Hey guys,

Another month goes by and another update is here, and boy is it a big one.

Allow me to start with a TL;DR for those in a hurry, followed by a more detailed dev log, and of course the patch notes at the end.

TL;DR - What's in this update?

Elise: Her entire code for Chapter 1 has been re-written from the ground up. You will find lots of major and minor changes, along with some new scenes (this is a big as it sounds).

Clothes: The new clothes system is here. Outfits give stats, level-up, and more. There is a brand new interface for dressing up and purchasing outfits.

Rebirth: In line with new trait updates, your possible thoughts have been updated to bring more variety and help you gain those precious stat points.

The key for this patch is "I shall wear midnight"

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Dev Blog Part - Web of Code

Many of you might be wondering why in the world I would do something as insane as re-writing a character's entire code. Well, the reasons are many.

As one of the oldest characters and the first to get a more complex relationship with Alex, Elise has long been a victim of technical debt. The way I coded things when I started years ago is not the way I do it now, and over time I've added and added variables and systems on top of how Elise works, always wary to break previous code. She had no less than 5 separate systems to track her relationship, and various obscure variables and checks at every turn.

Cleaning her room was in fact done in 5 separate "clone" rooms, as well as the conversations that took place with her. Over time this spaghetti code was ripe for bugs and complications, making maintenance difficult and adding new things without breaking everything almost impossible (especially without being certain that it won't break anything).

Well, now all of that is gone. Everything happens in one place, neat and organized, with functions within functions, all annotated and easy to work with. A lot of the time went to porting all the existing content in this new system, but I've also added a bunch of new stuff as well, making transitions and narrative flow easier.

But, most importantly: adding new things is EASY now. There's a place for everything, so this update is definitely not the end point. If anything, it enables to almost effortlessly build on top, whenever the need arises.

A brief note on clothes: This rework is in line with the pervious trait update. Bringing max trait level from 4 to 10 meant that there was a lot of hunger for trait stats, and hopefully the new additions will help address that, along with making your choice of attire that much more impactful. Traits are still a work in progress, but I'm fairly happy with this new step.

Last but not least, patch notes:

===Clothes Rework===

-the "getting dressed" sequence has been reworked from the ground up, providing a new interface and a way to more seamlessly examine and try out outfits (currently only Chapter 1);

-added a new background for changing clothes;

-added transparency to the clothes art and made minor improvements;

-in line with the traits and tendencies rework, outfits now grant points to your stats while wearing them (all outfits can be examined to see what they give);

-reworked Felicia's shop and the interface for purchasing and trying outfits;

-wearing the same outfit repeatedly may have interesting consequences;

===Rebirth Thoughts Rework===

-death thoughts will now prioritize special deaths, followed by generic thoughts;

-sadism and masochism have been added to death thoughts;

-death thoughts can now be used to increase all mental musings to level 3;

===Elise Chapter 1 Rework===

-Elise's entire code in Chapter 1 has been redesigned from the ground up, including cleaning her room and the dialogues when you bring her flowers.

-the mirror inside Elise's room is now an interactive object that can offer story content;

-the Silk and Terror questline in Chapter 1 has been redesigned;

-the green bottle she gives you now persists beyond death;

-added a new scene with the men in the tavern if you've followed Elise's quest until the end;

-updated the way Elise is referenced in various passages based on your relationship level;

-overhauled numerous navigations nodes related to Elise;

Chapter 1

-a walk in the woods not offers a choice of Pragmatism;