Pie, Pi, and Carl Sagan

[Lorde]

and that's it
I am not against a story, but why can't we have that story IN the sandbox?
not or-or, but have the game stay what it is, with the story

I submit the question: why does the game have to stay the way it is? Why not let the dev's add stuff and we can say if we like it or not after they add it?I've said it before, but the dev's got us this far. Why are we assuming that anything they add will destroy the game.

I'm all for sandboxes, but can the rest of us kids have the rest of the playground built to? It's like 1 or 2 kids jumping up and down in front of the construction crew trying to convince them not to build the monkey bars or the slide because the sandbox is just fine. Meanwhile the rest of the kids have been waiting on the monkey bars and slide for a long time now. The kids just have to remember that the construction crew isn't going to remove the sandbox when there done with the playground. That's just dumb since it's so popular. They'll leave it there and maybe even add a bigger one since it was more popular than they originally thought.

[fixet]

/facepalm

not "as it is", what it is
add all the stuff, the story, the features, the map, all that crap
just let it stay the same game

who said anything about destroying the game? who said they shouldn't add anything?
also, with that analogy, I'm not sure you understand what "sandbox" is

I am not telling them to leave anything out, and I am not saying the game is fine as it is, or I wouldn't care what they do with it, I'd just be playing this version

[DocClox]

what I hate the most is that as the (not actual, but suggested) development progresses the game seems to constrict the player
a lot of the ideas flowing around are about making the player play the way "he's supposed to"

Well, for the record, I want a game with lots of different ways to do things. There is no "supposed to" in my book. I am however quite keen on making the player do some work in order to achieve a few milestones, on the grounds that it makes for a more satisfying conclusion.

you had some requirements, in that you need to take the adjacent ward before moving on to the next, but it was very flexible and non-linear
then I go to the next page and see d31r3x's map, and the wards are split in tiers where you must take all the wards in the current tier, before moving on to the next
and there are no reactions to this
I was going to ask about that in thread, but didn't want to bitch about freedom of playing again (which is made completely pointless by this post)

 
You should have said something.

I didn't think it was that big a deal, personally. D31r3x was quite keen on the level idea, I didn't have any major objections, and no one else seemed to have object, so why not? Plus d31r3x was doing to work and doing a better job that I could have done. That said, I could be talked into making it a config option. I just need to know there's an issue to address... 

[Lorde]

also, with that analogy, I'm not sure you understand what "sandbox" is

Wow... really? That analogy was more analogous to people complaining they want a sand box who then complain loudly when the devs do something else...  but ok, we could totally screw up the spirit of the analogy if you want...

[Mehzerz]

Well, for the record, I want a game with lots of different ways to do things. There is no "supposed to" in my book. I am however quite keen on making the player do some work in order to achieve a few milestones, on the grounds that it makes for a more satisfying conclusion.
 
You should have said something.

I didn't think it was that big a deal, personally. D31r3x was quite keen on the level idea, I didn't have any major objections, and no one else seemed to have object, so why not? Plus d31r3x was doing to work and doing a better job that I could have done. That said, I could be talked into making it a config option. I just need to know there's an issue to address...

I think unlocking all the wards from the start will give him basically what he wants. So far I think the wards are the only restrictive feature being talked about. If you wanted to, you could open every feature that gets added. All the floors for the catacombs, any jobs that may be restricted, wards, ect. pretty much anything you have to progress towards will be open from the start. However any story progression and various events still have to be worked for. (there's your sandbox mode)


That's what you want right? I do like the idea of "several ways" to do one task, so that's definitely refreshing to see in an H game, or any game really.


As for the MC's personallity (I keep switching between PC and MC lol) If we can distinguish a set personality then it doesn't matter to me. It's easier to feel and understand for a character that actually speaks. Someone who isn't as good of a writer may have trouble with creating events anyways, I personally would love to make some, but I doubt my writing abilities could convey the mood as well as I'd hope they would. That's the benefit of a forum though, a group of peers. :p

[DocClox]

That's what you want right? I do like the idea of "several ways" to do one task, so that's definitely refreshing to see in an H game, or any game really.

Sounds about right.

Hmmm... I should probably give some thought to alternative victory condtions, a la Alpha Centauri. Avenging your Father, Political Control of Crossgate, having an insane amount of cash/girls. Maybe a diplomatic victory, if I ever get around to looking at diplomacy. My todo list grows daily at the moment

I personally would love to make some, but I doubt my writing abilities could convey the mood as well as I'd hope they would. That's the benefit of a forum though, a group of peers. :p

Which is a good point. Peer review is a powerful tool for establishing consistency.

[edit]

messed up the quote tags again...

[LordJerle]

Which is a good point. Peer review is a powerful tool for establishing consistency.

Maybe set up a reward system for endgame victory.  Different rewards for different victories?  Like get money from taxes from political victory, bonus girls and brothels for killing your rivals off, half running cost for diplomatic victory?

[Lorde]

I think unlocking all the wards from the start will give him basically what he wants. So far I think the wards are the only restrictive feature being talked about. If you wanted to, you could open every feature that gets added. All the floors for the catacombs, any jobs that may be restricted, wards, ect. pretty much anything you have to progress towards will be open from the start. However any story progression and various events still have to be worked for. (there's your sandbox mode)

Set this up by way of the config file (Sandbox mode On|off) and everyone is happy.

As for the MC's personallity (I keep switching between PC and MC lol) If we can distinguish a set personality then it doesn't matter to me. It's easier to feel and understand for a character that actually speaks. Someone who isn't as good of a writer may have trouble with creating events anyways, I personally would love to make some, but I doubt my writing abilities could convey the mood as well as I'd hope they would. That's the benefit of a forum though, a group of peers. :p

My writing sucks too.  However I'm sure there are a few writers on this board that would be willing to team up with a scripter. That way, one person concentrates on the story while the other worries about implementing it. 

[Mehzerz]

Maybe set up a reward system for endgame victory.  Different rewards for different victories?  Like get money from taxes from political victory, bonus girls and brothels for killing your rivals off, half running cost for diplomatic victory?

I believe this is actually on the to-do list. Or something very similar... it's just a very expansive list. :p

[ShiningRadiance]

On the topic of masturbation material:

It makes it more fun to know that you've completely crushed their spirit, shattered their confidence, and made them a totally obedient nymphomaniac with masterful skill in every form of intercourse.

It lets me release my evil in a stronger fashion.

[Lorde]

On the topic of masturbation material:

It makes it more fun to know that you've completely crushed their spirit, shattered their confidence, and made them a totally obedient nymphomaniac with masterful skill in every form of intercourse.

It lets me release my evil in a stronger fashion.

And you think that adding storyline elements will weaken this fantasy? Or are you hoping that having a sandbox mode will allow you to flesh out your own fantasies more?

[delta224]

My replies to various things in this thread.

Scripting.
The scripters need a reference and some sort of syntax checker
Also scripting at the moment is a tad clunky.
 
The sandbox v story argument.
First I want to know what people want in a sandbox mode. IT will not be like the sandbox mode in slave maker. How he can call it a sandbox mode is beyond me since all the mode does is give the player all girls unlocked and allow the player to train them over and over. The player still has to unlock all the items and people over and over again for playthrough.

[ShiningRadiance]

And you think that adding storyline elements will weaken this fantasy? Or are you hoping that having a sandbox mode will allow you to flesh out your own fantasies more?

I'm not voting, simply because I'm fine either way. The reason I argue is out of fun, not necessarily because I believe either side.

There's another reason that I decided to post this, but you don't quite need to know that.

That being said, there are times that I do care about the topic at hand.

What I was referring to was specifically the comments about just opening up the folders to look at the hentai. Context makes it better.

[Lorde]

I'm not voting, simply because I'm fine either way. The reason I argue is out of fun, not necessarily because I believe either side.

I see, that's good to know.

[DocClox]

Scripting.
The scripters need a reference and some sort of syntax checker

Agreed. There's a partial reference at the moment on the manual thread. I'll update it once I have the scripting a bit nearer completion.

Also scripting at the moment is a tad clunky.

True enough. But getting it to production quality is the next task on the list. I've got one more fight case to convert, then the scripting.