Wow, this month went fast. For some reason, February always feels shorter than other months… Of course, that could be because it is.
Nothing major to report so far. Had our latest public release with some big bugfixes and an overhaul to the body transformation code, but lots of other big bugs persist (a lot of looping scenes and such).
Willpower
I took some time to pick up where I left off on the willpower systems. I’ve got some basic code for displaying choices with willpower checks and providing the player some feedback about what’s influencing them (which I think I had a preview of previously).
Last weekend I took a stab at code for applying mind control/mental changes to the player character. For these, I took some notes from RPG leveling systems with the basic philosophy that these changes should slow down the further along the player gets. So, going from 1% indoctrination to 2% will require way fewer points than moving from 71% to 72%.
What I have appears to work, but no idea on balancing yet. At least I have actual function calls I can start working into the game, however.
Next big hurdle that I’m struggling with are complex situations.
As a reminder, there are three planned aspects to MC in Interns:
- Indoctrination – The more indoctrinated, the PC likes being at the resort and wants to do “fun” activities. It takes more willpower to force herself to do things that aren’t “fun.”
- Obedience – The more obedient the PC is, the harder it is to refuse to do something she’s asked to do by someone with authority over her.
- Lust – The more desperate the PC is for sexual release, the more willpower required to pass on an option that would likely provide release.
And, right now, willpower checks work like this:
- The PC has a pool of willpower from 0 to 100 points.
- A willpower check has a difficulty between 0 and 100 points, based on various stats (most notably, level of indoctrination or obedience).
- If the PC’s current willpower is higher than the willpower check, they pass the check.
- Passing a check will drain an amount of willpower from the pool (this is restored by resting).
- If the PC’s willpower is lower than the difficulty of the check, they fail.
- No points are taken if the PC fails the check. A message hints at why the check failed and the choice is locked out.
So, a simple scenario would be something like…
>Example 1<
“Pick one” (PC is compelled by “obedience” to pick choice A.)
A) Serve guests drinks. (No restrictions)
B) Go back to your room. (Must pass obedience willpower check)
The code I’ve made can handle this one with no problems.
However, things can quickly overlap, such as…
>Example 2<
“Pick one” (PC is compelled by “obedience” to pick choice A. The party is also a “fun” activity, so indoctrination kicks in.)
A) Go to a party. (No restrictions)
B) Investigate the resort. (Must pass obedience AND indoctrination willpower check)
Still not that challenging, but if the willpower check fails, I have to find the best way to convey to the player *why* it failed (did they beat the command but not the indoctrination)?
Now, where I’m really getting into trouble is something like the free-time room menu. It’s not a matter of the player picking one option or another, but getting a whole host of different options that can be influenced by all three MC types…
>Example 3<
“Spend the evening…”
A) Watching TV
B) Watching porn
C) Masturbating
D) Investigating the hotel
E) Visiting the Club
F) Visiting poolside
G) Taking a nap
If the PC is influenced by lust, there should be a willpower check on any activity that won’t likely lead to release. So:
A) Watching TV
D) Investigating the hotel
F) Visiting poolside
G) Taking a nap
These should *only* apply if the lust requirements are met, however.
Indoctrination will likely push back against anything that isn’t a “fun” resort activity, so willpower checks on…
A) Watching TV
B) Watching porn
C) Masturbating
D) Investigating the hotel
G) Taking a nap
And, let’s just say, in this instance, the PC has been directed not to investigate the resort. That option will have an additional check.
So, I need to figure out how to handle these.
I considered a situation where you pass the first check but fail the second…which would result in a drain to the PC’s willpower, even though it was failed check. I get the feeling that might cause issues, though.
And, if you try one of the menu options and fail, should all of the other options that require the same check be automatically removed? (And should the menu buttons disappear, as they would by default, or should I figure out a way to show “disabled” buttons?)
One thought I had was to let the player know up-front that they can’t pass a check by changing the menu button, rather than allowing them to try to click it at all. Or, perhaps clicking on it would just provide the explanation as to why they can’t pass.
Anyway, hope this at least gives you an idea of what I’ve been chipping away at.
Previews
While I originally thought the willpower stuff above might’ve made for a good BTS post for this month, I later figured it was info I was better off sharing with everyone. So, for backers, I’m instead going to give a preview of some upcoming CGs.
I felt the TV scenes were long overdue for some graphics, so I’ve been trying to fill them in, starting with existing scenes, after which I plan on doing some more generic images if I still have time. Enjoy!
Usagitriplesix 
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