Hello everybody! Welcome to the March 2023 Patreon Q&A. Hopefully this month things don’t sound as fuzzy as it did last time, although there is a different potential problem, which is I’m recording outside and it’s kind of windy, and there might be sounds going on. But unfortunately, I have to stay outside. If you’ve seen my updates about my health, that’s related to very persistent asthma and I cannot be inside any building because there’s too many triggers. So, we’re just going to do our best this month. There was actually more questions than there have been, I think, since the first time we ever did this. So it’s nice to see people are still enjoying the Q&A’s even after almost a full year now. So I guess I’ll just get into the questions!
Not sure if this would be confidential, but would Tamarack still love us if we were a worm?
Yes, she would. She would still love you if you were a worm, and she’d still love you if you asked her that question. Though depending on your dynamic, she might be a little more teasing about it.
Hi, GB! I understand if you can’t answer this due to spoilers, but if you can, will the way in which Baxter acts when reunited with the MC in Step Four be affected by whether their relationship ended on good or bad terms in Step Three? Will there be any special dialogue about the way things ended? Thanks!
Yes, there will. How that scene played out is definitely very relevant to the way things go in Step Four.
If I remember correctly, Cove would like to have the same surname as his spouse, but otherwise has no preference for how the topic of surnames is handled. Do Derek and Baxter have any preferences in regards to handling surnames with marriage?
Derek does. He would like to keep one of the family names, either his or theirs. He wouldn’t be super into like doing a hyphenation or coming up with something brand new. Obviously, he worked it out with his partner if they did want something like that. But his base preference is to keep one of the family names at least. And for Baxter, not really. He is a wedding planner who has not considered anything related to marriage himself.
Hello, I hope y’all are doing all right (and I’m doing okay). I was just wondering if there will be any extra 18+ moments for Cove, Derek, or Baxter in the future, or will the focus after Step Four of Baxter’s story be primarily on Our Life: Now & Forever’s progression?
The focus will be on our life now and forever. It’s not impossible that Cove might get a 18+ moment set in Step Four, but Derek and Baxter will definitely not be getting any more content in the future, unfortunately.
I’ve been kind of curious; I know we won’t be seeing any 18+ moments in Our Life 2, outside of theoretical Patreon exclusives- so if and when something like that could turn into an 18+ situation, how will it be handled? With Cove, it was easy to chalk it up to him not being ready for something like that, or another reason why the situation wouldn’t allow it. Will it be like that for Qiu and Tamarack, or do the pair have a previously thought out limitation preventing them from going very far, like a sexuality, demisexuality, and the like?
I would guess that if Our Life 2 did get a Patreon bonus DLC, it would only be one, and I’d probably set it in Step Four where the default is it’s not the first time. And you could just sort of imagine when that first time was, whether it was sooner or later. But by that point in your adult life, it’s already something that happened in the past. And so that would sort of address whether or not the MC wanted to wait or whether they did. But that’s just my guess. I’m not entirely sure. We’ll have to see how things go way in the future.
During the Cove Wedding DLC, there were four versions of Shiloh that could have attended. Could JB have been dating any version and it just not be mentioned? Or does she end things with Shiloh once he becomes more of a jerk?
JB can potentially be dating any of the four. It’s just sort of random, whether JB is dating Shiloh or Jeremy or neither of them. And so that’s probably why it’s not mentioned. It’s not because of the version of Shiloh that you get. She’s totally fine with him being even more of a jerk.
I don’t know if this was asked already, but we know Cove has this strong connection to the ocean and mermaids. Do Tamarack and Qiu have mythical creatures they are drawn to? I could totally see them both liking fairies or unicorns.
I do think Tamarack likes fairies when she’s younger especially, but still probably has some attachment to them when she’s older. Qiu doesn’t really. They’re not into that sort of thing, like sort of intentionally as opposed to Tamarack, who does like more magical stuff. So definitely nothing that I can point to for them. But yeah, Tamarack does like fairies and whimsical foresty magic stuff.
Next question is a comment with multiple questions.
Thank you for your efforts, team. You’re doing great! (Thank you very much!) And the first question is: Did Baxter ever look at photos or videos of him and the MC together while he was ghosting the MC? What was he was thinking at the time? Did he look for the MC on any of his social media accounts?
The answer is no, he didn’t. He’s not the kind of person who will sort of go back and look at things after he’s sort of moved on. He’s still emotionally lingering on it, but he won’t sort of like physically go through the actions of looking back on it. He does keep the souvenir, which is a spoiler. So if he sees that, he’ll kind of reminisce, but he’s not going to go search for them online or look for pictures of them together.
Then the next day is: We know he didn’t respond to the mixed messages, but did he read them? What was his reaction to the fact that the MC was still writing to him?
He didn’t read them either. That is, he’s very committed to running away.
I hope this isn’t a spoiler, but what happened inside when Baxter shut the door during the breakup scene? Did he collapse on the floor with his back against the door, regretting what he did? Or did he return inside and continue packing his belongings like nothing happened?
He just shut the door and continued packing. He was in a very unpleasant mood, but he was able to continue with his sort of plan to do this. And in fact, he was probably packing faster so he could leave even sooner just to escape as quickly as possible.
It might be a little late to ask this, but is there a limit to the number of questions per person in the Q&A?
Not really. I mean, I might not be able to answer them all, but it’s okay if you want to ask a lot of questions.
Have a great day, Kab!
Thank you! I hope you do, too.
And the next question comment has multiple questions:
Thank you for all your hard work! You’re doing amazingly! Thank you very much. And the first question is: With Baxter’s music taste, is he someone who enjoys going to concerts? If so, is he the type to be up at the front in a mosh pit somewhere, or is he just at the back vibing.
Baxter definitely does like concerts, and he likes to be at the front.
The second question is: Would any of the LI’s enjoy Studio Ghibli movies? And if they do, which would be their favorite one?
I would say none of them would dislike them, but there’d definitely be those who like them more than others. It’d be like Cove and Baxter are like the least interested, Derek’s probably in the middle, and Tamarack and Qiu are probably the biggest fans. I don’t think I could choose one specific favorite movie for all of them. I’m not very good at that kind of thing, but that’s sort of the general opinion they’d have on it.
This is more of a silly question, but have you ever heard of the Lynn Cove Viaduct?
And I haven’t, but that’s a funny name; or a coincidental name.
Who chose Cove’s name? I have a feeling it was Cliff.
It was Cliff who originally came up with the word, but Kyra was very into it immediately. So they are both equally responsible.
I’m not sure if there’s a limit, but I have a few. Does Baxter have a particular vision for a dream wedding, or has he never thought about it?
He has never thought about it for himself, but he has sort of skirted that rule and been like, “Well, if I had to plan an event based entirely on my taste”, like not really imagining he was getting married to somebody, then he could say what his preferences are for a big event that is to his specific tastes.
Which of the LI’s would be down for matching/couple tattoos?
Cove would, Derek could probably be convinced, Baxter would be very, very difficult to convince. But you might be able to get him to do it.
And the last for this set is: I’m not sure if you thought about this for Qiu and Tamarack, considering we haven’t gotten far, but do they see themselves wanting children in the future?
I have not decided their default position, but neither of them would be 100% we will never have kids. They’ll at least be potentially open to the idea, if not preferring kids. But that’s still undecided.
I have a silly question as a fellow writer! When writing certain scenes that are meant to tug heartstrings, do you ever tear up or even full-on sob at your own writing? This makes me sound so full of myself, but sometimes just knowing everything the characters have been through, and as the writer knowing what’s more to come, you end up so proud of how far they’ve come, but also feel sorry because there’s so much they have to put up with still. A couple of good examples from Our Life I can think of are “Family” in Step Two, especially the conversation that happens with Elizabeth, and the Baxter breakup scene. Admittedly, that one’s fresh in my mind, so it hurts more as a reader, but I can only imagine how it felt to write.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting emotional at your own writing. I’ve never fully cried, but I have teared up writing scenes that are more emotional in Our Life, especially because a lot of them are inspired by things from my own life, like, you know, relating to my parents being similar to Cove’s situation. And so it can definitely tug on my own heartstrings.
After dating the MC for the summer, how did Baxter deal with the breakup after saying goodbye and closing the door? Did another glass of champagne magically appear? Perhaps when the plane took off, he suddenly looked out of the first-class window as California got smaller and smaller. Or when he got back to his dorm, maybe his roommate noticed something different about Baxter as he denied ever having taken a khaki shirt. Excuse the dramatics, although fun. Thanks for answering and your hard work, and playing the Baxter betas have been a blast!
Well I’m really glad you enjoyed it! And definitely did deal with the breakup by being sullen and trying to ignore it, so I would say situations described in that question could definitely have happened.
What did Baxter see in Qiu that made him have a crush on them? Like, of course, Qiu was a cutie, but more than the physical. Also, I personally appreciate the spicy scenes Our Life has, thank you so much.
Well, I’m glad you enjoyed that. And Baxter liked Qiu really because they’re very delightful to be around. They just have this personality that draws people to them, and makes them feel welcomed, and makes them have a good time. Qiu is very considerate and thoughtful, and you just feel good being around them because Baxter liked Qiu when they were kids. When Qiu is an angsty teenager, Baxter has long gotten over his crush. It’s very much just a small childhood infatuation towards someone who just makes you feel good. And that’s mainly what Baxter liked about them.
If all the Our Life 1 and 2 love interests enjoyed reading, what do you think their favorite genres would be? Cove kind of strikes me as a manga/comic guy.
I can’t answer for sure for the Our Life 2 characters, but for Our Life 1 I would say it’s actually Derek, who’d probably be more into comics and Manga, and Cove would either not be a reader at all if he’s more sporty, or he’d be into just text only books if he’s very studious. He probably wouldn’t have a favorite genre. He would just read anything. And Baxter, he does actually like reading quite a bit, and his favorite genre are mysteries and thrillers.
Thank you for all the hard work that you do! (Thank you for saying that) Since he’s a wedding planner, does Baxter want to get married himself one day?
That’s a complicated question. He would say he doesn’t imagine himself getting married one day, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to. Which he probably does.
Do you ever plan on making a sequel to A Foretold Affair?
And the answer is no. But here’s a fun fact: we actually originally were planning for that to be kind of a whole series, kind of like how Our Life is a series, where it’s got like the same sort of basic premise but is different in some way, and it would have been “A [Blank] Affair”, and then it would change the F word in the middle. So that didn’t end up happening because I had other ideas. But that’s just a fun A Foretold Affair fact. Thanks for playing and being interested in a potential sequel! That would certainly be interesting if it could have happened.
If Baxter had confessed to Qiu, would they have gotten together? Assuming Qiu doesn’t have a crush on the MC.
The answer is no because they were children, and Baxter did not like Qiu at an age where dating would be an actual option. The thing with Baxter having a crush on Qiu is just very much a funny, cute little side fact. It’s not like an actual love rival, or a “could have been” kind of thing, so there’s not very much to say about it.
I’m not sure if this has been asked before, but does the “GB” in “GB Patch” stand for something?
It does. Both “GB” and “Patch” are part of different usernames that I had online. I basically needed to decide what was going to be my name that I used everywhere from now on once I was somebody who was going to make games, instead of just like a random person on the internet. And I ended up, instead of choosing one or the other, I took parts of both and combined them together to make “GB Patch”. But I don’t want to say what the “GB” is because it’s very silly. I mean, you could potentially find it if you look deep enough, but I’m not going to say it.
What would Baxter think of Jeremy if the two of them met, and vice versa? I’m also curious about Shiloh, but I have a feeling Baxter wouldn’t be very impressed. And who knows what Shiloh is thinking?
They can actually meet if you get married to Cove and invite Jeremy and Shiloh to the wedding. And Baxter very kindly describes them as “They’re quite the character”. He’s not a big fan of them, but he’s able to at least professionally tolerate them.
For example, if the MC and Qiu got married, and the MC wants to have a child with Qiu, what would Qiu think? Wouldn’t this mean she wants Qi to have a masculine sexuality? It’s not what I would want to happen. I am just curious.
Qiu would be willing to have sex with the MC in some ways, but whether or not they would want to actually impregnate them is not something that’s fully decided yet. I have to consider it more when Qiu’s adult self is better developed. But I do appreciate that you wouldn’t want to do anything that would make them uncomfortable.
So let’s set the stage: movie date with either of the love interest. I imagine this is around the third Step. In this scenario, I think Autumn would sneak snacks into the theater rather than buy them there. For Tama I have no idea what she’d do, but I don’t think she’d be a snack smuggler. What do you think the two would do?
Actually, it’s Tamarack who would be the snack smuggler. She’s very much a “bring your own stuff” kind of person, and would not care if it’s technically against the rules. And Qiu is more of a “it’s about the experience; maybe it’s overpriced, yeah, but the fun of going to the movies is getting like the snacks that are at the movies. It’s kind of not the same if it’s just bringing your own snacks from home”. However, they wouldn’t complain if the MC or Tamarack also had snacks to offer that they did sneak in.
Will there be more emphasis on the relationship between the MC and the mother in Our Life 2? And then there’s a suggestion that maybe there could be a scene where the mom is sick and you have to choose between hanging out with Qiu or Tamarack, or helping her.
Yes, there will be more of an emphasis on the mother-child relationship in Our Life 2. I mean, especially because there’s only one parent instead of two, plus also a sister. And also, we’re just going to try and make that a little more complicated just because we have a better grasp on how to do things this second time around. Will there be a scene where you have to do something nice for your mom or go hang out with your friends? I don’t know. I imagine there will be times when if you don’t like either of them, you hang out with your mom instead, sort of like Our Life 1 where if you’re indifferent to Cove, you get extra family scenes. But probably we wouldn’t make people not be with their friends. Maybe the friends would just go help you as well, or just keep you company while you’re helping your mom or something like that.
I checked your Tumblr and saw you answered an ask about the kinds of games you play. You said you play some indie games, which is smart. I can’t handle big games anymore either. What are your favorite games you’ve played in the last few years? You thought my answer was relatable and: Your work is amazing! Thanks for existing.
Well, that’s very nice of you to say. Thank you very much! I’m very bad at remembering things. So, I can’t think of the best games over the multiple over multiple years. I’d say my favorite game that I’ve played recently at least is PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. It came out only like a couple of weeks ago, and it’s a very impressive visual novel, and it’s based on a lot of things that I like in stories. If you know me, there’s one thing, especially that’s my favorite and it’s the number one thing that will make me interested in playing a game, and that is ghosts! And it’s obviously a ghost story. It’s paranormal, it’s all about ghosts. And basically, if something has ghosts, there’s a good chance that I will play it, at least if it has a story. I don’t play just pure gameplay games, even if they have ghosts. But yeah, so that’s one thing I can mention as a recent favorite.
Of all the characters, who’s the most likely to eat pears, man? Shout out to all the pears!
I would say all of them generally enjoy pears. Cove would probably like them especially, he’s a big fan of fruit, but none of them would dislike pears.
First of all and as usual, thank you for doing these every month No problem; and the question is: If the MC becomes a celebrity or a famous artist or something, does Baxter follow their career, or keep track of their works during the time gap between Step Three and Four? Or would he prefer to distance himself even from that?
He would not follow it in any way. He wouldn’t look them up. He wouldn’t even know they were famous. I mean, if they were on the TV and he saw them on the TV, he’d turn it off and try to pretend he didn’t see it. He’s very committed.
Since Our Life 2 is going to be centered on fall, will there be a dedicated Halloween moment?
There is one in Step One; that’s already decided. How prevalent Halloween will be in Step Two, Three and Four is totally undecided.
And then there’s a continuation of the question: Also, do you have a rough idea of when to expect the completed Our Life 2? Like will it be finished by 2024?
That depends on what you mean by “completed”. Finishing all four Steps and all the DLCs will not be done in 2024, maybe 2025, but it could go all the way to 2026. But if we’re just talking the base game Step One through Three without the DLC, maybe that could be done in 2024. If things go really well. We’ll have to see. I can’t guarantee it.
Something just for fun! Would any of the main cast from Our Life 1 or 2 be into watching wrestling, like the fun WWE stuff?
I would say maybe Derek, Qiu, or Tamarack. Cove can be very particular, and Baxter is also quite picky. But those three are a little bit more - well, I mean, as long as it’s fun, they can be open to it. However, I wouldn’t say any of them are super big fans.
Sorry if this is a question that’s been asked before, but is Derek any good at sports outside of football and soccer, like basketball, for example?
He can play most sports decently well, but he couldn’t go pro for anything other than football or soccer.
Someone has definitely asked this before and I just missed it, but I’m asking anyways: How much research goes into things like Qiu’s ballet, or Tamarack’s music, or even Baxter’s ballroom dancing? Is it more than what you wind up using, or just enough? As a writer, I am curious because it’s not like you have copious amounts of time to become an instant expert on a subject, but it can be helpful for world and character building, or just making something more believable.
And right now, I have not done that much research on ballet or Tamarack’s music because I’m not that far into Our Life 2. For Our Life 1, It was definitely a “I understood as much as I needed to get by”, but for Our Life 2, I am hoping to get a little bit deeper into it and have a better understanding of the subject. We’ll see if that actually works out though. For now, I definitely do not know that much.
What is Cove’s problem with sharing utensils and straws in Step Two? Is it too intimate for him? Is it a germ thing?
He’s just nervous because it’s very personal. He doesn’t act that way if he’s not on a crush with the MC.
The Our Life OST is so good! They are so calming, evocative, and immaculate. May I ask how the process of composition goes? Or how does it all come about? Do you have particular instruments/vibes assigned to each character? Thank you.
I take no credit for the music at all. Our composers are very talented, and I only give them very basic amounts of information. I’m not a musician at all. I just sort of explain to them the tone it needs to be. I find references, I tell them about the character, and they’re the ones who come up with all the creative ideas. And I believe they do have specific vibes for the characters, and especially in Our Life 2, the composer did have specific instruments as well.
This is probably a little niche, but how do you think the LI’s would react to the MC being some sort of mythical creature like a mermaid or half dragon or having magic or something?
They’d be pretty amazed and impressed, but it would also be very shocking, and they’d probably need some time to accept that as reality.
Not much of a question, but rather a suggestion. Would you ever consider adding synced save files?
I mean, I would like to. I just have not figured out how to do so. Maybe someday, hopefully.
So I was messing around on the character creator and it occurred to me, would there be any special lines or observations if the MC has heterochromia, but has one eye covered because they’re shy or insecure about it in any of the Steps?
And not right now there isn’t. I don’t really imagine that being added later, but it’s not impossible. It might just be a little bit too of a granular alteration, both acknowledging the heterochromia and then the fact that it’s covered by an eye and finding places where that can even be brought up. It might just be a little too tricky.
How did you come up with Cove’s autism? Did you already make his personality and then realize the symptoms fit, or did you apply certain parts of him to fit? And when did that happen?
He was always going to have autism, but I actually wasn’t sure when or how that would be brought up in the story. There was a time when I wasn’t sure if I even would mention it because I knew I didn’t sort of want to have a scene all about it. But in the end, I decided to just mention it in the transition between Steps because like, you know, it can be something that happened fully off screen and then I wouldn’t have to have this big sort of scene addressing how he has autism. But I also wouldn’t just have him, like offhandedly mention it in one line himself. And so that ended up being the best compromise in my opinion. But he definitely was always someone with autism.
What are some things that could be added to Our Life 2 if the Kickstarter gains a whole lot of money?
One thing is a wedding DLC. Right now, I’m not 100% sure if we can do that. There will be DLCs for Step One, Two and Three, but right now that’s those are the only DLCs we have planned. But besides that, I don’t actually know. There’s many things that could be added, but in terms of time and what people would really want the most, I haven’t actually figured that out. I’ll have to keep thinking about it.
I’m pretty sure this has been discussed before, but what official features does Our Life 2 have that our life one does not have? I was just wondering if you could list them all so I could give it to a friend of mine and try to get them to play this game.
I don’t think I can list them all! There are many features in Our Life 2 that Our Life 1 doesn’t have: the dynamic system, the icon that appears on the actual text box, the mom being partially customizable, an entirely different way the MC’s personality works. There’s a lot more complexity in the music, where they have these different layers that can come in and out. So there’s just tons and tons of improvements that Our Life 2 has over Our Life 1.
How would Cove feel about being lovingly referred to as a gentle giant? Do you think the title suits him?
I’d say the title suits him, but I’m not sure if he would be that happy with it. He might. I think he would associate just gentle giant with like a whale. And he’d be like, “Why would you call me a human being, a gentle giant? I’m not that giant!”
Out of curiosity, partially influenced by the casting call, I was wondering if you’d ever have characters from nationalities other than countries in the Americas, (e.g. an Australian) even as a background character in a game.
It would be nice. I just don’t know if I could convincingly write someone from another country. Like I wouldn’t know any of their slang. It’s also why, so far none of the characters have spoken other languages in the game. That is going to potentially change with Our Life 2 if I can get the help with it. But I can’t guarantee that I personally can write a character who’s realistically Australian, unfortunately.
Did Miranda have romantic feelings for Terry during Step Three?
Their relationship was definitely kind of complicated. They were longtime friends and very close, but there was sort of a discomfort between them where it was kind of unclear where they stood or what they felt, at least for her. Terry obviously liked Miranda, but Miranda was a little bit more sort of unsure, like, “is this like a close family commitment? Is it something else?” So there was definitely questions happening there in Step Three, but she wasn’t for sure liking Terry the way he liked her.
If the Our Life love interests as adults could go back in time and offer a piece of advice to their childhood selves, what would they say?
Cove would probably just try to tell himself that things were going to be okay and not to be so worried. Derek would probably say something similar, but maybe offer some more practical planning advice for how he could more efficiently use those years in a way that doesn’t make him feel like he wasted it, but also not make him feel like he needs to be so worried about wasting time. And Baxter would probably tell himself to not abandon all of his friends all the time.
Would Baxter watch with the MC those bad reality shows about weddings if it was something they enjoyed? I can imagine how fun it would be to poke fun at the aesthetic choices and the destruction of vintage dresses with someone so involved with the industry.
And yeah, I would say he definitely be willing to watch those shows, if it was with good company. He wouldn’t do it by himself, but he could get a kick out of it as sort of a group activity with somebody he liked and could have fun with.
We already met Xavier in the Derek DLC. For someone who played the Derek Step Two Moments, will Xavier remember us in the Baxter one?
And yes, they will if you did meet them. Well, you have to remember them first, but then they will be like, “Oh, yes, that’s correct.”
And also: What is Baxter’s opinions on piercings and tattoos? Will he ever agree to get a matching tattoo with the MC?
He certainly likes them on other people. He’s not so much into them on himself, which is funny because he thinks he’s so, like, cool and alternative, but he’s too afraid to get piercings and tattoos. But he could maybe be convinced to get a tattoo. He’d definitely be the hardest of the three Our Life 1 guys to convince, though.
And the last question for this set is: Is Xavier in any romantic relationship? Asking for a friend.
They are single, but sadly they will not get a DLC. If only!
So did the Avril Lavigne “sk8er boi” joke about Qiu being a punk who does ballet actually influence their character design, or was it just a fun coincidence?
Unfortunately, I don’t really know for sure what this is about. I can imagine that it’s, you know, referencing the song, but I didn’t see it. And I don’t really think of Qiu as a punk. That’s not really what their design was trying to go for. But they are sort of somebody kind of cool who does ballet, which I guess kind of fits.
Since Baxter’s Step Three DLC demo is out, I was curious why Baxter wouldn’t want to spend longer quality time with the MC when the MC asked Baxter to come to their room. Is Baxter scared of hurting the MC, or he didn’t want things to get out of hand as he was supposed to be just a summer fling, and didn’t want to make the MC get too attached?
Yes, Baxter knows he’s not staying for long, so he doesn’t want to get too deep into it with the MC.
And the second part is: Also, does Baxter have any sexual experience before with other flings, or anyone he’s been with short term?
He has had one-night stands. He’s never sort of been in a technical relationship and made it sexual though, but it’s only when it’s sort of the whole point is just to have a short sexual encounter and then moving on. But it’s sort of different situation with the MC where it’s just sort of about having company for the summer.
Does Baxter get over us at all during the time skip between Step Three and Four? If so, how quickly? If Baxter dated MC in the summer of Step Three, after he went back, did he think about the MC from time to time? Or did he actually forget about the MC?
Baxter does still occasionally think about the MC, but whether or not he got over them is kind of complicated. He’s certainly not still imagining that they could be together. He’s very much set on the idea that they never will be and they won’t see each other again. And that’s something to just accept in life. But it’s not like he’s happy and at peace either. He’s just kind of miserable and bitter and thinks that’s what it has to be like.
Does Baxter ever find love?
He can potentially with the MC and Step Four! But if you don’t pursue him at all, I do think that he could find someone someday. It wouldn’t be anytime soon, though.
Will there be a meet and greet with game devs in the future?
And I can’t really speak for anyone other than me, but for me the answer is maybe. I went to a convention one time back during the very early development of Our Life 1. I think it was it was the very beginning of 2020 before everything got shut down because of the pandemic (PAX East 2020). And potentially maybe I could go to another convention someday, and you could come see me in person. I don’t know if anybody else on the team would ever want to do that, though, but it’s nice of you to want to come and greet us sometime.
The next comment has multiple questions, and the first question is: Would you be able to choose to pursue a career in ballroom dancing as the MC after having fond memories with Baxter and trying to find him again?
Not really. You can’t specifically mention what you’re doing as a career. That’s just a very vague, minor element in Our Life 1, unfortunately.
The next question of this comment is: Will we have more intimate scenes with Qiu when they’re older?
Yes, I imagine there will be more romantic scenes in Step Three and Four.
Finally: Is the game expected to be similar length to Our Life 1, longer/shorter, more or less DLC, or anything like that?
It almost certainly will have less DLC, and I imagine it’s going to be a similar length to play through, but significantly more word count in terms of alterations. Where it’s sort of in terms of wideness, it’s more broad in the ways it can go. But in terms of hours spent beginning to end, it will likely be a similar amount.
Hello! Thank you for the games! I love them so much (Well, I’m glad you do). I was wondering, would it be all right to get a tattoo similar to ones characters have, like Cove’s in Step Four, for example?
I mean, you definitely can. That would be very cool. And I would hope you’re happy with it. You’re welcome to do whatever you would like to do in terms of your own tattoos.
If the MC offered Baxter to try black colored false nails or nail polish during Step Three and Four, how would he feel? Would he like to give it a try?
He would give it a try if the MC wanted to. He wouldn’t do it himself, but he’s not against it either.
How do you choose the artists who illustrate for the games?
Well, we open applications and we decide between whoever actually reaches out, and we basically consider how well the style fits the vibe of the game, and also if it seems like they have a history online, like if they’ve just appeared out of nowhere, I can’t really consider them because I don’t know how long they’ll be around, or if it’s even actually their work, or if they’re just taking work they found online and are sending it as their own. So you do have to have at least some kind of presence for us to believe that you are an artist we can rely on. But beyond that, it usually comes down to whether or not we think their art conveys the type of atmosphere we’d like for the project.
What if the MC ended up in the same college as Baxter and even some of the same classes?
Well, he certainly wouldn’t be very happy about that, and he’d probably just give the MC the cold shoulder and avoid them as much as possible.
And a second question is: When Baxter only wears black and white, would he wear green for Saint Patrick’s Day? And would he wear really dark navy blue?
No, he would not wear other colors for holidays or other very dark colors. He sticks to his monochrome look very determinedly at that age.
And the last comment has multiple questions: We can attend ballet class with Qiu and be in band with Tamarack, so can we attend ballroom dance with Baxter?
Not really. You can’t have a scene where you’re in a ballroom dance class with Baxter. Maybe you can say you take ballroom instead of ballet, but it won’t be portrayed in the game. There are only scenes like that for Qiu or Tamarack.
And the other question in this comment is: I’m also a little confused about the timeline. I remember Cove is born in 1997, and in Step Three it’s 2016 and he’s only 18. Shouldn’t he be 19?
And that’s because Cove’s birthday is November 2nd. So in summer he’s still 18, but he will turn 19 before the year is over.
And that is the entire Q&A. Hooray! I might have missed some questions, or there might have been some I couldn’t answer because they were spoilers. But hopefully that was almost everything, if not everything. And thanks again to everybody who sent in these questions. It’s always interesting to see what people are curious about, and I’ll be back again with next month’s Q&A. Goodbye.