September 20 Update

Peter

Not sure if you have seen this already, but in Alabaster hall, it appears that you can walk up the windows and up inside the walls. Havent actually finished the content off yet, but I presume this is a bug since the characters arent mentioning how wierd it is that its possible.

Sierra Lee

Thank you for sharing your thoughts in detail, and thanks for your support!

Well since some people are leaving semi reviews i might do a short one since it has been nagging at the back of my head. For starters just gonna say i am new to your patron but played about 15-20 hours of the TLS beforehand joined the patreon because your game is good and you provide it for free so not only people who can spare money can play it i do like that. Now for the mini-review - the story, world and law are very good particularly when you avoid the 'planet of hats' problem with species such as the sucubi since they ingame have their own problems and dreams beyond their sterotype which drawed me in among otherthings, on another note the turn based combat seemed fair and tight in most cases with some problems here and there but other than that it was fine. the character arcs and motivations are fairly well done. critism the part i don't like about reviewing stuff i like since it can lead to the belive i dislike the game but i like this one alot. the gameplay outside of combat mostly the side quests are personally really annoying to navigate sometimes with very vague quest logs and updates make picking up and playing the game harder then it could be a example of this is impressing the ambassador i spoke to the elf, dealt with the cult and big man ect and the houses and i was still lost on what to do also asking every side character without much indication on the quest log and hope you didn't skip the important diolog instead of the generic character diolog is tedious. these are just examples and i can expand these and on other things that i found either dragging me into or out of my immersion. in short your game has alot of problems that i believe you can iron out over time and some of these issues i have such as the side quest and the quest log in general is a subjective matter but it still has a great story and atmosphere among other things that kept me playing. if you want me to expand on my critism or/and pros you can i just don't want to take up too much of your time and sorry in advance if i made any spelling mistakes.

Sierra Lee

Thanks for taking the time to give your thoughts on the subject! Again, though, I need to stress that this was just a hypothetical I decided to spin out for everyone. The parents would be Lizzie and John, so of course certain elements of the story would be set in stone, but I think there would actually be room for branching paths. Not massively branching, but your decisions would create a different sort of daughter who would get into different situations. Like the original, heavy emphasis on subtle results of decisions. Don't worry, I wasn't enamored with the trial and error involved in LLtQ either. If I followed that model, I'd try to have clearer goals and more viable paths.

Ah, I’m a bit late to reply, sorry for that! I’d just like to mention my opinion since I played PM games and also enjoyed Crimson Gray on Steam. First off, as a fan of the writing of Crimson Gray/TLS, I will admit that such a game would be right in my strike-zone! Describing it as heartwarming and tense puts into words what I liked about the game when I played. Makes me wish I knew them when I was describing it to my friends. (Sigh) But back to opinion! The setting and concept is rock solid, and I would say that the gameplay loop you described reminds me of games like Alter Ego and such which are basically raising simulators. The lack of branching paths, IMO, makes sense since I’m assuming much of the parents and kid’s personality will be basically set in stone for both convenience and a more structured story for the events. I’m imagining there will be acts for different ages, each with their own conflict, climax, and then resolution. For me personally, I think a big appeal is as long as the player feels that there is an effect to their choice, even if it is flavor text or not an “optimal choice”, the game will have done a good job of letting me enjoy myself. All the options for endings in PM games were nice, but I only cared that they were a confirmation that my decisions could lead to varied endings (with cute CGs!). I’d actually say that Long Live the Princess was my least enjoyed game mechanics-wise out of the list since it was so punishing with the stat checks! It definitely made me die enough times to switch from casual roleplaying to pulling up a guide for decisions, which is never a fun time for me! (I make an exception for TLS because I love the characters and world!) I think a pure visual novel approach would fit well with the game, doubly so if it’s basically the sequel to Crimson Gray. Sorry for writing a lot without any real data/research to back it up. I’m not good with gameplay feedback for TLS and everyone else is pretty quick on picking up bugs with the game. I hope my opinion helps as a drop in the “casual” bucket! PS - Good luck on OEA and TLS! I know that you are pumped for finishing those first so I hope you’re enjoying yourself! Yay for Patience!

Sierra Lee

Thanks for giving your thoughts! Minigames are good in theory, and I've enjoyed some games based on raising stats via them. But unfortunately they run the risk of either sucking or multiplying the production cost of the game several times.

Nathan Phoenix

I never played Crimson Gray but I can tell you Princess Maker 2 is universally loved game. Some critic feedback I got from forcing my friends to play the game. 1: keep the rpg elements in your game, if your using a modern setting you could use a imagination or story-time setting for that. 2: use minigames for the activities instead of just watching stats rise and fall.

Sierra Lee

It's something I'd like to do, but I don't know how probable it is. I'm glad that it found its audience, though. ^-^

Sierra Lee

Yes, it's ground that isn't commonly covered. I do think there are reasons for it, such as children being relatively limited in a medium that's generally about efficacy, and no one wants a game-long escort mission. I think the idea has a shot at a different approach, but I don't know how well it would work in the end.

Runcible Technician

Oh snap! As one of the strange audience that loved Crimson Gray, I'd love to see another! I was just thinking about Crimson Gray earlier today as I played To the Moon, maybe these stories are just my cup of tea.

AF

You know I just realized how rare it is to find games about having/raising kids. I can think of a few games where having a child is something that you can do (IE: Harvest Moon series) or where having a kid is part of normal gameplay (IE: The Sims, Crusader Kings) but these games don't really have childrearing as the "main event." Wayyyy more games let you conquer Europe in every which way than let you have a kid.

Darthjake

Sounds interesting, don't drive yourself crazy(ier), figuring it out. :D

Sierra Lee

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Yandere

Sierra Lee

I don't know how well I could move from idea to execution, but yeah, I feel like there's appealing potential there. I'm deeply interested in neurodivergence in general, it's just a question of when the right project to explore it will come along.

Dark Art

In all honesty, that sounds more like a framework for a book, rather than a game. In fact, this sounds like a framework for a GOOD book. Very rough, yet very emotional book. Not gonna be quick or easy, but if it works.. Oh boy... P.S. Whats a Yandere?

The idea holds merit to me. I'm already imagining the lets players going bananas over it. There's a lot of potential for further exploration of the trials and tribulations of neurodivergent brains developing in a society that frowns upon and vilifies their thought process.

Sierra Lee

Oh, the more likely scenario is that I never return to the idea, much less that I'd even touch it before finishing OEA. Actually, I wrote most of this post mid-week while I was really thinking about the idea, but I've moved on. TLS is progressing quite well and I'm feeling good about it!

BleBle

It's nice to have ideas in mind and paper, I love it a lot, but dont let it invade you.First finish OEA please ^.^ and TLS well that goes around the month I guess. Are you alright?

Sierra Lee

Yes.

Sierra Lee

I assume you haven't played Crimson Gray, but it would be set in that continuity, where it's an epigenetic condition. Except in this case there wouldn't be any abuse, so there's more space for a healthier resolution.

Sierra Lee

Haha, that balance would be one of my favorite things about the project, along with warm psychopath moments.

Sierra Lee

If I wasn't clear enough, this would be directly related to Crimson Gray. You'd be playing as Lizzie and John, so they don't know exactly what to expect, but they're not going in naive. I feel like a wide range of outcomes could happen, though I'm not sure how much freedom the player would logically have to make terrible decisions.

JJS

Is everything going alright?

TheAmazingRando

I'm intrigued and wholeheartedly support a Yandere raising project. I don't think anybody really thought about how someone could become Yandere, only the aftermath of a Yandere interaction. Please do!

Cannali

I really like the concept but it's definitely one that relies heavily on how its executed. If you decide to go for it I'm excited to see how you do it. You're definitely going to want to find a good balance between warm child and crazy psychopath in the making just so you have those moments where you're like, my child needs help, but I still love them.

Enigma42

Sound like a good idea a few questions that popped into my head are what kind of settings urban, rural you are fully prepared or going by the seat of your pants and what kind of endings are going to happen like will the child try to turn the tables on you and try to mold you or will the child being setting you up for a crime or turn into one of those out of sight out of mind criminals