Development idea

[DocClox]

I can see both sides of this one. I like to max my stats out whenever I can., but I agree that characters that need to specialize are more interesting.


Here's another possibility: how about setting it up so that using or training one skill tended to weaken another, but not quite so much as the gain.

Essentially, you'd be able to max the MC out, but keeping him there would need some careful ongoing management.

[Mehzerz]

I said this in another thread but why not just give him "defined stats" Stats that you can only set in the beginning of the game. Similar to Fallout 1&2.
So a frail man will never become super strong hero guy. And super strong hero guy will never be able to be smooth suave guy.
You have your stats, and your skills. Stats define who you are, and skills determine what you excell in. Sex, combat ect.
Any skills that determine those particular stats... say combat for instance. You can be really good at combat but be very weak. So you'd lose any combat bonus you'd gain for having a high strength stat.


Example: Max strength is 100. Your strength is SET at 20. (Might be better to make the max stat 10 here for numbers sake) So no matter how high your combat stat is your lack of strength is going to lower this value. Which will be the sum total of your over-all combat potential.
So basically the skill is the total of your true potential in that specific field. You as a person will never and can never exceed what your 100% is. Of course weapons and armor will also add to this value but that's essentially my thought process behind it. My math skills are awful so I don't know how that'd work.

[Lorde]

And super strong hero guy will never be able to be smooth suave guy.
You have your stats, and your skills. Stats define who you are, and skills determine what you excell in. Sex, combat ect.
Any skills that determine those particular stats... say combat for instance. You can be really good at combat but be very weak. So you'd lose any combat bonus you'd gain for having a high strength stat.

So in other words, skill based progression over stat based progression. Only problem I see is you would have to make the bonuses from base stats meaningful if they are never going to change. (Subsequently, make penalties for low stats just as meaningful.) Otherwise those numbers have a "Why are they even there?" feel to them. 

[Mehzerz]

So in other words, skill based progression over stat based progression. Only problem I see is you would have to make the bonuses from base stats meaningful if they are never going to change. (Subsequently, make penalties for low stats just as meaningful.) Otherwise those numbers have a "Why are they even there?" feel to them. 

Not to mention you'd have to re-work the entire stats system, or just give the MC his own stat system which seems rather... odd? Probably more work than it's worth honestly. I just thought it was a neat idea.

[Dagoth]

Actually, it might be good to have the player's stats work the same as the eventual girl stats/skills limitations. Like others have suggested with various ideas here, we could simply add in a choice at the start of a new game as to which profile the player wants to start with (something like "smooth talker", "street thug", etc.) which would set the player's initial stats accordingly. Then, those stats could be raised through actions, but with limitations to the maximum value depending on what the starting value was.

[megamanx]

Or we could have it so it take so much long to raise them by the same amount that it is impractical to raise them much. Sort of like the dragon quest series you can make a mage the can deal decent physical damage but it is always easier to raise its magic damage, so you get a monk to do physical instead but they suck at magic damage but have huge health.

[fires_flair]

maybe I'm just obsessed or something with getting girls with perfect stats, but hopefully if we go with the stat cap then something will get implemented so we can get ok, or poor girls with really awesome stats.
say if we did the traits as small stat boosters, which also set the cap (so instead of raising the stat by 40 a trait would raise it 4, or 5 would become 1/0.5), then as a girl gains levels/experience or fame she would become more skillful, thus the cap would be increased. either way i think we should move away from percentiles, so that the caps can actually be experienced, and so we can see how they work (where they cap out and such). the ultimate cap could also be increased, if it would make it easier to work out the dynamics.

[Mehzerz]

Actually, it might be good to have the player's stats work the same as the eventual girl stats/skills limitations. Like others have suggested with various ideas here, we could simply add in a choice at the start of a new game as to which profile the player wants to start with (something like "smooth talker", "street thug", etc.) which would set the player's initial stats accordingly. Then, those stats could be raised through actions, but with limitations to the maximum value depending on what the starting value was.

I put my vote towards this idea. A simplified version of my suggestion. Hahaha

[sgb]

I'm more in favour of the 'having stat limits based of profile' idea as well.  Most sim type games I've seen where you can pick your starting profile set usually ends up not mattering at all because Mr. Suave can easily end up being as strong as Mr. Thug, and vise-versa.  In other words if any profile can max any stat, there's ultimately no reason to even have the profiles.  There should be limitations to prevent each profile type from maxing their secondary stats.  While there should be ways for each type of profile to accomplish the same goals, the means of which that they use to get there should make for  different game experiences.  For example, Mr. Suave should have an easy time recruiting the best girls but have a harder time keeping rebellious girls in line.  Mr. Thug however would have an easier time maintaining discipline but would likely have to kidnap the best girls.

[megamanx]

in those sim games it is just easier to gain in that department like Mr suave increases charm twice as fast as the other types

[Bluebeholder]

Well there's always the option of having the MC work by an achievement system (eg escorting the 4 initial rivals out of the city; Forgiving trait +20% love growth).  It might be easier to implement than a similar-to-girls stats system and reflect the MC's influence over the entire organization.  This would also allow a character growth curve that extends for a longer period than the girls.  Theoretically this model also allows a clearer personalization and characterization of the MC rather than just the Suspicion/Evil axis.  Additionally I see it working well with rewards for the missions system. Finally it can work to encourage exploration of the different aspects of the game. 

[Midnight_Amratha]

a second item to consider with the MC having stats are the impact it will have on daughters/sons and the eventual bonuses (or not) this will have.
 
inherited large starter bonuses.
 
just another thought.

[megamanx]

a second item to consider with the MC having stats are the impact it will have on daughters/sons and the eventual bonuses (or not) this will have.
 
inherited large starter bonuses.
 
just another thought.

that could be a good thought as if you think about it if your parents are muscular you are more likely to be muscular as well so higher your stats are when the wife/significant other becomes pregnant with your child the higher the kids stats could start as

[Mehzerz]

that could be a good thought as if you think about it if your parents are muscular you are more likely to be muscular as well so higher your stats are when the wife/significant other becomes pregnant with your child the higher the kids stats could start as

I thought the game already used the players stats to help calculate the daughters stats. Something that could be interesting to add though would be daughter only traits.

[Bluebeholder]

that could be a good thought as if you think about it if your parents are muscular you are more likely to be muscular as well so higher your stats are when the wife/significant other becomes pregnant with your child the higher the kids stats could start as

I thought the game already used the players stats to help calculate the daughters stats. Something that could be interesting to add though would be daughter only traits.

And I thought Lamarckism was discredited.