Sam_Tail

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No idea what you mean. I can't think of a single time where I have such a prompt other than things like overwriting saves or important choices.
 

05841035411

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So, just a couple of thoughts I had after playing this...

1) You can only start school in two weeks at the start of the game, but you can start doing missions almost immediately; this feels a bit off to me, since school was presented as a way to help acclimate the main character to this new, post-crisis world. It's not really a big issue for the first mission, since you're just talking to a guy in a bar, but after that it starts to feel weird when you're starting a big investigation - even if they don't really expect you to succeed. Mechanically, it also feels a bit off that you can start doing "important" things before you can start improving your intelligence.

My recommendation for this would be to gate off the quests until after a week of messing around, and include a bit of mandatory downtime between quests. Full disclosure, I haven't actually done anything with the school yet, so if that causes other problems, I wouldn't be aware of them.

2) This has probably been brought up by others already, but the main character having been a man previously just seems kind of... Tacked on, I guess would be the best way to put it? Her doctor presents it as an almost irrelevant detail, her sister seems happier about it than the fact that the main character survived her near-death experience, and the main character just kind of tunes it out after a single day (though admittedly, I chose all the most accepting options). There's no kind of internal conflict on the part of the main character or her sister, nor any thought given to how she might try to get back any of her old life. It's like her backstory here might as well not even exist.

My recommendation here would be to have the main character have been a woman prior to the accident, unless it's going to be given a lot more weight at some point in the future. Don't get me wrong, I've played enough easy mtf transformation games before to know that it doesn't need to be some sort of massive angst-fest - but if the transformation is not going to be a main theme of the story, then it's just going to leave players (or me, at least) wondering why everyone at the start of the game is ignoring the elephant in the room.

Or you could make the main character explicitly transgender prior to the accident - everyone easily accepting her new body would make sense when they know that it's something that she wanted already.


Other than that, the game looks promising already.
 
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Sam_Tail

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Entirely agree with the first point and it is the plan. Right now all the gates are open so there is enough content to enjoy while the game is still early. Once more of the planned events are ingame I will gate things off in a much more reasonable way.

Second point is a bit of a balancing act that I am not sure I have done well. My goals when writing the prologue was to deliver the body swap explanation, introduce the world, introduce sister and the clothing tutorials in as few words as I could so the player doesn't get bogged down with tonnes of exposition before they have even reached the game/sandbox yet.

It's a peeve of mine where games expect me to learn so much about it before I have even decided if I like the game yet. So I tried to explain only what is important and put the player in the sandbox as quickly as I could.

There will very soon be a female start option along with the male start. While your choice wont be crucial to the overall story of the game, It will play a very important part in a few specific quests I have planned and act for flavour in most others.

Both the male and female start will be bodyswapped (since I need Sammy to be in the body that can be modified easily by the institute for story reasons) and then the first week will be filled with Emile intro events that will expand more on what you are talking about. Adjusting to the new body along with the new world. But as discussed earlier in the thread, there will be no angst at all and even if you pick the most resistant options, the character will still be mostly accepting of the situation simply because the alternative was death.

Thank you for the points you have made. I will be writing the female start very soon and will also make adjustments to the male start alongside it with the feedback I have received. A lot of people have commented that she seems far too accepting so I think I really need to emphasise that the alternative was death. And I like to think there are no sane people out there who would prefer death over a perfectly good female body with an extended lifespan.

"her sister seems happier about it than the fact that the main character survived her near-death experience "

I think here maybe I focused too much on the sibling teasing and left the actual topic of survival to the side. Although to be fair, she has had half a year to adjust to your survival but meeting you in your new body is new.

" nor any thought given to how she might try to get back any of her old life. "

Maybe it's not explained as well as it should be, but old life is dead regardless of the body swap. They were fleeing the city where they lived as riots and chaos basically meant the city was in flames. Even if there was no crash and bodyswap, they would still be starting new again. I should maybe emphasise that a bit when I am doing the Emile into events.

Again thank you for your points, it will be useful for when I do the femstart and edit the male start.

Phew, that's a lot of text.
 
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05841035411

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Entirely agree with the first point and it is the plan. Right now all the gates are open so there is enough content to enjoy while the game is still early. Once more of the planned events are ingame I will gate things off in a much more reasonable way.
Ah, good to hear that it's just because it's early in the development :) .

Might I suggest opening the school a bit earlier until you're comfortable with the amount of content, in that case? One reason I didn't go there was because there was about a week to go until it opened when I'd finished the available quests.

Both the male and female start will be bodyswapped (since I need Sammy to be in the body that can be modified easily by the institute for story reasons) and then the first week will be filled with Emile intro events that will expand more on what you are talking about. Adjusting to the new body along with the new world. But as discussed earlier in the thread, there will be no angst at all and even if you pick the most resistant options, the character will still be mostly accepting of the situation simply because the alternative was death.

...

Thank you for the points you have made. I will be writing the female start very soon and will also make adjustments to the male start alongside it with the feedback I have received. A lot of people have commented that she seems far too accepting so I think I really need to emphasise that the alternative was death. And I like to think there are no sane people out there who would prefer death over a perfectly good female body with an extended lifespan.
Just to clarify where I'm coming from a bit - my issue isn't that she should be railing against the doctors who saved her life or suicidal or anything. It's more like if a person has their arm amputated to save them from death by gangrene - they would surely be grateful to whoever saved them, but life without an arm is still going to be painful for them, and they're going to resent their situation whenever they find themselves unable to do the things they once did.

Her life has just changed dramatically, filled with worries that she never needed to think about in the past, and in return filled with new opportunities that she may not even want; she just seems to accept the situation a bit too readily, when most people would likely be worried about something in their new life.

"her sister seems happier about it than the fact that the main character survived her near-death experience "

I think here maybe I focused too much on the sibling teasing and left the actual topic of survival to the side. Although to be fair, she has had half a year to adjust to your survival but meeting you in your new body is new.
Honestly, I think I was being nitpicky here. I can think of plenty of reasons why she would respond that way - it's only when it's combined with nobody else expressing much concern about the situation that it comes across as odd to me.

" nor any thought given to how she might try to get back any of her old life. "

Maybe it's not explained as well as it should be, but old life is dead regardless of the body swap. They were fleeing the city where they lived as riots and chaos basically meant the city was in flames. Even if there was no crash and bodyswap, they would still be starting new again. I should maybe emphasise that a bit when I am doing the Emile into events.
Ah, I meant more along the lines of dressing in a more masculine manner, or considering taking testosterone - things like that. I mean, she wouldn't be the first man in the world to be trapped in the wrong body. Of course, the point of the game is that she's a woman in a very flexible body, so I wouldn't expect anything to come of that (except dressing like a tomboy, maybe), but it's something that I'd expect a highly resistant character to consider.

Thank you for your reply, and I hope my feedback was useful to you :) .
 
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Sam_Tail

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Yeah opening the school earlier might be a good option until the Emile events are added. More for the player to do early on.

Just to clarify where I'm coming from a bit - my issue isn't that she should be railing against the doctors who saved her life or suicidal or anything. It's more like if a person has their arm amputated to save them from death by gangrene - they would surely be grateful to whoever saved them, but life without an arm is still going to be painful for them, and they're going to resent their situation whenever they find themselves unable to do the things they once did.

Her life has just changed dramatically, filled with worries that she never needed to think about in the past, and in return filled with new opportunities that she may not even want; she just seems to accept the situation a bit too readily, when most people would likely be worried about something in their new life.
Yeah this sort of stuff I think will be resolved with the Emile early game events. Much more discussion on the change and getting used to new things. I plan for some day outings to different places and in one example I have in mind will be the lake beach area. To hang out there she will need a swimsuit and how it is so much different now in the new body. People are looking at her, she needs to be mindful of her body in her small swimsuit and that sort of stuff (Its assumed that the female start she will not be a pretty girl so some of this stuff will still be relevant)

Still not written the events with Emile though so ideas are more than welcome.

Honestly, I think I was being nitpicky here. I can think of plenty of reasons why she would respond that way - it's only when it's combined with nobody else expressing much concern about the situation that it comes across as odd to me.
I'll keep this in mind when doing the femstart and editing the male start.

Ah, I meant more along the lines of dressing in a more masculine manner, or considering taking testosterone - things like that. I mean, she wouldn't be the first man in the world to be trapped in the wrong body. Of course, the point of the game is that she's a woman in a very flexible body, so I wouldn't expect anything to come of that (except dressing like a tomboy, maybe), but it's something that I'd expect a highly resistant character to consider.
This one is unfortunately a sacrifice I made on purpose. I decided early on I didn't want to gate off or restrict wardrobe choices. The wardrobe is quite a big part of the game and I wanted it to be as fluid and seamless as possible and so I have been extremely forgiving with outfit options.

But you did point out you picked the accepting choices in the prologue so you got the dress. You might not have noticed that if you resisted you would have got a t shirt and trousers instead. It of course doesn't stop the player from rushing to the shop afterwards and buying a thong and miniskirt but I think it kinda gets the point across.

With things outside of the wardrobe, I am not sure if the game will ever have anything that would be considered inherently feminine or masculine. I put Sammy in dance classes for story related reasons but other sports or activities would be up to the player to choose. Hormones, although they will never be ingame, if they were I would also leave up to the player.

So I think outside of the prologue and early game Emile events, this sort of thing is probably just up to the player to role play with.
 
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Judging by the planned updates dokument linked on page 18, I figured that the MtF aspect becomes more relevant later in the story, if/when the sister does her own FtM and the MC helps her sister/brother adjust.

And speaking personally, I find the MC's 'Sure, why not?' attitude towards the initial change quite relatable and dramatically preferable to the usual.

Now, her attitude when the institute folks more-or-less tell her 'yeah, we made you like this because we needed a spy-whore.'... that's where I'd expect the MC to put up more of a 'Wait, what?' reaction. Though future updates covering the female orientation class & the MC's interactions with her sister & classmates may soften the impact on the basis of 'Ah... yeah, I noticed the world turned kinda shitty, I guess.'
 

05841035411

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Yeah this sort of stuff I think will be resolved with the Emile early game events. Much more discussion on the change and getting used to new things. I plan for some day outings to different places and in one example I have in mind will be the lake beach area. To hang out there she will need a swimsuit and how it is so much different now in the new body. People are looking at her, she needs to be mindful of her body in her small swimsuit and that sort of stuff (Its assumed that the female start she will not be a pretty girl so some of this stuff will still be relevant)

Still not written the events with Emile though so ideas are more than welcome.
The first thing that would come to my mind for this would be hobbies, and social dynamics... But hobbies would be a bit difficult with how her memories of her old life are sort of washed out now.

Social dynamics should be easy enough, though - things like going from being "one of the guys" joking around with his friends at the pub (not that he has friends, but that's the point of pubs, right?), to completely missing how several of the guys are trying to signal that they're interested in her. Trying to strike up a conversation with a guy who looks interesting, and having it be mistaken for a come-on. That kind of thing.

This one is unfortunately a sacrifice I made on purpose. I decided early on I didn't want to gate off or restrict wardrobe choices. The wardrobe is quite a big part of the game and I wanted it to be as fluid and seamless as possible and so I have been extremely forgiving with outfit options.

But you did point out you picked the accepting choices in the prologue so you got the dress. You might not have noticed that if you resisted you would have got a t shirt and trousers instead. It of course doesn't stop the player from rushing to the shop afterwards and buying a thong and miniskirt but I think it kinda gets the point across.

With things outside of the wardrobe, I am not sure if the game will ever have anything that would be considered inherently feminine or masculine. I put Sammy in dance classes for story related reasons but other sports or activities would be up to the player to choose. Hormones, although they will never be ingame, if they were I would also leave up to the player.

So I think outside of the prologue and early game Emile events, this sort of thing is probably just up to the player to role play with.
It's more a matter of presentation, in my opinion - the player can avoid dressing the character in a feminine manner, but the character isn't going to insist that she's a guy in dialogue, or scowl when people mention that she's a pretty cute girl. Which I understand isn't the story you want to tell, and that you don't want to spend a lot of time writing scene variants for "what if the main character rejects the core concept of the game?" - but that's why I think it would be better addressed by creating more of a reason for the character to accept the change so readily.

Judging by the planned updates dokument linked on page 18, I figured that the MtF aspect becomes more relevant later in the story, if/when the sister does her own FtM and the MC helps her sister/brother adjust.
I didn't see the planned updates document... What post was it in?

And speaking personally, I find the MC's 'Sure, why not?' attitude towards the initial change quite relatable and dramatically preferable to the usual.
Just to be clear, I have no issue with the concept of the main character taking it in stride (and definitely prefer it to the common "let's torture the main character into accepting this" approach) - I just feel like there should be an explanation if that's to be the default. "The main character was transgender to begin with". "The brain transfer process floods you with so many endorphins that you'll accept just about anything for a week". "The main character is in deep denial, and is quietly reassuring herself that this last year has all been a horrible nightmare". Take your pick; it doesn't even have to be realistic, just enough of a handwave that the player can say "Ah, that's why she's not freaking out over this dramatic change".

Now, her attitude when the institute folks more-or-less tell her 'yeah, we made you like this because we needed a spy-whore.'... that's where I'd expect the MC to put up more of a 'Wait, what?' reaction. Though future updates covering the female orientation class & the MC's interactions with her sister & classmates may soften the impact on the basis of 'Ah... yeah, I noticed the world turned kinda shitty, I guess.'
Ironically, that one I found a lot more immediately plausible. No particularly unique skills, but an endlessly customizable body that lets you be a dramatically different person every day... It's well-suited to the role, and it's not like the main character has a lot of options for money when she's in a city under lockdown, and no non-Institute connections.
 
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Social dynamics should be easy enough, though - things like going from being "one of the guys" joking around with his friends at the pub (not that he has friends, but that's the point of pubs, right?), to completely missing how several of the guys are trying to signal that they're interested in her. Trying to strike up a conversation with a guy who looks interesting, and having it be mistaken for a come-on. That kind of thing.
... that's actually a pretty good idea that I rarely see, and should be relatively easy to implement in the dialogues (work as a waitress/school/sister events). I emphasise the 'Relatively', though, since there's always a risk of overloading the text part or missing the game's overall tone. I'm generally in favour of cutting to get something that fits together well, even if it's not 'Realistic', rather than trying to fit everything in.

Also, to an extent, this already exists, as seen in the initial peptalk by the MC's sister, who is exasperated with the MC's careless attitude about staying outside and alone. I give it fairly good odds that what you're asking for is largely already planned for the sister content. Not the least because this literally pops up in the document linked in the post linked below:
Presumably Sam_Tail said:
This will bring a lot more life to your sister. You will have a lot of flavour events with her as she tries to help you adapt to your new body and life.
05841035411 said:
I didn't see the planned updates document... What post was it in?
This one.
05841035411 said:
Just to be clear, I have no issue with the concept of the main character taking it in stride (and definitely prefer it to the common "let's torture the main character into accepting this" approach) - I just feel like there should be an explanation if that's to be the default. "The main character was transgender to begin with". "The brain transfer process floods you with so many endorphins that you'll accept just about anything for a week". "The main character is in deep denial, and is quietly reassuring herself that this last year has all been a horrible nightmare". Take your pick; it doesn't even have to be realistic, just enough of a handwave that the player can say "Ah, that's why she's not freaking out over this dramatic change".
I mean, the game does go with 'I'd be dead if not for this.' Strikes me as plausible enough. At the end of the day, half of the human species is afflicted with the female condition and copes. It can't be that terrible of an experience.
05841035411 said:
Ironically, that one I found a lot more immediately plausible. No particularly unique skills, but an endlessly customizable body that lets you be a dramatically different person every day... It's well-suited to the role, and it's not like the main character has a lot of options for money when she's in a city under lockdown, and no non-Institute connections.
It's one thing to go '... well, guess I'm not spoiled for choice', another thing to go 'Oh yeah, that's fine. Makes sense.' Even recognising that she has little choice, a bit of sass or sarcasm over the matter might not be wholly amiss. Though admittedly, the MC does seem to lean a bit on the passive side. Maybe not saying it to the Institute folks' face, but some introspection later, or while chatting with her therapist. Though actually... I think this may already be covered by that last part (it's been a while since I read that dialogue), and it'd make sense for her therapist to steer her towards an accepting attitude.
 

05841035411

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... that's actually a pretty good idea that I rarely see, and should be relatively easy to implement in the dialogues (work as a waitress/school/sister events). I emphasise the 'Relatively', though, since there's always a risk of overloading the text part or missing the game's overall tone. I'm generally in favour of cutting to get something that fits together well, even if it's not 'Realistic', rather than trying to fit everything in.

Also, to an extent, this already exists, as seen in the initial peptalk by the MC's sister, who is exasperated with the MC's careless attitude about staying outside and alone. I give it fairly good odds that what you're asking for is largely already planned for the sister content. Not the least because this literally pops up in the document linked in the post linked below:
Perhaps, but Sam_Tail said that specific ideas in this area were welcome since the events hadn't been written yet, and I would have felt it rude of me not offer some suggestions after saying that this area could use more work.

Thanks! I'm not sure how my eyes skipped over that post twice...

I mean, the game does go with 'I'd be dead if not for this.' Strikes me as plausible enough. At the end of the day, half of the human species is afflicted with the female condition and copes. It can't be that terrible of an experience.
But like I said earlier, if you have your arm amputated, you're not immediately fine and dandy with it just because it was necessary - it takes time to learn to adapt. And not to get too morbid here, but there have been many transgender individuals denied assistance who chose death over feeling trapped in the wrong body; there's nothing wrong with being a woman (or with being a man, for that matter), but it really is a terrible experience to be in a body that you're not suited to.

There's a difference between "This is necessary" and "This is something I don't mind/actively like". A couple of lines offering a handwavey excuse would go a long way towards explaining why she's so accepting of her new body.

It's one thing to go '... well, guess I'm not spoiled for choice', another thing to go 'Oh yeah, that's fine. Makes sense.' Even recognising that she has little choice, a bit of sass or sarcasm over the matter might not be wholly amiss. Though admittedly, the MC does seem to lean a bit on the passive side. Maybe not saying it to the Institute folks' face, but some introspection later, or while chatting with her therapist. Though actually... I think this may already be covered by that last part (it's been a while since I read that dialogue), and it'd make sense for her therapist to steer her towards an accepting attitude.
As I recall, the topic is first broached with her Institute handler before she talks to the therapist, and she immediately said that she thought her new body was part of a sex toy project when asked what she thought the purpose behind the research was. She just kind of jumps right into her new role in life, honestly.

But, well, she had her memories of her past largely erased, everyone she knows is pushing her towards the Institute to one degree or another, and they did save her life - in more ways than one. She wouldn't even have a home without their help, even if they hadn't used miracle science to save her life. And they're not asking her for more than she's willing to give - they explicitly tell her that she's free to decline missions that she's not comfortable with. It's implied that they expect she'll have to get physical for some missions, but she does have the right to refuse, and it seems clear enough that they care more about the goal than how she goes about solving it.

I mean, in her position, I might have a second thought or two over the implications, but... Well, the main character does have a body that can be rewritten on demand. If you screw up badly enough, you can just change your appearance and (largely) walk away from whatever you had to do to finish the job. That's a kind of safety net that's unparalleled in the real world, and I'd have a hard time walking away from that kind of benefit.
 
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Pink Chaos

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Thank you for the points you have made. I will be writing the female start very soon and will also make adjustments to the male start alongside it with the feedback I have received. A lot of people have commented that she seems far too accepting so I think I really need to emphasise that the alternative was death. And I like to think there are no sane people out there who would prefer death over a perfectly good female body with an extended lifespan.
I would like to point out that many transgender people and their high suicide rates exist as a direct counterpoint to "no sane people out there who would prefer death over a perfectly good female body with an extended lifespan". Having a body that doesn't fit you is more traumatic than you think, it affects everything from how people treat you to the sensations of your body to body chemistry that actually fucks with your brain because it's the wrong kind for that brain. All those things might not seem like much but they constantly add up when you live day after day after day as a person you don't want to be.

Not everyone experiences this dysphoria--some simply like being their preferred gender better, often to the point of experiencing a certain euphoria over it. But it is medically accepted that gender dysphoria exists, is a valid syndrome, and the best way to deal with it is to help the person suffering from it transition to living as their preferred gender.

It's true that transgender people often suffer from depression and other mental health issues but this is a direct consequence of wrongbody in addition to the unaccepting or even hostile way they are often treated by others. There is actual evidence that if they get the body they want and get socially accepted as their desired gender, their depression and suicide rates go way down. By contrast, attempts to get them to reconcile with a body they don't want have been such an abject failure that it is no longer recommended by the American Psychological Association and many other similar bodies. In fact, there's movement away from treating being transgender iteslf as a mental illness at all and toward helping transgender people transition--it has simply been the far more effective approach.

That said, I enjoy genderswap stories in general, even if they can often be unrealistic. After all, fiction doesn't have to be realistic. A simple fix if you want a little more realism, though, is to simply make your MC one of the more flexible ones who doesn't really care about their gender that much. People vary and have differing feelings about gender, after all. There might be a bit of dismay at the suddenness of the change and they might have to adjust certain inhabited habits they had as a man, but overall they would accept it basically. Less "I hate this body" and more "this isn't what I'm used to but I suppose I can deal". Because that body hatred? It simply doesn't go away.
 

Pink Chaos

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I want to make it clear that I enjoy this game greatly, by the way. Just wanted to clarify on that statement you made.
 
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I would like to point out that many transgender people and their high suicide rates exist as a direct counterpoint to "no sane people out there who would prefer death over a perfectly good female body with an extended lifespan". Having a body that doesn't fit you is more traumatic than you think, it affects everything from how people treat you to the sensations of your body to body chemistry that actually fucks with your brain because it's the wrong kind for that brain. All those things might not seem like much but they constantly add up when you live day after day after day as a person you don't want to be.
That's admittedly a fair point. But this being said
That said, I enjoy genderswap stories in general, even if they can often be unrealistic. After all, fiction doesn't have to be realistic. A simple fix if you want a little more realism, though, is to simply make your MC one of the more flexible ones who doesn't really care about their gender that much. People vary and have differing feelings about gender, after all. There might be a bit of dismay at the suddenness of the change and they might have to adjust certain inhabited habits they had as a man, but overall they would accept it basically. Less "I hate this body" and more "this isn't what I'm used to but I suppose I can deal". Because that body hatred? It simply doesn't go away.
... I mean, that's literally how the MC's being depicted.
 

Pink Chaos

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That's admittedly a fair point. But this being said

... I mean, that's literally how the MC's being depicted.
Yeah, you're more or less fine there.

I was mainly just objecting to that one thing you said, and it's fine, many people don't know about exactly what transgender people experience so I was providing some perspective on that since I'm transgender myself and I definitely had some dark thoughts before I managed to get my body to a state where I liked it better. Anyways, I like your game! It shows great promise and I can't wait for when it has a bunch of content.
 

Sam_Tail

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Oh, a lot to go over here :)

Was me that said it.

I understand the point you are making and think it goes to highlight something I mentioned a lot earlier in the thread (Even I cant find it now) as to why I am not really mentioning transgender in the story despite the game being gender bender.

That the topic of trans is a very complex and deep topic. And I feel that, despite the game having a gender bender theme, doesn't really fit well with the story. Most of the info I give generally tends to be on the concise side of things so to introduce such a complex topic would, I feel, be counter productive to the overall story and would leave so many more holes to pick at.

As such I have tried to stick to much more surface level topics with the body swap. As if the MC just swapped from an old American muscle car to a safe and modern VW. Both being perfectly fine cars but each having a lot of differences. Just something you need to get used to.

To add to that, my goal has always been to have the MC be quite accepting of the situation (Mostly because I dislike gender bender stories that have so much resistance/angst despite it clearly being what they player wants). Sammy is, while cynical and snarky in many ways, is also quite pragmatic and adaptable. So approaches most situations as they are, and not as they should be. So she has no real choice but to just roll with the new body and not get caught up in what "should be".

Finally, it is a porn game, my job is to titillate. And the unfortunate realities that the trans community suffers and the impacts of depression overall are not really inline with that goal.


Judging by the planned updates dokument linked on page 18, I figured that the MtF aspect becomes more relevant later in the story, if/when the sister does her own FtM and the MC helps her sister/brother adjust.
Yeah, the sister story is planned heavily for if you went the M2F route and will have extra stuff for if you are still a virgin. Much like she helped you out, you will help her out getting adjusted to the situation. And depending on your relationship with her, there will be some silly/funny instances of her new little friend having a mind of its own.

Now, her attitude when the institute folks more-or-less tell her 'yeah, we made you like this because we needed a spy-whore.'... that's where I'd expect the MC to put up more of a 'Wait, what?' reaction. Though future updates covering the female orientation class & the MC's interactions with her sister & classmates may soften the impact on the basis of 'Ah... yeah, I noticed the world turned kinda shitty, I guess.'
Yeah this one might come across a bit better when the mission is time gated and the player/Sammy has had time to get used to living in her new body and living in the new world in front of her. I have also tried to make things a little more plausible by telling Sammy that she can refuse with no repercussions at all (But we of course know the player wont refuse).

And money. Currently my economy is pretty poorly implemented but institute jobs will pay a massive amount of money compared to any other source of income.

Also there is a tone of the game that isn't in yet but will be highlighted much more in school when the events are expanded and when urchins/gamines are added. People have gotta do what's needed to get by. Selling your body or using sex is not frowned on and just seen as another tool at your disposal to earn a living. So being a spy-whore wouldn't be such a shocking revelation.

Social dynamics should be easy enough, though - things like going from being "one of the guys" joking around with his friends at the pub (not that he has friends, but that's the point of pubs, right?), to completely missing how several of the guys are trying to signal that they're interested in her. Trying to strike up a conversation with a guy who looks interesting, and having it be mistaken for a come-on. That kind of thing.
A social dynamic faux pas could be a good event. Something like joining a couple of boys at the beach for beers. In your mind you are just hanging out but in their mind they want to get you in bed. The confusion of the situation could lead to some funny dialogue with Emile.

It's one thing to go '... well, guess I'm not spoiled for choice', another thing to go 'Oh yeah, that's fine. Makes sense.' Even recognising that she has little choice, a bit of sass or sarcasm over the matter might not be wholly amiss. Though admittedly, the MC does seem to lean a bit on the passive side. Maybe not saying it to the Institute folks' face, but some introspection later, or while chatting with her therapist. Though actually... I think this may already be covered by that last part (it's been a while since I read that dialogue), and it'd make sense for her therapist to steer her towards an accepting attitude.
Some introspection could be good. I already added one part when he asks you to become the fixer and I had planned to add some after certain sex milestones. Could include something for your first offer.

As I recall, the topic is first broached with her Institute handler before she talks to the therapist, and she immediately said that she thought her new body was part of a sex toy project when asked what she thought the purpose behind the research was. She just kind of jumps right into her new role in life, honestly.
That was a bit of a joke since in one of my earliest drafts of the story, it was what they were for.

I would also like to point out that in some cases things are not explained or there are no reactions from Sammy on purpose. What people want from this game can often be quite different and if I explain or have Sammy react, then I am giving an answer. But if I keep silent then it allows the player to fill in the blanks with their own ideas so it is fair to assume that you are not seeing everything that happens and should fill in the blanks with headcanon.

Pretty sure I have missed some good points but this post is already pretty long so forgive me :)
 

05841035411

Member
Jan 10, 2018
445
622
That the topic of trans is a very complex and deep topic. And I feel that, despite the game having a gender bender theme, doesn't really fit well with the story. Most of the info I give generally tends to be on the concise side of things so to introduce such a complex topic would, I feel, be counter productive to the overall story and would leave so many more holes to pick at.
I was thinking about this, and it occurred to me - perhaps being concise here might actually make it easier to address? These things are often easier to address if we just step back and give a blanket answer, leaving the details to the imagination.

For example...

The main character opens her eyes, sees her new body, and says "Shouldn't I be more weirded out by this?"

The doctor replies, "Probably, but the process ensured that your brain is compatible with your new body."

Scene proceeds as normal from there.

How does it work? The player doesn't really need to know, and probably doesn't really care - brain transplants are already subject to so many issues that adding a new wrinkle doesn't make it any more science fiction. Does it create a bit of fridge horror if you think about it too much? Maybe, but that would be true of any answer - and this hurries you past it quickly enough that you won't think about it too much.

What it does do, though, is lampshade things so that the game acknowledges that the situation may be unusual, but that this isn't something the narrative wants to dwell on, and hurries things along to topics the game does want to move to.

My apologies if I'm coming back to this point too often - it just occurred to me that I was probably overthinking things in looking for a more sci-fi or narrative reason, when simply making it an unexplained part of the brain transfer would be perfectly fine on its own.

(Mostly because I dislike gender bender stories that have so much resistance/angst despite it clearly being what they player wants)
You know, I've always found that odd, personally. I can think of a half-dozen games about forcing or tricking the main character into becoming a girl (and, like, one about becoming a guy) off the top of my head, but none about actively trying to become one - the closest I can think of is a game about a guy crossdressing to improve his magic power. I'd think at least some games would be more inclined to embrace their genre rather than treat it as something they hate.

Then again, I can also think of ten games featuring female protagonists that involve harassment or assault for every one that lets the main character enjoy the game from the start, so... I guess I'm the weird one for not wanting to feel miserable when I play a game?
 

Highland_Hunter

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2019
1,342
554
After reading the last few pages of comments, my greatest fear about the game now, is that the player, will be forced to "gender-bend" Sammy's sister, Emile, into a male, instead of having the choice of her, Emile, to stay female, or, being encouraged to, (or that, the idea/suggestion/possibility of, never even being brought about at all), as the player's choice .

This would literally, ruin the game for me, as the way I'm playing Sammy, is as a bi-sexual person, (to cope with the situation, as they find themselves in now), who when "he/she", was a guy, really wanted to have a "closer" relationship with his sister, ("Emile"), but didn't know how/if she would except him then, so, never got the chance to approach her about it, out of his Love & Respect for her, and waiting for the 'right' moment.

But, now things are different, and she even said, she always wanted a sister, and how they could be closer, and have fun together.
So now, "he/she",(Sammy), feels they can approach her, about "their" feelings, and Emile may be more "open" to a "closer" relationship, as the situation is now.

I may, or may not be alone, with having a choice about, "gender-bending" Emile, but I think it should at least be considered . . . ?
(I'm fairly sure , I read a few postings, "similar", to a desire , of having this choice for Emile, by others ) ?
 
Aug 3, 2019
53
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When the dev's 'planned updates' .doc literally states 'player gets the choice between lesbian, genderbent and dead paths for the MC's sister', one might consider trusting the dev on that?
 

Highland_Hunter

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2019
1,342
554
When the dev's 'planned updates' .doc literally states 'player gets the choice between lesbian, genderbent and dead paths for the MC's sister', one might consider trusting the dev on that?
Possibly . . . . If one had actually read that "Doc", as I stated, I had just read the "last few pages of postings", (to catch-up on what was being discussed), after-which of reading them, posted.

PS - "Road-Maps" do change , from time to time, nothing on them is "set-in-stone" , (for various reasons).

At any rate, Thank You for your reply.
 

Sam_Tail

Active Member
Game Developer
Aug 31, 2020
526
2,935
I was thinking about this, and it occurred to me - perhaps being concise here might actually make it easier to address? These things are often easier to address if we just step back and give a blanket answer, leaving the details to the imagination.
I think early game Emile stuff will probably be enough to smooth over all those details. But if it's not I will look into a more direct solution like you mention.

Especially since an "it is what it is" attitude translates across all of the changes around her. Attending school, being the fixer, the world changing, living in a walled city, doing questionable things to earn money... While an answer like you mention is a good way to inform the reader that I am just handwaving it away so stop asking questions and roll with it. It really is just restricted to the body change and not many of the other things (thought I suppose it depends on how I hand wave it away).



You know, I've always found that odd, personally. I can think of a half-dozen games about forcing or tricking the main character into becoming a girl (and, like, one about becoming a guy) off the top of my head, but none about actively trying to become one - the closest I can think of is a game about a guy crossdressing to improve his magic power. I'd think at least some games would be more inclined to embrace their genre rather than treat it as something they hate.

Then again, I can also think of ten games featuring female protagonists that involve harassment or assault for every one that lets the main character enjoy the game from the start, so... I guess I'm the weird one for not wanting to feel miserable when I play a game?
Yeah, I have played so many games where clearly as a player you want to gender bend the MC but the game does everything in its power to prevent you or draw it all out. While at the same time it has so little content for those who full on resist transforming. Bit of an odd juxtaposition.

A little bit of the same with most fem protag games (With this one also being guilty of). In such porn scenarios, the woman holds the keys to sex so to speak. In a male protag game it would be about repeating events to slowly unlock the doors to better sex outcomes. But with fem protag the player can surely just avoid all those hurdles to jump straight to sex right?
But then people complain how there is no progression or build up to it, so you need to put in artificial barriers for sex. Most games have the MC start out a pure virgin and have people "force" affections onto her, building her corruption stat. Mine is also a bit guilty of that with the confidence stat.

It unfortunately seems that if you jump straight to the good bits, people lose interest. I guess people want a bit of foreplay before the climax :p

After reading the last few pages of comments, my greatest fear about the game now, is that the player, will be forced to "gender-bend" Sammy's sister, Emile, into a male, instead of having the choice of her, Emile, to stay female, or, being encouraged to, (or that, the idea/suggestion/possibility of, never even being brought about at all), as the player's choice .

This would literally, ruin the game for me, as the way I'm playing Sammy, is as a bi-sexual person, (to cope with the situation, as they find themselves in now), who when "he/she", was a guy, really wanted to have a "closer" relationship with his sister, ("Emile"), but didn't know how/if she would except him then, so, never got the chance to approach her about it, out of his Love & Respect for her, and waiting for the 'right' moment.

But, now things are different, and she even said, she always wanted a sister, and how they could be closer, and have fun together.
So now, "he/she",(Sammy), feels they can approach her, about "their" feelings, and Emile may be more "open" to a "closer" relationship, as the situation is now.

I may, or may not be alone, with having a choice about, "gender-bending" Emile, but I think it should at least be considered . . . ?
(I'm fairly sure , I read a few postings, "similar", to a desire , of having this choice for Emile, by others ) ?
I should have maybe prefaced my comment with "If you choose to gender bend Emile". There has always been 4 planned outcomes for her story. Dead, FF relationship with MC, MF relationship with MC or finally just a friendly relationship with MC while she follows one of the flatmate branches you were locked out of.

The Emile MF path will probably be best experienced if you have a M2F MC while still being a virgin and not protecting against pregnancy. But of course will still contain content if you don't tick any of those boxes.

You guys are posting as I am writing. Roadmaps do change, and has changed. One of the main changes currently was to push some quests forward so we can get to the Emile content quicker since she is popular. We will be seeing her change a lot earlier in the story than I initially planned. Her change was supposed to be end game after the main storyline was resolved but it seemed a shame to leave so late such an interesting storyline so it was pushed forward. It does put a bit of a spanner in the works of the main storyline, but I am sure I can work with it.
 
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