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Ignatius M. Meen posted:Ignore Diana, and argue that we have brought the least predictable outcome about by stopping all the murder plots from happening. This. Mostly just because being a contraband rear end about the whole thing has been this runs gimmick anyways, so we might as well pitch it as a good thing.
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Dec 10, 2023 07:00
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| # ? May 6, 2024 00:55 |
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(My instincts are to go to Kadmos first. He likes feeling important.) There's nowhere else Kadmos would be than the Throne Room, preparing for what's to come.  (We've never bothered visiting this location before. Let's not overwhink the portraits.) Besides the stranger and the man sitting atop the throne itself, the room is empty. It suddenly seems cavernous, as if it's going to swallow you whole. Kadmos barely acknowledges you as you walk towards his throne.  (So did you, thanks to me.) Kadmos: How fortunate. For you. > I'm ready for my evaluation Kadmos: The Convergence is nearing its end and my Family is full of strong contenders still.   (Oof, I don't really like any of these answers. 'Survive' sounds too weak, for him. 'Win' is… not actually quite right, and somewhat predictable. 'Glory' sounds a little foolhardy. But it's the one I can see spinning somewhere closest to what I really mean, even though I doubt it'll turn out that way.) > I want glory Kadmos: Others fight for the same prize as you. These others are of superior rank and birth. But you seem to think you've outwitted them. Kadmos: You walk with a knowing arrogance in your step. (I probably do, at that!) Kadmos: Tell me, if you survive. What is it you'll do?  > I will take it (I may not mean that the way YOU think, but…) Kadmos: Good. An adequate response, there may be hope for you. A Contestant that we all overlooked at first…  (We're not going to pick on the Servants. The Artists are a total mess, but we're friends with some of them, and we've already chosen that we're ignoring Diana so…) > The New Blood are fools Kadmos: We are in agreement. Before you can say anything, you are silenced. Kadmos beckons you with a finger to follow him. > Follow Kadmos Kadmos: You have plans, I assume? Kadmos stops midway and looks at you with thinly veiled annoyance. Kadmos: Keep up. And tell me about your plans. (That's going to be hard through a multiple-choice system!)  Soon, the brick and concrete walls of the Throne Room melt away, replaced with that of the castle hallway. The journey is filled with silence. Kadmos does not want to hear from you, not yet. He finally stops.  The Armoury is as tranquil as always. But being surrounded by weaponry doesn't make you feel any more at ease.  > My actions speak for me Kadmos: Indeed, they do. That is the last thing Kadmos says to you, and with one parting glance at the room, he leaves you. (Odd. Especially since he badgered us about plans and then didn't want them. And to bring us here? Is this a hint?) You exit shortly after as well, there's nothing more to be done here. Not now, anyways. Who will you speak to next? > Lisbeth (Balancing the scales, so to speak.)  It seems that the emptiness has only worsened the dreary conditions of this so-called common room for the Servants. It isn't hard to spot Lisbeth, who's kneeling beside a large ornate vase which, by the looks of it, has seen better days. The vase is completely cracked on one end as Lisbeth handles each piece like a puzzle to be solved. > Assist Lisbeth You wordlessly kneel down next to Lisbeth and hand her one of the bigger pieces to slot into place. She regards you with a smile before applying the binding agent, sealing the cracked piece in place.  It turns out the damage done was more than I'd anticipated… and your timing is impeccable. > Who did that?  Lisbeth: Not the only crockery that has felt their wrath throughout the Convergence. > It's uncalled for Lisbeth: We're not ones to judge. (No, but I am.) Lisbeth: Lord knows we've done worse. Come now, it's done and we have other matters to discuss.  The brick and concrete walls soon disappear and you're greeted with the blues of the sky and the green of the grass. It's peaceful outside; a brand new day filled with hints of sun peeking through clouds.  > Isn't this…? Lisbeth: This is where you first met me, yes.   Lisbeth: How does it feel? How do you feel? > I'm a little nervous Lisbeth: Even now? When you're at the point of no return? But why? You've earned your place amongst us. You've come a long way since and have taken control of your story. Indeed, it's as I said so long ago… the Convergence brings out one's true nature. Lisbeth: But enough of that. I want to know about your regrets. (I regret that we couldn't help P finish her zombie because we had to save Artemis.) Lisbeth: Is there anything you wish you could have done differently? > I have some regrets  (Awkward to fit any of my actual feelings into these options…) > I wish I'd acted sooner Lisbeth: Ava's desperation has shocked us all, but even she has her reasons. Much like yourself when you chose to withhold that information. Information that could have altered the course and saved lives. (Uh… That sounds like a bug because I don't know WHAT you're talking about. Or else I've forgotten us covering up her actions, which is possible.)  Lisbeth turns away from you for a moment to focus on the fountain that's out of water. You watch as she slides a finger over the edge, noting the dust with a look of disdain and irritation.  Lisbeth: Before I leave, is there anything you want to ask me? > Are you happy with me?  Lisbeth: And you… Grandchild of Eve, you've made decisions that have gone against my better judgement. But you've survived and navigated your way to where you are now, regardless of how. Lisbeth: That is what the Convergence is. Going against the odds… and adapting to survive.  > Thank you for everything Lisbeth smiles at you, and for the first time since you met her, it seems to reach her eyes.  Lisbeth: I’ll see you at the Coronation. I’d advice you not to be late, but your timing has been rather impeccable. Lisbeth regards you with a nod and a goodbye before she returns to the Castle. Now alone in the Courtyard, you take a look around and absorb your surroundings. The main gate is only a few steps in front… Perhaps true freedom really is just a few steps away for you now. Or maybe you’re truly lost in this prison, never to escape this new life… Not long to go now until your questions are answered.
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Dec 10, 2023 19:27
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Which elder will you speak to now? > Floris  You see Floris leaning over the torn-off faces, carefully laying a skin-thin layer of latex across them. > Wait Very carefully he pins the sheet to the doll's face. With the back of a brush he presses parts of the sheet inside the folds of the head. It gives the torn-off face a weirdly human look.  > What are you working on?  Floris: I'm experimenting with some techniques, some ideas. I was considering doing something with the concept of a simulacrum, but to invoke comfort and discomfort simultaneously. Floris: For instance, what if everyone had a mannequin with a perfect copy of their face on it at home?  (Honestly my first thought was 'Use it for makeup tests' so I guess…) > I'd dress it up Floris: It would certainly be a better representation than a mirror. But you're not here to muse over my pieces. You're here because you want me to like you. (Well, 'like' is such a strong word…) Floris: … Well, let's have a chat, shall we? (Oddly, we still get 'I want to join the Artists' as an option here! But we've decided on independence, so) > Ask me anything Floris: Fantastic! Let's talk about murder. (Murder? Generally not a fan.)  Floris: Dull and boring, one could even say. > I enjoyed finding alternatives  > It's a big puzzle, right? Floris: To navigate through the Convergence without a single murder? Yes, I suppose it is. Floris: I do hope you understand that there is no reward waiting for you at the end just because you didn't kill. (The experience of annoying you was reward enough!) Floris: Let's move on. You've decided to aid Paye.  (Seriously I wanted to but…) > I had something else to do Floris; Ah yes, the curse of the time limit. I hope your time was spent well! Fortunately, for you, there shall always be a next time… (o-ho! Do you know that we timeloop, then?) Floris: So, you stopped Ronaldo, didn't you? By… talking to him?  (Well, we clearly DID solve the problem with talking and insight, and we are a smartass, and we're telling him about our interest in puzzles, so…) > I could easily manipulate him  > I first made him feel bad, then good  (… thank you for making that sound lovely.)  (Well these options are dumb. Also he was gonna blow himself up anyway, we were talking him OUT of it! We were stopping murders, remember?) > He looked like he'd tried already Floris: Like everything in his life, he even failed at that. (You're such a dick.) Floris: Ah, look at the time. Well, I have more Candidates to speak to, and I'm sure you have your own things to worry about. Anything else? > Thank you for your time  Floris: Leave.  (I have played past this point. However, I will put a pause here for antici…
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Dec 10, 2023 19:36
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Seems like Floris was at least amused by keeping people alive and Lisbeth seemed cool with it as well.
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Dec 10, 2023 21:12
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Internet Savant posted:Seems like Floris was at least amused by keeping people alive and Lisbeth seemed cool with it as well. If Floris knows we can timeloop, that also might explain him overstepping the rules of the Convergence to kill us that one time. After all, he couldn't truly kill us unless we chose to stay dead, so it's more about making us experience something horrific and shocking. Not that I think he's against murder, quite the opposite, but as chaotic as he is I suppose there are still rules he has to respect during certain rituals, and I assumed the Elders killing Contestants would be forbidden because otherwise it'd be too easy to take out the competition and promote your own house. If my read on Floris is right, he wants entertainment and chaos, yes, but he can probably appreciate the subversion of expectations in a wet blanket Convergence as long as it's because someone is deliberately making it happen and not because all the Contestants are boring and not committed. I think he'd be quite frustrated if it happened too often, but as long as it's just the one time, well, it's a new experience.
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Dec 11, 2023 00:18
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Floris is a colossal dick, so he recognizes our game in having a murder game where nobody dies just to be contrarian. And if the game has achievements, advancing past this line better have immediately resulted in an achievement unlocked polyp. No really, the gag wrote itself posted:Floris: I do hope you understand that there is no reward waiting for you at the end just because you didn't kill.
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Dec 11, 2023 01:11
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FoolyCharged posted:.  As in we hope a lovecraftian thing comes flying in and eat him? Or maybe we wish gastrointestinal polyps on him?
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Dec 11, 2023 12:03
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Well, that was an interesting auto correct. I meant pop up. Preferably titled something like "well, actually..."
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Dec 11, 2023 12:24
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There IS a Pacifist steam achievement available. But it did not pop up at that moment. More on that subject later.
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Dec 11, 2023 15:32
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… pation.) High Priest Theseus climbs the stairs to the podium once more. He bows deeply before Eve and turns back to the crowd.  (Calloo, callay!) High Priest: And what a Convergence it has been! We have seen the smartest, the most vicious and the most evocative of humanity strive to prove themselves worthy to lead our Families. High Priest; And once more I am honoured to say that we've been successful.  (Praise Druhtin!) Across the whole hall echoes the same sentiment: Druhtin prevails. But unlike the dark tension of the Ceremony, you feel a clear sense of elation. As if the first rays of spring sun had touched the lands.  (Well that's decidedly odd. What would we be interrupting for? I don't know, so I'm not going to pick it.) > Say nothing High Priest: Elders, what is your judgement?  (Huh. I thought we made some inroads with him, but full victory?)  (Did we win this thing?)  Diana: I support Doortje. (… Of ALL the names I thought she might pick that is the LAST one I would have expected.)   (Well, he's… not exactly thrilled about this.)  (… yay?) High Priest: Come forth, now. The members of the different branches look up, bemused, at Theseus' announcement… (This pops the 'Independent' achievement, for becoming Favourite without joining a Family) … but the final conclusion was irrevocable, your ascension as certain as a destiny carved in stone. And slowly, as this new reality dawned upon them, they started applauding you. Even patting your shoulders as you walk towards the stage.  And while dead, inside of her gaze you feel you spot a glint of pride. > I’m ready for your gift  Nor do you remember the excruciating pain you experienced as the power of the Druhtin took hold of you. Your soul was broken down, rent asunder, and patched together to function as a vessel for my eternal power. Though as you look back on these five days, you realise you care very little about what I did to you to make you mine. And mine you were.
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Dec 11, 2023 16:42
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 (But they did, sort of?) Only by reminding the families of your role and your gift were you able to convince them to follow you on your road. Nevertheless, you found yourself bathing in paranoia. The shadows whispered their vile gospel regarding your lineage. And you soon found yourself consulting the memories of your dead grandmother as to how to deal with such a thing. If only the families realised what monster you'd become in order to sustain yourself.   (Was there a whole lot going on with her that we did not know about?) Ava turned back to her life as a trophy wife. She would still attend a gathering or two, but always stayed as far away from the crowd as possible. Over time, her sense of self-worth returned. Her abrupt divorce from her husband was scandalous enough to appear in at least a few gossip rags. You would never speak to her again, but every reunion, she'd provide you with a soft nod; an acknowledgement of what you did for her. Lisbeth continued maintaining the castle, as well as providing a home and guidance to all outcasts. The two of you would still frequently discuss the course of the family, her advice as valuable as always.  From the sounds of it she continued doing what she was best at: convincing a whole world that she was their salvation. But… she is not the person I'd like to tell you about. Despite Isabel's influence, Roos made herself into both a creative genius and an amicable artist. Years later, when receiving her first of many accolades, Roos would always speak fondly of her uncle and aunt, rather than her mother. If it wasn't for Ronaldo and P, she would never have prospered. Eventually, she would be in touch with her original family. Now made finally complete, the meeting would propel her even further into the direction she had always wanted to take. After the Convergence, Ronaldo kept himself away from his family as much as he could. Years later you'd hear from Roos that he founded a small arts college in an even smaller community. He seemed happy there. If it weren't for your efforts, Ronaldo would never have realised his true purpose: not all artists create. Some maintain, some curate. More than anyone, Ronaldo is doing well. P went off and did great things. I will spare you the details because I'm quite sure her interpretation of 'great' and yours are not aligned. Whatever she truly went off to do, your interactions with her would continue to be cordial and she would at times consult you for input. P would soon retire. The fires inside her were no longer as uncontrollable as they once were. One could even say she found peace.  (Those are sometimes the same thing.) Not getting the 'fix' he expected from the Convergence, he decided amateur crime photography would be his next venture. He also decided you were going to appreciate his work, whether you liked it or not. (Weirdo.)  (Is she kissing up now that we beat her rear end?) You always felt she deemed you unworthy of the position. Despite the normalisation of relations, the two of you never got along. (That doesn't sound like a change.) As soon as the Convergence was over, an exclamation of 'so long, buckwheats!' echoed through the halls and Cees immediately turned back to his army of adoring fans. You understand he now entertains millions upon millions, through channels and media whose names you can't be bothered to remember. Once you became the Favourite, the relationship between you and Diana could not change any more if it tried. (Wait, didn't we skip Rayan?) You found her to be an incredible well of knowledge and insight. And while the two of you differed over approaches, even her most cruel tendencies had apt and underlying motivations. Diana is as she does. When the Twins agreed to your proposal, they had never foreseen what the consequences of their wish would be. As soon as they left the gates to the once-regal castle, they forgot every and any memory they ever fostered about the Families. They would not thrive. Society, as it is, was not for the likes of them. But the Families no longer care for their well-being, and neither do I. (I'm not sure why Isabel didn't also lose status if she ran off during the convergence. Maybe she was just hiding and didn't completely flee.)  She would never forgive, never forget. (Hey! We saved your life, AND your crush!) But the loss of Ava as well as losing the Convergence brought Artemis to a surprising conclusion: Once rockbottom, all you can do is move up. Artemis would go great lengths to become what she was destined to be, but now by her own accord. And Woden? Well, he would never admit to it directly, but his entire future was driven by your actions and influence. Soon after the Convergence, he'd approach you with some difficulty. A single word of thanks was uttered before an uneasy nod followed. (Has he got a thing for us? There was a hint of that earlier…) Knowing he had been so close to committing murder out of a mistaken idea of necessity was a difficult thoguht to process and it would be for many years to come.  (Kind of saw that coming, though I bet some players would be annoyed about it since we never had a chance to explicitly opt-in.) But explaining to them that the two of you had only taken this action for the purpose of undoing me seemed like a foolish idea. (Wait, WHAT? Apparently we're up to more plots than we know about!) Whatever reason brought you together, Woden wanted to make it work. Whether you did, too, is entirely up to you. But the will is there, and honestly, you could've found a worse spouse. Woden would turn out fine. Different, but fine. Once he passed on, his successors would inherit a rich trove of knowledge, containing everything he had collected to undo what is me. Finally, we talk of Kadmos. And he would continue to experience a certain pain whenever required to talk of you, to you, about you. (Hey, you voted for us, dude.) Kadmos would never be satisfied. And that is that. (I guess he acknowledged we were the best but he just didn't LIKE it?)  Hail the next Favourite. My Favourite.  (I'm confused about some aspects and why Rayan got skipped but honestly? That sounds like we did pretty well, all-told) > This is the outcome I desired Is that so? Could I entice you with the knowledge that there might be even… more? > What do you mean, more? Your actions have influence on the integrity of the Convergence. Let's see how far you've come and how far you can go. Through a very creative interpretation of the ritual, you had the Twins expelled and only eleven Candidates competed in the Convergence. There is a way to reduce five Families to four and it doesn't involve murdering them at all.  And what eternal knowledge? The foundation of the Families' pride is no foundation at all. Reveal them as the frauds they are and you shall unravel my works. The Lie of the Old Bloods is still a mystery to you. You have not yet uncovered the Lie of the New Bloods. The Artists' Lie is still a mystery to you. What could the Servants' Lie be? And finally you. What truths lay within your lineage? Do you even want to know? (This may have to do with the info from Lisbeth that we ended up sacrificing in order to go to Kadmos' party.) There should be more possibilities to undo all that I've built than you'd require to enact your wish. But for now, rest. And then we'll start anew! > Perhaps I’m pleased to hear that. I do love spending time with you.  (Credits roll) (We did not receive the Pacifist achievement - now that I’m glancing at guides, it appears that to achieve the TRUE no-deaths run you have to ALSO save Patric who was dead before we even met him. Also didn’t get the ‘finished the game once’ achievement which is probably a bug. But I think that was a remarkably successful first runthrough…)
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Dec 11, 2023 16:56
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It's a bit strange that the game thinks Ava died even though she didn't as far as we know. Maybe it's got something to do with saving Patric somehow. Pretty good first run that aside though! If there's a next run we absolutely have to see how P's zombie turns out. If not, then this was a lot of fun and thanks for showing this off
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Dec 11, 2023 17:21
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It doesn't generally think she died, it gave us her whole future with the divorce and all. I have no idea what triggered that one weird conversation with Lisbeth, that may just have been a failure to check the right flag in that one conversation.
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Dec 11, 2023 17:49
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Thanks for showing off this game! If you decide to do another run, I'm here, but if you don't, I had a lot of fun.
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Dec 11, 2023 17:52
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Ignatius M. Meen posted:It's a bit strange that the game thinks Ava died even though she didn't as far as we know. Maybe it's got something to do with saving Patric somehow. Pretty good first run that aside though! If there's a next run we absolutely have to see how P's zombie turns out. If not, then this was a lot of fun and thanks for showing this off Seeing what P's (Frankenstein's) monster does is really intriguing. Incredible first run and managing an independent win no less.
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Dec 11, 2023 19:33
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Huh. I thought it was kind of weird that Patric dying before events even started never got looked at or solved. I guess there being some looping path to save him probably answers some of what is going on there.
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Dec 11, 2023 19:38
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I really liked what this game was trying to do, but... there were lots of buggy moments, and weird choices and outcomes that didn't match up to what we actually did. I suspect there isn't as much content as there seems, and that multiple steps on multiple paths lead to the same interactions, which is why we kept finding moments that thought we'd done something different.
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Dec 11, 2023 21:05
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Yeah, neat little game but it definitely needed some ironing out on the rough edges. I feel like the foundational premise never got enough attention to make me invested in the actual occult side of things versus just the human drama side of it. Why should we care about causing the downfall of the cult, other than spite and maybe a touch of altruism? Why might we instead be tempted to join them? The benefits never seemed clearly defined outside of what you'd normally get by just Having Family Money. It all felt a little under-baked.
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Dec 11, 2023 21:29
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I know there's several major plotlines we haven't gone anywhere near (the most obvious involving Doortje and Patric) and many events that weren't available on the map screens for us to choose because we didn't meet the pre-requisites. On the other hand I expect a lot of things will always happen. Ronaldo is probably always going to try and blow the place up. I don't know if the Elders would be less cranky in that gathering if lots of people had been murdered before that point. But it's a small team, it was their first game, it didn't sell well, and anything this complex really needs a lot of players running through it to flag up weird interactions. (I am reasonably sure that marrying Woden was only supposed to happen if we'd done an entire plotline with him discussing his discomfort with the Patron and actually made that plan to get married - in fact originally that was ONLY an in-game plotline but players complained that they wanted more epilogue details. Somehow we got the epilogue without the full leadup.) They did a big price drop because people were balking at the original price for an unknown. (I admit I didn't buy it until the price fell either.) Part of why I'm shilling it and not doing a full completion run is that I'd like to get more people playing it, both in the hopes of debugging it a bit and because I'd like to see what this team can do next with more experience, if they don't give up.
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Dec 11, 2023 21:33
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Agreed with what others said about this game. Thanks for showing it off!
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Dec 11, 2023 22:45
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Not the ending I expected but a pleasant surprise nonetheless! Thanks for showing this off!
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Dec 12, 2023 03:01
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It seems the whole society approves of contrarian dickishness no matter who or how it is done.
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Dec 12, 2023 03:12
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All in all though, I like what they were going for, even if it felt like the cast is way too large for the devs to handle. Most of the cast barely had time to breathe, even with the looping aspect in mind.
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Dec 12, 2023 08:48
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CremePudding posted:All in all though, I like what they were going for, even if it felt like the cast is way too large for the devs to handle. Most of the cast barely had time to breathe, even with the looping aspect in mind.
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Dec 12, 2023 20:23
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For the fun of it: This is Patric. There's a reason someone wanted him dead. (Also the game is now 50% off for the Steam sale, and that should now wrap this up.)
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Dec 21, 2023 19:25
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| # ? May 6, 2024 00:55 |
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He looks (and acts) like David Bowie's talentless clone.
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Dec 23, 2023 08:16
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