Our Life: Beta Build 0.75! (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android)
It's finally here, mostly! The last update of July with what's nearly the last of Step 2. Unfortunately, the Android build had an error and it's still being remade. That will be added as soon as it's done and we'll make a quick extra post to announce it at that time.
Android Download (the file says demo, but it's the beta. I can't seem to figure how to to get the build name to change, haha)
The start of August will have the true last piece of Step 2, as well as the transition to Step 3, but for now this is what we've got-
New Content:
264,000 words in total
The Moment "Escapade" is now playable
The first part of the Step 2 ending scene is playable, but there's little to do in that opening scene unless you're crushing on Cove ;)
The Moment "Road Trip" has an extra branch that's now unlockable if you do something specific in Escapade first.
The ending scene has an extra branch and a notable variation that can happen depending on things done or not done in "Road Trip".
You can now set your character to have acne and/or braces starting in Step 2
Errors were fixed from before
Known Errors:
Saves from the old beta or the public demo will have errors if used with the new version. Please start a brand new file!
New events don't have voice acting for most characters yet
The appearance part of Cove Creator has some small issues with displaying the sprite layers. To try avoiding problems for now, cycle through all the options to get the one you want even if the one you prefer is by default displayed on the Cove Creator sprite.
If you run into any kind of error report screen, hitting the Ignore option once or twice will generally let the game continue past that point.
I really hope you all will like it. Please don't hesitate to tell us what you think! Escapade is the very last Moment for this time period and the ending scene is also quite a big deal. We tried to make them something memorable ❀
Comments (44)
so I decided to try to play a more positive me, so at the dance i didnt let him know i was sad and when he asked me to go back to dance i did, and it went ALOT better =) I think the problem I was having is that my character was pretty much suffering from the same anxieties as Cove. I nodded instead of talking where able, I deferred to others, i never asked questions, interrupted others, etc. Pretty much like me when i was growing up (which is pretty neat, because its like i get to see what it might be like to be growing up in todays more open/accepting enviroment, rather than dealing with the fears and worries i grew up with in the 70s-80s). And also ty i see where / what you mean now about how the script got the wrong impressions of my intentions. I really didnt want to force Cove so when i read that, it echoed my thoughts on the matter and I chose it lol. I figured if i had to take a guest, it would have been Lee, cause she was chill and would have made me feel comfortable in an otherwise totally scarry setting (for my char that is). Maybe she would have talked to me about why I didnt invite Cove and decide if that had been the right choice or not. LoL no way to know. I still dont know if / how I could invite someone else other than Cove. Or if thats the point, I really cant and its just a matter of the two of us both facing our insecurities and trying to find each other through them anyway. Please dont take any of this the wrong way, hey maybe dont even change anything. What you got is really powerful, and believable. The fact that I was so invested in that scene just proves it! And if its supposed to call attention to those hidden depths and uncertainties, well it really really worked. I WANT Cove to be happy! but its also great that he isnt just a shallow stand in there just to be happy for me (if that makes any sense)
Aw, well I'm glad it went better that time. I get where you're coming from. It's hard to see people having a hard time, even if it's not your fault. We had hoped to let players go with someone other than just the romantic lead, but the event got way too long so we had to do just a briefer "going alone" version if you don't pick Cove. And the new beta (0.76) does have changes to Soiree, if you ever want to check it out ^^. Thanks for sharing your experience!
thanks for the response =) Im not a terribly great writer myself, So I really cant come up with any great lines that would make me feel better. For me its just the sense / feel i got from reading your great lines (no seriously your writting is top notch). I did get that he wasnt upset/unhappy with my character personally, that it was his issues that he was struggling to deal with. But as a friend Id honestly not want to pressure him into any more situations where he is just that uncomfortable (so for example when he asks me if i wanted to go back and dance, i told him no. Why would i want to drag him back out there knowing how uncomfortable it made him). The way it played out just stressed how unready he was (as you say he is a kid after all) to deal with the stress / strain of a deeper relationship and all the expectations that become involved with that. IE as a friend i'd want to give him space and let him find himself more if that makes sense? As for him inviting himself, im not quiet sure how the script determined that I was uncertain about it. I remember specifically deciding twice to myself that i wasnt going to take anyone with me, before I run across him on the beach, and when Im trying to tell him that im unhappy about having to go, and going to go by myself, he jumps in ahead of me with the ask. I think the easiest way to avoid all the unhappiness that follows that happening, is simply for him not to invite himself at all, but rather leave it totally up to the player whether you choose to invite him or not (this way if someone is playing the shy dont want to hurt anyone's feelings type, their not pressured into making what turns out to be an awful mistake). Its one thing if you drag someone into a situation you know is going to be difficult for them, and quiet another if someone invites them self and then chooses to loose it on you. Hope that is helpful!
I’m sorry, I’m not sure what part of it is making you feel like it was a bad experience ^^;. Cove wanted to do something and did it, but it was still something hard for him so he confided in the MC about how he felt. He’s not saying it to make the MC feel bad or because he regrets going or because the bad parts are stronger than the positive ones. If that’s not coming across, we can alter things to make it so he more clearly states that the badness hasn’t outweighed the good and he really is happy he got to do it and appreciates the MC for letting him be a part of this. But if it’s just his anxiousness in general makes you not want to admit to crushing on him at that stage, then that’s okay and the game doesn’t make you. You can totally wait until he’s more mature. In order to get Cove to ask, you have to feel the emotion of “I don’t want to force him” instead of choosing the feeling of “I don’t want a guest”. If you don’t want a guest, he doesn’t ask. If you don’t wanna force him, he expresses that you’re not forcing him by showing he wants to go. There are people who need time to make a move themselves and we’re happy to have options for that. But there are also people who need the other person to make a move. I’m afraid it’d be unfair to insist that the player always has to do everything ‘cause Cove never will no matter what. Also, you wouldn’t need to write any lines yourself, aha. You can just mention parts you think give the wrong impression and we could change them in some way on our end. Thank you and I’m sorry I don’t fully get it right now.
So I just found this patreon today. I've had OL on my wish list seems like forever on Steam, but i never got / noticed any updates about its progress or anything like that. I just happened today that I was on Itchio and the demo there was put in my suggested list. So of course I checked it out, then saw the link to the patreon, Then discovered that the game was being made by the same people as XOXO and FA. Needless to say I signed up immediately. I've very much enjoyed XOXO and FA and today i was thrilled to play through the entirety of the OL 0.75 release, in one sitting ; p Honestly I can already tell that this game is going to be everything I had hoped for when i read the steam page description, and then some. What an amazing piece of work, done by such an awesome team! Now I hope no one is upset if I say a few things that didnt quiet ring great with me (always risky with so many fanbois/girls around, but im not meaning to be disrespectful). For me I found Step 2 to be a bit less fullfilling then Step 1. I was playing a shy nervous type MC and alot of the movements in step 2 put the character i was playing in situations they would have found very uncomfortable (like going over for dinner, the whole Escapade moment, the Soiree (ugh never liked that word). I tried my best to stay true to the character i was invested in, but the choices that reflected who my character was were definetly not the best choices for those Moments. I even went so far as to initially decide not to go to the Soiree and decided not to invite Cove when i ran into him and then he asks me if he can come? lol my poor char ended up telling him yes (cause of course shy and not wanting to hurt his feelings what else could I say) so then i had to go, and go with him, and then had it go all south During the actual dance. I really appreciated the opportunity to let him know how saddened I was by his unhappiness and running off; but honestly, for my character (that one atleast) that would have really put their relationship back a peg or so. Doubt, embarrassment, insecurities would definetly take the stage after that. I know its a Game mechanic that your relationship with Cove cant go down from what ever level it goes up to, but I honestly just couldnt see that moment playing out the way it did without it altering things in the future, atleast for a while. Cove states that he doesnt want the fact that doing these things with me upsets him to stop me from asking him to do those things with me, but honestly my char would never ask him to do something that could potentialy go that poorly again taking the relationship from crush down to just friends for sure. Especially considering that was the last moment (for me in that play through I know they can be done in any order, but i did them left to right as most people will probably do when playing at least for the first time) before ending Step 2, there was no way i could confess my crush to him... we had just had the most awkward moment ever. While moving on to Step 3 is obviously not possible atm, If I could have then, I wouldnt have wanted to start it off as still crushing on him. I mean IRL if that was your first ever date, and it turned out like that, it would leave scars. Maybe not everlasting scars, but definetly enough damage to 1. make you not want to go on a date again anytime soon, and 2. certainly not be going out on dates with him or to Soirees in general. I see that others got a much better outcome than I did??? or maybe the Soiree scene just didnt bother them as much. I dont know but i felt really saddened how mine turned out, and i'd really want some bridge building, reassurances from Cove before i'd ever consider going out with him again. And by that i mean Cove finding someway to assure me that he enjoyed being with me, and that he wasnt upset/miserable and just doing it to make me happy, ie friendzoned until / if he persued me and convinced me otherwise. Sorry for super long post, hope i didnt offend anyone.
Thank you very much! I’m really happy you’ve liked our games so far :D That scene in Soiree is intended to be a kid speaking about struggles he has in dealing with major social events with a person he trusts and feels able to open up with. He’s saying that because he’s closer to the MC than he is with other people and he’s done what he’s done because wants to be around them and doesn’t want to hurt them. It isn’t meant to come across as a strike against the MC or him expressing dislike of doing things with them. He does make attempts to reassure the MC that they aren’t the reason for the negative feelings he has, sometimes there are things that just aren’t great, especially when you’re that young/inexperienced. Essentially, he believes its him with the MC being against everything else, including his own negative thoughts, not him and the MC against each other. The full scene can’t be removed if you’re close to Cove, but we’re happy to add further branches/narration to better get the hoped-for point across. If there are specific tweaks/additions that’d make you feel better about it, please let us know! As for Cove inviting himself, he only does so if the MC just seems to be fearing that he isn’t interested in going. He picks up on them being hesitant and decides to put in a little initiative of his own. If your MC is sure they just don’t want a guest, he doesn’t ask to come. I hope that makes sense and thank you for the support!
i cant believe it... anklets.....amazing
c;
omg Escapade had me dying with the kids trying catch those flying papers, the windows on baby lock, and Kyra just laughing. Gonna miss the ol' girl, Auntie Kyra in Step 3. She's a good 'un. sniffles. This one, and Soiree minus Cove route (I was super surprised at the very unexpected fun on that one; I thought it was going to be like Dinner where the Moment just ends if you chose to not bring Cove) are def up there for some of my fave Step 2 Moments. The variations, both in those Moments, and in the first half of the Step 2 ending are very appreciated.
Haha, aw, it's great to hear you enjoyed Kyra and the scenes without Cove :D. She'll be back again someday.
I love it~ and Cove <3 I really enjoy the times I tease Cove whether he says something witty back or acts cute lol Damn I'm gay lol
Aw, I'm happy you like Cove and all his different reactions ^^!
When scrolling through dialogue, if you scroll back to a previous moment select screen then forward again to the current moment, bottom menu options disappear.
Thanks for the report!
Omg, I did the same thing as Delfunia... it took me like two hours to get through that one scene in the end because I kept pausing to squeal into my pillow LMAO! I mean, everything in Step 2 has led up to this moment... and IT WAS EVERYTHING! And holy- my mind is blown on how many variations there are in that scene too! Escapade was amazing too (especially with the shirt thing jdshjad that was so cute) and I loved the entire connection with the Runaway moment from Step 1! Kyra is such a lovely mom and I hope she visits some time/we visit her during Step 3 or 4 because I'm gonna miss her! (...definitely gonna see her at the wedding tho haha) anyway this update was AMAZING and just slayed my soul with that sweet, sweet satisfaction of a slow burn romance finally coming together gAH
Aw, thank you so much ;v;. It's a big relief to know it feels like things paid off in the end. And don't worry, you'll be able to see Kyra again someday! I'm happy you like her.
IM SCREAMING THIS WAS THE BEST WAY TO WRAP UP THE SUMMER😭😭👏ANKLETS AND CONFESSIONS
Haha, thank you very much!
Ahhhh! This made a really crappy day so much more AWESOME! ;-; I can't wait!!!
I'm really glad! And I hope you have a better day tomorrow :>
the ending of step 2,,, I'm literally cove lol I couldn't stop standing up, walking all over my room, sitting down to stare at my screen and repeat the process 😂 I think it took me a whole hour to read it 'cause I couldn't stop fangirling 😂
Same here. I think it took me an hour to choose between asking for a kiss and going for it! I could barely look at the screen I to peek through my fingers. My poor fangirl heart almost couldn't take it! And does this mean we start off Step 3 as a couple if our route ended like this?!
I just noticed in the "family" moment I asked Lee to stay with me and then I decided to go see Elizabeth and asked her to go with me. But then the next choices are either to leave Lee in your bed room or get her on the way there. It as if Lee didn't stay with you from the beginning or am I missing something? x3
That's an error. Thank you for the report!
Oh my god!!!! I absolutely am in love with the ending of step two, I was literally screaming the entire time. I’m so in love with it ☺️🥺 Also, there’s an issue I keep experiencing; every time I try to pick the first hair style, it gives me the second hair style.
For that you need to select the second hair style and select the first one again ^^
As always, thank you for your hard work! ❤️ I’m so excited for this update!!!
<3
you posted this update on my birthday, so thanks! :D
Happy birthday! 🎂
Aaaaa this update made me smile, laugh and absolutely melted my heart! Thank you for another lovable update~ 💙
[I just noticed that in Road Trip when you're choosing what you're taking with you to the trip, if you pick Cove's shirt you automatically get Kyra's lines without the option to select any other items]
The CG for the last part omg I love it <3 <3 <3
Thank you ^^!
Just finished the latest scenarios are soo much fun and I was excited throughout
I'm really glad you liked it c:
Yesssss!!! I've been waiting for it!! I can't wait to finish escape!
I hope you enjoyed!
HYPE!!!
^^
YES! Good thing I can download this and everything before my graduation party today! So hype to play this later!
Congratulations on your graduation! 🎉
Aaah I'm so excited!!!
<3