Ménage à trois games

[Zylinder]

Harem/reverse-harem games I've seen aplenty, and most seemed to be centred around the more sexual aspects as opposed to the more long-term, domestic aspects of a ménage relationship. To summarize for those who have no idea what I'm yapping about, it's basically a domestic relationship between three people.

So I was wondering a few things:

1. Is only a KN possible for a game about this type of relationship?

2.Would something with a partner choice (i.e dating simmish) element to it be completely impossible?

3. Would it be a programming nightmare? (If you partner with X and Y, then X says this... And if you partner with X and Z, X says this...)

4. How do you feel about this type of relationship? Does it interest you, or are the hives breaking out already?

Just some passing thoughts~ I am interested, so indulge my curiosity? C:

[papillon]

It's certainly not impossible, it's just a pain in the butt to program unless you set out with it as a starting goal and design around it. You'll need to consider what combinations are possible (can you combine ANY two people into a triangle? or only certain ones?) and make relationship variants based on being with one person alone as well as being with them in combination with another.

Mostly I see these happening in games where the author was already considering the possibility of chasing more than one person at a time, leading to "jealousy routes" - and then if you already have a set of scenes based on you spending time with both these people, it's not that much more work to add an option where you manage to make it all work out.

For another possibility you could start the game already IN a pair-relationship and looking for a third partner... but that's still going to get complicated because you need to assume that your existing partner is an active participant in this search. If Betty and Sue are already dating and then try to find a third, what if Betty finds Karen, who likes Betty but not Sue, and Sue finds Eric, who likes Sue but not Betty? This could get messy.

You could start the game already in a triangle relationship and have the gameplay be about balancing and easing problems that come up between your partners to keep everything together, but that sends the message that a poly relationship is an insanely difficult juggling act... which, okay, it can be a mess but so can mono relationships! School Days is *not* a "realistic" result of multiple relationships, kids, having things go that badly requires several people to be unhinged and others to be callous.

It's a tricky field to deal with even if you have firsthand experience because the standard romantic formulas simply won't work. And some players are going to be intensely uncomfortable with what they see as infidelity, even if everything is above board.

[Funnyguts]

In my opinion, the messiness is a necessary part of the game. Most VNs/dating sims that let you have multiple partners tend to just work with harem endings, where how each dateable feels about every other datable is completely ignored in favor of how they feel about you, the player. (Plus the story usually ends the second all of them confess their love for you and/or have sex with you.) Real poly relationships are tricky, but amazingly worth it for those who can make it work out.

One of the big advantages to polyamory is that it doesn't rely on the expectation that there's one person who will fulfill all of your relationship needs perfectly. You could have someone that complements you romantically and intellectually, but not sexually, or possibly someone who's good at all three things but only in certain ways. (He's great for cuddles, chats about copyright law, and is fun in bed, but you'd also really like to experience extravagant dates, a feeling of intellectual comfort, and to have sex with someone with female genitalia.)

You could probably code a system that relies on desired things out of a partner, along with undesired things. The more desired things each person in the relationship has, the happier they'll be. Or you could try basing the game around the Triangular Theory of Love, and how it's hard for two people to get the consummate love that seems to be placed as an ideal. You could probably try combining these things too.

[papillon]

The messiness is what makes it interesting, but it can also make it a nightmare to design and write because of all the possibilities. Even more so than a normal dating sim, it's something to keep an eye on to make sure you can do justice to the options you present.

I'm also not personally familiar with the sort of dynamic that would be needed to go into an open-ended dating sim, starting from the position of being single and ending up with multiple relationships. Most people I know of tend to at least *enter* serious relationships one at a time, and only consider getting involved with a new partner after that first relationship is on solid footing. But then, I don't know a lot of really socially-active people who go out looking for dates.

[EwanG]

One way I've seen this dealt with (and I am guilty of doing the same in one of my games) is the "twin" angle. IOW, they are used to doing everything together, and you are going to be with both or neither. Also part of the dynamic in the Anime "Futakoi Alternative".

Of course the "fun" way to subvert this would be to have a couple sets of twins

[dramspringfeald]

1. Is only a KN possible for a game about this type of relationship?
No, there are a number of games that have the possibility and if the makers wanted could have done it. Including Final Fantasy 7's Date Counter or Mass Effects "Love physics"

2.Would something with a partner choice (i.e dating simmish) element to it be completely impossible?
Again see Final Fantasy 7 Date Mechanics.

3. Would it be a programming nightmare? (If you partner with X and Y, then X says this... And if you partner with X and Z, X says this...)
Only if you don't want it to suck. There are plenty of Harem games out there and almost ALL of them suck. They even have full teams of writers. Unless you account for everything you do you'll have just another useless and bland game. Happy hunting.

4. How do you feel about this type of relationship? Does it interest you, or are the hives breaking out already?
Not really a fan because all of them I have played were less then good and had no real plot. So far the only one I can "suggest" would be Brass Restoration and the artwork looks a lot like what's commonly found on here.... Y.Y

[gekiganwing]

I found the Correlation Diagram Generator. It might help you think about character relationships.

2.Would something with a partner choice (i.e dating simmish) element to it be completely impossible?

Good question. Perhaps the gameplay will be centered around whether the main character can *maintain* his or her current menage a trois relationship. Let's say that the person's actions, time management, and stat-building will determine whether the three people stay together.