iksanabot wrote:As for as expanding the first game, I would love to, but I doubt it is going to happen. The first game is already huge. I've had many of the ideas that others have suggested here, and I agree there is so much more that could be put into that game, but there are also things about that game that I want to change, and it may be better to start from scratch.
This is a statement that has intrigued me for some time. I've always thought about that would look like, the complete deconstruction of the game and building it up again from scratch, or use the lessons learned from the previous game to make a completely new game with new characters but exploring the same themes as the previous game. Living With Temptation has influenced a lot of other games, most notably Working Man by ICE and Infidel/Unfaithful by Zigmut who took elements from Living With Temptation and went their own way with them. There was so much in the game that there were possibilities that were briefly touched on and not explored due to focusing on other areas. Also there was the radical shift in the game after the Wife Gone Wilder expansion. Completely new fantasies were explored beyond the seduce the babysitter fantasy originally presented. There were subtle (and not so subtle) hints at these other fantasies in the original game. Sometimes I think of what the game would look like if the direction the game took in Wife Gone Wilder, which greatly increased the games popularity, was part of the original concept of the game.
Since in a few weeks we'll probably all be talking about Living With Temptation 2 and I probably won't get a chance to talk about this again, here are a few of my ideas of a "re-edit". Mostly it consists of taking what was in the "Wife Gone Wilder" expansion and building that into the game from the start. I'm not really hoping that the game will get reworked and what I have presented here would be an extremely ambitious and huge game (it is probably closer to two or three separate games), but it is just pretty much a thought experiment on the game. What I'd like is for people who are inspired by the game to take a closer look at the elements that made the game so good and perhaps combine them with their own ideas (like ICE and Zigmut did) to make even more amazing games.
Tracey's Exhibitionism To be honest, Tracey is a far more interesting character than Lisa after the WIfe Gone Wilder expansion. Ultimately her story line opens up in the expansion where you rekindle your relationship by exploring her fantasy of exhibitionism. I wish this could have been explored earlier in the game and built upon slowly, like perhaps being out on the town with Tracey and notice someone is watching and encouraging her to do something to "give him a show" and built up from there. Going to the cabin on the weekend may be removed. When the game was launched the focus was on Lisa and having Tracey go to the cabin with the baby was a good way to get both her and the baby out of the way so you could have one on one time with Lisa. With romancing Tracey an option, that weekend time could be better spent with one on one time with Tracey while Lisa looks after the baby. You're already at home all day with Lisa and have alone time with her while the baby is napping.
Probably the best way to do this is to arrange "Date nights" between you and Tracey. There could be a conversation in the game where you and Tracey talk about not having that spark in your relationship and decide together to go out on dates once a week since you have a live in babysitter to take care of your child at home. There could start off being light teasing, where Tracey may joke with Justin that he's staring at the hostess or Tracey may comment that they young waiter is really hot and have the scene progress for there, with each successive date getting raunchier.
In the game Tracey has a lot of implied power in the relationship. She has a very good job and it seems that she is the primary breadwinner. She's assertive in that you can't influence her to do something she is hesitant to do. She also becomes demanding at times and puts down ultimatums (such as sending Justin to go get her dildo while Derek is watching them at the end, and at the sex club when you pretty much have to sit there and watch her or she'll run off with someone else). Tracey's story line has the opportunity to be a "be careful what you wish for" story line, where Justin could find himself participating a lot in their fantasies when they at first start exploring them in the game but then find himself being relegated to observing the action as the game progresses and being forced to accept that role due to the power imbalance of the relationship. Again, this was touched on a little with a lot of the sex club endings but it would be nice to see the consequences in game. Of course this would a single track of the Tracey relationship, and only done if you make some wrong choices.
Also if Justin decides to explore the Lisa route in the game, there could be a subplot where you could find out Tracey is also cheating where clues are available to be found around the house much like in the game
. It would probably be best to make this a consequence of focusing too much on what you want and not being as attentive towards Tracey as you should be. It also reinforces that the characters in this game have their own wants and needs. Tracey may be just as unhappy with the lack of "spark" in the relationship as you and may, like the main character, look for other ways to rekindle that spark if the main character is unwilling or has their attention focused in other areas. This could be done instead of a situation that would normally just end with a bad ending.
Justin's Swinging FantasyWhile Tracey explores her exhibitionism, she also indulges the main character's swinger fantasy. Again, this could be started earlier in the game and built upon slowly. Perhaps Tracey and the main character start by going out and pretending they're not together. Tracey may sit at a bar with Justin sitting at a booth nearby watching, with the intent of Tracey being hit on by some man and the player coming in, pretending to be a stranger, and pretending to seduce Tracey where she leaves with him instead of the stranger who was trying to pick her up. The game could escalate as the game progresses. Perhaps this becomes routine, the couple gets complacent and then something unexpected happens. Perhaps they decide to do another activity (such as create a dating profile for Tracey and have her go out on dates). Either way this could slowly be built up into swinging (and again, Tracey's power in the relationship could complicate matters).
Start with the Vegas TripTracey and Justin's fantasies are basically introduced on the Vegas Trip late in the original, expanded game. This is a logical way to proceed with introducing these fantasies given that they are far away from home and feel that they will not have to experience the consequences of their actions due to nobody knowing them. Plus they are on vacation and the tendency when on vacation is to drink a lot which ends up lowering their inhibitions. What may be a good idea is to start the game in Vegas a playable intro. They could be in "pre-baby" mode and exploring their fantasies. The fantasy of the swinging and voyeurism could be touched upon here and first introduced. However shortly after this trip Tracey becomes pregnant so your sex lives take a hit and the game officially starts after she has the baby. The player is left wondering where exploring their fantasies would have led after the Vegas trip if Tracey didn't become pregnant shortly after. If you really want to be clever, redesign the Tracey model for this scene, making her look younger by her being more slender and changing her hair to something less professional and younger looking. This way the player experiences Tracey when she was wild, instead of it being described to them in the intro. The scene may have to be expanded upon as you also have to introduce Tracy and the protagonist in this scene as well, so some more dialogue scenes may be necessary. Then the player will have a vested interest in getting Tracey back to her wild and inhibited self again after the baby is born, since the player has already gotten a taste of what that would be like in the intro.
Lisa's FantasiesThe flip side of this is Lisa. The player can have the option of trying to rekindle their relationship with Tracey or recapture that feeling of excitement with Lisa. What you could do is use Lisa's body model and hairstyle for Tracey in the Vegas opening as part of Tracey's younger redesign, to reinforce to the player that Lisa represents Tracey when she was younger and more wild. Lisa, like Tracey, is a bit of an exhibitionist. She likes to dress sexy and be watched. You could explore other fantasies with her than you do with Tracey. Her friend Sandy and her boyfriend Derek could play larger roles in this version of the game (giving variety to the players). If you just want to focus on Lisa, you could focus on her exhibitionism much like you would with Lisa in the original game and have it culminate to the sex scene in the bar like normal. Sandy could also enlist your help to try to get Lisa to experiment with her. It could be an expansion of what happened at the pool in the original game, where Sandy, recognizing Lisa's attraction to you, uses that by creating games where if you win, you get to watch Sandy and Lisa do things together (at first make out, but later it gets more intense). The next time Sandy is over you guys may play Truth and Dare, and the games could get more intense over time. This could end in an eventual threesome. Derek could also be more involved. Lisa may ask for your advice on her relationship with Derek which could open up opportunities, or Derek may spend more time around the house and the player may talk with him more, creating a friendship. Perhaps it is Derek who asks Justin for advice, as from Derek's perspective Justin landed someone as hot as Tracey, so he must know what he's doing. Derek could them play into Tracey and Justin's fantasies, perhaps watching them in a more official capacity by being invited by Justin or Tracey (instead of just being creepy and watching from the bushes at the end).
With Lisa you have the opportunity to explore being a little more in control of the relationship that you are with Tracey. You are technically Lisa's boss and you also have the disposable income to buy her stuff (whereby managing what you spend on Lisa becomes more of a subplot, as before Tracey would notice if you spent too much). Derek can also be manipulated due to his lust for Tracey, or look up to Justin for being able to get someone as hot as Tracey. I'm sure a much better writer than me can think of many opportunities that would be exploitable by Justin in that situation.
The Sex ClubLike in the original expanded game, the sex club could be triggered in the Vegas scene. However by moving the Vegas scene to the start of the game you could have the club make a much more active presence in the entire game. Perhaps there is a character you can talk to and say the right things to to trigger this during the opening Vegas trip. Someone could perhaps see how wild Justin and Tracey are and speak with the couple about joining their exclusive club that has a chapter in their area, giving them a card during the trip. The card is then lost until either Tracey or Justin go through their suitcases and it falls out. They realize they completely forgot about it, especially after Tracey got pregnant. There could be an email address on the card which the couple looks at and exchanges conversations with someone at the other end. This could initiate the swinging plot line, where the club starts an initiation process. They start sending them packages (with outfits, toys and such) and instructions to help Justin and Tracey to explore, to see if this is really for them. The tests will test the resolve of Tracey and Justin, to see if they are really capable of handling their partners being with someone else or if the jealousy would be too much for them. This could culminate in Justin and Tracey going on a double date with another couple also going through the initiation process to see what happens.
Eventually when all the challenges have been completed, Justin and Tracey would have the option of actually visiting the club. I always imagined the club to be more of a secret society thing, the one where everyone wears masks. That's just personal preference though. The thing is, after the "initiation" process Justin and Tracey are already ready for a full on swing experience so they can really enjoy the club, already knowing they are confident enough in their relationship to know that they can enjoy other people and still love each other. It opens up a lot more opportunities when they actually get to the club.
StatisticsThe last thing I'd change, and this is just a personal preference, is get rid of statistics. I always hate how in games when you have to grind out statistics, you always start very low and over the course of 30 to 40 days you can be massively smarter, sexier and more fit. You really wouldn't be able to make massive changes over that short of a period of time. Although I haven't played Living With Temptation 2, the "Respect" mechanic sounds like a good way to go, where the amount of respect you have in the household by the decisions you make and challenges you complete influences what you can do. You could also have multiple categories, like "Respect", "Lust" and "Affection" and combinations of these three effect what options are available at any given time. There could also be questions asked during the opening when talking to another character could also fill out your statistics. So if you are talking to a character at a bar and he asks you "what were you like in high school", you could have a couple of responses such as "I played football" which is more of an athletic character, or "I was in the chess club" which is more of an intelligent character, which may open up opportunities later in the game.