Writing Updates

This month, I am working on chapter 10 of Stronghold and then turning back to Safe Haven. I’ll talk about them below, but I keep getting questions about Deadbury Academy. Yes, I will be working on Deadbury again, as soon as I finish Stronghold. I already have around 200,000 words written and expect to publish Part 1 next year. Of course, that’s a long time away, and things may change. But that is my tentative plan.

Safe Haven

For Safe Haven, all the prologues have been written for the free update. This month, I will go through the rest of the prologue to account for the new age customization. For example, if you go to the pool party at Brody and Madison’s house, students may treat you differently if you are a movie star. Or if you are a senior citizen and rob a bank, the prologue may play differently. After finishing the prologue, I will then go through the rest of the chapters to make similar changes.

Not long ago, I ran a poll on what type of content you would like to see next in the free update. Hands down, people voted to continue the teenager storyline. This will involve gaining more information about the teenager’s parents. You’ll be able to find out where they are and what they have been doing since the outbreak began.

I hope to finish all this content by the end of next month, since it’s a lot to write.

Realism in Safe Haven

One of the questions I've been turning over lately is how much social realism belongs in Safe Haven. The apocalypse didn't cure people of their worst impulses, and a fully realized world would reflect that. But I also know that encountering racism, sexism, or homophobia in a game hit differently depending on who you are and what you're carrying when you sit down to play.

I put together a poll to get your read on it. Do you want the option to navigate that kind of conflict and respond to it on your own terms? Or do you want Safe Haven to be a space where that noise doesn't follow you? There's no wrong answer, and your response will directly shape how I approach this in new content.

How Much Social Realism Do You Want in Safe Haven?

Stronghold

Turning to Stronghold, I’m writing chapter 10, which involves searching through an apartment building when the MC is separated from their group. This is like an old school search-and-find scene. You know zombies are flooding into the building, and you have an idea of where your group is. Getting to them is the hard part. There are places to search in the apartment, and different paths will give you different bonuses or rewards.

I’m also thinking about going back and adding more customization to the main character. I may have undervalued how important this is to players. It will require considerable effort because I like to reference those character traits in the story. For example, if you pick your hair color or style, it should come up again later. I’m still considering what options to provide, and I will run a poll sometime this month to ask your opinion.