In my mind, the current concept is fine, it's the actual event that's the problem. Going to their room and bringing up some idea they've given you via another event and then paying favor to get essentially an on demand scene that your character actually asked for sounds like actually returning a favor. So instead of winning poker to ask for a scene our character just brings up something, pays favor to get them in the mood, and they either make an appointment for some special location or just go to the act right then and there. But instead here, Desire not only controls the entire scene but kind of comes across as extorting you or just teasing you at your expense. Hell, the favor she is supposedly returning has her telling you exactly what to do the entire time, while when she's returning it she is yet again in full control.
I have other ideas of course. Using favor for scenes the girls themselves might not want to do without prodding, like Ivy in missionary or blindfold/hands tied play. Or adding to old scenes with the main character going stop, I want to blank instead. My main want is that our character actually asks for something from the girls(beyond the intimate acts), instead of them constantly deciding everything sexual for themselves, at best giving us a few options. I get that our guy has issues being dominant or believing that any of the girls actually want him despite them constantly admitting to that very idea. It's not like they have to say yes every time, hell the favor cost can go up based on their mood(anger+ low endurance + low lust = high favor cost).
I'm ranting at this point. Sorry if I'm coming across as annoying, I just really want scenes that use favor to have a different flavor to them, and not be a normal scene with a random cost gate in the middle.
Well, short answer... It's complicated. Long answer... lots of reading required
There are two basic options at this point.
a) remove the "girl favor" completely from the game (which I don't really want to do)
b) put the "girl favor" to some use
Let's say we try option b) for now.
So how can it work?
You either have to be asked if you want to spend the favor (or not), which interrupts the game flow and can feel strange like seen in the Desire scene. Or the game decides on it's own to continue if you have enough favor (so kind of auto use it if you have it). If you don't have it, the girl will react in a way to let you know that not having enough favor "stopped" the scene.
The "game flow" problem can possibly made less severe if presented in a different way. More like give the choice first to ask for a favor. To stay with the Desire example, maybe the mc could ask her to "jerk him off" or similar. Maybe like that:
"ask to get a hand treatment (might require favor)"
"continue talking"
If love or affection or lust or whatever of girl is high enough, she will do it without the need of favor.
If it's not high enough, but you have favor, it will be auto used.
If you don't have favor, she will replay accordingly.
In general, you can always argue that once she loves the mc or affection is high enough, she 'd do anything for the mc anyway without the need of "favor", which would reduce the favor use to start of game or maybe mid game. After that it would become obsolete, which would go into the direction of removing the favor completely.
Here are some ideas how the game could be evolved/changed (some would mean big game changes):
- Only "some" girls can really love the mc at any given time, which would limit interaction with others.
This isn't really unrealistic, as kissing or fondling another girl in front of one that loves the mc wouldn't really go unnoticed or without consequences.
- It's too easy and generic to gain love and affection right now. The just buy her tons of roses or sweets and hug her approach isn't that great. To really change that requires even more scenes and quests so that there can really be something like evolution in the relationship. That's also where my idea of using a point or "heart" system instead of the 1,..100 system was coming from. I've changed the approach to keep the numbers, but have "heart" requirements for scenes and events now. The idea behind this is, that we can still have non linear gameplay, but less than right now and only up to a certain point. E.g. to have key scenes/events that you need to do to evolve the relationship to a new level. A bit like some VN's do it.
- Favor in this context could be used to make her do things she otherwise wouldn't at the current state of the game. Like the example with Desire above.
- Scenes/events that evolve the relationship would also make the use of the max favor and max love variables much more useful. Right now these two are more or less randomly increased. The original idea was to do it differently. E.g. let's say there are 5 or levels of love you can reach: 20,40,60,80,100. Max_love limit is at 20 in the beginning of the game, until "something" (which could be different things also, not just one specific thing) happens to increase max_love to 40, making it possible to reach the next level.
Idealy, these special somethings are different for each girl, or at least not always the same.
- All this can only work if each girl has a basic route through the game with enough milestones. Meaning more VN style elements in the game and "a basic story".
A general thing about choices...
Choices (during sex scenes) mean additional complexity and also (a lot) of additional renders. But like a lot of other games, I won't make this game all about sex. So you won't get 5 different ways to fuck her and cum in or on her anyway you want to. I just don't see that it will add much to the game in general. It means a ton of additional renders and animations for each sex scene + the endings.
Okay, I think that's more than enough for one day
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