VN Ren'Py Karlsson's Gambit [v0.8.31 TestB] [Grym Gudinna Games]

[MilesEdgeworth]

Uggghhh....

Olivia is Callista's daughter. Even if Alexander wasn't the father, he already knows Olivia is brilliant....because she is Callista's daughter. The whole plot kinda revolves around Callista and her brilliance and perfection...in the eyes of Alexander. Remember this, this is the actual plot...Alexanders obsession with Callista being perfect, him wanting a son. Because of this, he also knows Kane is of equal measure, being Callista's son. Why Alexander, specifically wants a son from Kane with one of his daughters. That's not opinion, that's fact, as told by the story. Olivia is as gifted (if not more so, being Callista's daughter) as any of his other daughters.

Lots of people call an authority figure father btw...and not neccessarily in a sexual context. Egen wives depending on religion and culture. Really not that unusual around the world, however that is beside the point. I said that purely as I believe it could literally be anyone over Alessandra and yes, quite possibly Olivia.

They also did not live on the island...why it took Veronica so long to track Olivia down....and if you think Alexander, the richest most powerful man on the planet (or one of) never left the island...well...not really sure what to say to you in all honesty. Again, even Veronica states she would not be surprised if Alexander knew where they were all along. I think given his other daughters, it's perfectly reasonable for him to think none of them could run the company (and remember, he actually didn't want them to run the company, he wanted a son to do it, otherwise we'd have no game at all, his will would state who he wanted in charge) and that keeping Olivia a secret from the rest and letting her have a 'normal(ish)' life under the tutelage of his most precious and belovedly gifted and perfect Callista might provide different results...in the Gambit he created...

Connect the dots. So far, in terms of story, plot, facts and hints...nothing connects Alessandra to being there at all (that's not to say she wasn't). There are hints it could be a number of other people.

Edit: Also, important to realise, who's to say Alexander didn't treat Olivia differently? People act differently towards people all the time, you probably do it yourself. Friends, family, wwork collegues you can't stand. Remember, Callista left because of his infidelity, not his attitude. His asshole attitude came after he left and i'm pretty sure Callista would never let him act like around her or Olivia. So Olivia may have only seen the Alexander that everyoine said was a good guy while unfortunately, the other sisters bore the brunt of his bad behaviour.

Callista wouldn't call Alexander father and he wouldn't call her daughter.

As of right now, there is nothing that has indicated that Olivia and Alexander has visited. Hell, there's nothing in the game to indicate that they've been in the same room. The only dots to be connected is that barring a huge reveal, that wasn't Olivia at the beginning.
By process of elimination the girl at the beginning has to be alessandra. I guess you'll just see when it's revealed in a year or so. But honestly the clues are all there in the first scene.

 

[MilesEdgeworth]

Corporate Development Memo (12/3/2023)

You must be registered to see the links

Hi everyone!
I am going to be keeping a tighter lid on previews near the end but I wanted to still give a few images this week! Keep in mind any possible "kills" are OPTIONAL meaning either Kane or Olivia in game has chosen this result. I know my game is pretty dark, but I also try and allow players to avoid this kind of content too with player choice.
I am now at 2,150 renders exactly and this week is going to be all about organizing and making sure what I have left for the final sprint. I am now comfortable saying that I am getting closer to the end of content building (renders/writing) phase. But I still have more sub content to do and I want to be very transparent as to what I am seeing right now as I check today:
---------
Episode 8, Part I
Roughly 2,150 renders
Dom Content renders: 901
Secret Sub only renders: 189
All players see these renders (main overall story renders for all): 396
Sub Content Renders: 664
(I have also written about 200 more sub renders that are not done yet)
---------
If you can read between the lines, you might see that I am probably aiming for the sub content to hit a rough number near 1,000ish. It is likely the dom path will end up slightly towards 950 as well as there is one final change there. I am probably already halfway there for sub renders left with what I have written, and I think the next week will be very good as I am now about to hit office time being remote. (meaning we are working at times but mostly at home as a reward for getting this huge client from our late October presentation) I have to stop by the office a few times a week here and there for little reasons (we are rotating people for example showing up just to feed our fish although we are exploring someone taking them home too) but generally I am at home this month working remotely.
I will also be very transparent now and state my goal all along was to finish this update by the end of this month. I am pretty confident I will finish all content by then, but what I am not confident about yet is the testing phase. I will know more soon on this end.
Episode 8, Part II will likely be entirely in the game show with some scenes outside of it, but not a whole lot. I have been struggling with dom Kane not wanting to participate in the show path, but have figured something out for later I think. (a way to observe and do certain things without managing it, etc.) Sub path is considerably easier for Part II and I've already outlined the entire thing.
Episode 8, Part III will be the fallout of it all and lead to the final arcs for how Kane wants to strategize his path. At some point beyond this episode, the choices will be less focused on which path to pick (you will start to lock in Kane in a faction so to speak and can no longer straddle sides) versus which females/goals you have within a broader framework of what Kane is doing overall in the story. So multiple saves for each "side/faction" at some point might be the most fun to get all the scenes because there will be some splits. Meaning for example if you want to help Olivia as a dom or sub, there will be other "save" paths where you are not on her faction so to speak so other saves might be fun to explore.
I discovered a minor problem today too! I have lost all of my "masks" I used for my entry slides for each episode when my SSD crashed! So I had to add that to a list of things to hunt for from the fallout of my computer!
I even had a strange week where I swam in our condo pool and myself and at least four others had bad red eye/irritation from too many chemicals in it! One of these people (a classic rich bitch Karen with a little dog as a purse accessory haha!) already wants to sue! (but we're all fine now...I hope) So I had to rest my eyes from heavy screen time a few days but I'm feeling great now!
I will be hard core testing this week and trying to render sub path a lot. I will be sprinting a bit more by next weekend and then going really hard after about the 9th-10th or so. I usually have done this in the past and I feel pretty ready for it. Health, office, and everything else lining up pretty well for a strong spring.
Please have a great week all, and hope to have a better handle on timing soon!

Ugh broken into 3? we might not see the end of 8/ beginning of 9 till 2025 at this rate :s

 

[Stan5851]

Yeah, my bad. I didn't even think about that being Kane so I didn't look closely. I was really just tryin' to be cute and paraphrasing a funny line from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.

Don't worry, I realised you were joking and I understood the famous Skyrim reference, in this case it was very apt, that's why I reacted with a smiley. And my line about questions for Olivia is, shall we say, thinking out loud. BTW, interesting suggestion about Kane being behind the scenes. True, he might not be there if it's, say, a "solo" scene with an evil Olivia. But we'll see.

 

[Stan5851]

Ugh broken into 3? we might not see the end of 8/ beginning of 9 till 2025 at this rate :s

I think Tess will have to speed things up, like adding another 4090RTX to render. In any case, if she plans to make 2 more games after finishing KG (with hiring new people to her team), she should have a roadmap for KG with a reasonable timeline for it. Personally, I wouldn't wait for KG to finish and would hire people right now (if it speeds up the production of the game). We'll see what she decides.

 

[Maviarab]

That's definitely not what I wanted to hear. Considering that the lion's share of the content of part 2 (of 3) of episode 8 will obviously be dedicated to the game show, so far it seems to me that those "pure dom paladins" who decide to opt out of the show will get a "hole in the bagel" (as they say in my country) and will be deprived of most of the game content. And so far, there is nothing to indicate that we are in for some alternative large-scale event that will replace the game show for those who don't want to participate.

I guess it comes how you read her comment.

To me, it seems that even if a goodDom says not interested to kasumi, we will still be pulled in somewhat. Maybe not in making decisions but more in the crowd or setting up events or something...or giving pep talks to our pod girls?

 

[MilesEdgeworth]

I think Tess will have to speed things up, like adding another 4090RTX to render. In any case, if she plans to make 2 more games after finishing KG (with hiring new people to her team), she should have a roadmap for KG with a reasonable timeline for it. Personally, I wouldn't wait for KG to finish and would hire people right now (if it speeds up the production of the game). We'll see what she decides.

I don't think she can. I read somewhere in this thread that she's losing money working on this game now, don't imagine she'll increase her deficit by bringing on more people

 

[BurgRoyce]

I don't think she can. I read somewhere in this thread that she's losing money working on this game now, don't imagine she'll increase her deficit by bringing on more people

Sure? Her Patreon is earning more than 4000 € each month...
Maybe she was speaking of the "time variable" instead of real money?

 

[Stan5851]

I don't think she can. I read somewhere in this thread that she's losing money working on this game now, don't imagine she'll increase her deficit by bringing on more people

I read in her discord (relatively recently, maybe this summer) that Tess bought another 4090RTX to speed up rendering, so I wouldn't rely solely on Tess's old posts in this thread. Tess's old posts are good when it has something to do with the story or plot of the game because the story is long written, but when we're talking about finances and money it's a pretty flexible thing that tends to change over time. What I've been seeing lately in Tess's discord shows that she's doing okay financially, so I don't think "it's impossible".

Tess doesn't seem like the kind of woman who just "blows dust in the eyes" to her subscribers, so if she has posted (and more than once) that there will be 2 more games, I assume that she, as a reasonable person, must have calculated what a reasonable timeframe KG should be completed in to keep things on track.

 

[Stan5851]

Sure? Her Patreon is earning more than 4000 € each month...
Maybe she was speaking of the "time variable" instead of real money?

Nope.., there was actually a post from Tess a long time ago where she wrote that even with that 4000 € the game was not profitable (or something like that). I'm too lazy to look it up in this thread, but you have to understand that Tess has her own pretty successful business that brings her main income, and KG is her favourite brainchild and hobby. So yes, in this case we are talking about time, which in the case of KG is a much more valuable resource for Tess than the money the game brings in.

 

[Don Sucio]

Yeah, since Angelica is our girl, it looks to me like Katsumi is about to begin her career as a guard... after taking an arrow to the knee. Jus' Sayin'

 

[Stan5851]

I guess it comes how you read her comment.

To me, it seems that even if a goodDom says not interested to kasumi, we will still be pulled in somewhat. Maybe not in making decisions but more in the crowd or setting up events or something...or giving pep talks to our pod girls?

You're right, and there will probably be something like this in the case of our game show cancellation. But I'm not going to skip most of episode 8 just to preserve the "moral virginity" of my "pure dom paladin", who is also not so pure - 30 points of good, 3 points of evil.

As someone wise said, "desperate times call for desperate measures", so there's not much choice, time to get my hands a little dirty. Plus, Tess wrote that the killing option will be optional. So we'll see how this all plays out for the GoodDomKane and Olivia.

 

[Maviarab]

You're right, and there will probably be something like this in the case of our game show cancellation. But I'm not going to skip most of episode 8 just to preserve the "moral virginity" of my "pure dom paladin", who is also not so pure - 30 points of good, 3 points of evil.

As someone wise said, "desperate times call for desperate measures", so there's not much choice, time to get my hands a little dirty. Plus, Tess wrote that the killing option will be optional. So we'll see how this all plays out for the GoodDomKane and Olivia.

Yup sounds reasonable. I have a GoodDom save now that will take part (my main save still won't) plus have my evil save also...so I won't actually 'miss' the content...I'll just miss it on certain saves.

Was also thinking about your past post re the Angelica render...unfortunately, we have little context as to how/where/when this happens. With Kitty present, we have to assume it's during the show but as things stand, even if we have Angelica's dying loyalty, if a Z rank orders her to do something, there is probably very little we can do about in reality (other than convenient writing etc) to maintain consistency.

 

[Maviarab]

Uggghh I hate double posting but this doesn't really fit in my previous, so:

Following on...I think this is why it is imperative for us to rise ranks asap. As a Z1, we are on equal footing with Kitty...so can probably stop her from doing anything to someone we don't wish any harm to befall. We really need to hit Z3 where Olivia is (or currently is for now) so that the only people who can override us are basically just the board members.

Which leads me to another thought, we still don't know if the 'staff' have a kind of ranking system, surely they must have, I can't see how the organisation wouldn't. So, leading on from that...are we are actually aware of any Z2's or other Z3's (Olivia aside)? I know we have heard of Jack who is a Z2 (confirmed)...but Raven...Alyssa...their 'rank' has never been mentioned, they just have specific 'titles'...

If we get to Z1/Z2...will we have further conflicts with those ranks that are currently unknown to us, or, are they already known to us but we are just not aware of what actual rank they are in the whole system?

 

[Stan5851]

Yup sounds reasonable. I have a GoodDom save now that will take part (my main save still won't) plus have my evil save also...so I won't actually 'miss' the content...I'll just miss it on certain saves.

Was also thinking about your past post re the Angelica render...unfortunately, we have little context as to how/where/when this happens. With Kitty present, we have to assume it's during the show but as things stand, even if we have Angelica's dying loyalty, if a Z rank orders her to do something, there is probably very little we can do about in reality (other than convenient writing etc) to maintain consistency.

To get through the game show without any moral retardation, I have this save. It's not a pure evil save (which I also have), but it will be interesting to go through the game show with this Kane, because he is both good and evil in equal measure).

 

[SperryTop]

[T]here was actually a post from Tess a long time ago where she wrote that . . . the game was not profitable . . . Tess has her own pretty successful business that brings her main income, and KG is her favourite [sic] brainchild and hobby.

it isn't so much that the game isn't profitable; it is. It's that when you're a successful businesswoman, the opportunity cost of making a game like this is very substantial. For her, I imagine working on the game vs. working on her IRL business is a question of:

• Do I do something I love and make decent money; or
• Do I do something I like and make shedloads of money?

That's a hard question for anyone to answer, and a great position to be in.

 

[SperryTop]

Plus, she publicly identifies as a young, attractive, successful, and sexually dominant woman. That tends to attract, and has attracted, the wrong kind of attention. Another thing that works against putting time into the game.

 

[motseer]

Uggghh I hate double posting but this doesn't really fit in my previous, so:

You're lyin', you love readin' what you wrote...

Following on...I think this is why it is imperative for us to rise ranks asap. As a Z1, we are on equal footing with Kitty...so can probably stop her from doing anything to someone we don't wish any harm to befall. We really need to hit Z3 where Olivia is (or currently is for now) so that the only people who can override us are basically just the board members.

I agree. If it were up to me, we'd already be Z5...

If we get to Z1/Z2...will we have further conflicts with those ranks that are currently unknown to us, or, are they already known to us but we are just not aware of what actual rank they are in the whole system?

If you removed all the lewdity, this would still be a damn good political intrigue; just not nearly as much fun... So, I'm pretty certain there will be infighting and drama right up to the end. Jus' Sayin'

To get through the game show without any moral retardation, I have this save. It's not a pure evil save (which I also have), but it will be interesting to go through the game show with this Kane, because he is both good and evil in equal measure).
View attachment 3141726

You guys are making me feel like a slacker... I only keep a single save after each update. This means if I take a wrong turn... Do over time. In a game as complex as this, Sancho1969 provides guide posts that are essential to my sanity.

 

[Stan5851]

Uggghh I hate double posting but this doesn't really fit in my previous, so:

Following on...I think this is why it is imperative for us to rise ranks asap. As a Z1, we are on equal footing with Kitty...so can probably stop her from doing anything to someone we don't wish any harm to befall. We really need to hit Z3 where Olivia is (or currently is for now) so that the only people who can override us are basically just the board members.

Which leads me to another thought, we still don't know if the 'staff' have a kind of ranking system, surely they must have, I can't see how the organisation wouldn't. So, leading on from that...are we are actually aware of any Z2's or other Z3's (Olivia aside)? I know we have heard of Jack who is a Z2 (confirmed)...but Raven...Alyssa...their 'rank' has never been mentioned, they just have specific 'titles'...

If we get to Z1/Z2...will we have further conflicts with those ranks that are currently unknown to us, or, are they already known to us but we are just not aware of what actual rank they are in the whole system?

I don't think the ranks of Raven, Alyssa(? - who is that? ) and similar people will make any difference to Kane. Think back to the car scene at the end of ep7. It's a pretty clear (imo) indicator of how much credibility there is with Kane. I would guess that the Z1 rank in Kane's case would be more weighty than the same rank for Kitty.

They are incomparable values - Kane, the possessor of a unique bloodline, the chosen one on whom enormous expectations are placed in the company and a bloodthirsty little sadist whose destiny is to lick the heels of the Karlsson sisters and obey orders. People like Kitty will never get on the Board and will always remain servants.

The same goes for Raven, Taylor, Desdemona, and other girls whose ranks are unknown to us. Anyway, they're just servants and I don't see that changing in any way. And their value is determined by their usefulness to the Board. So I would separate the value of the same Eloise Chastain who has Z2 rank and is a doctor and scientist and the value of Kitty. You can find as many Kitties as you want, which is not the case with Eloise).

So Z rank for Kane (I assume) would be important in terms of his public status. I.e. it's a kind of nobility rank and it doesn't matter whether you're an earl or a baron, what matters is what you are, the degree of your influence on others, your ability to persuade others and make favourable alliances with other nobles.

Sure, it's likely that the value of the ranks won't go anywhere, and our Kane will be able to reach Z2-Z3 with proper effort and persistence, but I don't think it will be as critical or important as it was with K-ranks case.

 

[Stan5851]

I agree. If it were up to me, we'd already be Z5...


If you removed all the lewdity, this would still be a damn good political intrigue; just not nearly as much fun... So, I'm pretty certain there will be infighting and drama right up to the end. Jus' Sayin'

Absolutely!

You guys are making me feel like a slacker... I only keep a single save after each update. This means if I take a wrong turn... Do over time. In a game as complex as this, Sancho1969 provides guide posts that are essential to my sanity.

Yeah, I can't imagine the game without Sancho Mod. Tess should add his name to the credits, he definitely deserves it!)

 

[Sharpshooter890]

We are not a Z1 yet though, are we? It will probably heavily depend on the perfomance in the game show. IIRC we can get to K9 max at the end of ep.7, with a potential K10-Z1 (hopefully) in ep.8. In any case, I think even K10 would put us above most of the personnel in the Joy Facility (Sam, Pat, Raven and others, except maybe Chanel and Delilah), so we probably should be able to boss them around.
On the topic of Alessandra - I thought it was definetely her on Alexander's deathbed, as well as in the 1st meeting with the Gambit Queen (in a japanese temple). My reason being Alexander said "I underestimated you" or something similar, meaning he knew her well and dismissed her as a serious candidate for the throne. That would fit right in with her seemingly care-free persona, but she is much more clever and devious than she lets on. To me she is the most interesting sister, because she is smart to know how to play the game.

Also, how on earth do you guys make bits of text blurred? Can such power be learned?