This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on September 13, 2024.
Since the last dev log, Josselyn has been focused on renders and creating the remaining assets for Chapter 5 and the Murder Mystery Game. Sprites for all of the characters are now complete, and Josselyn is now working on the renders needed for the cut scenes. We'll include previews of all the sprites in this post!
Renders are also now complete for the Sara lewd scene, which means that her animations will be done next. TheOmega is currently putting the finishing touches on the Ashley animations, and then will get started on the animations for Sara. We'll include some NSFW previews in the next dev log!
Josselyn also got a bit of writing done while renders were rendering, and is almost done with the writing for the Murder Mystery Game. All that is left now is the last scene where the actual murderer is revealed (or are they?? :D). There are still plenty of lewd scenes left to write for Chapter 5, but those are more routine than the Murder Mystery Game has been so they should go faster.
The current render count is 2,509 and the current word count is around 44K, so Chapter 5 is definitely going to be a meaty update!
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on August 16, 2024.
The past month has been a bit slower for us work-wise, which is pretty typical for us toward the end of the summer as we usually take our annual family vacation in late July or early August. This year we also welcomed a new baby nephew into our family, and had family staying with us for a while as a result. So, while that made it harder to get work done, it was wonderful and refreshing to spend time reconnecting and getting to know the newest member of our family!
Since the last dev log, Josselyn has been doing a lot of writing for the second half of the Murder Mystery Game which has ended up taking far longer to write than anticipated. The good news is that it's definitely nearing the end! The current word count for Chapter 5 is 37K words, and we are likely more than ~50% complete with the writing as far as word count goes. But since we aren't 100% sure on that, we are going with the more conservative estimate of 48% of scenes written.
As soon as parts are written, our coder Cosmic Mirage has been implementing them, and it's beginning to feel like a real game! He also has plans to implement some (optional) minigames that will fit with the theme of the game, and we are excited to see how they turn out.
Josselyn also finished the renders for the Ashley scenes for Chapter 5 and has started working on the Sara renders. The current render count is now 1,684, not including the current set of Mai sprites in the render queue that will render today and over the weekend.
TheOmega has been diligently working on the Ashley animations, taking his time to make them as good as possible. We know that players have been very patiently waiting for this scene and we want to make sure it was worth the wait! As promised in our last dev log, here are some previews of the NSFW Ashley scene in Chapter 5:
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on July 20, 2024.
Same as last dev log, we've been plugging along on both the Murder Mystery Game and Chapter 5 content. And once again, our progress percentages are still rough estimates, since it's hard to say exactly how much work is left, especially in regards to the MMG. But it's all coming together even better than we expected, thanks to the hard work of m. (GUI) and CosmicMirage (coding)! Here are some previews of what they've been working on:
Josselyn has been doing a lot of writing for the Murder Mystery Game and it's getting close to done at this point. The writing for the MMG is about 80% done, while the writing for the regular Chapter 5 content is probably more like 30% done. The MMG writing has taken longer since it's a new type of writing that we haven't done before, so once it's finished the remaining (more routine) writing will go more quickly. The current word count for Chapter 5 is ~28,000 words.
Josselyn has also taken a break from making sprites for the MMG and has been working on renders for the regular Chapter 5 content. Unlike previous chapters where we typically go scene by scene to make renders, this time Josselyn has been working through them by character, so that also makes it a little harder to estimate how much work is finished vs. remaining.
The focus of the past few weeks has been the Ashley content, so we'll include some SFW previews of those below. The current render count is ~1,500, not including a few Ashley renders still in the render queue and a few renders that will need to be made after the animations are posed.
Speaking of animations, TheOmega is currently working on two Ashley animations for Chapter 5. We know that players have been waiting very patiently for more Ashley content, and we're excited for you to see what we've been working on! We'll include some more NSFW Ashley previews in a future dev log. ;)
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on June 28, 2024.
A lot of work has been happening on Chapter 5 since the last dev log, but unfortunately a lot of it is not really well-captured by the progress percentages. Whereas we have "regular" development cycles basically down to a science now, we are doing many "new" things this update and that has made it hard to estimate how long things will take and what exactly is left to be done.
The novelty of working on something new and a little unpredictable has been really refreshing, which is exactly why we wanted to do the Murder Mystery Game this chapter. We've definitely learned after doing this for many years that keeping things fresh and fun is key to maintaining the longterm stamina required to finished a multi-year project, even if it isn't always the most efficient way to do things.
Most of the render work over the past few weeks has been making sprites, specifically for Ashley, Sara, Andre, Jazmin, and Kevon. Two sets of sprites (Sara and Kevon) had to be redone completely because of technical issues so some time was lost there. The good news is, of course, things continue to get faster as we learn from past mistakes and how to prevent them. Right now we have 1,380 new renders for the update, including all the sprite variations.
Josselyn also did quite a bit of work setting up environments for later scenes which doesn't really get captured in the progress percentages, but it will save time later when it's time to actually make the renders.
Another time suck these past few weeks has been fleshing out the second half of the Murder Mystery Game. As we mentioned in previous dev logs, the Murder Mystery Game is integral to the main plot of the game, and Chapter 5 is particularly important as far as story goes. It's important to us to get this right, since we know players have invested a lot of time and energy into the story so far and we don't want to let them down!
Multiple days have been spent moving boxes around in Figma to make sure we have a good grasp of how the Murder Mystery Game will conclude and how it ties into the main plot of the game. Here's an example of what we've been working on:
More of the Murder Mystery Game itself is taking shape in terms of code, as well. Keep in mind we are still mostly using placeholders for the GUI, so it will look a lot more polished as time goes on and we add in custom GUI.
Lastly, here are examples of the sprites that have been made since last dev log!
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on June 7, 2024.
Since our last dev log we've been making progress on both the Murder Mystery Game and the regular Chapter 5 content. We sat down and did the more extensive planning of the lewd scenes that we need in order to start on animations. Lewd scenes for both Ashley and Sara have been fully written and are now waiting on renders/animations. The current word count is around ~19K.
Implementation of the Murder Mystery Game is progressing nicely, and we decided to rework the art assets a bit after seeing a preliminary version of it all put together. So while the current render count is around ~450, that includes ~360 sprites (for Alexis and the MC, previews below) that Josselyn re-posed and re-rendered since the last dev log. She also posed ~180 brand new sprites (for Ashley's character) that are waiting to be rendered, so those aren't included in the count.
Cosmic Mirage (coder) and m. (GUI artist) have been working together to make new UX/UI for the Murder Mystery Game, here are some early mock ups of what they're working on.
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on May 17, 2024.
Chapter 5 Development
Last week Josselyn and our coder, Cosmic Mirage, had a productive voice call going over plans for the Murder Mystery Game we'll be integrating into Chapter 5. We have enough assets made (backgrounds, sprites, GUI) and enough dialogue written to start playing around with implementation. We also hope to get m. (who recently remade the GUI for both of our games) involved with some new GUI elements to give the Murder Mystery Game a unique feel, separate from the main story of the game. We'll include some previews of how it's all coming together in future dev logs! To get a taste of what it will look like, you can check out our previous dev log for previews of the backgrounds and look for the outfit polls we'll be doing this month and next. Other than that, Josselyn has been slowly chipping away at the writing and rendering, which is pretty typical for this phase of the development cycle. Currently, the written word count for Chapter 5 is around ~15K words and ~400 renders have been made (including the previously mentioned assets for the Murder Mystery Game).
Translated Builds
Another thing we hope to achieve during this development cycle is translated builds of A Shot in the Dark through Chapter 4, which we know many of our Steam players are eagerly awaiting. Once we have builds they will still have to be tested thoroughly before they are released, but we're getting very close to having builds ready to test!
Voice Acting
Lastly, we are excited to announce we are working with HaruLuna and other voice actresses to add more voice acting to the game (both to previous chapters and future ones)! We tried out voice acting for the first time with the Ashley scene in Chapter 4 (featuring Cinder) and we were super happy with the results, so we've decided to do more. We'll have more information about that as we get further into the process.
Chapter 5 Previews
Here are some previews from the first scene of Chapter 5 which is fully written and rendered. Just in case you were worried we weren't going to resolve the cliffhanger from Chapter 4, let this be proof that we won't leave you hanging. ;)
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on May 3, 2024.
Chapter 4 Official Release
Chapter 4 has now officially been released on all platforms, including Steam and Itch! The official release went smoothly and we are now working on getting Chapter 4 translated on Crowdin so that we can finally release some translated builds of the game! If you are interested in helping improve translations for any of the following languages, check out our Crowdin page and reach out via the #translation-help channel on our Discord server!
Chapter 5 Development
As mentioned in previous dev logs, Chapter 5 has been in development for a while now. We've also mentioned before that we are going to be doing something totally new and different with Chapter 5 that we can't wait to tell you about! We're excited to announce that Chapter 5 will have a 1920s themed Murder Mystery Game within it featuring all of your favorite A Shot in the Dark characters (a mini visual novel within a visual novel, if you will!). This has been an idea we've had since the very beginning, and originally the plan was to include it in Chapter 3, but as the story progressed we ultimately decided it made more sense in Chapter 5. The story for the 1920s Murder Mystery Game is already set, and about a third of the content is written already. We also have created all of the backgrounds for the various locations in the mini game, as well as hair and outfit options for all the love interests who will be participating so that players can vote on their favorites on Patreon and SubscribeStar (which we will start doing next week!). Chapter 5 will have regular scenes that advance the story and lewd scenes with 8 out of the 10 love interests, so don't worry. This is not a gimmicky chapter that will take away from "real" development time or progression with your favorite characters. :) This game-within-a-game was always planned to tie in with the actual story of the main game. Without further ado, here are previews of the locations for the 1920s Murder Mystery Game coming in Chapter 5!
Chapter 4 Official Release
Official Public Release for players who own the game on Steam and Itch is here! This final version of Chapter 4 includes achievements for players on all platforms, not just Steam.
THIS IS A SAVE-BREAKING UPDATE!
WARNING!!! SAVES WILL BE BROKEN THIS UPDATE! Opening old saves will introduce bugs. Please plan to start a new game or use the Entry Points feature to avoid opening old saves. To be safe, please consider deleting your old saves. We know broken saves are a huge inconvenience for players, but unfortunately we made too many changes to the foundation of the codebase for it to be avoided.
Verify Integrity of Game Files
If you run into issues with downloading or accessing the Chapter 4 update, please try the "Verify integrity of game files" option in the Steam settings, in the Installed Files tab.
Please report any bugs or issues
If you encounter any bugs or issues with the game, please reach out to us directly so we can help you! You can post in our Discussion forum here on Steam, reach out to us on our Discord server, or contact our support email vimstudios.vns@gmail.com. If you report problems in a review, we may not see the report immediately.
What's new in Chapter 4?
With this update we are adding: 16 scenes (9 lewd), ~55K+ words, 2,226 renders, 97 animations, 28 songs, and 21 sfx.
Ren'Py upgrade and code optimization
This update we upgraded from Ren'Py 7.4.11 to Ren'Py 8+ which allows us to take advantage of the newer optimization features Ren'Py has to offer! We also took this opportunity to refactor our code to integrate well with Crowdin and help automate the translation process.
New Achievements feature added
We've now added Achievements (which were previously only available via the Steam platform) to the game itself so that players on all platforms can access them! All players will get notifications when achievements are completed and can check in-game to see which achievements they have completed or not. If you have the Walkthrough features purchased and enabled, you can also get hints for the achievements in-game.
Unlock All Memories feature added
We added the ability to Unlock All Memories with a toggle in the settings. We already had the feature that allows you Reset All Memories. These are quality of life features to help players who get stuck in bugged states, are playing on multiple platforms/devices that can't share saves, etc. Both can be found in the Options menu in the More tab.
Brand new GUI throughout entire game
Thank you to m. of Tsundere Studio for the complete GUI overhaul! We couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. Be sure to add their game to your Steam wish list: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1703610/I_Just_Want_to_be_Single/
Future plans and pricing
Development of Chapter 5 is currently in progress and planned to release later in 2024! The base price of A Shot in the Dark may increase with the Chapter 5 update, but we will give the community advance notice about any prices changes. As a reminder, we also have NO plans to split the game into Books or Seasons. When you purchase A Shot in the Dark, you will have access to all future updates until the game is complete (we have approx. 5 more updates planned). The same is true for the Walkthrough & Guide DLC.
Translations coming soon
Currently only the English version of the game is available for purchase. Translations to the following languages are in progress: Chinese (Simplified), French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. We plan to release the translated versions to Steam in the next few months!
Want to help with the translation process?
You can find more information in this post. Volunteers who help translate the game can request a Steam key. We have additional incentives for volunteers who make significant contributions to the translations.
Thank you for playing!
We appreciate all of our fans and players! If you enjoyed the game, please consider leaving a review. We hope you enjoy playing Chapter 4 of A Shot in the Dark as much as we've enjoyed making it. :)
Chapter 4 BETA & Steam Release
The BETA/Early Release schedule for Patreon and SubscribeStar is now available on those platforms. Official Public Release for players who own the game on Steam and Itch will happen in mid to late April, once we have had time to add Steam achievements and do further testing once those are added.
THIS WILL BE A SAVE-BREAKING UPDATE!
WARNING!!! SAVES WILL BE BROKEN THIS UPDATE! Opening old saves will introduce bugs. Please plan to start a new game or use the Entry Points feature to avoid opening old saves. To be safe, please consider deleting your old save files: https://savelocation.net/renpy We know broken saves are a huge inconvenience for players, but unfortunately we made too many changes to the foundation of the codebase for it to be avoided.
What's new in Chapter 4?
With this update we are adding:
- 16 scenes, 9 lewd
- ~55K+ words
- 2,226 renders
- 97 animations
- 28 songs, 21 sfx
Ren'Py upgrade and code optimization
This update we upgraded from Ren'Py 7.4.11 to Ren'Py 8+ which allows us to take advantage of the newer optimization features Ren'Py has to offer! We also took this opportunity to refactor our code to integrate well with Crowdin and help automate the translation process.
New Achievements feature added
We've now added Achievements (which were previously only available via the Steam platform) to the game itself so that players on all platforms can access them! All players will get notifications when achievements are completed and can check in-game to see which achievements they have completed or not. If you have the Walkthrough features purchased and enabled, you can also get hints for the achievements in-game.
Unlock All Memories feature added
We added the ability to Unlock All Memories with a toggle in the settings. We already had the feature that allows you Reset All Memories. These are quality of life features to help players who get stuck in bugged states, are playing on multiple platforms/devices that can't share saves, etc. Both can be found in the Options menu in the More tab.
Brand new GUI throughout entire game
Thank you to m. of Tsundere Studio for the complete GUI overhaul! We couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. Be sure to add their game to your Steam wish list: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1703610/I_Just_Want_to_be_Single/
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on March 8, 2024.
Cue the hallelujah choir!
The end of the development cycle is near!
All of the animations for Chapter 4 are posed and now we just have to wait for the remaining ones to finish rendering. Let's kick this celebratory dev log off with some animation previews from the ones that have already rendered:
The last two scenes of Chapter 4 are in the process of being implemented into the code. We still have a lot of little polishing tasks and basic testing before we can hand things off to our testers, but the bulk of the coding is done. This update was by far our most efficient in terms of coding implementation, and we have been happy with how quickly and smoothly that part has gone. Not only have we learned quite a bit from previous updates on how to "touch things once" and not duplicate work (which is harder than it sounds with a game as complex as this), we also have someone helping with coding who has been able to automate some of the more tedious aspects of the code implementation. Right now, we plan to do everything in our power to release the Chapter 4 BETA on Patreon and SubscribeStar during the last week of March. It will take a few weeks to prepare the final version for Steam release (we have to do further testing, add Steam achievements, etc) so that is tentatively planned for mid-April. We know this development cycle has been a long one and we appreciate your patience with us as we navigated a lot of challenges and competing priorities during the second half of last year. With most of that out of the way, we have been happy with how things have gone so far in 2024 and we are feeling good about things going into Chapter 5. Speaking of Chapter 5, we have also been doing the early work of planning and setting up a new chapter. As mentioned before, the plan has always been to do something really different with Chapter 5. We won't say more right now, you'll have to wait until after we release Chapter 4 to find out what that means exactly. So, stay tuned!
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on February 24, 2024.
All writing and renders for Chapter 4 are now complete! As we've mentioned in previous dev logs, we won't know the actual dialogue word count until we prep the chapter for translation, but our estimate is around 55K words. The final render count is 2,240.
Our original plan had been to work on translated/localized builds during the Chapter 4 update cycle and then to update the GUI with the Chapter 5 cycle. However, the GUI update was completed faster than we anticipated and those changes had to be integrated into the code while they were still relatively "fresh" (and therefore also improved and tested during this update cycle). That is why we switched priorities to updating the GUI with the Chapter 4 update and we will be working on released translated versions once we are working on Chapter 5.
TheOmega is plugging along nicely with coding and animations for Chapter 4. Now that renders and writing are complete, Josselyn can get started on polishing and adding music to the scenes. We hate to give estimates when things can change unexpectedly at any time, but our current goal is to release the BETA version of the update on Patreon and SubscribeStar before the end of March. That would make the Steam and Itch release likely to happen in early April. As always, we will give more specific dates as we get closer!
Josselyn is also working on the early stages of writing for Chapter 5. The format of Chapter 5 is going to be different than any other chapter/update. It's something we've been planning for a long time so we are excited to finally be working on it. We'll release more details about what Chapter 5 will look like after the Chapter 4 release!
Since there are no lewd scenes left to preview, here are more story scene previews:
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on February 11, 2024.
Things are moving pretty quickly with the Chapter 4 update now that we have a second set of hands helping with the coding! We have plowed through about half of the scenes that had been waiting for a while to be coded, and we are also mostly done with tweaking and testing the new GUI.
Josselyn is working on the very last scene of renders and only a handful of renders are left to make for the update, so we should have a final render count soon. She has also been working on outlining the Chapter 5 update in preparation for writing it.
There are no more lewd scenes to preview, so here are some previews of a non-lewd story scene!
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on January 26, 2024.
Josselyn has made a lot of progress with Chapter 4 renders the past two weeks. All of the renders for the Monica lewd scene as well as two non-lewd scenes are now rendered and ready to go. There are also currently 50 posed renders that will be rendering over the weekend to finish off another scene.
The current render count is 2,060 (not including the ones that are posed but not yet rendered). Two more small scenes and Photogram renders are all that remains before still renders will be done for Chapter 4.
If you're interested in learning more about our process for making 3D renders and animations, check out our latest podcast episode:
[previewyoutube=SeD7lLafH38;full][/previewyoutube]
TheOmega has been working on Sophie animations and coding the Paloma scene (which has a fun new feature we can't wait for our femdom fans to see!). We also have a second set of hands helping with regular coding now, so hopefully that will speed things up a bit (famous last words!) as we implement the many scenes in Chapter 4 and finish polishing the new GUI.
We also recorded a podcast episode this week about a topic we know many (aspiring) devs want to know more about. Josselyn will likely edit and post that episode next week! In the meantime, you can listen to old episodes of our podcast on our YouTube channel.
Here are some NSFW previews from the Monica lewd scene:
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on January 12, 2024.
We hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season! We took some days off to celebrate Christmas with friends and family, and have returned refreshed and ready to work.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out our annual year in review post: ViM Studios: 2023 Year in Review! That post also talks about our goals and priorities for 2024, most of which have to do with developing A Shot in the Dark.
Since our last official dev log (A Shot in the Dark: Dev Log 18-Dec-2023), the last remaining scene that was left to be written was finished. All that's left to write is the chapter wrap up and Photogram content. The final word count for all the scripts written was between 60K-70K words, and we're estimating about 55K words of pure dialogue. We'll have the exact figure when we prepare the chapter for translation.
Josselyn has been plugging away at renders for Chapter 4. Before Christmas she was able to finish the remaining renders for the Delia lewd scene, and after Christmas she finished the non-lewd renders for the Delia scene. This week she posed all the renders for the Monica scene, about half of which are rendered.
The Delia and Monica scenes were the only remaining lewd scenes from Chapter 4 that needed renders. That means all the "big scenes" are done! Non-lewd scenes typically have far fewer renders, so the ~4 scenes remaining to make renders for will likely not add substantially to the render count (which is currently 1,936). The final render count will probably be around ~2,200 but of course we won't know the actual number until we're done.
TheOmega has been working on coding and animations for Chapter 4, as well as a bug fix for a texting issue that some Steam users were reporting. We got the fix out to Steam players last week. If you were encountering the texting bug with a version purchased on another platform, please let us know so we can get you an updated build.
As mentioned in our end of year wrap up, m. from Tsundere Studio has been working on revamp of the GUI for A Shot in the Dark. They finished up last week! This process went much faster than we anticipated, so although we hadn't originally planned to update the GUI with the Chapter 4 update, we'll now be able to.
Thank you to m. for all of their hard work! Be sure to wishlist their game on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1703610/I_Just_Want_to_be_Single/
We are super happy with the overhaul! Here are some previews:
This dev log was originally posted on Patreon and SubscribeStar on December 18, 2023.
Don't forget to leave a review on Steam!
Your reviews help other players like you find and enjoy our game.
Steam Launch
We are so excited with how the A Shot in the Dark launch has gone on Steam! This was our second major goal for the year, along with releasing V1.0 of Prince of Suburbia, and we are very proud for accomplishing both goals. It was a lot of work to get to this point, and we have a lot more work in front of us (particularly when it comes to releasing translated/localized versions). We still plan to a take some time this holiday season to reflect and celebrate all that we've accomplished so far!
Chapter 4 Development
As far as Chapter 4 development, the main writing tasks are done. There is one tiny scene left to write, some editing to do, and then some writing tasks that always happen toward the end of the development cycle such as texting content, Photograph content, chapter wrap up, etc. The word count for scripts written is ~60K words, but not all of that is dialogue (some is narration, code instructions, dialogue tags, etc). We won't know the dialogue-only word count until we prep the chapter for translation (which happens after the writing has been implemented into the code). The current render count is ~1,750 which definitely confirms this is shaping up to be our largest update in terms of renders. Renders for the Delia lewd scene are almost complete, with only a day or two left to finish those up. Renders still need to be made for the non-lewd hypnosis scene. Here are some previews from the lewd scene!
Previously Shared Previews
Here are the other previews for Chapter 4 that were previously shared on other platforms earlier this year:
We wish all of you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season! We can't wait to show you what we have in store for 2024!
We are excited to announce that A Shot in the Dark - Chapter 3 and the Walkthrough & Guide DLC are now available for purchase on Steam!
Current version information
The current version (Chapter 3) of A Shot in the Dark includes: 70+ scenes, 116K+ words, 5K+ renders, 275+ animations, 115 songs, and 34 sound effects.
Future plans and pricing
Development of Chapter 4 is currently in progress and planned to release in early 2024! You can find past dev logs and progress updates via our website. Future dev logs will be posted on Steam. The base price of both A Shot in the Dark and the Walkthrough & Guide DLC will NOT increase with the future Chapter 4 release. You can safely wait until Chapter 4 releases if you want more content before purchasing the game. (We will give players advance notice about any prices changes after that point.) We also have NO plans to split the game into Books or Seasons. When you purchase A Shot in the Dark, you will have access to all future updates until the game is complete. The same is true for the Walkthrough & Guide DLC.
Please report any bugs or issues
If you encounter any bugs or issues with the game, please reach out to us directly so we can help you! You can post in our Discussion forum here on Steam, reach out to us on our Discord server, or contact our support email vimstudios.vns@gmail.com" title="vimstudios.vns@gmail.com">vimstudios.vns@gmail.com. If you report problems in a review, we may not see the report immediately.
Saves may be broken
We do everything in our power to avoid broken saves, but there is a risk with every update that saves will be broken. Since releasing the Chapter 1 DEMO on Steam, we have upgraded to Ren'Py 8+. Saves made with the older version of the game (including versions from other platforms) may be broken by this update.
Entry Points available for all players
We have Entry Points for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 available for players whose saves are broken. Entry Points can be found in the Walkthrough part of the menu, even though they are available to all players. You do NOT need to buy the DLC to access Entry Points. (We will move them out of the Walkthrough menu when we upgrade the GUI in the future.)
Speed Up Texting
Just a friendly reminder that you can speed up texting with the setting in the Options menu!
Translations coming soon
Currently only the English version of the game is available for purchase. Translations to the following languages are in progress: Chinese (Simplified), French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. We plan to release the translated version to Steam as soon as we feel they are ready.
Want to help with the translation process?
You can find more information in this post. Volunteers who help translate the game can request a Steam key. We have additional incentives for volunteers who make significant contributions to the translations.
Thank you for playing!
We appreciate all of our fans and players! If you enjoyed the game, please consider leaving a review. We hope you enjoy playing A Shot in the Dark as much as we've enjoyed making it. :)
The day you've been waiting for is almost here!
We are excited to announce that A Shot in the Dark - Chapter 3 and the Walkthrough & Guide DLC will release tomorrow, December 14, at 11:00 AM MST (GMT -7).
The current version (Chapter 3) of A Shot in the Dark includes:
- 70+ scenes
- 116K+ words
- 5,000+ renders
- 275+ animations
- 115 songs
- 34 sound effects
The Walkthrough & Guide DLC includes:
- Gallery and In-Game Hints for unlocking all the content
- Choice Highlighting to show you the best choice(s) based on stats.
- Love Interest Priority List to determine choice highlighting when a choice benefits multiple characters
- Official Player Guide PDF (currently 75 pages) with every detail you need to fully experience the game
Future plans and pricing
We know that players are taking a huge risk on developers when purchasing Early Access games! Our goal is to always be transparent with players about the current state of the game and our future plans so that players can make an informed decision. The base price of both A Shot in the Dark and the Walkthrough & Guide DLC will NOT increase with the future Chapter 4 release. You can safely wait until Chapter 4 releases if you want more content before purchasing the game. (We will give players advance notice about any prices changes after that point.) We also have NO plans to split the game into Books or Seasons. When you purchase A Shot in the Dark, you will have access to all future updates until the game is complete. The same is true for the Walkthrough & Guide DLC.
Important information for DEMO players
Since releasing the Chapter 1 DEMO on Steam, we have upgraded to Ren'Py 8+. Saves made with the older version of the game may be broken by this update.
Entry Points will be available for all players
We have Entry Points for Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 available for players whose saves are broken. Entry Points can be found in the Walkthrough part of the menu, even though they are available to all players. You do NOT need to buy the DLC to access Entry Points. (We will move them out of the Walkthrough menu when we upgrade the GUI in the future.)
Translations coming soon
The release tomorrow is for the English version of the game only. Translations to other languages are in progress! We plan to release them to Steam as soon as we feel they are ready, even if still in BETA.
We need your help improving translations!
You can find more information in this post. Volunteers who help translate the game can request a Steam key. We have additional incentives for volunteers who make significant contributions to the translations. These are the languages we are currently working on translations for:
- Chinese (Simplified)
- French
- Italian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
- Turkish
We appreciate you!
Thank you to all of you that have added the game to their Wishlist, commented on our Character Spotlights, or posted in our Discussion forum! We hope you enjoy playing A Shot in the Dark as much as we've enjoyed making it. :)
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
This week we're thrilled to introduce Natalie, the introspective and sensitive twin of Sophie. This is our last character spotlight before A Shot in the Dark releases on Steam!
Introducing Natalie
Natalie, a reserved and contemplative college junior, contrasts sharply with her vivacious twin sister, Sophie. Natalie finds solace in solitude and the serenity of nature, often preferring a quiet night with a book over a big college party. She joined the Zeta Omega Chi sorority, despite not fitting in, in order to stay close to Sophie, her anchor in life despite their stark differences.
Natalie's journey is one of emotional depth and slow discovery. A true romantic, she aspires for a love that's deep and meaningful. Her cautious approach to relationships and intimacy reflects a deep desire to preserve parts of herself for someone truly special. If you are patient and willing to take things slow, your dedication will be rewarded in the end with Natalie.
Likes: Solitude, nature, romance novels Dislikes: Recklessness, bad boys, big parties Quote: "I want to save some parts of myself... for someone who matters."
Ready to spend some quiet time with Natalie?
Play the Chapter 1 (demo) today for free on Steam and don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark so you know when it releases! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Natalie? Are you patient enough to "take things slow"? Do you prefer love interests who are more outgoing or more reserved?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
As we continue our character spotlights leading up to the Steam release of A Shot in the Dark, this week we're excited to introduce the vibrant and unpredictable Sophie.
Introducing Sophie
Sophie, a college junior, fully embraces life on the edge. In contrast to Natalie (her more introverted twin sister), Sophie thrives in the limelight, fueled by partying hard and flirting with danger. But one has to wonder... what is she working so hard to conceal underneath her carefree exterior?
Tread carefully with Sophie. Many choices on her path will lead to trouble... Make the right choices, however, you might just reveal the softer, more vulnerable side Sophie typically keeps under wraps.
Likes: Partying, being the center of attention, taking risks Dislikes: Dishonesty, predictability, showing weakness Quote: "The only constant with me is change."
Ready to take a walk on the wild side with Sophie?
Play Chapter 1 (demo) today for free on Steam and don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark so you know when it releases! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Sophie? Do you think you can "fix her"? What's your take on "wild child" or "free-spirited" characters in games?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
In our series of character spotlights leading up to the Steam release of A Shot in the Dark, this week we're introducing Sara, the embattled sorority president facing challenging times.
Introducing Sara
Sara, a college senior, finds herself at the helm of the Zeta Omega Chi sorority during a difficult period. Not only is the sorority grappling with dwindling recruitment, but they're also rocked by the mysterious disappearance of one of their sorority sisters after a party. Sara's leadership is further tested by her friction with Alexis, the sorority treasurer, stirring up plenty of drama.
Portraying confidence and allure on the surface, Sara harbors deep insecurities within. She often assumes that others' interest in her is superficial, leading her to keep her vulnerable side safely locked away. Will you be able to chip away at her rock-solid emotional defenses?
Likes: Social media, partying, entrepreneurship Dislikes: Family pressures, cafeteria food, horror movies Quote: "When you have something of value, you shouldn't give it away for free."
Ready to party with the sorority president?
Play Chapter 1 (demo) available for free on Steam today! Don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark to be alerted when it releases later this year. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Sara? How do you feel about characters with hidden vulnerabilities? How do you feel about girls with daddy issues?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
Our series of character spotlights continues in anticipation of our upcoming Steam release! This week we're excited to introduce the formidable domme, Paloma.
Introducing Paloma
Officer Paloma Ortiz, a prominent member of a small college town's police force, is laser-focused on cracking the case of a missing sorority girl -- a case where our protagonist happens to be a person of interest. Ambitious and driven, Paloma dreams of becoming the department's youngest detective, a goal that hinges on her solving this high-profile case.
As the investigation unfolds, players have the option to explore a BDSM relationship where Paloma takes the lead as a confident domme. Paloma claims to only engage in casual flings, or in her words: "Hot sex. No lovey-dovey crap." Will you be able to break through her tough exterior and bring out her softer side?
Likes: Working out, being in control, casual flings Dislikes: Emotional entanglements, incompetency, unsolved cases Quote: "You're so lucky to have the privilege of serving me. I could have any man I want, but I choose you."
Are you ready to serve Mistress Paloma?
Add A Shot in the Dark to your wishlist today so you don't miss its release on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
Paloma wants to know...
Are you a good boy? How do you feel about women who unapologetically embrace their sexuality? What are your thoughts on characters who exploit their positions of authority for their own gain?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
As we continue our character showcase leading up to our Steam release of A Shot in the Dark, we're excited to shine the spotlight on the demanding Professor Monica.
Introducing Monica
Professor of photography, Monica Kapoor, commands the classroom with her strict teaching style and sky-high expectations. At first glance, Monica might appear stern and commanding, but through patience and dedication, one might just coax out her seldom-seen softer side.
As the story progresses, players will have the opportunity to develop a more personal (and less professional) relationship with Monica. However, Monica's exacting standards persist beyond the confines of the classroom. Only the highest achieving students will be rewarded, and all others would be wise to prepare for punishment.
Likes: Dedication, punctuality, artistic talent Dislikes: Tardiness, excuses, unfulfilled potential Quote: "I believe you have the potential to be my star pupil. But remember, potential is nothing without discipline."
Ready for Monica to put you to the test?
Add A Shot in the Dark to your wishlist today so you don't miss its release on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Are you hot for Monica? How do you feel about the professor/student dynamic in adult content? How do you feel about love interests with high expectations?
Big news! We are translating A Shot in the Dark into multiple languages in preparation for our Steam release. This has been a goal of ours for a long time so we can make the game available and accessible to as many players as possible. If you are a native speaker of any of these languages, you can help improve the translation!
- Chinese (Simplified)
- French
- Italian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
- Turkish
- Upvoting or downvoting the current translation
- Suggesting better translations
- Proofreading and editing suggestions
- a Steam key with full ownership of the game including the DLC (Walkthrough feature & Walkthrough PDF) when the game releases
- early access to new content in order to help facilitate translation of each chapter as quickly as possible
- credit in the About and Credits sections of the game under a name or pseudonym of your choosing
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
We will be doing weekly character spotlights from A Shot in the Dark in preparation for our upcoming Steam release! This week, we are excited to introduce Mai.
Introducing Mai
A college freshman with an artistic soul, Mai's moody disposition and razor-sharp tongue can be misleading. Beneath her hot and cold tsundere exterior lie deep scars and a fiery passion. A fan of all things spooky and morbid, Mai often finds beauty in the most unexpected places.
Spend time with Mai and you'll find yourself talking about art, exploring museums, and taking photographs. Just be sure to pack your patience... If you are lucky enough to thaw her icy exterior, you can bet it will be worth the wait. Betray her, though, and you'll face the fury of her wrath.
Likes: drawing, painting, museums, all things morbid and spooky Dislikes: bullies, technology, pop culture Quote: "The fact that it's a little scary is what makes it beautiful."
Ready to start your slow burn with Mai?
Play Chapter 1 (demo) today for free on Steam and don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark so you know when it releases! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Mai? How do you feel about tsundere characters in visual novels? How do you feel about love interests who make you "work for it"?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
We will be doing weekly character spotlights from A Shot in the Dark in preparation for our upcoming Steam release! This week, we are excited to introduce Elly.
Introducing Elly
From the moment you first see her in Chapter 1, Elly's curly red hair, adorable freckles, and seductive lip bites are nearly impossible to ignore. You will soon realize that Elly has undergone an immense transformation from her self-proclaimed "ugly duckling" days.
While her infectious energy and feisty personality may attract you initially, theres more to Elly than meets the eye. What secrets does Elly hide behind her carefully crafted faade? The more you get to know her, the more you'll realize that Elly is a puzzle just waiting to be solved.
Likes: The Beatles, fashion magazines, getting good grades Dislikes: bullying, past trauma, being overlooked Quote: "I made sure to put on my friendliest face for the first day of classes. You never get a second chance to make a first impression."
Ready to reveal Elly's secrets?
Add A Shot in the Dark to your wishlist today so you don't miss its release on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Elly? Do you prefer to know a character's secrets upfront, or do you prefer to discover them as you play? How do you feel about the "ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan" trope in stories?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
As we continue our character showcase leading up to our Steam release of A Shot in the Dark, we're excited to shine the spotlight on the enigmatic Dr. Delia.
Introducing Delia
Once a party girl during her college days, Delia is now a dedicated psychiatrist at the university clinic. Delia enjoys quieter hobbies like practicing yoga and reading by the fire, but beyond that professional demeanor still lies a woman hungry for romance... or, at the very least, a steamy affair.
As Delia and our protagonist work together to uncover layers of buried trauma, their bond will deepen. Therapy sessions with Delia can be quite... intimate, especially when Delia's own brand of erotic hypnosis is brought into the mix. Delia herself admits that she is not the best at maintaining professional boundaries when physical attraction is a factor.
Likes: Yoga, red wine, a good book Dislikes: Rules, prudes, boring conferences Quote: "My ideal Saturday night is sitting by the fire with a glass of red wine, wearing nothing but my silk robe, reading something sexy like... a medical journal with the latest psychological research."
Ready to blur the professional lines in your sessions with Delia?
Add A Shot in the Dark to your wishlist today so you don't miss its release on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Delia? How do you feel about characters who are willing to break the rules to get what they want? How do you feel about sex scenes that subvert traditional power dynamics?
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
Join us again this week for another character spotlight as we draw closer to our Steam release of A Shot in the Dark. Today we're thrilled to feature another fan favorite, Alexis.
Introducing Alexis
Currently serving as the treasurer for the Zeta Omega Chi sorority, Alexis is no stranger to ambition and leadership. While striving to strike a perfect balance between academics and athletics, she finds herself battling her own demons, particularly the looming pressure of her parents' expectations and a new rival on the university's tennis team.
No challenge will stop Alexis from seeking adventure, and if you play your cards right you will get more than a taste of her exhibitionist side. Alexis will surprise you with her juxtaposition of sweet, girl-next-door charm and her hunger for excitement. But beware, she doesn't do anything casually. Commitment is the name of her game.
Likes: Sci-fi movies, highly competitive FPS games, tennis Dislikes: Casual relationships, unmet expectations, untapped potential Quote: "I don't do casual relationships, or friends with benefits, or any of that crap... It's all in or I'm out."
Ready for Alexis to put you to the test?
Play Chapter 1 (demo) available for free on Steam today! Don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark to be alerted when it releases later this year. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Alexis? How do you feel about love interests who demand commitment in adult visual novels? Do you prefer casual flings or serious commitments?
Steam Next Fest is here!
Steam Next Fest is a multi-day celebration of upcoming games where you can explore and play hundreds of demos, choose from dozens of livestreams to watch, and chat with developers about their games. We're honored that A Shot in the Dark will be featured during this important event!
Free Chapter 1 demo available
We've polished our Chapter 1 demo to give you a better taste of what's in store for the remaining chapters. Navigate romance, relationships, and rivalry as a young man during your first semester of college, where your choices matter from the first chapter until the last.
Counting down to December
Mark your calendars and be sure to wishlist A Shot in the Dark to ensure you don't miss our Early Access launch this December!
Weekly Character Spotlights
Join us every week for our Character Spotlights to catch a glimpse of the stories and secrets of the characters you'll love to fall in love with. Catch up with last week's spotlight on Ashley in this post: Character Spotlight: Ashley
Seedy AF Podcast
For a deeper dive into the world of adult game development be sure to tune into our podcast, Seedy AF, where we discuss the good, the bad, and the sexy aspects of the unique adult game development. Our latest two-part series delves into the intricacies of putting together an update for both of our visual novel games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktRzg3_M0hM
A Shot in the Dark Character Spotlight
We will be doing weekly character spotlights from A Shot in the Dark in preparation for our upcoming Steam release! This week, we are excited to introduce Ashley.
Introducing Ashley
Back in her college days, Ashley was the heart and soul of the Zeta Omega Chi sorority. With her partying college days now a distant memory and her own daughter now starting college, Ashley yearns to relive the thrill of her youth. Ashley finds joy in guiding our young protagonist, becoming a source of dating advice, a confidante, and potentially a not-so-secret crush.
Ashley's flirtatious turns of phrase and provocative clothing might be what initially grabs your attention, but it's her genuine care and motherly affection that will eventually steal your heart. This seductive MILF will tempt and tease you with a slow-burn romance.
Likes: red wine, classic rock, candlelit dinners Dislikes: instant coffee, modesty, being told she's "too old for that" Quote: "That's ancient history now! Best to live in the present, don't you agree?"
Want to get to know Ashley better?
Play Chapter 1 (demo) today for free on Steam and don't forget to wishlist A Shot in the Dark so you know when it releases! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to hear from you!
Why are you team Ashley? How do you feel about slow-burn romances? What is it that makes MILFs so irresistible?
Steam Visual Novel Fest celebrates the spirit of telling a story through art and interactive fiction. The event runs from August 7 to August 14, offering demos and discounts on current and upcoming visual novel games of all kinds. We are honored that A Shot in the Dark was invited to participate, and excited that Steam is elevating the visual novel genre with this event. Be sure to play our recently updated Chapter 1 demo and add A Shot in the Dark to your wishlist today! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/
We want to take a moment to celebrate a significant milestone:
Our studio has reached a remarkable 600,000 downloads across all platforms! A large portion of the downloads are the free demos that we offer for both our games, but that doesn't change how fun it is to watch our audience grow. It's exciting for us to know that we've brought enjoyment to so many players! Thank you, everyone, for your support and interest in our games!
Be sure to check out and wish list all our games, if you haven't already!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830/A_Shot_in_the_Dark/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1896170/Prince_of_Suburbia__Part_1/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2149280/Prince_of_Suburbia__Part_2/
[previewyoutube=jfBmwxZoMyQ;full][/previewyoutube] Our studio has started a podcast about adult game development! It's something we've wanted to do for many years, so we finally pulled the trigger and started. Why a podcast? We love to talk about adult games! There's a lot of things that we want to share with the world, that we just don't have the time or desire to write down in a stuffy dev log. Basically, the goal of this podcast is to record the types of conversations we are already having, and let you be a fly on the wall to hear them! In today's episode, we're going to tackle a question that we get asked all the time: What's it like to work with your spouse all day? We know many of you have to be curious about how we navigate being both business partners and life partners! We need your questions for future episodes! Some questions we plan to answer in our next episodes:
- What makes a sex scene good (or bad)?
- How do you choose the kinks and fetishes in your games?
- What did you do for work before developing adult games full-time?
- What is the best (and worst) part of adult game development?
- How do you deal with increasing censorship and restrictions?
- What else do you want to know about us, our games, the development process, or the industry overall?
The moment you've been waiting for is here! You can now play Chapter 1 of A Shot in the Dark for FREE on Steam! Chapter 1 includes:
- 24 scenes
- ~36,000 words
- 1,073 3D renders
- 28 3D animations
- 58 2D illustrations
- 9 2D animations
- 107 GUI elements
- 11 sound effects
- 39 songs
[previewyoutube=nvcr5WjxRs0;full][/previewyoutube] The Steam page for our 3D adult visual novel, A Shot in the Dark, is now live! We also recently released an official trailer for the demo release of A Shot in the Dark! We hope this will get everyone else as hyped as we've been for the upcoming release! We are still testing and tweaking our ALPHA build of Chapter 1. We hope to have a BETA build by the end of the month available on select platforms, with a Steam release this summer. We can't wait for you guys to play it and let us know what you think! ViM Studios
A Shot in the Dark - Part 1
ViM Studios
ViM Studios
Summer 2022
Singleplayer EA
FREEGame News Posts 34
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
Very Positive
(136 reviews)
https://vim-studios.web.app/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1853830
A mystery to solve
You play as a young man hoping to make a fresh start in college. But when a sorority girl goes missing, any hope of a normal semester disappears along with her. Will you be able to solve the mystery of her disappearance before it's too late?
Your choices matter
Choose wisely. There is no right or wrong. There is no one "happy path." From the first chapter to the last, your decisions can have permanent impacts on the story. Many branching story paths—each with its own joys and tragedies—will eventually lead you to one of the multiple endings.
Compelling characters
Ten main love interests represent a variety of body types, personalities, and skin tones. Your choices will decide how each relationship progresses and whether lewd scenes are revealed. Additional romanceable characters will be included based on Patron polling and requests.
Transparent gameplay
The mystery is in the story, not the gameplay. You will always know what aspects of the game your choices affect, for optimal replayability. No grinding or pointless minigames to stretch out the content. Every mechanic is designed to move the story forward, not to slow it down.
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04+ or Kernel 3.x+ based distributions
- Processor: 2.0 GHz Core 2 DuoMemory: 2 GB RAM
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible
- Storage: 6 GB available space
- OS: Ubuntu 18.04Memory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 3 GB available space
- Memory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 3 GB available space
- Storage: 3 GB available space
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