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Mind Blind 2.0: Chapter 15 Update
🕑 Added 2023-03-30 21:27:10 +0000 UTCChapter 15's final form is over 80,000 words.😐
That’s the size of a whole novel. I’m both proud of and annoyed by my inability to curtail my ambition. I’m making good progress, though, and am still aiming to release all the endings by May! All are written (albeit not coded), except for the two where a certain vigilante ends up to jail (I need to emotionally brace myself to write those, I think).
(Ideally, I’ll release the Vengeance endings first as planned, but it’s a tangled spiderweb of code and I’ve been out of adhd meds for the past two month. It’s incredible how much better track I can keep of the branching narrative since my pharmacy got my prescription back in stock last week.)
(Warning: Spoilers for Chapter 15 ahead! Link at the bottom of post.)
Chapter 15 is pretty different from its original version! Mostly because there's a lot more to it. Initially, all pathways ended up attempting to break into Vengeance’s safehouse. Now, the chapter begins one of three ways:
1) The original version, with Button and gang on route to the safehouse. This version plays out if Button accepts Shard’s help and learns where/how Nick is being kept. There are also multiple new options on how to get into the house, including using Glitch’s drone and calling Sally’s dad for ideas. This route also includes shiny new blueprints of the house (please let me know if the images don't show up for you).
2) Should Button NOT accept Shard’s help, there’s no heist to enter the safehouse. Instead, half the chapter is spent interrogating either Caleb or Isaiah (depending on your decisions in earlier chapters).
3) A third variation plays out should Button initially accept Shard’s assistance only to reject it (either by giving up or attempting to turn the tables) midway through their weird-psychic-brainmerge-thingy. While this branch ultimately connects to Path #2 (the interrogation scenes), it includes additional variations of the Chapter 14 scenes with Gray and Sally.
Regardless of which path you pursue, you always end up at the mansion (albeit with minor changes like Caleb being your creepy cheerleader over the com). The house investigation has been reorganized, however, so that your choices are more impactful and have payoff in future chapters.
Should you break into the house quickly (or with the assistance of Caleb/Isaiah, because they know the alarm code), you have more time and can find all the clues: it doesn’t matter whether you examine Reese’s bathroom or bedroom first. If you don’t manage to turn the alarm off in under seven seconds, the information you gain depends upon order of investigation. Pick the bedroom, and you won't have time to find Reese's hair dye, but you will discover a clue which you can gain further insight . . . provided you pick an option that matches your stats OR an option which correlates with how Button passed the ASE back in Chapter 2 (Buttons that got into fights and the beard-disguise Button don’t have this extra option, but they get other opportunities to shine in Chapter 16).
Perhaps the most important change is that you now have a choice whether or not to follow Kenzie down the dark passageway. Choose not to follow them to Crazy Town, and you can instead escape by yourself. (Warning: Glitch won’t be happy should you take this second option.)
I’m still fixing the code for the second and third routes of Chapter 15, as the inclusion of Caleb/Isaiah has ripple effects for most endings. That being said, I wanted to at least release the expanded version of the heist this month. To play through this version of Chapter 15, accept Shard’s help in the previous chapter and don’t pass out.
It’s also very possible that some Chapter 15 scenes may be a little wonky transition-wise—Path #1 alone is a 114-page document, so I’ve probably mislabeled at least one scene. If you discover a sentence that randomly breaks off mid-adjective, please let me know. I honestly have a love-hate relationship this chapter because there’s so much variation (although my hope is that makes it fun to play!).
The rest of Chapter 15 should be ready for public consumption in a few days, but if you have time to play through the heist and provide feedback, I’d love to hear your opinions. Button’s B&E can play out a LOT of ways, and I haven’t yet been able to personally playtest the more obscure routes.
Semi-Interesting Factoids:
1) Innovative and Insightful Buttons have multiple advantages during the heist (scores usually need to be above 50), whereas Interpersonal Buttons shine during the interrogation scenes with Isaiah/Caleb.
2) The “Genius” option for passing the ASE (“I’m smart, pure and simple.”) lets you bypass the most Innovative/Insightful/Interpersonal stat checks in Chapter 15.
3) Interpersonal Buttons still have some bonuses in Path #1, such as the ability to call Sally’s dads without needing to pass a high relationship check with Sally.
4) Only female mosquitos bite.
5) Insightful Buttons should try the new IC-U2 options. Ignore Glitch’s protestations—you won’t take too bad of an affection loss.
To play through this version of Chapter 15, accept Shard’s help in the previous chapter and don’t pass out:
https://dashingdon.com/play/wildelight/chapter-15-update-part-1/mygame/
Comments
saarebasra
Not sure if this is really a continuity issue but I thought I better mention it: When Button assumes that "!{Noh} specifically targeted UCRT's headquarters to punish Nick", they outright contradict what Shard can tell them during their one-on-one in chapter 14: "My timing was regrettable." You set a Nickwhoopsie flag for Button seeing Shard's admission, so maybe it should figure into this somehow?
saarebasra
- Are you even aware how much you undersold the Caleb interrogation? Rosy stans should be giggling, blushing, kicking their feet at this MAJOR moment of self-revelation. Glitch's presence makes it even better. Genuinely, I'm rethinking my Shard-collaboration approach because all the narrative Rosy advantages seem to lie on the resistance path -- even without meeting the Confidence check in chapter 14. - Frustrating stuff that I encountered: -> If you click on the "What about IC-U2?", is it intentional that the floor plan doesn't show again when the player is prompted to type in the word? Here's what happened to me: I eagerly clicked on the IC-U2 option because I expected another conversation, not a prompt related to the map that I barely looked at (sorry, but in the majority of IF games, images tend to be more an accessory than anything else, hence my screen-reader suggestion yesterday). As a resident doofus who regularly fails these basic difficulty checks, I'd suggest an option like "Before I make any hasty decisions, let me look at the plan again." If you don't want to cater to idiots like me, you do you, but in a game as large as this one (without a save function in its end state, I assume?) small flubs like this can be rage-inducing. -> I'm not a huge fan of how some of our heist attempt options remain boxed in (= only available when checking the respective floor plan) if we've already looked at them once. -> One reason for the above: After some time switching through the options (just reading, not even choosing an action), I'm locked out of examining the floor plans (= the options appear greyed out) and, therefore, I also lose out on being able to choose the heist options attached to them. If this was done to create pressure, I would get it if I had failed at/dismissed an entry option, but why am I being punished for merely evaluating my choices? I liked that Rosy starts shooting once Button takes too long to find the key. However, why should the player be sanctioned for taking in/navigating the whole array of choices? This, I feel, is particularly crucial for first-time players because such a scenario can easily be overwhelming. Though, to be fair, I'm also speaking as a doofus player with the visual/tactical thinking capabilities of a fruit fly.
Jo O'Connor
No, don't worry! You'll still be able to choose Rosy
Erin Harding
Awesome update, I've been looking forward to this! I think I accidentally triggered Shard's romance at the end of chapter 14 on my Rosy runthrough. Does this lock me out of Rosy's route? I know that they're a bit more difficult to romance compared to the others.
Miss Cellaneous
Omg thanks lolol! The bliss my brain is feeling now lol. 😄
Jo O'Connor
Yes, they got a name change :)
Jo O'Connor
Make sure you're using the same web browser each time, but yes your saves should be carrying over each update! I'm trying to be careful to not upload the updates for old files so people's saves work.
Miss Cellaneous
Sorry but it's boggling my mind so bad. Weren't Glitch's 'Sole Survivors' originally called 'Fancy dancy feet'. I just gotta know cause i litterally can't remember lol.
Meowzers’ Epiphany
Oh wait, you have your previous saves? Is there a way to save besides on the website itself? My saves just all disappear and I assumed that was normal all this time lmao
Pegg
I loaded a previous save without any issue :)
*screaming, crying, throwing up* this update was sooo good!
Meowzers’ Epiphany
Does anyone know if this can be played with my old playthrough or I should just do a new run? I’m not against it either way it’s very fun >:)
