Update 18th May '25

Nearly out of the code-hacking weeds... I hope!

Replay Mode has been implemented. The main difference from the proof-of-concept version is I wanted the replays to preserve the player stats used to unlock them, which would make them a sort of custom save for the player. Ironically, this is easier than the proof-of-concept version as it would just require taking a snapshot of current player stats rather than having to individually create multiple player profiles to force each particular harlot replay. I'll need to keep an eye on the overall save data size, but we're talking about a simple table per player, which should be tiny in comparison to things like pictures, etc.

I also wanted to give the player some customisation, so that if they unlocked the replay a subsequent time, they could pick which snapshot they'd like to use for that replay in future. Some harlots have minor changes to their dialogue depending on the player's disposition, so the player can pick which one they prefer. It also solves the multiple-routes-to-the-same-Bad-End problem as I really don't want to create separate replay options for Out of Semen, Black Rose, etc.

I did run into a snag with how it interacted with Autosave. If the player has multiple data for a potential replay, the plan was to give them the choice of whether to go with the new or stick with the old after they selected that replay option. However, nothing in the Notebook autosaves. This is intentional to allow the player to dip into it mid-game and be able to jump back to where they left off in the game without corrupting any data. Unfortunately, this includes whatever choice the player makes on which data to go with for their replay. Yup, this one had me pulling my hair out and screaming at the screen for a bit until I figured out what was going on.

Clumsily hacking the autosave for this particular corner case felt very dangerous, so I was resigned to not having that functionality - I'd have to pick either going with the first data that unlocked that replay, or the most recent. Then I figured I could do it in the scenario itself without being too intrusive. The player is informed when they unlock a particular replay. If it's the second or subsequent time, the message changes and they get a little checkbox to give them the option to set this particular run as the default for that replay.

The nice part about it is it's completely generic. One line of code at the right point in the harlot scenario and tada, it's all done.

Fingers crossed, I think I'm mostly done with adding the core notebook functionality now. Displaying the overall score needs some minor tweaks, but I'll put that back with the other tasks that need improvement tweaks (the main game menu, etc). I'll also need to work through some harlot scenarios to make sure nothing trips me up (as unfortunately happened with the clue framework for the notebook).

My plan is to use next week to tidy things up. I'd like to add the functionality to some harlot scenarios to make sure everything is working properly. To aid in testing these, I will make my harlot testing program available on the houseofhellishharlots website. I'll let people know when that goes up.

I'm also aware I've been struggling to keep a regular schedule for the harlot art reveals (spotlights and profiles). There have been a few occasions when I've been in the middle of coding or testing something and felt it wouldn't have been productive to break away to write a new harlot spotlight. To get around this problem I'll see if I can pick a day or two next week and write a bunch of them up in a batch. Maybe some harlot profiles as well.

It's been a bit of a slog, but I think I might be mostly through it now.

Thanks for the continued support.
- manyeyedhydra