Thanks for taking the time to read it, I'll try to answer your questions the best I can and hopefully add a little clarity.
I can't think of any games off the top of my head, but I'd describe it as using a visual novel GUI (character sprites, option boxes, etc.) with a menu based system for player actions, like, say, Slavemaker.
Events are all designed and then scripted by a person (in this case, me). Some will simply be text over a CG illustration, while others will be visual novel style encounters. None are 'made' yet, since I'm still working on the prologue, but I have design notes for a ton of them.
There are safeguards against this sort of thing in the system. For example, after an event is resolved, it is removed from the event pool (think of a discard pile), so with every bad event you "draw", the probability of the next being a bad event is decreased, and you cannot keep getting the same bad events (I'm hoping, if the game gets enough support, for all Castle and Town events to be unique. Adventure spheres might share some, but more on that in the next design post). Also the current working number of player actions per game is 200 (obviously, this may change depending on results from playtesting), separated into "turns" of 40 actions (a year). On this scale, three or four bad events in a row isn't the end of the world, and if player feedback is that there are too many bad events happening, the simple solution is just to add more beneficial ones and/or remove a few bad ones from the offending event pool.
The three keywords from my original design pitch were "Choice", "Balance", and "Quality", so balancing the game is a very important part of my vision for the game. The litmus test for me is that the player should be able to remove all the fapping material from the game and still enjoy playing it; it should be a good game with porn in it, not a good porn game. I'll be taking on board all the feedback from you guys when you get to play it, and I'll set up a public forum for debate among the player base if there are differing, contentious views on an event or gameplay issue.
In regards to your examples about balancing problems, I just want to talk about what I'm calling the endgame, as hopefully it will solve some of those issues. This is the phase that occurs after all player actions have been taken, and determines the outcome of the game. It will be quite tough, and since the best rewards in the game come with a corresponding amount of risk, you won't be able to just play it safe. You'll have to make the tough decisions, face off against powerful foes, and venture deep into dangerous dungeons if you want to have a chance at beating the game.
I like challenging games, and I'd like this to be challenging, but the key is in getting the difficulty just right. I don't want you to play it the first time, and just win easily. The ideal player for me is somebody who comes into the game knowing nothing about it, fails in the endgame, and then takes what they have learned into subsequent playthroughs to do better, eventually winning and getting that "fist pump" feeling you get when you beat a crazy hard NES game or defeat a difficult Dark Souls boss. It is going to take a whole lot of time, work, and money, but I've already put nearly a year and a few thousand dollars into it, so I'm in it for the long haul. I'm just hoping there's enough people who want to take this journey with me.
I can't think of any games off the top of my head, but I'd describe it as using a visual novel GUI (character sprites, option boxes, etc.) with a menu based system for player actions, like, say, Slavemaker.
Events are all designed and then scripted by a person (in this case, me). Some will simply be text over a CG illustration, while others will be visual novel style encounters. None are 'made' yet, since I'm still working on the prologue, but I have design notes for a ton of them.
There are safeguards against this sort of thing in the system. For example, after an event is resolved, it is removed from the event pool (think of a discard pile), so with every bad event you "draw", the probability of the next being a bad event is decreased, and you cannot keep getting the same bad events (I'm hoping, if the game gets enough support, for all Castle and Town events to be unique. Adventure spheres might share some, but more on that in the next design post). Also the current working number of player actions per game is 200 (obviously, this may change depending on results from playtesting), separated into "turns" of 40 actions (a year). On this scale, three or four bad events in a row isn't the end of the world, and if player feedback is that there are too many bad events happening, the simple solution is just to add more beneficial ones and/or remove a few bad ones from the offending event pool.
The three keywords from my original design pitch were "Choice", "Balance", and "Quality", so balancing the game is a very important part of my vision for the game. The litmus test for me is that the player should be able to remove all the fapping material from the game and still enjoy playing it; it should be a good game with porn in it, not a good porn game. I'll be taking on board all the feedback from you guys when you get to play it, and I'll set up a public forum for debate among the player base if there are differing, contentious views on an event or gameplay issue.
In regards to your examples about balancing problems, I just want to talk about what I'm calling the endgame, as hopefully it will solve some of those issues. This is the phase that occurs after all player actions have been taken, and determines the outcome of the game. It will be quite tough, and since the best rewards in the game come with a corresponding amount of risk, you won't be able to just play it safe. You'll have to make the tough decisions, face off against powerful foes, and venture deep into dangerous dungeons if you want to have a chance at beating the game.
I like challenging games, and I'd like this to be challenging, but the key is in getting the difficulty just right. I don't want you to play it the first time, and just win easily. The ideal player for me is somebody who comes into the game knowing nothing about it, fails in the endgame, and then takes what they have learned into subsequent playthroughs to do better, eventually winning and getting that "fist pump" feeling you get when you beat a crazy hard NES game or defeat a difficult Dark Souls boss. It is going to take a whole lot of time, work, and money, but I've already put nearly a year and a few thousand dollars into it, so I'm in it for the long haul. I'm just hoping there's enough people who want to take this journey with me.
