speakergame

[speakergame]

Progress Report - 12/25/24

Hello and happy holidays!

It’s been a while, huh? 😅 my apologies for disappearing on you all. Long story short, I had a severe case of tendonitis in my shoulder, and have spent the last few months heavily restricted in my ability to type or do pretty much anything on the computer. And since I’m left-handed, and it was my left shoulder, writing the old fashioned way wasn’t much of an option either. It’s been absolute hell for me, to put it lightly.

I’ve finally recovered enough to be able to get back to work… slowly. More slowly than I’d like, honestly, but it is what it is. I’m trying my best not to overdo it and set my healing back. It’s easier said than done.

Besides the speed, however, work is actually going really well! Well enough that I have the next update very nearly ready to go. I have a really bad, game-breaking bug lurking somewhere in my code that I’m trying to unravel, but once I’ve found and squashed it, I’ll be able to roll the update out to patreon 😁

Beyond that, I also have a couple mini-stories planned (akin to the Spooktacular from a couple years back), the first of which is written and mostly-coded. I wanted to have it ready earlier this month, but again, work is slower than I want it to be. In addition, I want to roll out an updated version of the Idle Hands prologue/demo to my lovely and infinitely patient patrons, and I really hope to finally, finally release the first episode of Partially Stars.

Most of all, I hope to start being more active again on tumblr and to stop disappearing for months at a time. That’s my number 1 goal for 2025.

So that’s everything I’ve got for y’all for now! I’m gonna go back to fumigating my code so I can kill this bug, and with luck I’ll have something fun for you all very soon.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, happy Wednesday to those who don’t, and a Happy New Year to everyone. Enjoy the liminal week remaining until 2025, I love you all, and thank you as always for reading 💙💙💙

[speakergame]

hi rhi! hope you're doing well!! i was just wondering if you unpaused your patreon this month? i saw a charge from patreon on my card and i'm trying to figure out if there's ""suspicious activity"" on my account or what ksjdnfkdsjfnsd sorry to bother you!!

damn, I thought I'd caught it in time, but I just checked patreon and yes that was me 😞

I have to manually pause every month, and I thought since I didn't get an email telling me that they were starting to charge people that the pause for December had gone through, but I guess I was either late or it just didn't stick for some reason

I'll try to make up for the lapse with an extra something special for patrons this month 💙

I also have a few other things for everyone already planned for this month! including: a long-overdue progress report (should be up in the next day or two) with some explanation about where I've been, a demo update, a gift, and hopefully some answered asks as well

[speakergame]

hiya! i love your game and the richness of your characters <3 are you still answering asks about ros from idle hands and at the threshold? if not, idk if you’ve ever answered this before, but how do you make your characters feel so… i guess distinct is the word? 😅 like they all feel like real, dynamic people i could go on a modern fantasy road trip with!

I am still answering asks about the Idle Hands characters, yes! and some about At the Threshold, but it's still a ways out from being actively worked on so I'm a bit more selective about questions about them until I flesh the characters and story out a little more

and thank you, I love to hear that my characters feel real and distinct! 😊 figuring out a character's voice is one of my favorite things to do. I don't know if it's just how my brain works, but I can hear them speaking very clearly when I'm writing, almost like I'm in the room listening to their conversation. (especially pre-established characters from other media when writing fanfic; finding my own characters' voices can be a bit more challenging) a lot of the time, dialogue for a scene is the first thing that comes to me, and I go back and fill in action, scenery, and internal monologue later

I have been known to talk to myself when I'm working, to make sure the way characters talk sounds natural when spoken out loud 😅 my spouse and daughter call it "Voices Time" and leave me alone to let me rant at myself in peace

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Hi!!! A bit of a nerdy question but one of the names suggested to give to our lovely doggo is Barkspawn and I HAVE to know, is that a reference to Dragon Age and Darkspawn???

yes, Barkspawn is a Dragon Age reference 😁 if I recall correctly, that name originated in a Penny Arcade comic about DA Origins? It's also the dog's "official" name in the darkspawn dlc

bestest boy 💙

[speakergame]

Hello!

I was thinking about Kana, and started wondering, is there a difference between mermaids and sirens?

there is! it's mentioned offhand in the Sirens codex entry in-game, but sirens are actually more like bird-people than fish-people (though not as bird-like as harpies, which are less "bird-person" and more "person-shaped-bird")

Merfolk fall under the "fae" classification, and they have fish-like tails or fins, gills, and scales! some of them live purely aquatic lives, and some are more amphibious, choosing to split their time between water and land. they have minor shapeshifting abilities so they can trade out their tails for legs, but walking can be painful for them, so many choose to use wheelchairs or other mobility aids to help them on land.

Sirens are classified as "celestials", and while they like to live near water, they aren't aquatic beings themselves. Like seagulls, I guess would be a good comparison. They usually appear mostly human, though some have bird-like talons or wings, or in more subtle cases, feathers or what I've been calling "hair currents" and haven't thought of a better name for yet 😅 that's what Kana has! sort of like Eris in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

one of the original inspirations for Kana was actually my pal Pallegina the paladin from Pillars of Eternity, and though I moved away from the feathers-in-hair look for them, that is sometimes a feature that other Sirens have!

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Hiii first off I gotta tell you that I'm in LOVE with your game its just *chefs kiss*:)

But I remember when I played the game for the first time there was a scene from where you wake up from a dream and if you chose to sleep in the same bed as Liam you get to talk to him but now when I play it I get the scene with Sebastian instead no matter if I just flirt with Liam or spend the most time with him, is there something specific I have to do or is there something wrong? I really want to experience that scene again because it's so sweet:(

that's based on which route you chose earlier in Chapter 1!

if you choose to call Sebastian, you get a scene with Li in the hotel in Chapter 2. If you call Nellie and Li, you get a scene with Sebastian in the hotel. so you get to spend a little extra time with whoever you didn't pick first time around ;)

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Hey you mentioned on the update that we should tell you if Gav mentions anyone besides our chosen RO and in every playthrough he tells me to talk to Li regardless of who I'm romancing! I just assumed it was because that was his sibling so I didn't think anything was odd about it but yeah he never mentions anyone else in any of my other playthroughs (none of which has any romance flagged with Li btw!)

hmmmmmmm

that means the code I thought would fix the issue actually broke it completely 😅 oops

I'll keep poking around and see if I can fix that asap. thanks for letting me know!

[speakergame]

When you say entire recording of chapter 4 do you mean the whole chapter? Because somehow it ends after Gavin's conversation

when I say entire recoding of chapter 4, I mean that all the previously available content in the chapter had to be redone entirely. but the chapter still isn't finished yet, and yes the current update does end after Gavin's conversation

the rest of the chapter will be added in future updates 😁 sorry for the confusion!

[speakergame]

If it's not an issue can you please tell which time zone are you from? so that I can vouch for the updates

I'm in CST/CDT depending on the time of year (CDT right now)

I try to release updates/progress reports around noon-ish here, that way I have time to test everything one more time before it goes live

though the next few months may be a bit inconsistent because my daughter's out of school for the summer starting in a couple of weeks. it's a lot easier to maintain a schedule when the only person who has a say in it is me 😉 but I'll try my best to stick to it, meds kids and gods willing

[speakergame]

Game Update - 5/7/24

The next update is ready to play!

Features include:

An update! 😅

An entire recoding of Chapter 4! including a new chapter title (2 of them, technically, as it’s different depending on the route you chose at the end of Chapter 3)

Some actual communication between characters about what’s going on!

Gavin Cowles!

A reminder that previous saves made in Chapter 4 will be broken! You will need to load a save from Chapter 3 or earlier to play, or start a new game!

There isn’t a lot of new content this time, as most of the work for it was on the back end and overcoming behind-the-scenes obstacles, but I’m so happy to finally have an update for you all! I say “thank you for your patience” a lot, I know, but I really can’t say it enough. Your continued love and support is what kept me going while I battled the various demons that kept getting in my way. Next update should be a lot bigger, and include some conversations you’ve all been waiting for!

(On the last page, if Gavin mentions someone other than your chosen RO, let me know! I’m still trying to iron out the code on that one… so far I’ve only seen issues on no-romance runs thinking you’re romancing Li, and I think I’ve fixed that, but if I haven’t/something else comes up wrong, please tell me)

What you can expect in the next update:

Another update! 😂

Gossiping about your love life!

Gossiping about your friends!

Gossiping about your… sister’s love life?

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy! 💙💙💙

[speakergame]

Progress Report - 4/29/24

hello and happy birthday!

...is how this was going to start when I intended to post it this past Friday. But I spent my birthday as a side character in the hit 1996 movie Twister. By which I mean there was a really big tornadoful storm here, the likes of which I've never seen before. It's never a fun time when the words "historic" and "record-breaking" are involved.

But anyway! My birthday was a few days ago, and to celebrate I have a slightly belated gift for all of you!

A release date

That's right, we're back in business here in Speakerland 😁 I'm so relieved to finally return to some semblance of normalcy, and I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to get back to doing regular monthly updates again.

As for this one, the update will be going up on Patreon TONIGHT! I'll be uploading that momentarily, in fact. That means that, barring any strange game-breaking bugs or overly tangled code, the update will be out for public release on Tuesday, May 7th!

I just want to thank everyone one more time for your patience, and for all the messages of support 💙 it really does mean the world to me.

I think that's it for this time! I hope you all have a fantastic week with only mild-to-moderate tornadoes, and I'll see you all next week! 💙💙🌪️💙

[speakergame]

Progress Update - 3/4/24

Hello and happy March!

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😅 Well, I finally have some good news for you this time: I have some actual news!

I'm happy to be able to announce at last that an update is on its way! I’ve still got some assets to make and code cleanup and testing to finish, but I should finally have something to show you soon.

I’ll put a cut at the end of this and go into more detail about the what and why of what I’ve been working on during this long and unintended hiatus, but the tl;dr is that I hope to have an update out by the end of the month, and that said update will break any saves made in Chapter 4. Unfortunate, but unavoidable, since Chapter 4 had to be recoded from the beginning 😞

I just want to thank all of you once again for sticking with me through my extended silence! Especially to my patrons who’ve put up with me putting everything on pause month after month while I dealt with my real life shit, and to everyone who’s sent me kind and supportive messages to let me know Speaker hasn’t been forgotten. It really means a lot to me.

Okay, enough of that sappy shit! I’m gonna get back to work finishing this up 😁 I’ll put out another update later this month once I have a more definite release date.

Thank you all for reading! I hope you’re having a fantastic 2024 so far, and that the rest of the week treats you kindly. See y’all soon! 💙💙💙

(For those who want a more detailed breakdown on what’s been happening and what to expect, hit the readmore)

I won’t go into the personal life stuff I’ve been dealing with this past year that has slowed down my work, but as far as the actual game goes: 

To put it simply, I just wasn’t happy with it. Some of it could be because of how many times I had to reread the same section while I was coding the scenes that would’ve taken place after the last update, but no matter how much I edited or rearranged it, I didn’t like how that scene turned out. There was something… formulaic that had been happening with the way I always laid out scenes, and a bit of stagnation in the story, character, and relationship development that bothered me.

So I rewrote it. And when I still didn’t like it, I rewrote it again. And I still didn’t like it. I thought about scrapping the whole thing on more than one occasion as I struggled to get out of the corner I’d written myself into.

Inspiration finally struck at the beginning of this year, thanks in part to another interactive novel I follow, and I really like the direction I’ve taken it now. 

Instead of the RO split scenes happening where the last one left off, Speaker, Seer, and Gavin are gonna have a chat about Things™ to move the next story arc forward. Then Speaker will get some downtime, by themself at first and then in an extended scene split with the RO of their choosing. 

All the Big Plot Things that were going to happen in Chapter 4 will be moved to Chapter 5 instead, and 4 will be a bit more of a filler episode. A deep breath before the plunge, as it were.

This split won’t just be a quick conversation/reaction from the RO, but a full on different direction for the rest of the chapter based on who you choose. Most of them will involve leaving the house; all of them will involve actual one-on-one time (or one-on-two time, as the case may be) away from the others. And though romance isn’t required, all of them will have the potential to really move the romance forward if you so choose. One or two might even have a lock-in choice (maybe. I’m not 100 percent on that, so don’t hold me to it) 

These scenes won’t be in the next update, because they’re all very complex, but the update will definitely have the Seer chat and at least some of the by-yourself stuff. The update after will have the rest of the alone time stuff (including the clothes/body CC you’ve all been waiting for), and then the one after will start the RO scenes. I think.

I may actually split the RO scenes into separate updates, and let my darlings over at Patreon vote for the order they’re released. That way I can focus on one at a time instead of trying to split my attention six ways at once.

Okay, that’s enough rambling for me today. Time to get back to work! Still got a lot to get done before this is ready, but it’s so close now.

[speakergame]

Sorry, do you know if there is something wrong with the Speaker's itch page? I'm getting "There was an error with your request" every time I try to see it.

there seems to be an issue with itch.io in general, actually! I've seen a lot of other games having the same problem, and I'm having issues logging into the site at all

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I am apparently going to be ending 2023 with a vicious migraine, which I think summarizes the year pretty well 😣 I've spent most of this year at war with my own brain.

But I think I've finally got the right weapons to fight it. The improvement the last couple of weeks has been noticeable, and encouraging.

2024 is going to be better. I'm not giving it a choice to be anything else. If it wants to cause problems, it'll have to go through me first.

If next year tries to give you trouble, let me know and I'll teach it a lesson

thank you to everyone reading this, for helping me through the year. especially those of you (you know who you are) who carried me--or at least dragged me along--when I couldn't carry myself

I love you all 💖 Happy New Year

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YOU'RE STILL AROUND???? I THOUGHT THIS BLOG HAD BEEN ABANDONED

I'm still here, neither Speaker or this blog have been abandoned

but bro, I am Going Through It™

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I just love tall strong/buff and mean women.

I know this is a copy/paste that a lot of other writers got too, but A)

and B) this made me realize I don't have any characters (yet) that fit all those criteria. I have buff ladies, tall ladies, and mean (or at least rude) ladies, but none that are all 3. I'll make sure to fix that in the future 😉

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For possible fanfic reasons, is Li nearsighted or farsighted?

I was so sure I'd answered this before, but I couldn't find it on the blog or the discord 🤔

Li is nearsighted! without their glasses, things have to be within arms' reach to be in focus, and for reading they have to hold things really close to their face