RMMV How Do I Love Thee? (Demo) {Religious Viewpoints & Unused Sex Skill Type}

[mathmaster74]

@hiddenone Thank you for the additional feedback! Since everything seems to point to starting fresh (not just with what you've said) I've gone back to the beginning and worked up an initial "opening" dialogue between the princess and the king which I hope feels more natural and explains things through to the character creation process sufficiently well. Please watch and let me know what you think. (Sorry in advance. OBS recorded Display Capture off-center, so there's a bit that gets cut at the end. I did recolor the window skins, so please let me know if that's looking better. I'm still working on a better font, so...I hope that's not too difficult to follow for now.)

Spoiler: New font, new intro video

 

[hiddenone]

Personally I find that intro way too long, with too many 2-3 word message boxes. Tightening those up so that they appear in one message box (with a wait for player input if you really think you need it) instead of a bunch in a row may make if feel less slow, but I do know that this type of intro just isn't for me. The font is a better choice, but please keep in mind that light-colored words on a light background is hard to read. Pick darker colors for the words if you have a parchment-colored background.

 

[mathmaster74]

Okay. Light-colored fonts are going buh-bye! What if I make it so the player just isn't a princess at all? What if the player just goes straight from quest log to character name to character creator to game and you play as what you pick? No trying to shove things into a short-story that sounds contrived or a drawn-out story that sounds more natural...just good old game play. Thoughts?

 

[Finnuval]

Well what would be the goal then? Not saying its a bad idea at all but you set it up now with a certain goal in mind... So what would the new goal be?

A game with no goal at all kinda doesnt work Unless its a sandbox game and a dating sandbox? I dunno you'd need killer character arcs to pull that off i think

 

[hiddenone]

Finnuval has the same thoughts as I do, the issue isn't having the main character be an in-disguise princess but how it's presented.

What about this: the game starts with the princess unhappy with her forced engagement and decides to try to gain an audience with her father, who's currently too busy preparing for the engagement. The player then has to chat up the guard at the door, which introduces a basic version of the 'battle' system so the player knows what to look forward to gameplay-wise. Once the player gets used to the system they'll 'win' and then visit the king, where the main story is really introduced. An intro like this would both show the story to the player and let them get an idea of what they'll be doing as the game progresses. Of course, that's just an idea that popped into my head, so it's obviously not perfect, but hopefully a good starting point for you to figure things out.

 

[Finnuval]

One of the benefits of what @hiddenone suggests is you prevent a slog of an intro and info dump with the player just staring at a wall of text for minutes, less overwhelming and can also function as a small tutorial so the player knows what they're gonna expect. I personally would even break it up a little more posssibly then that. But i agrre this is a good starting point.

 

[mathmaster74]

@Finnuval Well...yeah, the game is still a medieval otome dating sim RPG. If the suitors were supposed to respond to you based on how you're dressed, then the whole princess thing is just...SURPRISE at the end. The only thing being...I've already written over 40 endings for the game including 8 endings for each of the five suitors you can date in the demo, and all of the endings make reference to your being a princess...so...what if you just start playing as what you're dressed as and then find out about really being a princess as a backstory?

@hiddenone Okay. I take your meaning a little better now, I think. The opening exposition is all talk and no action and the later battles have no tutorial, so kill two birds...nice! Even better...what if you have to butter up Daddy? Kind of like the "tutorial boss"?

Edit: I mean...you learn from the guard, and then show that you've learned with Daddy.

Edit 2: I suppose, though, it would be weird to be using dating techniques on your father, so...probably nah.

 

[Finnuval]

what if you just start playing as what you're dressed as and then find out about really being a princess as a backstory?

You would Still need it to make sense to the player and "SURPRISE" isn't gonna do that, imo. So instead of ditching the entire opening like you said reshaping it in a more piece-meal form like @hiddenone suggests is a much better way to go about it, i think anyway.

 

[hiddenone]

Using dating techniques on the king would be... gross, but the idea of schmoozing is something that would be common in noble circles. So you could have two versions of the battle system, one focused on getting the person in a good/giving mood (for getting people to do things/tell things to you) and then the more romantic one for dates. The idea is the same for the two so you wouldn't have to make two completely different systems, just hide some options depending on the target.

 

[Finnuval]

Here's what i whipped up in my mind on the spot (@hiddenone feel free to comment )

Intro : today is the day... the day you will finally meet your betrhothed... you feel anxious and unsure and doubt if you will ever love this man chosen for you...

Player control : starts in princess bedroom. player can walk around and talk to NPC's (handmaidens etc) they all speak of the engagement, etc. Then the moment comes and you meet your betrothed...

Tutorial battle : you get to chat him up (to see if you actually like the guy) and the battle system is explained.

Afterwards : player control again... You can talk to npc's voicing your opinion and they'll advice you to speak to the king... you then go to get an audience (of not everything was covered in first tutorial use @hiddenone's guard suggestion) and meet your father.

Next : you retire to your room, contemplating what to do. enter handmaiden NPC suggesting a make over go to character creation scene... (though I will add here that the amount of customization you have might be a little to much honestly. trimming it down a bit wouldn't hurt imo)

Finally : player sneaks out of the castle (at night would be logic) and heads to the first village. There she meets the next NPC explaining her how to go about finding suitors after stumbling around a little and then the player gets released into the world...

 

[mathmaster74]

Okay. I think I'll work up a throne room map with a hall leading to it. The princess is around the corner from the red carpet approach. she sees the guard at the corner is "Jeremy", and has a little inner monologue about what she knows about Jeremy..."he's young, he likes her, he's kind of emotional and takes his work pretty seriously"...then she approaches and he stops her, "The king is busy blah blah blah." Cue tutorial battle. Battle gets won (using the Emotional, Work, and other skills you figure out he responds to during the battle), you have the audience with the king along the lines of the original, shorter story version, and jump to the disguise phase.

@Finnuval That's good too! Work them together and its a two-shot tutorial...make sure the player's got it. I thought about the sneaking out thing, and then decided the king would have to give permission because they would catch her up a.s.a.p. once they know she's missing...but that could help explain the need for the disguise as well. What do you think about making it so the player has to dress down as a peasant, commoner, or servant because those are the only disguises the handmaidens have? If the princess is on the run, she can only take so much gold as well, so...it all kind of fits.

@hiddenone and Finnuval - Thank you both for your ideas. I was really starting to feel like I had only problems and no solutions and everything I was doing was wrong and nobody liked it and I was ready to give up. I've failed at a lot of things in life in the working world and hoped that I could be my own boss and have more success doing something I love. I was starting to think I've failed again...maybe for the last time. This little brainstorm session made a world of difference. I appreciate you both so much. Thank you.

 

[Finnuval]

Well even with permission her leaving would be cause for gossip and an uproar if she would just up and leave so going at night the maids and King could Just make up the excuses how she is sick and nobody can see her. It would Also help in establishing a time limit for the player in a convincing way.

What do you think about making it so the player has to dress down as a peasant, commoner, or servant because those are the only disguises the handmaidens have?

I think thats a great idea if you dont give me 100 different dresses to choose from

No probleem trust me when I say you are not the oy one on here that has failed in life by normal standaard but we all have a place and role and it might take a while to find but yeah... Its there

And never stop dreaming or give up on your Dreams... Ever. You can only get better at this

Ps sorry for the spelling mistakes my Phone loves auto correct

 

[mathmaster74]

Immediate mockups of octogon shaped tower bedroom for princess and hallway/throne room.

Spoiler: Maps