Please use this space to discuss Steamworks & Shadows.
We realized that we’d been added to the directory much sooner than we had expected, so please bear with us while we work out some of the unexpected bugs we may have had.
When in doubt, check the Official Announcements storylets (they’re the ones with the Taxi image) for information and some fixes. (Like that little goof-up with the Sanity system.)
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask! On behalf of everyone on the development team, thank you!
Ran out of actions before really doing anything and with a refresh rate of 20 minutes it seems unlikely that I will be able to even buy a hat very quickly. Assuming that I have a 100% success rate on the missions available to me it will take me 7 hours of constant attention to buy the hat in the starting area. The starting challenges are awfully hard however they would be acceptable if actions were even slightly more flowing. I can’t really criticize the game anymore or give it much in the way of praise as I have yet to progress beyond the first force missions on the docks.
Hmm. Good point, Samuel. I changed the refresh rate to 20 minutes in an effort to keep grinding down to a minimum, but I can see where it would be frustrating.
When you say have actions be slightly more flowing, would you clarify that for me?
Constructed plot like scenario of must cards with options or a quicker rate. Maybe a bigger action pool could allow for players to have a greater first impression and not limit play as excessively for people who don’t play every 3.5 hours?
First up, a few grammar-ish things: on the Official Announcements card, the Gloves and Goggles result reads “…Please contact the team at {blank}.” I’m assuming there’s supposed to be a link of some sort there? :)
Also on A Mugging! - “…An all-too-common sight, if underreported, occurrence in New Arcadia…”, ‘sight’ is unnecessary.
I’m not quite sure what Mr Goodall’s beef with the action refresh rate is, seems fine to me - the branches on opportunity cards don’t use up any actions, and while it does take a little while to build up your qualities enough to take a stab at the pinned storylets, the number and variety of opportunity cards means that it’s not too grindy. For someone used to playing Fallen London it took me a few cards to realise that I would have to play ‘almost impossible’ options in order to progress, but since most don’t have any menace-type qualities attached it works fine. I’ve not yet run out of actions (granted I’m playing a bit intermittently) but I’m halfway to being able to afford a hat :]
One thing I found a bit strange was the order in which initial qualities were assigned - gender, profession, then human/automaton. I took the option to restart when I realised that I had the option of playing as a machine, in which case gender is all but defunct; but since those qualities, besides profession, don’t seem to have affected anything much so far it’s not a huge problem.
Thanks for pointing that out, Corentin. After a few hours of writing, I start missing grammar mistakes like that. And yes, I guess I did forget to put the email address, didn’t I? [embarassed mumble]
As for the refresh rate I did change it back to the default, although I did keep the action bank a little smaller.
Absolutely in favour of the larger pool of initial actions. If you can hook me on your story, I’m more than happy to return to it at the end of the day when my actions have refreshed. The larger dose of initial actions gives me time to explore and get myself well and truly addicted. g
I actually enjoyed the surprise of discovering that I could be an automaton - after choosing my gender. But a disclaimer: I love quirky, strange surprises and I love it when an author messes with me; obviously that’s not true for everybody or even most. g
There’s some great flavour to the automaton-related choices, and I love the energetic detail of the uh, altercations I got into. g
I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Ariane. :) Is there a way to make a larger pool of initial actions during character creation? I’d love to know. An easy fix would be to make the character creation branches cost no actions, of course. Do you think that would help things along in that regard?
As for Samuel’s desire for a constructed plot, it is something I’m slowly putting together, along with some quest lines. The plan is for the first quest to be ready some time in the coming week.
My bad: I didn’t notice that you’d already increased the initial pool. Honestly, I think where you’ve got it now is great. it’s enough to get me through character creation and let me sink my teeth into some story. I came right back this morning for more. g Looking forward to that first glimpse of broader story!
The Wits area, Antioch District, is now live. (It’s my favorite area so far, but then again, that may just be because it’s the newest.) I’m playing up more of the horror aspect of the world with this area, so expect some Shelley, Stoker, and Lovecraftian influences as it develops further.
Alright, this last post and I’ll stop spamming this thread so much. I’ve opened up the last two areas in the city and just finished the first quest: A Peculiar Watch. :) Hopefully I’ve added enough opportunities to get the things you need to complete it in the Sometimes and Always storylets, and I like to think that while it’s a tried-and-true story, it’s still a fun one.
I’ve also changed the Action Cost when it comes to moving around the city to 1, seeing as it makes sense that it would take time to get from one place to another. I’m still not set on it though, so opinions on the matter are more than welcome.
May I ask where the “A Peculiar Watch” quest starts? (Mostly I was wondering if it starts at Derleth University. My qualities seem to be too high for me to do any research for them)
Hey Andy! “The A Peculiar Watch” is opened by a Sometimes card in the Antioch District. You shouldn’t need to use Derleth University at all. Just look for the “A favor for a friend” card when going through the Sometimes deck. Hope that helps!
where on earth do i get splintered planks from so i can build my workbench… which is where i presume i will be able to use all the parts i seem to be accruing
Wanted to say well done so far! Great flavour and well written stories and adventures, greatly enjoying it. Some grinding now to get a house, but considering their cost this is a fair thing, and considering I’m getting plenty of skillzs advancement i canna complain.
Hope the other areas and beyond the city get fleshed out soon, good sailing!
Now that I’ve explored a bit more, time for questions!
So I’ve now got a house, and within the house is a quest end pinned card, which allows me to report something to the constables. Er what’s that?? Everything is … …, not quite sure what it even is!
Secondly, I’ve inquired with everyone about Dr Stark (I assume that started when the shoggoths attacked me: perhaps that needs to be made clearer), and found out where he is: but when get there, nada.
And finally, the tunnel secrets thing aint leading anywhere.
Of course I appreciate the world is not finished! But perhaps make it clear during quest-lines, if a certain point is reached and it is finished, a notice comes up. Or perhaps don’t allow the quest at all. Or perhaps I’m missing something? Please let me know.