Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] Releasing December 16 on itch.io

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Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] Releasing December 16 on itch.io

#1 Post by Knight of Hearts »

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Releasing in 7 days->>>
GET IT ON ITCH.IO (free demo available) ->>>https://irlana.itch.io/syntheticlover

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Join us for dev updates, discussions about games/dev stuff/yaoi/bl/networking/shitposting. Everyone is welcome!
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Knight of Hearts

p r e s e n t s

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In the future, biots are bio-engineered human-like beings each specially designed for one purpose. The main character of Synthetic Lover is a companion biot who exists as a lifeless doll except for when he's needed. He's activated upon request by the clients of an adult entertainment center called Dollhouse, and he is programmed to do only one job. He's set to be like this forever until a certain clueless thief (tasked by a mega corporation called Guiding Light) gets his hands on a special device that allows biots to operate beyond the programmed vocation. In an attempt to shake off his pursuers, the thief takes refuge in the center and stumbles upon the MC. The special device affects the MC in powerful and unexpected ways. Confused by his newfound self-awareness and emotions, the biot needs to decide who to rely on to try to reverse his state.

He leaves Dollhouse for the first time and is swept up into a power struggle between a massive corporation, a rebel group, a black market agent, and his personal companions who all seem to have a different agenda for him and the mysterious device that gave him the ability to feel emotions.


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Check out some of the expressions, poses and outfits of the main cast!

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The voice actors for the roles have been cast!

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Main character: Unit 532 - voice by John Patneaude

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Lead character: Bastian - voice by AWinterWonder

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Lead character: Terrance - voice by Ryan Hoyle




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Just a couple of examples of in-game CGs!

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Sample tracks:



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Guiding Light Corporation (GL)
The company was originally founded with the intention of advancing technology to benefit society, but it has morphed into something larger over decades.Today, GL is a mega corporation that creates, produces, distributes, and maintains biots. GL has rooted itself in the government and pushes for laws that benefit their business, casually tossing aside ethical concerns. One of GL's mains sources of profit is licensing out biots specifically locked for various tasks. They distribute biots to chains of adult entertainment centers like Dollhouse and have established a special security unit to keep a handle on their assets.

Dollhouse
Dollhouse is an adult entertainment center where people can rent a room and be serviced by biots for any companionship needs, ranging from a game of chess to endeavors of a sexual nature. The center also houses and maintains biots, always sure to take care of their basic needs.

Nightfall
Nightfall is a large activist organization formed from protests against the Guiding Light Corporation. They advocate for the rights of biots, recognize their sentience, and have worldwide branches financed by private resources. The group is often portrayed in the mass media as a terrorist organization, but Nightfall claims to condemn all forms of violence. They swear by their core manifesto -- that they value freedom from corporate control for humans and biots alike.

Black Orchid
Black Orchid is the casino-bar-club where Bastian works as a bartender. This establishment is a low-mid range venue which only employs human staff.

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1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group?

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?

6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.



Thanks for stopping by!


Stay tuned for more updates featuring our awesome sci-fi backgrounds, music, details about the world, interface design and much more!
Last edited by Knight of Hearts on Thu Dec 09, 2021 5:26 pm, edited 31 times in total.
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A Sci-fi Drama with Romance in Development (Yaoi, 18+) --- Join public DISCORD: https://discord.gg/yPDEZkN

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#2 Post by PMscenarios »

This ticks like all my boxes. I love sci-fi, and robots, and yaoi, and have wanted for a long while to explore companion bots myself, so I'm really intrigued by how you'll handle this. :D


1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
I was gonna say the thief, but Terrance reminds me of the protag from a manga about an advanced AI android that picks up a lower grade, severely damaged android on his way home and treats him like a pet, but when the guy disappears he realises he actually wants him around. (I really wish I could refind this to figure out what it's called and who wrote it)

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
Yes, though even more than blurred set roles I really want to see more equal participation. Yaoi has a tendency to have just one part be aggressive and interested in a sexual rel.ship - always taking initiative, and in the same vein have one active and one passive participant during the act. I'd really like to see partners on a more equal footing, actually communicating and doing stuff together.

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group?
No, systemic discrimination and unjust systems is definitely a valid villain, but I'd argue that a secondary antagonist that has a personal connection to the character he's bullying is a good feature to bring things to a more personal level, especially if the antagonist is created/controlled by the systemic problems.
Dramatical Murder is a good example of this actually - for most of the game/anime it presents a world where the villains are created by social divide and corporate overtaking his home, and when we are revealed to the puppet masters controlling most of what's happened, they're free agents who've taken advantage of the system to basically bully the protag. (and then we'll just ignore it falling apart in the end by making the corporation into one guy, plus giving the protag a sudden personal connection to the whole thing)

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I'm not at all, my fav endings are open-ended, like Children of Men, but I know a lot of ppl prefer happy endings.

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?
I'm a story-focused player, I play to figure out the mystery/meta-plot - so I prefer choices that change what I find out about the back-story, and how the characters are related to the world - how their lives have developed, what they've experienced - and how their lives reflect and expands on the setting.

6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.
I'm a bit iffy on the deus ex machina device that "magically" gives the synthetic a "soul" so to speak. I hope this device will be explained in the story, and there's a reason for its development. A big issue a lot of story lines that do human-like AIs have is they never give a reason for why it would be in any way positive/productive to give an android emotional range, the ability to feel pain, and free will.
I'd also very much like to see other synthetics, and maybe an synthetic as a love interest, to explore the range of robots, or biots in society, how things have changed bc of it and how synthetics and human differ from each other.
There's also the interesting question between sapience and sentience - like terrible writing advice mention in their vid on cyberpunk.
Since your protag is basically a newborn I also hope to see him grow and become a person outside of his love interests, developing an independent personality and maybe start to challenge them on their decisions.
Pop culture detective has a really good video on this trope, though I'm becoming needlessly detail-obsessed now
And since you didn't mention it as a inspiration I really recommend seeing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, if you haven't. It has so many incredibly interesting explorations of different kinds of sapience and artificial intelligence.

Sorry for being all wordy about this, you just kinda hit right in one of my special interests, so I'm all obsessive about it.
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#3 Post by MilanaWalters »

1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
Terrance. But Bastian looks great too, i'll def romance them both :P

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
i prefer this take too, kinda tired of seme/uke, rape jokes and "wife" callings in typical bl stuff. though the protag still looks way leaner and feminine than his romance options, i would have loved more masculine protag for a change, he still looks way different than in some other bl games ( not like a 7 yo little girl at least lol), so its ok.

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I definitely am. If the game doesnt have a happy ending, i just wont play it, simple as that. Thats why i couldnt really get much into No thank you!!, no happy endings at all, and pretty much no romance, only sex, except for that one route(Hiro's?).
Didnt really like Starfighter romance options either, 2 out of 3 main routes were in the relationship together, so no good endings for them too, just some sex on the side.And the game itself was awfully short, i dont get the popularity.

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?

im a big fan of Bioware games, though i kinda have love/hate relationship with them. They are definitely the most progressive in lgbt department, but they still always use the overly used stereotypes, f.e. slutty bi characters or bi men never mentioning they are bi(past bfs or showing any interest in men) unless its with the player.
i would love to get to know the romance options better.

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#4 Post by sonnenblumen »

1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first? Tbh, both of them have hot and have interesting characters so... both? :oops:

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those? Personally, I think it's reasonable that these concepts exist because it's true to some but to others, it's not so true, I suppose? I think it's nice that you're willing to take a different take on it, regardless! As long as the story and the art is good, I'll be happy haha.

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group? Nope! Depends on the story.

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD) If a happy ending makes sense, then that's good. But I don't like forced happy endings and for "darker" stories/drama, I tend to prefer bittersweet or sad endings. However, that's just a personal preference.

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better? Either way, depends on the story. However, I love Dragon Age's system and I haven't played enough visual novels where that's used. Also, I think it's sort of unreasonable (depending on the context) when the protagonist barely has any interactions with the other love interests just because of the character they've decided to romance.

6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far. I LOVE THE IDEA SO MUCH! I'm really looking forward to future updates and I also adore that (based on this thread), the love interests are more "mature". A lot of visual novels tend to focus on teens or young adults (which is also nice, but still), so it's refreshing to see love interests in their 30s! Also I love the designs, kudos to your artist.

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#5 Post by illuminate001 »

I know I should write something with more substance than this but its 6:30am and I'm still half asleep lol. But I wanted to stop by and say whoever is designing the characters is doing an amazing job with their futuristic fashion.

I mean, we've seen it all done before (Tron Legacy's designs were on point for instance) but they usually involve monochromatic B+W, angular and assymetrical designs. Here, they have just enough color and color blocking that the futuristic fashion in Synthetic Lover looks very unique! I like it <3
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#6 Post by Magiriano »

1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
I don't know. Both are attractive, and their personalities do not have unpleasant features. I like the idea of poly-amorous relationships, so I want them both.

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
It does not matter how stereotyped is the concept. Any stereotypes have a basis for their appearance. The quality and elaboration of the plot and the characters are much more important for the game, where the text is the main part of the gameplay.
I like stereotypes. They can be wise and edifying, they can be funny and simple to understand. All folklore fairytales of the world are created on the basis of stereotypes that generalize people of different eras. A stereotype is a tool. Only the author's skills determine whether he will be able to use the tools correctly or not.

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group?
A good story needs a good author.
But the charismatic villain can make the plot more dramatic and dynamic... Masterpieces of world literature always confirm this. An antagonist is not always a villain, but he is always the personification of those phenomena that lead the plot into motion. He is the image of many things in one person.

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I'm a person who does not like this question. Why do you contrast happy endings and realistic endings? Happiness and realism are not opposites. What's wrong with you, people? You create a game about good relationships and love, even want to create a story about polygamous love, but do not want to admit that this is possible in reality.
I do not like bad endings or open endings in stories. In fact, I am sure that the endings should be only smart and good, people should strive for good. Bad can happen even without human participation.
When we complain about the end of the story, calling it vanilla and unrealistic, we do not like the inconsistency of the plot, the illogical actions of the characters and the contradictions in what is happening. We complain that the events end well, when all the conditions were absolutely bad. Therefore for me the clever and kind plot is important.
In the game "No, thank you!!" all the side stories ended badly, and the main storyline had a hopeless ending. I was disappointed with this game, so I can say to all the bad endings: "No, thank you!"

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?
I love a well-told stories, so the second sentence sounds much more interesting. I'm interested in plunging into the plot as deeply as possible and getting to know the characters as close as possible.

6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.
Futuristic reality and science fiction can give a lot of space for the imagination and development of the plot. I'm intrigued by this and the potential for poly-amorous relationships.
I will be happy to play, if in the game there is almost no violence, cruelty and all that can cause the player such reactions as fear, depression and obsessions. If there is a lot of cruelty in the game, I will not even take it as a gift and I will not recommend it.
Firstly, this game is a novel, so I really need a very good story. Secondly, this game is visual, so a lot of images, CGs (especially 18+, because sex scenes are easier to see than imagining on blurry descriptions) and music tracks are important to me. If they did not matter, I would not see the difference between VNs and books, but the difference is obvious.

A few questions:
Do you want to raise funds for development with crowdsfunding?
Do you plan to release a demo version?
Do you rely on a long and interesting story, or on erotic content, or on innovation in the gameplay?
Which of the following things do you want to attract players first? Or I can say: what do you consider the most attractive in your game?
What additions and features for the game can appear in the future, besides those already named?

Also, why do not you add a tag [BxB] to the topic name?

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#7 Post by Irlana »

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion with us and also for your questions!

Magiriano wrote:I'm a person who does not like this question. Why do you contrast happy endings and realistic endings? Happiness and realism are not opposites. What's wrong with you, people? You create a game about good relationships and love, even want to create a story about polygamous love, but do not want to admit that this is possible in reality.
There’s a clear difference between an obvious Disney-like happy ending and for instance a good but bittersweet ending. Some people prefer their gaming experience more “realistic” and others may want to experience a juicy and a satisfying happy-ever-after. Nothing wrong with either. In addition we didn’t say that a polygamous love isn’t possible in reality.
Magiriano wrote:Futuristic reality and science fiction can give a lot of space for the imagination and development of the plot. I'm intrigued by this and the potential for poly-amorous relationships.
I will be happy to play, if in the game there is almost no violence, cruelty and all that can cause the player such reactions as fear, depression and obsessions. If there is a lot of cruelty in the game, I will not even take it as a gift and I will not recommend it.
Firstly, this game is a novel, so I really need a very good story. Secondly, this game is visual, so a lot of images, CGs (especially 18+, because sex scenes are easier to see than imagining on blurry descriptions) and music tracks are important to me. If they did not matter, I would not see the difference between VNs and books, but the difference is obvious.
We will do our best to make this game the best possible version of it, for players to experience and enjoy. The focus of the game play is relationships, though it won’t be completely without any violence or moments that may cause the player to have unpleasant feelings; it will only be done to illustrate a point rather than a thing in itself.
Magiriano wrote:Do you want to raise funds for development with crowdsfunding?
Yes, we are planning to run a Kickstarter campaign, our goal is to make the best game we can possibly make with high quality assets. With assistance from fans we would be able to that and more.
Magiriano wrote:Do you plan to release a demo version?
Yes, we are currently working on the assets for the demo and will soon be posting some of them here.
Magiriano wrote:Do you rely on a long and interesting story, or on erotic content, or on innovation in the gameplay?
The game is very story driven. We want the players to experience what it’s like to be in a challenging types of situations, the difference between reacting and responding to circumstances and how it affects the outcome, what it’s like to be getting to know someone closely and getting the stereotypes fall apart in front of you.The erotic content is a bonus which will hopefully add more richness and flavor to the story.
Magiriano wrote:Which of the following things do you want to attract players first? Or I can say: what do you consider the most attractive in your game?
We believe that the accent on character development, realistic character interaction and relationship building would be the highlight of this game in addition to the sci-fi aesthetic portrayed through the backgrounds in the game created by our remarkably talented background artist, the carefully and thoughtfully composed sci-fi inspired tracks by our brilliant musician, as well as the sprites and CGs meticulously and beautifully drawn by our ingenious and incredibly hardworking artist.
Magiriano wrote:What additions and features for the game can appear in the future, besides those already named?
One of the features that haven’t been mentioned yet and that we’re pretty excited to announce is that we plan the game to be fully voice acted.
Magiriano wrote:Also, why do not you add a tag [BxB] to the topic name?
This was simply a word choice, as yaoi implies the relationship/interactions happen between men.

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#8 Post by Camy »

Oooo, I like this already! I'm a huge fan of Bioware games~! :D


1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
Terrance, he really piques my interest with that bio of his.

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
I really like that and I honestly prefer to see that. While some do have a preference, one preferring bottom while another can like both but prefers to be on bottom more than giving. I however don't like to see the usual stereotypes that the "softer" looking is bottom while the opposite is the top. There has been manga I've read that fools readers that I've come to enjoy a lot that others have as well.

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group?
No, there doesn't need to be an antagonist. Write how you wish to write though, write how they react to how it's going on. I personally like a three-dimensional antagonist. Show them when they're at their most vulnerable too and not just all terrifying.


4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I am a happy ending lover, but I know that some stories don't go that way. Long as I enjoyed the story, either is fine with me. You could make me cry oceans and I would still probably enjoy it. (example: FEF Conquest)


5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?
Either is fine for me since I'm used to both.


6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.
I love the art and story idea and mega excited to see how this VN is executed~!

Will voices have a way to be muted? I prefer to have an option to not have it turned down - especially the, ahem, moaning xD

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#9 Post by exizel »

1. Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?

I would probably do Bastian.

2. This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?

The less seme and uke there is the better it is for me, so this is definitely a plus for me.

3. Do you believe a good story needs a solid and clearly identifiable antagonist represented by one person? As opposed to a corporate entity or group?

it really depends on what you want do with your villain, what he represent to the characters/the society and why he is the villain, you should do what you think fit best for the story.

4. Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)

I don't need a happy ever after, especially if the story doesn't lend itself, but I don't want a route were there are only bad ending.

5. This game was greatly inspired by Bioware games such as the Mass Effect series and the Dragon Age series, where choices sometimes lock you into a path that differs greatly from the others and other times let you explore and get to know the various reactions of the characters you interact with. What’s more important for you? Are you the choices-matter kinda player or would you rather (or also) enjoy exploring the different possibilities the dialogue can offer and get to know your romance options better?

I kind want both but if I had to choose I would take choices-matter.

6. We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.

Since you don't want to use the seme uke concept and you want the gameplay to be about relationship, Im really curious about what you will do for the poly route.

I have a love-hate relationship for poly relationship, it's something I want to see more but I rarely like what I see, most them just end up being a love triangle where the "uke" end up getting the two "seme", it feel more like a fantasy than reality.
The two "seme" are focus on the "uke"(because he is so special) and there is nothing between them(the two seme) be it emotionally or sexualy, if you remove the MC would never talk to each other again.

I prefer the three of them to be equal.

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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#10 Post by Knight of Hearts »

PMscenarios wrote:This ticks like all my boxes. I love sci-fi, and robots, and yaoi, and have wanted for a long while to explore companion bots myself, so I'm really intrigued by how you'll handle this. :D
First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this out :) So many really thoughtful and interesting points!

PMscenarios wrote: Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
I was gonna say the thief, but Terrance reminds me of the protag from a manga about an advanced AI android that picks up a lower grade, severely damaged android on his way home and treats him like a pet, but when the guy disappears he realises he actually wants him around. (I really wish I could refind this to figure out what it's called and who wrote it)
Oh that sounds cool! Would be totally on board to read this piece of literature :P
PMscenarios wrote:This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
Yes, though even more than blurred set roles I really want to see more equal participation. Yaoi has a tendency to have just one part be aggressive and interested in a sexual rel.ship - always taking initiative, and in the same vein have one active and one passive participant during the act. I'd really like to see partners on a more equal footing, actually communicating and doing stuff together.


Thanks so much for sharing this bit of info. We see what you mean in regards to equal participation. We’ll do our best to show the character’s sexual relationship in the most intuitive and “realistic” way possible with both partners involved, since that’s something we think is important in any kind of relationship that has a chance to be functional.


PMscenarios wrote: We'd be happy to hear any comments, questions or feedback you have about the game and the assets so far.
I'm a bit iffy on the deus ex machina device that "magically" gives the synthetic a "soul" so to speak. I hope this device will be explained in the story, and there's a reason for its development. A big issue a lot of story lines that do human-like AIs have is they never give a reason for why it would be in any way positive/productive to give an android emotional range, the ability to feel pain, and free will.


It’s understandable that you have reservations in regards to the whole synthetic with a soul stuff. Completely fair. It’s been something we’ve been thinking about a lot as well in terms deciding and defining what kind of “robot” we going to be using as our protag. In the end we purposely didn’t call him a robot (all tech inside/ tech outside), or an android (tech inside/human outside) or cyborg (part tech or part bio). For our MC we’ve decided to go with biot (an official sci-fi term borrowed from literature) and what it means is that our character although produced by humans is completely biological but with an in-built “control frame” and a fail safe (for control purposes). Sort of maybe like replicants in Blade Runner movies :) ...all this to say… the whole bio component definitely gives you a random factor… which in a way contributes to ambiguity...and the reason to wonder. But, yeah, we will also definitely be going into detail in regards to the why of the second part of your question in the game and hope that it will make sense to the players as it’s something that’s important to us.

In the end however this game’s emphasis will not be on whether the mc has a soul etc… the exploration we’re interested in rather lays with how someone who’s not experienced living a “regular” human in terms of experiencing emotions and difficulty will behave when suddenly faced with unpleasant feelings they haven’t experienced until now and how they will act.

PMscenarios wrote:I'd also very much like to see other synthetics, and maybe an synthetic as a love interest, to explore the range of robots, or biots in society, how things have changed bc of it and how synthetics and human differ from each other.
There's also the interesting question between sapience and sentience - like terrible writing advice mention in their vid on cyberpunk.


Oh, you can bet other biots will be present! The 3rd love interest is actually going to be a biot. He will be making an appearance in the Terrance’s route but will have its own route (3rd route) if the KS going gets successfully unlocked.

PMscenarios wrote:Since your protag is basically a newborn I also hope to see him grow and become a person outside of his love interests, developing an independent personality and maybe start to challenge them on their decisions.
Pop culture detective has a really good video on this trope, though I'm becoming needlessly detail-obsessed now
And since you didn't mention it as a inspiration I really recommend seeing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, if you haven't. It has so many incredibly interesting explorations of different kinds of sapience and artificial intelligence.


Oh, god that video you mentioned is SO completely on point! We’ve been thinking about a lot, trying to make sure that our MC is more than an excuse of a nice piece of a$$. So yeah, right from the beginning he’s a lot more than that...also he won’t be as innocent as some of the examples in the video. As a companion biot he’d be quite familiar with some of the ways things work (to do his job well) but he’d be lacking in practical applications of such knowledge and in depth understanding of human motivations outside his primary specialization as a companion.

PMscenarios wrote:Sorry for being all wordy about this, you just kinda hit right in one of my special interests, so I'm all obsessive about it.


We’re glad that you had a lot to say, please stay tuned and keep sharing whatever else comes up!
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#11 Post by Knight of Hearts »

MilanaWalters wrote:Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
Terrance. But Bastian looks great too, i'll def romance them both :P


That warms our humble hearts <3
MilanaWalters wrote:This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those?
i prefer this take too, kinda tired of seme/uke, rape jokes and "wife" callings in typical bl stuff. though the protag still looks way leaner and feminine than his romance options, i would have loved more masculine protag for a change, he still looks way different than in some other bl games ( not like a 7 yo little girl at least lol), so its ok.
True, our MC doesn’t look as masculine as he potentially could but he may still surprize you. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Stay tuned for our demo!
MilanaWalters wrote:Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I definitely am. If the game doesnt have a happy ending, i just wont play it, simple as that. Thats why i couldnt really get much into No thank you!!, no happy endings at all, and pretty much no romance, only sex, except for that one route(Hiro's?).
Didnt really like Starfighter romance options either, 2 out of 3 main routes were in the relationship together, so no good endings for them too, just some sex on the side. And the game itself was awfully short, i dont get the popularity.
Yeah, admittingly No Thank You!! didn’t have obvious happy endings or much in the romance department apart from Hiroshi’s (Hiroyuki’s) route but we find that the game did a couple of things well such as for example a believable portrayal of the characters and their motivations. Once you got to know them closely you could understand why they act they way they do. In addition the sex scenes were surprisingly educational and full of awareness on MCs part. And agreed, Starfighter wasn’t perfect by a long shot with definite issues in regards to character and relationship development (getting down to business way too fast!) but some of the parts we liked include the aesthetic (stylish and color coordinated), the in-space-sci-fi setting and the characters were cute!

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#12 Post by Knight of Hearts »

sonnenblumen wrote:Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first? Tbh, both of them have hot and have interesting characters so... both?
Great decision :)
sonnenblumen wrote:This an 18+ game which includes sex between men. However we will be attempting to blur the lines between the typical concepts of seme and uke, as life is not really that black and white. What’s your personal take on those? Personally, I think it's reasonable that these concepts exist because it's true to some but to others, it's not so true, I suppose? I think it's nice that you're willing to take a different take on it, regardless! As long as the story and the art is good, I'll be happy haha.
We’re confident the art will not disappoint considering we’ve been lucky to find and artist who’s great at drawing men and m/m NSFW content, as well as never being satisfied with anything but top quality result. As for the story we will do our best!
sonnenblumen wrote:Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD) If a happy ending makes sense, then that's good. But I don't like forced happy endings and for "darker" stories/drama, I tend to prefer bittersweet or sad endings. However, that's just a personal preference.
Thanks for sharing that bit, nice to know there’s different opinions out there. Since its a VN where MC’s actions directly influence the outcome, we will surely have both.
sonnenblumen wrote:I LOVE THE IDEA SO MUCH! I'm really looking forward to future updates and I also adore that (based on this thread), the love interests are more "mature". A lot of visual novels tend to focus on teens or young adults (which is also nice, but still), so it's refreshing to see love interests in their 30s! Also I love the designs, kudos to your artist.
Thank you so much for your feedback, interest and enthusiasm! It’s heartwarming that our efforts in making the characters more mature are being noticed. We will definitely be adding more updates and asset previews shortly! :)
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#13 Post by Knight of Hearts »

illuminate001 wrote:I know I should write something with more substance than this but its 6:30am and I'm still half asleep lol. But I wanted to stop by and say whoever is designing the characters is doing an amazing job with their futuristic fashion.

I mean, we've seen it all done before (Tron Legacy's designs were on point for instance) but they usually involve monochromatic B+W, angular and assymetrical designs. Here, they have just enough color and color blocking that the futuristic fashion in Synthetic Lover looks very unique! I like it <3
Haha no worries, don’t feel pressured to write “smart” stuff, any sort of feedback or random thoughts on the subject are welcome as well.


Thanks so much for your feedback on the fashion, it means a lot that someone pays attention to those details and appreciates the subtleties of the designs. <3 We’re really excited about the entire sci-fi aesthetic and hoping to be able to reflect it in some way in all the visual assets, including the backgrounds, the interiors (examples of backgrounds coming soon) and of course clothing the characters will wear.
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#14 Post by Knight of Hearts »

camy wrote:Oooo, I like this already! I'm a huge fan of Bioware games~! :D
Oh, another Bioware fan! <3
camy wrote:Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I am a happy ending lover, but I know that some stories don't go that way. Long as I enjoyed the story, either is fine with me. You could make me cry oceans and I would still probably enjoy it. (example: FEF Conquest)
Its always nice to hear that a variety of endings are appreciated. As your choices effect how the story plays out there will be several different outcomes. We hope that you will enjoy discovering them and that they'll leave a lasting impression :D


camy wrote:Will voices have a way to be muted? I prefer to have an option to not have it turned down - especially the, ahem, moaning xD
Oh, yes! The voices will definitely have an option to be turned on and off at will, depending on the players’ choice! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
camy wrote:I love the art and story idea and mega excited to see how this VN is executed~!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback! We’re delighted you find the art and the story intriguing so far! This is really encouraging as we’re continuing to work hard on the assets to create a gaming experience that’s enjoyable, memorable and meaningful!
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Re: Synthetic Lover [Sci-fi, Drama with Romance, Yaoi] 18+

#15 Post by Knight of Hearts »

exizel wrote:
Out of the two current romance options which one would prefer to romance first?
I would probably do Bastian.
Nice nice, chronologically he’s be the first route that would be recommended to follow.
exizel wrote:Are you a need-a-happy-ever after person? Or will you be perfectly content with a realistic but not so rosy ending that feel more neutral but perhaps hopeful? (just like real life, ouch XD)
I don't need a happy ever after, especially if the story doesn't lend itself, but I don't want a route were there are only bad ending.
There’s definitely going to be balance in this game for reach route’s ending, depending on how the MC chooses to act.
exizel wrote:Since you don't want to use the seme uke concept and you want the gameplay to be about relationship, Im really curious about what you will do for the poly route.

I have a love-hate relationship for poly relationship, it's something I want to see more but I rarely like what I see, most them just end up being a love triangle where the "uke" end up getting the two "seme", it feel more like a fantasy than reality.
The two "seme" are focus on the "uke"(because he is so special) and there is nothing between them(the two seme) be it emotionally or sexualy, if you remove the MC would never talk to each other again.

I prefer the three of them to be equal.
We really hope that the poly route will get unlocked on our KS campaign as we have big plans for this route! It has so much potential and is also quite challenging in terms of making all individuals come together in a relationship that has both strong emotional and sexual components. You bring up a good point when you say it’s a route rarely taken in games (and literature!) but we’re determined to give it a good shot and make it work in the most natural and intuitive way possible where each of the characters would fit into the relationship as piece of the puzzle. Thankfully, Bastian and Terrance have personalities that complement each other rather well and under specific circumstances may even put their differences aside to work toward a common goal which will give them a chance to see each other under a different light. With that being said since this game will attempt not follow the stereotypical seme and uke concepts, who knows how the dynamic might end up working out between the three guys. Only way to find out is to stay tuned :)
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