Bloodshift [Version 3.99-PUB]

NOTES
I can’t fix this right now, but the bounding box for characters to give them something is actually somewhere below their head, so if you’re having trouble giving an item over, drag it down lower than you think you need to and it’ll work.
The game loads cinematics separate from the rest of the game, so the first cinematic of every session of play (each individual boot) will hold the black screen fade out a little longer than normal. Just be patient. Will make a loading screen for future versions.

KNOWN ISSUES
The mortar & pestle in Chapter 3 sometimes fails to accept reagents after a recipe rejection. Just close the mortar and reinitiate it.

BUG FIXES
Mortar & pestle no longer blocked from use if you do it too early in Chapter 4.
Fixed a minor bug where the lake guy’s strength wasn’t being checked correctly (strength requirement is higher)
Fixed some instances of the rare but critical save-persistent menu glitch.
FIxed a bug which allowed access to the menus via the keyboard when they should not be.
Repaired several mechanical errors that tend to occur when the player is being moved as part of a dialog or cut scene.
Fixed a bug that would permanently lock the player out from Téa if they made the wrong dialog choice.
Fixed a bug where the maidenthirst is not returned to you even when the recipe is abandoned.
Melissa Moore should be accessible more than once, in case you pass on first meeting
Fixed a bug that caused Brendan to reappear in Chapter 4 after he should be gone.

IMPROVEMENTS
Added a “finish” screen to the end of the current content; post your scorescreens in the Discord, to let amalgam know you finished the game (it helps me know the game is working okay)
Transferring your game to the Subscriber version will now immediately allow access to the Subscriber extras.
It is no longer possible to have negative charm
Boot time reduced 2-3x
Game storage size reduced 4x

It contains challenging puzzles requiring creative thinking, good observation, and searching for information outside the game.
You can skip any puzzles you don’t want to solve.

Known errors and self-fixes

There may be some mechanical errors in the game, namely, UI freezes, faded screens, and a broken inventory. This is because I’m still in the long process of optimizing the code made when I was a beginner, which causes the game’s unusually long boot time.
If your UI is disabled and you cannot click on anything, or if characters get stuck on screen, press F5.
If your screen has blacked out and not returned, press F7.
If your HUD is missing or obscured, press F9.
If your inventory has messed up, or items have gone missing, press F6.
This game support save-game continuity but only saves at v3.8 or later will work. Otherwise you have to start over.
As of August 2023, the game is in “lateral development mode”, meaning that I will not be working on Chapter 5. Instead, I will be working on polishing and optimizing the game, and expanding on the material that is already there, rather than adding more.