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Gameplay outside of cutscenes
🕑 Added 2024-07-27 06:43:40 +0000 UTCHello everyone,
I apologize for taking a whole month to post again. I'm afraid you'll think I'm neglecting the project. What happened was that after the problems with bugs that only appeared in the build, I decided to test all the game's systems for problems, and I found bugs related to saving that appeared sporadically.
In the search for the cause I made several changes to the code that resulted in some improvement, some redunciations were eliminated and the loading of saves became faster, among other things. I ran the tests again and now we have a stable build that I want to bring you in this video.
You already know and have tested the system that controls cutscenes, which is what was used in MaliXemas and FPS. This video shows the systems you haven't seen working yet, which are navigation, exploration, achievements, and item collection. But first, let's click on the settings to see the modifications panel.
The “Visual Novel” modification, as described, changes the game experience by reducing cutscenes, dialog, and choices. In other words, everything I'm presenting in this video is left out. Four options close off paths that lead to certain scenes in the game that some may find unnecessary. This doesn't change the background of the characters, for example, Nicole will continue to be bisexual, but all paths for her to have relationships with women will be closed if you decide to do so.
The censored mode is more for my use so that I can post videos of the game on YouTube, but maybe someone else will benefit from it.
This character selection screen is provisional, I couldn't get a good result with what I had in mind and left it like this for the time being. In the game, Nicole will only be available to choose from after you complete Step 1 with Brendon, but in this demo, I chose to play with her. At the moment it takes a while to load because I've taken the load weight off the startup. If you compare it with the latest version of S4H, you'll see that this version takes less time from the first click to the gameplay, even though it has more content.
With the cutscenes disabled, the game starts with a routine gameplay section. In this system, you have more freedom to walk around the scenery and items to interact with and rummage through, such as cupboards and drawers.
I accidentally deleted the terrain file that contained all the vegetation. It's not difficult to redo it, but until then the landscape is left with this empty green. Each house on this suburban map is set up to be visited, and I want to create characters and events for each of them, or at least most of them.
I made the dissolve effect too slow and I'm going to fix it so it doesn't get annoying for you, but it's possible to cancel the establishment shot with one click if you're in a hurry.
I needed a trigger to release the action figure. In the game, these triggers will make more sense, for example, if you play on Halloween day, you'll get a themed action figure. Opening the action figures triggers other triggers, such as minigames, in this case, “Easter Photoshoot” (sorry for the typo).
But to open the extra content you need to find the items scattered around the scene. They won't always be apples, each content will ask for something (perhaps easter eggs at Easter would make more sense).
It's important to note that:
This extra content will be the same as what I make available to you who support me here, so if you don't wish to explore the scenario in search of items, you won't be missing anything.
I've put a “Replay” panel in the extras, but I don't intend to make a gallery where you replay parts of the game. This part will focus on animations and interaction mechanics, even allowing you to modify clothing or camera angles.
At the end of the video I saved the game, but I didn't load it to show it was working. The save panel uses the same system as the “Continue” button, and I can assure you that everything is working fine.
Nicole moves strangely when she walks, yes. The gaze control system I created does something that no other system does: it works when the character is lying down or bent over, and I don't need to explain why this is so important. However, it generates this weird head movement when walking, especially in Nicole's animation, which is more swaying. I'll fix it over time.
It's tough to explain the importance of reaching this point in the project. I confess that if I had known how long it would take and how difficult it would be, I might not even have started. But I'm glad I did it. This game skeleton still looks simple, but it's ready to take on all the content I could ever imagine for this game. It's a powerful system that is now stable and ready to receive content.
Without the burden and stress of programming and smashing bugs, I hope to keep you entertained with more frequent content and information about the project from now on. But first I need a good weekend's rest, which I also wish you.
Thank you very much! I'm happy to reach this point and I couldn't have done it without your support.
Comments
MaliXe
Hey Archy, Thanks so much for your incredibly kind feedback! I'm really glad you like the direction the game is taking. Unlocking clothes and choosing which ones to wear can be fun, especially when playing with Nicole. Making clothes used to be a complicated process, but I've made modifications that make it a lot easier. I think we can implement this later. Regarding items that modify scenes, I thought of something similar to what you described, but related to inventory mechanics. I'm glad you liked the Jukebox. The idea is that each song has a different animation of each of the girls wearing a special costume. I've already sorted out ideas for each song, all that's left is to make the costumes. Don't worry about the terrain I deleted, it only had the information about how the vegetation was distributed. And few things are more fun in game dev than painting vegetation on terrain. I appreciate your understanding. Sometimes it's difficult to calculate how long a task takes, and when it comes to fixing bugs, what seems like days' work can easily turn into months, and that's unfortunately what happened. Again, thank you for your support and encouragement. It means a lot! Best
Archy_TaxiWhy
Hello, I'm delighted to hear that you're doing well. I have to admit that this post just confirms my intuition about the workload you've put in. Frankly, congratulations on the quality of all this, which clearly shows an evolution from the first versions! So first of all I think naming this version peeking and putting the scene of Nicole looking into Jane and Barney's bedroom is really well thought out. I really like the display of the new main game menu with the arrival of the different buttons. It makes you want to see what happens next, because the quality is so good. The idea of having several options like censorship or limiting certain content that people don't want to have is very well thought out. This makes the game quite customisable, while leaving it accessible to everyone. The censor button can be used for certain people who want to share the game on certain streaming platforms, so I think it's a welcome addition. The character selection idea is really good. For a first version I think it's pretty good, but I'm sure you'll find a way to make it better and, above all, the way you want it. The navigation is simply pleasant and fluid between the different rooms in the house, which keeps the character's movements and the game immersive, in my opinion. I admire the interface in the game, particularly the one for navigating to the map. We can see the size of each of the parts of the city that you presented to us in the previous posts. It shows the hard work you've put in and you can be proud of yourself. I like the idea of unlocking things like figurines, especially with your system of exploring and collecting items to obtain them. I hope you'll also be offering new clothes based on the same principle, because that's one of your great strengths. It's a really great idea to put a link to the item it will unlock. Also, I don't know if you've thought about setting up items that can be used in the scenes. Let me explain, for those who choose to keep the exploration side of the world, they will be able to find items in a shop (like vibrators or condoms or even things that are unusual enough to keep a funny side) that can be used in a scene to reward the discovery of the world by creating a variation. Of course, this is just a little extra that won't penalise players in VN mode. It's also a way of highlighting places such as shops or other places that are more unusual but that the player thinks ‘Hey, what if there's something special here’. In short, this is just an idea. The famous junkbox. I really like the basic idea, but seeing it in action is really great. (Yet another reason to showcase your talent in clothing design! 😉 ) You don't have to apologise for the time it took you to make a post here. You offer us quality content, so in the end it's not important to have regular posts. I think those of you who are here understand that. I know that saying you shouldn't stress is an easy thing to do (I'm a super mega giga life stressor about everything and anything so I know what it's like XD), but you're doing a great job and you're alone on the project so it's just incredible. I know a lot of people look at the faults first before seeing the qualities, it's just human. But for me, I take the time to analyse the form, the realisation and the potential before seeing the bugs and other concerns. Your game is made with passion and determination, which is truly honourable and can only be applauded. Take care of yourself too, it's a priority. I can't wait to get my hands on this demo so I can appreciate your efforts even more when the time comes! Well, I talk too much. No need to answer me too quickly. Rest first. If ever I see an answer that's too long in the minutes or hours after I've posted it, I promise I'll stop my subscription (it's up to you to decide whether it's a joke or not ;) Best regard Ps: I hope you'll be able to easily redo what you inadvertently deleted. I hope you do :)
Archy_TaxiWhy
Hello, you already have Nicole as you can see ^^. Then there will be Jane. Four playable characters: Brendon, Nicole, Barney and Jane. two female and two male characters.
Suweren95
Will there be a female protagonist in this game?
