I think one of the reasons I like that Sally scene in this update
Is because it was a really sweet moment with the mc
Even just a simple touch like that said so much
I still remember that scene in the first chapter where she was looking sad when the mc was talking to another girl
That will stay with me forever
I played the new chapter, and overall I liked it. The game has a great setting, the plot is off to a good start, the ladies are almost all intriguing, and the MC is unusually relatable despite being very foreign to modern sensibilities. I haven't explored every possibility, but other than wishing it was longer my only real complaint is that the branching feels a little too sharp a divide for given how little feedback we get that there IS a branch.
Alright, I think that about sums up my thoughts. Looking forward to Chapter 3!
tl;dr A solid second outing that continues the strengths of the first chapter: interesting characters, a well paced story, and a setting that is both engrossing and memorable.
To me it looks like Rebecca has some kind of agenda of her own and Jane is just too naive to see it.
Agreed on branching issue. I used bonus images as indication of what I missed, but that's messy. I'm still missing one, actually. I think it's for Sally. IMHO point + menu choice system doesn't work very well at all. I can immediately think of two games where it caused similar issues. Jane branching point was a mistake that just doesn't make sense. She didn't have to meet MC at that particular moment. It's all too mechanical + you have to fail two other characters and lose an honor/prestige point to start on her path. The game kind of works against her too much.
Agreed on branching issue. I used bonus images as indication of what I missed, but that's messy. I'm still missing one, actually. I think it's for Sally. IMHO point + menu choice system doesn't work very well at all. I can immediately think of two games where it caused similar issues. Jane branching point was a mistake that just doesn't make sense. She didn't have to meet MC at that particular moment. It's all too mechanical + you have to fail two other characters and lose an honor/prestige point to start on her path. The game kind of works against her too much.
Jane's path in Chapter I was indeed a silly beginner's mistake. I'd fix it but it would probably mean that players have to restart their game. I'm not sure I'd throw the whole system out though.
Well, it seems you've opened up the possibility of a harem path with Jane, Rebecca, and Sally. Rebecca has already told the MC upfront that if he marries Jane, he could have Rebecca as a mistress, and Jane would be completely fine with it. I say, the MC should include Sally as part of the deal. And there you go, one big happy harem family.
Well, it seems you've opened up the possibility of a harem path with Jane, Rebecca, and Sally. Rebecca has already told the MC upfront that if he marries Jane, he could have Rebecca as a mistress, and Jane would be completely fine with it. I say, the MC should include Sally as part of the deal. And there you go, one big happy harem family.
What? I guess I need to hurry up and play this episode. I only want Jane and if there's stuff like that going on, I may have to rethink what I'm doing with this game. I'm not open to having many girls and I don't want my girl of choice being open with doing things with other girls or having 3ormoresomes. That's not my gig.
What? I guess I need to hurry up and play this episode. I only want Jane and if there's stuff like that going on, I may have to rethink what I'm doing with this game. I'm not open to having many girls and I don't want my girl of choice being open with doing things with other girls or having 3ormoresomes. That's not my gig.
I wonder, instead of having this weird setup of wives and mistresses, why didn't they just legalize polygamous marriages? It would have been alot more open and honest, and alot less secretive and hypocritical.
Thanks. As long as it doesn't come up as: "Hey, I don't mind if you bang other girls as long as I can join in." I play a few games like that already. I'm already on the fence about one game I play. I had to bang my way through other girls to get to the one I like and the last episode we didn't even get time with the one I chose. Not to mention the fact that the entire episode was us running around like a chicken with our heads cut off in a freeroam that I hated.
Thanks. As long as it doesn't come up as: "Hey, I don't mind if you bang other girls as long as I can join in." I play a few games like that already. I'm already on the fence about one game I play. I had to bang my way through other girls to get to the one I like and the last episode we didn't even get time with the one I chose. Not to mention the fact that the entire episode was us running around like a chicken with our heads cut off in a freeroam that I hated.
It won't be that. Everything is optional in the game, you won't ever have to bang someone you don't want to, and each lady has a romantic monogamous path.
I dislike that it complicates things too much in a way that doesn't make sense.
What I propose is to reduce importance of points to unlocking bonus scenes and reserve menu choices for character/story branching. It would make branching clear but the game would still vary in terms of scenes depending on points you have in various stats.
I just replayed and took the charm actions (such as kissing her and getting lavish gifts), but she just leaves.
I really don't like the attribute stuff, at least make it visible, it's quite tedious tbh and will exponentially be more so in the future.
I dislike that it complicates things too much in a way that doesn't make sense.
What I propose is to reduce importance of points to unlocking bonus scenes and reserve menu choices for character/story branching. It would make branching clear but the game would still vary in terms of scenes depending on points you have in various stats.
So basically if we use the Jane scene as an example, the choice to go see Jane or not is in the menu for everyone to select, and what happens with Jane depends more on less on your stats, with maybe a longer or more romantic scene with her if you have higher Respectability or something like that. And in some extreme cases, the option could be greyed out, if Jane is mad at you or you rejected her earlier in the game for example.
Funnily enough, Courtship is probably the best-suited game for the incest tag, in the way that marriage between cousins was commonplace at the time. So, starting in Chapter III, we will have some light incest content. To those who worry about Patreon rules, after talking to some dev friends, it seems that they don’t target cousin incest that much, plus I have the perfect counter: it’s historical.
Admittedly, it does make a lot of sense here so I guess I can't really complain, but I'm just so sick of it. Hopefully the MC will at least have things to ruminate on beyond the young lady being (gasp!) related to him!!
More seriously, though, that would now bring the LI count to 8. That's a lot of ladies to juggle, especially when we know there will be some side girls as well. I really hope you aren't biting off more than you can chew.
Rebecca may well be operating her own agenda, but even so she'd still need to get a little buy-in from Jane or the whole thing will likely blow up in her face. We'll see what happens.
Agreed on branching issue. I used bonus images as indication of what I missed, but that's messy. I'm still missing one, actually. I think it's for Sally. IMHO point + menu choice system doesn't work very well at all. I can immediately think of two games where it caused similar issues. Jane branching point was a mistake that just doesn't make sense. She didn't have to meet MC at that particular moment. It's all too mechanical + you have to fail two other characters and lose an honor/prestige point to start on her path. The game kind of works against her too much.
As far as losing trait points goes, I think the idea is that you effectively trade in the traits for points with the girl in question. Emma has something similar happen in her second date. IMHO that's a reasonable enough idea on paper (though balancing it can be tricky), but it might benefit from a little more feedback to the player; we notice the lack of traits, but points with the LIs (assuming they exist) are hidden.
So basically if we use the Jane scene as an example, the choice to go see Jane or not is in the menu for everyone to select, and what happens with Jane depends more on less on your stats, with maybe a longer or more romantic scene with her if you have higher Respectability or something like that. And in some extreme cases, the option could be greyed out, if Jane is mad at you or you rejected her earlier in the game for example.
It sounds fine on paper, but the devil really is in the details.
I think you can get a lot of mileage out of using points and/or past actions to gate our current options, but there are a lot of pitfalls, too. First, as mentioned before, you need a certain level of feedback so the player can get a feel for how the points and/or branching decisions will be adjudicated. In essence, you need some simple, easily observed examples at the start of the game to 'train' the player. Once we know what to expect, you can start implementing the slower, more complicated interactions that will lead to the endgame; just make sure the logic used at the end lines up the logic in the beginning or you'll likely have some very irate players on your hands!
The second issue is that pulling off such a system is a lot of work. Branching choices grow geometrically so it's easy for them to balloon out of control, especially if you aren't tracking them like a hawk. Running point totals are a little more forgiving in some ways since you don't need to track every last possibility, but in other ways they can be even worse since it can be hard to estimate how many points a player will have at any given decision (unless you are extremely disciplined about when you hand out points, but that starts to feel artificial very quickly). Relying on point totals also means that you won't necessarily be able to tell exactly what decisions the player made on a given path, which is sometimes a problem if a decision you thought was minor at the time winds up being more weighty when the time comes to pay off those points.
Sorry, I'm probably coming off all doom and gloom here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that having a lot of branches - or even using a point system - is a big responsibility. It can bring you (and us!) a lot of joy, but you need to be ready for all the work.
So my advice is to think long and about any decision you want to add to the game. IMHO, if making that decision doesn't tell us something meaningful about the MC or one of the LIs, or have a substantial impact on the plot, it may not be worth adding. As far as the social trait system goes, I think you want to develop a pretty clear rationale (at least in your own head) for what actions should award points. You should also try to keep a sense of how many points a given MC could have any time you call for a check and make sure the check is well below the maximum limit (unless you really want said check to require what amounts to a perfect run to pass). If the traits are primarily aimed towards specific girls that will probably make your job easier, just remember to give the player enough training early on that they can navigate their way through the system without too much frustration.
Admittedly, it does make a lot of sense here so I guess I can't really complain, but I'm just so sick of it. Hopefully the MC will at least have things to ruminate on beyond the young lady being (gasp!) related to him!!
More seriously, though, that would now bring the LI count to 8. That's a lot of ladies to juggle, especially when we know there will be some side girls as well. I really hope you aren't biting off more than you can chew.
The idea of some kind of tutorial at the beginning to get the hang of the system is good, I'll try to implement it. I'm a pretty organized guy and I love branching, so I don't think I'll be overwhelmed by it, but I will follow your suggestion and reduce it for now to essential decisions and information and try to make it a lot clearer to the player when he misses out on stuff. Thanks for all the feedback!