malixegames
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Defined locations
🕑 Added 2023-07-23 19:52:18 +0000 UTCHey guys. I ended up accumulating subjects during this week. I thought I'd dilute it into several posts, but I don't want to flood your inbox, especially while we're talking about locations, which isn't such an interesting subject. So I'll try to be brief on each topic and I'll comment a little bit on the game's content as I introduce you to the scenarios.
I had said in a previous post that maybe one of the residential areas would be close to the sea, but I think that if I put a beach in the scenario I would feel compelled to use it, and when I try to think of exciting situations involving the beach, my mind goes blank. That's why I decided to change the beach to an island in a big lake. It is a more exclusive residential area. Wanda Titball, Brendon's boss, lives here along with Rose Pound, who has yet to be introduced.
If you've played the path where the movie night ends at the redheaded sisters' house, you might remember that Brendon is amazed at the size of their house. Here's the Sackrider house. This is a place where you can explore depending on the path you choose. This will also be the main house in a future game if I get the opportunity to extend the story to other games.
The house of the Nutters is also on the island. It already appears in the game when Brendon goes to visit his cousins Chloe and Jason. Their mother, Liza Nutter, also lives there. This house also appears in the demo I released last year, Not Related. Brendon will be able to visit his aunt and cousin's house freely after his first interaction with Chloe.
In this small house lives Elena Bottom, Jane's mother. She will be introduced in Steep 3. Elena is a mature lady who lives alone and has a lot of experience to share, so you may want to visit her from time to time. This house once belonged to Petra Sackrider, the girl in the statue in the park. This isn't relevant to S4H but will appear in later games if they come out.
I had said that there would be four areas, in fact, there will be six. One of the ones I decided to include will be Oldtown, a more cultural area of the city. Tiffany Starlette lives there. Oldtown is close to the suburbs and the campus, and the island is close to Downtown.
"The Pit of the Bitch Party" was supposed to be an important moment for Nicole in Step 2, where the player would make a choice with a big impact in the ending. However, due to the limitations and because of the negative feedback regarding having to control Nicole, I decided to cut it off. This time I will allow Nicole's part to be optional for those who are only interested in Brendon's pov, but, I will bring back this scene for those who want to make this decision for Nicole.
The movie theater is also in Oldtown. I always find movie theater scenes very boring in any date simulator game because there's not much you can do. I want to take on the challenge of creating fun scenes with this theme.
The restaurant downtown is owned by Barney (Brendon's father) and his step-sister Liza. Mika Fukui will also be introduced working here. Mika lives in an apartment downtown that will also be visited.
For Misty's store, I thought of a more artistic façade. I don't really like the typology, but you get the idea. You'll be free to come back to the store whenever you like to look at the wares or ask Misty if she needs a little help in the back of the store.
I'm still studying the positioning of the buildings, but Wanda's studio, where Brendon works, is also located Downtown. There will be another store that sells special products to give as a gift to Nicole and improve your relationship with her.
The sixth area will be Wankville and will have only one location, Sarah's apartment where Brendon lived before moving in with his father. You've already seen the inside of this apartment in Brendon's flashbacks with Sarah. There will be more flashbacks developing their relationship. Focusing too much on these flashbacks can also impact the ending.
I wanted to talk about my workflow for creating textures for the characters, but this text is already too long so I'll leave it for the next one.
As always, I am very grateful to all of you and wish you all the best. See you later.
Comments
MaliXe
Thank you! π
MaliXe
Hello there! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful message. It means a lot to hear your encouragement towards my progress and to read your suggestions and advice. I completely understand the importance of finding balance while being mindful of feedback and community opinions. However, my characters are already so alive in my imagination that it is unlikely that I will be able to bend them to anyone's pleasure. Even my own pleasure is not enough to dictate the course of history now. But working with different paths and points of view for the same story really appeals to me and I want to go deep into it. I will follow your advice to focus on one project at a time, as it's very likely that later games will never come into being. But I've learned that it's easier to think about the universe of a story when you anchor it in the past and direct it toward the future. Even if these moments never appear in the story, they help guide the imagination. Thank you again for your kind words. It truly means a lot to me.
Archy_TaxiWhy
Hello, I see that you haven't wasted any time and that you've been working hard this week. As for the posts, do as you feel and as you wish ;). Just be careful not to overdose on writing XD. (or work ;) ). I find the idea of replacing the beach with an island in the middle very interesting. It's unusual and I think it's very original, especially if it helps you find more inspiration.I like the overall look of this island. I think it's quite balanced in terms of structure. I think it's more of a manor house, given the size of the house! I like the front with the pillars. As for the back, I find it a bit too simple, too geometric compared to the front. But that's just my opinion, and it looks great as a whole. The fact that you've added architectural variety to the houses makes the neighborhood lively and diverse, and makes you want to explore every corner of the island. Don't put too much pressure on yourself with your other projects, one step at a time, but I like the idea of creating links with places for your different stories. This proves that you know where you're going! As for Nicole's control, I don't think it's a bad idea, but I agree with some of the comments on Itch.io about the lack of precision when we have to control a character. But the idea of having to siwtch between characters to advance in the game is a very nice mechanic. Just a word of advice: be careful with comments and the sites where they're posted. For my part, I think you should first enjoy yourself and do what you want to do. Listening to your community is also important, but it's your game first and foremost. I also think that the most constructive feedback (both negative and positive) comes from Patreon and itch.io, because people have bought your game and continue to support you because they believe in your work. Also trust your discord community more on reviews. If no one is on it, it's because he likes your work and wants to help you evolve. (some of this is not a 100% correct and universal notion) But you are more likely to find frankness and honestyBut you are more likely to find frankness and honesty than on any other site which I would name because there is good everywhere and to summarize the reputation of a site to certain members is in no way a good idea I also know that a lot of people on certain sites just want a game with a maximum of erotic scenes with little story and criticize the work rather easily without really bringing a construction to make the game evolve (Criticized for just criticizing is just meaningless words.) So in my opinion, be careful not to fall into the trap of wanting to please us at all costs, as some developers do. you have to find a happy medium with the objective of your own development. because otherwise you will find yourself in an infernal spiral and you will be demotivated. Your game, your ideas, your pleasure must come first. Of course criticism is very important, but many just want to demotivate more than help. Here is my advice and my personal opinion which is worth and is nothing but advice :). For the cinema scene, I find that you managed to do something original with the "jealousy toilet" scene. I admit that she surprised me and made me laugh.In any case, I like your ambition and I wish you success in your challenge. honestly, thank you for sharing these details with us which shows that you know what you want and which shows the passion you put into the game and the construction of the story. It really makes you want to discover all the functionality, mechanism and rebound when the time comes! Courage to you! I think you have all the ingredients and the talent to make us a good humorous and exciting game. good for you (PS: this is not a comment, but a letter XD)
Flaschenlampe
Looks Good!
