Lucky Rabbit Reflex! - GxB Dating Sim (Complete)

[chensterrain]

*Long overdue progress post!*

Very sorry for the lack of updates! (And after people said they were actually interested, too... ) Real life has unfortunately caught up with me, and I've suddenly realised that oh god I have a million essays I should be writing oh god. That said, the game's still coming along - progress has pretty much slowed to a crawl, but it's still going, though it'll probably take a few more months at the very least. So sorry about that! But thanks again for all the support!

Actually, if anyone had any suggestions as to what could actually go on on dates / in the random events, that'd be a great help! Writing a million events for a non-linear game is harder than I'd originally thought, especially when you're mostly limited to 'the park or the cinema or the library'. Specifically:
-Rhett, the red-haired dude, is the president of the Drama Club and is sort of meant to come off as a Miles Edgeworth-type character. I'd like to have around six or so drama club events with him, but so far I've only written one... any ideas? I was actually thinking of a really basic Phoenix Wright theme for the drama club events, where you could pick out flaws in a short testimony and accuse another club member of something, but I still can't think of any actual content...
-The date spots in the game are the cinema, the park, the bakery, the shopping centre, the arcade and the library, and I'd like to have three basic, repeating events for each - going to each place with a different boy should result in the same questions but different answers, Tokimemo-style. So far, the arcade, cinema and park are fine, but I really have no idea what you could end up doing at the bakery... (which is only really a dating spot because one of the characters works there, and re-using backgrounds is fun).
-There's also a supermarket. One of the characters works there (but you can't, hurr). Anyone have any romantic experiences in supermarkets, by any chance? Our eyes met over the mushy peas...

So yeah, it's a lot to ask, but any help in coming up with basic date / scene ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! (And full credit will be given if any suggestions are used in the game, of course).

Progress!
---------
-...I think mostly alternate costumes and whatnot. But I did manage to get some important scenes coded (and a race! woo), so hurrah.

[LVUER]

screenshot0206.png is so cute! I love it!

[Alice]

Don't feel bad about slow updates, from what I can see you seem to be working really fast and I'm sure it'll be well worth the wait! Gorgeous screenshots by the way.

As for ideas:
- Sorry but I'm not quite sure what you mean for the first one, as in the whole Phoenix Wright thing ><. Do you mean as in there has been a crime in the drama club or something? Or is the drama club acting this out?
-As for the bakery, I saw in the screenshot there was a table so I guess it's like a bakery/cafe. If that is the case just having them sit down for a coffee or tea would be cute.
-Well I have no personal experiences of romantic happenings in a supermarket but if the guy works there then maybe the heroine could like fall into something (you know like a shelf or a big stack of tins?) and then the guy would have to come and help her. Haha it's a bit cliché though I guess. (Just realised it might be a bit weird for a repeating event as well. I'd start to question someone who constantly went to the supermarket and fell into things...)

Apologies for the lame ideas, but if I think of anything better I'll post it.
But yeah, it looks great :3

[Alphonse]

(Rhett, the red-haired dude, is the president of the Drama Club and is sort of meant to come off as a Miles Edgeworth-type character. I'd like to have around six or so drama club events with him, but so far I've only written one... any ideas? I was actually thinking of a really basic Phoenix Wright theme for the drama club events, where you could pick out flaws in a short testimony and accuse another club member of something, but I still can't think of any actual content... )

PLEASE GO AHEAD WITH THIS IDEA. I would play this game simply on the basis of being able to win a character who comes off as Edgeworth-like. (Of course, I would play it otherwise, because it's so good besides that. ) Maybe you could have someone be on trial for who stole someone's tickets to see a movie. It was important, because they were going on a date with the love of their life! And now it's ruined!

Or it could be a murder case. (I surprised myself by suddenly doing an evil laugh in real life after I typed that. Then when I read over this whole post a second time, I laughed the same way at the same part. What's wrong with me?)

(The date spots in the game are the cinema, the park, the bakery, the shopping centre, the arcade and the library, and I'd like to have three basic, repeating events for each - going to each place with a different boy should result in the same questions but different answers, Tokimemo-style. So far, the arcade, cinema and park are fine, but I really have no idea what you could end up doing at the bakery... (which is only really a dating spot because one of the characters works there, and re-using backgrounds is fun).)

Never played Tokimeki Memorial or whatever the heck it's called. Well, don't people EAT at bakeries? I don't really know what to suggest, because I don't know what you're looking for. Haven't played Tokimemo. But if you're looking for basic date scenarios, well, can't she meet the other employees? I would've said "having a fly be in her pie (what a wonderful rhyme!)"\ would be amusing, and also she'd get free food too, so yay!" but that's not actually romantic, now is it? What if someone poisoned her food?! Or worse, prepared it wrong?!

Sorry. You're not looking for murder mystery conflicts, are you? (What is with me and murder mysteries today?)

(There's also a supermarket. One of the characters works there (but you can't, hurr). Anyone have any romantic experiences in supermarkets, by any chance? Our eyes met over the mushy peas...)

What.

The most romantic thing that ever happened to me at a supermarket was when the cashier gave me 5% off a loaf of bread.

WAIT, I JUST HAD THE MOST BRILLIANT AND ROMANTIC IDEA!

...then I forgot it. Dammit! I'm trying to retrieve it, but after that witty comment about the 5% off, I can't remember it!

I dunno, maybe some people are trying to hold her hostage and point a gun at her and are like "GIVE US THE MONEY OR SHE BITES THE DUST!" and Clover is like, "Noooo! Save meeee!" and the grocery store guy is like, "Have no fear!" and he throws a carrot at them in a really skillful way that knocks them out. And it's really cool.

Shut up, it's 11:00 at night, forgive me if I can't think of anything good.

Now that I read the above comment and remember that it does have to be repeating, it'd be totally weird if she got held hostage everytime she went into the grocery store. Yeah, maybe the 5% off thing wasn't such a bad idea.

[Ellie]

Bakery Event:
Maybe the bakery owner is a rather pompous "oh ho ho! You kids get together" sort of guy? He might get the two together on a date.
OR, they're short on staff, and the girl is recruited to help out in some way?

Super Market:
Maybe they bump into you while you're making some late night snack oriented purchases and knock everything over? You pick it up together and it's kind of cute?
xD I dunno, I'm not great with romantic stories. But I can't wait to play this game. :>

[azureXtwilight]

Oh. My. God! Awesome! But since the game looks so girly, won't it be too "cruel" to put in a murder case?

[Tsuki-chan]

Well, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni certainly looks cute at first glance...xDD

[lies!]

Let's see...they do say that supermarkets are great places to meet people. I can't really think of any romantic events in particular, though. Maybe the heroine needs something from the top shelf, but can't reach it, so Cute Boy v1.0 comes to help her? Okay, not very romantic, but at least they can get a conversation going... Or (if your supermarket also sells flowers, like the ones I go to do) you could have the boy give her a flower if he notices her looking at them. Or something involving flowers. Or semi-romantic food, like chocolate. Sorry for the lame ideas. XD

Also, murder might be a bit intense for high schoolers to take on it. It would be really fun to see, actually, but maybe not realistic. I personally like the idea of having something go missing/stolen and tracking it down.

[umemi]

Supermarkets are good for conversations about food. Food is a good allusion to... a lot of things. Someone could comment on the heroine's vegetable selection ("Nice... carrot. Do you think you can eat it all by yourself?") or his favorite food ("Hey, you got rice cakes! I love rice cakes!"). A conversation there could result in someone preparing a lunch/dinner for her (or having her prepare a meal for someone else, if she's a decent cook).

Heck, someone could be working in the deli (they love meat?) and she could notice how much they concentrate on their tasks (and how good they look while doing it!). On the other hand, you could have a funny sequence where the deli worker gets covered in blood preparing the heroine's cut of meat. Top it off with a creepy smile and you've got yourself a good horror parody (lol the guy got too into his job there), which could either freak out or make the heroine bust into laughter.

For the bakery, hmm. Have lots of conversations about sugar ("Sweets for the sweet!"), weight ("Isn't that too much for you?" "I'll eat what I like!" "Don't get mad at me when you check the scale in a week..."), manliness ("PFFF! That... apron! It... looks... good on you?" "Shut. Up.") and random situations (The old favorite "You've got some frosting on you. Let me get that for you... *lick/kiss*" comes to mind).

(Sorry if all my conversations seem a little tsundere/hard to get. I've been rewatching ToraDora...)

[Xino]

Random ideas GO!

Supermarket...

--Ah! There it is! Lucky me, there's only one can of mushy peas left. But just as my hand reaches for it another, a larger hand grabs mine. --
Guy: "Oy... Don't even think about it..."
--It was a guy. Correction, it was a HOT guy and he was holding my hand.--
Clover: "Thinking... about what now?..."
Guy: "Those peas are mine. Don't even think about touching them."
--Oh no way, hot or not, he wasn't going to keep me from my dinner--
Clover: "Hey, I was here first!"
Guy: "No, I was. You're just so spaced out that you didn't notice me. Now back off the peas."

Supermarket 2...

Clover: "Let's see... Milk, eggs, cheese, GAH!"
Guy: "Ow!"
--I ran into someone, guess I should look where I'm going--
Clover: "Ah, sorry... YOU!"
--It was Mr. Hottie. Greaaaaat.--
Guy: "Ah, the space case..."
Clover: "The jerk!"
Guy: "Don't waste your time, I already got the peas."
--He held up a can triumphantly--
"I'm not here for peas today!"

Supermarket 3...
Clover: "I can't believe I'm already out of sugar..."
Guy: "You REALLY need to stop talking to yourself."
--Not again!--
Clover: "Stalker!"
Guy: "I'm on my way to the market..."
Clover: "STALKER!"
--People around us were starting to stare.--
Guy: "Stop it!"
--He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me forward.--
Guy: "Just be quiet and walk, there' no reason to make going to the market a nightmare."
--As we walked along he still had my arm, I wonder if he ever planned to let go...--

Annnnd that's all I have. Good luck! Really looking forward to your game!
---Runs back to the demo---

[Riviera]

Ooooo, looks like things are going really well!

Can't... wait.. to.. try.. updated.. stuff!

I was set to try out Shuppin at first, but once I started hanging out with Marius.. he's just so fun! You can mess around and pick on him and still both have a good time. It's great

I really like the art style, it's very unique.

Been keeping an eye on this thread, just haven't posted until now. But I must so as to keep this good game in the spotlight

[chensterrain]

*resurrects topic*

Gah, can't believe it's been two months since I last posted anything - sorry for asking for help and then not replying! The suggestions have been brilliant, though - I'm still undecided as to whether to let the heroine have a job at the supermarket (instead of the arcade job - you can already go on dates there, I'm not sure I can come up with date events on top of that... ) or not, but hey, I'll figure summat out.

- Sorry but I'm not quite sure what you mean for the first one, as in the whole Phoenix Wright thing ><. Do you mean as in there has been a crime in the drama club or something? Or is the drama club acting this out?

Heh, yeah, I probably should have been a little clearer - they're going to be acting out the mysteries / crimes or whatever. The game's gonna be pretty light overall, and a murder might spoil the mood a little... Thanks very much for the ideas, though!

Bakery Event:
Maybe the bakery owner is a rather pompous "oh ho ho! You kids get together" sort of guy? He might get the two together on a date.
OR, they're short on staff, and the girl is recruited to help out in some way?

Actually, I was semi-planning for something like this - though the manager's more of a ditzy, flamboyant guy, I think this sort of thing could end up being really cute, so thanks!

Heck, someone could be working in the deli (they love meat?) and she could notice how much they concentrate on their tasks (and how good they look while doing it!). On the other hand, you could have a funny sequence where the deli worker gets covered in blood preparing the heroine's cut of meat. Top it off with a creepy smile and you've got yourself a good horror parody (lol the guy got too into his job there), which could either freak out or make the heroine bust into laughter.

For the bakery, hmm. Have lots of conversations about sugar ("Sweets for the sweet!"), weight ("Isn't that too much for you?" "I'll eat what I like!" "Don't get mad at me when you check the scale in a week..."), manliness ("PFFF! That... apron! It... looks... good on you?" "Shut. Up.") and random situations (The old favorite "You've got some frosting on you. Let me get that for you... *lick/kiss*" comes to mind).

(Sorry if all my conversations seem a little tsundere/hard to get. I've been rewatching ToraDora...)

(Oh, man, this stuff is gold - maybe I like tsunderes more than I originally thought? Thankyou! Actually, that 'old favourite' event already happens at some point in the game, hurhur )

Ooooo, looks like things are going really well!

Can't... wait.. to.. try.. updated.. stuff!

I was set to try out Shuppin at first, but once I started hanging out with Marius.. he's just so fun! You can mess around and pick on him and still both have a good time. It's great

I really like the art style, it's very unique.

Been keeping an eye on this thread, just haven't posted until now. But I must so as to keep this good game in the spotlight

Thankyou! I'm glad people are still interested even with the complete lack of progress... And I'm glad you're enjoying Marius, too! Sarcastic, banter-y characters are really fun to write, so I hope there are people who enjoy that kind of thing.

Thanks to everyone else who commented, too!

Progress!
+No storyline progress at the moment (I have a forum spam I'm meant to be writing right now, oh god) but during my many, many hours of procrastination (mostly spent watching Skins, hurr) I've finally overhauled that fugly UI - hopefully it looks at least vaguely decent now. Also implemented readback, which I'd really wanted to put in a few months back but couldn't get my head around the module at all, so huge thanks to delta for creating it! I'll probably end up keeping rollback as well, but it's nice to have a log anyway, methinks. I'd love to be able to have a 'delete save' button on the save menu, too, but as I'm using the imagemap layout for the save menu I don't have the slightest idea how I could go about changing it... Oh, and anyone know how to display total play time? I found this, but that didn't seem to work when I tried adding it to the save_name variable and I'd rather have an 00:00 format anyway... any help would be muchly appreciated!

OH, and I know I've seen it mentioned somewhere before, but I've just moved to the latest version of ren'py and now my wait tags don't seem to work anymore? I have to keep clicking to progress the text, and thanks to my tag abuse it gets pretty irritating. Is this just a bug, or am I doing something wrong...?

I'll try and actually make some decent progress soon!

[PyTom]

but I've just moved to the latest version of ren'py and now my wait tags don't seem to work anymore? I have to keep clicking to progress the text, and thanks to my tag abuse it gets pretty irritating. Is this just a bug, or am I doing something wrong...?

It's a bug, and there's a fix for it on the Ren'Py web site.

[chensterrain]

Ah, I guess that's where I saw it. Thankyou!

[PrettySammy09]

Your progress looks frickin' AMAZING. We're talking professional quality here, fo sho'. Can't WAIT to see the finished product, but take your time!

(Good luck on your forum spam btw! >.< b)