Some of my friends did drugs, but never narcotics. I never even touched pot myself. I saw the results working in a treatment facility 3rd shift. Another really bad one not hard to get is inhalants. At the time guy was in his 40s and long time abuser. He was once arrested at a Walmart inhaling the contents of propane tanks - charged with "risking a catastrophe" - one spark, whole place could have gone up. Didn't know what was going on most of the time. I worked 3rd shift. One day he came to the office and asked what time it was. I said "2:30." He asked "AM or PM?" Well, it's dark outside, the counselors and administration aren't here and everyone but you and staff are in bed so...
- Thread starter Zoey Raven
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- Aug 31, 2019
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I'm telling it as I lived it, and to be honest when I work with another addict I do that same thing. While these are not my stories (one or two are, but it's mostly informed fiction), when I work with someone I tell them how it was for me and what I did. Helps us establish common ground right away, and then that dude knows I'm on the same level as him because I've been there. After that, he's usually willing to listen, where before he might not have been. The greatest medical minds in the world could never get people sober until a stock broker (Bill Wilson) and a proctologist (Bob Smith) got together a realized what made it work was one drunk/addict taking to another.
- Aug 31, 2019
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Better look at the WT to see the implications of that choice.
- Aug 31, 2019
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Quick lesson for people who say my visuals are "average". The first image below is what you are all used to, it's a good render and I like this game. I won't say the name of it, most of you can probably guess though. This is a 4k image to begin with, it's also what most of you are conditioned to see in games, a high emission (Ton's of light, no shadows) image. There's nothing wrong with that, however I will never do renders that way, because people don't look like that in real life and I'm trying to convey realism, so I'm going to use what people would look like in a natural environment. I also started this game at 1080p, could I do 4k, yea, but updates would take 4 months for the amount of content I do to render on my card. I will post the image you are used to and I will then post four of MY 4k images below. If you still believe they are average that's fine. I just want people to know there's more than one way to skin a cat.
NOT MY IMAGE (What most of the "Top Games" do)
MY IMAGES (A little different)
NOT MY IMAGE (What most of the "Top Games" do)
MY IMAGES (A little different)
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- Mar 21, 2020
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Love the game. I'm amazed how much content you manage to put in each update & the speed you release it. Keep up the great work Zoey Raven.
- Dec 27, 2017
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I have a question about your walkthrough:
Pawnshop
16. A) Try living with her.
B) Yea, she’s pretty great. [Brenda+2]
Crucial Choice: If you pick B, it will lock you out of all future content with Brenda, and make Lydia’s or Lydia/Mary’s (Threesome) perfect ending unattainable.
That seems counterintuitive, especially since no variable is kept, except for adding to Brenda's count, which would seem to add to the chances of further content with her, not lock it out.
I can see how further content with Brenda might affect Lydia and Mary, but something seems to be missing here.
Does entering into a relationship with Brenda imperil the MC's relationship with Lydia and Maria? Is it one or the other?
I only just noticed this in the walkthrough, when I was looking through it to check on another choice. I can always go back and change my choice, because I went through it first without the walkthrough, just looking at the code.
EDIT: Ignore everything I wrote above this. Evidently I have a reading comprehension problem... especially in the wee hours.
By the way, I love how you show a little bit more of each of the girls' personalities in each release. My opinions of each has changed after each release. That's good stuff.
Pawnshop
16. A) Try living with her.
B) Yea, she’s pretty great. [Brenda+2]
Crucial Choice: If you pick B, it will lock you out of all future content with Brenda, and make Lydia’s or Lydia/Mary’s (Threesome) perfect ending unattainable.
That seems counterintuitive, especially since no variable is kept, except for adding to Brenda's count, which would seem to add to the chances of further content with her, not lock it out.
I can see how further content with Brenda might affect Lydia and Mary, but something seems to be missing here.
Does entering into a relationship with Brenda imperil the MC's relationship with Lydia and Maria? Is it one or the other?
I only just noticed this in the walkthrough, when I was looking through it to check on another choice. I can always go back and change my choice, because I went through it first without the walkthrough, just looking at the code.
EDIT: Ignore everything I wrote above this. Evidently I have a reading comprehension problem... especially in the wee hours.
By the way, I love how you show a little bit more of each of the girls' personalities in each release. My opinions of each has changed after each release. That's good stuff.
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Yes, that makes perfect sense. I completely misread the walkthrough. My bad!At least now I know I made the right choices. *sigh* I'll try to pay better attention in the future and not bother you with any more dumb questions. Thank you for your prompt and patient response.
- Aug 31, 2019
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If you only knew the questions I get sometimes that don't hold a candle to the level of the one you just asked about walkthroughs.
At least now I know I made the right choices. *sigh* I'll try to pay better attention in the future and not bother you with any more dumb questions. Thank you for your prompt and patient response.
I like the game and the characters - I hope inevitably the MC will be able to get clean and marry his gorgeous love interest/girlfriend
and just be friends with the rest - this hopefully is not going to be a forced harem
and just be friends with the rest - this hopefully is not going to be a forced harem
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It doesn't have that tag, and I never saw it being that, with the amount of realism in the game. But there will be endings with most of the other girls. They will happen before the canon endings which I've stated from the beginning will be Lydia or Lydia and Mary together. Idk if you've played a game like Life with Mary or Melody, but think that for this game. I didn't exactly set out to do it like those games, but those are good examples of how my game is. Hope that clears this up once and for all. From now on I'm going to refer people to this post.
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I think Melody might be the better example. I don't recall in Life with Mary where the MC could wind up with Mary's mother or her father's girlfriend.
Of course, the problem I have is that I always play these games like they will wind up as a harem, and wind up with all of these wonderful ladies falling madly in love with the MC, and my MC saying how they are all so great and he loves them all too.
As with Melody and Haley's Story, I eventually have to create multiple paths.
Oh, by the way, it seems to me that you stopped making a walkthrough for a game because you thought it was going to be a harem game and you found out it wouldn't be. *cough* Where the Heart Is *cough*
- Aug 31, 2019
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I came out in the beginning and said what my game would be. Silly as a harem, and my point with LWM is that there were more options then Just Mary. Check out my PDF for it. You CAN wind up with the old wife or at least get a bad ending because of having sexy times shopping w her, I can't remember which. Also a few others. Wanna talk about a game that was coded incredibly well without a lot of variables. That was it.I think Melody might be the better example. I don't recall in Life with Mary where the MC could wind up with Mary's mother or her father's girlfriend.
Of course, the problem I have is that I always play these games like they will wind up as a harem, and wind up with all of these wonderful ladies falling madly in love with the MC, and my MC saying how they are all so great and he loves them all too.
As with Melody and Haley's Story, I eventually have to create multiple paths.
Oh, by the way, it seems to me that you stopped making a walkthrough for a game because you thought it was going to be a harem game and you found out it wouldn't be. *cough* Where the Heart Is *cough*
Seriously though. Harem would be out of place for this game. It's a bit of a stretch what I'm doing now w the ladies, but there must be some artistic license in games of these kind, even when you are telling a realistic story. You can certainly be an asshole to any girl in the game. Unlike Melody you will still see them for story purposes, because my characters interact so much due to the narrative. But only the first H scene with any of them is on the house. So you definitely don't have to say the L word or even sleep w them more than once.
The only characters that is not true for is Lydia. But, then you're not gonna get a very good ending if you were an ass to her the entire game and didn't opt for another girl. Also w Audrey to some extent because she is either corruption or slow burn. But she will eventually fall in line, with the other ladies, after a certain event happens, that I'm sure you can guess.
At the end of the day it will be, who do you like the most. Or how many saves do you wanna make. You can restart from X girls ending, and not choose it (that is if you met the requirements to choose it in the first place), but instead go on to Y girls ending etc... (Or you could use a mod to see them all, I would not begrudge that).
Another game that comes to mind is Twists of my Life. I loved that game. Probably some inspiration there as to how the interactions with the girls will go. I think that game had some really cool endings. Anyway enough on that.
But yeah, for the game you referenced they waited a LONG TIME to say it wasn't going to be, and my whole guide was single choices structured around that. Over 100 pages in word. I wasn't going to do that over again.
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Lydia is the one that I cannot see an ending that would not contain her. The MC abandoning her to run off with one of the other girls would seem to suck ass. Oh, well.
But, I'm willing to wait and see how this will all play out. You should know that I always prefer a developer provide the game that he or she desires, and to hell with what any player or group of players would desire.
I make tons of saves and can always split my play into separate routes. No problem there.I don't expect you to tell me, but I just hope that all the principals in your game can, if not be completely clean at the end, at least have some hope of getting there. I'm particularly worried about Melissa, who doesn't even realize she has a big problem yet. Mary, I'm assuming you can get on the road to recovery, even though the MC has his doubts at the end of the release. I'll willingly wait to find out when it happens, though, along with everything else.
Once again, though, I must commend you on managing to reveal different facets of each character's personality with each release. My empathy increases every time.
That's when I know I'm dealing with a really good game, when I really care about what happens to all the people within it.
- Aug 31, 2019
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I've also stated in the thread and the narration, you will have to break Lydia's heart to be w another girl. But that should go without saying. I mean I don't plan to make a huge deal out of it, but there will at least be some references to what happened to Lydia. The one scenario, I may embellish that a little bit on that would make sense narratively, is if you chose Mary alone.Lydia is the one that I cannot see an ending that would not contain her. The MC abandoning her to run off with one of the other girls would seem to suck ass. Oh, well.
But, I'm willing to wait and see how this will all play out. You should know that I always prefer a developer provide the game that he or she desires, and to hell with what any player or group of players would desire.
I don't expect you to tell me, but I just hope that all the principals in your game can, if not be completely clean at the end, at least have some hope of getting there. I'm particularly worried about Melissa, who doesn't even realize she has a big problem yet. Mary, I'm assuming you can get on the road to recovery, even though the MC has his doubts at the end of the release. I'll willingly wait to find out when it happens, though, along with everything else.
Once again, though, I must commend you on managing to reveal different facets of each character's personality with each release. My empathy increases every time.
However, as stated before if you are on the sober path things will end well with all the girls in terms of them not using drugs or drinking.
As far as the junky path, that will materialize as things go along. It's not going to be super impactful because doing a full junkie rabbit hole for the second half of the game would be the MC in Jail, the Looney Bin or dead. You can watch the news for that. It may however impact if you can help certain people along the way. I'm pretty sure at this point there's not going to be a need for sober junkie points anymore.
There will be some variable based moral decisions, but at this point. Paths are probably locked in. Don't quote me on that though because my writing method is very fluid but as of now I don't see the need for more of those point types. You've had ample chance as a player to establish what side of the fence you're on.
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- Jun 2, 2017
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What you put into the narrative suggests that both Beth and Mary predate Lydia so choosing either of them over her doesn't seem to me to be too crazy. I would think Beth and Audrey can either one make sense from a get clean perspective. But you said if MC gets clean they all will so maybe the impetus towards Beth/Audrey is lessened in that case.
My hope is if the MC chooses to drag Beth or Audrey back into the living nightmare, Karma will cause a rock to crush his lower body leaving everything below the bellybutton an usable mush
But that's me
- Aug 31, 2019
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I would disagree, if someone gets clean it doesn't really matter if another person gets clean after them or not. Because all alcoholics have is today, hence the title of the game. Ultimately I'll write it how I choose and hope you all enjoy it, but the MC is not going to make anyone get high or drag them anywhere. I've covered this early in Chapter 1 after Mary got high. The MC didn't make her do that, he had no control over it, as it is IRL. He did the best her could by trying to show her how to do it as safely as possible and even warned her there was no safe way.
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Another point I forgot to make, is that if I took everyone's suggestions on how to write the story in here, it would be a train wreck. It would be better if I just gave you the script and said finish it yourselves than taking suggestions form people on what should or should not be there.
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I've said earlier in the thread that if you're on the sober path things will end well with the girls no matter who you choose (meaning they won't end up strung out etc...). I've also commented Audrey is safe from doing drugs even on the corruption path. I couldn't do that to her like you said she's a likable character, but I think they all are in their own ways, even the ones who are struggling. But, I wrote them so I'm biased. Every girl will have an ending. I've also wrote the game will focus more on the sober path, junkie/sober points might make some decisions possible or not possible. I'll handle that when I get there. I've always seen that mostly impacting the MC not others, but my writing process is fluid as I've also stated on here, so we'll just have to wait and see. Oh, also it's Barb, not trying to correct you publicly for no reason, I just don't want others to get confused.Well you don't honestly think I want you to add falling rocks right?
The other stuff is commentary on why choosing Beth at the END or Audrey or Mary doesn't seem crazy but that was assuming they have paths if they do not I don't mean to imply you should add them for me, I just might have guessed wrong on who had paths.
But yeah I am on board with you do you. I do like Audrey. You made her likeable and I want good things to happen to her.
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- Nov 22, 2020
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Wow! Nice! I was afraid that if my MC goes for corruption path with Audrey, he might drag her down. I'm really relieved to read that she is safe from drugs. I will try corruption path with her when I play my first path that is sober and treat her nice, aiming for love points. She is my second favorite girl in your VN, Zoey Raven .