Virtually Date Crystal

[erana]

What I'd like to see are things OTHER than those seen in Ariane's. ToD, strip clubs, dress-shopping, are all seen. Agreed, dress-shopping has a very good reason to be in a date, but, titty bars on a first date? Even with my own tastes I would find it gross. Also agreed that there should be ample oportunity for titilation, but there are many others places to go other than strip clubs to have fun in a wildly sucessful first date.

Just to show that I can give actual input added to criticism here's a possible path for a more "girly" first date with ample oportunities for flesh-showing: a wild shopping spree (remember to insert a nice dinner somewhere):
- normal clothes (we start tamely)
- shoes ("candid" leg shots galore to please the player)
- jewelry (to please the date, the "nudityon = 1" moment)
- lingerie (by now, both player and date can get pleased)
- tatoos and piercings (the "other" kind of jewelry, partial nudity if date is pleased)
- sexy store (I'm talking the ones selling sexy outfits and massage oils, not 2-feet dongs)
- liquour store (and from here to her place)

Just over the top of my head.

[digits]

Totally agree with the 1st paragraph.

And this "girly" game, you call it like what? Virtually Date D. Trump?

[erana]

Hey, digits, you're talking with someone using the screen name of the Prince of Shapeir's first wife, what are you surprissed about?

Also, did I call it a WILD shopping SPREE or didn't I?

[cowboyblob]

erana wrote : What I'd like to see are things OTHER than those seen in Ariane's. ToD, strip clubs, dress-shopping, are all seen. Agreed, dress-shopping has a very good reason to be in a date, but, titty bars on a first date? Even with my own tastes I would find it gross. Also agreed that there should be ample oportunity for titilation, but there are many others places to go other than strip clubs to have fun in a wildly sucessful first date.

Just to show that I can give actual input added to criticism here's a possible path for a more "girly" first date with ample oportunities for flesh-showing: a wild shopping spree (remember to insert a nice dinner somewhere):
- normal clothes (we start tamely)
- shoes ("candid" leg shots galore to please the player)
- jewelry (to please the date, the "nudityon = 1" moment)
- lingerie (by now, both player and date can get pleased)
- tatoos and piercings (the "other" kind of jewelry, partial nudity if date is pleased)
- sexy store (I'm talking the ones selling sexy outfits and massage oils, not 2-feet dongs)
- liquour store (and from here to her place)

Just over the top of my head.

Somewhere on the Date Ariane threads I suggested a few new detours that are common to first dates:

-- the movies (the choice of movie alone leads to several avenues of adventure)

-- party at a friends house, complete with spiked punch, recreational pharmaceuticals, amorous competitors horning in on your date, etc.

Since Chaotic is working up a choice a girls to chose from, this represents a chance for great variety in outcome. Crystal's style might be slasher flicks and flirting right in front of her date, while a more girly-girl might love a romantic comedy and dancing til she drops.

Another girl might favor watching a Netflix movie at home with a few beers and another might want to take her date out on her motorcycle and show him off to her tough biker friends at the bar.

Maybe another girl likes to make her own movies, if you know what I mean.

Maybe the tree-hugger gal likes to get naked in the forest to commune with Nature (noticed all the baby seal prints in her living room, did you?), but is a total prude except under the right conditions (like if you happened to have noticed that wacky-weed supplier and made a purchase about 10 screens earlier). That same scenario would get you in bad with the lady who happens to be a police officer, but if you don't screw up, then discover her liking for role-playing, she just might handcuff you and tease the ever-loving jism right out of you.

Heck, one of the girls might be cerebral and really dig you for your mind. (You totally grokked that foreign film at the cinema, didn't you? Ever make out under the constellations at the Planetarium?) (In fact, do you know what "grokked" means?)

Let's not discount (heh!) the chick who might be a total professional and will go "around the world" with you for dinner, drinks, and $500. Hope you especially used a condom with that one!

Throw in a crazy broad with "Daddy" or "control" issues (Why do YOU get to choose the movie?) and you'll have us guessing for hours and hours of game play. Of course, programming all this will take many more times that, but you've gotta start somewhere, right?

[testyculs]

This game has so much potential. Kudos to Chaotic. I love everything I have found so far.

[digits]

Oh my... Even the purest sorceresses are so material, these days! (sigh)

When adding other characters, it's certainly a good idea to give them different personnalities, not only different apparences. Based on the pesonnality match test at he beginning, it's probably something Chaotic has in mind.
It could also be interesting to break the unity of time, and let the date flow over a few days... The Ariane's game (or was it some kind of hack of it ) made an attempt in this direction through the threesome path. But I'm affraid it could become quite soon a coding pain.

[erana]

inthecrackrules wrote : 'Prince of Shapeir', wow, now THAT is a surprise!
Love that series! Hell, Leisure Suit Larry was the first Sierra title I ever played!

Surprise? And now exactly WHICH Erana the Sorceress do you think was my name?

[erana]

digits wrote : Oh my... Even the purest sorceresses are so material, these days! (sigh)

Good and noble indeed, but not SO pure, my friend... just take a look at what I did in games 4 and 5; first I keep flirting with my good hero even if I was actually dead, then mercylesly gave him the "friend treatment", then wind up in a marriage with another two women. And you surely noticed the lack of huge explossions and/or soul-wrecking castration noises at the game's end, right? Would you think a sorceress of my power would have quietly acepted the idea of sharing the wedlock with another three women without maiming him FOR REAL if the idea had bothered me? Or if I hadn't been atracted to the idea to begin with?

I'd say that explains why I'm playin now all those games with hot girl-girl action...

Back to track,

When adding other characters, it's certainly a good idea to give them different personnalities, not only different apparences. Based on the pesonnality match test at he beginning, it's probably something Chaotic has in mind.

Yep, having three women with suposedly diferent personalities react in the same way would make no sense. We have the "Ariane-clone" covered (the one who looks pretty tame but once you get her moving is quite the party animal), we need the "tough biker girl" (I second that one!) and the "pretty princess", too. The later comes in two flavours (pun not intended), though: the incurable romantic and the more materialistic "sugar babe".

It could also be interesting to break the unity of time, and let the date flow over a few days... The Ariane's game (or was it some kind of hack of it ) made an attempt in this direction through the threesome path. But I'm affraid it could become quite soon a coding pain.

Yep, first "follow next day" was my own. But that was just a single scrïpted event. IIRC, Arnulf's version allows you to keep the game going a second day. You don't wish to overdo it too much, anyway. Make it too long and it becomes a dating SIM, not a date simulator. And I doubt Chaotic is willing to go that route. But there's a quite easy middle ground, taking a page from Leonizer's book, as it were. The Aria Giovani LOP dating sim. It would be reasonably easy to give the option of having three dates in a row, then choosing one. Or better yet, being CHOSEN by one, by the one you managed to impress the most. Would require petty minimal Javascrïpt, namely three (3) variables ("points" given by first, second and third date, variable is ismply set at each date end, like Ariane's "X out of 10"), and one (1) function that simply chooses the highest value at game end and loads the apropiate ending. Chaotic can even recicle code from Ariane for that!

[sharkfan]

I'm sorry but a woman talking about programming is soooooo sexy.

[digits]

erana wrote :
Good and noble indeed, but not SO pure, my friend... just take a look at what I did in games 4 and 5; first I keep flirting with my good hero even if I was actually dead, then mercylesly gave him the "friend treatment", then wind up in a marriage with another two women. And you surely noticed the lack of huge explossions and/or soul-wrecking castration noises at the game's end, right? Would you think a sorceress of my power would have quietly acepted the idea of sharing the wedlock with another three women without maiming him FOR REAL if the idea had bothered me? Or if I hadn't been atracted to the idea to begin with?

I must confess a most unexplainable hole in my culture concerning this series. A bit of research in Ancient Tomes gave me a general plot of the story, but it's certainly quite a privilege to receive the testimony of someone who was such a key part of the action.

Yep, having three women with suposedly diferent personalities react in the same way would make no sense. We have the "Ariane-clone" covered (the one who looks pretty tame but once you get her moving is quite the party animal), we need the "tough biker girl" (I second that one!) and the "pretty princess", too. The later comes in two flavours (pun not intended), though: the incurable romantic http://www.aceboard.net/kator/smiley193.gif and the more materialistic "sugar babe".

Quite an appealing catalog, my dear, but don't make them too predictible. The "tough biker girl" probably should have its share of "pretty princess". Fascinating women often have different sides, haven't they?

Yep, first "follow next day" was my own. But that was just a single scrïpted event. IIRC, Arnulf's version allows you to keep the game going a second day. You don't wish to overdo it too much, anyway. Make it too long and it becomes a dating SIM, not a date simulator. And I doubt Chaotic is willing to go that route. But there's a quite easy middle ground, taking a page from Leonizer's book, as it were. The Aria Giovani LOP dating sim. It would be reasonably easy to give the option of having three dates in a row, then choosing one. Or better yet, being CHOSEN by one, by the one you managed to impress the most. Would require petty minimal Javascrïpt, namely three (3) variables ("points" given by first, second and third date, variable is ismply set at each date end, like Ariane's "X out of 10"), and one (1) function that simply chooses the highest value at game end and loads the apropiate ending. Chaotic can even recicle code from Ariane for that!

You're most certainly right drawing a line between date simulator and dating sims. That's why I talked about a few days, not weeks or
months. For the same action in the same location I'm expecting different reactions based on the history of the
relationship. You already have this in Dating Ariane's game, but expanding the time, you can reach a higher level of complexity. You
dont't want to go too far either: a larger decision tree is harder to code, and Ariane's author herself talks about making her game less
difficult in the comments associated with the release of 5.5.

The LOP scheme is a way but don't you need more variables behind the scene, if when affecting points, each girl has different "triggers"?

[Arnulf]

digits,It is not so that we are bound to the intentions of Ariane's official author. In the past we have shown, that there is a wide field of options. Just wait and see!

[qbv8]

... Just wait and see ... ?

[digits]

Arnulf wrote : digits,It is not so that we are bound to the intentions of Ariane's official author. In the past we have shown, that there is a wide field of options. Just wait and see!

Not what I meant
And since the licence change, you have more freedom than ever!
But she must know quite a lot about what works and what doesn't, now. Some aspects may be attractive for a few and repulsive for all the others. Complexity is no doubt one of them, and it makes sense not to raise it too much in a date simulator.

[erana]

Arnulf, but we are (honor) bound to the intentions of Crystal's original autor. Being a fellow Lagooner, I won't step in Chaotic's toes, as it were. I can, and will, make sugestions, but I won't write add-ons for Crystal

[Arnulf]

But maybe, you want to give Ariane some advices (from female POV), how to proceed?