel like you guys think I'm way more evil than I am 🤣

[shepherds-of-haven]

....will Chase's torpedo happen during his version of the Ascendancy Festival?😳

I feel like you guys think I'm way more evil than I am 🤣

[shepherds-of-haven]

I LOVE CHASE SO MUCH!!! i've been playing the public demo in my free time for days, kicking my feet over every little difference in dialogue choices, and slowly befriending the whole cast across runs... shoh is such a polished and amazing game as is, i can't wait to explore all of it! it's truly a game made out of immense dedication and love, thank you for sharing it.

I'm so glad!! Obviously Chase is obsessed with you too! 😉 Thank you so much for your very kind words, it means the world! Thank you for reading and enjoying!

[shepherds-of-haven]

I noticed Saya’s sister refers to ‘the gods’ in Chase’s day off, so I was wondering if Saya wasn’t a Norm? Or if there are Norms who worship the Old Faith?

Hiya, good question! Saya was a Norm, as is her half-sister, and there are definitely Norms who worship the Old Faith, but "the gods" and similar exclamations/curses are also used colloquially in common language, similar to how atheists or non-Judeo-Christians or generally neutral people will still say "God" or "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ" without necessarily believing in or following those faiths. Hope that makes sense!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Spoilors for chapter 3 of the public demo

I can't belive he just proposed like that 😻

(He fr got me giggling and twirling my hair tho what drug did you make him with 😫)

💖💖💖 I'm so glad you love him, Riel deserves all the love!!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Replaying the game for the first time inna while and it just hit me that I've been subconsciously using one of your pre-made last names, Ittai, because I like it so much and I completely forgot I got it from here

Ooh I love it, that's a very nice compliment! I'm glad that the name sank into your subconscious, enjoy! :D

[shepherds-of-haven]

Solie is the only one allowed to provoke Endarkened and Blade still gives her a look of disapproval.