Have there been dating-sim projects out there ?

[DaFool]

Are some people here willing to try the DSE? Especially the new upcoming DSE?

Yes, I'd love to use the new Dating Sim Engine, but not for a dating sim. Sorry.

[leon101]

I played a demo of little my maid, which was a visual novel dating like game. It seemed pretty good, too bad I wasn't able to get a hold of the full game.

[YuMMz]

I agree that in general dating sims tend to be a little more generic on story, but that is due to the magnitude of the project. To me it is much more challenging to write this multi-branching, multi-story type of game. Part of the problem in current dating sims may stem from the fact that they are too short or use simple repetition to make the story longer. A good dating sim would do neither, it would be long enough for the character to develop a realistic relationship with a girl and still maintain uniqueness (not sure if that is a word) throughout.

I have been working on a dating sim off and on for about 8 months now and have definitely learned alot about planning the game and writing the story. I am a writer and artist, so I was waiting until I got a good portion finished before I scoured these boards for a programmer. Which I will hopefully be doing soon. So don't give up hope Monele, dating sims will come. Hopefully mine will prove that a dating sim CAN have a rich and meaningful storyline as well as the sim and interactive elements.

Here are a few teaser shots I uploaded quickly from my game directory.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/ ... School.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/ ... lass_1.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/ ... School.png

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/ ... itress.png

[DaFool]

That is most definitely moe~, complete with shiny thighs.

[Alessio]

Whoa... I was going to post that dating sims are not really my thing, and now... uh, er, I'm very eager to see the outcome. Keep it up! ^_-

[papillon]

Very nice!

(If you don't mind a minor critique, though, there's something slightly off about the waitress costume. I'm not very good at explaining... maybe it's that the edge of the blouse over the bodice is clearly ruffly and shouldn't stick so tightly to the breast line at the edges? Maybe the angle of the body from breasts-up doesn't match from breasts-down? I don't know, but something about it looks not-quite-right to me and doesn't match up with the other pictures.)

[monele]

OMG SQUEE o__o... When you'll need that coding help, I'll be there. Twice.

(I agree with papillon though ^^, there's something strange about that maid one)

[YuMMz]

Hrmm, I am actually kind of a perfectionist and go way overboard with my drawings sometimes. Like adding details that when you zoom out you cannot even see. But I cannot see what you guys are talking about with the waitress picture. The bodice is a little tight, I could probably ruffle up the edges at the top corners a bit. I definitely do not think its the pose, as I used a real life picture to design this outfit and it was in a similar pose. I may play with it a bit down the road, but since there is so much to do I will probably leave it be.

Thanks for the feedback and critiques though, I do appreciate it. I will definitely need help coding Monele, the game is shaping up to be very variable heavy and I have tried to create a list of the the necessary variables as I went to help whoever helps me with programming. Anyways back to work

[DaFool]

Actually with the breasts pushed up artificially high has been done before in Victorian era dresses (Pride and Prejudice, anyone? The old one, I mean). So that's why it didn't really strike me as odd.

[monele]

I have tried to create a list of the the necessary variables as I went to help whoever helps me with programming.

A good idea ^.^


As for the waitress picture, for me, it has to do with the fact her left breast seems smaller than her right one, and the way it connects to the body looks kinda strange. Maybe the top lines go too high or too much towards the center. It's hard to explain indeed ^^;...

[Kelari]

Nice artwork!
EDIT: The reason why the waitress looks off is because her breasts cover the strap on (your) left side, and not on (your) right. So they look a little off center, since she isn't leaning one way or another, but looking straight on. **Soz, forgot that the first time around**

I am actually trying to work on a Dating Sim, though at the moment progress has kind of ground to a halt. PyTom offered a little help, though I'm still waiting on the code he offered. Other than that, most of it is worked up, minus the art. That I'll have trouble doing...my scanner is long gone (was ancient in the first place) and my laptop (or only computer) got stepped on and now has a pretty looking spiderweb in the center of the screen.

I can still work on the game, sort of, since I can still see the screen somewhat, but it'll take a lot more work with a broken computer. And no scanner. Anyone wanna buy me a tablet for Xmas?

I am annoyed by all of the general hentai and vulgar dating sims out there as well. So I've made the basis for mine a more real life and interesting version, with original girls (hopefully interesting, and real, people) and random events.
Like winning the lottery. Like someone at my workplace did on wednesday. 13.8mil O.o (I wish!)

If anyone wants more detail, or maybe to help me out a little (since my broken computer has really slowed me down) lemme know, either by post or message, and I'll respond when I can.

O.o o.O Stupid cracked spiderwebbing laptop.

[GLACIER]

Well I was actually thinking of "management" ones. As I said, like Tokimeki Memorial. It's mostly a stats game... almost an RPG in that sense. I'm not even sure we can say the "question/answer" phase is really a VN. It's really a quiz... except not a knowledge quiz but a personality/empathy quiz. So except for the look of it, Tokimemo might not be a VN at all ^^;

Yeah, Tokimeki Memorial was a stat/schedule management game with cute characters and tons of charm (part of the challenge was in juggling dates with all the characters. You had to ensure that you didn't ignore any girl for too long, while keeping in mind that you couldn't be too nice to most of them. Simultaneously, you had your own stats to worry about). It wasn't like they were trying to present a visual novel or even a well-developed storyline.

With TM2, the creators supposedly added drama sequences, giving the game a bit of a visual novel feel. However, similar to a series like Princess Maker (which dealt with child rearing instead of dating), they've always stressed the simulation/gameplay core over anything else.

True Love was kind of the opposite in that it was primarily a story-driven experience with light sim elements.

Since interactions between characters other than the protagonist is what makes things interesting imo, it's sad ^^;

I guess it depends on what you're looking for as a player. Those who want to play a game would probably be happiest with Tokimeki Memorial (which is still engaging and fun even without knowledge of Japanese. The game part keeps things interesting). On the other hand, those who want to experience a story must look elsewhere.

The same can be applied to Japanese console RPGs. On one hand, you have gameplay centered products like Romancing SaGa. RS caters to the hardcore gamer with deep combat mechanics, flexible customization options, and a multitude of sidequests. Overall, there's minimal story since the game intends to provide an open-ended experience (focusing on dungeon exploration and battles).

On the other end of the spectrum, you have something like Xenosaga, which chucks out all the freedom and cool gameplay in favor of a linear, story-driven experience.

Whether one form is better than the other depends on what a player enjoys most.

[molitar]

Glad to hear their is some willing to take the time and effort to create a dating sim. Them characters look great Yummz.

[YuMMz]

Nice artwork!
EDIT: The reason why the waitress looks off is because her breasts cover the strap on (your) left side, and not on (your) right. So they look a little off center, since she isn't leaning one way or another, but looking straight on. **Soz, forgot that the first time around**

Actually her body is turned slightly. She is twisting a little so that her left shoulder is ahead of her right. That is why her neck is twisted slightly. So her left breast is not supposed to cover the whole strap. After reading Monele's comments, I think I can see what everyone else sees. The problem is that the left breast line goes too far up and too far inwards for the pose. This is probably why you think she is facing straight on. I don't think it will be too hard to fix. Thanks for the feedback.

[RedSlash]

Artwork looks really nice!