Idolcraft (RPG Maker XP)

[flowerthief]

KimiYoriBaka:
Thanks for the glitch report.

Roulette house...I knew it was abuse-prone but you convinced me to do something about it. Maybe I'll have the house kick you out and not let you back in if your net gains exceed X. What do you think's a good value for X? 1000 maybe?

Endless mode doesn't have any new story or events. I added it on the request of a player who wanted to be able to play endlessly.

dizzcity:
Get some sleep! Hehe

[dizzcity]

Finally got a A+, without cheating or gambling. Yumi, Sachie, Nanako, Erina, Chisato and Fumika, with the first two holding the top positions and the rest all ranked.

About the limit for the roulette winnings... I guess it depends on whether you want players to worry about money or not. Some players might actually not want to bother with running around doing jobs, and instead be able to focus on other things besides money. For those, a daily winnings limit of 1000 should be more than enough. Even in the last week of May with six high-stats idols, my daily training expenses were only taking up around 1,000-1,200. But if you see the roulette wheel as just a booster to income, to help lower the difficulty barrier slightly rather than going around the money problem altogether, then maybe a lower daily winnings limit (say, 500) might be better. If they run around doing jobs, technically a maximally-efficient player should be able to earn a total of 675 a day (60 gardening or janitor job + 70 data entry job + 45 telemarketing job + 500 roulette winnings). Which is more than sufficient for the early days, and just enough of a challenge for the later days. Considering that you can usually only run up to six training sessions a day and that the cost of a training session averages out to about 100, your daily training expenses would only take up 600. And that's not profits from CD/DVD sales and stamina limitations of the idols. 500 might actually be too much. You could maybe make it 250 in April, and raise it to 500 for May. That might be more reasonable.

Got some sleep, and back to my sixth game... now deliberately going for a loli and adult combination.

-Dizzy-

[Another]

I like the endless mode. When there were still idols that I couldn't recruit, this allowed me to figure out solutions without having to rush or to restart from the beginning.


If you're planning to reduce the incomes, there are two other issues: the birdies and the cheating bush.

I didn't gamble nor use the bush, but I was still able to make incredible scores (the six idols in the top... six!, with vocal/dance/charm all maximized to 99, just before the concert). So, a limit for the birdies could be needed too. Or maybe a different calculation? Instead of 10, 20, 40, 80, 160$, something like 20, 40, 60, 80, 100$... ?

Concerning the cheating bush, you could limit the number of times it can be used. Or simply add a tag in the final scores?


Nevertheless, please don't make the game too difficult. Players can still add their own challenges when they find a game too easy. They can do little in the opposite situation... I don't think Idolcraft is too easy when you first play it. It's only when you have learned the ropes that it starts to become less challenging.

Maybe implementing an easy and a difficult mode would agree everyone. I don't know how much difficult it would be to code, though...


Keep up the good work!

[dizzcity]

I didn't gamble nor use the bush, but I was still able to make incredible scores (the six idols in the top... six!, with vocal/dance/charm all maximized to 99, just before the concert).

How on earth did you manage that? I can usually make my first two idols hit the top, but all six with maxed out stats? How did you earn enough money to keep on training them? Or did you spend your money on an early-release strategy on CDs and DVDs to make them rise up the ranks earlier? I usually wait until they're decently trained (at least 40 vocal) before I schedule a CD / DVD release, but... do you do it even earlier?

And how on earth did you build up their charm? You must have had an incredibly lucky streak with the radio show events... the only other ways I know to raise charm are granny's training, the Fancy Perfumes, and that odd Necklace you occasionally find on the ground. Granny will only give you a maximum of 135 charm points (9 Sundays) throughout the game, and all those perfumes take a long time to search for. Was there a buyable item that raises charm?

-Dizzy-

EDIT: Btw, got another A+ with the other six idols (Bunny, Kazune, Airi, Mei, Tomomi & Monique).

[flowerthief]

Good feedback, thanks!
Yeah, I don't want to make the game harder as such, just crack down on abuse of the gambling whereby a player can save after each win and go back to a save state whenever they lose. Maybe it would make more sense to have them kick you out if your win-loss record is skewed too much. If you've won, say, 10 more times than you've lost then it probably wasn't because of luck. The kick would have to be permanent or else you could abuse it for one huge sum every day.

[Another]

How did you earn enough money to keep on training them?

- I collect a lot of birdies. After a few weeks, my incomes are so high that money is no more a problem. Note that many people can give you money early (ex-employers or boyfriends, granny, woman in the karaoke, kid in the park,...). And I don't mention places where money is hidden...

- On the first month, I often check the idols' rooms in the hope of getting special events. I also invest money early to build their stamina (fitness center) and confidence (vacation). This is important when I start to really train them.

- The two last weeks before the concert, I almost never leave the studio, except for buying food. Thus, I can train my idols like horses. Combo plates are great for this purpose. The items sold by the shady merchant are useful too, especially soft pillows, herbal tea and party dresses.

Or did you spend your money on an early-release strategy on CDs and DVDs to make them rise up the ranks earlier?

You're absolutely right. When I receive the first letter of my uncle, I have already 6 idols. I get thus 1300$. Time to release my second disk! Of course, my idols are not well trained when I release my first CD's, so I don't get many incomes from this. But it really helps them gain more popularity. Btw, did you notice that there's a special mention after the concert when you've released a certain number of CD's or DVD's?

How on earth did you build up their charm?

Mostly with perfumes and necklaces. Of course, I visit granny on each of the eight Sundays, although she helps only one idol. As far as I know, there's no buyable item that raises charm. But I take profit from some special events.

All those perfumes take a long time to search for.

That's true. In April, I run across the city like a chicken, quickly checking the places were the items are likely to appear. But it's necessary, as I'm too busy in May with the training and the DVD's releases.

[dizzcity]

Good feedback, thanks!
Yeah, I don't want to make the game harder as such, just crack down on abuse of the gambling whereby a player can save after each win and go back to a save state whenever they lose. Maybe it would make more sense to have them kick you out if your win-loss record is skewed too much. If you've won, say, 10 more times than you've lost then it probably wasn't because of luck. The kick would have to be permanent or else you could abuse it for one huge sum every day.

Actually, the way I cheat at roulette is simply a matter of timing. Because I can control when the wheel stops, and I can spot the only green 00 tile flashing by, I can roughly estimate where the wheel will land if I hit stop just as the green flashes by. I usually bet on the number range of 11, 30, 8. There's like a 75% chance I'll land on one of those three numbers, and if I do, I get 11x returns, so it's usually worth it even if I miss once or twice. No real need to save-load. But that does mean my win-loss ratio is absurdly high... whether I'm playing for peanuts or millions. That's why I thought maybe a limit on daily winnings might be better, as the thing you're really trying to control is the cash influx, not so much the success rate. If you implement this win-loss ratio kick, then what I would do is bet 999 for the win. I just need to get lucky once to win over 10k. And I can deliberately bet low and miss the rest of the times to keep my win-loss ratio manageable. Alternatively, the way to control this kind of timed cheating is either remove the player's control of when to stop (make it completely up to random chance, like true roulette... but then it becomes less fun without more betting options like "odd", "even", "red" or "black"), or change the green tile to be indistinguishable from the rest (raise the difficulty of getting the timing right).

Edit: By the way, I just spotted a bug. Tomomi's hair event says it adds 10 Charm twice, but nothing actually gets added to her stats.

Another A+ score, this time picking out everyone who had charm, and adding a couple of spares:


Anyway, early release of CDs and DVDs does seem to be the way to go. Still couldn't get maxed out stats for all (fancy perfumes are just too rare to come by), but your strategy does seem to be roughly similar to my own, Another. I didn't go birdie hunting, but did consistently train throughout. There does seem to be a correlation between high confidence and criticals in training... am I right?

-Dizzy-

[KimiYoriBaka]

About the roulette house:
Actually, looking at the system, it doesn't make sense to base the limit on winnings when the max bet is 999. I would suggest just lowering the max bet to around 20, so the winnings come out around 660, 440, or 220 each time you win. Getting frequent wins legitimately through skill is actually quite hard, and using saves takes patience, so doing so enough to last the whole game would take quite a bit of effort.

about the difficulty, the roulette house doesn't actually change the difficulty of the game as it's still possible to get A+ without gambling, spamming birdies or cheating. (or so I assume as when I got an "A", I hadn't figured out the dorm mystery yet)

oh and I found the fancy perfumes pretty easily once I got used to where they would appear.

[Another]

There does seem to be a correlation between high confidence and criticals in training... am I right?

I've assumed so far that only herbal tea and party dresses increase criticals, so I mostly keep confidence at high levels to prevent idols from skipping work. But your question makes me wonder if the piano influences training? There's probably a good reason why it can only be played once a day...

[flowerthief]

^

Actually, not really. Nor does confidence affect critical lessons.

For the roulette house, I like the idea of limiting the max bet. The downside is that being able to wager a larger sum on your next bet than you did on your last is part of the appeal of gambling. I'm thinking I'll limit the bet to two digits (99 max) AND have them kick you out if your total winnings ever exceed 10,000.

Oh, and thanks for the bug report about Tomomi. It was actually increasing Airi's charm instead.

[Santander02]

Where does Kazune go when she skips work? I've knocked on every door in the game but I still can't find her anymore.

[Another]

Where does Kazune go when she skips work?

Here are two places where you can find Kazune:

- behind the studio;
- in the fitness centre (one more spoiler: remember what I said about ex-boyfriends in a precedent post).

But sometimes, idols hide so well that it's just impossible to find them. If an idol disappears many days, here's what you can do to bring her back before it's too late:

Release a disk featuring that idol (they never skip recordings). Just after the recording, give her something that increases confidence or pay her some vacation.

I'm thinking I'll limit the bet to two digits (99 max) AND have them kick you out if your total winnings ever exceed 10,000.

Nice idea!

[dizzcity]

Idol disappearances (and where to find them):

Airi:
- Just outside the studio, getting a breath of fresh air
- In the park, north-east corner

Bunny:
- In the house next to her former office (where you stole the key from the mailbox)
- Looking for alcohol in the studio basement

Chisato:
- Singing in the karaoke lounge (only open after 3 p.m.)
- Surrounded by creeps (with Erina) outside the studio

Erina:
- In her friend's house (just north of the supermarket, to the left of Airi's house garden)
- Surrounded by creeps (with Chisato) outside the studio

Fumika:
- At her friend's house (blue roof with two TV antennas, above the data entry job house on the fitness center map)
- Subbing in for Masato at the studio reception desk
- Looking at dresses in the studio basement

Kazune:
- At the fitness center, talking to the guy behind the counter (her ex-boyfriend)
- Outside the studio dorm, smoking.

Mei:
- Playing in the studio basement

Monique:
- In her neighbour's house (park map, just above the florist shop)
- Trapped outside the studio by fans (inaccessible)

Nanako:
- At her house (same map as the studio, blue roof on the far right, just below the toy shop)
- Someplace else, I think (sometimes she just disappears, and I can't find her anywhere...)

Sachie:
- Playing at her friend's house (house just north of Bunny's old office)

Tomomi:
- In the house next to hers (red roof, same map as the fitness center, to the left of the drinks machines)

Yumi:
- Looking at the jukebox inside the restaurant near the studio (where you found Nanako)
- Staring at the street where you recruited her, outside the studio.

-Dizzy-

[Another]

^_^

Mei can also be found behind her own home.

Of course, Monique is not completeley inaccessible when she's surrounded by her fans (it's just another puzzle that you can solve by talking to them in the correct order).

I fear our desire to be helpful lead us to give too many spoilers in this thread...
Or should I say our competitive streak?

[dizzcity]

^_^

Of course, Monique is not completeley inaccessible when she's surrounded by her fans (it's just another puzzle that you can solve by talking to them in the correct order).

Wait, really? I could never solve that... hmm, okay, have to go and try now. And heh about the competitive streak.

-Dizzy-