VN Ren'Py Karlsson's Gambit [v0.8.1 Part I] [Grym Gudinna Games]

[YuNobi1]

Wait, wait, wait.... could it be: That Ep7's Otto handoff to Nadia is a "flashback" to before she planted it on Kane in Ep6? If that's the case you are implying then I can go along with that theory, for sure.

Fuck my life... how the hell did I get into conspiracy theory discussions over a fucking data bracelet? Don't I have something else I should be doing? Oh yeah, my year end accounting (yuck)... okay, back to the bracelet.

Nadia says that she had just did in a few hours what DS couldn't do in over 20 years, and Otto comments previously that it was "a great thing... Everyone is very excited and you deserve all the credit" and that she's "done a lot to help the family." Considering we know how good of a hacker she is, this is clearly her locating her uncle/father Cole the night before, "a few hours" after arriving at JF. Otto will also say that [Dom]Kane is "at least K7", and since Kane is K6 the last time he saw the bracelet, I'm sorry, but it can't be a flashback, but I see where your mind was going there, because it made sense to me once upon a time.

 

[YuNobi1]

Yeah...would Nadia be non-scientific enough to use the world blood as opposed to signature? (which could be blood, saliva, hair), anything you can get DNA from?

Was also thinking back to your flashback theory and was thinking it actually could be again, but the line..."since we got here" kinda throws it out...unless 'here' is not where we are assuming it to be (Joy Facility)...

I mean she kind of already did:
Nadia: Your precious resource is...your own genetics. Being the blood child of Callista Jacobs is why you are really here, Kane.
Kane: (Are they going to draw my blood for experiments? Some weird biological research?...)

 

[Sancho1969]

Otto will also say that [Dom]Kane is "at least K7", and since Kane is K6 the last time he saw the bracelet...

Damn, valid point. Welp, Tess is going to have one helluva time explaining all this... even if there are a hundred bracelets in the wild... there has to be significance in Otto handing one off to Nadia in the scene, it being a one-off scene is a curve ball that otherwise doesn't justify the GPU resources to render the scene's bracelet images tbh.

 

[Stan5851]

Im not shitting on the writing cuz it's been established that Kane is like this, but in this particular instance, Elena was crystal clear.

Spoiler

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She eliminated one person from being his father and they were looking at each other so it's not like he didn't hear her. No real riddle to solve here. Short of saying Alexander is not your father, this was as much of a confirmation as he could've gotten. No prior knowledge required.

I posted about it to Tess in her discord (in the feedback channel), so she should be aware of it. If there's any reaction from her, I'll post it here.

 

[YuNobi1]

Hey DoverUK25 do you have the scoop on yesterday's Dev Memo?

 

[Maviarab]

Damn, valid point. Welp, Tess is going to have one helluva time explaining all this... even if there are a hundred bracelets in the wild... there has to be significance in Otto handing one off to Nadia in the scene, it being a one-off is a curve ball that otherwise doesn't justify the GPU resources to render the scene images tbh.

IIRC, this scene also plays out on the sub path too...

if subk7 or k7 or k8 or k9:
        scene e7nroom18 with mediumdissolve
        otto "He's moved up to at least K7 now...he seems to be doing well."
        nad "Yes, he's showing the Karlssons what kind of man he could be! But what now?"
        jump blockchain
    elif True:
        scene e7nroom19 with mediumdissolve
        otto "[pname] has not reached K7 in the program, and I'm not sure he's going to anytime soon."
        nad "Oh, so what now?"
        jump blockchain

But he never got given the bracelet on the sub path....

I posted about it to Tess in her discord (in the feedback channel), so she should be aware of it. If there's any reaction from her, I'll post it here.

I'll die lauging if she says something along the lines of what I did

 

[Sancho1969]

But he never got given the bracelet on the sub path....

Another valid point which (at this point of all the accumulated evidence) makes our entire discussion regarding bracelets null and void. There's too many dialogue bugs in the VN to rely on details for theory...imo.

 

[Maviarab]

Another valid point which (at this point of all the accumulated evidence) makes our entire discussion regarding bracelets null and void. There's too many dialogue bugs in the VN to rely on details for theory...imo.

That...or the same principle of Nadia getting still applies. After all, Kane didn't unlock did he? In fact...he had it for half a day before 'losing' it....

So would it matter in actuality if he never received it at all? Is there actually more behind/to this bracelet? Maybe (like many things), we just see him getting it on the Dom path so we know it exists/where it came from....much like we see other things on only one path. (which is where playing them both really helps with filling in some banks).

 

[YuNobi1]

While we're on the subject of Nadia, how does the conversation in Ep. 8 go if you didn't save Nurse Reyes? In the "Save" path, Veronica is clearly pissed, I just don't know if it's because of the near-fatal accident (and jeopardizing Kane, and thereby half of the Gambit's objectives) or because Miss Control Freak couldn't keep a lone hacker (without a botnet apparently) out of her systems for years now.

 

[Sancho1969]

While we're on the subject of Nadia, how does the conversation in Ep. 8 go if you didn't save Nurse Reyes? In the "Save" path, Veronica is clearly pissed, I just don't know if it's because of the near-fatal accident (and jeopardizing Kane, and thereby half of the Gambit's objectives) or because Miss Control Freak couldn't keep a lone hacker (without a botnet apparently) out of her systems for years now.

I vote on the latter... she showed favorably at the time Kane saved Reyes if memory serves.

 

[Maviarab]

So if the world is at an end (and given what we know of the next story from Tess, that's likely...), then Cole has been working/researching for nothing. That also means, so have Veronica and Dominique...so that in itself leads to some questions.

1. Is Coles research just rubbish and it really is an exile.
2. Did they once believe they could fix things but now Veronica believes it's untennable?
3. If either of the first two, surely, from what we know of Cole, he'd know this already...he's supposed to be the best. Surely at some point over the last 20 odd years, he'd realise it was all futile...no?

I've also had another crazy (or maybe not so) thought. Following on from the above:

Why would the world's best botanist continue doing something he knew was untennable...

Tess has now set a precedent with the KiyomiDoor flag being 4 episodes earlier affecting something in 08. So:

Suppose the world can be saved...

ky "Otto. I'm sorry, but I can't just stand by and let this happen. We need to work on a solution that keeps him here."
        ky "His work is best done right on this spot...and this is more important than anything else."
        scene e8js29 with mediumdissolve
        otto "You realize if I don't try to return with Cole...peace might be gone right away as it is..."
        ky "Maybe. But a little extra undisturbed work for him...even a single day...a few days...a week...might make all the difference."
        ky "Even an extra small window of time here could result in a breakthrough..."
        scene e8js30 with mediumdissolve

Suppose that extra week (or longer if ignore my previous comments about Cole probably being rescued a week later anyway)....is actually the key to saving the planet and Veronica has made another (very rare) miscalculation. That scene is flagged with ColeHome if you have KiyomiDoor flag set. If in the story...Cole was always going to be rescued imminently...why the need for a flag in that scene specifically? Yes, the flag could relate to something else I guess in Part 2 perhaps...but maybe it might be used much...much later...an end world state where we fix everything for a brighter future?

Remember: Choice at temple with Olivia.

"Self Sacrifice" Flag=Utu: Šamaš (Sumerian Utu) is the god of the sun. He brings light and warmth to the land...or...
"I can't answer" Flag = Enki: Sumerian god of water, knowledge (gestú), crafts (gašam), and creation (nudimmud), and one of the Anunnaki

Thoughts?

_________________________________________________

While we're on the subject of Nadia, how does the conversation in Ep. 8 go if you didn't save Nurse Reyes? In the "Save" path, Veronica is clearly pissed, I just don't know if it's because of the near-fatal accident (and jeopardizing Kane, and thereby half of the Gambit's objectives) or because Miss Control Freak couldn't keep a lone hacker (without a botnet apparently) out of her systems for years now.

No idea myself, when given chance I always do save her....lemme check script.

Here:

Spoiler: Scene Code

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[YuNobi1]

I've also had another crazy (or maybe not so) thought. Following on from the above:

Why would the world's best botanist continue doing something he knew was untennable...

Tess has now set a precedent with the KiyomiDoor flag being 4 episodes earlier affecting something in 08. So:

Suppose the world can be saved...

ky "Otto. I'm sorry, but I can't just stand by and let this happen. We need to work on a solution that keeps him here."
        ky "His work is best done right on this spot...and this is more important than anything else."
        scene e8js29 with mediumdissolve
        otto "You realize if I don't try to return with Cole...peace might be gone right away as it is..."
        ky "Maybe. But a little extra undisturbed work for him...even a single day...a few days...a week...might make all the difference."
        ky "Even an extra small window of time here could result in a breakthrough..."
        scene e8js30 with mediumdissolve

Suppose that extra week (or longer if ignore my previous comments about Cole probably being rescued a week later anyway)....is actually the key to saving the planet and Veronica has made another (very rare) miscalculation. That scene is flagged with ColeHome if you have KiyomiDoor flag set. If in the story...Cole was always going to be rescued imminently...why the need for a flag in that scene specifically? Yes, the flag could relate to something else I guess in Part 2 perhaps...but maybe it might be used much...much later...an end world state where we fix everything for a brighter future?

Remember: Choice at temple with Olivia.

"Self Sacrifice" Flag=Utu: Šamaš (Sumerian Utu) is the god of the sun. He brings light and warmth to the land...or...
"I can't answer" Flag = Enki: Sumerian god of water, knowledge (gestú), crafts (gašam), and creation (nudimmud), and one of the Anunnaki

Thoughts?

_________________________________________________


No idea myself, when given chance I always do save her....lemme check script.

Here:

Spoiler: Scene Code

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Veronica's such a manipulative lying bitch. "If you had turned down the game show, you would be farther along with me on that issue."
No he wouldn't, Bitch. All you do in that scene is ensure it's the first time Kane hears the words "Karlsson Gambit" and that nobody has leaked what it is to him. You still give no information, or advice, leaving Kane in objectively a worse position because now he's aware of another reason to distrust you (especially since you just revealed you're the reason he can't get any answers).

 

[Maviarab]

Veronica's such a manipulative lying bitch. "If you had turned down the game show, you would be farther along with me on that issue."
No he wouldn't, Bitch. All you do in that scene is ensure it's the first time Kane hears the words "Karlsson Gambit" and that nobody has leaked what it is to him. You still give no information, or advice, leaving Kane in objectively a worse position because now he's aware of another reason to distrust you (especially since you just revealed you're the reason he can't get any answers).

Heh, did you mean to quote me then Yu?

 

[YuNobi1]

Heh, did you mean to quote me then Yu?

In reference to the scene, yes. Sorry, her character just keeps getting worse. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she doesn't deserve it.

 

[Maviarab]

In reference to the scene, yes.

Ahh right yes...sorry, forgot put my post and your quote together to avoid double posting. I should probably not have done that in hindsight. Oh well. I do agree with you completely though....even if you do skip the Game Show, she still doesn't tell you anything...more riddles and misdirection...

 

[Sancho1969]

Thoughts?

I have one thought as to not using variables as possible clues per se (don't rely on them too much). Many are made that mean nothing at all. I can't finger-wag at Tess for doing this though as many devs get trapped by not setting variables at locations early in story and later find that they wished they had... just letting you know it's a thing.

 

[Sancho1969]

I don't mean they are useless... not by a long shot. Just take into consideration than many many variables across a massive VN tend to be nothing-burgers imo.

 

[Maviarab]

I have one thought as to not using variables as possible clues per se (don't rely on them too much). Many are made that mean nothing at all. I can't finger-wag at Tess for doing this though as many devs get trapped by not setting variables at locations early in story and later find that they wished they had... just letting you know it's a thing.

I don't mean they are useless... not by a long shot. Just take into consideration than many many variables across a massive VN tend to be nothing-burgers imo.

Yeah no Iget you...and have seen it myself...it's a fair point.

Was a good theory too.....

 

[Sancho1969]

Veronica's such a manipulative lying bitch. "If you had turned down the game show, you would be farther along with me on that issue."
No he wouldn't, Bitch. All you do in that scene is ensure it's the first time Kane hears the words "Karlsson Gambit" and that nobody has leaked what it is to him. You still give no information, or advice, leaving Kane in objectively a worse position because now he's aware of another reason to distrust you (especially since you just revealed you're the reason he can't get any answers).

Damn, I might need to pour a glass early 'cause I'll certainly drink to that. 100% agree. No way in hell I'm turning down the show.

 

[Sancho1969]

Was a good theory too.....

Still may be one... we're all proving that this tangled web needs some dialogue cleanup and will be one helluva challenge to unravel for our dear dev. I hope like hell she storyboarded this VN before starting it... or things could get real ugly later on.