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January Update: Mind Blind 2.0, Chapters 13 & 14 (Now With Zero Construction!)
🕑 Added 2023-02-01 00:51:34 +0000 UTCI’m desperately trying to finish by May, as that will mark Mind Blind’s 3-year anniversary. I want to write other stories! Maybe go on vacation before putting on Delivery for the Damned, because last year was stressful.
Now that I’ve moved back to Chicago, I’ve finally got a chance to breathe and process and all the events of last year just . . . hit me. Hit me hard. Like a truck, or a really angry duck. I’ve been coping with anxiety, so that’s why I’ve been super quiet on social media (which has always been something that stressed me out). I do need to finally look in my inbox, however, as emulating an ostrich and pretending the world doesn’t exist isn’t long-term viable.
(Heh: emulating an ostrich.)
That being said, I do have friends that drag me outside on occasion, which is good because I don’t have the long white beard to fully commit to hermitcore. And I’ll get in a better headspace—I always do! Finishing Mind Blind will help with that, as I’m honestly really bummed by how long this project is taking. Working as my mom's caretaker slowed things down, true, but the main issue is that there’s just . . . so many . . . words.
Too many words, if I'm being honest. Way more words than anyone needs. Next book, I'm dreaming smaller.
Mind Blind currently has over a million words (including coding, though, so average playthrough should only be around 130,000 – 145,000), and I still have a few endings to finish (and then code so that they’re playable).
To give you an idea of what I’m dealing with, here's my fine-I-give-up-keeping-this-in-my-head chart of all of Mind Blind’s endings:
That first purple dot marks Chapter 17, but some of the endings are dependent on stuff that happens as early as Chapter 13. Which is to say . . . It’s a lot, and there’s a lot of writing. So that’s what I’m doing, but I know that I need to also be a better communicator since you guys are what enables me to write in the first place.
(Seriously, Mind Blind would've been long abandoned were it not for your support.)
Anyway, I wanted (and kept optimistically promising) to release the grouped Vengeance endings, but I keep adding more because endings aren’t necessarily straightforward paths—there’s a lot of leaping around, and replay reveals gaps. I wanted to get everything out this January (thus this post happening on the 31, but I refused to admit defeat until I literally ran out of time), Chapter 15 is undergoing rewrites due to events which take place in the “Plot Armor, Dramatic Sacrifice Edition (Var C)” ending, and those changes impact events/code in the “Pragmatism Is Sexy Because You’re Not Dead” ending.
Which is to say, it’s all such a tangle that’s it’s hard to release one portion without the rest. The Vengeance endings are almost finalized though, so I should be able to put them up soon. (Granted, I thought that two months ago, but then Caleb unexpectedly bashed AL over the head with his laptop and I rolled with it.)
So I’m stamping “May 2023” as my FINISH EVERYTHING deadline, and will do my best to release chunks as soon as they’re ready. Ready meaning “functionally playable.” I’m not polishing everything yet in these later chapters because the content is too much in flux.
Anyhow, Mind Blind 2.0 now has Chapters 13 and 14 (link at bottom)! Most of these changes were made months ago, so the changelog is by no means exhaustive as I don’t remember everything that I altered 😅
Chapter 13:
1) No more “Under Construction” portions! Branch for Nover!Buttons (Buttons with a super bad relationship with Nick, and who thus didn’t realize certain things in Chapter 12) is now fully playable.
2) The option to throw Kenzie under the bus has been (temporarily?) removed while I reevaluate if I actually want to write that pathway (if the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak). It changes a huge amount of the Vengeance-branched endings, basically necessitating two separate versions (so doubling those endings). I started writing it and disliked doing so (because Kenzie is my baby), so put the betray arch to the side and may not pick it up again. Given how many endings there are already (see attached pic), I’m just not sure if I have time to add in yet one more and still finish by May.
3) Reese no longer lets just anyone take the Pollard Machine. For those who are in good enough standing with them to take it, however, there’s an additional payoff in Chapter 15.
4) Ace version has been added in for the Kenzie kiss scene (should Button blow their cover with Vengeance).
5) More questions to ask Reese, and new clues regarding certain paperwork (which comes in handy in Chapter 16).
Chapter 14:
1) No more “Under Construction” pathways! Chapter is now double its original length, even with me tidying up and condensing the code.
2) Added in alternative scenes where Button can potentially black out while mind-merging with Shard. High-confidence Buttons get a different version of this scene.
3) Chapter structure been overhauled. Should Button accept Shard’s help, only Buttons romancing Gray or Sally will have the later option to let their RO check to make sure that Shard is gone. All Buttons who reject Shard will get the Sally/Gray check, but I felt that it was more impactful to otherwise end the chapter with Shard vanishing unless you’re romancing those two (Gray’s scene being integral to his “main” romance path).
4) Speaking of romance, Gray’s kiss now has an ace pathway (one kiss-avoidant, one not).
5) Shard has new monologues, version dependent on you rejected them, accepted their help, or fainted. (Also on whether they luuuuuuuuuv you. Reluctantly, and much to their disgust.)
6) Here’s a clue, there’s a clue, every where’s a new clue (albeit, you need to go back to earlier chapters to catch them).
New Link: https://dashingdon.com/play/wildelight/miind-blilnd/mygame/
Comments
saarebasra
Re: "but I felt that it was more impactful to otherwise end the chapter with Shard vanishing unless you’re romancing those two" Sorry if I'm annoying about this: If Button accepts Shard without romancing Gray or Sally (= no Sally/Gray check), does that automatically mean there is no follow-up conversation with anybody? (I finally read some of your post notes and figured that might be the "problem".) The only real difficulty here, for me, is the bumpy chapter 15 transition when we're directly catapulted into the van scenario which assumes that, in the meantime, Button must have shared their new Nick insights with the rest of the gang... but, apparently, off-screen. I'm not even against that particular conversation happening off-screen in some game paths. However, in this case, I would find (at least) the implication that Button intends to talk with *somebody* (e.g. Button grabbing their phone or heading to the guest bedroom where Sally is staying) at the end of chapter 14 immensely helpful. To my mind, it would help create a noticeably smoother bridge to the beginning of chapter 15.
saarebasra
In general: Rosy's tea relationship status ("The chemistry between you and ${Ambrose} is hotter ...") appears *before* Rosy actually serves Button tea (chapter 12). For me, it happened during the training session in chapter 8. Also, the "Ambrose" in parentheses should read ${Ambrose}. Suggestion: It would be funny if Rosy’s relationship status mirrored current events in relation to the Button/Rosy chemistry. Example: generic reference (chapter 8 - 10), "more explosive than Glitch’s blueberry muffin" (chapter 10 - 12), "hotter than the tea …" (chapter 12 - end). Re: Chapter 14. 1. I played different versions of the Button/Shard encounter and not in all of them, Button was able to confide in somebody before the next chapter started. Without the room to address the emotional fallout of this chapter, the transition to chapter 15 felt rather abrupt. Was that intentional? On my end, I'm going to assume that the conversation variable for non-fainting Buttons simply does not fire correctly. The specifics: Rosymancer. Cover intact, Sally at the house. Collaborating until the very end. Outcome: The Button/Shard scene ends with "No one answers. For the first time tonight, you’re truly alone", leading to "Another Perspective", followed directly by the start of chapter 15. Even if Rosy isn't supposed to show up in every single scenario, Button should be able to tell at least somebody about their experience. When I played a slightly different game path (= Button trying to unmask Shard and fainting), I got a scene after Shard’s POV in which Rosy finds Button and leaves them with Sally. This scenario, in comparison, felt a lot more coherent and satisfying. 2. Any chance the big Shard Confidence check (resistance) could be made more accessible considering that it provides a memorable combination of Shard romance/mystery? I was only able to trigger it by meta-gaming like a champ which was a shame considering that Button’s customizability is a huge part of MB’s appeal. I don’t want to feel as if I lose out on content simply because I focus on the "wrong" traits. That said, even with Confidence as their "main" stat (aka options that appealed to me the most without directly checking the code), my canon Button still was eleven points short. 3. Nitpick, but: It seems a little counterintuitive to gate the insight that Shard's touch is familiar (#"Something about them felt familiar. As if we'd met somewhere before.") behind a stat check when the very first sentence upon Shard's arrival in chapter 14 reads: "And their touch feels familiar." Maybe specify in the resistance scene a little more why/how it's a different familiarity. If it's genuinely meant to be just a *teeny-tiny* hint, then I understand. 4. Just here to say that "I can’t trust books anymore, ${Kim}. Books are my life. That bastard has ruined my life" is the single most devastating new Button option I’ve glimpsed since last playing the demo in 2022. It just adds such a satisfying oomph to the situation, especially with a good and/or romantic Rosy relationship in place because books are a constant theme there (extra points for reading the Aeon Student Guide, Button the "book thief", the bookcase providing protection during Rosy’s training, and a book -- perhaps even Rosy’s -- as the opportune surface for Shard’s assault).
Sharp
Thanks for the update, personal and game-wise! Continue taking care of yourself, you're doing great! I really love the clues being placed.
Hey, if you’re dealing with anxiety, my therapist recommended some books to me. I’ve only read one so far but it’s been very helpful. It’s called “10 days to great self-esteem” by Dr. David Burns. The others are called “Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy” and “Feeling Good: The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work.” Both are by the same author. I don’t know how helpful it’ll be to you as every person is different but it’s helped me immensely so far and I’m only on Step 5. Idk, if you find yourself with some free time they may be worth a read. Wish you the best.
I'm happy to hear that you're taking steps to protect your mental well-being, we got your back! 💖
Riveringrio
Life can be very overwhelming and hard sometimes, so please always prioritise yourself. We will always be here for you 💜 We all can’t wait to see what you have in store for your writing but take your time!! And thank you for the delicious update, it’s 3am for me so I shall succumb to Mind Blind’s kingdom rather than Morpheus’🫡
Alex Roberts
Please take as much time as you need. Your mental well-being is more important
