Fiction Factory Games

Behold! Art!

Still doing UI tinkering, the background and player sprite are placeholders, buuuut... we've got official art for nemeSYS and her SYSter!

Patreon for this whole year paid for these character art pieces, so thanks for that assist!

Still working on the prototype -- I had an idea for a budget-saving and more flexible approach to things like the Penny Larceny heists, using a top-down ma...

Laugh Track and nemeSYSter Notes

All that's really left for Laugh Track is bug fixes and one or two voices, so I'll probably wait until December for another update there -- or just push through to release, if there's not much to fix. (I'll admit I haven't looked at the google doc a lot yet. Some of what's in there are intentional creative choices, but the bugs definitely need a-fixin'.)

nemeSYSter has gone through three ...

First Look: nemeSYS and SYSter

It's our new dynamic duo, the hacker ghost nemeSYS and her cybernetic zombie physical shell! Both of them hate you and want you dead. One's just a bit more cheeky about it than the other.

Art by Mr. Crowbar, the talented artist behind... well, a lot of our games! Penny Larceny, Shadow Over Cyberspace, and Laugh Track.

Development's going well. I don't know if I'll have a prototype f...

Laugh Track Beta-01 Released!

Here it is, folks -- the COMPLETE* game! Get the download link in the testing notes document.

At this point, the only missing elements are

• Voices for The Officer and The Announcer

• Pre-episode commercials

• Some editi...

  2025-10-01 20:06:05 +0000 UTC View Post

NOTHX, Patreon.

Patreon's rolling out some kind of "autopilot" feature to offer people discounts and to nag them when they try to unsubscribe, and use AI to bundle features and yadda yadda yadda no. Nope. Not doing that. I turned them off.

This is a really basic kind of Patreon, folks. You help offset my development costs, and in return you get early access to builds. That's it. I'm not a content creator...

Next Project: nemeSYSter

I've spent the last few weeks sketching up notes on what my next game project after Laugh Track will be, now that we're in postproduction on LT. I think I have a solid enough idea to present to you, and I've opened a Discord channel for it as well.

Keep in mind this is all subject to change. Shadow Over Cyberspace went through two reboots before it settled on what it was -- but Laugh Trac...

Laugh Track Alpha-07 Released! And About Credits...

Introducing Alpha-07, the LAST alpha before we officially enter Beta! This includes all episodes up to the finale, adding in the episode "Where's The Beef?" to the list.

The download link and testing notes are here. Enjoy!

For the October release we'll...

Huh. I finished it.

For the past week and a half I've been on an absolute tear writing for the game. When I finished the Daniel and Cat chapter, I thought, what if I just kept going? What if I just maintained this momentum? Apparently the end result is that I finish the game.

Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot left to do even though I finished writing the dialogue. The script is utterly littered with pl...

Whoops

So apparently, the default text speed when you start playing the game is maximum. That means that the text instantly draws on screen with each line of dialogue. Problem is, the character gibberish system that almost all the voice acting is tied into as well as the audience laughter at the end of jokes gets ruined or not played at all when the speed is that high.

I fixed it so the default ...

Whaddya know, I finished an episode

"Where's The Beef?", the Cat / Daniel focused episode, is done. Written, coded, tested.

I'm going to hold this back until Sep 1st, though, to maintain monthly schedule -- I want to make sure we have enough stuff in the pipeline and enough leeway for assets to arrive from actors and artists between milestones for updates to be significant.

This forthcoming update will include both th...

Laugh Track Alpha-06 Released!

Apparently I COULD get it done for August 1st. Who knew? Zero promises for another episode on September 1st, of course, but it's nice to know I can still crank when I gotta.

The testing notes and download link are here. This includes episode 7, "Just Say No." Howeve...

Good News Bad News

The good news is that my warning that I may not have a build ready for August was premature. I was able to get through visual effects and design and testing faster than I thought it would. So I'm gonna have a build together soon.

The bad news is that your old save games aren't going to work. There's just too many variables that weren't set correctly the first time around so you're gonna h...

Workin' On It

While at no point did I actually promise monthly beta releases because like, real life isn't always that neatly timed, I was hoping to get one out before August 1. This is proving to be a very technically complicated chapter though, with a lot of visual effects and whole new subsystems that I didn't have in the game before, on top of all the revamping that I've been doing to the audience laught...

Back End Work (Entendre)

This month has been less about writing and more about improving the base on which I'm building this game.

For starters, getting the Steam NextFest demo build ready. Valve's approved it, and I just need to get the voices for Cat, The Director, and The Producer in place and it'll be ready to go. NextFest hits in October so I'm well ahead of schedule there, but it took a bit of time to prep ...

Laugh Track Alpha-05 Released!

We've got a new build for ya! Testing notes and download link right here.

This includes fixes, new assets, and the episode "Be Kind Rewind."

Enjoy! Be sure to leave your feedback -- both bugs and story feedback -- on the testing sheet.

Roadmap! Always works, right?

So... funny thing happened this week. After saying in my last post "I don't know if I can finish this episode this month" I finished this episode this month. So sometime in a week I'll have a new build out to $5 backers.

I have setbacks and blocks, but I'm generally setting a pace of one episode a month. So I think I feel confident enough to drop a roadmap on you. A thing developers alway...

Update on Updates

I've completed the raw script for "Be Kind Rewind," the next episode of the game!

But I did it a little differently this time -- I was experiencing serious writer's block because even though I had a full outline and everything ready to go, I felt a little overwhelmed by how much programming goes into facial expressions, camera angles, scene changes, music cues, visual effects, sight gag a...

Laugh Track 04b Hotfix

New release -- testing notes are the same as before but the download link has changed, so go get ye game.

This version fixes a game-breaking bug that prevented players from completing the tutorial episode. No other major changes, although it does have a ...

Wanna Voice Act?

We've got a number of micro-sized parts ready for open casting. Like, REALLY open casting. As in "Everybody, here's the script, submit what you want and we'll pick from there."

For more information, read the script and learn more.

Because this is m...

Some Background Fun

Here's some new art to tide you over until the next big update. I haven't started in on writing the next episode -- been too distracted by other stuff -- but we've had some progress on voice and art even since the last beta.

With this we now have enough art to make the Steam NextFest demo. Still working on the voices but I have Remy's gibberish dialogue in place, and have scripts out for ...

Laugh Track Alpha-04 Released!

Get the download link from the tester's document, located here.

This includes "Second to Some," the Very Special Daniel Episode, as well as main story content leading through the end of Episode Four. It also adds in a toggle for "Vocal" vs. "Beeping" gib...

A Tease of a Teaser

Apologies if that video is bitrate heavy -- I've never used Patreon's video functions before.

My task list is currently:

• Prepare the Steam page, so folks can start wishlisting the game. This teaser video is a part of that effort; Patreon folks get an exclusive early peek at it.

• Get ready for October's Steam NextFest. I'm hoping to release a playable demo for i...

  2025-05-23 00:22:11 +0000 UTC View Post

Go Sports !!

Writing is going really well on the Daniel-focused Very Special Episode! Much easier than the Cat one was. So, figured I'd share a little early look at a training montage I cooked up. Backgrounds aren't final, but otherwise it's in great shape!

Next alpha release will include this episode. I'm aiming for one a month, but can't make promises.

Laugh Track Alpha-03 Released!

It's been a little over a month, but we've got a new episode for you! Along with bug fixes, new art, and a missing scene at the start of episode two restored.

The new episode this time is "Take Out The Trash," the Very Special Episode for Cat. The content warning isn't finalized but I'll note this one carries with it a warning for threats of self-harm, and religious trauma.

2025-05-01 13:47:14 +0000 UTC View Post

Progress Update

Things are going well! Final art is in for the Writer's Room, with the new look for Management-aligned characters. Side characters like The Teacher, The Champ, The Idol and The Officer will have similar aesthetics.

We've also got final art for Daniel, which I haven't implemented yet but is simply adorable. We love our good boy.

I'm restructuring the game, as discussed previously. In...

Brainstorming Solved (Probably)

Okay, I think I've figured out the new structure for the game.

Spoiler protection whitespace follows.

Seriously.

I mean it.

I was pondering "Can I do all the episodes in one playthrough, with a 4/4 balance ending?" and then JamesUsername in Discord quoted this:

"Oh god, it would be like that scene in enterprise were the cap...

Brainstorming (Spoilers!)

So I'm rethinking the overall structure of Laugh Track. This is INCREDIBLY spoilery but I need some help brainstorming an alternative approach that uses the same general idea and assets I've cooked up.

Please note that if you do contribute an idea I end up using, you'll get a special thanks in the credits but won't get legal ownership of the story -- the ideas are considered DONATED to th...

Laugh Track Alpha 02 Release!

We've got two episodes now -- the pilot episode, "Let's Get This Bread," as well as a normal episode, "Democracy Inaction!"

Download link available on the testing sheet document.

Please use the google doc to file your bug reports, feedback, and other s...

Incoming Game

So, in a massive binge of writing, I finished one of the ten episodes in the game. Because I'm me, I chose the most complicated one with the most challenging political themes instead of something simple like the "Remy and Cat rent a videotape" episode. I sure know how to bite off almost a bit more than I can chew.

I'm doing some final polish on it now -- I need to book some "sitting time"...

Ye Update

Obligatory I really need to get better about updating this thing statement goes here.

Work is continuing on the new game. Three of the four main cast members are now fully and finally implemented, with great artwork. Just have to do Daniel next, and then backgrounds.

Writing is continuing, a bit slower than I'd like since I am massively distracted by both games and health stuff. Bu...