Retcon the narrative to your heart's content in the latest update to...
Dear Diary, We Created a Plot Hole! is written as a love letter to all the kids-at-heart out there, who’d like to revisit their childhood and reimagine it as one big fantasy adventure.
If you like episodic shows and stories with a deeper overarching narrative, then this story is just for you!
🌌 【Play it here!】 🌌
~ 608,000 total wordcount (including code)
~ 99,000 additional words (including code)
~ New average playthrough of 129,000 words! (up from 115k)
14 New Secrets/Variations to Discover, 25 New Trinkets to collect, 9 New Sidequests, 4 New Achievements!
6 New Character Traits, 12 New Ancestry Passives, 2 New Phobias, 4 New Status Effects!
Revamped Heritage Passives!
Retcon the narrative and your choices with the new Narrativium Points mechanic!
Revamped Health & Intimidation Stats, Traits and EXP System!
Revamped Chapter 1 Twin Fight Scene!
Added new Sleepover Branch!
Updated bestfriend scenes!
Crush sidequests can now be declined!
You can now change what your MC calls certain characters via the diary!
Added more backstory details about MC's dad, and you can now choose his home country if MC is Half-Filipino!
Increased save slots to 20!
New and improved gender and pronoun options!
Updated diary entries!
Updated content warnings to include themes that will appear in future chapters!
Fixed missing background music!
Tons of new choices, edits, adjustments, and additional flavor text/variations/characterization details!
Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!
The Trinkets & Secrets Guide has also been updated!
If you encounter any errors, or have any questions or feedback, feel free to send me an ask. The complete change log for the update is almost 400 lines long, so I hope it was worth the wait! 😊
As I mentioned earlier, I'll be sharing more information about the new EXP/NP mechanic! Hopefully this should tide you all over while you wait for the next update. 😊
What's the new mechanic about?
Before I begin, let me preface this by saying that I plan to keep DDWCaPH! character-focused and NOT a stats-focused game. In fact, I've designed the new mechanics to be as simple and as unobtrusive to the story as possible, with the side effect of making some of the current traits/souvenirs with overloaded effects simpler.
The old EXP System
Alright, so the EXP system has always been kind of an afterthought (since leveling up from 12 to 13 takes very long). It feels like gaining EXP has no point at all, especially when you get more bonuses from acquiring traits and discovering trinkets.
With the introduction of NP, I tried to solve this by increasing your Max NP whenever you earn a certain amount of EXP. I still wasn't satisfied, but now that there's an NP mechanic, I was finally able to think of a solution to that, along with another problem I had: How do I introduce the special interactions from Ancestry/Heritage Traits without being too jarring? It would be weird if Dragon MC can suddenly just fly, and it would also be weird if they always knew they could.
I didn't go with a traditional leveling up system at first, since I wanted to keep the age = level thing, until I realized that it doesn't have to be MC leveling up, it could be the locket instead!
Introducing: Locket Upgrades!
Starting the next update, earning EXP will now level up your locket! Leveling up increases your Max NP, and gives you 1 Locket Upgrade point to spend.
Since I don't want it to be distracting, you can only spend the upgrade points at the end of every chapter. I'm also including a chapter summary in the next update (instead of just the end-of-playthrough summary), so that felt like a natural, non-disruptive place to put the Locket Upgrade menu. I might change it so that you can upgrade whenever in the VN version, but that's how it'll be for now.
What kind of upgrades can I get?
The Locket Upgrades are divided into 4 categories:
Stat Upgrades
Narrativium Upgrades
Relationship Upgrades
Special Upgrades
Here's a preview of what the upgrade menu looks like:
Most upgrades can be upgraded up to ten times. So if something says +2%, the maximum would be +20%. However, to encourage spreading out your points and not just dump all of them into Knowledge, the upgrades will have level restrictions.
The 2nd upgrade is unlocked at Level 5, the 3rd upgrade at Level 10, while the 10th upgrade is unlocked at Level 100. This will most likely change, but you'll be able to reach Level 20 at around 90,000 EXP, while Level 100 can be reached around 1,300,000 EXP (the original EXP required to level up from 12 to 13).
The first four stat upgrades (the Rubescent ones) will have a different name according to your locket's gem, and your locket shape will determine whether you get Heartful Innocence or Starful Sophistication (I'm only showing both for demo purposes).
I didn't want it to be overwhelming, so some of the upgrades are locked until you finish certain chapters, when they become relevant.
I tried to add a variety of upgrades for each playstyle, so even if you don't spend any NP, you can still benefit from the upgrades.
Special Upgrades
The Special Upgrades category is way too long to show here, so here's a list of all the upgrades instead. All of the genre-exclusive upgrades are only unlocked once you finish Volume 1 (you get upgrades for both your favorite genres), but most of them are one-time upgrades (that cost 5 upgrade points to unlock).
Here's where you unlock the special interactions. I've always planned Fairytale MC to be able to talk to animals, but now I can avoid the "jarring" problem: now you need to unlock "Aesop's Wisdom" to be able to do so. This also has the bonus of making the progression feel more "earned", rather than MC being able to automatically talk to animals just because you picked Fairytales as your fave genre.
Some of the special upgrades are just stat bonuses, but that allows me more freedom to spread out the effects of the more complicated traits/trinkets. Most souvenirs now have less/weaker effects at the beginning (which helps avoid the problem of overwhelming the reader during the prologue), but you will be able to upgrade them later to be much more powerful. This delayed upgrade means I can add more fun effects to the souvenirs without worrying about "this is way too powerful for the first chapter".
The upgraded Ancestry traits (the "+" versions) that you get when you choose fantasy are now called Legacy Traits, and is now locked behind the "Daddy's Legacy" upgrade. Meanwhile, all sources of Enhanced Senses are now temporary. Enhanced Senses was way too polarizing (you also had no idea which traits grant it), so now everyone has the option to unlock it permanently after Volume 1.
Closing Thoughts
I've always loved coming up with game mechanics ever since I was very little, which is how the idea of MC pretending to be in an RPG came to be. I'm not spoiling what the other upgrades do for now, but I guess you can always peek at the code later. I did have a lot of fun brainstorming the upgrade effects and the upgrade names. You can tell I got some of them from TV Tropes.😄
That said, I hope this makes you more excited for the next update! Most of this has been coded already (minus the parts you can't unlock yet), so you don't need to worry about that. I really think tying the story and game mechanics this way will make the overall game experience much better.
Let me know what you guys think! I'd also love to know what kind of upgrades you'd want to focus on (or if you have any speculations about what effects the other upgrades do)!
The wait is finally over. Grab your plot armor, Chapter 4 and 5 of Dear Diary, We Created a Plot Hole! is finally here!
🚌 Play it here! 🚌
To celebrate the release, a +50% ✨EXP Bonus Event will be running for the next couple of weeks!
The full change log is over 500 lines long, so here's an overview of all the new stuff:
🌈 UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS
~ 509,000 total wordcount (including code)
~ 278,000 additional words (including code)
~ New average playthrough of 115,000 words!
New Stuff to Discover!
52 New Secrets to discover, 8 New Trinkets to collect, 12 New Achievements
30 New Character Traits, 15 New Heritage Passives, 3 New Phobias, 16 New Status Effects
3 New Main Quests, 12 New Sidequests
and 1 New Song to sing along to!
New Scenes!
Introductions to Wayne, Lily, and JM's parents!
New exclusive bestfriend scenes!
Get a sneak peek into the story worlds you'll visit in future, in the Story Exchange!
Revamped crush confession scene with your twin!
Steal a kiss on the cheek from your crush!
Catch a preview of Chapter 6!
New Choices and Customization!
Choose the name of MC's dad!
Choose a second bestfriend, other than your twin (and give them a custom nickname)!
You can now choose to have two different pronoun sets!
Choose a mild swear word for your MC
Added B as a crush option
Tons of Diary and Stat Improvements!
New, updated, and expanded character diary entries!
New unlockable codex entries!
Write custom post-scripts in your diary!
Added new toggle settings for simple/detailed view of traits/passives, and background transitions
New trait option that reduces the frequency and gives additional context to Filipino expressions
Improved diary and stat notification layout
So Much More!
Added lots of new character art!
Added gameplay tips!
Lots of references to In Auctorem Credimus!
Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!
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I've also updated the Trinkets & Secrets Guide, as well as the Twin Character Templates!
If you encounter any errors, or have any questions or feedback, feel free to send me an ask! I'll go through my ask backlog after I have recovered from the update.
Hello everyone! I know this is a bit late, but Happy Pride Month! 🌈
I actually have something relevant to share: I'll be adding demigender and bi/multigender to the gender options in the next update! Not only that, but you will now also be able to pick your twin's pronouns separately, along with the option to choose multiple pronouns for them.
The cis and questioning options are now separate, similar to how you choose MC's gender. I hope the wording above is alright, but from top to bottom, it's Trans, Non-binary, Demigender, Bi/Multigender, and Genderfluid.
The multiple pronoun option has also been improved so that it's actually randomized at certain intervals, and is no longer limited to two pronouns. You will now also be able to change your twin's pronouns in the stats screen if they are genderfluid (thanks to the locket's empathy/telepathy powers). Speaking of, I'm thinking of adding custom pronouns too when I port the game to VN, but no promises.
Anyway, sorry again for the delays! Aside from me getting sick and having computer problems again, I have a habit of suddenly getting more ideas just as I'm about to finish an update. This is why I don't even give estimated dates anymore. 😅
More info about the next update below:
Since I'm adding F6E's reactions to MC's ancestry, I'm also taking the time to add some banter about MC's favorite genre.
Besides that, I'm currently working on an addition to Roselyna's BFF scene, and I can't not add it because it's very important to her character development. As in, she probably wouldn't have ran away during the storm if this particular event didn't happen. Her emotional level will now also determine whether she lets Wayne (and MC) continue calling Josie mommy or not.
I also had to overhaul the pronoun system to get the new stuff to work. It's a lot more work than you might realize, but it's worth it because I found lots of bugs, and it actually got simpler, even with the new randomizing feature.
And since I'm updating the variables, I also took the time to change most of the mom/dad/ate/kuya variables to actually use the translated terms if you choose to have a twin language (in the narration, diary, and during private conversation).
I'm also adding new and very fun choices to the existing chapters which will add a new layer to your decision making. Yup, the "plot hole" in the title will actually make sense now. 🤭
There's also lots of other smaller things. Lots of them. The change log is over 300 lines now. But here's a tiny snippet from Lily's BFF scene before I go back to the editing mines:
"Let's talk about that later. We're almost at the station." Tita Rickie slaps Tita Dani's arm. "So turn off that damn underglow before you forget. You really had to install those, huh?"
"C'mon, Rickie. Of all the things I could add, this is by far the least illegal one," Tita Dani grumbles as she stops the SUV near Barangay 143's police station.
(By the way, I'm currently updating the Trinkets and Secrets Guide in preparation for the next update. Don't be surprised if some of the stuff in there is incompatible with the current demo!)
138,000 words later, the Chapter 4 Public Beta is finally ready!
✨ CHAPTER 4 UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS:
~ 369,000 total wordcount (including code)
~ 138,000 additional words (including code)
~ New average playthrough of ~96,000 words!
21 New Secrets to discover, 20 New Character Traits, 17 New Passives, 1 New Phobia, 5 New Trinkets to collect, 8 New Achievements, 3 New Main Quests, 3 New Sidequests, 7 New Status Effects, and 1 New Song to sing along to!
Tito Nestor, Tita Stephanie, and Lily's moms' introductions!
Get a sneak peek into the story worlds you'll visit in future, in the Story Exchange!
You can now choose the name of MC's dad! (+Diary Entry!)
You can now choose a second bestfriend if you pick your twin as your bestfriend!
New choices and bestfriend scenes for JM and Lily in Chapter 3!
Added a new trait option that reduces the frequency of Filipino expressions and gives additional context.
A lot of references to In Auctorem Credimus!
Roselyna is now approximately 20% more huggable!
The full change log can be found by selecting "What’s New?” in the start menu. It's way too long to list here!
How do I join the Public Beta?
You can join the public beta by joining the DDWCaPH! Discord Server. From there, go to the #roles channel and ask Ma'am Bianes to give you the Open Beta Tester role and get access to the link and the discussion/bug report channels.
Why limit the beta test in the Discord?
Let me begin by saying that I didn't want to do this. But the last time I did a strictly private beta, I got ABSOLUTELY ZERO feedback weeks after release until I explicitly asked for it.
This is the best compromise I can think of for now, that should still be convenient for most people.
Chapter 4 also isn't 100% complete yet. There are still a bunch of choices I haven't written yet, but I'm leaving them for a later update because I'm not in the right headspace to finish them, and after 138k words, I need a break from writing.
When will Chapter 4 be out for everyone?
I'm not really sure. Depending on how well this beta goes, it might be after a couple weeks, or after a month.
I also want to draw some new character art, so I might wait until those are done as well.
Again, depending on how well the public beta goes, I may keep doing this, or go back to doing private beta tests. If I do go back to private beta testing, Chapter 4 will be the LAST PUBLIC UPDATE until Volume 1 is fully complete.
If you want the next chapters to still be in public, be sure to send in your playthrough codes and feedback in the survey! They really mean a lot to me, but I'm not releasing chapters publicly anymore if I'm getting absolutely zero reception.
And to the person who leaked an earlier version of the demo: I hope you liked that buggy mess. 😊 Send me your playthrough codes, will you? I'd really appreciate it.
I hope everyone’s doing well despite everything that’s happening. I’m still recovering from the update so I don’t have anything special planned, but here’s a small update anyway!
If you enjoyed reading the latest update, consider sending me an ask as your holiday gift! 🎁 Let me know about your favorite scenes or choices, or anything you wanna point out or talk about. Almost all the asks I've received so far were mostly bug reports and nothing about what happened in the update.
v2.1.5.33 Update
The Bonus EXP Event has been extended.
The Fantasy genre has been renamed to “High Fantasy” to be more accurate.
You can now choose what to call Julie and Robert, even if you don’t have a high starting relationship.
Updated Roselyna’s artwork in uniform to have redder hair and better shading.
Fixed MC getting a 5% Knowledge Bonus before you pick your class standings.
Fixed Twin’s genre-based character class suggestions showing up even if it’s not their favorite genre.
Fixed fantasy heritage passive showing incorrect label when trait details are hidden.
Minor edits.
Roselyna is now approximately 20.24% more huggable!
I fixed a bug where the Honest/Manipulative, Discipline/Headstrong, and Altruist/Opportunist stats are not updating correctly. Let me know if it’s still happening!
NOTE: The stats screen won’t properly update until the stat changes again. For example: The Altruist Stat won’t update unless your Altruist/Opportunist stat changes again.
I'm also aware of a looping bug in Chapter 3, but it should still let you continue normally. The Chapter 3 code is pretty complex, so it might take me a while to figure out what's wrong there.
After who knows how long, I finally have the wordcount for the next update!
The new total is 464,800—which is 95k more words than the last beta (or 233k more words than the last public update), although the actual total is probably a bit higher since I still need to write a few transitional scenes, and I optimized some of the existing code/removed some deleted scenes.
Chapter 4 has become so long that I had to split them into different files to prevent lagging. But since it feels like I basically wrote a whole new chapter with the new update, I've decided to split Chapter 4 into two chapters.
Anyway, all that's left is debugging and finishing up all the new art stuff. Hold on tight!
