Greetings, once again! Blue Bishop here.
It’s been awhile since my last blog post, in that time I’ve been busy working away at the Flash version of Flexible Survival. A new iteration has been sent out to Patrons, primarily to add the infrastructure for NPCs and the interaction side of followers. Currently, the examples provided are just placeholders, and our original plan was to populate them with Dr. Matt’s content (Since Trevor Labs is currently the only other locale you can encounter), but there’s been a few… developments.
You’re also probably aware that Inform came out with a new version that resolves the filesize issue we were having, which was what set off this mad dash for a replacement. While this development certainly doesn’t mean the Flash version of FS is coming to a close, it does mean there’s been a bit of a shift in our plans.
Since we’re no longer tethered to the need for it to be a straight-up replacement, we can instead provide something new. Stripes and I have made the decision to tell a different story with the established setting for this version of FS. And while we don’t have much to reveal about it just yet, there are a few things we’d like to clarify right off the bat.
First off, the city and time period will be the same for Flash version as it is for the current, Inform version. The two stories will be happening in parallel, just with a different character and core plotline. Because of this, you can expect much of the same monsters and zones you’ve come to know in the original game. Similarly, some NPCs who are found in public spaces will still be around, though their interactions with and attitudes towards this new protagonist might be different.
NPCs relating to the main Dr. Matt/Mouse story thread, however, as well as any number of NPCs found in the various nooks and crannies of the world will remain absent to allow room for newer characters. There’s little need to have the exact same NPC in both versions unless there’s a good reason for it. We want this new protagonist to experience new elements of the city and its population.
-- That is not to say that all ancillary NPCs will be exempt from the transition, only that we default to their absence unless their original writer explicitly desires to carry them over. I should also you assure that development of the Flash version, once it hits Beta, won’t lead to us abandoning development of the Inform one in favour of it. Both will be supported in parallel.
That should be it, as far as big announcements regarding our ongoing development of the Flash FS is concerned. NPCs mark the last major system that needed to be introduced in our Alpha phase. From here, the focus is entirely on any lingering minor systems and major overhauls/content additions.
Right now our focus is completely revamping combat. We have some big plans for that! In any case, that should be everything for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
