Just downloaded 0.2 to take a look since you asked in the past about opinions on AI CG being used in games so might as well see what you're cooking.
tldr: I can see you've put quite some thought into the design and style of the game: starting classes seem well defined and the bonuses for each actually make you think what might be better for the first run. The script looks AI generated, the options don't seem to matter in the prologue, and that sets a bad precedent since now I'm more inclined to ignore the writing and not think about choices either. The art-style is rather inconsistent even though it looks good on a vacuum.
The sandbox sim-dating aspect of the game after the prologue doesn't seem bad, but it seems to be a bit unclear in terms of progress. There doesn't seem to be a way to know how much you're actually progressing with each girl after each interaction. For now I'm guessing you just need to keep stacking up positive interactions until you move up a stage in the relationship.
In short, I will give it a fair chance even though it's not 100% what I like to see.
Thanks for taking the time to download, play through the game, and write such a detailed review - I really appreciate when someone gives honest, thoughtful feedback like this. In fact, I can't express enough how much I prefer actual 'played the game' feedback over the majority of what I see. So THANK YOU!
But of course, I want my opportunity to respond, so here it is:
I'll be upfront - yes, I use AI as an editing tool. I write the story, plot, and dialogue myself, save for some dungeon scenario situations, then use AI to help polish the drafts for clarity and flow. Pretty much what I'm doing right now with this reply, actually.
The prologue sets up the world and tone that everything else builds from, and I'm glad you noticed the thought that went into the class system and mechanics.
As for choices - Chronoromancer is designed around roleplaying, not min-maxing. With 70+ NPCs and thousands of interactions, we've built it so you make choices based on personality, not optimal point gains. Within each NPC's storyline, choice variations award the same points - so you pick the response that feels right to you. The strategic choice is which character to pursue, not how to respond to them. No save-scumming needed - just play your character.
Some early choices might feel redundant for that reason - I've played games like Persona where the specific dialogue choices matter, and I find myself staring at wiki guides instead of playing. So it was a personal preference choice. That said, choices absolutely do matter - each one elicits a unique response and sometimes even a different image. Eventually, when you reach high relationship levels with developed characters, their intimate scenes become fully multi-path choose-your-own-adventure narrative sequences with vastly different outcomes. Choices that involve picking between different NPCs have different rewards and consequences. And in the dungeon, the player encounters a variety of scenarios where every choice has a different stat check, reward, or punishment. So the reality is, there's a lot of both
On the art side - my wife (Vixen777) spends countless hours working on the character designs and renders. She's beside me right now on her drawing pad helping prepare images for v0.3. Yes, we use AI tools as part of the process, but we're definitely not just prompting and dumping. There's a lot more to it than that, though we prefer to keep our full workflow to ourselves.
Style consistency though - I dunno, you're right. I'm not a graphic artist myself. I'm a musician, and I've made 15 original tracks for this game so far. The style is different on each one, but I assure you every single note on every single instrument has been performed by myself or one of my friends and manually edited by me. It's just the way it is.
The quest clarity thing - totally fair, and we're actively working on that. We've been iterating with each update based on feedback. Started with nothing, added clickable character cards, then meeting time/location indicators that unlock at certain relationship levels, quest hints tied to NPCs, skill-based information reveals... But yeah, we agree it still needs work. More direct quest guidance is coming in future versions - it's an ongoing refinement process.
Thanks again for giving the game a fair shot and sharing your perspective. Feedback like this really does help shape where the game goes next. And I really hope you do not feel I am trying to be defensive .. again, I sincerely appreciate and respect the time you took for your review. And I understand if the game style wont ever be what you 100% enjoy. And I admit myself, that I am aiming more for a huge - quantity style of game rather than a very .. hmm.. not sure how to put it, like.. AI-FREE natural only game. So the best I can say is.. ya.. we use AI as a tool. But we don't let it use us
Heck... a future AI controlled world where people relied too heavily on it, is the whole games plot! Nothing to hide here
)
Thank you again!
