- Jun 6, 2017
- 83
- 269
Yay, another major feature to have incomplete development for the next decade! Toss it on the pile with the 300 or so others.
Technically, you can read any event in the HTML file, just load it into a text editor like Notepad++, and it'll provide at least hints on what you can find and what the triggers might be. But yes, conservatively at least 80% of game content has no visible path to it, you just have to luck across the correct triggers with smiling RNGods. Nothing's going to tell you that if you chat with Venus 99 times, she might be marginally less of a jerk in 1/10th of future interactions, and if you keep plugging away at her dialogue options she might even be dateable and carry your child. And she'll still have mostly the same dialogue after you bend her over the counter and pump her full of baby batter as she did when you first walked in the door.
For what it's worth, every time there was a poll when I Patreon'd the game I voted for wiki time, but that was always the least or almost least popular option.
To respond to someone who responded to me over a year ago (I only copied the first line, but I do think anyone reading this comment should read that comment, and I apologize for not replying earlier), I suppose the primary problem with the RNG and events in this game is that there's nothing for the Player to do except trigger them - the entire game is triggers. It's not like an RPG where I'm going to the next quest and I came across a Thalmor patrol (not least because all elements in that particular game exist independent of the player, that patrol is going in circles until you come across it). I go to the library, read the books, and why would I go back there again EXCEPT to look for an event to trigger? "Oh, it's after 10pm, maybe one of the girls fell asleep in there, let me reload it 50 times and see if something happens." There's no combat, precious few minigames (which are also all RNG, because nothing says Pool like randomization), no real use for stat building (unless there is now? Should I be hitting the gym?), no stat maintenance, etc. There are a few multistage events like caring for plants, and some things to do if you're roleplaying hard like job shifts and taking a shower, but absolutely nothing says "time to pay the electric bill" or "you're stinky", and for the most part the gameplay is extremely broad, extremely shallow, and extremely opaque. I don't need A goal or A plot, I have 9999 hours marked in the Sims and SimCity, but there does need to be progression and attainment outside of relationship progression that is strongly dependent on triggers and hidden counters.
I do agree that the RNG triggers need to be rebalanced, and appreciate that there should be a difference in frequency between "see major character on the bridge" and "have an impromptu romantic dance." I would add that time scaling also needs to change considerably, and by that I mean the game should have 5 minutes as an absolute floor for events, and many, many more should be taking time in much larger increments than they do. When the game has events playing out over both years (minimum 1 year for marriage) and 1 minute corridor walks, something needs to be less realistic to be more playable.
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Separate from the above, if I may make a concrete content suggestion that might not require 10000 edits to implement, just having untripped flags noted on characters for their given stat levels would be extremely helpful. What I mean is, in addition to/instead of Trimming Nails as a top view character option, there was a page called Flags or something that said "For current relationship and skill stats, the following events are available". If it showed triggering conditions, even better. It could be cleaned up or in HTML language.
And I want to be clear that although I'm being very critical, I do love this game, especially the writing. I just want to see it outside of Notepad! I've been playing off and on since A43, I want to believe!
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