HTML Deep in Hollywood Inc. [v0.18] [Ulysses Games]

[Joe Steel]

Perhaps it was due to the recent woke budget cuts?

Who has a budget for woke?

 

[Nutluck]

He is not drunk. He is just speaking with an accent. None posh-ivy league.

Yeah but the writing does not make that clear at all, in fact the writing heavily makes it seem the other way. I personally can tell the difference between a accent/broken english and someone that is drunk or high.

 

[_Fabi_]

THX!

 

[DrDerpington]

Yeah but the writing does not make that clear at all, in fact the writing heavily makes it seem the other way. I personally can tell the difference between a accent/broken english and someone that is drunk or high.

That accent explanation is indeed weird.
But I think you are forgetting the most important fact: That black dude was in a car accident. He most likely suffers from brain concussion. That is why he might be behaving and speaking weirdly.

 

[araihs]

Like the overall setting, but this skill-check system... It feels like, If you miss a single skill up event, you are lock out of those option for the rest of the game. It is like an avalanche effect. Don't have high enough stats for an option -> miss the next event that raises said stat -> next time you have that stat check, you are even further off. In my opinion, it is a horrible design.

 

[baklol]

Like the overall setting, but this skill-check system... It feels like, If you miss a single skill up event, you are lock out of those option for the rest of the game. It is like an avalanche effect. Don't have high enough stats for an option -> miss the next event that raises said stat -> next time you have that stat check, you are even further off. In my opinion, it is a horrible design.

well go to save editor and edit it

 

[DrDerpington]

Like the overall setting, but this skill-check system... It feels like, If you miss a single skill up event, you are lock out of those option for the rest of the game. It is like an avalanche effect. Don't have high enough stats for an option -> miss the next event that raises said stat -> next time you have that stat check, you are even further off. In my opinion, it is a horrible design.

After you finish the 1st playthrough you can go start New Game again and you will have stats from previous playthrough as your starting stats. That way you can unlock everything.
Basically you can unlock all events in New Game+

Or you can cheat.

 

[araihs]

After you finish the 1st playthrough you can go start New Game again and you will have stats from previous playthrough as your starting stats. That way you can unlock everything.
Basically you can unlock all events in New Game+

Or you can cheat.

I tried that, but got locked out at the screen when you need to change your clothes for the first time. There was a report about that bug a few posts ago. But, even if it worked it only a temporary solution, while the game is rather short. Using cheat is also not a solution to that problem.

I replayed the game and got most of the options I wanted(only missed a couple submissive choices). My point is that it just bad design. If there are those checks, they should be more forgiving and there should be ways for players to get those stats in a more easy way. It shouldn't be like if you miss one thing, you are locked out of all following content.

Also, it would've been one thing you had to choose between what you want to level up. Like pick a - get depravity up, pick b - get exhibitionism, but it is not. Right now it is like pick a - get something leveled up, pick b - get nothing (excepted for being locked out of content). What it is the point? And it is not to mention that those choices are not that obvious.

 

[Nutluck]

That accent explanation is indeed weird.
But I think you are forgetting the most important fact: That black dude was in a car accident. He most likely suffers from brain concussion. That is why he might be behaving and speaking weirdly.

Here is the problem. I am no police office and I can tell the difference between someone that is drunk/high or just in shock, or at least have a fairly good idea. The text reads and I quote

but you clearly have a black scruffy man drunk or on drugs.

the part that is bold and underlined to me says you the trained police officer are positive he is drunk or on drugs. That is the problem with that, while both might have broken the law, you can't arrest both or test him(which is what I would have done in RL), while driving in just a rain coat is against the law it is not a felony. driving while under the influence IS a felony so the worse of the two crimes. Since the game doesn't give us a choice and the text makes it sound like our police officer character truly believes the man is drunk or high, thus committing a felony it only makes sense to arrest him.

If the scene had given you a option to test him and then you the player choose not to test him fair enough. But your options are arrest a man you believe commited a felony or arrest a woman for a stupid law(yes it is a real law but I doubt it is enforced in real life) which is only a misdemeanor. The scene either needs more options or to be rewritten, I would prefer more options. Like option to test him which any cop would do if they believed he was drunk or high, or arrest them both etc

 

[Alleykatt]

Here is the problem. I am no police office and I can tell the difference between someone that is drunk/high or just in shock, or at least have a fairly good idea.

It's not supposed to be serious, dude.

 

[Joe Steel]

Here is the problem. I am no police office and I can tell the difference between someone that is drunk/high or just in shock, or at least have a fairly good idea. The text reads and I quote

but you clearly have a black scruffy man drunk or on drugs.

the part that is bold and underlined to me says you the trained police officer are positive he is drunk or on drugs. That is the problem with that, while both might have broken the law, you can't arrest both or test him(which is what I would have done in RL), while driving in just a rain coat is against the law it is not a felony. driving while under the influence IS a felony so the worse of the two crimes. Since the game doesn't give us a choice and the text makes it sound like our police officer character truly believes the man is drunk or high, thus committing a felony it only makes sense to arrest him.

If the scene had given you a option to test him and then you the player choose not to test him fair enough. But your options are arrest a man you believe commited a felony or arrest a woman for a stupid law(yes it is a real law but I doubt it is enforced in real life) which is only a misdemeanor. The scene either needs more options or to be rewritten, I would prefer more options. Like option to test him which any cop would do if they believed he was drunk or high, or arrest them both etc

You are assuming that the MC is a reliable narrator, which the game makes clear is not a wise assumption. The MC is neither wise nor well-trained and so will not make the obvious decisions that you or I will. That's pretty much the only thing the game has going for it: the absurdity of the situation and scenarios (and the graphics around them). There are zero interesting decisons to make and the player learns the "correct" decisions purely by trial and error.

 

[Linlashi]

Interesting.... because I can't replicate the error. It all seems fine when I try, as this passage is controlled by a variable defined from the start (at the StoryInit in nerd language). Could you DM a screenshot of some of the variables (press the picture on the left or/and the board)? I'm guessing some variables are not re-initialised during a re-start, which shouldn't happen. Thx again for your help!

When i try it just now, using my save from last version will encounter the bug, but when i start fresh everything seems to be fine on the first time, but after another restart of the game (with stats carry over) the bug show up again.

 

[Krolarnin]

Good start with a lot of potential, but definitely some things that could be improved.

1. The timed options are just annoying and I've never seen a game do them in a way that is both enjoyable and adds something to the experience. Over half the time i didn't even begin to read the line they are on before i saw the text below change. It's just never going to work because people read at different rates. Maybe 5% of people will get the intended experience of having read it and then having it disappear as they are deciding but for the other 95% of people it will either be way too long or way too short. Compounded with the fact that they seem necessary to view either for story reasons or stat grinding, you always want/need to view them and it is not even remotely enjoyable. Should just be removed.

2. The stat system should honestly also just be removed. Submission and Masochism seem to be optional and can either be things you set when you start playing and/or you can mark choices as being them when shown. Depravity and Exhibition seem integral to the story and if you work the corruption into the story text by telling us what the MC is thinking/feeling it will feel a lot more natural than being told it went up and then arbitrarily not having enough for an option because you missed some earlier. Also after the first bit you start needing the stat to get more of the stat so outside the opening cop part they feel meaningless anyways. After the first failed check after feeling like i chose all the options that should have given me that stat, i just used the console to set all the stats to 500 and if they remain this way that's what i'm always going to do. Save both yourself and us the hassle of managing them cause its not needed or fun.

3. The navigation options are entirely pointless as there's only ever been 1 place you need to go (or even can go). Don't really see a reason why the options need to be there.

Both #2 and #3 scream to me open world stat grind-fest. If your intention is to transition into this, PLEASE don't. If it's not, then there are better ways you can do things than copying what works for that style. Open world clashes with the single main story you seem to be going for and if the game goes that way I am just out. For example I really like Accidental Mind, it has really good writing and an interesting story but the tedium that is introduced by it being open-world really kills my enjoyment of the game while not really adding anything to it that couldn't have been added in a more enjoyable way.

 

[Nutluck]

It's not supposed to be serious, dude.

But it should be clear enough for the player to make informed decisions.

 

[Nutluck]

You are assuming that the MC is a reliable narrator, which the game makes clear is not a wise assumption. The MC is neither wise nor well-trained and so will not make the obvious decisions that you or I will. That's pretty much the only thing the game has going for it: the absurdity of the situation and scenarios (and the graphics around them). There are zero interesting decisons to make and the player learns the "correct" decisions purely by trial and error.

It is fine if the MC is not good, but there should be more options. Like you know testing if he is drunk or high. That is something ANY cop would do after a accident.

 

[misterbaobab]

Many people complain about time events. And I want to say, that I liked this feature, it's fresh and original, and it'll be a loss for a game to get rid of it. Eventually if you miss something there is always a load the save option.
The only problem that I see with this game, that it's rather short for now.

 

[Dayterra]

Many people complain about time events. And I want to say, that I liked this feature, it's fresh and original, and it'll be a loss for a game to get rid of it. Eventually if you miss something there is always a load the save option.
The only problem that I see with this game, that it's rather short for now.

They were REALLY bad in the last update, requiring Anime like reflexes. this current update makes the QTEs enjoyable (in my opinion) but as to the game being short, I just see it as a rougelite, you make a run, get meta progress, make a new run.
It helps.

 

[BoinLoved]

From a bit of a look at the variables and some of the pictures/vids in the files, I suspect the gane might become a bit like a sandbox in future releases. Unless the Dev's intention is for the newgame+ approach.

 

[Joe Steel]

It is fine if the MC is not good, but there should be more options. Like you know testing if he is drunk or high. That is something ANY cop would do after a accident.

But the whole point of that encounter is that the MC isn't smart enough to do the right thing. Both of the options she comes up with are wrong. The whole point of that first-day patrol is to show that the MC isn't that sharpest tool in the shed, so as to cut off at the pass later complaints in the porn portion of the game that "no one could be that dumb." Yes, someone can, at least in the game.

If this was a traffic stop simulator rather than a porn game, your point about what "ANY cop would do after a accident" would be spot-on (except that the testing would be done after the cop called an ambulance and got the dazed man to the hospital).

 

[Tanzie]

Many people complain about time events. And I want to say, that I liked this feature, it's fresh and original, and it'll be a loss for a game to get rid of it.

It's a dumb idea for a game that requires reading before reacting. What if the player has trouble reading stuff and is unable to read things as fast as the author assumed? They could be dyslexic, a non-native speaker of English, have bad eyesight etc.