BEW - Ongoing Dev Thread (DAZ Artists Still Wanted)

[Bonhomie]

I am having trouble getting all the achievements and the proper best end in the revamped version of Day 1 - I thought I'd remembered the right route from the earlier version, but obviously not, unless you've changed the parameters

As to your comments above, I would have been quite happy with Faith and Emily and more threesomes all week and Friday being the day the all move in together and get a big bed 8' x 7' and live happily ever after ........................

The replay value would have kept me going for a year or so, and given you plenty of time to do your branch lines.

[Wolfschadowe]

I am having trouble getting all the achievements and the proper best end in the revamped version of Day 1 - I thought I'd remembered the right route from the earlier version, but obviously not, unless you've changed the parameters

There has been a re-balance of that scene since the last demo version was released. On average the criteria is lower, but in some instances, such as Elite paths, like you are referring to are a little bit harder. I'm happy to give hints via PM.

At this point a majority of the content is done that would have been part of a Natalie expansion. I'm very happy with that content though. It is funny reading through my earliest posts in the thread where I'm making estimates about how long it will take to finish up the first act and whole game. If only I knew then what I know now...

Wolfschadowe

[tlaero]

Hey Wolf,

You could still separate Natalie into an expansion pack. Why don't you remove the strip club scenes, focus on Faith and Emily, and get that part done? Then you've got a huge head start on Natalie that you can work on while people play the Faith and Emily scenes. Your customers are arguably better served by two releases than one bigger one. You're better served too, as you'll get feedback you can apply toward Natalie's pack.

Tlaero

[Wolfschadowe]

You could still separate Natalie into an expansion pack.

Logistically, that's doable. I purposely designed BEW to be modular so that I could easily plug new content in. A convenient side effect is that it's equally easy to cut content out. The only way that would really save me any significant time at this point though, is if I carve out the entire Strip Club venue and associated paths, moving everything Strip Club/Natalie related to an expansion. That would mean that some of the Faith and Emily content would be cut as well, but then reinserted with the expansion.

That's not really a big deal, as it's generally been my intent that every expansion would add some additional options and paths to the existing relationships, especially if a new venue is introduced. For example: One of the expansions will add a Dance Club venue that the player could go to on Day 1 to meet a new love interest, or take Emily, Faith, Natalie, or whoever to on Day 2, or day 6 or whenever, for new paths and endings.

I'm not sure if cutting the Strip Club side is something I want to do or not, but I'm happy to take overall community opinion on it. If there's an overwhelming response one way or the other, I'll probably take that route. Too bad there are no voting bars for this forum. So here's a question to those who happen to read this.

Would you prefer:

A) The full original intended game, coming in three Acts, one release per act, consisting of both the Bar and Strip Club Venues, and associated love interests (Faith, Emily, Natalie) in ACT 1, Followed by Act 2, most of which deals with two different love interests, followed by Act 3, that integrates the Act 1 and Act 2 love interests along with the associated overall story across the three acts. If interest remains in the game at that point Then a series of Expansion packs opening 1 new love interest and possible new venues for old love interests. These would be delivered as single releases covering all three acts. (Longest Time-frame for the first release, Medium time-frames for expansions)

B) The full, original storyline, coming in three acts, one release per act, but without the Strip Club relationships or venue options in the first release. This includes moving the Emily and Faith Strip Club Date paths to an expansion. Act's 2 and 3 would be similarly affected. Then the First expansion would include the Strip Club venue, with the new Natalie love interest, and new paths for Emily and Faith that consists of all the new content for all three Acts in one release, and based on overall interest, further expansions. (Shorter time-frame for the first release, Short time-frame for the first expansion, medium time-frames for future expansions.)

C) Something else? I'm open to ideas.

Wolfschadowe

[LRM]

From the FAQ at the top of the page.

How do I create a poll?
When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”, a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.

Looks like you'll have to attach it to post 1, but that is yours too.
Lou
Click the edit box for post 1, below the edit window at the extreme bottom are three tabs, [Options], [Upload attachment], and [Poll creation].

[Wolfschadowe]

Thanks Lou! Poll created!

Wolfschadowe

[Bonhomie]

As I may have started something suggesting I would have been happy just with Faith and Emily, I will make the following observation:

One of Shark's strong points is in reality he delivers a schedule we have all come to know and trust - there is a new game approximately every 4 months (?) and the success of the site has attracted all sorts of 'support acts' some of whom have become stars in their own right, - Tlaero and phreaky, RKShooter, and JimmyJohn, for example.
This is a fabulous site that is a daily visit for me, and I am sure many others.

As you say yourself Wolfschadowe you have realised what a huge project you have set yourself, and I have to say the time involved from your explanation above is one hell of a commitment - us mere plebs who enjoy all the finished product should take note of such effort.

There was concern raised early on that you were trying to do too much, but you had a plan and a determination, and to your credit you have stuck with it.
However I would suggest that releasing manageable chunks lets your fans/audience have something tangible and builds and cements your reputation.
Wendy - well Nanny is the star really - has cult status because we have a series of episodes, each one more eagerly anticipated than the last.

The ability to add on expansions you mention sounds like great foresight.

When I first played Day 1, I imagined a series where in the next instalment during the daytime Brad might score with Emily in the office, then Faith in the backroom at the bar, and then maybe episode 3 would see the three of them out together dining, dancing and flirting, before the threesome.
That would have given you the foundation and the expansions just add to the legacy.

My greatest fear is that something comes along to stop the project.

[crossy]

My 2 cents. I really like the current releases including the club scenes. But I am in favour of more frequent/consistent releases to the public. When I say this I don't mean work longer hours I'm more referring to releasing days or scenes at a time rather than all of ACT one. I think with the most recent demo release you have a really solid foundation/framework (all the menus, functions, achievements, etc - go tlaero (and all others that worked on the Adventure Creature and BEW to get it to this point)!) and have established a really good product/release standard upon which you can build.

E.g add on to version 4, the club scene, then the office scene with emily if you went to the bar, followed by the office scene with emily if you went to the club, then the corruption path(s) etc.

But ultimately this is your hard work and your story that you are creating and sharing. You do what you feel is right and having played what I have played of it so far, people will love it no matter how or when you release it!!! No doubt about it.

Keep up the awesome work!!

[Wolfschadowe]

When I first played Day 1, I imagined a series where in the next instalment during the daytime Brad might score with Emily in the office, then Faith in the backroom at the bar, and then maybe episode 3 would see the three of them out together dining, dancing and flirting, before the threesome.
That would have given you the foundation and the expansions just add to the legacy.

Thank you Bonhomie, for the insight, here and in the rest of your post. It's very helpful. I appreciate all the thought that went into it.

E.g add on to version 4, the club scene, then the office scene with emily if you went to the bar, followed by the office scene with emily if you went to the club, then the corruption path(s) etc.

Thanks crossy. This is pretty much how the playtesters have been experiencing the game, so there is a unique view of it from your perspective. This is also similar to what Bonhomie was saying.

The last time I asked an opinion about the release schedule was back in the very beginning of the project, and I don't know if anyone, including myself, knew how big and complex it would be. Tlaero once told me "Delivery is a feature." or something very similar, and that's always scratched at the back of my mind. The current release plan is really based on that initial question I asked nearly two years ago at the beginning of the project and it's certainly time to ask again.

I am going to update the poll with this new idea from Bonhomie and Crossy, which is more of an episodic release schedule. Interestingly, something similar was in my original idea for how to release the game. Many of my scenes are about the same size as some full games, so releasing scenes as Episodes could work, although there will be a lot of (To be continued in Episode X) links. Maybe when releasing by Episode, I could do a poll with two or three options asking which branch they'd like to see next. For example: Assuming that the current Demo is Episode 1, I would ask which episode the community wanted as Episode 2 - A) The next day at the office, or B) The Strip Club Branch

My apologies to those of you who have already voted, but when I update the poll, this will reset the votes so please re-cast your vote. I'll also be interested to see the result. Thanks to everyone who is voting for your input!

Wolfschadowe

[LRM]

It's your creation.
Do it in whatever manner you like. Make it as easy as possible for you!

[M]

I can't seem to vote in the poll, but I'd personally lean towards sticking to the original release schedule - though obviously the right approach is whichever one works best for you.

Edit: Scratch that, I wasn't signed in before when I tried to vote.

[tlaero]

I firmly believe that one small release every year for ten years is better than one big release 10 years later. I'm well over 20,000 players on some of my games. If I'd waited until they were all done to release any of them, that number would be much smaller. The games kind of advertise each other. Every time I released another, new people found the earlier ones. So the momentum builds. Waiting years and years to release a single giant game takes away that positive feedback loop.

Tlaero

[Wolfschadowe]

Thanks Lou, M and Tlaero for your input and insights!

I'll wait to see how the voting comes out before making a decision. I reserve the right to overrule the vote, of course. It's about the overall feedback, and the impact to my overall effort.

The first two options are pretty straight forward and probably don't need any explanation.

The third option for episodes may need a little more explanation. The game architecture is designed to be modular with components "plugged in" to it. That means the release of what we would call Episode 2, would actually be 1 and 2 together, not 2 as a stand alone games. Essentially "Episode 1 - Bar Start" and "Episode 2 - Club Start." Similar to some of Sharks games where you use a code to continue the second part, in the case of BEW, it would be loading a save-game to continue on with the new content, or play again from the start to discover new content and paths.

The first official Episode release would likely be Episodes 1 & 2 together, the current Demo acting as Episode 1, occurring as soon as 2-4 weeks from the decision point.
The first Vote would be the following three options for Episode 3:

• Day Two Office (Bar Side) - Continuation of the Bar Start storyline.
• Day One Diner - Continuation of the Strip Club Start Storyline.
• Azumi Inclusion - the addition of Azumi storylines into the game beginning with the Day 1 Strip Club.

The results of that vote would be Episode three, released about 2-4 months later.

Just to carry the Scenario further, Let's assume Episode 3 ends up being "Day Two Office (Bar Side). the Vote for Episode 4 would be:

• Day One Diner - Continuation of the Strip Club Start Storyline
• Day 2 Bar - Continuation of the Bar Start Storyline,
• Jasmine Inclusion - the addition of Jasmine storylines into the game, beginning with Day 2 Office.

Note that the Azumi option dropped off the voting list, although it would reappear at some point later. Maybe voting for Episode 6, and again periodically until it get's chosen, if ever. Each episode would run between 100-400 pages.

Depending on Episode sizes, that's 4-6 episodes a year, and I have enough content to pretty much go on until player interest is gone, or I die of old age, whichever is first.

Anyway, that's the info on how Episodes would work. the other two are self explanatory. One big release per act. Each release about 3 years apart given the overall size, and my speed. I'm generally happy with any of the three options being voted on.

Also, whoever Voted for "Something Else," Did you have an idea? Or maybe you simply meant for me to stop making the game and do "Something Else" with my life.

Wolfschadowe

[LRM]

Something else was me. I thought it might cause you to knit your brow; that's why I added a reply. I should have clarified my post.
Lou

[M]

Actually, what's your current best guess for an Act 1 release time? I probably should have asked that before voting.