Hello there!
Surprise update! Just a small one - added a handful of more dialogue options, revisited the writing in a few scenes, fixed some typos, and, by request, added a campaign length option!
Upon launching a new campaign, players will be prompted to choose their 'shift length' -- a Single (approx. 3-4 hour) or Double (approx. 7-8 hour) playthrough. The new abbreviated playthrough skips the prologue, the weekend heist, majority of Week II and most 'connective tissue' scenes. Additionally, a handful of scenes needed to be rewritten to introduce characters and themes like Patty that you'll need to be acquainted with for character routes that otherwise, in the abbreviated format, the player wouldn't have met yet. On the shortened campaign length, players only need to rack up a measly 4 Craveability Points to kick off a character's arc; the content and length of character arcs, including Solo, has not been edited, however - only the length of the Core Route has been adjusted. Please see the full changelog below for complete details of everything added/changed in 2.1.1.
Just for full transparency, this update isn't reflective of a change of plans when it comes to future game updates - those are, unfortunately, still on ice. This was just a relatively quick update to knock out one of the things we promised (shorter campaign). We are still absolutely looking for a way to get Steam Achievements working - but as it stands, the VNM Engine absolutely hates Steamworks integration. If we can get it working, you can expect another li'l update.
Please note, there is a pretty major issue specifically with changing between quick and normal speed playthroughs that just came to my attention after the update went Live. I already have several ideas of how to fix it, and will hit it with a fast patch soon as I can! Full details in the changelog.
All the best, and thanks so much for all the support!
Elijah
Patch 1.2.1
Changelog:
Implemented ‘campaign length’ option to enable shorter playthroughs, available when starting a new game
Added option to partner with the General on Week 1, Friday Morning Exam
Added option to either go with Nom Nom on Friday Morning and participate in the sky fight with Samuel Wich, or skip straight to class
Added variation of Week 1, Friday Night Nightclub scene to account for if the player didn’t go with Nom Nom that morning
Dialogue additions
Added dialogue choice to Week 1, Monday Morning Pre-Class scene
Added dialogue choices to Week 1, Tuesday Evening Expresso scene
Added dialogue choice to Week 1, Thursday Morning Lunch scene
Added dialogue choice to Week 1, Friday Morning Hotel scene
Added dialogue choices to Week 1, Friday Afternoon Lunch scene
Substantially decreased the previously egregious length of the Week 1, Wednesday Afternoon Beach scene between Saul and Mackie
Shooting Samuel Wich with the harpoon gun now awards players +1 Craveability with Sovereign, even though he isn’t physically present (presumably he felt your actions reverberate through your Soul Bond)
Substantial flow and dialogue changes to the Week 1, Wednesday Expresso scene where the player meets Siren and Bae
Minor reworking of dialogue across various scenes
Adjusted volume for two lowest music settings to allow for even quieter tunes
Fixed various typos
Known Issues:
Critical: Beginning a Quick campaign, quitting to main menu, then beginning a Regular Speed campaign starts the player on a Quick campaign instead of the intended Regular Speed. If a user starts a quick speed campaign, they will need to fully relaunch the game to then begin a Regular Speed campaign