I like this games characters and more challenging subject matter. It handles a heavy topic well and balances it with everyday life and comedy. A lot of the personal background details of the side characters, LIs, and the MC are creative and really well done. The art is very nice and the music a little repetitive but overall well chosen. I got it on sale, as I think it is priced too high (no cutscenes, no extra art with LIs, able to reuse backgrounds and music... no idea why it is 15$).
I do wish it had art for cute scenes it describes (holding hands, movies, heart to heart convos, etc)...but never shows anything but sprites and a background.
Types of romance by character:
Micah: sweet and calm
Jude: sweet, funny, dealing with heavy thoughts
Eva: bubbly, cute/clumsy, sweet
Gloria: (comes in pretty late and she seems like a psycho) aggressive but nice?
I played through all the routes at least once so I could leave an honest review of the romance because it seemed lacking in Micah and Jude's routes. And having romanceable characters is kinda a big part of the game. Overall, the romance was just ok. The transition from friends who flirt awkwardly to ... what partners I guess? happens weirdly. I think it could be way smoother if the characters just had a conversation earlier on. Instead of the part where the MC tells herself she's super into someone, just talk about the relationship with the person you're pursuing. "Hey can we talk" "I really like you" and then players can have more agency with how fast they want romantic things to move maybe. (Although the amount of "romantic" things that happen after you I guess "get together" with the person is super small oddly enough). I don't recall asking or being asked out by any of them. Just more than friendly touching, blushing, then later "hanging out" that turns into ya know more than that pretty suddenly, and then you're just together after that and the story is over pretty soon after that. Interactions with LIs seem pretty short too. I feel like I connected more with Sam and Tabitha than some of the LIs.
"more than friendly touching" meaning like who touches someone's cheek because they seem distressed? or who puts their forehead against someone elses while they have their hands on the back of their neck if they aren't together yet??
The single moment you sleep with one of the guys is so fast I laughed both times. Like: blushing, "you wanna stay the night"?, "you kiss", "you get on the bed together"....and you wake up the next morning...?? Oh and they are not in bed with you when you wake up and then they leave. That is the first and last time there is a direct (kinda) explanation of getting intimate with the guys. I totally missed if there was a "sleep together moment" with Eva? And Gloria's "moment" was even faster than the guys with like two sentences and then you go home.
There is a warning for "mild sexual content" but I didn't really see any? Like "He put his hand under my shirt", "she pushed me back against the wall and we laughed" and "we got to 'know each other'" is all I have seen. You could honestly take out the like 5 lines of dialogue that are vaguely referencing the "sexual content" and one thing Sam says and it would be PG13.
It is marketed as having romance but seems really light on that front which is why I am critiquing it so much I guess. I did like a lot of it except the follow through with anything romantic that was more than having a teenage-like crush on them.
Thanks for the feedback! These are things I'm aware of and am working towards doing better in my next game ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed the parts that you did. I also wish we could have gotten CGs funded for AWKI, but they are definitely a thing in In Blood.
I absolutely loved this! My fave romancable character has the same name as I do (Eva!), which I didn't know going in- good thing I didn't name my character Eva, too, lol. This game was SO fun, and I really hope to see more games like this from Jaime Scribbles in the future :)
Like a bunch of people I got this through the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and I found it a couple days ago scrolling through the list. I love it so far and when I'm done with it I can't wait to check out more from you!
Hi don't know if you'll see this but I was playing the game just now and I had gotten to week 2 day 1 and when I try to go to the next line it comes up with this error:
I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
While running game code: ScriptError: could not find label '_first_day'.
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback: File "script.rpyc", line 72, in script call File "time_manager.rpyc", line 89, in script call File "time_manager.rpyc", line 255, in script call File "C:\Users\Zoe\Videos\Games\As_We_Know_It-1.021-pc\As_We_Know_It-1.021-pc\renpy\ast.py", line 1422, in execute rv = renpy.game.context().call(label, return_site=self.next.name) File "script.rpyc", line 72, in script call File "time_manager.rpyc", line 89, in script call File "time_manager.rpyc", line 255, in script call File "C:\Users\Zoe\Videos\Games\As_We_Know_It-1.021-pc\As_We_Know_It-1.021-pc\renpy\script.py", line 886, in lookup raise ScriptError("could not find label '%s'." % str(original)) ScriptError: could not find label '_first_day'.
Windows-8-6.2.9200 Ren'Py 7.2.2.491 As We Know It 1.021 Fri Aug 21 03:43:43 2020
I was wondering if you could help me out with this cause I have no idea what this means other than somethings missing.
You might want to try redownloading and unzipping the game, it's missing code that should definitely be there. I can't imagine why it would be missing unless an rpy or py or rpyc file somehow got deleted. It is trying to call the first work event. It could also have happened if a career was not assigned somehow, did you skip past the career selection? It might not have stopped on that screen in the same way the other choices would stop.
It works now! I had chosen agriculture and then I rolled back to look at the other choices so it must have forgotten the choice I made so when it got to the work event it just wasn't there. But it works now. Thank you, I'm liking the game so far!
There's actually a couple of choices early on where I noticed rolling back with the scroll wheel and then rolling forward causes an error. There's also an early on free time thing that does it. Luckily I realized that there was a blank where the career should be before it caused an actual error.
This game had such a fascinating story! Let me preface this with: thank you so much for making this game part of the Racial Equality bundle (and for sharing it with such a wide audience). After going through several routes (thank you also for the guide - i would've never gotten some of them on my own), I can tell this world was carefully built with consideration for those from all walks of life.
I also appreciated how details about the world were nudged out, bit by bit, from various friendships - and how you learned just enough from one person to understand how another's life would be impacted (and vice-versa).
That said, I do have to echo other sentiments re: "the big choice" being way less obvious. On my first run, I had no idea it would lead to the love interest being on the opposite side (and how it automatically locked me into bad ends). It was clear in hindsight, with multiple playthroughs, but definitely threw me for a loop my first time around.
* also, i don't know how feasible this would be for a future game, but when you're given such an impactful choice - the ability to change either the player's or the LI's POV would be so neat! I was half-expecting a discussion about all the shades of grey involved. Maybe I've yet to unlock those endings? But to be clearer: the ending hinging on one choice was only shocking because i believe it comes way sooner than who you romance - and depending on who you pick, the bad ends were much easier to obtain in my gaming experience.
Overall, this game was an unexpected delight, and the world felt so rich, inclusive, and diverse without once feeling preachy or heavy-handed in those themes (I'm especially thinking of the non-romanceable NPCs; I would regularly re-play Trevor's and Sam's 'routes' because they were both such compelling characters, and I really wish we'd gotten the chance to befriend Iris in the same way! Homegirl deserves some love, and not just forever pining after Vince!!). Your team has a great voice re: writing narratives, and I look forward to future games. Any critique offered here is to hopefully help re: future installments, and to explain what I personally would've loved to see!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the game :D
We've taken a lot of the feedback on this game an applied it to In Blood (current game in development) and the endings and choices are a big one. It always helps to get feed back :)
Oh, I absolutely loved the game! Your team worked so hard on it and that love and passion shone through with each playthrough - it was delightful! Seriously, I was laughing and crying with all the various bits of characterization, and your choice of friends was *superb*. I cannot commend you enough for those routes and on letting us choose which one we wanted to befriend. I even wanted to befriend Iris - you made her that sweet and inviting.
I was a little late to your Kickstarter, but I look forward to seeing In Blood when it comes out, and wish you all the best of luck!! I think you've got a tremendous amount of talent, and time will only refine and hone that skill (:
I love this game so much! Admittedly I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's my favorite visual novel-type game I've ever played. I really like getting to develop friendships with all the different characters instead of just the one you decide to romance. Thank you so much for making this part of the Racial Equality Bundle!
I'm sorry you struggled with the endings, that and the repetitive parts is common feedback I've gotten so I've definitely taken it to heart to make my future games better.
For the ending, I'm not sure why you can't get it. If you want help though I'd be happy to take a look just let me know. :)
I really liked the game, and did 2 playthroughs already the last few days but had a bit of an issue with the 3rd today.
I had to leave suddenly so I pressed quick save and quit the app, but now I can't seem to start this save file anymore? Maybe I did something wrong though, I'm known to make mistakes quite a lot with quick save and quick load :-)
You should be able to find the quick save under 'Load" on the "Q" page, let me know if it isn't there! If it isn't check under "A" because it will autosave on choices and if you exit the game. (I included and image to help, it can be easy to miss)
really well written, i got the bloody hands ending though and felt like i never really got a chance to meaningfully interact with the way the story was turning out, even though it was pretty obvious from very early on. the characterization was all fine and i don't have an issue with how it ended, but i felt like i had no agency in choosing where the story goes, which isn't always a bad thing but in this case, with these stakes, it felt unsatisfying.
i'd like to go through and see more of eva's endings but i'm not sure i'll do it, i've never liked replaying VNs since it makes everything feel super mechanical instead of like a developing story, the way it is the first time, y'know? really good game though, thanks for making it part of the racial justice bundle!
edit: this came out harsher than i wanted, i do wanna emphasize how great the characters are here, i can't remember the last time i saw a story with this many unique, three dimensional characters. there's not a single character left undeveloped, you even get a strong sense of some of the background characters which i can't remember ever seeing in a VN. great stuff despite my criticisms.
After you hit 'yes' and start up a new game you'll notice a screen at the top that will show you the exact amount of "points" each stat has. This will live update, so you can see what choices effect what and monitor as you play.
If you don't like how you choice changed the stats, you can roll back and try another choice. It can help you unlock endings or work to get better affections, and so on.
For some reason this didn't work for me when I first tried it yesterday, but going in again to test just now it appeared just fine. Going to chalk this one up to the magic of complaining about a problem on the internet changing reality to make the problem go away. Thanks.
Firstly, I thank you for adding As We Know Itto the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.
I have completed one route (got the "Gone" ending) and would like to provide feedback (just in case, it is absolutely subjective). Spoilers.
The stats. All of them become visible only after completing the game. I'd prefer if the stats, stat checks and events (like the flowchart in the guide, but with dates) were visible from the start. The main choice. I appreciate the opportunity to change it. The story. The MC did not seem to affect the outcome anyhow, just hanging around and doing nothing. While getting laid is a worthy goal, for the MC it was the only goal. Which brings the second point.. The "routes". The MC's profession affects the ending less than the chosen "romance option" and it seemed impossible to not romance anyone. I have not checked, if the RO always ends up on the opposite side of the main choice, but it was impossible to ditch them, if they do. In general, the MC does not actively support the mayor or the rebels and it somehow defeats the point of being the main character. If I may compare it to another VN, in Arcade Spirits the MC can set their goal to bring prosperity and fame to their arcade and exact bloodless vengeance upon their rival and romance is completely optional, if not discouraged. Same for Coming Out On Top (the main goal being graduation).
I was going for a more grounded type of story versus a 'chosen one' narrative. The main goal was basically to 'exist' and find a sense of belonging or family. At least that is what I had attempted to do.
Each romance option has their own opinion about the aftermath of the storm, and it doesn't change. There are over 2 dozen endings so hopefully if you replay you get one you like.
The OST isn't available on itch or steam but you can listen to it here on soundcloud.
Hey, I really enjoyed this game! I've played through several of Jude's endings so far and he's such a sweet boy :) I am wondering though if there's any way in the game to learn more about the sandmen, the storms, and the rebellion? The endings I've played so far have felt really rushed, even though the game was quite detailed in the beginning.
To offer some constructive feedback, there was a lot of times where you just had to click through days and days without anything meaningful happening.
First playthrough I got the 'Bloody Hands' ending and through the whole ending I felt a bit like I was given a backseat role, with everyone else around me forcing their actions unto me (and my choices mattering very little). Speaking as a trained screenwriter that is not something you generally should go with, unless you can offset that by earlier plot points (which is overwhelmingly difficult to pull off).
I hope you can use the feedback - I will look forward to your next game :)
I enjoyed this game a lot! I thought the concept was interesting, and I liked the subtler ways in which you could bond with people around Camden (and the romance, lol). But I was kind of thrown off by the ending - it seemed like all of the gameplay basically hinged on one choice I made, without me knowing how impactful it'd be later on. I went back and checked out the guide to see what I could have done differently, but based on who I romanced, it seems like it's pretty all or nothing (which does make sense, given their personality). In any case, I had a great time with this game, and I'll defintely be replaying it soon to see what other endings I can get. Thank you!
I'm glad you liked it overall! I've had a few people explain how the "big choice" didn't seem that important to them at first, so I'll be keeping that in mind to make it clearer in other games > < I'm really thankful for feedback so I can grow as a developer :D
Thank you so much for making this, and exploring narrative in gaming (narrative development in gaming is a weird bimodal curve: represented well in indie games and also in AAA blockbusters, who can afford it and recognize the need for it) in such an inclusive and interesting way. There's elements of this that remind me of the Wool series and while I normally don't like post-apocalyptic works, this is worth playing.
I have so much affection for this game. Not only is it inclusive and diverse, but it starts good dialogues. I've played three routes so far and only downloaded it two days ago. Thank you for your hard work in making it. I could not recommend it more highly. I've wanted a game with a lesbian romance not marketed to men solely based on s*x for so long.
I do have a question, because I am an oblivious fool. How do I raise my standing within the community? I know it plays a role in ones' ending, because you wouldn't include it otherwise, but I have thoroughly confused myself. Thank you so much for any time you spend answering this <3
The standing can be a bit tricky, but basically you'll want to 'go with the flow' in some choices. waking up early, participating in things, basically anything that makes you a better Camden citizen will help raise that :D
Great game but the fact that the good or bad ending is tied to two little choices made throughout this 2+ hour long game is kind of ridiculous. That's my only complaint. (Really wanted the good end but just because I thought the Mayor made a bad choice my character decided letting sandmen in was a great idea.)
I'm glad you liked it despite that complaint! I had wondered if I should try to make the "big" choice more obviously "big" so I'll have to keep that in mind going forward. Thank you for telling me.
There is a way to get good endings no matter which way you choose though, there is a route guide that you can download for free. It is near where you would download the free demo/other game files on the main game page.
It can depend on your standing, who you befriend, and who you romance on top of the "big" choice. I hope you can get a better ending next play through! :D
one of my favorite games in the justice equality bundle <3 I haven't played video games in a long time it feels like this reminds me of middle school playing dating sims on deviant art haha
(posted this in a rating but thought I should share it here too!)
This game is absolutely fantastic and a joy to play! I have spent hours exploring the available options with all of the different characters. It doesn't feel rushed AT ALL which is rare for a game of this genre. The amount of effort and lore you have included really makes this a singular experience and you feel like you're a part of the story! Virtually every character has a detailed personality and backstory, it kept me interested throughout the game. I'm completely charmed, and I look forward to seeing future games from you!
I was wondering if this was compatible with Microsoft Surface Pro X running Windows 10 with Microsoft SQ1 ARM chip with SQ1 Adreno 685 GPU Processor. I've had problems with other games if they're 64bit but not ARM compatible. 32 bit programs run fine though. Thanks!
Are you available to contact over instagram? I don't have twitter but I would really love to check out the deluxe version! if you don't have instagram, no worries :)
I'm not really on Instagram, but you can email me at: scribblegamesvn[at]gmail[dot]com it just might take me a bit longer to get you the download key :D twitter is just on my phone and I check it more often. I do check my email 1-2x a day though!
What an excellent game! I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, downloaded about 50 games from it, opened this one first and played it all day. And I have no regrets - congrats for this beautiful and gripping game!
If you've gotten this game as part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and would like the Art book and Wallpapers please DM me on twitter! That is the fastest way to get in touch with me, please allow me a few days to get to you :D
I love this so much! I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and saw this game. I immediately saw the characters and fell in love! I spent like two/three-ish hours playing one route and tried not to cry because it was three in the morning, lol. I'll be honest, I would've even payed full-price for a game as in-depth, emotional, and fun as this one. :)
please DM me on twitter for the deluxe bonus content! That is the fastest way to get in touch with me, just allow me a day or two to get to your message.
I got this as part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and would like the Deluxe Edition Content (wallpapers and artbook). What do I need to do?
I just saw the files got kinda screwy when I changed it back to the price. It is now fixed! Just select download next to the Guide and Tips! Sorry about that.
This was a huge disappointment. I love the concept, the art, the characters... But I waited so long for this and it ended up being mostly boring filler, it was like a run on sentence and then it just seemed to end so abruptly. There was just so little actual story, most of the time was spent fleshing out what ever characters you ran into all in between the same boring daily work text. You get little blurbs with random characters which was all nice but like... The plot got so little attention, it was all hearsay, the character wasn't really involved and then when the story finally seems to be beginning, it just... Ends? It was unfortunately boring and not worth 20$, imo.
:D Great game so far, I'm really enjoying it!! I have two questions: 1. Is there a walkthrough for the game? 2. Will it ever be possible to buy the artbook separately from the game? I ask because I bought the game on Steam and didn't want to pay for it again by trying to buy the artbook on here.
Hey! I absolutely adore this game and have been waiting for the full release in anticipation! Just saw that it is to be released today, is this still happening?
There are no words that properly describe how hyped I am for this game! Eva is a total babe (I think I may be in love with her), Jude is giving me some edgy alternative rock/plant mom vibes, Micah is grade A husband material, and Gloria is killing the game without a hair out of place. This not even mentioning the supporting cast, who I adore. I was in tears when I saw the bracelet on Vince's wrist cause I just know Tabby made it, (father of the year for sure)! In the end, the characters, setting, and general aesthetic of the game is having me counting down the days till the May release.
Thank you and your team so much for putting in all this work to give the public this amazing content!
Thanks so much! I don't think I mention it in-game but Tabby def made Vince that cute bracelet. I'm really glad you're enjoying the game and hope you like the final product ^^
Just finished the demo and it looks very promising! The setting is very interesting and it makes me want to know more about it! I can't wait to discover more about this world, and about all the characters' backstories! Also, as someone who suffers from anxiety, I could really relate with Ashlynn, but in a way that wasn't stressful for me, so that was great!
I found the system of stress and standing interesting too, and it is nice to have it recapped with the state of the relationships, it really makes it easier to see where we're going. I was expecting more things to do with the job we chose for Ashlynn, but I suppose this will come in time with the rest of the story. The cliffhanger at the end of the demo was really unexpected!
Funny thing is, when I first saw Eva, I was thinking she would be my last choice at romance because by her looks she really wasn't my type, but she won me over with her personality and is now my favorite!
I look forward the release of this game! Cheers :)
I finished the demo and it is a really well made game! I love it! The plot is very interesting and the ending definitely left me with wanting more. The art is stunning and the characters are lovely... I'm very curious as to how things will turn out. And Eva is a major cutie, I can't get enough of her flirting hehe.
I don't know if this is the right place to note this, but I found a couple typos. On Week 2 Day 2, if you're on the Security team, there's the line "I sat there for my tnire shift, bored out of my mind." I'm guessing that's supposed to be "entire" rather than "tnire".
In the medical team branch, the dialog mentions Iris handing you a "crisp white uniform", but the uniform the sprite is wearing is blue.
On Week 2 Day 4, there's the line "Iris was feverently trying to duck...", I think that's supposed to be "fervently".
Really enjoying the demo so far, looking forward to the full game!
this is an okay place to post it, I'll check to see if those have been fixed and if they haven't- fix them. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I and others comb through the script little errors always slip through lol
I mean, you're basically writing several different versions of a novel at once, there's always going to be something to tweak. I'm really looking forward to the full game, I loved Pinewood Island, and this looks even more exciting!
Finally gave this a try yesterday and I'm glad I did! I actually began playing it with the intent of playing Micah's route, but as soon as I began interacting with Eva during the security department's open house, she won me over haha. The events that take place with her and her personality are really sweet!
I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the game's full release!
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(Vague spoilers ahead)
I like this games characters and more challenging subject matter. It handles a heavy topic well and balances it with everyday life and comedy. A lot of the personal background details of the side characters, LIs, and the MC are creative and really well done. The art is very nice and the music a little repetitive but overall well chosen. I got it on sale, as I think it is priced too high (no cutscenes, no extra art with LIs, able to reuse backgrounds and music... no idea why it is 15$).
I do wish it had art for cute scenes it describes (holding hands, movies, heart to heart convos, etc)...but never shows anything but sprites and a background.
Types of romance by character:
Micah: sweet and calm
Jude: sweet, funny, dealing with heavy thoughts
Eva: bubbly, cute/clumsy, sweet
Gloria: (comes in pretty late and she seems like a psycho) aggressive but nice?
I played through all the routes at least once so I could leave an honest review of the romance because it seemed lacking in Micah and Jude's routes. And having romanceable characters is kinda a big part of the game. Overall, the romance was just ok. The transition from friends who flirt awkwardly to ... what partners I guess? happens weirdly. I think it could be way smoother if the characters just had a conversation earlier on. Instead of the part where the MC tells herself she's super into someone, just talk about the relationship with the person you're pursuing. "Hey can we talk" "I really like you" and then players can have more agency with how fast they want romantic things to move maybe. (Although the amount of "romantic" things that happen after you I guess "get together" with the person is super small oddly enough). I don't recall asking or being asked out by any of them. Just more than friendly touching, blushing, then later "hanging out" that turns into ya know more than that pretty suddenly, and then you're just together after that and the story is over pretty soon after that. Interactions with LIs seem pretty short too. I feel like I connected more with Sam and Tabitha than some of the LIs.
"more than friendly touching" meaning like who touches someone's cheek because they seem distressed? or who puts their forehead against someone elses while they have their hands on the back of their neck if they aren't together yet??
The single moment you sleep with one of the guys is so fast I laughed both times. Like: blushing, "you wanna stay the night"?, "you kiss", "you get on the bed together"....and you wake up the next morning...?? Oh and they are not in bed with you when you wake up and then they leave. That is the first and last time there is a direct (kinda) explanation of getting intimate with the guys. I totally missed if there was a "sleep together moment" with Eva? And Gloria's "moment" was even faster than the guys with like two sentences and then you go home.
There is a warning for "mild sexual content" but I didn't really see any? Like "He put his hand under my shirt", "she pushed me back against the wall and we laughed" and "we got to 'know each other'" is all I have seen. You could honestly take out the like 5 lines of dialogue that are vaguely referencing the "sexual content" and one thing Sam says and it would be PG13.
It is marketed as having romance but seems really light on that front which is why I am critiquing it so much I guess. I did like a lot of it except the follow through with anything romantic that was more than having a teenage-like crush on them.
Thanks for the feedback! These are things I'm aware of and am working towards doing better in my next game ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed the parts that you did. I also wish we could have gotten CGs funded for AWKI, but they are definitely a thing in In Blood.
I just finished it! I see you made huge improvements in comparison to demo version and I mean more than just the artstyle.
The plot was great. I chose Eva as the romance route and I got The New Beggenings End.
Great game, I really enjoyed it.
I'm so glad you liked it!
I absolutely loved this! My fave romancable character has the same name as I do (Eva!), which I didn't know going in- good thing I didn't name my character Eva, too, lol. This game was SO fun, and I really hope to see more games like this from Jaime Scribbles in the future :)
Thank you! That would have been pretty funny to stumble on mid-game lol
Like a bunch of people I got this through the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and I found it a couple days ago scrolling through the list. I love it so far and when I'm done with it I can't wait to check out more from you!
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!! :D
Hi don't know if you'll see this but I was playing the game just now and I had gotten to week 2 day 1 and when I try to go to the next line it comes up with this error:
I was wondering if you could help me out with this cause I have no idea what this means other than somethings missing.
Thanks! :)
You might want to try redownloading and unzipping the game, it's missing code that should definitely be there. I can't imagine why it would be missing unless an rpy or py or rpyc file somehow got deleted. It is trying to call the first work event. It could also have happened if a career was not assigned somehow, did you skip past the career selection? It might not have stopped on that screen in the same way the other choices would stop.
Let me know if one of those things helps out!
It works now! I had chosen agriculture and then I rolled back to look at the other choices so it must have forgotten the choice I made so when it got to the work event it just wasn't there. But it works now. Thank you, I'm liking the game so far!
Thank you, and I’m glad you got it to work!
There's actually a couple of choices early on where I noticed rolling back with the scroll wheel and then rolling forward causes an error. There's also an early on free time thing that does it. Luckily I realized that there was a blank where the career should be before it caused an actual error.
Thanks for letting me know!
This game had such a fascinating story! Let me preface this with: thank you so much for making this game part of the Racial Equality bundle (and for sharing it with such a wide audience). After going through several routes (thank you also for the guide - i would've never gotten some of them on my own), I can tell this world was carefully built with consideration for those from all walks of life.
I also appreciated how details about the world were nudged out, bit by bit, from various friendships - and how you learned just enough from one person to understand how another's life would be impacted (and vice-versa).
That said, I do have to echo other sentiments re: "the big choice" being way less obvious. On my first run, I had no idea it would lead to the love interest being on the opposite side (and how it automatically locked me into bad ends). It was clear in hindsight, with multiple playthroughs, but definitely threw me for a loop my first time around.
* also, i don't know how feasible this would be for a future game, but when you're given such an impactful choice - the ability to change either the player's or the LI's POV would be so neat! I was half-expecting a discussion about all the shades of grey involved. Maybe I've yet to unlock those endings? But to be clearer: the ending hinging on one choice was only shocking because i believe it comes way sooner than who you romance - and depending on who you pick, the bad ends were much easier to obtain in my gaming experience.
Overall, this game was an unexpected delight, and the world felt so rich, inclusive, and diverse without once feeling preachy or heavy-handed in those themes (I'm especially thinking of the non-romanceable NPCs; I would regularly re-play Trevor's and Sam's 'routes' because they were both such compelling characters, and I really wish we'd gotten the chance to befriend Iris in the same way! Homegirl deserves some love, and not just forever pining after Vince!!). Your team has a great voice re: writing narratives, and I look forward to future games. Any critique offered here is to hopefully help re: future installments, and to explain what I personally would've loved to see!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the game :D
We've taken a lot of the feedback on this game an applied it to In Blood (current game in development) and the endings and choices are a big one. It always helps to get feed back :)
Oh, I absolutely loved the game! Your team worked so hard on it and that love and passion shone through with each playthrough - it was delightful! Seriously, I was laughing and crying with all the various bits of characterization, and your choice of friends was *superb*. I cannot commend you enough for those routes and on letting us choose which one we wanted to befriend. I even wanted to befriend Iris - you made her that sweet and inviting.
I was a little late to your Kickstarter, but I look forward to seeing In Blood when it comes out, and wish you all the best of luck!! I think you've got a tremendous amount of talent, and time will only refine and hone that skill (:
Thank you for all the kind words!! :D
I love this game so much! Admittedly I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's my favorite visual novel-type game I've ever played. I really like getting to develop friendships with all the different characters instead of just the one you decide to romance. Thank you so much for making this part of the Racial Equality Bundle!
Thank you so much! I'm glad I was able to add the game to the bundle and I'm really happy that you enjoyed it!
I'm sorry you struggled with the endings, that and the repetitive parts is common feedback I've gotten so I've definitely taken it to heart to make my future games better.
For the ending, I'm not sure why you can't get it. If you want help though I'd be happy to take a look just let me know. :)
I really liked the game, and did 2 playthroughs already the last few days but had a bit of an issue with the 3rd today.
I had to leave suddenly so I pressed quick save and quit the app, but now I can't seem to start this save file anymore? Maybe I did something wrong though, I'm known to make mistakes quite a lot with quick save and quick load :-)
You should be able to find the quick save under 'Load" on the "Q" page, let me know if it isn't there! If it isn't check under "A" because it will autosave on choices and if you exit the game. (I included and image to help, it can be easy to miss)
Thanks, I found it!
Yay! I’m glad
I got the there for you ending, I was really sad about sam but loved all the different characters, thanks for making this great game! <3
Thank you! I worked really hard on the characters so I love hearing people appreciate them :D
really well written, i got the bloody hands ending though and felt like i never really got a chance to meaningfully interact with the way the story was turning out, even though it was pretty obvious from very early on. the characterization was all fine and i don't have an issue with how it ended, but i felt like i had no agency in choosing where the story goes, which isn't always a bad thing but in this case, with these stakes, it felt unsatisfying.
i'd like to go through and see more of eva's endings but i'm not sure i'll do it, i've never liked replaying VNs since it makes everything feel super mechanical instead of like a developing story, the way it is the first time, y'know? really good game though, thanks for making it part of the racial justice bundle!
edit: this came out harsher than i wanted, i do wanna emphasize how great the characters are here, i can't remember the last time i saw a story with this many unique, three dimensional characters. there's not a single character left undeveloped, you even get a strong sense of some of the background characters which i can't remember ever seeing in a VN. great stuff despite my criticisms.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it. I’m always happy to get feedback, no worries. I hope if you play it again you get a great ending!
What exactly do the cheats do? I enabled them but haven't seen anything different anywhere.
If you don't like how you choice changed the stats, you can roll back and try another choice. It can help you unlock endings or work to get better affections, and so on.
For some reason this didn't work for me when I first tried it yesterday, but going in again to test just now it appeared just fine. Going to chalk this one up to the magic of complaining about a problem on the internet changing reality to make the problem go away. Thanks.
That's ok it happens! I'm glad It's working for you now. :D
Firstly, I thank you for adding As We Know It to the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality.
I have completed one route (got the "Gone" ending) and would like to provide feedback (just in case, it is absolutely subjective). Spoilers.
The stats. All of them become visible only after completing the game. I'd prefer if the stats, stat checks and events (like the flowchart in the guide, but with dates) were visible from the start.
The main choice. I appreciate the opportunity to change it.
The story. The MC did not seem to affect the outcome anyhow, just hanging around and doing nothing. While getting laid is a worthy goal, for the MC it was the only goal. Which brings the second point..
The "routes". The MC's profession affects the ending less than the chosen "romance option" and it seemed impossible to not romance anyone. I have not checked, if the RO always ends up on the opposite side of the main choice, but it was impossible to ditch them, if they do.
In general, the MC does not actively support the mayor or the rebels and it somehow defeats the point of being the main character. If I may compare it to another VN, in Arcade Spirits the MC can set their goal to bring prosperity and fame to their arcade and exact bloodless vengeance upon their rival and romance is completely optional, if not discouraged. Same for Coming Out On Top (the main goal being graduation).
Any chance for the OST to be available on Steam?
Thank you for the feedback. :D
I was going for a more grounded type of story versus a 'chosen one' narrative. The main goal was basically to 'exist' and find a sense of belonging or family. At least that is what I had attempted to do.
Each romance option has their own opinion about the aftermath of the storm, and it doesn't change. There are over 2 dozen endings so hopefully if you replay you get one you like.
The OST isn't available on itch or steam but you can listen to it here on soundcloud.
Thank you for the answer.
Hey, I really enjoyed this game! I've played through several of Jude's endings so far and he's such a sweet boy :) I am wondering though if there's any way in the game to learn more about the sandmen, the storms, and the rebellion? The endings I've played so far have felt really rushed, even though the game was quite detailed in the beginning.
Jude is awesome! You can learn more about the game by playing different jobs, making different friends, and romancing other people.
Well done game I enjoyed it a lot. :)
To offer some constructive feedback, there was a lot of times where you just had to click through days and days without anything meaningful happening.
First playthrough I got the 'Bloody Hands' ending and through the whole ending I felt a bit like I was given a backseat role, with everyone else around me forcing their actions unto me (and my choices mattering very little). Speaking as a trained screenwriter that is not something you generally should go with, unless you can offset that by earlier plot points (which is overwhelmingly difficult to pull off).
I hope you can use the feedback - I will look forward to your next game :)
Thank you for the feedback! It's always appreciated
I enjoyed this game a lot! I thought the concept was interesting, and I liked the subtler ways in which you could bond with people around Camden (and the romance, lol). But I was kind of thrown off by the ending - it seemed like all of the gameplay basically hinged on one choice I made, without me knowing how impactful it'd be later on. I went back and checked out the guide to see what I could have done differently, but based on who I romanced, it seems like it's pretty all or nothing (which does make sense, given their personality). In any case, I had a great time with this game, and I'll defintely be replaying it soon to see what other endings I can get. Thank you!
I'm glad you liked it overall! I've had a few people explain how the "big choice" didn't seem that important to them at first, so I'll be keeping that in mind to make it clearer in other games > < I'm really thankful for feedback so I can grow as a developer :D
Thank you so much for making this, and exploring narrative in gaming (narrative development in gaming is a weird bimodal curve: represented well in indie games and also in AAA blockbusters, who can afford it and recognize the need for it) in such an inclusive and interesting way. There's elements of this that remind me of the Wool series and while I normally don't like post-apocalyptic works, this is worth playing.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
Hi there!
I have so much affection for this game. Not only is it inclusive and diverse, but it starts good dialogues. I've played three routes so far and only downloaded it two days ago. Thank you for your hard work in making it. I could not recommend it more highly. I've wanted a game with a lesbian romance not marketed to men solely based on s*x for so long.
I do have a question, because I am an oblivious fool. How do I raise my standing within the community? I know it plays a role in ones' ending, because you wouldn't include it otherwise, but I have thoroughly confused myself. Thank you so much for any time you spend answering this <3
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! XD
The standing can be a bit tricky, but basically you'll want to 'go with the flow' in some choices. waking up early, participating in things, basically anything that makes you a better Camden citizen will help raise that :D
Okay cool! That makes a lot of sense. Maybe my instincts are to be a bad citizen haha. tysm!!
Great game but the fact that the good or bad ending is tied to two little choices made throughout this 2+ hour long game is kind of ridiculous. That's my only complaint. (Really wanted the good end but just because I thought the Mayor made a bad choice my character decided letting sandmen in was a great idea.)
I'm glad you liked it despite that complaint! I had wondered if I should try to make the "big" choice more obviously "big" so I'll have to keep that in mind going forward. Thank you for telling me.
There is a way to get good endings no matter which way you choose though, there is a route guide that you can download for free. It is near where you would download the free demo/other game files on the main game page.
It can depend on your standing, who you befriend, and who you romance on top of the "big" choice. I hope you can get a better ending next play through! :D
i stayed up playing till dawn and had a blast! even if i got a bad end with jude lol it was so worth it :)
I hope you get a good end next time! Thank you for your kind words!
one of my favorite games in the justice equality bundle <3 I haven't played video games in a long time it feels like this reminds me of middle school playing dating sims on deviant art haha
I'm so happy to hear you like it so much! <3
This game is wonderful! There is just so much to explore and all the characters are amazing!
Thank you for the kind words! <3
(posted this in a rating but thought I should share it here too!)
This game is absolutely fantastic and a joy to play! I have spent hours exploring the available options with all of the different characters. It doesn't feel rushed AT ALL which is rare for a game of this genre. The amount of effort and lore you have included really makes this a singular experience and you feel like you're a part of the story! Virtually every character has a detailed personality and backstory, it kept me interested throughout the game. I'm completely charmed, and I look forward to seeing future games from you!
Thank you so much that really means a lot to hear that! <3
I'm so glad! :D You worked incredibly hard on this game, I can tell!! x
I was wondering if this was compatible with Microsoft Surface Pro X running Windows 10 with Microsoft SQ1 ARM chip with SQ1 Adreno 685 GPU Processor. I've had problems with other games if they're 64bit but not ARM compatible. 32 bit programs run fine though. Thanks!
The game is 32 bit so it should run alright!
Are you available to contact over instagram? I don't have twitter but I would really love to check out the deluxe version! if you don't have instagram, no worries :)
I'm not really on Instagram, but you can email me at: scribblegamesvn[at]gmail[dot]com it just might take me a bit longer to get you the download key :D twitter is just on my phone and I check it more often. I do check my email 1-2x a day though!
What an excellent game! I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, downloaded about 50 games from it, opened this one first and played it all day. And I have no regrets - congrats for this beautiful and gripping game!
Thank you for playing it! I'm glad you enjoyed it <3
If you've gotten this game as part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and would like the Art book and Wallpapers please DM me on twitter! That is the fastest way to get in touch with me, please allow me a few days to get to you :D
I will send you a download link!
I love this so much! I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and saw this game. I immediately saw the characters and fell in love! I spent like two/three-ish hours playing one route and tried not to cry because it was three in the morning, lol. I'll be honest, I would've even payed full-price for a game as in-depth, emotional, and fun as this one. :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
please DM me on twitter for the deluxe bonus content! That is the fastest way to get in touch with me, just allow me a day or two to get to your message.
I will send you a download link!
I got this as part of the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality and would like the Deluxe Edition Content (wallpapers and artbook). What do I need to do?
please DM me on twitter! That is the fastest way to get in touch with me, just allow me a day or two to get to your message.
I will send you a download link!
How do i get access to the guide if i installed the game during pay what you want event?
I just saw the files got kinda screwy when I changed it back to the price. It is now fixed! Just select download next to the Guide and Tips! Sorry about that.
This was a huge disappointment. I love the concept, the art, the characters... But I waited so long for this and it ended up being mostly boring filler, it was like a run on sentence and then it just seemed to end so abruptly. There was just so little actual story, most of the time was spent fleshing out what ever characters you ran into all in between the same boring daily work text. You get little blurbs with random characters which was all nice but like... The plot got so little attention, it was all hearsay, the character wasn't really involved and then when the story finally seems to be beginning, it just... Ends? It was unfortunately boring and not worth 20$, imo.
I'm sorry it wasn't what you were looking for.
Me too, but I liked the writing and your other stories, so I'm still looking forward to the next one.
Hopefully you'll like the next one much better :)
This is my kind of game
that's good to hear!
Full version out now? :D
Yes it is! Very exciting
:D Great game so far, I'm really enjoying it!! I have two questions: 1. Is there a walkthrough for the game? 2. Will it ever be possible to buy the artbook separately from the game? I ask because I bought the game on Steam and didn't want to pay for it again by trying to buy the artbook on here.
I am working on a walkthrough! It'll be out in a few days :)
I can make the art book and wallpapers available for separate purchase! I wasn't aware anyone would be interested in that
I have uploaded a guidebook! (see above) and I have a link where the bonus content can be purchased separately :D
😍 I saw, thank you!! Can't wait to get back to playing tonight.
Hey! I absolutely adore this game and have been waiting for the full release in anticipation! Just saw that it is to be released today, is this still happening?
ps. you’re doing a great job!
it is!! In a few hours XD (I have to get my daughter ready for school, and then drop her off, and THEN make a giant cup of coffee lol)
There are no words that properly describe how hyped I am for this game! Eva is a total babe (I think I may be in love with her), Jude is giving me some edgy alternative rock/plant mom vibes, Micah is grade A husband material, and Gloria is killing the game without a hair out of place. This not even mentioning the supporting cast, who I adore. I was in tears when I saw the bracelet on Vince's wrist cause I just know Tabby made it, (father of the year for sure)! In the end, the characters, setting, and general aesthetic of the game is having me counting down the days till the May release.
Thank you and your team so much for putting in all this work to give the public this amazing content!
Thanks so much! I don't think I mention it in-game but Tabby def made Vince that cute bracelet. I'm really glad you're enjoying the game and hope you like the final product ^^
Just finished the demo and it looks very promising! The setting is very interesting and it makes me want to know more about it! I can't wait to discover more about this world, and about all the characters' backstories! Also, as someone who suffers from anxiety, I could really relate with Ashlynn, but in a way that wasn't stressful for me, so that was great!
I found the system of stress and standing interesting too, and it is nice to have it recapped with the state of the relationships, it really makes it easier to see where we're going. I was expecting more things to do with the job we chose for Ashlynn, but I suppose this will come in time with the rest of the story. The cliffhanger at the end of the demo was really unexpected!
Funny thing is, when I first saw Eva, I was thinking she would be my last choice at romance because by her looks she really wasn't my type, but she won me over with her personality and is now my favorite!
I look forward the release of this game! Cheers :)
Thanks so much I'm glad you're enjoying the demo!
I finished the demo and it is a really well made game! I love it! The plot is very interesting and the ending definitely left me with wanting more. The art is stunning and the characters are lovely... I'm very curious as to how things will turn out. And Eva is a major cutie, I can't get enough of her flirting hehe.
I wish you luck on the project!
Thanks so much! Full game will be released in May, so hopefully that isn't too long to wait
I don't know if this is the right place to note this, but I found a couple typos. On Week 2 Day 2, if you're on the Security team, there's the line "I sat there for my tnire shift, bored out of my mind." I'm guessing that's supposed to be "entire" rather than "tnire".
In the medical team branch, the dialog mentions Iris handing you a "crisp white uniform", but the uniform the sprite is wearing is blue.
On Week 2 Day 4, there's the line "Iris was feverently trying to duck...", I think that's supposed to be "fervently".
Really enjoying the demo so far, looking forward to the full game!
this is an okay place to post it, I'll check to see if those have been fixed and if they haven't- fix them. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I and others comb through the script little errors always slip through lol
I mean, you're basically writing several different versions of a novel at once, there's always going to be something to tweak. I'm really looking forward to the full game, I loved Pinewood Island, and this looks even more exciting!
<3
Finally gave this a try yesterday and I'm glad I did! I actually began playing it with the intent of playing Micah's route, but as soon as I began interacting with Eva during the security department's open house, she won me over haha. The events that take place with her and her personality are really sweet!
I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the game's full release!
Thanks so much! I think Eva wins a lot of people over lol