[BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

Ideas and games that are not yet publicly in production. This forum also contains the pre-2012 archives of the Works in Progress forum.
Message
Author
flowerthief
Regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:32 pm
Contact:

[BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#1 Post by flowerthief »

I'm looking for helpful people to test and give feedback on a major project that I've kept under wraps for too long. It's a freeware datesim that allows for a high degree of user customization. I've done as much testing as I can stand so it's time to release the beta!

Image


About the game:
Assuming the role of a male 2nd year high school student in Japan, the player will meet, interact with, and date a number of female characters with the goal of winding up with one of them at the end of a 101-day calendar. The gameplay system is a complex blend of conversational decision-making, board game-like mechanics, stat management, financial management, and other things. I'm not really sure where to begin describing it, so have a gander at the screenshot below. Yes, this was made with RPG Maker.

Image

But what exactly do I mean by "a number of female characters"? In fact, the number is completely open-ended!

The unique feature of this game--as far as I know this is the first dating sim to ever attempt it--is that users may customize the pursuable heroines in the game. You can create your own characters, share them with others, and add new characters others have made into your game. Theoretically, the replay value is endless.

You can use either a template to create the images for custom characters, or use images you've created yourself or images from any source, really. (only "standing" images can be imported; there is no event CG in the game) A simple scripting language is provided for writing story events for custom characters. You can also customize some of the music.

The screenshots demonstrate some of the possiblities.

Image

Hey, a new Negima game is out! Well, no, actually.

Image

So I'm gonna need good testing and feedback all the more since the concept is experimental. But just as the thread says, this project is in beta-testing. There's an essentially complete game here that should occupy a player for hours even before exploring the customization features.

(The title of the game will probably be Heartache 101. You'll notice that one thing the game is yet lacking is a title screen. This is because I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the title and may possibly change it if a better one occurs to me)


What I could use feedback on:

1. Gameplay
I think this is the most important thing, because if the core gameplay ain't fun who will care that it characters can be customized? Testers, please play the game and tell me honestly what you think. What aspects are fun and what aspects could be more fun? How is the difficulty? What things would you do to improve it? Obviously, please report any bugs you encounter.

2. Customization
Please mess around with the customization features; there's bound to be plenty of bugs and issues I haven't considered. You don't need to create content you would ever share with others. Just play around and see if you can do the things you're supposed to be able to do. I've left Story Test unlocked in the beta and you can use that to test story events you write. (normally, Story Test is unlocked after completing the game) Try creating a character or two and writing a little bit of story for her. Again, what you write doesn't have to be anything serious, but see if things really work.

3. Story & writing
Although it may not be critical that my own story & writing be good if the customization features are successful, still, I do want it to be as good as I can make it. So please give me feedback on the writing and on the built-in characters. Are the built-in characters likable? (I'm slightly worried that the female lead--Miki-might not be as likable as she should be) If there are bits that you think should be rewritten for any reason, don't hesitate to tell me. Of course report any bad spelling or typos or anything else that's off.

4. Documentation
Is the help file which explains how to do all the customization stuff easy to understand? Please tell me if any parts aren't clear. I want the customization process to be easy and fun as much as possible.

5. Any other suggestions you have for me!

If you're interested in helping out, please contact me and I'll send you a link to the download.
Thanks for reading!

edit: removed spoiler tags that didn't work the way I thought they would
Last edited by flowerthief on Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Customizable datesim in beta! Need testers!
Idolcraft - RPG-style bishoujo simulation

User avatar
sake-bento
Eileen-Class Veteran
Posts: 1909
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:58 pm
Completed: http://sakevisual.com/games.html
Projects: Every Sunrise, Shinsei
Organization: sakevisual
Tumblr: sakevisual
Deviantart: sakevisual
itch: sakevisual
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#2 Post by sake-bento »

::raises hand:: I would love to be a beta tester for this!

User avatar
azureXtwilight
Megane Procrastinator
Posts: 4118
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:54 am
Completed: Fantasia series (ROT and ROTA), Doppleganger: Dawn of The Inverted Soul, a2 (a due), Time Labyrinth
Projects: At Regime's End
Organization: Memento-Mori VNs, Team Sleepyhead
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#3 Post by azureXtwilight »

Umm, I want to beta test too! :D
Image

LVUER
King of Lolies
Posts: 4538
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:57 pm
Completed: R.S.P
Location: Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#4 Post by LVUER »

I want it, I want it \(>0<)/ I mean I want to be a beta-tester too!
"Double the princesses, quadruple the fun!" - Haken Browning (SRW-OG Endless Frontier)

DeviantArt Account
MoeToMecha Blog (under construction)
Lolicondria Blog (under construction) <- NSFW

flowerthief
Regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:32 pm
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#5 Post by flowerthief »

Great! I've sent a PM to all of you.
I don't think ya can have too many testers for something like this, so anyone who offers to help will be appreciated.

edit: btw, can one of you do me a favor and tell me if Alt + Enter in the game switches to full screen for you.
Customizable datesim in beta! Need testers!
Idolcraft - RPG-style bishoujo simulation

User avatar
azureXtwilight
Megane Procrastinator
Posts: 4118
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:54 am
Completed: Fantasia series (ROT and ROTA), Doppleganger: Dawn of The Inverted Soul, a2 (a due), Time Labyrinth
Projects: At Regime's End
Organization: Memento-Mori VNs, Team Sleepyhead
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#6 Post by azureXtwilight »

Ok, download is quite slow in this part so I'll be sending you suggestions maybe... Tonight! :D

Can't wait to try!
Image

User avatar
sake-bento
Eileen-Class Veteran
Posts: 1909
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:58 pm
Completed: http://sakevisual.com/games.html
Projects: Every Sunrise, Shinsei
Organization: sakevisual
Tumblr: sakevisual
Deviantart: sakevisual
itch: sakevisual
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#7 Post by sake-bento »

I got a RGSS102E.dll error. O_< As I am currently on Windows Vista, there's a good chance the problem is on my end. I'll see if I can find another computer to run this on.

LVUER
King of Lolies
Posts: 4538
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:57 pm
Completed: R.S.P
Location: Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#8 Post by LVUER »

Same here, downloading is very slow (I always get very slow speed when downloading from torrent). Let's see if I managed to download it all this afternoon...
"Double the princesses, quadruple the fun!" - Haken Browning (SRW-OG Endless Frontier)

DeviantArt Account
MoeToMecha Blog (under construction)
Lolicondria Blog (under construction) <- NSFW

User avatar
azureXtwilight
Megane Procrastinator
Posts: 4118
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:54 am
Completed: Fantasia series (ROT and ROTA), Doppleganger: Dawn of The Inverted Soul, a2 (a due), Time Labyrinth
Projects: At Regime's End
Organization: Memento-Mori VNs, Team Sleepyhead
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#9 Post by azureXtwilight »

Bitshare kinda hate my connection, can you try mediafire instead?
Image

User avatar
Coren
Mindscrew Driver
Posts: 1691
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:24 am
Completed: Dear Mariko, Six Rules, Ribbon of Green, RE: Prince of Nigeria, Doppelganger, Cole's Gate Demo, Crimson Rafflesia Demo, Mica: Apoptosis Demo
Projects: Crimson Rafflesia, Mica: Apoptosis, Fantasy Euthanasia
Organization: Soyasushi Productions
Tumblr: CorenBaili
Deviantart: CorenB
Skype: coren.baili
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#10 Post by Coren »

Flowerthief, to allow an RPG Maker XP game to become playable without the RTP, you have to copy over the RTP and add the required .dll files into the folder before uploading.

flowerthief
Regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:32 pm
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#11 Post by flowerthief »

^ Aw crud, I forgot all about that. >< Thanks, Kirroha.

Ok, hang on guys. I gotta do this again. I'll try to upload to mediafire too. I'm having network problems myself today so it might be awhile.
Customizable datesim in beta! Need testers!
Idolcraft - RPG-style bishoujo simulation

flowerthief
Regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:32 pm
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#12 Post by flowerthief »

edit: All right, I think I got it this time. I had to change a couple of the fonts used in the game upon realizing they weren't included in most versions of Windows like I thought they were. Let me know if anything looks weird. I've sent out new PMs with the download link.
Customizable datesim in beta! Need testers!
Idolcraft - RPG-style bishoujo simulation

gekiganwing
Lemma-Class Veteran
Posts: 2473
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:38 pm
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#13 Post by gekiganwing »

Your game sounds rather ambitious, Flowerthief. When I read that it would allow for custom characters, I thought of the fan-made anime music video "Kawaii Girls: Ultimate Dating Simulator" (which can be streamed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GEeCIOfTyI ). I never expected anyone to attempt the complex ideas which are suggested by that AMV...
"Welcome to WhiteSnow, a town filled with snow. Enjoy the world of snow."
-Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

flowerthief
Regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 7:32 pm
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#14 Post by flowerthief »

^ Aw, gekiganwing, for a moment I thought you were gonna offer to test it. Would love to have your feedback.
Customizable datesim in beta! Need testers!
Idolcraft - RPG-style bishoujo simulation

User avatar
azureXtwilight
Megane Procrastinator
Posts: 4118
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:54 am
Completed: Fantasia series (ROT and ROTA), Doppleganger: Dawn of The Inverted Soul, a2 (a due), Time Labyrinth
Projects: At Regime's End
Organization: Memento-Mori VNs, Team Sleepyhead
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Contact:

Re: [BETA] Free customizable ren'ai simulation (BxG)

#15 Post by azureXtwilight »

PHEW! Finally managed to download.

I'll get my claws on this... MWAHAHA >D
Image

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot]