MonkeyMolecule
New Member
- Apr 25, 2024
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- Thread starter Carmilla's Offer
- Start date
Hope Maria isn't just an antagonist and we can correct her behaviour with a mating press and make her one of your girls.
Well this is the perfect time to slowly start making different routes. When it comes to Maria there should definitely be at least 2 choices.. One to agree to her BS, another one to tell her you aint interested in what she is selling so she should just piss off and 3rd could be some middle ground 
I honestly hope we get a choice to refuse her offer cause I really hate this type of "I am doing you a big favour by even talking to you, let alone helping you so you should be grateful..."
One of the reasons I didnt like Uzaki later on in second season with her spouting this kind of BS xD
Anyway, enjoying the game so far, art continues to be nice and consistent so I am looking forward to the next update.
I honestly hope we get a choice to refuse her offer cause I really hate this type of "I am doing you a big favour by even talking to you, let alone helping you so you should be grateful..."
One of the reasons I didnt like Uzaki later on in second season with her spouting this kind of BS xD
Anyway, enjoying the game so far, art continues to be nice and consistent so I am looking forward to the next update.
- Nov 18, 2020
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- Nov 9, 2024
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Thank you all for being patient and playing. The new update is out now, tell me what you think. I tried to not make the gameplay too grindy, and instead made small randomized dialogues and events so there's variety when talking to Beth, Madison and Carmilla instead of the same thing over and over. Please tell me if you find any bugs. I've played the online itch.io version and didn't see any bugs so far, but who knows. For a better experience I recommend downloading the game, that way you can also see the images in full glorious detail. Also please note that you need to start a new game, but don't worry because you can use the main menu to skip right ahead to the end of the previous version.
One important note I also mentioned to all supporters of the game: I know it's weird that it's coming from a random AI Slop game creator, but if the last few weeks taught me anything, it's that you should take care of yourselves and your loved ones. See you soon for more updates, tutorials, bonus images and version 0.5.
One important note I also mentioned to all supporters of the game: I know it's weird that it's coming from a random AI Slop game creator, but if the last few weeks taught me anything, it's that you should take care of yourselves and your loved ones. See you soon for more updates, tutorials, bonus images and version 0.5.
Hello, thanks for checking that for me. I've never tried testing it on android so that's good to know.
Aqua Orchid
Member
- Nov 19, 2017
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I see the planned tags have Futa X Futa, any plans for FutaXMale or atleast FutaXfemboy?
And it didn't work, in my opinion. I liked the first 3 versions and wanted to see how it continues, but after reaching the free roam part, I dropped on the 6th or 7th day. It is too grindy and just pointless. Of course, some may disagree with me here, but I think it made the game inherently worse. You just click through the same choices over and over, waiting for some new content you haven't see,n and most of the time get the same placeholder instead. I really can't imagine if it's even possible to make that kind of free roam good, it's always the same boring and repetitive stuff.
Sorry for the negative comment, but it's really disappointing.
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Fix #1: Dynamic descriptions.
Check a global variable to flag the player seeing the "placeholder message" and display it only if it hasn't been seen before. This gives the player dynamic feedback. Also, she no longer rereads messages since all messages are new. The same principle applies to area descriptions and dialogue exchanges.
SugarCube Example:
You enter the area. <<if !$describe_area_name>>
<<set $describe_area_name to true>>
This displays the area description, since you're seeing it for the first time. This text will not re-display when entering this area again unless you set $describe_area_name back to false.<</if>>
Applying conditionals to <<links>> rather than merely to prose is even better.
<<if !$talk_mom>><<link 'Talk to Mom.' 'talk_mom_passage'>><<set $talk_mom to true>><</link>>
<</if>>\
Fix #2: Provide guidance.
Markers and hints assist players by pointing them in the right direction to unlock content, but more importantly it tells them if there is more content to be unlocked and when there isn't.
Carmilla's Offer Examples: Mom tells me to talk to Catherine. But when I do, the exchange is unaltered. What am I supposed to think? Is there something missing from my conditional flag (such as the wrong time)? Or should I believe the content simply isn't available yet? I don't know because the game doesn't tell me. On the other hand, asking Carmilla for advice at night is a good example of providing guidance. Though lacking in concrete hints, Carmilla gives me visibility and feedback on my progress.
Popular Example: Image galleries can serve this purpose. If images are locked, you know there are more to find. If they're all unlocked, then you know not to waste your time with continued searching or grinding. There may even be a hint beneath a locked image to reduce headaches.
SugarCube Example:
<<widget 'CarmillaCounterUp'>>\
<<if $carm_count < $max_carm_count>> <<set $carm_count += 1>>
Notification: $carm_count / $max_carm_count Carmilla scenes unlocked.
<</if>>\
<</widget>>
<<CarmillaCounterUp>> displays to the player as "Notification: 3 / 12 Carmilla scenes unlocked."
This widget can even be taken a layer deeper, to accept characters as input arguments and dynamically display scenes counts for any character.
Fix #3: Navigation.
Clicking to navigate vast overworlds with hard-coded passage links can be tedious. An alternative travel method can be implemented into a navigation menu which jumps directly to the desired passage link.
Example:
<<if !$cut_scene>><<link 'Sleep' 'fast_sleep'>><</link>><</if>>
Note: Disallow fast travel during cut scenes.
Fix #4: Content depth and moon logic.
The deeper and wider the available content is, the more there is to discover in the overworld. This makes unlocking content easier and increases immersion. For example, clicking a passage link may trigger one randomized event from a list of possible events and then remove that event from the available list for the next time that passage link is clicked, removing the link when the list empties.
Also, if the trigger flag for unlocking content is ridiculous and unexplained (e.g. Go to the girl's bathroom on a Sunday with a full moon, without anyone telling you to do so), the player will be rightfully annoyed and disengaged. Either make the trigger obvious or at least explain exactly what's required for the unlock to occur.
Fix #5: Passing time.
If content is time-gated (e.g. Event triggers only in the afternoon), it can be annoying to be in the right place at the wrong time. A "waiting button" in a menu which passes time solves this problem by moving time forward without leaving that location or passage.
Fix #6: Streamlining.
If a player clicks on a passage link, it should either be to advance a scripted cut scene forward, dynamically interact with the overworld, or make a meaningful choice such as a decision with consequences. Clicking link after link to accomplish nothing besides passing time feels bad (causing the feeling of grind) and should generally be streamlined.
Carmilla's Offer Example: Let's say I only want to progress with Madison, these are the least amount of links that can move my relationship with her forward one tick: Workout with Madison -> Leave Gym -> Go to Bedroom -> Sleep -> Wake Up -> Go Downstairs -> Catch the Bus -> Get Off Bus -> Go to Class -> Leave Classroom -> Go to Gym -> Madison is Here -> Workout with Madison. All I really want to do is Workout with Madison -> Sleep -> Workout with Madison, but there are ten other links I also have to click each time.
These fixes are merely technical, reducing interface friction. Obviously, good writing will increase the quality and immersion of an overworld through its characters and lore more than any game design can. But good writing is a more complicated topic that likely requires more than a simple comment to do it justice.
Playing the game, I also felt my patience dwindle around day 6-7, primarily because any grind requires proportional payoff (and transparency of what that payoff will be) in order to feel like it's worth it. It's okay to have some grind, but clicking twelve identical passage links each day needs to be balanced with a reward that's better than simply tweaking a couple lines of dialogue within an already samey dialogue block.
Ironically, I know I need to take my own advice here with my own projects and that all of this is easier said than done. But I see a lot of potential in this project and each small optimization will compound into a better and better product each time.
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running into errors with the latest version where it seems to not be able to get the time cycle and bad expressions in <<if>> clauses
- Nov 18, 2020
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It looks like all of your data values are unassigned. Were they ever assigned?
Or did you maybe load a save file and they showed up like that to begin with? If so, they were likely never initialized.
Yeah I loaded a save from a previous version, that would probably be the reason then.
- Nov 18, 2020
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so does the story line stop after asking beth/maddison about their relationships? ive gotten to that point for both but nothing else is happening after going through 7 days of spending time with them
TheVillainWins
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- May 23, 2020
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Cabin
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- Dec 11, 2022
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