This will probably be the final one of these previews, as we're planning to release the game into Early Access fairly soon.
None of the other Pilgrim Adventures games have ever used Early Access, but due to the complexity of The Deed II, I feel that it could very helpful to involve a number of players in the final stages of the game's development. So if you want to be a part of that process, you can - or if you'd rather just play the finished product then you can wait a short while for the full release.
Meanwhile, onto the preview! Perhaps the most intense and engaging part of any Deed game takes place after the murder has been committed and you're being interrogated by the inspector. Here we will cover some of the details about how that element is handled in The Deed II.
The Interrogation
So, you've committed the crime and now you're hoping to get away with it. After a brief introduction, the inspector will ask you questions about your background and then run through all of your actions from the previous evening, focusing mainly on the conversations you've had with the other occupants of the brothel. If you've played the previous games, this should all sound quite familiar.
One small difference from the earlier games is that everything relating to a particular character will now be grouped together during the interrogation. So if you asked multiple people about Marie Dupont over the course of the evening, for example, the inspector will cover all of the information about her at once. That should make things a bit easier to follow.
Just as in the previous games, you'll want to have asked questions about characters that will give you a useful clue or paint them in a negative light. At the same time you need to be careful not to reveal anything that could exonerate them or make them seem harmless.
The Subtle Art of Framing
In the current version of the game, planting evidence is absolutely necessary if you want to frame someone. (Although this may change based on player feedback regarding the game's difficulty.)
At the end of the interrogation, rather than running through a laundry list of his suspicions regarding various characters, the inspector will simply state what he feels is the most likely theory about what happened. If he doesn't have a good piece of evidence to rely upon, either the crime will remain unsolved or he'll feel inclined to start digging into your character's past and uncover your motive.
And of course, even if you've planted the correct piece of evidence in the correct place, you will still need to guide the inspector in the right direction while also diverting his suspicions away from yourself.
A Grisly End?
As I have mentioned before, another thing I wanted to do is to make the various possible endings feel more unique. So, in the final version of the game, successfully framing any character in the game will trigger a special scene which will wrap things up and ultimately show some of the consequences of your actions.
Although "happy endings" are rare in The Deed series, each conclusion will probably feel more positive or negative depending on how well-liked that character was and how much they might have deserved their fate. This time round, you can even choose to abort the plan in a few different ways and let Frank live, perhaps opting to try and scare the bejesus out of him instead.
Hopefully this has provided you with some interesting tidbits! Be sure to keep an eye out for further updates regarding the game's progress.