Thoughts on reletionship simulations

[Hentami]

player -> mechanic -> +relationship with NPC

[to list a few]

(*) scavenge (quest) find item - improve relationship
(*) scenario (dialog,talk,seduce,activity) spend time with npc -> improve relationship
(*) minigame (play game) win game -> improve relationship
(*) currency (grind game currency) spend currency -> improve relationship
(*) random (no reason, just happens) luck -> improve relationship
(*) decisions (choose a path) specific choice -> improve or reduce relationship
(*) stats (grind stats) more stat ->improve relationship
(*) other NPC status (affinity) - other npc increase or decreases other npc relationship

Would be really interested in hearing some crazy, outside the box, ideas on how else to accomplish improving relationships with characters or what if any things you encountered that you really enjoyed. Thanks for your time!

 

[DarthSeduction]

Personally, I'm using a variation on the decision based improvement system in most games. My goal is to make it closer to human interaction. Sometimes you'll make a mistake, say the wrong thing, but that thing is rarely so bad that is screws you forever. My hope is to use this system to make player interaction feel more genuine, like they don't have to stress over every choice, and making a choice doesn't always matter.

Part of how I'm accomplishing this is by hiding my relationship point system. I had a conversation with the writer behind Babysitter this morning that really solidified my opinion on this. Sure, knowing what points you get from what might be nice in a game where the focus is the points, but if the focus is the relationship I feel like it detracts from the overall feel. A player complained to the writer that making a choice not to invite Robert, the black antagonist, over lost relationship points. Nevermind the fact that the relationship still moves forward, the person argued that because you lost points there, the game was undoubtably a cuck simulator, because you can lose to Robert.

My point is, in spite of the game having multiple routes and branching opportunities, the visible point scale makes people play for points, rather than play to develop a relationship. I doubt this really qualifies as out of the box, but it's definitely something I haven't seen executed yet. The closest I've seen are the games that rely on moral choices, thereby taking the focus off of points in the relationship and putting it on the self, therefore you still want to make a choice that will help in your goal to advance a relationship, but you're less focused on that and more on how it will affect your morality. However these fall short as well. I'm trying, as a result, to combine the two, use a moral system to determine your character's behavior with a branch for each personality type, and a relationship system that allows you to actually interact with people in a meaningful way.

We'll see if it all works out. I too would be interested in seeing what other people are thinking, how they want to do relationships. How they want to immerse the player in the game mechanically.

 

[CeLezte]

An indirect approach:

(*) stalk/find out things about the NPC using coversations or through questionable acts (hacking, going through personal belongings, talking to their friends, etc.) -> bring up results in a conversation or be caught or ratted out -> see where your actions led you (let the NPC judge wther the relationship improves or not)

 

[DarthSeduction]

An indirect approach:

(*) stalk/find out things about the NPC using coversations or through questionable acts (hacking, going through personal belongings, talking to their friends, etc.) -> bring up results in a conversation or be caught or ratted out -> see where your actions led you (let the NPC judge wther the relationship improves or not)

I actually plan on using something like this. Anyone who's played Life is Strange will know, and of course other similar games do this as well, but there are going to be events in my game where you've got the option to search someones room or bag or whatever, and the things you learn can give you new dialogue options with people.

 

[CeLezte]

.. my game where you've got the option to search someones room or bag or whatever, and the things you learn can give you new dialogue options with people.

Yeah, I really enjoy games like those, especially if they are well done and introduce interesting situations.

 

[DawnCry]

First of all one of the important things is that choosing the option that always gives the +relationship should be wrong.

If a girl for example says that all males should be slaves you shouldn't choose the "yes, you are right" option to increase relationship because she will have her extreme idea reinforced and perhaps she will treat you as a slave because of that, while saying "No, I don't think so" may cause a -relationship however it will control her extreme idea and perhaps give you a chance to convince her otherwise. This is just a rushed example of what I mean, sometimes you need to get the negative one.

Another point on dating sims is that it doesn't use jealously between characters, if for example in the game you have a girl that isn't yet at love but she likes being with you and then you find yourself a girlfriend she will be jealous, she will feel as if she lost something and try to recover it by perhaps tempting you or more risky ways, getting a boyfriend herself (which can end badly).

Next is that the world of a dating sim game is extremely frozen, if I'm not showing an interest on x or y girl then I would expect that they get a boyfriend (or girlfriend who knows) and continue with their lives.

Personally for me a good dating sim would be the one in which all girls if doing nothing will get boyfriends/girlfriends and continue with their lives. If you want a girl you should compete with the rival to get her and be careful while you are boyfriend/girlfriend so that she isn't seduced away, marriage would be the end of the game for me (or perhaps pregnancy?).