OK, so this post is kind of a big deal...
Backstory: As anyone following this development thread already knows, I've been helping
xMendoza with a proof of concept Ren'Py demo build for Something Unlimited.
Something Unlimited is a Unity game, which means that it is essentially unmoddable for most people. The game engine is a few years old now, and the code is a bit of a spaghetti mess as I understand (I don't speak Unity). So finding bugs can be a bit of a bear.
Ren'Py games have their share of bugs too, but thanks to the 'error found/traceback' reporting system, you can usually parse out what went wrong, making things much easier to fix. Activate auto-reload, and your .rpy file changes and even updated graphics will re-load in the game, letting you know about immediately if you typed something wrong or whatever, or you can just continue your playtesting from there if the game is still running fine.
SOOOO, I've spent the last several weeks/over a month essentially coding a backbone framework for the demo build.
xMendoza has been more focused on story elements while I do this. We essentially are for the most part replicating how the first parts of SU Unity plays, while adding some 'quality of life' improvements designed to make the game more visually interesting in places, and to speed up play.
Since the interactions I have been setting up in the (older version) of the demo build that I've been working on are rather complex, I needed to get everything more or less working before I shared it, lest people run into errors, broken features, etc.
There are still more things that I still need to build/bring online, but what I have now sets up pretty much the backbone for the game. There are a couple of other screens that will use the same variables in a different way, but for now their functionality can be accomplished in other areas of the game environment.
I should make it absolutely clear that, even though I am sharing this demo framework build with the community here. I am retaining the rights to use my own coding framework in one or more of my upcoming projects. Using the backbone framework in some of my other projects has been a strong driving force as to why I went ahead and focused so heavily on building this framework.
Specifically, I have a brothel management game of my own that's part of my 'to do list' that will use characters of my own creation (i.e. not based on any particular IP), although it may pay some homages to a few things...
xMendoza already knows that I plan to use this coding elsewhere, as well as sharing it with his efforts to make his 'SU Rebuilt' unofficial, F95Zone community supported, Ren'Py port.
Quick note: If anyone would like to use my code in their own projects, PM me and we can discuss...
It'd be really cool if the GS Games folk were to port SU Unity over to Renpy, but I'm not holding my breath. Again, my PM box is open if someone wants to discuss...
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I've done my best to include as little of the SU Unity artwork as I can in this build, while still having a functional game. It will be up to others to add in any other content, using the 'girl pack' framework that is seen in similar games of this type (such as Brothel King).
I will still lend my coding skills to the SU Rebuilt project (it probably should be re-named SU Re-Imagined, you'll see why if you check out this demo build), as I want this 'unofficial' community homage project to succeed!
So without further ado, here's a few screenshots. I need to explain a few new things (again).
First off, the Profile Screen. This shows off the 'backbone' that makes this 'Re-imagined' tech demo/game work:
Currently, you can access this screen when you first enter Lexcorp. Just look for the Profile Screen menu button.
This allows you to switch between girl profiles, and to do some essential tasks, like:
> see what she's doing (current location/gig)
> re-assign her to other 'gigs' if said gigs are available to her
> send her home to rest if her fatigue is getting too high
> Capture her if she hasn't been added to your 'harem' so to speak
> Upgrade (or downgrade) her control device as needed
> Read a brief summary of her current status (available for capture, doing the robotic slave thing, etc.).
> (temporary feature) See which girls are working at the Glamour Slam/what they are doing there.
This will also allow you to pick between various costumes in the future, but that feature has not been implemented yet.
So, to explain the 'capture' feature that i have set up for now (this will get it's own separate screen later probably):
So essentially, if you see a 'Capture' button to the left of the money display, and are able to click on it (have the necessary funds), you'll see the first screen. Here you can purchase a Lexcon Device to enable her capture.
After you purchase said device, Mercy can then try to capture her (second screenshot). Mercy can make one attempt each night.
To see if Mercy is successful, you will see the third screen, showing her results.
This is currently playing differently than what happens in SU Unity, as this is a 'Temporary convention' to allow people to caputure girls until a full capture system, with associated screens are put in place. That'll happen down the road.
Once a girl is part of your 'harem', if you see an 'Upgrade' button, here's the screen that does that.
Again, this is pretty self-explanatory for anyone that's played SU Unity. This is a 'streamlined' process so that you don't have to go to the Labs each time just to upgrade a girl.
The intention is to make the Profile screen available in other areas of the map, so that Lex doesn't have to go back to Lexcorp each time to upgrade a girl, change her schedule or whatever. I'm thinking a 'computer tablet' icon in a top corner of various screens that the player can click on to access the Profile screen. Again, this will be fully implemented down the road.
One other significant change of note:
When you click the 'Next Night' button, a bunch of income calculations, variable bookkeeping and such happens. The player is given the option to see how things went at the Glamour Slam, i.e. which girls were working and how much each girl made, if the player wants a 'detailed' report, or the player can get a brief summary or just skip the reporting altogether.
I need to note a couple of other things.
1) Since the talk to whomever to find out how to Capture a Girl' routine hasn't been fully implemented, FOR now, more girls will become available for capture at the end of the night when certain conditions are met (essentially after first 3 girls are captured, first six girls captured, etc.). The profile will give you a clue as to when to expect a girl to show up in your recruiting pool.
2) Glamour Slam upgrades are handled via 'normal' choice menu buttons. No fancy screen for that for now. Tala's shop, etc. will have a similar framework set up later, this is just a tech demo build for now...
3) You can see what I have planned for the Lexcorp Living Quarters situation when you click on the living quarters. It's just a pic of a photoshop mockup for now, so don't get too excited yet, as I still need to code said screen.
4) The Management Screen is built, but nothing is 'active' on that screen as of yet. I just need to code a bunch of buttons for it, add the Glamour Slam/Meta Bordello upgrade icons, that sort of thing. Again, just showing what you can expect in future updates.
5) I'd like to introduce a 'Wallpaper' feature in a future build where various wallpapers can be put into a particular subfolder and the game will randomly pick between the wallpapers. There's some really cool wallpaper art in the
SU Sprite Re-Mix/Fanart thread that'd be perfect for this!
I'm sure there will be a few bugs, so for now, I suppose we can discuss those here or just PM me so that we don't clutter up this thread.
xMendoza needs to start an 'unofficial community support thread' for SU Rebuilt/Re-imagined, so that we can just discuss this particular project there.
AGAIN, THIS IS CURRENTLY A TECH DEMO/PROOF OF CONCEPT currently, not a full game.
So without futher ado:
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Enjoy!
