Hello to everyone new who called in to check the game out! Had some really helpful feedback today, thanks everyone.
Been working on some graphics, then going to do some fixes on the oodles of bugs people have found - thanks guys! - then some programming. Programming what? Have a look at the art I was making and have a guess!
Been a great first proper day for the game, got a lot of positive feed back and a lot of good honest crit, which I'm taking on board and considering carefully. A lot of people seem to feel that the time limit is contrary to the nature of the game, and I kind of agree in some ways, though I like having it as a way of "turning the screws" on the player, making them feel like they're under pressure.
Some alternative's to the time limit I was considering -
1. No time limit, time starts at day one and counts up. The witch who sent you to The Lusty Lands will not bring you home until you have completed her quest. Time in the "real world" stays still while time in The Lusty Lands passes, so when the player is returned home, it's just seconds later. If the player ages/sex changes/mutates while in The Lands, they go home that age, shape, etc. Have some long term events like jail sentences, working in jobs for months or years, etc. The "threat" to the player would be ending up all old and haggard or all monstery on their return home, which feels nicely like a threat from a story point while not really getting in the way of the gameplay.
2. Start with time limit, initial quest would be to find a way to get rid of it. Then you're free to roam.
3. As it is now in the beta - the time limit is implied, but all that happens is the witch gets increasingly grouchy and yells at you more as it continues. This'd work to add the tension of a time limit without the hinderance, but only until the player realizes what's going on.
Do any of those sound like a winner?
Okay, back to work for me now, thanks for checking the game out everyone. I'm just gonna hold out my hat for the briefest of seconds to remind you that the games are my only source of income right now, and if you're enjoying them and would like to help out, please do, it'd be sincerely appreciated, donation buttons over there on the sidebar.
Back soon with an update!
Number 1 or 2 sound interesting, I really like taking my time with this type of games.
ReplyDeleteI agree one or 2 sounds best. If you do go with 2, make the time limit reasonable (100 days? That's OK. 1000 days? what's the point of the time limit if you can do everything and then some, and still have 750 days to spare?) However, I'm a guy that loves exploration, so I'm thinking option 1.
ReplyDeleteOne question on the *wanted poster*, once I had the license and cuffs. I saw lots of bandits, but One-eyed Suzie didn't want to show...is she a rare chance of showing up, or was I just unlucky in finding her?
Yeah, if I go with 2, the time limit would be short, maybe *just* long enough to win the game if you knew exactly what to do. The player would have to find another witch or someone to remove the curse off their own bat - maybe Missy Pipes, the witch we've heard about in the first town - and maybe have to invest some time doing a mission for her. I dunno though. It's the sort of thing that'd be exciting the first time, but dull every game after. Maybe option 1 is the best.
ReplyDeleteJust unlucky with One Eyed Susie! I've yet to trigger her when I've had the cuffs myself, so haven't been able to check arresting her works right - if anyones done this, please let me know!
I like Option 4.
ReplyDeleteYou finish the quest and the witch turns into an extremely attractive woman that sleeps with you. Or man. Or both.
If you take too long the scene gets progressively uglier and unpleasant. Take long enough and you're getting a beached whale with a blue waffle and STDs that make your head explode.
Not sure if this is a bug or not but worth mentioning
ReplyDeleteI ran into a *perky nightmare* that had 1000 lust. Absolutely no way I can defeat the perky nightmare with that huge amount! Any reason why she's got so much lust available? Nobody else has higher than 60, and then I run into this, shortly after the game starts. No running available, so this is *auto-loss* :(
Whoa, that sounds like a bug alright. Probably I just made a typo, I'll get her taken out.
ReplyDeleteI ran into that 1000 lust power foe myself once. I was in fact able to defeat her because a use of a lust bomb, which brought her lust to 999.
ReplyDelete"2. Start with time limit, initial quest would be to find a way to get rid of it. Then you're free to roam."
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite. You CAN get your head asploded if you fail to do anything about it, and since its just the very first quest you are on it wont hurt too much if you do and feel like such an achievement if you stop it. Also, when I say stop it I don't mean give her what she wants I mean find some mage to counter her curse (you ARE in a magical land) and eventually exact cumuppance from the bitch...
At which point I guess you could get to decide whether to "go home" for a game over or go back to land of fun and explore some more (gee I wonder what to choose :P)