Another thousand words added... Which isn't even enough to complete the sex scene(s) with the farm girl. Oh well, people wanted to wait, and apparently they're going to get their wish. (Ha ha ha ha... ha...)
Why only 1,000 words you ask? Because I was implementing some code along with this joyful trip. For example, with the first character you can have unprotected sex with now being implemented in the game, not only will the game track if your exploits have any... Side effects, but the endscreen will now feel free to tell you who all you've given a reason to screw you over later =P
Also, on a related note (sorta), as it currently stands, the farm scene is set to be impossible to get to with Frigg in the party (because apparently all content is exclusive to not having Frigg these days? Well, it's largely that it's easier to write encounters always with another person there, or never with another person there, otherwise the if/passage splits are nightmarish. True facts). However, would people like it, for the moment, for that flag to be removed? Obviously the "plot" won't make complete sense, since you'll suddenly be traveling alone, but there's actually a couple passages you won't be able to see without having pulled Frigg along since they're only available if you've had sex before and, as you might have noticed, there's a lack of other ladies available to lose that virginity to. (obviously, there's some scenes only available if you are still a virgin. Splits like this is why I'm bad at actually getting updates up. CONTENT BLOAT For The... Loss e_e)
So yeah, I mean, I, personally, am fine with having the content implemented and just having people get to discover it later, but if that sounds like "Wait, in this 7000 word update, I can only get to 5500 words! The rest of those don't count!" I'm cool with a little "narrative jarring" this early in the alpha. (Also, that update? Going to be longer than 7000 words. Yeeup. I know because I have an entire additional sex scene for the farm girl to write [Yep, she got two. In her bed or in the hay in the barn. So that's a thing] and I'm over 5500 already. So yeah, 4000 words? Undersold that!)
So yeah, as usual, post a comment,er, in the comments, for more extended chat (or just to jam my thread to the top of the forums =P) you can post in my threads, which are scattered to the winds! (Or to the websites: TF Games Site, Hypnopics Collective, and Legend of Krystal, in order of activity)
Anyways, that's the news of the nation, MELPHY OUT.
I think you're handling this backwards.
ReplyDeleteWhat you should do instead is exclude Frigg scenes from the solo path, instead of the other way around.
You can probably write most scenes as if the PC were alone, since unless he and Frigg are (probably literally) attached at the hip 100% of the time, there's no real contradiction in him having solo excursions where he and Frigg go their separate ways for the day and meet at the camp site that evening.
There might be a few exceptions, situations that make absolutely no sense for the PC to be in when he has a companion, but those are probably going to be few and far between.
And if in doubt, include it. People are good at rationalizing, but they HATE feeling like they're missing out.
Well, for example, in this case you're riding up to a farm house going "Oh thank god somewhere to rest for the night that isn't on the road" and things go from there. Frigg just... Not being there is a little weird, and unlike the manor, you don't have a super great reason to leave her behind. I'll probably leave the "No Frigg" flag off it for the moment.
DeleteThat's a little harder to account for, and I have no idea how you're constructing these scenes. If I were in your shoes I'd try to make it so that I could just include the occasional optional paragraph that would explain what Frigg was doing, if present. Put another way, instead of trying to interlace her into every para, I'd do something like this (each of these would be an entire scene or paragraph, depending; the idea is to limit if conditions to very broad sections of text so it doesn't make you hate life):
ReplyDeleteFriggopt: "Blah blah you & Frigg are cold/wet/tired/whatever; it sucks"
"You arrive at the farm house; meet, greet, phrase everything so "you" could mean just the PC or both you and Frigg"
Friggopt: "Some allusion to Frigg being shown to her separate room for the night"
"You go to bed, feign sleep, sneak out of your room, and bone the farmer's daughter"
Friggopt: *Furiiously masturbating while listening through the wall* (Or whatever)
"Next day, get up, help milk cows or whatever; roll in the hay, whatever"
Friggopt: *Sarcastic/horny/jealous commentary as you start getting ready to leave"
"Leave farm, again phrase 'you' ambiguously so it could include Frigg"
This might still be more work than you want to bother with, but it's manageable. You can also completely ignore it for now, which is probably the best idea. It's better to get things working and then improve them later.
I am somewhat planning to do that, largely going back and adding Frigg variants/scenes back in to some of these encounters later, but she's such a fireball it'd slow down publishing progress even more. I imagine periodically there will be "Frigg updates" where her side scenes are added in (which certainly does need to happen) and encounters are given appropriate variants for her, it's just that right now it's been, what, over a month since I actually had a release so I'm not super comfortable adding even MORE text to what was supposed to be a rather simple side scene at this point.
DeleteEspecially since introducing Frigg to a farm family is... Well I feel as though it'd create some stirring conflict. Not all that many noble knights travel the countryside with their courtesans after all =P
I generally try to do my best to maintain a semblance of verisimilitude, I really hate it in games where you go "But what I'd do isn't an options here!" (Outside of cases where your character doesn't have the will/wherewithal to do those things, as at that point your lack of options is PART of the game), which is part of why these content spirals occur, so I don't want to handwave/half ass Friggs inclusion (or lack thereof) in a scene or scenario.
Also because Frigg is the companion most likely to utterly fuck over your run, so I figure you better at least have a lot of chances to avoid your almost inevitable loss =P
maybe you could introduce Frigg as your sister? your parents put her in your trust while you travel to some destination, keep her out of 'trouble' Thus avoiding the whole situation?
Deleterob's idea is a good one with some very interesting potential for (ab)use. Especially if a situation arose where tempting a third party into some depraved situation would be far more intense if that third party thought they were taking part in an incestuous threesome.
DeleteAlso, unless you personally are impatient to do a release, don't feel rushed. We want to see a release, but we're patient.
Finally, I really do hope you steer clear of the sissy/cuckold/homoflexible/dickgirl thing. The fact that this game "plays it straight" is one of its main appeals. It feels like you're telling a story, instead of advocating an agenda or simply indulging your own highly specific fetishes. (Even if you are doing that, it doesn't FEEL that way.)
Btw, I still have a zillion ideas I didn't mention in that other post. If you ever want to hear them, let me know.
Let's see, in no particular order:
DeleteI like to keep putting up regular releases because site traffic tanks about a week or so after a release goes up, which means I get less feedback when I'm trying to ask questions about what the fans want, as it were (Like, tanks 85-90%+). Also, I'll admit to considering trying to throw a Patreon together at some point (feels like everyone does these days), and I'd like to be able to show that I can reliably produce content for those people who would be willing to risk their cash on me =P Well, and everyone else, because, you know, free. I'm figuring in future when a specific piece of content goes FULL BLOAT I'll work on some smaller stuff parallel so there's not another month of "No, really, guyz, totally working on this" posts, but I still won't have to rush things that want/deserve/end up consuming excessive amounts of time and effort.
Fetish wise... Eh, my tastes are more reflected in the overall story design and arc of my work(s) [It's possible I like corruption and temptation stories. MAAAYBE], but my other real, er, "passion" as it were in this line of work is a little something called verisimilitude. Basically, yeah, I want people to feel pretty real, and I want to avoid those moments of "But I wouldn't DO that! Where's the option I'd ACTUALLY TAKE!?" (within reason), unless the point of the scene/the mechanics of the game are taking away your options.
As for the sister thing... That's tricky. Not because of the faux incest or anything, but because you are, in theory, a knight, a noble, a person of good standing. What does it say about you if you let your sister walk around dressed like a harlot... Except in even less clothing? (See, that's the downside of the above, every once in a while fun gets kicked in the balls by rationality =P)
Annyways I think I addressed just about everything there, can I add these, like. 300 words to my writing output for today now? (Answer: No, bad Mel)
The PC could probably bully Frigg into dressing decently for a night if it meant a warm bed.
Delete"There's no way they'll buy our story if you're dressed like that. Either you put this on so we can both have a warm/dry bed, or we sleep in the ditch again tonight."
But that still hits into the issue of adding more writing and/or branching.
In the PC's shoes, I'd make taking Frigg in hand my top priority since she's so volatile. Even if I couldn't control her completely, I'd figure out a way to manage her so she wasn't a complete liability.
Otherwise I'd kick her to the curb if she became too much of a risk or undermined what I was up to (good OR bad), unless there was a real bond of affection, in which case she'd have incentive to cooperate since she'd care too.
As it stands, unless the PC leaves the initial building in a completely corrupt state, there would be NO reason, none whatsoever, to put up with Frigg unless she was either useful or the PC cared about her. (And hopefully the PC wouldn't just fall in love with her when it wasn't reciprocated. That would be depressing AND boring.)
The way I read it, there was a definite mutual attraction that caused them to want to stay together even if they were opposites. By logical necessity, this leads to one of three outcomes:
1. The PC sways Frigg into being more respectable, or at least manages her effectively so she isn't a complete disaster
2. Frigg manages to corrupt the PC (most likely outcome, frankly)
3. They split up due to irreconcilable differences. I can't see them "compromising" as a possible fourth outcome.
And each of these 3 options have the "success/fail" condition in terms of ultimately defeating the succubus or falling to temptation. I still like the idea of having the following options (with or without Frigg)
1. Defeat succubus (Possible with options #1 or 3 above. If Frigg leads the PC into hedonism, he won't be able to "win" in the sense of retaining his purity)
2. Defeated by succubus (includes all cases of being overcome by lust or corruption) (Possible with all 3 options above)
3. Indulge in corruption and beat the succubus at her own game. (Possible with options #2 or 3. If the PC redeems Frigg, he wouldn't stoop to that kind of evil.)
Ultimately, #3 is basically a sub-case of #2 (I assume the succubus would still consider it a "victory" to corrupt the PC, no matter what), where the PC succumbs to corruption but somehow manages to kill/enslave the succubus.
It may become a thing later that you can try to get Frigg to dress more, ah, respectably, but at present you're kind of short on the material for it. You, yourself, are dressed largely in salvaged scraps of leather and fabric from your armor, which really doesn't fit, and while you may have some spare sets of clothes for your, ah, previous form, her figure is verrryyyy different. And I feel like you'd have trouble bullying her to wear sackcloth =P I mean, she is a fine young "lady" after all, when she has such well... Tailored clothing already I'm sure she'd be terribly offended at the very suggestion. (Ha)
DeleteI'm sure as Frigg content (and the game in general) is expanded upon, there will be some way or another to get her into a more decent outfit, at least in places it's necessary, but you'll probably have to acquire it first.
Also, yes, depending on the dynamics you will/should probably at some point have the option to ditch Frigg (in somewhere civilized, obviously, you ARE a knight, not a monster), depending on your stats (She's VERY fun to have around after all).
Also, I mean, depending on how strictly cold hearted and utilitarian the PC is feeling, while there certainly are risks, having a willing body on hand to feed your appetites when needed without having to worry about your affect on others (I mean, you're not going to make HER any more hedonistic or get her in any sort of sex related trouble she wouldn't venture into on her own), the two of you could very well spend the entire trip just using each other.
Hell, depending on which route out of the prologue you manage, that almost seems to be the suggestion from day one.
I'll admit, I don't know about proper romance or affection. I'm not ruling it out, mind you, just... Frigg being Frigg, her falling in love seems a pretty difficult thing to manage. I dunno, maybe there'll be some obscure path through the game that'll result in it (sort of like seeing the red demon dream at present >_>)
The issue with the 'appetites' idea is that it almost certainly clashes with the PC's training and attitudes.
ReplyDeleteIt IS the sort of thing the PC might think/do if they had been sufficiently corrupted (where cold utilitarianism had replaced their religious idealism), but I have trouble imagining the initial succubus encounter eroding their will power THAT badly, without it making it impossible for them to (plausibly) achieve any kind of "good" ending.
In my mind, there are three plausible outcomes:
1. If the PC isn't already severely compromised mentally, and doesn't have some immediate emotional attraction to her, then there would be absolutely no reason to bring her along. Even if you're talking about a cold hearted SOB who has a serious pragmatic streak, she would obviously be a continual negative influence that would almost certainly eventually undermine the PC's quest to cure himself. If simply having an extra pair of hands were an issue, he'd probably hire a male mercenary to travel with him, assuming he could raise the money, or potentially (ab)use his religious connections to get help, even if it was as simple as browbeating some poor farm boy into being his personal servant for a while.
Not only that, but if there wasn't a mutual attraction, then Frigg would quickly realize that the PC had only had sex with her during a moment of weakness, and would quickly find his attempts to retain moral integrity stifling and/or annoying. Without any emotional attraction or loyalty to him, she'd immediately ditch him for someone more "fun".
2. If there is a mutual attraction, they might both abandon their "best interests" (hedonism for Frigg; purity for the PC) in order to avoid having to be separated one from the other. This possibility presents the most complication and the most potential for "interesting" moral conflict.
3. If the PC is seriously compromised, he would be unable to resist his sexual attraction to Frigg, and would rationalise it exactly as you describe: "well, I'll need SOME outlet for my lust, might as well be her, plus she'll be helpful, etc".
In that case, he would tolerate Frigg despite it being a serious infraction of his religious code and moral principles, and Frigg wouldn't object to his continual "reliance" on her.
This is basically a "doomed to failure" option, though, because if he's so quickly and easily allured by lust under the guise of "practicality" then the succubus just has to give him a few weeks to let Frigg work her magic (with a few dreams or whatnot thrown in to really mess with his mind) and then swoop in for the "kill".