Project DDS [BxB][Dsim][Working Title]

[Cinto]

Project Darkhorse Dating Sim

That ugly thing up there is my working main menu screen, but ahem, anyway. Please ignore the failing art, this is the best I can do with a laptop mousepad. ._.

That said, this is going to be more or less a traditional high school otome game, but with bxb! The plot, so far is either very simple or nonexistent, I...well, are dating sims supposed to have plots anyway? >.<

You have are transferring to a new school, starting December 1st. That's just one month to adjust to your new school, win someone to spend Christmas with... and when the new year comes, what will happen...?

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The Characters
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You. I'm considering adding the option to input your name, but for now, we're referring to the protagonist as Hiro Kanade. A little lacking in the common sense department, you're normally a little spazzy, but even moreso when tired. [First-year]


Keiru Saito. The cool and confident student council president, he seems distant and cold, but is really quite soft, especially when his younger brother is involved. [Third-year]


Tohru Saito. You're not even quite sure if this guy is supposed to be a high schooler. He's too cute for his own good, and doesn't even realize it. [First-year]


Emmet Rainier. Transfer student from England who seems quite laid-back. He's prone to being the fool to his buddy Kyo’s straight man. Seems to enjoy video games....a lot. [Second-year]


Kyosuke Mirai. An odd duck (although reliable) who moves the beat of his own drum. Best buddies with Emmet and is one of the few who address you as “Shorty”. His name is often shortened to “Kyo”. [Second-year]


Sakuya Hitachi. As the son of a very successful (and rich) businessman, he's kind of a jerk. [First-year]


Touya Hanazono. The super smart student council treasurer who doesn't seem to care what others think about him. Not that that even matters, considering his popularity. [Third-year]


Itsuki Kageyama. A teacher who doesn't seem like a teacher at all, although he's suprisingly knowledgeable. Carefree, but he does have rare serious moments.


??? Who could this be?
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Features
- 7 dateable characters total
- 1 secret character that is unlocked after you play through the game once (I may add a second)
- 1 Good End, Just Friends End, and Bad Ending per character route
- Academics Rating: A higher value may help you!
- Classes: Although these are mostly random facts, this game might actually teach something useful :3
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Possible Features
- Hours of Sleep System: You'll have more or less opportunities depending on the time you go to bed (how much you do the day before)
- Chance Events: Meetings with different characters are randomized!

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Well, that's that. Any thoughts, suggestions, better titles to use? Comments? Anything? This is my first actual VN project, so it's kind of experimenting with different things and seeing what'll happen.
(The art will be updated. Eventually.)

[gekiganwing]

...well, are dating sims supposed to have plots anyway?

If you want to include a plot, you certainly can. (About fifteen years ago, Mitsumete Knight did. You can learn about this untranslated Playstation game from a lengthy article on TVTropes.) But if you just want to focus on gameplay, that's fine.

You have are transferring to a new school, starting December 1st. That's just one month to adjust to your new school, win someone to spend Christmas with... and when the new year comes, what will happen...?
...
Features
- 7 dateable characters total
- 1 secret character that is unlocked after you play through the game once (I may add a second)
- 1 Good End, Just Friends End, and Bad Ending per character route
- Academics Rating: A higher value may help you!
- Classes: Although these are mostly random facts, this game might actually teach something useful :3

Even if your story takes place over just one month, this sounds like a *lot* of content. My advice: don't get in over your head. It's easy to start with grand ambitions and then give up when life gets busy, when the effort of coding gets dull, when your teammates aren't helpful, and so on. You might benefit if you start by focusing on just a couple characters and their routes. Once you get that done, then start working on additional characters and bonus stuff.

Well, that's that. Any thoughts, suggestions, better titles to use? Comments? Anything?

An important question to consider with BxB (or GxG): how is it that all of the important characters are gay, bisexual, or uncertain? Maybe they're at an all boys school. Maybe your cast is a clique of the gay/bi people at the school. In any case, let us know.

[Cinto]

Thanks for responding!

...er, forgot to mention that super important part. Yes, this is at an all boy's school- that was one of the things that I had originally in the super early stages and it won't go. Ever. lol.

As for getting in over my head, I'm expecting this project to take me several months to a year, and I'm working on my own- so however long it takes me, it'll work out, I think. Thanks for the warning though, that's something I always have trouble with.

[Fairy Godfeather]

I'm going to be a hypocrite and offer advice. However feel free to ignore it since I've only ever finished a super-short non-renpy game.

Start small. Don't start looking at several months to a year. Look at small, achievable goals. If you don't have a plot I suggest that you say to yourself. "I'm going to write one path. One boyfriend! It will be the best path/boyfriend ever." Then do that. Get that nicely finished and polished and then pat yourself on the back and go WOOH I finished. Because finishing is one of the greatest skills there is, especially for someone who's new and never done a game before. Most people start with huge ambitious projects and the sheer scale avalanches on top of them and they just can't dig themselves out so they give up.

So I suggest, look at your list of boys. Pick your favourite. Write his path. Once you have that implemented you can start doing expansions, adding a second boy, add a third. But have the easy achievable end in sight. And when and if you get fed up, or bored, or get a better idea, or burn out, or you're finished, then move onto the next thing and you'll have something that's finished behind you. Even if you don't manage to implement all of the boys you originally had planned.

Of course, feel free to ignore that. As long as you learn and have fun that's what matters. Good luck with your project!