Game elements
I keep telling you guys how Kate is our top priority, but every time I post an image with Alex you ask if we're abandoning Kate. We're not. We haven't even started integrating Alex into the code, graphics are ready, texts are being translated, but the code isn't ready yet. Adding enough Alex events to catch up with Kate is going to take months. Some of his events will be identical to Kate's, some will have his own spin of them. But again, Kate is the number one priority.
I've already talked about this before, but I'm going to talk in more details today.
We're making a sandbox RPG, which implies freedom and open world. The story is important too, of course, but today I want to talk about the open world part.
Let's break the game on its basic elements:
Basic mechanics. I'm talking about periodic events to get reliable results. Sleeping to restore energy, breakfast to get rid of hunger, that kind of stuff. This events might result in random or not-so-random events (peeking, for example).
Random events. Classmate asks Kate for her homework or invites her the cafe.
Storylines. Massage, neighbor Maria, Julia and Nick, etc.
Key periodic events like college and classes. It's a foundation for storylines (Nicolas's laptop, Zoe and her medical office (future example), college committee and rules, etc.) and random events (copying homework, diving, asking someone in the cafe, in the future it will be awkward situations in lessons and punishments). Hotel and maid job is another example.
All of this elements are important and intertwined. We're trying to work on them all equally, but since game releases are periodic and revolve around a monthly cycle, sometimes we have no choice but to focus on one thing at a time.
In 0.7 and partially in 0.8 we added random and predictable events in different situations. In 0.7 it's watching erotica and porn with Nick and Julia, peeking on them in the bedroom, in the shower, etc. Kate is almost always the one who initiates this events. She's the one who decides to peek. By the way, 0.7 has over 50 unique mini-events with Julia and Nick.
In 0.8 we're working in a different direction. Mainly, what happens, when someone accidentally or deliberately peeks on Kate when she's, say, taking a shower? It maybe be Julia, Nick, or both of them. We already have over 50 events and we still plan on adding more. Plus nightly events, something in the bedroom with Julia and Nick, etc. Don't forget, we recently got rid of a certain restriction... You know.
Bottom line is, we don't want you to just skip time between story events. We want to fill the world with interesting things to do in between.
0.9 will be about gameplay mechanics. We'll focus on college. PE classes, swimming, committee and college rules, maybe even medical office. And of course, everything related: random and story events, dialog, etc.