I love this game so much! I was here practically from day 0 (idk if you remember me lmao) i need to ask, are going to create a discord or something? I would love to enter if so!
Of course I remember you, heheh. You’ve really been around almost since day one and I'm glad to see you are still with us ^^.
About Discord, for now we’re not planning to create one. I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I’m even thinking of making a post to look for someone else to join us and help me with a few things.
Really enjoyed what I've played of the game, it has a good amount of branching and I'm interested to see where it goes! For now I'd say my favourite is Harry with Matt as a not so far second.
Speaking of Matt, I've just downloaded v0.5 and noticed his sprite changed (well his and everyone else's, but he's the only one that seems to have gotten a bit of a facelift on top of the full body as far as I can tell), and I'm a little mixed on it? Overall I prefer the old version especially when it comes to the size and shape of his mouth, the way his nose was a bit more highlighted, the sclera of his eyes which was more white and now seems kind of grayish and the slightly lighter complexion which showed his blush more.
That being said the rest of the changes seem good! The UI looks better and the chest hair on Harry is 👌 Thanks for all the hard work.
In version 0.5 there was a slight change to his sprite, but it was mostly just a sharpening of the artwork so I could zoom in and play with the camera without it becoming completely blurry. But even slight modifications like that can change how the sprite looks.
The reason we shapened his sprite if he, Diego, and drunk Harry were some of the very first sprites I ever made. Back then, I simply didn’t know better, and they’re starting to feel a bit out of sync with the newer sprites I’ve been making over time. You can tell they’re a bit lower in quality compared to the newer ones, specially ones that I haven't shown you guys yet.
That said, I totally understand what you mean. Even small changes are noticeable, and when we like a character, we really notice them.
To be 100% honest, I might suggest a full sprite update for him on Patreon at some point but that would only come to be:
The vast majority of people like it
It keeps his essence, or even improves it
It fits well with the current art style of the game
So yeah, we’ll see. It’s definitely not a high priority right now. At the moment I need to focus on creating enough content for the 0.7 patch itself, then work on the logs (the in-game system that helps you track what content you’ve unlocked), and only then think about visual updates.
A lot of things to do in a little under a month xDD
Still, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game, and I hope you like the UI changes coming in 0.6 as well — I personally love them, but I might be biased hehehe.
I really liked the addition of Lucas; he has everything it takes to become a new romantic interest. And I found the idea of him joining the team quite fascinating. Is there any chance that you could create the possibility of the teams merging in the future (after the fight) (with Diego and Harry joining the team), or, depending on the case, the protagonist leaving the team and joining Diego's team?
About Lucas. I get you. And people are really liking him as well heheh.
As for the team dynamic itself, I can tell you that I have things planned for that in Season 2. I’m dividing the game into seasons and chapters, with each season containing multiple chapters.
Season 1 is Diego vs Matt (the one currently happening), and Season 2 will be the beach season (voted by the Patreons).
Coming back to your question — yes, I do have plans in that direction for Season 2, but I’m still thinking through some details. Since I’m basically a solo developer, everything takes time, and sometimes allowing extra decisions means taking time away from developing other things.
Just to give you a quick example: I love how Lucas’ scene works in the stadium, but for every scene I have to be careful about adding or removing him depending on whether he’s accompanying you or not. And later on, if he’s introduced again, I’d need multiple versions — one if he’s already on the team, one if he’s not on the team but you helped him, or one if he doesn’t even know you yet :P
I genuinely love doing this kind of branching, but it takes time. Because of that, when it comes to the team, I basically have two options:
Either I give you conditional freedom — meaning you can decide certain things but within limits — or, for now, while I’m still developing and writing everything on my own, I make some decisions that don’t fully depend on the player.
Anyway, I’m rambling now. In short, and without giving spoilers: yes, there is a possibility for that to happen in Season 2 — both Diego and Harry joining the team or you leaving it to join them. Whether it actually happens, whether you get to choose, or whether fate decides for you… you’ll have to wait and see :P
(But I can tell you it’s already planned — it just needs a bit more polishing.)
Yes, I understand what you're saying about the care needed in scenes, especially since you've created many choices (it reminds me of when I was writing my game with more focus). Anyway, remember that at some points you'll need to create "filtering" points (where these branches and paths somehow intersect), otherwise things will start to get so out of hand that you'll lose control of the story (if you end up with 20 branches, this will continue to multiply if you don't create this filtering point where they meet). But anyway, I love how you're guiding the story and I hope to see more and more of your development :D
I love the story of this game and like Harry the most. He's fun cute and love his beer belly. I really want to see the NSFW the most but the story are very interested to follow tbh. I hope there an Walkthrough in the future too. because many chars are have many personality and choice and will there be some route that lead to something like harem or 3love[save the word for reason] because some chars have potential to go that way too back to the Walkthrough I like to collect CG so I really wanna collect it all so I hope there one later on. looking forward for more update <3.
I can't help but wonder if the characters will have a fixed position in regard of the NSFW (for the gay content, that is), like an always bottom Ren. Not that it bothers me much since I'm in love with your game as a whole.💙
Now, a thing that really worries me is the massive branching it may become in the future. Although it seems to be your goal and I sure support the idea, I fear it may demand too much from you...
Now, don't get me wrong, for I am one of the firsts to encourage you to keep going and follow your dreams. What I mean is: take your time, do it in a steady rhythm. I'm sure someone else already said it (literally the comment below🫣) but I'd like to reinforce!
As much as I yearn for another update, your wellbeing is more important (and it would be a shame to see this growing piece of art fade away)🤭
I'll follow you 'till the end of this awesomeness! Take care and and keep up the marvelous work.💙
Ahh, so Diego makes you nervous. I see Matt isn't the only one who gets nervous around him <.< (joking)
About the NSFW, let me try to be as honest and clear as possible to manage expectations well.
My biggest passion is writing belivable characters that feel alive at the same time that make you feel something. In real life there's sex and NSFW scenes, so those are also planned for TrueClash. But when? Honestly, I don't expect that to appear before Season 2 at the beach (after the Diego vs Matt conflict) because only then will more daring characters be introduced in that sense and things may have matured enough with the current cast by then. But I should highlight that explicit NSFW won't be the focus of TrueClash. They will exist and I want to do them fun and exciting but it won't be the focus of the game.
Now about your specific question, I'm planning to make sexual or making out scenes more interactive. So I believe the vast majority of characters will be versatile so everyone can be satisfied.
About branching, a topic that also gives me a lot to think about heheh. I have ideas to control the branching — ideas that allow me to give you freedom to do things like decide who's on your team. In that aspect it won't be a problem. But of course even small changes add work. I don't think you're a patron, but basically in the version they have access to and that's coming out this week for the public, I had to make scene variations depending on whether you managed or did something earlier or not. So all the scenes change with the 'presence' of that previous decision of yours (I'm trying to speak in code words to avoid spoilers xD). It's more work yes, but it's also something I enjoy doing and I think it adds shine to the game. But yeah, I have to be careful with branching so I don't get myself into a mess that'll be hard to get out of xDD
And yes, I've been trying to take time for myself, to rest and do other things. I confess it's hard and sometimes I fail, but I'm doing much better in that aspect xDDD
I really love doing this but I understand what you're saying. I have to be careful not to burn out and end up not enjoying it or not wanting to do it anymore. It has to be something enjoyable in the long run ^^
Thank you for the kind words and I hope you like what's coming!
Yeah, Diego remembers me of someone... Although it's a bittersweet memory, I won't let that get in our way, haha.
I thought the versatility would be the case with the NSFW, wich I am more than happy to know, and wait for it! The slowburn is something I missed in a good VN though.
If you would, I'd like to ask: are you planning on making a walkthough for the game? (This would be a lot of work, would'nt it?) DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO DO IT! Please.
I literally can't wait to play more!🫠 Come already, Christmas!🥲
We get what you mean! A full walkthrough would indeed be a lot of work 😅
That said, we’re actually working on adding something similar to the game itself — a memory log system.
The idea is to help players keep track of important information: details about the characters, knowledge you’ve unlocked, hints about what you might be missing, gallery progress, etc. Kind of like an in-game record of your journey, so you don’t feel lost but still get to explore and discover things naturally.
It’s something that’s quite challenging to implement because of its complexity, but what we’ve been working on so far feels like a really good start, we'll see where that goes hehe.
I love this game so much, really can't wait for new release, but at the same time Devs take your time. This game is so precious and it really show all your dedication.
And yes, I try to take my time and care of myself, but sometimes it's hard because I just want to be around this! But I'm managing to take some days for myself, part of the reason I'm only replying now :P
I hope you like what's coming, it's an impactful patch xDD
With that "game rocks" comment I was tempted to reply with an image of a character but it's still in the making and hasn't even been revealed to patrons yet, so I'll hold back xD.
I'm glad you like the game, I hope it keeps on rocking ^^
So far I'm loving with all these choices consequences thingy. Ahh i think i might slowly fallen in love with Diego. But i faced a problem duringmy run. Idk why this is happening. This happened when I'm trying to escorts Harry to the table with Matt.
I'm glad you're loving the game hehehe. I know why this is happening, and the fact that you sent me the error itself helps immensely. Because there are so many variables and little things that something always slips past me.
It's an idle animation (them breathing and such) that no longer exists (I gave them an upgrade and this one slipped past me). I already fixed them, but apparently it was a fix in version 0.5 and not in this one... I really thought I had also fixed it in version 0.4 at the time but no... Sorry... The fact that I have multiple versions sometimes means it gets fixed in one and not in another.
But it's a minor bug. You can press ignore and the game should run perfectly, Matt just won't have his idle animation.
Thank you for spotting this one out, I already checked and it's fixed in 0.5. Hope you keep enjoying our game. Anything you want to share with us, feel free to do so ^^
You can already play the game, or at least its public version for free. But if you’re referring to the full release, I can’t really say. I do want to get to that point, but I still feel like I’m quite far from it heheh.
Hey guys! The game is really cool, I like it, but I still can't start a romance with Diego( Is there a guide or something like that somewhere? I've already tried almost everything!
About Diego and the romance you can have with him that’s actually something you can start exploring in version 0.4 of the game (the one currently available on Patreon). Romance in Trueclash tends to be gradual, though.
As for version 0.3 (the one currently public here on Itch.io, which I believe is the one you played), you can already start getting along better with Diego there and even walk with him to the dorms.
I’m pretty sure Viv or Alex made a small guide a while back about one of Diego’s CGs, I just don’t remember if it’s something publicly available or one of the Patreon-exclusive tips.
Hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next (I think you will <.<)
Thanks for the answer) I saw the art with a half-naked Diego and thought that I could get to it, but apparently it's only Patreon🥲 so I already got to the dorm with it, Now I'm thinking of starting a root with someone else. Thank you so much for the game, guys, you're going in the right direction👍🏻👍🏻
Hey. Found out about your game a few days ago, and finally tried it yesterday. I created an account here just to make this comment, cause I'm more or less in love with the project. Aha.
So far, I haven't tried a lot, but that's because I'm the kinda guy that can get very invested in the story. Because of that, I need to do the full game at once, for me to prevent frustration. But one thing is for sure : I will wait.
First, the game looks incredible. It's rare to see something so pretty, and I will admit that's what made me check True Clash at first.
Reading a bit about this page made me increasingly interested, though. The characters being at the center of it is what I feel like is the best way to do it. I really hope I'll love this, because it feels like it's the perfect game for me. I'm a bit tired of games saying it's centered on characters and is actually just about NSFW content. Here, I can already say just from the version I played (I followed one of Matt's route) that I will feel emotional, and I love it. Aha. I know I'm curious about Matt and Diego, at least. The new redheaded guy sure is my weak spot too, so I'll definitely try him too. Yeah, I got a thing for redheads.
All in all, I wish you all the best, and I really hope you will be able to complete the game (I'm a bit scared about that, cause so many games never see it to the end, despite having some kickstarter campaign).
I wish I could help you and I'll consider throwing some money at you, but I'm almost jobless, so sadly, it's a bit hard for me. But you have my full support!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the game. Messages like yours honestly give me a huge boost of motivation to keep doing even more hehehe.
About what you said regarding wanting to experience the story all at once, I totally get that. This will still take a good while to reach its full form, but I’ve been thinking of the game in “sagas.” The first saga, the one you’ve just experienced, is the Matt vs Diego arc, everything you’ve experienced so far plus what's to come that leads up to that fight. After that, the story will move into a new saga where these characters (and a few new ones) continue to play important roles. So maybe you would prefer to only play it when a new saga get's fully released. Maybe it’ll feel a bit like following a series, one saga at a time ;)
I really want Trueclash to stay centered around the characters and the stories that connect them. My goal has always been to make players feel something real. Mostly positive emotions, yes, but also the tougher ones that belong in any meaningful story: frustration, anger, sadness… The characters I like to write (and read about) are the ones who have both strengths and flaws, the kind that feel human. Those who are not perfect, but alive.
As for finishing the game, I genuinely love working on it.
Actually, I might love it a bit too much sometimes… I tend to push myself until I burn out and then have to take a few days off. xD That said, I’ve gotten much better at this. It’s been quite a while since I’ve truly burned out, mostly because I’ve learned to recognize the signs in myself and step back before it happens. Still, I sometimes slip and get close to it again — it’s such a subtle thing. I’ll get completely focused on a single scene for days, the fatigue slowly builds up, and only once it’s done do I realize how mentally exhausted I’ve become. xD But yeah, I’ve gotten a lot better at not letting myself reach that point. In short, this whole process is just too addictive and I think the only things that could make me stop are either something happening to me or me forgetting to rest xDDD
And about the financial support — I truly appreciate the thought. If you ever do decide to support us, it would help me bring more people onto the project, increasing quality and speeding up production. But honestly, messages like yours are also a form of support. Just reading them and knowing people care about this journey means a lot to me.
Thank you again for taking the time to write all that, and for the kindness in your words. I really hope we can keep creating content that resonates with you 💙
Oh, wow. I knew you answered to every one on the comments section, but I didn't expect it to be such a long answer. I won't lie, it feels nice :p
I wasn't expecting that you would be so happy about my message either, and I'm just as glad as you seem te be. Aha.
As for your advice, I'll... try? I already kinda failed, cause I replayed the game earlier. Lol. I met Joel, Mafalda, Viktor, Lisa, and the bartender (can't remember her name right now). But it's even worse than I thought. It's so hard to be mean to Matt (and the narrator being a simp is hella fun XD). I genuinely like him. It's so hard to ignore him to try and talk to someone else. Lol. I'm quite sure I'll like Diego, while Joel has piqued my interest for sure. Mafalda also seems great, but not as a love interest for me. I do love good side characters as well, so I'll be happy to see more of her too :p
When you talk about this game, it feels like we like the same kinda characters, so I'll be happy to learn a bit about everyone (except maybe Adrian. Lol).
I do hope you'll take care of your health, though. It feels great to know you love this project, and that you'll take good care of it. I saw somewhere that you use AI, and as an artist myself, it's a bit sad, but with limited budgets, I can get it. I know you hired artists, too, so it's not only a question of willing to.
I'm really glad you can appreciate even my small support, and I'll be sure to try and check regularly for progress.
Also, maybe the comments section isn't the best place to talk like that? I know my messages are long, so I don't expect answers every time, don't worry.
Good luck for the game, and I hope I'll see you another time on next update :p
Honestly, I think you should play however feels best for you, heheh. And I totally get what you mean about Matt, one of the team members (Alex) feels the exact same way, he absolutely loves him too haha. I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you get the chance to talk with Joel in the next patch!
If it were up to me, I’d bring even more people onto the team already, but the budget doesn’t quite allow for that yet. Hopefully in the future :P
And don’t worry. I tend to write long messages myself too ;)
Hey Zaak! Luhnaire here ! (Yeah, I'm stealing that greetings :p)
So... I may or may not have played the game regularly since last time because, well... I did say I was invested, and it was hard not to. I hope you don't mind, because I just wanted to talk to someone about my experience with it.
I finally got to spend time with Diego. And... well, let's just say it's gonna be hard to choose between him and Matt. I really like his sense of humor and how he cares. It does feel like he was well written, so good job on that.
Also, I fumbled a bit with the game and tried every things I could think and am still missing around 40% of the visuals, so guess I'm actually quite bad at it. Lol. I think I saw a post where someone asked if we will get some kind of "branching scenarios trees" (I hope you get what I mean, cause I'm not an English native, and I really don't know how to say this better. Lol), but do you still plan on doing this at some point? It would help a lot for sure, but I can see how hard it'd be to do it when you have all these echos. Also, searching has its charms, but I feel like I'm so stuck right now that I don't know what to do anymore, even though I'm missing so much. I fear that I need to be really mean to everyone just to get what I don't have, though. And... with Diego and Matt looking at me like that, I need to steel myself for a wild ride. Lol.
I did go through the Harry route, too, but... As much as I wish he'd get better, I don't see myself romancing someone like that. I hope I'm gonna be able to help without romancing him.
I went through Adrian's route too and it felt terrible to be an assh*le to everyone. Plus, this route led me to this specific fight that feels impossible to complete... Is it, though? I feel like what I'm missing for Matt might be behind this, but it feels so hard.
Other than that, I hope everyone on the team is doing great, and I wish you all a great day. Expect from me again (if you don't mind) as I go through my journey with Trueclash :p
Hey! You can totally steal my intro anytime, heheh.
And please, don’t ever hesitate to send messages like this. I genuinely love reading them. Feedback like yours helps me see both what’s working well and what still needs improvement.
Ahh, Diego and Matt, huh? Hehehe. In the version that’s coming out for free soon (around three weeks from now), you’ll actually get the chance to deepen the night with Diego even more. Matt, on the other hand, gets a conversation with Mafalda that shows a new side of him. That upcoming free patch mainly expands on existing content while the one I’m working on right now pushes the story forward in a big way.
About unlocking visuals, I totally get what you mean. A lot of people have mentioned that too. There’s a lot of variation, and the fact that I use so many Echoes definitely makes it tricky to unlock everything. To help with that, we’re currently working on a Memory Log system. Our GUI artist is first finishing some of the more standard elements — like improving dialogue boxes and building a new in-game menu (based on an idea we came up with). The log will be part of that menu.
And yeah, I know what you mean by “branching scenario trees.” Trueclash actually tracks your decisions in two main ways. One is through branching paths. For example, at the end of the night you can choose to go home with Harry, Diego, or Matt (and in version 0.4, Joel joins that list too 👀). But the other is scene transformation and adaptation. You can already see that during the beer-pong section but in the current version I’m writing (0.5), I’ve taken it even further. Scenes dynamically change depending on your past choices: characters say different things or react differently. It’s not exactly a new branch; it’s more like the main storyline reshaping itself based on what you’ve done. Get it?
That’s what makes a “branch map” quite difficult to create, but I might still ask Alex to try something like that. He’s the one who made some of the guides on Patreon.
I’ve also been reducing the number of Echoes overall. Things that used to trigger an Echo (like a small dialogue change) no longer do. Now, only the truly meaningful or game-changing decisions create one. Hopefully this helps make the game easier to follow without feeling like you’re chasing every minor variation. But this is something to revisit when the log is ready to be worked upon.
About being “mean,” haha — there are actually two ways to be mean, after that you don’t have to be cruel to unlock more visuals. And yep, that one specific fight? It’s almost impossible to win. You don’t really miss out on anything major, just a slightly different line. I considered adding an achievement or image in case someone managed to win but decided it would feel unfair, given how hard it is, haha.
And yeah, I get what you mean about those looks from Matt and Diego… it’s definitely a wild ride. You’ll mostly feel happy while playing Trueclash — but there will be moments that hurt, a lot. Especially in version 0.5 (currently in development). Let’s just say Alex needed a few days to emotionally recover from that one after he beta tested it due to happens with one of the characters there 😅. But those imperfect, sometimes painful moments are what I think make a story truly good.
So, thank you again and we’ll be waiting for you on the next chapter of your Trueclash journey! 💙
Hey Sharpsz! Zak here, it’s really nice hearing from you again heheh.
I’m glad you enjoyed Harry and Joel! If you haven’t played the Patreon version yet, definitely look forward to the next one, you'll get the opportunity to speak with Joel alone :P
About the coding part, being 100% honest, someone else reached out recently and we had quite a few long talks about both the code and the game itself. Because of that, I felt it was only fair to move forward with him for now. We actually just started this partnership yesterday as a commission-based collaboration!
That said, I really want to see the project grow, and if I ever reach the point where I can afford to bring on a second programmer or tester I’d definitely consider it ^^
Well this is less of a game review and more of a developer review.
I personally really enjoy reading these comments and witnessing not only the respect in how this team (Mainly Zak) responds to comments but also how they handle situations what i personally would have been fuming at.
I currently am completely unable to get the game due to my device storage, make, and whatnot. However as soon as I am able I shall join your patron just so I can give what I feel is well deserved.
Overall, my personal opinion is not only is this game most likely going places, the developers are too. To have teammates (not just workers) that have your back from start to finish is difficult to come by. I wish your team luck.
~ A person with a funny username who happens to like games and humanity.
First off, I have to admit, I wasn’t even sure what to say at first, haha. Your comment was just really nice to read.
I truly hope that once you get the chance to play the game, you’ll have a great time with it and enjoy a few solid hours of fun and discovery.
As for the devs and teammates honestly I think I’m incredibly lucky to have them. The amount of support they give, both to the game and to me personally, is something I cherish deeply. The team has recently started to expand as well and I really hope everyone joining us will have as much fun creating this project as we’ve had so far on this journey.
Thank you so much for your message — it truly made my day. Wishing you all the best too 💙
Hii I was just wondering, is there any plans of hiring a real artist if the game gets bigger? Putting the ethical problems of AI art aside, it's kinda annoying how inconsistent the art style looks sometimes
It's a weird question but Vikor is going to be a "dateable" character? My "type" of man are the big and muscle ones and Viktor is one so I would really like to know.
I don’t think that’s a strange question at all! On the contrary, it’s more than fair. I’ll try to answer with as few spoilers as possible.
Some characters have a specific purpose, something they (or I) want to tell. In Viktor’s case, I can say that from the Matt vs. Diego point onward,you’ll start seeing more of him. You might be able to “date” him, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should or can become something more serious.
As for the big, muscular archetype: I try to include people with different body types and I always aim for the bodies to tell a story or fit the personality archetype I want to add at that moment. So I do have bigger guys planned, I also have chubbier/bear-like men, as well as smaller and taller ones. In other words, it’s very possible you’ll see men like Viktor beyond Viktor himself.
In short: possibly yes. But he has a defined role in the story that’s coming. That said, I stress “possibly,” because I develop the story very organically, like a garden I keep pruning. Many times even I don’t know what will happen; things come to light through the writing and the characters’ interactions. :)
Thanks for the replying, I will keep up to date with the game's development. I've really loved what I've played so far and I'm looking forward to the next update.
Uhhh, another Diego fan ehhehe. Actually, he’s been gaining quite a bit of popularity :P
In this new version we released yesterday to the public for the first time, you can interact with him in different circumstances and environments without Harry constantly bothering him heheh. In version 0.4 (currently on Tier 3 Patreon), I thought it would be fair to give him a more intimate moment with Ren, to balance things out with the content that already existed for Harry and Matt... But I think I might have gotten a little carried away xDDD
Viv (our proofreader and Diego fan) really liked it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too when you get the chance to play.
And thank you so much for your kind words! Comments like these get me even more hyped :P
Hi there! I saw your post on lemmasoft and i would love to work for You!
I'm an illustrator and videogame artist too, i've worked for otomes before doing concept, sprites, backgrounds, maps, and ui too, also i know a little of Unity too, let's talk more about what You need! ✨
Just wondering, it says there's currently 28 or so CGs in the game. Is there a guide on how to unlock them? Because it feels like I've talked to all the npcs in as many ways as I could and I still have less than 10 unlocked.
We currently have a few tips on Patreon about how to unlock certain harder scenes, but we don't have an official guide yet.
I completely understand what you're saying tho. with so many variables, it becomes difficult to keep track of everything you've done or discovered. Actually, this is something we want to address to make things simpler and more accessible. We're planning to implement memory logs that will not only store the images for you to review but also keep a record of key decisions you've made and knowledge you've gained about the characters. I think this will help you see what you might want to try differently.
However, even though we don't have guides or the logs available yet, I'd be happy to help if you're looking for specific images for particular characters. I can also check if there might be a bug on our end that's listing more images than there should be.
Hey, I really enjoyed the game, but it feels way too short for the size. I'm playing it on my phone so every mb can count for me, I wonder, is the first beer pong match really is where the game ends? If so, then I think either the images or the music are having a really heavy file size- compressing them could be beneficial because the game can get really big in no time. I mean 700 mb usually works for like 200-500K words if I know well... I think my visual novel back then when I started had like around 50-70K of words with a file size of 156 mb.
It's really important too, because of professional visual novels with even more complex systems and days length of content only weighs like around 4 gb. For example, Nitro chiral's games has really complex and fancy mechanics like in slow damage and the game weighs low compared to that. My phone would be greatful for that too because of the size, I don't think that I would be able to play it in the long run. <3
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. You actually brought up something I hadn’t really considered before: the overall file size of the game, especially from a mobile player’s perspective. That’s super valuable feedback.
When I first started working on the images, I decided to use PNG format so they’d retain more quality… but now after reading what you had to say, I’m definitely thinking of switching to webp, since it keeps almost the same quality while reducing the file size a lot. So that’s already something I plan to change moving forward.
I also took this oportunity to take a closer look at the files… and to my surprise, the bulk of the weight isn’t actually the images, it’s the music and sound effects. 😅 Right now I have over 50 music tracks already in place for content up to version 0.3, and even though some aren’t used yet in 0.2.5, they’re still bundled with the build. On top of that, the ambient sounds and nightclub tracks (which alone are over 3 hours long) take up a lot of space.
I’m already using .ogg format for most audio files, which from what I understand is one of the more efficient ones but I’ll double check to make sure I’m compressing things the best way I can.
So yes, I’ll definitely start converting all future images to .webp and also go through the soundtrack to see where I can reclaim some MBs. If I manage to shorten a few tracks, especially the long club ambient loops, I think I can cut down 100–200MB right away.
As for the content: Yes, the current public version (0.2.5) ends right after the first beer pong match. It’s still early days for the game overall but there are multiple paths that can lead to that scene with variations that unlock more or less content depending on your choices both before and during the match. That branching might make it feel like there’s less content at first glance, but it was a design choice: I wanted to encourage exploration and replayability.
That said, I totally get how it could feel short, especially since most of the narrative buildup happens before any big payoff. Starting from version 0.3, things become more structured and story-heavy, so I think that feeling of progression will come through more clearly. (For reference, the current content for 0.2.5 adds up to around 70,000 words so far.)
Also, just a quick heads-up: There’s a bug on the mobile version right now where the speaker bars aren’t updating properly (they’re supposed to change color depending on who’s speaking). It’s not critical, but it definitely makes it harder to follow conversations. Marc (our GUI dev) will be looking into this soon, so thank you for your patience there as well!
I really appreciate your message. What you said about file size is something I’ll start tackling right away before the game grows too much to optimize easily.
And PS: I’d love to hear your feedback once you get to try version 0.3! It’s currently on Patreon for Tier 3 members, but it’ll be free for everyone in about a month and hope I hear from you by then💙
I've never seen a vn specifically explain the existence of choices like its a new mechanic 😭 u said in the comments u dont really have experience with vn's, but its so goddamn funny. It's like booting up call of duty and gettin an npc that says "this world is different- we fight different. That thing in your hands? Its called a Bullet Shooter. It works by shootingBullets"
I don t want to be too mean in these comments so i'll keep it short, but from what i ve seen this isn't. Great. Weird little lack of punctuation and simple writing aside, i get thrown in here, told i dont get to pick my own name despite this being a self insert story, realise the game wants me to think im best friends with matt when i the player just met his ass, the fighting minigame is pure chance which makes it very annoying and not fun, and.... you use AI.
I was never going to download this, from the start, because of the AI. But reading your replies here, it really highlighted your passion for this project. The game has a .... good, somewhat cohesive artstyle which you put effort into making look not like shitty ai. I just wonder, if you can write and code, if you can find a UI artist, game testers, socmed managers that do all this work for you out of passion, sans compensation.... you couldn't find an artist? Or is it that an amateur artists passion wouldn't be good enough?
I recommend Paul Platt's vid called "the real problem with AI isn't what you think". Preachy ass title but since you ve mentioned you hesitated on ur decision to use ai, maybe it'll make you think.
Signed, an artist that was exicted to see the lemmasoft forums post, only for it to dawn on me that you've used ai for your game's art- which wasn't mentioned anywhere.
Seems like you don't even try it out and spouting nonsense. Most VN's choice only fork path to a specific linear route.
However, TC's choice affected by many variable. Such as, the order of your talk would effect the view's and dialogue's of upcoming character, this variable affected by almost every dialogue prior. Not a lot of VN approach the dialogue's variable this meticulously.
I'll try to keep this my final response regarding AI, because it’s really not the main focus of what I’m trying to build. But I do feel the need to clarify a few things.
First, regarding your feedback of the game itself:
You might be right, maybe it’s not great. Maybe it’s not as different or clever as I hoped. That’s fair. Everyone has different tastes and standards and I fully respect that.
But I am trying to build something that feels reactive, personal and story-driven. Curious enough, I did talk a lot about that evolution in my latest devlog and i need to make a new post about it, where I explain how the branching structure is built and why I’m constantly tweaking how feedback and consequence are handled.
It’s a work in progress, but one I care deeply about. So even if the game isn’t for you, your feedback helps me understand what might not be working for some players.
Now, regarding my team:
I have two close friends who are just as passionate about this project as I am. And then there’s Marc, our GUI artist, whom I’ve been paying out of pocket until now but we finally managed to reach enough support on Patreon to start covering his work.
And here’s where I have to point something out...
I’ve been working on Trueclash for 6-7 months now. Around 80% of my free time goes straight into the game because it’s something I really love doing.
My net income from it? Still negative.
And realistically, it would remain negative because now that we can finally pay Marc, I was willing to once again, to pay yet another artist out of my own pocket until Patreon support could cover the expenses in the long run.
But then at certain points (such as your comment) I have to stop and think:
I’m earning zero from this. And so are the two people who’ve been by my side from the beginning.
So is it fair for me to be searching for another person to join when I still wasn’t able to compensate them?
Shouldn’t I be focusing first on paying the people who already believed in this from day one?
What am I doing? You’ve got more than a point on this one.
And about AI:
Trust me, I’ve watched a lot of videos on the topic. I’ve watched, thought about them and formed my own opinion (because there might not even be a right answer). The opinions that stuck with me the most weren’t from random tech bros or companies (which I tend to not like) but from artists themselves, people with real experience and history in the field.
There’s one particular perspective that really shaped how I view this:
“When colored paints started being sold in supermarkets, traditional artists complained. They said it lacked soul because the artist wasn’t making the pigments themselves anymore.”
“When photography came out, people said it wasn’t real art. It could never replace a portrait artist and how unfair it was.”
“When digital drawing became mainstream, many artists who painted by hand rejected it, saying it wasn’t true art because there was no need to correct smudges creatively, or let a mistake lead you to a new idea. You just hit ‘undo.’ Where’s the soul in that?”
And now… we have AI.
People say the same thing again, that it isn’t real art.
And honestly? In my opinion, art is art the moment a human being is behind it, with a vision of what they want to create and the will to shape that vision into something meaningful.
Is there a lot of AI content out there that’s soulless, cheap, or mass-produced with zero care?
Absolutely.
But then again we already have plenty of so-called “art” like that in the world, AI or not.
At the end of the day, what matters to me is this:
Did a person put their time, care and creativity into crafting something they believed in? Do other people take joy in watching, playing or experience what they created?
If the answer is yes, then I believe it deserves to be called art, even if the tools they used are controversial, still evolving or even not that good to begin with.
And let's be honest, Trueclash wouldn’t exist without AI. I don’t say that to provoke, I say it with humility.
It’s thanks to AI and the hundreds of hours I spent learning how to use it well that I could create the visual identity needed to tell this story. Art and artists are expensive. If I had to commission every CG at €200+ per image, I’d need a team and a budget I simply don’t have. I’m just a regular guy, with a day job and limited income, trying to build something special and share it with others. And although the visuals started with AI, I’m just so glad I can finally pay Mark with the game income.
And if you’re saying I should have waited, that I shouldn’t have started this project at all unless I had the means to hire a traditional artist from the start, then you’re saying that 1 artist’s loss is more important than the hundreds of people who are now following, supporting and enjoying this game. They would have lost the opportunity to experience this journey they seem to like as it is.
And with respect, I have to disagree with that point of view.
And even so, I’m also trying to give opportunities to artists. I’ve posted job offers, I’ve searched, and I’ve even been ghosted by artists I tried to hire. And yet I still kept going.
I’m not here to replace anyone, I’m here to create something and to grow. And to hopefully open doors, not close them.
Last but not least:
Thank you for your message. It really gave me a lot to reflect on.
Not just about how I approach the development of this game, but also about how I manage the team and share resources.
And I have to admit, you’re probably right: maybe my focus should first be on properly compensating the people who’ve been with the project since the very beginning (myself included), rather than going even deeper into the red to bring in someone new at this stage.
Trueclash is a project built with passion, not shortcuts. And I hope, whether people agree or not with these points of views, they can at least feel that behind it.
Hi Zak! Yea, i wanted to be short and to the point so i dont send a wall of text. It s mean regardless, cuz my aim was to not go on too long with it, which would make it mean x2. I don't like having debates in comment sections. I'd love to give proper feedback, but to reply to the longest part, which is the ai usage:
You're being disrespectful! You at least understand that, right? Saying its ok to use a tool built on the stolen and uncompensated work of millions of artists, because you spent 500 hours making sure it looks good. It s insulting my guy.
Im not interested in the wishy washy "is it real art" debate. Brother everything is art. Everything you can lay your eyes upon, everything you can hear, smell, touch. It's so silly, to compare digital art with a machine built to steal from artists and churn out art. Its so silly, to compare photography with a machine that uses industrial quantities of water and electricity, enough to set the entire world's plans for climate change action back decades- just to create pretty pictures or sometimes-accurate text or whatever else it stole.
Before ai, how did anyone do anything? Clearly, its *impossible* to create a vn with no art budget or artistic inclination...... cmon now. I get you wanted it to look pretty, you didnt want to make a vn that looks amateurish, you wanted people to be drawn to it, but at least dont hide behind the "its real art" thing. This is a moral choice first and foremost. Some care ab the "not real art" thing but i think its a stupid argument on both sides.
Anyway i dont expect u to come kiss me feet n say "ahh yes ur so right i ll repent and change the entire thing now and i ll also give you a thousand hundred dollars and the keys to the kingdom." I fully expect this to be a waste of time. I usually dont bother if ai is involved but your passion is was so clear had to see more and say my piece. Im also silly for that.
But if i can convince u to do one ☝️ thing : pls workshop that fighting minigame bcs bro 😭 how make cool strategic decisions when no info is given to me, and the fight is too short to notice any patterns.... Minigames in renpy r hard to do from what i know but there s somethin to work on there
To begin with, it looks like you spent more time reading the itch comments than actually playing the game. And let’s be clear, no one ever said AI wasn’t used. It was obvious from the start, and people have talked about it openly many times.
About the minigame, it isn’t just random luck. In v0.3 at least, the opponent reacts to the choices you keep using, which makes things harder if you get predictable.
What I do find ironic is how you criticize the writing and the game being made by an amateur, while at the same time asking why he didn’t hire an amateur artist. So which is it? Is the creator not allowed to be an amateur, but artists are? That’s a contradiction, or just plain bias.
As for the team, the only person brought in from outside was the UI artist, paid with his own money and Patreon support. And everyone knows a UI artist doesn’t cost the same as a full sprite or background artist. Considering the game is free, maybe a volunteer artist looking for experience could have stepped in too. In fact, it’s ironic you even bring this up now, when Trueclash has been openly asking for artists precisely to move away from AI.
“I don’t want to be too mean,” you said, and yet here we are. Honestly, you just sound like you're trying to pick a fight and not being fair at all
Finally, Zak, the game is good. You said it would be slow burn, and it is. You said choices matter, and they do. I found it phenomenal the way Matt is introduced gradually, even if Ren already knows him. So keep up the excellent work. And ty you for the FREE game.
Signed, a player who has followed Trueclash since day one.
You are delusional, man. Not in the cute way too. I honestly don't undestand you, like, why is that a problem. I can clearly say that your problem isn't even with the story, nor about the way the game was introduced but it's solely about the fact of AI, in my eyes, it looks like you are trying to find little hunch of invisible "mistakes" to cover your disgust towards "AI". Which doesn't really makes you a so righteous person at the end of the day. But sure, then let's talk about AI the. I do acknowledge the fact that AI can be used in malicious ways, it can disregard artists, and many other stuff. BUT it can be helpful too. AI could NEVER, at least not in this era, replace artists because codes and robots are lacking proper passion and feeling. Sure it can create a smile or painful expression, but it's like how 3D cartoons work. Take Winx as an example. When Winx club decided to use 3D models, it became somewhat empty and fake. When they returned to drawn characters it returned to it's original state and it's true to every cartoon or show. Ai is the same here. You can animate with AI but it will never give you the same vibe people are longing for. So for a moment, stop choking on your blasted hatred and use your common senses more. Everything can be used to either help or hurt. You can decide to kill with a brick or build a house of it, AI is the same.
I didn't even play the game yet and I can tell that it's something special. I have read more than a hundred visual novels from itch.io in the past 5 years and all of them were special in their own way. Whether it used illustration by AI or not, they are special because of a like-wise special soul created them.
You are basically just spouting nonsese because you are blinded by your hatred. Because of that you are failing to see so many things that would not just open your mind, but would give you opportunities as well too... Like this, you are nothing better than a mindless activist
Hi, I really liked this game with really good story so far but just asking is there coming s#x scene and much more and I would like know what is looks like Ren female and male look but there no need if you don't wanna and there no big deal anything scene I liked how it is right now maybe there something coming in future update and I looking forward to play more anyway really great game well done keep it up!
I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game and the story so far, thank you so much for the kind words! 💙
You brought up a few important points, so let me go over them as clearly (and briefly) as I can 😅
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About explicit scenes (s#x scenes):
Yes, they are planned, and I already have a few in mind that I’d like to implement in future updates.
However, most of the romance in Trueclash is more of a slow burn, which is something I personally enjoy writing.
That said, some characters may reach those kinds of scenes faster than others. Why? Because the way I write is by first constructing the character and then stepping into each character’s mindset without forcing them into a fixed structure. I often ask myself, how will this character react to this and so on.
So the pacing of romance and intimacy will depend on the character, their personality, and how the relationship evolves naturally.
About Ren’s appearance (male/female MC):
That’s actually a great question and something I’ve thought a lot about.
To be honest, it would make certain things like CGs (kisses, hugs, intimate scenes) much easier if I had a fixed design for the main character, I could just swap out the layers for different versions.
But from the beginning, I wanted to write Trueclash from a first-person perspective that’s why you never really “see” Ren. (only in that pass picture which is something I'm still thinking about changing).
You might have noticed that when characters get close to you, they sometimes lean toward the screen itself, that’s on purpose.
Why take this approach?
Because while we’re all human, we each have our own physical and psychological differences and that’s what makes storytelling so interesting.
I do need to give Ren some personality (to allow for meaningful writing and reactions), but I wanted to leave the physical appearance open to your imagination.
Whether you picture Ren as someone like you in an alternate reality, or someone completely different that's entirely up to you and the story you want to live. That's why in the current content that is being written, I am giving a chance of defining a bit more of Ren's past acording to your taste.
Thank you once again, hope you keep on liking our game ! ^^
It’s really nice to read comments like this. I’m honestly happy when a character resonates with you. In the version available on Patreon (0.3), you finally get to spend a moment alone with him without him being upset worried about Harry. (I felt like a moment like that was much needed). In version 0.4 (not out yet), let’s just say I kept feeling inspired and ended up writing quite a lot for him. There’s a moment that, in my opinion, is really cute... Maybe I overdid it a bit with what I wrote, but it’s done, and I liked it a lot.
Harry’s definitely been getting a lot of love from the community hehe. Glad to hear you're part of that club!
And yes! What you're asking for is exactly what's coming. In version 0.3 (releasing for Tier 3 Patreons next week), there’s a key moment where you’ll get to choose whether to spend time with Harry, Matt, or Diego and depending on who you pick, you’ll get more insights and one on one time with that character.
There’s also a breakfast date coming, where you’ll be able to go out with one of them. Though I’m still deciding if that will happen before or after the Matt vs. Diego fight. Right now, the structure is looking something like this:
Beerpong Night → Intimate Moment → Fight → Intimate Moment → New Chapter
Thanks so much for the support, can’t wait to show you what’s next! 💙
Hey, I’ll be honest. I’ve always been 100% against AI usage like create full illustrations with it and stuff like that though I'm not against in receiving some help from it, but despite that, I ended up trying the game… and I loved it. As long as everything else isn’t AI-generated, I can accept it. I get that illustrations take a lot of time and effort to create, and considering the game is completely free, I understand why AI might have been used. Soo, what really pulled me in, was the story, it’s genuinely compelling. I’m a huge fan of things related to boxing, and the aesthetic of the game is just incredible. The way the characters are written also blew me away. There’s real personality and emotional depth there, and that’s what left me in awe. But, if I’m being really honest… the first thing that caught my eye before even playing was how freaking HOT Matt is. I was shocked! AI or not, he’s stunning. I’m dead serious when I say I need a full-body image of him, because I’m already thinking about making a dakimakura so I can cuddle with him 😭 It feels like this game was built for my tastes, and that’s just wild. I’ll absolutely be supporting you and keeping an eye out for new updates ( I’ll be waiting for new patches desperately!). You’ve created something really special here and that's not sth you see everyday.
Hi Drift3404 Zak here!
I honestly can't describe how it feels to read what you wrote... It makes me genuinely happy to see people enjoying the experience.
About the AI topic... yeah, it’s a tricky one. I've even questioned myself about it many times. First and foremost, I fully respect everyone who chooses not to support or play games that use AI-generated assets. That’s more than fair. I know a lot of people feel that way, and I’m very aware it adds an extra challenge on our side.
Before releasing the game, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether to use AI or not. One of my biggest fears was being harassed or people assuming that using AI meant "no effort, easy cash grab." And honestly? Maybe they’re not entirely wrong to think that.
I’ve tried some games with careless AI use where you could feel the lack of soul and care in them. So I get why that association exists and might even be justified.
But on my side, I can promise you something: Alex (when he’s able to help me) and I spend a lot of time working on the character sprites and their expressions. We use advanced techniques to generate visuals that match our style and quality, do a ton of Photoshop editing, cut and mix parts, tweak facial expressions and we really try to polish them so they feel consistent and alive. Yesterday when I was editing Harry in photoshop I noticed how much I’ve improved since when I made his first sprites.
So yes, it hurts a bit when people assume it’s all just a button click, but I do understand why that perception exists.
For example, I’ve been spending weeks trying to finalize a sober version of Harry that I’m happy with. And only yesterday, after a full day of testing, I finally got something that I feel works. And even then, I still have concerns about some details. I'm scared people won’t like the sprite because he looks taller and more composed when he's not drunk (which is actually intentional). So yeah, I lose countless hours making sure the characters look and feel right. And ironically, it still might not be enough.
Now, does this level of work compare to what a traditional artist can do from scratch in Illustrator or similar? Honestly… I don’t think so. They spend years mastering their craft, and there’s a level of skill and expression I don’t feel comfortable comparing myself to. Even though I put a lot of work in, it’s a different process.
But I won’t lie about it. Without AI, TrueClash wouldn’t exist. And that is why I was so divided between starting this project with AI or not starting at all. But I decided to take a leap of faith. If I have to choose between creating something some people will like, or creating nothing… I preferred to risk it and create something.
And why don’t I hire artists to help me with all the artwork ? Mainly because I don’t have enough money for that and because before AI tools were available, I actually tried to hire artists to kickstart the project. I spent around 500–600 euros out of pocket… and unfortunately, I had no luck. Some artists ghosted me, others didn’t quite deliver what I needed. In the end, I was left with one or two sprites and gave up. Maybe I was just unlucky, because more recently we hired Mark to redesign the GUI for version 0.3 and he’s been absolutely amazing! He is super talented and reliable.
As for AI in other areas: yes, I’ve used it to learn how to code and to speed up minor edits. But now, I often turn to forums for help since the AI doesn’t quite cut it anymore. It’s actually funny looking back at my old code and seeing how much more I can do on my own now! (I talk a bit about this in today’s public devlog — which should go live tonight or, at the latest, tomorrow morning.)
Writing is something I’ve been trying to improve a lot. I really like how things turned out in version 0.2 (which drops next week!) and 0.3.
Creating the characters, their personalities, and their storylines has grown out of my experience as a D&D Game Master. I watched a ton of videos on personality building, character consistency, worldbuilding, creating engaging narratives, and so on. I try to apply all of that now in TrueClash. And honestly, the more I write, the more I realize how much more I still have to learn. Even now, when I write for the characters I ask myself, “Am I really capturing their personality well enough?”
And about Matt: yes, he is very hot! Haha. I’m really happy you want to make a dakimakura of him. I can totally send you the full images in 4K if that helps! Most of the ones in-game are downscaled to fit full HD, so the higher-res versions should be perfect. Also, in version 0.2 (coming next week) and version 0.3 (Patreon), there will be more CGs focused on him 😉
I hope I haven’t said anything bad on this mountain of text. Me and the team (I can say that now) will keep trying to make this game better after each update. I hope you like 0.2 coming out to public next week and I really want to hear your feedback on it !
The fact that you took the time to explain everything in such detail just shows how much love and care you're putting into TrueClash. I really, really respect that. 🙏 The AI topic is indeed complicated. Like yeah, there are definitely games out there that feel soulless because they just slapped AI content in with zero effort. But that’s not what this is. I was able to feel the difference and I had no idea how much Photoshop work and tweaking goes into making everything feel right. That sounds exhausting but also super impressive. Like, spending weeks on sober Harry? That’s dedication. It honestly sucks that people assume it’s just “click a button, boom, finished.” From what you’ve said, it's clear you're putting in way more effort than most people realize and your honesty about not comparing your work to traditional illustrators? Mad respect. You're being real about your limitations and your growth, and that’s rare. I also had no idea you tried hiring artists before and got ghosted, that sucks. It’s incredible that you were able to keep going after that, most people would’ve given up. I’m really happy you found someone like Mark for the GUI work though! Sounds like things are moving in a great direction. Now… Matt 😭 Yes, I’m 100% taking you up on those 4K images because I need that dakimakura. If you’re ever up for it (no rush at all!), maybe you could send over the poses you personally think would work best for it? You know him better than anyone, so I totally trust your taste. Something that really shows off his charm—and maybe even a couple spicier poses, if you're feeling generous 👀 Just whenever you feel like it, no pressure at all. I’d love to make it perfect, but I know how busy things must be and I can’t wait to see the new CGs of him in 0.2 and 0.3! Anyway, I seriously appreciate the honesty and vulnerability in your message. You didn’t say anything bad, just real stuff and that’s honestly the best kind of message to get. Thanks again and please tell the rest of the team they're doing an incredible job.
Hey! Sorry for the delay. It’s been a couple of crazy days 😅
I really do enjoy talking about the creative process… maybe a little too much sometimes. I can get totally lost in it, haha. But just to clarify something I might not have explained properly: Yes, I spent weeks working on sober Harry… but that doesn’t mean I was only working on him the whole time! 😅 It was more like: I’d come back to him from time to time between writing and other game tasks, doing little experiments here and there.
That said… there were intense bursts. This past Sunday I spent 4 full hours on him, then 6 more on Monday, and the rest of the night yesterday. I finally feel good about the result now. The line work, the pose, the outfit, all improved. I still need to polish the expressions a bit more, but that’ll come with time!
It’s true that some of that slowness probably comes from my own limitations. Over time I’ve learned some shortcuts and tricks, and I can definitely do things faster than before. But yeah, it's still a process. I’ve already sent the updated Harry to Alex and Viv so they can schedule a preview post whenever they’re ready. I don’t want to mess with their rhythm 😅
Viv actually told me I should do a behind-the-scenes video showing how I build images from scratch. But my PC is currently bugged when it comes to screen recording (Photoshop just shows a black screen), so I’ll need to fix that first.
Now, about visual design: There were times where I spent weeks just trying to get one character’s design right. And let me tell you… I don’t recommend that. Not for your mental health, and not for the quality of the final result. When I first created Harry, I needed something very specific — someone who felt a bit lost but still gave off positive energy. That’s really hard to get with AI tools, because the results often feel too "default", and if you push it too much, you risk breaking the art style entirely. (at least that's my experience) I actually went through 3 or 4 full design variations before I got to the one we now know. Some of them didn’t even make sense but I was so fried I couldn’t think straight anymore. That could honestly make for a fun dev post 😅
And yeah, I know I have limitations. I can’t compare myself to a traditional illustrator who works magic with their hands. But I do feel proud seeing how much I’ve improved across all areas. Step by step, it’s getting better 💙
As for Matt and the 4K images, I actually talked to Alex yesterday and he told me he was already planning to include high-res images in future Patreon collections. So that’s in the works!
Now, regarding a custom full-body 4K Matt image... right now, I’m honestly not able to deliver that the way I’d want to. It’s probably a mix of my own limitations and the tools I use, but getting that quality at full-body scale takes a lot of effort, and I’d hate to send you something that feels rushed or underwhelming. Especially after this little sober-Harry marathon, I really need a bit of a break from visual designing and go do some writting 😅
That said, if there’s an existing image of Matt that you really love (either current or one of the new ones coming soon), let me know and I’ll happily send you a 4K version of it!
Oof yeah, I totally get what you mean. Makes sense that you’d come back to him in between other stuff rather than just grinding nonstop. Still, those editing sprints sound intense . But hey, now I’m even more curious to see the final version. Also Viv is right, a behind-the-scenes video would go so hard. Even if it’s just like a casual walkthrough or timelapse once your setup stops being cursed, I think a ton of people would appreciate seeing how the process goes. And yeah, no stress at all about the full-body Matt! I’ll totally keep my eyes peeled on patreon for new CGs and future high-res drops. Anyway, glad things are moving forward and that you’re giving yourself a bit of breathing room too. You 100% deserve it. Can’t wait for the new update!!!
Hiiii, i love this game so much, so i would hate to see it go, so just in case i want to warn you about the latest news, it seems itchio has started to "deindexed” all adult NSFW content from the browse and search pages all thanks to some karens, i mean, organization called Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors (cause yeah, its totally a good idea to give the right to payment processors to choose what kind of content can exist lmao)
You can see more of it in this link if you want to 💙
Yeah, I won’t lie, this has had a huge impact on our visibility, especially with Trueclash being an adult-oriented game.
I did come across those posts about itch.io’s recent changes, but honestly, I’ve only read a few things on Reddit so far, so I don’t feel fully informed enough to comment deeply on it. I’ve mostly been pouring my energy into building version 0.3.
That said, we were already working on an SFW version of the game to reach a wider audience. Because to me (and to the team), Trueclash is about way more than just the adult themes. And let’s be real, there’s barely anything explicit in the current build anyway. It’s about the characters, their stories, the chaos, and all the emotional mess in between.
This move by itch.io just gave us the push to publish the SFW page a bit earlier than planned. While the page is already live, the actual SFW version will only be downloadable once we release v0.2 publicly, in around two weeks.
Okey, I alre love so much Matt and Harry, is not even funny with only some few scenes 😭😭
The characters seems to have a lot of profound and complex thoughts and is something so weird to see in nsfw scenes... I can't wait to see more of this
I have some questions about the game and the love interest tho, first of all, this game is going to have routes? Of you can do every route in one play? (Like can you romance more than one person at the same time or there will be consequences if you try to?)
There are already a lot of options and scenes depen of your choices, are you going to make a guide in the future?
And this is a more nsfw ask lmao, can we decide if being top or bottom with every character? Sorry not sorry but i need to top Matt and Harry 😭
Anyways thanks for all your hard work, the game so far looks super promising I can't wait to see more of it!!!
So happy to hear you’re enjoying the game and that Matt and Harry already stole your heart heheh.
That was definitely my goal: to create characters with deep, complex thoughts. I’m really glad that came through.
About your questions, let me try to answer each one as clearly as I can (I tend to write a lot 😅):
1. About routes and romance: The short answer is: no, you won’t be able to experience everything in just one or two runs. The long answer is a bit more complex. I always struggle to define this system properly, but I’d say Trueclash is more modular than “route-based.”
What I mean is:
I’ve built the game so the same scenes play out differently depending on your past decisions. This influences what characters say, how they react, and even what dialogue options Ren gets.
When I talk about this, my mind already jumps to examples from version 0.2, since that update is way more focused on what you’ve already done and chosen before. But even in the current version, the one you played, you can already feel some of that structure.
Think of it like this: you’re the one shaping the route, and the depth of that route depends on your actions and how much you’ve explored. One player might talk to Lissandra but skip Mafalda. Another might ignore all the drama at the bar and go straight to Diego. In a way, each of them created a different route that unlocks different things and options. Get it? 😄
💔 2. Can you romance multiple characters at the same time? Well... just like in real life, it depends on the character. But with the current cast? Let’s just say... if you try to flirt with everyone at once, don’t expect them to be too happy about it 😅
🧭 Will there be a guide? I totally get what you mean! Even now, with just 0.1, there are already a lot of variables and branching. And version 0.2 will definitely make it more complex.
Part of me wants to write a guide but another part of me doesn’t want to ruin the joy of discovery or take away the chance for the community to help each other out. Maybe in the future I’ll share some tips or hints on Patreon posts, or find a good balance. We’ll see how things go!
4. The NSFW question — top or bottom? Totally valid question, don’t worry 😂 For now, my intention with gay romance is to let Ren be top or bottom with any of the male characters. I say “for now” because things can always evolve depending on the story or the way relationships grow . But yes, you should be able to top Matt and Harry 😄
About creating a Discord server. I’ve definitely thought about it, but right now there’s so much going on that I don’t think I’ll launch one just yet 😅 Maybe in the future, when things are a bit more stable!
As for beta testers, I might need more later on but for now, I have two close people helping me out with that, and they’ve been doing a great job so far. Still... I know there’s always something that slips through. 😛That said, it’s always great to know who’s interested so if I ever open that up, can I count on you? 👀
Thanks again for all the kind words and support!💙
(PS. It took me a bit to reply because it's been a couple of busy days on my side)
Plis don't apologise, everyone has their own live and things to do! And sure! If in the future you will need beta testing i would love to doing so and im sure there will be more people open to do it, just make an announcement 🤟
I found the idea of the Choice Echo system interesting. When I was trying to make a game, I tried to make something very open-ended with several possibilities. I am excited to see the story getting longer to see how this will turn out. I think it would be cool to make a map of a section, like Nonary Games or Detroit Become Human, just to give a taste of how the Choice Echo system works. Well, I don't know how far you'll want to go with this, but I think it's a good way to show the implications and maybe demonstrate interest. And Harry left me with mixed feelings about trying to be a good person for him or being toxic. I hope there are many possibilities of ways to interact with him both socially, romantically and intimately. (Sometimes bad people can win :v)
Really loved your comment, it got me thinking and gave me a great opportunity to share a bit of what’s been on my mind too.
I’m personally very happy with how the Decision Echo system is working. Even when I test the game myself, I enjoy seeing how certain options or reactions change based on past choices. That’s exactly the kind of experience I wanted to create.
That said, I’m still figuring out how this system will hold up in the long run. Both from the writing side (how it affects my creative flow), and from the player side (how much people actually enjoy it).
Right now, I’m deep into a very branch-heavy section, with a lot of dialogue changes depending on past actions… and honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming. I really want to move forward and start writing what comes next (the end of the pong act and the fight against Diego), but I feel stuck juggling all the consequences of what people did or didn’t do. Just yesterday, while testing one of the routes for the beer pong (there are currently 2, possibly 3), I had to account for 14 past decisions and I spent the entire day on just that 😅
Which brings me to the big question: Is it worth it? Or should I reduce the number of consequences in sections like this so I can keep the story moving more smoothly and increase the amount of content per patch?
It’s something I’ll be reflecting on over time and the feedback from the community will definitely help shape that.
About the games you mentioned: I’ve always meant to play The Nonary Games but haven’t gotten around to it. I do know Detroit: Become Human, but never played it either. I did enjoy similar games such as Heavy Rain and Until Dawn a lot back in the day.
Of course, those are studio-made games and right now, aside from two close people helping me out occasionally, I’m making Trueclash solo 😅 But hey, let’s see where this goes!
Now, about Harry, yes. I’d really love to offer a wide range of interactions with him, depending on your relationship and how he sees you. I’m already using a scoring system to track this behind the scenes, but I guess we’ll see how well it holds up over time or if it is a flop.
And finally regarding“Sometimes bad people can win.” I actually agree with you.
Early on, I even planned to allow a more “evil” route. But as I’ve been writing, especially during 0.1 and now 0.2, I’ve noticed something important: I don’t really enjoy writing “bad” or cruel actions that much.
And that brings up again the same challenge of being a solo developer: time.
Should I spend my limited dev time writing things that don’t bring me much joy and that slow down story progress as well?
Your comment was really timely, because I’m literally working on a scene right now where I’m debating whether to allow a toxic route... or to focus more on a well-developed main path with lots of variation (and maybe expand into darker routes later if the game grows).
So yeah thank you again. I hope you enjoy what comes next and that I can count on your feedback once again. 💙
Hi! I really enjoyed play this version of True Clash, it's really interesting how the some choices are tough and how that leads to differents paths and dialogues between some characters. Can't wait to see the next update <3. But I have a question!! How can I find the blond one, Adrian? I swear that I have searched everywhere and didn't find him. Right now the best path I found for know everyone (almost) is: go to the bar see the discussion > talk to Lize > Mafalda > Matt > Diego > Harry (or come back and stay with Matt). Ok so, one last question: there's someone in the team from Brazil? 👀
I’m really glad you enjoyed this version of Trueclash! And it sounds like you explored it really well <3. You’re absolutely right that the path you chose gives access to most of the content available so far 😊
About Adrian, I think I can give you a tip! To unlock his conversation, Ren needs to hear about Adrian either before ending the chat with Lissandra or right after talking to Mafalda. Since Ren doesn’t know who Adrian is, someone has to mention him first. Once you’ve seen his intro image, he should become available as one of the people you can talk to during that bar situation. However, his scene at the bar is not complete in v 0.1. But I already finished writing and coding his scene for the 0.2 version ^^
As for your last question: close guess! We’re actually based in Portugal, not Brazil 😄 I hope it was a character name that made you think that and not something I forgot to translate haha (I usually write in English, but some scenes come more naturally in Portuguese and I translate them after).
I’m currently making the game mostly solo, but two close people help me out when they can. If the game does well, I’d love to expand the team especially with someone to help with art, UI and even animations (simple things like moving the sprites, sound effects and that). I enjoy doing the visuals, but it would give me more time to focus on writing and coding.
Thanks again for the kind feedback! I hope I can keep building content that you (and others) will really enjoy. If you ever have more questions, just let me know! 💙
hehehehe thanks for the help, I finally found him + got the training session with Diego (that was hard!).
Bom, sobre eu ter perguntado sobre você ser do Brasil, não foi por causa da tradução não, que aliás, está ótima. O que te entregou foi simplesmente o "afff" que alguns personagens dizem, percebi logo que você falava português (só não sabia qual kkkkkkk).
Well, I hope u can find someone else to help with the game. I only know how to code, otherwise I would have offered some help. Wish u luck!
Glad to hear that, Sharpsz! That one isn't easy at all heheh.
Ahhh, então foi o “afff” que me tramou. Tenho mesmo de descobrir qual é o equivalente em inglês ^^. E obrigado pelas palavras 💙
Honestly, I might need a coder in the future. Even something as “simple” as the rotating main menu with unlocked images took me days to figure out 😅 Now that the game is out, I’m realizing I might not be able to keep adding cool features like that and deliver the amount of story/content I want in each update.
So who knows maybe I’ll reach out for help later on if you're up for it 😉 Thanks again for the awesome feedback, and I really hope you enjoy what’s coming in 0.2!
Well… after reading your comment, I realized it would be unfair not to release a Mac version of 0.1. I don’t want people to have to pay for something others got for free.
So, I went digging through my backups and I think I managed to put together a Mac build of version 0.1 available to download here or on patreon.
Since I don’t have a Mac, I can’t test it myself. So, I’ll be relying on you all to let me know if everything works (mainly the icon and whether the game launches properly).
I can definitely try to make a Mac version for 0.2 but there's a catch: I don’t have a Mac myself, so I won’t be able to test if it works properly.
From what I’ve researched, the only issues that might come up are with the game icon and launching the game. If that part goes smoothly, the rest should work just like on PC.
So yep, I’ll give it a shot for 0.2! Just bear with me if something breaks as I know next to nothing about Macs 😅
I'll be playing it soon. I hope the female protagonist part has received as much attention as the male protagonist path An Female Main Character relationships with different men, approached as a slow burn (as you mentioned), could be really intense and interesting
TL;DR: I hope you enjoy it and find it interesting! Yes, the story is mostly slow burn for almost every character. The female protagonist was implemented later in development, but I took care to ensure it wasn’t just a lazy afterthought. I made scene edits, dialogue adjustments, and even CG variations to match the protagonist's gender.
Full response below:
Going to be 100% honest so you know what to expect.
When I started making this game, it only had a male protagonist. But since I grew up playing a lot of otome games, I really wanted to include more people and perspectives. So, I began reviewing all the scenes to see how they could be adapted for a female lead as well.
I've played games in the past that allowed for a male or female MC, but still referred to you as the opposite gender in dialogue and that just pulled me out of the experience. I didn’t want that to happen but I have to recognize it might... There is a lot of text, a lot of variations and sometimes, typos can slip under our radar, in this case, for both male and female leads.
So I went in, rewrote several scenes, adjusted some character speech patterns, and even created CG variations where the protagonist's gender matters.
That said, even though I’ve played a ton of otome games, I wasn’t 100% confident I’d nailed it both on the male and female paths. So I reached out to a close friend a female writer herself and asked her to review the script early in development. And honestly? She was amazing, like a saint. She read over 50k words of dialogue in a Word doc, gave feedback on mistakes, suggested improvements, and shared her thoughts on how to make the female path feel natural and compelling.
Unfortunately, she lost access to her computer for over more than a week (she dare going on vacation ! xD) and that happened right before the launch of V0.1. So only around 50% of the content had been reviewed and revised by her when the version went live.
That means you might still spot some typos or moments that feel a little off in V0.1 but those should be fixed in V0.2. (should )
So yeah, thank you for giving the game a chance. If you enjoy it, I’m super happy.
I also know this game might not be for everyone and that too much change can leave others unsatisfied but if you see anything that could be improved without changing the game essence, please tell me. I’d genuinely love to hear it and, if I can, I’ll make it better.
TL;DR: All romanceable characters in this game can be romanced by both male and female protagonists.
Now for the longer explanation of my design choices and workflow:
I want to be completely transparent here, so keep reading if you're interested in the details!
Originally, I started developing this as a gay game, with a male protagonist. But over time, I decided I wanted to include a female protagonist as well. I've played a lot of otome games (with female leads), and I thought it would be really cool to offer that experience too so that more people could enjoy the story from a perspective they connect with.
Even though I feel confident writing for both male and female protagonists, I asked a close friend of mine to help make sure the female version of the story felt authentic and not just an afterthought. She's been super helpful with feedback and suggestions (although she's currently on vacation 😉).
So here's how I approach it now: I see the story as having two versions of the main character, male Ren and female Ren. But I don’t define the love interests' sexualities explicitly. The idea is that, no matter which version of Ren you choose to play, the characters can develop feelings for you. That way, players can experience the story they want, without labels getting in the way.
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I love this game so much! I was here practically from day 0 (idk if you remember me lmao) i need to ask, are going to create a discord or something? I would love to enter if so!
Hey BDM!
Of course I remember you, heheh. You’ve really been around almost since day one and I'm glad to see you are still with us ^^.
About Discord, for now we’re not planning to create one. I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I’m even thinking of making a post to look for someone else to join us and help me with a few things.
So yeah, long story short — no Discord for now.
Really enjoyed what I've played of the game, it has a good amount of branching and I'm interested to see where it goes! For now I'd say my favourite is Harry with Matt as a not so far second.
Speaking of Matt, I've just downloaded v0.5 and noticed his sprite changed (well his and everyone else's, but he's the only one that seems to have gotten a bit of a facelift on top of the full body as far as I can tell), and I'm a little mixed on it? Overall I prefer the old version especially when it comes to the size and shape of his mouth, the way his nose was a bit more highlighted, the sclera of his eyes which was more white and now seems kind of grayish and the slightly lighter complexion which showed his blush more.
That being said the rest of the changes seem good! The UI looks better and the chest hair on Harry is 👌 Thanks for all the hard work.
Hey Lehyan!
In version 0.5 there was a slight change to his sprite, but it was mostly just a sharpening of the artwork so I could zoom in and play with the camera without it becoming completely blurry. But even slight modifications like that can change how the sprite looks.
The reason we shapened his sprite if he, Diego, and drunk Harry were some of the very first sprites I ever made. Back then, I simply didn’t know better, and they’re starting to feel a bit out of sync with the newer sprites I’ve been making over time. You can tell they’re a bit lower in quality compared to the newer ones, specially ones that I haven't shown you guys yet.
That said, I totally understand what you mean. Even small changes are noticeable, and when we like a character, we really notice them.
To be 100% honest, I might suggest a full sprite update for him on Patreon at some point but that would only come to be:
The vast majority of people like it
It keeps his essence, or even improves it
It fits well with the current art style of the game
So yeah, we’ll see. It’s definitely not a high priority right now. At the moment I need to focus on creating enough content for the 0.7 patch itself, then work on the logs (the in-game system that helps you track what content you’ve unlocked), and only then think about visual updates.
A lot of things to do in a little under a month xDD
Still, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game, and I hope you like the UI changes coming in 0.6 as well — I personally love them, but I might be biased hehehe.
I really liked the addition of Lucas; he has everything it takes to become a new romantic interest. And I found the idea of him joining the team quite fascinating. Is there any chance that you could create the possibility of the teams merging in the future (after the fight) (with Diego and Harry joining the team), or, depending on the case, the protagonist leaving the team and joining Diego's team?
Hey BlackFenrir!
About Lucas. I get you. And people are really liking him as well heheh.
As for the team dynamic itself, I can tell you that I have things planned for that in Season 2. I’m dividing the game into seasons and chapters, with each season containing multiple chapters.
Season 1 is Diego vs Matt (the one currently happening), and Season 2 will be the beach season (voted by the Patreons).
Coming back to your question — yes, I do have plans in that direction for Season 2, but I’m still thinking through some details. Since I’m basically a solo developer, everything takes time, and sometimes allowing extra decisions means taking time away from developing other things.
Just to give you a quick example: I love how Lucas’ scene works in the stadium, but for every scene I have to be careful about adding or removing him depending on whether he’s accompanying you or not. And later on, if he’s introduced again, I’d need multiple versions — one if he’s already on the team, one if he’s not on the team but you helped him, or one if he doesn’t even know you yet :P
I genuinely love doing this kind of branching, but it takes time. Because of that, when it comes to the team, I basically have two options:
Either I give you conditional freedom — meaning you can decide certain things but within limits — or, for now, while I’m still developing and writing everything on my own, I make some decisions that don’t fully depend on the player.
Anyway, I’m rambling now. In short, and without giving spoilers: yes, there is a possibility for that to happen in Season 2 — both Diego and Harry joining the team or you leaving it to join them. Whether it actually happens, whether you get to choose, or whether fate decides for you… you’ll have to wait and see :P
(But I can tell you it’s already planned — it just needs a bit more polishing.)
Yes, I understand what you're saying about the care needed in scenes, especially since you've created many choices (it reminds me of when I was writing my game with more focus). Anyway, remember that at some points you'll need to create "filtering" points (where these branches and paths somehow intersect), otherwise things will start to get so out of hand that you'll lose control of the story (if you end up with 20 branches, this will continue to multiply if you don't create this filtering point where they meet).
But anyway, I love how you're guiding the story and I hope to see more and more of your development :D
I love the story of this game and like Harry the most. He's fun cute and love his beer belly. I really want to see the NSFW the most but the story are very interested to follow tbh. I hope there an Walkthrough in the future too. because many chars are have many personality and choice and will there be some route that lead to something like harem or 3love[save the word for reason] because some chars have potential to go that way too back to the Walkthrough I like to collect CG so I really wanna collect it all so I hope there one later on. looking forward for more update <3.
Diego is so hot the slowburn made me nervous!😖
I can't help but wonder if the characters will have a fixed position in regard of the NSFW (for the gay content, that is), like an always bottom Ren. Not that it bothers me much since I'm in love with your game as a whole.💙
Now, a thing that really worries me is the massive branching it may become in the future. Although it seems to be your goal and I sure support the idea, I fear it may demand too much from you...
Now, don't get me wrong, for I am one of the firsts to encourage you to keep going and follow your dreams. What I mean is: take your time, do it in a steady rhythm. I'm sure someone else already said it (literally the comment below🫣) but I'd like to reinforce!
As much as I yearn for another update, your wellbeing is more important (
and it would be a shame to see this growing piece of art fade away)🤭I'll follow you 'till the end of this awesomeness! Take care and and keep up the marvelous work.💙
Hey Kelvin! Zak here
Ahh, so Diego makes you nervous. I see Matt isn't the only one who gets nervous around him <.< (joking)
About the NSFW, let me try to be as honest and clear as possible to manage expectations well.
My biggest passion is writing belivable characters that feel alive at the same time that make you feel something. In real life there's sex and NSFW scenes, so those are also planned for TrueClash. But when? Honestly, I don't expect that to appear before Season 2 at the beach (after the Diego vs Matt conflict) because only then will more daring characters be introduced in that sense and things may have matured enough with the current cast by then. But I should highlight that explicit NSFW won't be the focus of TrueClash. They will exist and I want to do them fun and exciting but it won't be the focus of the game.
Now about your specific question, I'm planning to make sexual or making out scenes more interactive. So I believe the vast majority of characters will be versatile so everyone can be satisfied.
About branching, a topic that also gives me a lot to think about heheh. I have ideas to control the branching — ideas that allow me to give you freedom to do things like decide who's on your team. In that aspect it won't be a problem. But of course even small changes add work. I don't think you're a patron, but basically in the version they have access to and that's coming out this week for the public, I had to make scene variations depending on whether you managed or did something earlier or not. So all the scenes change with the 'presence' of that previous decision of yours (I'm trying to speak in code words to avoid spoilers xD). It's more work yes, but it's also something I enjoy doing and I think it adds shine to the game. But yeah, I have to be careful with branching so I don't get myself into a mess that'll be hard to get out of xDD
And yes, I've been trying to take time for myself, to rest and do other things. I confess it's hard and sometimes I fail, but I'm doing much better in that aspect xDDD
I really love doing this but I understand what you're saying. I have to be careful not to burn out and end up not enjoying it or not wanting to do it anymore. It has to be something enjoyable in the long run ^^
Thank you for the kind words and I hope you like what's coming!
Yeah, Diego remembers me of someone... Although it's a bittersweet memory, I won't let that get in our way, haha.
I thought the versatility would be the case with the NSFW, wich I am more than happy to know, and wait for it! The slowburn is something I missed in a good VN though.
If you would, I'd like to ask: are you planning on making a walkthough for the game? (This would be a lot of work, would'nt it?) DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO DO IT! Please.
I literally can't wait to play more!🫠 Come already, Christmas!🥲
We get what you mean! A full walkthrough would indeed be a lot of work 😅
That said, we’re actually working on adding something similar to the game itself — a memory log system.
The idea is to help players keep track of important information: details about the characters, knowledge you’ve unlocked, hints about what you might be missing, gallery progress, etc. Kind of like an in-game record of your journey, so you don’t feel lost but still get to explore and discover things naturally.
It’s something that’s quite challenging to implement because of its complexity, but what we’ve been working on so far feels like a really good start, we'll see where that goes hehe.
I love this game so much, really can't wait for new release, but at the same time Devs take your time. This game is so precious and it really show all your dedication.
Hey exusiai777! Zak here.
I'm really happy you're enjoying it.
And yes, I try to take my time and care of myself, but sometimes it's hard because I just want to be around this!
But I'm managing to take some days for myself, part of the reason I'm only replying now :P
I hope you like what's coming, it's an impactful patch xDD
This game rocks, keep up the good work!
Hey CaptainMal888 ! Zak here.
With that "game rocks" comment I was tempted to reply with an image of a character but it's still in the making and hasn't even been revealed to patrons yet, so I'll hold back xD.
I'm glad you like the game, I hope it keeps on rocking ^^
So far I'm loving with all these choices consequences thingy. Ahh i think i might slowly fallen in love with Diego. But i faced a problem duringmy run. Idk why this is happening. This happened when I'm trying to escorts Harry to the table with Matt.
Hey DuskyMane, Zak here!
I'm glad you're loving the game hehehe.
I know why this is happening, and the fact that you sent me the error itself helps immensely. Because there are so many variables and little things that something always slips past me.
It's an idle animation (them breathing and such) that no longer exists (I gave them an upgrade and this one slipped past me). I already fixed them, but apparently it was a fix in version 0.5 and not in this one... I really thought I had also fixed it in version 0.4 at the time but no... Sorry... The fact that I have multiple versions sometimes means it gets fixed in one and not in another.
But it's a minor bug. You can press ignore and the game should run perfectly, Matt just won't have his idle animation.
Thank you for spotting this one out, I already checked and it's fixed in 0.5.
Hope you keep enjoying our game. Anything you want to share with us, feel free to do so ^^
do we have a guide or the guy list? I don't know how to get to the red head for the life of me
Hey XVGuil!
I can give you a tip on that one :P
Let's just say he is a fighter for Mafalda's team. That girl you can meet up in the bar ;)
(also make sure you are playing version 0.4, released last tuesday for non patreons)
thank you so much!
I cant get enough of Diego and Harry.
You will like what's about to come then :P
Hi! I'm so excited to play this! Do you happen to know when you are going to release this work of art?
Hey Nulkitaro, Zak here.
You can already play the game, or at least its public version for free. But if you’re referring to the full release, I can’t really say. I do want to get to that point, but I still feel like I’m quite far from it heheh.
And thank you so much for the kind words ^^
Hey guys! The game is really cool, I like it, but I still can't start a romance with Diego( Is there a guide or something like that somewhere? I've already tried almost everything!
Hey bababubu1505!
About Diego and the romance you can have with him that’s actually something you can start exploring in version 0.4 of the game (the one currently available on Patreon).
Romance in Trueclash tends to be gradual, though.
As for version 0.3 (the one currently public here on Itch.io, which I believe is the one you played), you can already start getting along better with Diego there and even walk with him to the dorms.
I’m pretty sure Viv or Alex made a small guide a while back about one of Diego’s CGs, I just don’t remember if it’s something publicly available or one of the Patreon-exclusive tips.
Hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next (I think you will <.<)
Thanks for the answer) I saw the art with a half-naked Diego and thought that I could get to it, but apparently it's only Patreon🥲 so I already got to the dorm with it, Now I'm thinking of starting a root with someone else. Thank you so much for the game, guys, you're going in the right direction👍🏻👍🏻
Hey. Found out about your game a few days ago, and finally tried it yesterday. I created an account here just to make this comment, cause I'm more or less in love with the project. Aha.
So far, I haven't tried a lot, but that's because I'm the kinda guy that can get very invested in the story. Because of that, I need to do the full game at once, for me to prevent frustration. But one thing is for sure : I will wait.
First, the game looks incredible. It's rare to see something so pretty, and I will admit that's what made me check True Clash at first.
Reading a bit about this page made me increasingly interested, though. The characters being at the center of it is what I feel like is the best way to do it. I really hope I'll love this, because it feels like it's the perfect game for me. I'm a bit tired of games saying it's centered on characters and is actually just about NSFW content. Here, I can already say just from the version I played (I followed one of Matt's route) that I will feel emotional, and I love it. Aha. I know I'm curious about Matt and Diego, at least. The new redheaded guy sure is my weak spot too, so I'll definitely try him too. Yeah, I got a thing for redheads.
All in all, I wish you all the best, and I really hope you will be able to complete the game (I'm a bit scared about that, cause so many games never see it to the end, despite having some kickstarter campaign).
I wish I could help you and I'll consider throwing some money at you, but I'm almost jobless, so sadly, it's a bit hard for me. But you have my full support!
Good luck to the team, you're great!
Hey Luhnaire! Zak here!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the game. Messages like yours honestly give me a huge boost of motivation to keep doing even more hehehe.
About what you said regarding wanting to experience the story all at once, I totally get that. This will still take a good while to reach its full form, but I’ve been thinking of the game in “sagas.”
The first saga, the one you’ve just experienced, is the Matt vs Diego arc, everything you’ve experienced so far plus what's to come that leads up to that fight.
After that, the story will move into a new saga where these characters (and a few new ones) continue to play important roles.
So maybe you would prefer to only play it when a new saga get's fully released. Maybe it’ll feel a bit like following a series, one saga at a time ;)
I really want Trueclash to stay centered around the characters and the stories that connect them. My goal has always been to make players feel something real. Mostly positive emotions, yes, but also the tougher ones that belong in any meaningful story: frustration, anger, sadness…
The characters I like to write (and read about) are the ones who have both strengths and flaws, the kind that feel human. Those who are not perfect, but alive.
As for finishing the game, I genuinely love working on it.
Actually, I might love it a bit too much sometimes… I tend to push myself until I burn out and then have to take a few days off. xD
That said, I’ve gotten much better at this. It’s been quite a while since I’ve truly burned out, mostly because I’ve learned to recognize the signs in myself and step back before it happens.
Still, I sometimes slip and get close to it again — it’s such a subtle thing. I’ll get completely focused on a single scene for days, the fatigue slowly builds up, and only once it’s done do I realize how mentally exhausted I’ve become. xD
But yeah, I’ve gotten a lot better at not letting myself reach that point.
In short, this whole process is just too addictive and I think the only things that could make me stop are either something happening to me or me forgetting to rest xDDD
And about the financial support — I truly appreciate the thought. If you ever do decide to support us, it would help me bring more people onto the project, increasing quality and speeding up production.
But honestly, messages like yours are also a form of support. Just reading them and knowing people care about this journey means a lot to me.
Thank you again for taking the time to write all that, and for the kindness in your words.
I really hope we can keep creating content that resonates with you 💙
— Zak
Oh, wow. I knew you answered to every one on the comments section, but I didn't expect it to be such a long answer. I won't lie, it feels nice :p
I wasn't expecting that you would be so happy about my message either, and I'm just as glad as you seem te be. Aha.
As for your advice, I'll... try? I already kinda failed, cause I replayed the game earlier. Lol. I met Joel, Mafalda, Viktor, Lisa, and the bartender (can't remember her name right now). But it's even worse than I thought. It's so hard to be mean to Matt (and the narrator being a simp is hella fun XD). I genuinely like him. It's so hard to ignore him to try and talk to someone else. Lol. I'm quite sure I'll like Diego, while Joel has piqued my interest for sure. Mafalda also seems great, but not as a love interest for me. I do love good side characters as well, so I'll be happy to see more of her too :p
When you talk about this game, it feels like we like the same kinda characters, so I'll be happy to learn a bit about everyone (except maybe Adrian. Lol).
I do hope you'll take care of your health, though. It feels great to know you love this project, and that you'll take good care of it. I saw somewhere that you use AI, and as an artist myself, it's a bit sad, but with limited budgets, I can get it. I know you hired artists, too, so it's not only a question of willing to.
I'm really glad you can appreciate even my small support, and I'll be sure to try and check regularly for progress.
Also, maybe the comments section isn't the best place to talk like that? I know my messages are long, so I don't expect answers every time, don't worry.
Good luck for the game, and I hope I'll see you another time on next update :p
Hey Luhnaire!
Honestly, I think you should play however feels best for you, heheh.
And I totally get what you mean about Matt, one of the team members (Alex) feels the exact same way, he absolutely loves him too haha.
I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you get the chance to talk with Joel in the next patch!
If it were up to me, I’d bring even more people onto the team already, but the budget doesn’t quite allow for that yet. Hopefully in the future :P
And don’t worry. I tend to write long messages myself too ;)
Hope you keep enjoying the game! ^^
Hey Zaak! Luhnaire here ! (Yeah, I'm stealing that greetings :p)
So... I may or may not have played the game regularly since last time because, well... I did say I was invested, and it was hard not to. I hope you don't mind, because I just wanted to talk to someone about my experience with it.
I finally got to spend time with Diego. And... well, let's just say it's gonna be hard to choose between him and Matt. I really like his sense of humor and how he cares. It does feel like he was well written, so good job on that.
Also, I fumbled a bit with the game and tried every things I could think and am still missing around 40% of the visuals, so guess I'm actually quite bad at it. Lol. I think I saw a post where someone asked if we will get some kind of "branching scenarios trees" (I hope you get what I mean, cause I'm not an English native, and I really don't know how to say this better. Lol), but do you still plan on doing this at some point? It would help a lot for sure, but I can see how hard it'd be to do it when you have all these echos. Also, searching has its charms, but I feel like I'm so stuck right now that I don't know what to do anymore, even though I'm missing so much. I fear that I need to be really mean to everyone just to get what I don't have, though. And... with Diego and Matt looking at me like that, I need to steel myself for a wild ride. Lol.
I did go through the Harry route, too, but... As much as I wish he'd get better, I don't see myself romancing someone like that. I hope I'm gonna be able to help without romancing him.
I went through Adrian's route too and it felt terrible to be an assh*le to everyone. Plus, this route led me to this specific fight that feels impossible to complete... Is it, though? I feel like what I'm missing for Matt might be behind this, but it feels so hard.
Other than that, I hope everyone on the team is doing great, and I wish you all a great day. Expect from me again (if you don't mind) as I go through my journey with Trueclash :p
Hey! You can totally steal my intro anytime, heheh.
And please, don’t ever hesitate to send messages like this. I genuinely love reading them. Feedback like yours helps me see both what’s working well and what still needs improvement.
Ahh, Diego and Matt, huh? Hehehe. In the version that’s coming out for free soon (around three weeks from now), you’ll actually get the chance to deepen the night with Diego even more.
Matt, on the other hand, gets a conversation with Mafalda that shows a new side of him. That upcoming free patch mainly expands on existing content while the one I’m working on right now pushes the story forward in a big way.
About unlocking visuals, I totally get what you mean. A lot of people have mentioned that too. There’s a lot of variation, and the fact that I use so many Echoes definitely makes it tricky to unlock everything.
To help with that, we’re currently working on a Memory Log system. Our GUI artist is first finishing some of the more standard elements — like improving dialogue boxes and building a new in-game menu (based on an idea we came up with). The log will be part of that menu.
And yeah, I know what you mean by “branching scenario trees.” Trueclash actually tracks your decisions in two main ways.
One is through branching paths. For example, at the end of the night you can choose to go home with Harry, Diego, or Matt (and in version 0.4, Joel joins that list too 👀).
But the other is scene transformation and adaptation. You can already see that during the beer-pong section but in the current version I’m writing (0.5), I’ve taken it even further. Scenes dynamically change depending on your past choices: characters say different things or react differently.
It’s not exactly a new branch; it’s more like the main storyline reshaping itself based on what you’ve done. Get it?
That’s what makes a “branch map” quite difficult to create, but I might still ask Alex to try something like that. He’s the one who made some of the guides on Patreon.
I’ve also been reducing the number of Echoes overall. Things that used to trigger an Echo (like a small dialogue change) no longer do. Now, only the truly meaningful or game-changing decisions create one. Hopefully this helps make the game easier to follow without feeling like you’re chasing every minor variation. But this is something to revisit when the log is ready to be worked upon.
About being “mean,” haha — there are actually two ways to be mean, after that you don’t have to be cruel to unlock more visuals. And yep, that one specific fight? It’s almost impossible to win. You don’t really miss out on anything major, just a slightly different line. I considered adding an achievement or image in case someone managed to win but decided it would feel unfair, given how hard it is, haha.
And yeah, I get what you mean about those looks from Matt and Diego… it’s definitely a wild ride.
You’ll mostly feel happy while playing Trueclash — but there will be moments that hurt, a lot. Especially in version 0.5 (currently in development). Let’s just say Alex needed a few days to emotionally recover from that one after he beta tested it due to happens with one of the characters there 😅.
But those imperfect, sometimes painful moments are what I think make a story truly good.
So, thank you again and we’ll be waiting for you on the next chapter of your Trueclash journey! 💙
hi there ~ I really enjoyed this version and can't wait for the next one (especially because of joel and harry 🗣).
Well, if you guys still need someone to help with the code, just send me a message on discord so we can talk about that!
discord: sharpsz
Hey Sharpsz! Zak here, it’s really nice hearing from you again heheh.
I’m glad you enjoyed Harry and Joel! If you haven’t played the Patreon version yet, definitely look forward to the next one, you'll get the opportunity to speak with Joel alone :P
About the coding part, being 100% honest, someone else reached out recently and we had quite a few long talks about both the code and the game itself. Because of that, I felt it was only fair to move forward with him for now.
We actually just started this partnership yesterday as a commission-based collaboration!
That said, I really want to see the project grow, and if I ever reach the point where I can afford to bring on a second programmer or tester I’d definitely consider it ^^
Thanks again for offering to help 💙
Well this is less of a game review and more of a developer review.
I personally really enjoy reading these comments and witnessing not only the respect in how this team (Mainly Zak) responds to comments but also how they handle situations what i personally would have been fuming at.
I currently am completely unable to get the game due to my device storage, make, and whatnot. However as soon as I am able I shall join your patron just so I can give what I feel is well deserved.
Overall, my personal opinion is not only is this game most likely going places, the developers are too. To have teammates (not just workers) that have your back from start to finish is difficult to come by. I wish your team luck.
~ A person with a funny username who happens to like games and humanity.
Hey Weenie! Zak here o/
First off, I have to admit, I wasn’t even sure what to say at first, haha. Your comment was just really nice to read.
I truly hope that once you get the chance to play the game, you’ll have a great time with it and enjoy a few solid hours of fun and discovery.
As for the devs and teammates honestly I think I’m incredibly lucky to have them. The amount of support they give, both to the game and to me personally, is something I cherish deeply. The team has recently started to expand as well and I really hope everyone joining us will have as much fun creating this project as we’ve had so far on this journey.
Thank you so much for your message — it truly made my day.
Wishing you all the best too 💙
Hii I was just wondering, is there any plans of hiring a real artist if the game gets bigger? Putting the ethical problems of AI art aside, it's kinda annoying how inconsistent the art style looks sometimes
Hey chazers! Zak here.
Yes, we actually already hired an artist for some new artworks. We actually adress that a bit in our latest public devlog on patreon.
Also, I would love to hear which parts you find the artwork inconsistent. Maybe I can work on it to make it less annoying.
Thank you so much.
It's a weird question but Vikor is going to be a "dateable" character? My "type" of man are the big and muscle ones and Viktor is one so I would really like to know.
Hey, Zak here!
I don’t think that’s a strange question at all! On the contrary, it’s more than fair. I’ll try to answer with as few spoilers as possible.
Some characters have a specific purpose, something they (or I) want to tell. In Viktor’s case, I can say that from the Matt vs. Diego point onward,you’ll start seeing more of him. You might be able to “date” him, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should or can become something more serious.
As for the big, muscular archetype: I try to include people with different body types and I always aim for the bodies to tell a story or fit the personality archetype I want to add at that moment. So I do have bigger guys planned, I also have chubbier/bear-like men, as well as smaller and taller ones. In other words, it’s very possible you’ll see men like Viktor beyond Viktor himself.
In short: possibly yes. But he has a defined role in the story that’s coming. That said, I stress “possibly,” because I develop the story very organically, like a garden I keep pruning. Many times even I don’t know what will happen; things come to light through the writing and the characters’ interactions. :)
But yeah, stick around, more Viktor to come!
Thanks for the replying, I will keep up to date with the game's development. I've really loved what I've played so far and I'm looking forward to the next update.
God bless you for Diego
Hey, Zak here!
Uhhh, another Diego fan ehhehe.
Actually, he’s been gaining quite a bit of popularity :P
In this new version we released yesterday to the public for the first time, you can interact with him in different circumstances and environments without Harry constantly bothering him heheh.
In version 0.4 (currently on Tier 3 Patreon), I thought it would be fair to give him a more intimate moment with Ren, to balance things out with the content that already existed for Harry and Matt... But I think I might have gotten a little carried away xDDD
Viv (our proofreader and Diego fan) really liked it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it too when you get the chance to play.
And thank you so much for your kind words! Comments like these get me even more hyped :P
Hi there! I saw your post on lemmasoft and i would love to work for You!
I'm an illustrator and videogame artist too, i've worked for otomes before doing concept, sprites, backgrounds, maps, and ui too, also i know a little of Unity too, let's talk more about what You need! ✨
Hey Skelly ! Zak here.
We've been getting a lot of messages on our networks and I need to close the post before it gets too overwhelming heheh.
But we will still look at your work if you would like to send us some examples or portefolio ^^
Sure! Here's My portfolio https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zAa9KpzvdABWJrrnEHUscVuB_QJ9jUgt/view?usp=drive...
Thank You for your answer, feel free to ask me whatever you need! skelly.ilustra@gmail.com
Just wondering, it says there's currently 28 or so CGs in the game. Is there a guide on how to unlock them? Because it feels like I've talked to all the npcs in as many ways as I could and I still have less than 10 unlocked.
Hey, Zak here!
Regarding unlocking images and other content:
We currently have a few tips on Patreon about how to unlock certain harder scenes, but we don't have an official guide yet.
I completely understand what you're saying tho. with so many variables, it becomes difficult to keep track of everything you've done or discovered. Actually, this is something we want to address to make things simpler and more accessible. We're planning to implement memory logs that will not only store the images for you to review but also keep a record of key decisions you've made and knowledge you've gained about the characters. I think this will help you see what you might want to try differently.
However, even though we don't have guides or the logs available yet, I'd be happy to help if you're looking for specific images for particular characters. I can also check if there might be a bug on our end that's listing more images than there should be.
Hey, I really enjoyed the game, but it feels way too short for the size. I'm playing it on my phone so every mb can count for me, I wonder, is the first beer pong match really is where the game ends? If so, then I think either the images or the music are having a really heavy file size- compressing them could be beneficial because the game can get really big in no time. I mean 700 mb usually works for like 200-500K words if I know well... I think my visual novel back then when I started had like around 50-70K of words with a file size of 156 mb.
It's really important too, because of professional visual novels with even more complex systems and days length of content only weighs like around 4 gb. For example, Nitro chiral's games has really complex and fancy mechanics like in slow damage and the game weighs low compared to that. My phone would be greatful for that too because of the size, I don't think that I would be able to play it in the long run. <3
Hey! Zak here 👋
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. You actually brought up something I hadn’t really considered before: the overall file size of the game, especially from a mobile player’s perspective. That’s super valuable feedback.
When I first started working on the images, I decided to use PNG format so they’d retain more quality… but now after reading what you had to say, I’m definitely thinking of switching to
webp, since it keeps almost the same quality while reducing the file size a lot. So that’s already something I plan to change moving forward.I also took this oportunity to take a closer look at the files… and to my surprise, the bulk of the weight isn’t actually the images, it’s the music and sound effects. 😅
Right now I have over 50 music tracks already in place for content up to version 0.3, and even though some aren’t used yet in 0.2.5, they’re still bundled with the build.
On top of that, the ambient sounds and nightclub tracks (which alone are over 3 hours long) take up a lot of space.
I’m already using
.oggformat for most audio files, which from what I understand is one of the more efficient ones but I’ll double check to make sure I’m compressing things the best way I can.So yes, I’ll definitely start converting all future images to
.webpand also go through the soundtrack to see where I can reclaim some MBs.If I manage to shorten a few tracks, especially the long club ambient loops, I think I can cut down 100–200MB right away.
As for the content:
Yes, the current public version (0.2.5) ends right after the first beer pong match.
It’s still early days for the game overall but there are multiple paths that can lead to that scene with variations that unlock more or less content depending on your choices both before and during the match. That branching might make it feel like there’s less content at first glance, but it was a design choice: I wanted to encourage exploration and replayability.
That said, I totally get how it could feel short, especially since most of the narrative buildup happens before any big payoff.
Starting from version 0.3, things become more structured and story-heavy, so I think that feeling of progression will come through more clearly.
(For reference, the current content for 0.2.5 adds up to around 70,000 words so far.)
Also, just a quick heads-up:
There’s a bug on the mobile version right now where the speaker bars aren’t updating properly (they’re supposed to change color depending on who’s speaking).
It’s not critical, but it definitely makes it harder to follow conversations.
Marc (our GUI dev) will be looking into this soon, so thank you for your patience there as well!
I really appreciate your message. What you said about file size is something I’ll start tackling right away before the game grows too much to optimize easily.
And PS: I’d love to hear your feedback once you get to try version 0.3! It’s currently on Patreon for Tier 3 members, but it’ll be free for everyone in about a month and hope I hear from you by then💙
Thanks again and take care!
— Zak
Thank you for your answer, I'm looking forward to the next build! ❤️
I've never seen a vn specifically explain the existence of choices like its a new mechanic 😭 u said in the comments u dont really have experience with vn's, but its so goddamn funny. It's like booting up call of duty and gettin an npc that says "this world is different- we fight different. That thing in your hands? Its called a Bullet Shooter. It works by shooting Bullets"
I don t want to be too mean in these comments so i'll keep it short, but from what i ve seen this isn't. Great. Weird little lack of punctuation and simple writing aside, i get thrown in here, told i dont get to pick my own name despite this being a self insert story, realise the game wants me to think im best friends with matt when i the player just met his ass, the fighting minigame is pure chance which makes it very annoying and not fun, and.... you use AI.
I was never going to download this, from the start, because of the AI. But reading your replies here, it really highlighted your passion for this project. The game has a .... good, somewhat cohesive artstyle which you put effort into making look not like shitty ai. I just wonder, if you can write and code, if you can find a UI artist, game testers, socmed managers that do all this work for you out of passion, sans compensation.... you couldn't find an artist? Or is it that an amateur artists passion wouldn't be good enough?
I recommend Paul Platt's vid called "the real problem with AI isn't what you think". Preachy ass title but since you ve mentioned you hesitated on ur decision to use ai, maybe it'll make you think.
Signed, an artist that was exicted to see the lemmasoft forums post, only for it to dawn on me that you've used ai for your game's art- which wasn't mentioned anywhere.
Seems like you don't even try it out and spouting nonsense. Most VN's choice only fork path to a specific linear route.
However, TC's choice affected by many variable. Such as, the order of your talk would effect the view's and dialogue's of upcoming character, this variable affected by almost every dialogue prior. Not a lot of VN approach the dialogue's variable this meticulously.
Hey l1f3l, Zak here.
I'll try to keep this my final response regarding AI, because it’s really not the main focus of what I’m trying to build. But I do feel the need to clarify a few things.
First, regarding your feedback of the game itself:
You might be right, maybe it’s not great. Maybe it’s not as different or clever as I hoped. That’s fair. Everyone has different tastes and standards and I fully respect that.
But I am trying to build something that feels reactive, personal and story-driven. Curious enough, I did talk a lot about that evolution in my latest devlog and i need to make a new post about it, where I explain how the branching structure is built and why I’m constantly tweaking how feedback and consequence are handled. It’s a work in progress, but one I care deeply about. So even if the game isn’t for you, your feedback helps me understand what might not be working for some players.
Now, regarding my team:
I have two close friends who are just as passionate about this project as I am. And then there’s Marc, our GUI artist, whom I’ve been paying out of pocket until now but we finally managed to reach enough support on Patreon to start covering his work.
And here’s where I have to point something out... I’ve been working on Trueclash for 6-7 months now. Around 80% of my free time goes straight into the game because it’s something I really love doing. My net income from it? Still negative. And realistically, it would remain negative because now that we can finally pay Marc, I was willing to once again, to pay yet another artist out of my own pocket until Patreon support could cover the expenses in the long run.
But then at certain points (such as your comment) I have to stop and think: I’m earning zero from this. And so are the two people who’ve been by my side from the beginning. So is it fair for me to be searching for another person to join when I still wasn’t able to compensate them? Shouldn’t I be focusing first on paying the people who already believed in this from day one? What am I doing? You’ve got more than a point on this one.
And about AI:
Trust me, I’ve watched a lot of videos on the topic. I’ve watched, thought about them and formed my own opinion (because there might not even be a right answer). The opinions that stuck with me the most weren’t from random tech bros or companies (which I tend to not like) but from artists themselves, people with real experience and history in the field.
There’s one particular perspective that really shaped how I view this:
“When colored paints started being sold in supermarkets, traditional artists complained. They said it lacked soul because the artist wasn’t making the pigments themselves anymore.”
“When photography came out, people said it wasn’t real art. It could never replace a portrait artist and how unfair it was.”
“When digital drawing became mainstream, many artists who painted by hand rejected it, saying it wasn’t true art because there was no need to correct smudges creatively, or let a mistake lead you to a new idea. You just hit ‘undo.’ Where’s the soul in that?”
And now… we have AI.
People say the same thing again, that it isn’t real art.
And honestly? In my opinion, art is art the moment a human being is behind it, with a vision of what they want to create and the will to shape that vision into something meaningful. Is there a lot of AI content out there that’s soulless, cheap, or mass-produced with zero care? Absolutely.
But then again we already have plenty of so-called “art” like that in the world, AI or not.
At the end of the day, what matters to me is this:
Did a person put their time, care and creativity into crafting something they believed in? Do other people take joy in watching, playing or experience what they created? If the answer is yes, then I believe it deserves to be called art, even if the tools they used are controversial, still evolving or even not that good to begin with.
And let's be honest, Trueclash wouldn’t exist without AI. I don’t say that to provoke, I say it with humility.
It’s thanks to AI and the hundreds of hours I spent learning how to use it well that I could create the visual identity needed to tell this story. Art and artists are expensive. If I had to commission every CG at €200+ per image, I’d need a team and a budget I simply don’t have. I’m just a regular guy, with a day job and limited income, trying to build something special and share it with others. And although the visuals started with AI, I’m just so glad I can finally pay Mark with the game income.
And if you’re saying I should have waited, that I shouldn’t have started this project at all unless I had the means to hire a traditional artist from the start, then you’re saying that 1 artist’s loss is more important than the hundreds of people who are now following, supporting and enjoying this game. They would have lost the opportunity to experience this journey they seem to like as it is.
And with respect, I have to disagree with that point of view.
And even so, I’m also trying to give opportunities to artists. I’ve posted job offers, I’ve searched, and I’ve even been ghosted by artists I tried to hire. And yet I still kept going. I’m not here to replace anyone, I’m here to create something and to grow. And to hopefully open doors, not close them.
Last but not least:
Thank you for your message. It really gave me a lot to reflect on. Not just about how I approach the development of this game, but also about how I manage the team and share resources. And I have to admit, you’re probably right: maybe my focus should first be on properly compensating the people who’ve been with the project since the very beginning (myself included), rather than going even deeper into the red to bring in someone new at this stage.
Trueclash is a project built with passion, not shortcuts. And I hope, whether people agree or not with these points of views, they can at least feel that behind it.
With the best intentions,
Zak
Hi Zak! Yea, i wanted to be short and to the point so i dont send a wall of text. It s mean regardless, cuz my aim was to not go on too long with it, which would make it mean x2. I don't like having debates in comment sections. I'd love to give proper feedback, but to reply to the longest part, which is the ai usage:
You're being disrespectful! You at least understand that, right? Saying its ok to use a tool built on the stolen and uncompensated work of millions of artists, because you spent 500 hours making sure it looks good. It s insulting my guy.
Im not interested in the wishy washy "is it real art" debate. Brother everything is art. Everything you can lay your eyes upon, everything you can hear, smell, touch. It's so silly, to compare digital art with a machine built to steal from artists and churn out art. Its so silly, to compare photography with a machine that uses industrial quantities of water and electricity, enough to set the entire world's plans for climate change action back decades- just to create pretty pictures or sometimes-accurate text or whatever else it stole.
Before ai, how did anyone do anything? Clearly, its *impossible* to create a vn with no art budget or artistic inclination...... cmon now. I get you wanted it to look pretty, you didnt want to make a vn that looks amateurish, you wanted people to be drawn to it, but at least dont hide behind the "its real art" thing. This is a moral choice first and foremost. Some care ab the "not real art" thing but i think its a stupid argument on both sides.
Anyway i dont expect u to come kiss me feet n say "ahh yes ur so right i ll repent and change the entire thing now and i ll also give you a thousand hundred dollars and the keys to the kingdom." I fully expect this to be a waste of time. I usually dont bother if ai is involved but your passion is was so clear had to see more and say my piece. Im also silly for that.
But if i can convince u to do one ☝️ thing : pls workshop that fighting minigame bcs bro 😭 how make cool strategic decisions when no info is given to me, and the fight is too short to notice any patterns.... Minigames in renpy r hard to do from what i know but there s somethin to work on there
Thank you for your feedback.
To begin with, it looks like you spent more time reading the itch comments than actually playing the game. And let’s be clear, no one ever said AI wasn’t used. It was obvious from the start, and people have talked about it openly many times.
About the minigame, it isn’t just random luck. In v0.3 at least, the opponent reacts to the choices you keep using, which makes things harder if you get predictable.
What I do find ironic is how you criticize the writing and the game being made by an amateur, while at the same time asking why he didn’t hire an amateur artist. So which is it? Is the creator not allowed to be an amateur, but artists are? That’s a contradiction, or just plain bias.
As for the team, the only person brought in from outside was the UI artist, paid with his own money and Patreon support. And everyone knows a UI artist doesn’t cost the same as a full sprite or background artist. Considering the game is free, maybe a volunteer artist looking for experience could have stepped in too. In fact, it’s ironic you even bring this up now, when Trueclash has been openly asking for artists precisely to move away from AI.
“I don’t want to be too mean,” you said, and yet here we are. Honestly, you just sound like you're trying to pick a fight and not being fair at all
Finally, Zak, the game is good. You said it would be slow burn, and it is. You said choices matter, and they do. I found it phenomenal the way Matt is introduced gradually, even if Ren already knows him. So keep up the excellent work. And ty you for the FREE game.
Signed, a player who has followed Trueclash since day one.
You are delusional, man. Not in the cute way too. I honestly don't undestand you, like, why is that a problem. I can clearly say that your problem isn't even with the story, nor about the way the game was introduced but it's solely about the fact of AI, in my eyes, it looks like you are trying to find little hunch of invisible "mistakes" to cover your disgust towards "AI". Which doesn't really makes you a so righteous person at the end of the day. But sure, then let's talk about AI the. I do acknowledge the fact that AI can be used in malicious ways, it can disregard artists, and many other stuff. BUT it can be helpful too. AI could NEVER, at least not in this era, replace artists because codes and robots are lacking proper passion and feeling. Sure it can create a smile or painful expression, but it's like how 3D cartoons work. Take Winx as an example. When Winx club decided to use 3D models, it became somewhat empty and fake. When they returned to drawn characters it returned to it's original state and it's true to every cartoon or show. Ai is the same here. You can animate with AI but it will never give you the same vibe people are longing for. So for a moment, stop choking on your blasted hatred and use your common senses more. Everything can be used to either help or hurt. You can decide to kill with a brick or build a house of it, AI is the same.
I didn't even play the game yet and I can tell that it's something special. I have read more than a hundred visual novels from itch.io in the past 5 years and all of them were special in their own way. Whether it used illustration by AI or not, they are special because of a like-wise special soul created them.
You are basically just spouting nonsese because you are blinded by your hatred. Because of that you are failing to see so many things that would not just open your mind, but would give you opportunities as well too... Like this, you are nothing better than a mindless activist
Hi, I really liked this game with really good story so far but just asking is there coming s#x scene and much more and I would like know what is looks like Ren female and male look but there no need if you don't wanna and there no big deal anything scene I liked how it is right now maybe there something coming in future update and I looking forward to play more anyway really great game well done keep it up!
Hey DevilWolf2000! Zak here.
I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game and the story so far, thank you so much for the kind words! 💙
You brought up a few important points, so let me go over them as clearly (and briefly) as I can 😅
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About explicit scenes (s#x scenes):
Yes, they are planned, and I already have a few in mind that I’d like to implement in future updates. However, most of the romance in Trueclash is more of a slow burn, which is something I personally enjoy writing.
That said, some characters may reach those kinds of scenes faster than others. Why? Because the way I write is by first constructing the character and then stepping into each character’s mindset without forcing them into a fixed structure. I often ask myself, how will this character react to this and so on.
So the pacing of romance and intimacy will depend on the character, their personality, and how the relationship evolves naturally.
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About Ren’s appearance (male/female MC):
That’s actually a great question and something I’ve thought a lot about.
To be honest, it would make certain things like CGs (kisses, hugs, intimate scenes) much easier if I had a fixed design for the main character, I could just swap out the layers for different versions.
But from the beginning, I wanted to write Trueclash from a first-person perspective that’s why you never really “see” Ren. (only in that pass picture which is something I'm still thinking about changing).
You might have noticed that when characters get close to you, they sometimes lean toward the screen itself, that’s on purpose.
Why take this approach?
Because while we’re all human, we each have our own physical and psychological differences and that’s what makes storytelling so interesting.
I do need to give Ren some personality (to allow for meaningful writing and reactions), but I wanted to leave the physical appearance open to your imagination.
Whether you picture Ren as someone like you in an alternate reality, or someone completely different that's entirely up to you and the story you want to live. That's why in the current content that is being written, I am giving a chance of defining a bit more of Ren's past acording to your taste.
Thank you once again, hope you keep on liking our game ! ^^
Diego.... Reminds me of ma crush lol. Es que tan lindo el!!! por diossss!!!!
Hey Makyn! Zak here!
It’s really nice to read comments like this. I’m honestly happy when a character resonates with you.
In the version available on Patreon (0.3), you finally get to spend a moment alone with him without him being upset worried about Harry. (I felt like a moment like that was much needed).
In version 0.4 (not out yet), let’s just say I kept feeling inspired and ended up writing quite a lot for him. There’s a moment that, in my opinion, is really cute... Maybe I overdid it a bit with what I wrote, but it’s done, and I liked it a lot.
So stick around, there’s more of Diego to come <3
I REALY LOVE harry, i wait future new updates to better relationship with each character and unique story paths for each "love interest"
Hey BlackFenrir, Zak here!
Harry’s definitely been getting a lot of love from the community hehe. Glad to hear you're part of that club!
And yes! What you're asking for is exactly what's coming.
In version 0.3 (releasing for Tier 3 Patreons next week), there’s a key moment where you’ll get to choose whether to spend time with Harry, Matt, or Diego and depending on who you pick, you’ll get more insights and one on one time with that character.
There’s also a breakfast date coming, where you’ll be able to go out with one of them. Though I’m still deciding if that will happen before or after the Matt vs. Diego fight.
Right now, the structure is looking something like this:
Beerpong Night → Intimate Moment → Fight → Intimate Moment → New Chapter
Thanks so much for the support, can’t wait to show you what’s next! 💙
Obsessed with Harry.
Hey, I’ll be honest. I’ve always been 100% against AI usage like create full illustrations with it and stuff like that though I'm not against in receiving some help from it, but despite that, I ended up trying the game… and I loved it. As long as everything else isn’t AI-generated, I can accept it. I get that illustrations take a lot of time and effort to create, and considering the game is completely free, I understand why AI might have been used. Soo, what really pulled me in, was the story, it’s genuinely compelling. I’m a huge fan of things related to boxing, and the aesthetic of the game is just incredible. The way the characters are written also blew me away. There’s real personality and emotional depth there, and that’s what left me in awe. But, if I’m being really honest… the first thing that caught my eye before even playing was how freaking HOT Matt is. I was shocked! AI or not, he’s stunning. I’m dead serious when I say I need a full-body image of him, because I’m already thinking about making a dakimakura so I can cuddle with him 😭 It feels like this game was built for my tastes, and that’s just wild. I’ll absolutely be supporting you and keeping an eye out for new updates ( I’ll be waiting for new patches desperately!). You’ve created something really special here and that's not sth you see everyday.
Hi Drift3404
Zak here! I honestly can't describe how it feels to read what you wrote... It makes me genuinely happy to see people enjoying the experience.
About the AI topic... yeah, it’s a tricky one. I've even questioned myself about it many times. First and foremost, I fully respect everyone who chooses not to support or play games that use AI-generated assets. That’s more than fair. I know a lot of people feel that way, and I’m very aware it adds an extra challenge on our side.
Before releasing the game, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether to use AI or not. One of my biggest fears was being harassed or people assuming that using AI meant "no effort, easy cash grab." And honestly? Maybe they’re not entirely wrong to think that. I’ve tried some games with careless AI use where you could feel the lack of soul and care in them. So I get why that association exists and might even be justified.
But on my side, I can promise you something: Alex (when he’s able to help me) and I spend a lot of time working on the character sprites and their expressions. We use advanced techniques to generate visuals that match our style and quality, do a ton of Photoshop editing, cut and mix parts, tweak facial expressions and we really try to polish them so they feel consistent and alive. Yesterday when I was editing Harry in photoshop I noticed how much I’ve improved since when I made his first sprites. So yes, it hurts a bit when people assume it’s all just a button click, but I do understand why that perception exists.
For example, I’ve been spending weeks trying to finalize a sober version of Harry that I’m happy with. And only yesterday, after a full day of testing, I finally got something that I feel works. And even then, I still have concerns about some details. I'm scared people won’t like the sprite because he looks taller and more composed when he's not drunk (which is actually intentional). So yeah, I lose countless hours making sure the characters look and feel right. And ironically, it still might not be enough.
Now, does this level of work compare to what a traditional artist can do from scratch in Illustrator or similar? Honestly… I don’t think so. They spend years mastering their craft, and there’s a level of skill and expression I don’t feel comfortable comparing myself to. Even though I put a lot of work in, it’s a different process.
But I won’t lie about it. Without AI, TrueClash wouldn’t exist. And that is why I was so divided between starting this project with AI or not starting at all. But I decided to take a leap of faith. If I have to choose between creating something some people will like, or creating nothing… I preferred to risk it and create something. And why don’t I hire artists to help me with all the artwork ? Mainly because I don’t have enough money for that and because before AI tools were available, I actually tried to hire artists to kickstart the project. I spent around 500–600 euros out of pocket… and unfortunately, I had no luck. Some artists ghosted me, others didn’t quite deliver what I needed. In the end, I was left with one or two sprites and gave up. Maybe I was just unlucky, because more recently we hired Mark to redesign the GUI for version 0.3 and he’s been absolutely amazing! He is super talented and reliable.
As for AI in other areas: yes, I’ve used it to learn how to code and to speed up minor edits. But now, I often turn to forums for help since the AI doesn’t quite cut it anymore. It’s actually funny looking back at my old code and seeing how much more I can do on my own now! (I talk a bit about this in today’s public devlog — which should go live tonight or, at the latest, tomorrow morning.)
Writing is something I’ve been trying to improve a lot. I really like how things turned out in version 0.2 (which drops next week!) and 0.3. Creating the characters, their personalities, and their storylines has grown out of my experience as a D&D Game Master. I watched a ton of videos on personality building, character consistency, worldbuilding, creating engaging narratives, and so on. I try to apply all of that now in TrueClash. And honestly, the more I write, the more I realize how much more I still have to learn. Even now, when I write for the characters I ask myself, “Am I really capturing their personality well enough?”
And about Matt: yes, he is very hot! Haha. I’m really happy you want to make a dakimakura of him. I can totally send you the full images in 4K if that helps! Most of the ones in-game are downscaled to fit full HD, so the higher-res versions should be perfect. Also, in version 0.2 (coming next week) and version 0.3 (Patreon), there will be more CGs focused on him 😉
I hope I haven’t said anything bad on this mountain of text. Me and the team (I can say that now) will keep trying to make this game better after each update. I hope you like 0.2 coming out to public next week and I really want to hear your feedback on it !
The fact that you took the time to explain everything in such detail just shows how much love and care you're putting into TrueClash. I really, really respect that. 🙏 The AI topic is indeed complicated. Like yeah, there are definitely games out there that feel soulless because they just slapped AI content in with zero effort. But that’s not what this is. I was able to feel the difference and I had no idea how much Photoshop work and tweaking goes into making everything feel right. That sounds exhausting but also super impressive. Like, spending weeks on sober Harry? That’s dedication. It honestly sucks that people assume it’s just “click a button, boom, finished.” From what you’ve said, it's clear you're putting in way more effort than most people realize and your honesty about not comparing your work to traditional illustrators? Mad respect. You're being real about your limitations and your growth, and that’s rare. I also had no idea you tried hiring artists before and got ghosted, that sucks. It’s incredible that you were able to keep going after that, most people would’ve given up. I’m really happy you found someone like Mark for the GUI work though! Sounds like things are moving in a great direction. Now… Matt 😭 Yes, I’m 100% taking you up on those 4K images because I need that dakimakura. If you’re ever up for it (no rush at all!), maybe you could send over the poses you personally think would work best for it? You know him better than anyone, so I totally trust your taste. Something that really shows off his charm—and maybe even a couple spicier poses, if you're feeling generous 👀 Just whenever you feel like it, no pressure at all. I’d love to make it perfect, but I know how busy things must be and I can’t wait to see the new CGs of him in 0.2 and 0.3! Anyway, I seriously appreciate the honesty and vulnerability in your message. You didn’t say anything bad, just real stuff and that’s honestly the best kind of message to get. Thanks again and please tell the rest of the team they're doing an incredible job.
Hey! Sorry for the delay. It’s been a couple of crazy days 😅
I really do enjoy talking about the creative process… maybe a little too much sometimes. I can get totally lost in it, haha.
But just to clarify something I might not have explained properly:
Yes, I spent weeks working on sober Harry… but that doesn’t mean I was only working on him the whole time! 😅
It was more like: I’d come back to him from time to time between writing and other game tasks, doing little experiments here and there.
That said… there were intense bursts.
This past Sunday I spent 4 full hours on him, then 6 more on Monday, and the rest of the night yesterday.
I finally feel good about the result now. The line work, the pose, the outfit, all improved. I still need to polish the expressions a bit more, but that’ll come with time!
It’s true that some of that slowness probably comes from my own limitations.
Over time I’ve learned some shortcuts and tricks, and I can definitely do things faster than before. But yeah, it's still a process.
I’ve already sent the updated Harry to Alex and Viv so they can schedule a preview post whenever they’re ready. I don’t want to mess with their rhythm 😅
Viv actually told me I should do a behind-the-scenes video showing how I build images from scratch.
But my PC is currently bugged when it comes to screen recording (Photoshop just shows a black screen), so I’ll need to fix that first.
Now, about visual design:
There were times where I spent weeks just trying to get one character’s design right.
And let me tell you… I don’t recommend that.
Not for your mental health, and not for the quality of the final result.
When I first created Harry, I needed something very specific — someone who felt a bit lost but still gave off positive energy.
That’s really hard to get with AI tools, because the results often feel too "default", and if you push it too much, you risk breaking the art style entirely. (at least that's my experience)
I actually went through 3 or 4 full design variations before I got to the one we now know. Some of them didn’t even make sense but I was so fried I couldn’t think straight anymore. That could honestly make for a fun dev post 😅
And yeah, I know I have limitations. I can’t compare myself to a traditional illustrator who works magic with their hands.
But I do feel proud seeing how much I’ve improved across all areas. Step by step, it’s getting better 💙
As for Matt and the 4K images, I actually talked to Alex yesterday and he told me he was already planning to include high-res images in future Patreon collections. So that’s in the works!
Now, regarding a custom full-body 4K Matt image... right now, I’m honestly not able to deliver that the way I’d want to.
It’s probably a mix of my own limitations and the tools I use, but getting that quality at full-body scale takes a lot of effort, and I’d hate to send you something that feels rushed or underwhelming.
Especially after this little sober-Harry marathon, I really need a bit of a break from visual designing and go do some writting 😅
That said, if there’s an existing image of Matt that you really love (either current or one of the new ones coming soon), let me know and I’ll happily send you a 4K version of it!
Oof yeah, I totally get what you mean. Makes sense that you’d come back to him in between other stuff rather than just grinding nonstop. Still, those editing sprints sound intense . But hey, now I’m even more curious to see the final version. Also Viv is right, a behind-the-scenes video would go so hard. Even if it’s just like a casual walkthrough or timelapse once your setup stops being cursed, I think a ton of people would appreciate seeing how the process goes. And yeah, no stress at all about the full-body Matt! I’ll totally keep my eyes peeled on patreon for new CGs and future high-res drops. Anyway, glad things are moving forward and that you’re giving yourself a bit of breathing room too. You 100% deserve it. Can’t wait for the new update!!!
Hiiii, i love this game so much, so i would hate to see it go, so just in case i want to warn you about the latest news, it seems itchio has started to "deindexed” all adult NSFW content from the browse and search pages all thanks to some karens, i mean, organization called Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors (cause yeah, its totally a good idea to give the right to payment processors to choose what kind of content can exist lmao)
You can see more of it in this link if you want to 💙
https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content
I hope everything will end well, cause i really like your writing and story!
Hey BDM, Zak here!
Yeah, I won’t lie, this has had a huge impact on our visibility, especially with Trueclash being an adult-oriented game.
I did come across those posts about itch.io’s recent changes, but honestly, I’ve only read a few things on Reddit so far, so I don’t feel fully informed enough to comment deeply on it. I’ve mostly been pouring my energy into building version 0.3.
That said, we were already working on an SFW version of the game to reach a wider audience. Because to me (and to the team), Trueclash is about way more than just the adult themes. And let’s be real, there’s barely anything explicit in the current build anyway. It’s about the characters, their stories, the chaos, and all the emotional mess in between.
This move by itch.io just gave us the push to publish the SFW page a bit earlier than planned. While the page is already live, the actual SFW version will only be downloadable once we release v0.2 publicly, in around two weeks.
If you're curious, here’s the link to the new page:
https://trueclash-games.itch.io/trueclash-games-sfw
We’re also reworking how the game is presented both here and elsewhere, especially now that we have a GUI/Designer helping us polish things up. <.<
And honestly, thank you. Getting a message like this, showing that someone truly values and enjoys the game, really means a lot.
P.S.: Even if I never make a cent from Trueclash, I’'ll keep on developing it. For me, and for everyone who connected with it in some way.
Let’s go!
Harry is such a lovable mess🥰
I like Matt, and def GAY FOR MATT
Okey, I alre love so much Matt and Harry, is not even funny with only some few scenes 😭😭
The characters seems to have a lot of profound and complex thoughts and is something so weird to see in nsfw scenes... I can't wait to see more of this
I have some questions about the game and the love interest tho, first of all, this game is going to have routes? Of you can do every route in one play? (Like can you romance more than one person at the same time or there will be consequences if you try to?)
There are already a lot of options and scenes depen of your choices, are you going to make a guide in the future?
And this is a more nsfw ask lmao, can we decide if being top or bottom with every character? Sorry not sorry but i need to top Matt and Harry 😭
Anyways thanks for all your hard work, the game so far looks super promising I can't wait to see more of it!!!
Hey BMD99! Zak here.
So happy to hear you’re enjoying the game and that Matt and Harry already stole your heart heheh.
That was definitely my goal: to create characters with deep, complex thoughts. I’m really glad that came through.
About your questions, let me try to answer each one as clearly as I can (I tend to write a lot 😅):
1. About routes and romance:
The short answer is: no, you won’t be able to experience everything in just one or two runs.
The long answer is a bit more complex. I always struggle to define this system properly, but I’d say Trueclash is more modular than “route-based.”
What I mean is:
I’ve built the game so the same scenes play out differently depending on your past decisions. This influences what characters say, how they react, and even what dialogue options Ren gets.
When I talk about this, my mind already jumps to examples from version 0.2, since that update is way more focused on what you’ve already done and chosen before.
But even in the current version, the one you played, you can already feel some of that structure.
Think of it like this: you’re the one shaping the route, and the depth of that route depends on your actions and how much you’ve explored.
One player might talk to Lissandra but skip Mafalda.
Another might ignore all the drama at the bar and go straight to Diego.
In a way, each of them created a different route that unlocks different things and options. Get it? 😄
💔 2. Can you romance multiple characters at the same time?
Well... just like in real life, it depends on the character.
But with the current cast? Let’s just say... if you try to flirt with everyone at once, don’t expect them to be too happy about it 😅
🧭 Will there be a guide?
I totally get what you mean! Even now, with just 0.1, there are already a lot of variables and branching. And version 0.2 will definitely make it more complex.
Part of me wants to write a guide but another part of me doesn’t want to ruin the joy of discovery or take away the chance for the community to help each other out.
Maybe in the future I’ll share some tips or hints on Patreon posts, or find a good balance. We’ll see how things go!
4. The NSFW question — top or bottom?
Totally valid question, don’t worry 😂
For now, my intention with gay romance is to let Ren be top or bottom with any of the male characters.
I say “for now” because things can always evolve depending on the story or the way relationships grow . But yes, you should be able to top Matt and Harry 😄
Ohhh nice! Thank you for taking the time to reply me so nicely, the game has a lot of potential and I can't wait to see more of it.
Are you going to create Discord or something? Oh and another question, with all the routes and options, are you going to need any beta testers?
I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game! ^^
About creating a Discord server. I’ve definitely thought about it, but right now there’s so much going on that I don’t think I’ll launch one just yet 😅
Maybe in the future, when things are a bit more stable!
As for beta testers, I might need more later on but for now, I have two close people helping me out with that, and they’ve been doing a great job so far.
Still... I know there’s always something that slips through. 😛That said, it’s always great to know who’s interested so if I ever open that up, can I count on you? 👀
Thanks again for all the kind words and support!💙
(PS. It took me a bit to reply because it's been a couple of busy days on my side)
Plis don't apologise, everyone has their own live and things to do! And sure! If in the future you will need beta testing i would love to doing so and im sure there will be more people open to do it, just make an announcement 🤟
Played due to matt, stayed for Harry (づ> v <)づ♡
I found the idea of the Choice Echo system interesting. When I was trying to make a game, I tried to make something very open-ended with several possibilities. I am excited to see the story getting longer to see how this will turn out. I think it would be cool to make a map of a section, like Nonary Games or Detroit Become Human, just to give a taste of how the Choice Echo system works. Well, I don't know how far you'll want to go with this, but I think it's a good way to show the implications and maybe demonstrate interest. And Harry left me with mixed feelings about trying to be a good person for him or being toxic. I hope there are many possibilities of ways to interact with him both socially, romantically and intimately. (Sometimes bad people can win :v)
Hey richex123! Zak here.
Really loved your comment, it got me thinking and gave me a great opportunity to share a bit of what’s been on my mind too.
I’m personally very happy with how the Decision Echo system is working. Even when I test the game myself, I enjoy seeing how certain options or reactions change based on past choices. That’s exactly the kind of experience I wanted to create.
That said, I’m still figuring out how this system will hold up in the long run. Both from the writing side (how it affects my creative flow), and from the player side (how much people actually enjoy it). Right now, I’m deep into a very branch-heavy section, with a lot of dialogue changes depending on past actions… and honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming. I really want to move forward and start writing what comes next (the end of the pong act and the fight against Diego), but I feel stuck juggling all the consequences of what people did or didn’t do. Just yesterday, while testing one of the routes for the beer pong (there are currently 2, possibly 3), I had to account for 14 past decisions and I spent the entire day on just that 😅
Which brings me to the big question: Is it worth it? Or should I reduce the number of consequences in sections like this so I can keep the story moving more smoothly and increase the amount of content per patch?
It’s something I’ll be reflecting on over time and the feedback from the community will definitely help shape that.
About the games you mentioned: I’ve always meant to play The Nonary Games but haven’t gotten around to it. I do know Detroit: Become Human, but never played it either. I did enjoy similar games such as Heavy Rain and Until Dawn a lot back in the day. Of course, those are studio-made games and right now, aside from two close people helping me out occasionally, I’m making Trueclash solo 😅 But hey, let’s see where this goes!
Now, about Harry, yes. I’d really love to offer a wide range of interactions with him, depending on your relationship and how he sees you. I’m already using a scoring system to track this behind the scenes, but I guess we’ll see how well it holds up over time or if it is a flop.
And finally regarding“Sometimes bad people can win.” I actually agree with you.
Early on, I even planned to allow a more “evil” route. But as I’ve been writing, especially during 0.1 and now 0.2, I’ve noticed something important: I don’t really enjoy writing “bad” or cruel actions that much. And that brings up again the same challenge of being a solo developer: time. Should I spend my limited dev time writing things that don’t bring me much joy and that slow down story progress as well?
Your comment was really timely, because I’m literally working on a scene right now where I’m debating whether to allow a toxic route... or to focus more on a well-developed main path with lots of variation (and maybe expand into darker routes later if the game grows).
So yeah thank you again. I hope you enjoy what comes next and that I can count on your feedback once again. 💙
Hi! I really enjoyed play this version of True Clash, it's really interesting how the some choices are tough and how that leads to differents paths and dialogues between some characters. Can't wait to see the next update <3. But I have a question!! How can I find the blond one, Adrian? I swear that I have searched everywhere and didn't find him. Right now the best path I found for know everyone (almost) is: go to the bar see the discussion > talk to Lize > Mafalda > Matt > Diego > Harry (or come back and stay with Matt). Ok so, one last question: there's someone in the team from Brazil? 👀
Hey Sharpsz!
I’m really glad you enjoyed this version of Trueclash! And it sounds like you explored it really well <3.
You’re absolutely right that the path you chose gives access to most of the content available so far 😊
About Adrian, I think I can give you a tip!
To unlock his conversation, Ren needs to hear about Adrian either before ending the chat with Lissandra or right after talking to Mafalda. Since Ren doesn’t know who Adrian is, someone has to mention him first.
Once you’ve seen his intro image, he should become available as one of the people you can talk to during that bar situation. However, his scene at the bar is not complete in v 0.1. But I already finished writing and coding his scene for the 0.2 version ^^
As for your last question: close guess!
We’re actually based in Portugal, not Brazil 😄
I hope it was a character name that made you think that and not something I forgot to translate haha (I usually write in English, but some scenes come more naturally in Portuguese and I translate them after).
I’m currently making the game mostly solo, but two close people help me out when they can. If the game does well, I’d love to expand the team especially with someone to help with art, UI and even animations (simple things like moving the sprites, sound effects and that). I enjoy doing the visuals, but it would give me more time to focus on writing and coding.
Thanks again for the kind feedback! I hope I can keep building content that you (and others) will really enjoy.
If you ever have more questions, just let me know! 💙
hehehehe thanks for the help, I finally found him + got the training session with Diego (that was hard!).
Bom, sobre eu ter perguntado sobre você ser do Brasil, não foi por causa da tradução não, que aliás, está ótima. O que te entregou foi simplesmente o "afff" que alguns personagens dizem, percebi logo que você falava português (só não sabia qual kkkkkkk).
Well, I hope u can find someone else to help with the game. I only know how to code, otherwise I would have offered some help. Wish u luck!
Glad to hear that, Sharpsz! That one isn't easy at all heheh.
Ahhh, então foi o “afff” que me tramou. Tenho mesmo de descobrir qual é o equivalente em inglês ^^. E obrigado pelas palavras 💙
Honestly, I might need a coder in the future. Even something as “simple” as the rotating main menu with unlocked images took me days to figure out 😅
Now that the game is out, I’m realizing I might not be able to keep adding cool features like that and deliver the amount of story/content I want in each update.
So who knows maybe I’ll reach out for help later on if you're up for it 😉
Thanks again for the awesome feedback, and I really hope you enjoy what’s coming in 0.2!
What kind of tags to expect?
Hey Distant100miles!
Hope I understood your question right!
If you’re asking about content tags, here’s a quick idea of what to expect from Trueclash:
Story-rich visual novel with meaningful choices
LGBTQ+ themes (gay, BL, lesbian, etc.)
Romance is present but totally optional as you can focus on bonds, rivalry, or friendship
Some adult/mature topics (emotional intensity, rough pasts, sexual themes) but for now nothing too explicit
A mix of drama, fighting tournament energy, and character-driven moments
A bit of humor, a bit of pain 😅
And yep a bit of bara and otome energy, depending on your route 😌
Hope that helps! Let me know if you meant something else 👀
OK cool, I will check it out.
same here would love to play and PAY to support a mac version...
Hey trekross333!
Well… after reading your comment, I realized it would be unfair not to release a Mac version of 0.1. I don’t want people to have to pay for something others got for free.
So, I went digging through my backups and I think I managed to put together a Mac build of version 0.1 available to download here or on patreon.
Since I don’t have a Mac, I can’t test it myself. So, I’ll be relying on you all to let me know if everything works (mainly the icon and whether the game launches properly).
And with that, back to working on v0.2 I go!
will there possibly be a Mac version in future updates?
Hey ayeeray!
I can definitely try to make a Mac version for 0.2 but there's a catch: I don’t have a Mac myself, so I won’t be able to test if it works properly.
From what I’ve researched, the only issues that might come up are with the game icon and launching the game. If that part goes smoothly, the rest should work just like on PC.
So yep, I’ll give it a shot for 0.2! Just bear with me if something breaks as I know next to nothing about Macs 😅
Just dropped by to say I’ve now released a Mac version of 0.1!
You can grab it right here on Itchio or over on Patreon 😊
Let me know if it runs fine on your end, as I have no means of testing it myself xD
thank you so much for the quick reply! the mac version so far has launched and been running perfectly fine. keep up the amazing work!
I'll be playing it soon.
I hope the female protagonist part has received as much attention as the male protagonist path
An Female Main Character relationships with different men, approached as a slow burn (as you mentioned), could be really intense and interesting
Hey Enlight! Zak here.
TL;DR:
I hope you enjoy it and find it interesting!
Yes, the story is mostly slow burn for almost every character.
The female protagonist was implemented later in development, but I took care to ensure it wasn’t just a lazy afterthought. I made scene edits, dialogue adjustments, and even CG variations to match the protagonist's gender.
Full response below:
Going to be 100% honest so you know what to expect.
When I started making this game, it only had a male protagonist. But since I grew up playing a lot of otome games, I really wanted to include more people and perspectives. So, I began reviewing all the scenes to see how they could be adapted for a female lead as well.
I've played games in the past that allowed for a male or female MC, but still referred to you as the opposite gender in dialogue and that just pulled me out of the experience. I didn’t want that to happen but I have to recognize it might... There is a lot of text, a lot of variations and sometimes, typos can slip under our radar, in this case, for both male and female leads.
So I went in, rewrote several scenes, adjusted some character speech patterns, and even created CG variations where the protagonist's gender matters.
That said, even though I’ve played a ton of otome games, I wasn’t 100% confident I’d nailed it both on the male and female paths. So I reached out to a close friend a female writer herself and asked her to review the script early in development. And honestly? She was amazing, like a saint. She read over 50k words of dialogue in a Word doc, gave feedback on mistakes, suggested improvements, and shared her thoughts on how to make the female path feel natural and compelling.
Unfortunately, she lost access to her computer for over more than a week (she dare going on vacation ! xD) and that happened right before the launch of V0.1. So only around 50% of the content had been reviewed and revised by her when the version went live.
That means you might still spot some typos or moments that feel a little off in V0.1 but those should be fixed in V0.2. (should )
So yeah, thank you for giving the game a chance. If you enjoy it, I’m super happy.
I also know this game might not be for everyone and that too much change can leave others unsatisfied but if you see anything that could be improved without changing the game essence, please tell me. I’d genuinely love to hear it and, if I can, I’ll make it better.
This looks really good! one question tho, is every character bi/pansexual or they have specific sexual orientations?
Hey olyophogrific !
TL;DR:
All romanceable characters in this game can be romanced by both male and female protagonists.
Now for the longer explanation of my design choices and workflow:
I want to be completely transparent here, so keep reading if you're interested in the details!
Originally, I started developing this as a gay game, with a male protagonist. But over time, I decided I wanted to include a female protagonist as well. I've played a lot of otome games (with female leads), and I thought it would be really cool to offer that experience too so that more people could enjoy the story from a perspective they connect with.
Even though I feel confident writing for both male and female protagonists, I asked a close friend of mine to help make sure the female version of the story felt authentic and not just an afterthought. She's been super helpful with feedback and suggestions (although she's currently on vacation 😉).
So here's how I approach it now: I see the story as having two versions of the main character, male Ren and female Ren. But I don’t define the love interests' sexualities explicitly. The idea is that, no matter which version of Ren you choose to play, the characters can develop feelings for you. That way, players can experience the story they want, without labels getting in the way.