RPG Patreon Active Renfield

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

I must have installed, uninstalled, and re-installed Skyrim at least a dozen times this year because, while the Sexlab framework is solid, many of the mods that rely on it can bring up numerous issues. The first issue that bugs me the most, saves going bad. The second issue, once in awhile the game will crash due to a virtual C+ issue, it depends on the mod. The third issue, sometimes the game will just freeze right before the animation kicks in.

Bethesda games are already so buggy that it's akin to building a house on a foundation of silt and mud.
Then when you have mods that work on script extenders the problems just keep multiplying.

Renfield should be much more stable.
It will have fewer moving parts to begin with. Secondly, everything will be integrated one element at a time.
Imagine if every single Skyrim mod (including Sexlab-based mods) was compatible with every other mod.

Now imagine that they were all integrated into a deluxe version of the game.
Similar to how Feed the Beast or Technic packs work with Minecraft.
One installation = hundreds of mods worth of content.

 

[MajorKagami]

Re: Renfield

all the talk of Skyrim made me update it a try again... the sex animation gets stuck and wont end unless I have it so I can control it which is not rape. and the knock down doesn't really work as you wont stay in that same down no fluid animation on whats happening.
so when your game comes out (and you can play as female) if what your saying is so it just may be the best H-game, at lest in top 5. so here is me cheering you on. yay, go you....

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

the sex animation gets stuck and wont end unless I have it so I can control it which is not rape

Female Adventurer: "Oh noes! I'm pinned down by this bandit!"
Bandit: "Har har! You're my wench now!"
Female Adventurer: "You're doing it wrong, you idiot."
Bandit: "Sorry."

Yeah... not very compelling.
People who like Game Over Rape and things like that will really enjoy the submissive paths in Renfield.

When being assaulted, you'll only be able to control yourself.
You can fight back and try to control your emotions, or give in.
But what your attacker/captor does to you is entirely up to them.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

Stuntcock sent a pm with more interesting points vis a vis gameflow.

When being assaulted, you'll only be able to control yourself.
You can fight back and try to control your emotions, or give in.
But what your attacker/captor does to you is entirely up to them.

It would be nice to hear a bit about the actual game mechanics involved here. If anything, I'd prefer to see an alpha prototype in which the sexual encounters consisted entirely of a placeholder info-dump.

Entity 216 ("Bandit Lord") [[Male]][[Human]] is attempting to initiate a sex scene with Entity 1 ("Player") [[Female]][[Human]].

Bandit Lord's motives are [[dominance]], [[self-aggrandizement]], [[lust]].

Bandit Lord will become violent if refused. Bandit Lord will slap and spank without asking permission. Bandit Lord will not inflict serious injury on a willing partner. Bandit Lord is not interested in sex with men.

Why? Because this sort of information can guide you towards systems which suit the content that you want to create. Imagine the kinds of gameplay paths that might be involved in the preceding scenario:

• reach the Bandit HQ and request a private parley with the Bandit Lord (c.f.
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  )
  • option: agree to sex, let him fuck you, win his trust, convince him to stop raiding Nearby Village, return to village, [[Quest Complete!]]
    • hybrid challenge: convincing the Bandit Lord involves a conversation minigame. The player can get additional bonuses if they've spent time in the Bandit HQ (listening to gossip and rumours), or if they've snuck around and perused the Bandit Lord's private notes. Perhaps the player suffers a penalty if they have a positive Karma score, but this will be overlooked if they were fun in the sack ("I heard you were a goody-two-shoes, but any girl who can manage a reverse-piledriver is alright in my books!")
  • option: let him fuck you, he falls asleep, you cut his throat, steal everything that isn't nailed down, sneak out past the sleeping guards, then return to Nearby Village and report that the Bandit menace has been taken care of. [[Quest Complete!]]
  • option: refuse to fuck him, but offer your service as a Bandit instead. Begins a new [[Quest]] in which you must raid Nearby Village and deliver the spoils to Bandit Lord.
  • option: refuse to fuck him. He gets angry. The game reverts to normal 3dRPG gameplay at this point and the Bandit Lord attacks the player with his fists (dealing non-lethal damage). He's a big tough guy and the Player had to surrender their weapons and armor on the way in, so it's a hard fight.
    • If the Player loses then they get raped and then tossed out afterwards (losing some of your items in the process - you can sneak back in to try to retrieve them, but if you're caught then the consequences will be nasty - maybe gangrape GOR?).
    • If the Player wins the fistfight then they can attempt the aforementioned Persuasion challenge (with a different set of bonuses and penalties - did the Player win fairly, or did they use magic?) or maybe they can tie up the Bandit Lord and initiate a Femdom scene.
    • There are a few weapons scattered around the bedroom. If the Player manages to grab one and equip it then the Bandit Lord will draw a dagger - it becomes a fight to the death.

Imagine that you wanted to implement some or all of the options that I've described above. What sort of game mechanics would you need? A Gamebryo-style dialog tree probably wouldn't be sufficient for a "Persuasion" or "Seduction" minigame. You'd want something which was either heavily text-focused (e.g. an immediate shift into a Visual Novel clickthrough dialog with clear decision-points, so that you can build up the setting and tension) or something which eschews text altogether (like the conversation wheel in Oblivion) so that the player is free to fill in the missing details based on context and imagination.

As an example, you might use a set of static 3dCG images, or brief looping animations (3-5 seconds each). We start off with a neutral scenario (e.g. both characters standing in the Bandit Lord's bedroom and talking). Button prompts appear, in the style of a rhythym game or QTE. If the player succeeds in matching buttons then the looped "talking" animation will shift to one in which the player character stretches provocatively and winks at the Bandit Lord. If this continues, then the PC's "prefered scenario" will play out: the player character performs a striptease, pulls the Bandit Lord into bed, and a vigorous workout ensues. If the player screws up then the NPC's scenario plays out: he menaces her, he tears off her clothes, he tosses her to the floor and fucks her roughly.

There are a few important design factors to consider here:

• to what degree you want to incorporate difficulty into sexual encounters
  • do you want to avoid it altogether? (e.g. player clicks "Cowgirl" and then it happens)
  • do you want it to be more thought-focused? (e.g. player must successfully navigate a VN conversation but they can take lots of time and maybe even use Quicksave/Quickload)
  • do you want to include reflex/twitch gameplay to add excitement and randomness?
  • do you want to include
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    to establish a rapport between the onscreen events and the gameplay experience?
  • do you want it to change based on the type of encounter? (e.g. prostitution scenes use different mechanics)
• is the player character expected to be a TES/Fallout-style pseudo-silent protagonist? Is it appropriate to give them specific dialog responses in a sexual context, or do you think that this would interfere too much with immersion (the latter is definitely a risk - for instance, the player character announces that "I love taking it up the butt!" but the actual player is grossed out by anal stuff).
• how many decision/interaction points do you expect to include per sexual encounter?

The biggest reason that I'd recommend a "placeholder" approach to sexual content is that players will focus on whatever you include. If you show them some hastily-assembled 3dCG sets then they'll say to themselves "this looks like Poser porn from ten years ago.

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." And they're right! Unfortunately, you've spent hours on those CG scenes; you're inevitably going to be disappointed if nobody seems to appreciates your work. Meanwhile, the other aspects of your game (e.g. combat system, world map, AI, NPC interactions, etc) will be neglected because you're trying to upgrade the artwork in order to impress the audience.

Instead, show them how sex fits into your world. Let them see the reasons why characters in your game are interested in sex (e.g. [[lust]], [[companionship]], [[boredom]], [[payment]], [[revenge]], [[procreation]], [[fantasy]], [[humiliation]]) and some of the kinks (e.g. [[likes to be tied up]], [[slightly bi-curious]], [[won't fuck on the first date]], [[has a foot fetish]], [[uses magically-powered sex aids]], etc). Let people figure out what kind of characters they might create and how they might fit into your world.

You can then write some quest or storyline content, culminating in a few placeholder sexual encounters. After playing a beta for fifteen minutes, there's a decent chance that a player will either run into a keyword that they find intriguing, or just be impressed by the variety of planned content. Once you've got people hooked, they're more likely to contribute (in the form of content, useful feedback, or even monetary donations) because they want to see the game fulfill its promise.

At that point, you can take your time. Find out which types of sexual encounters are most interesting to yourself (and your audience) and develop appropriate gameplay mechanics to realize them. Create some art, or ask for fanart submissions, or develop an in-engine cutscene system (with the knowledge that you can always upgrade the visuals later on). Fill in a few of the story-critical sex scenes while leaving most of it as placeholders (and also adding new placeholders as you grow the game world). Gather feedback and keep iterating.

If you rush to create gameplay mechanics and visuals first (because you want to deliver a playable alpha build), then there's a risk that these elements will become "sticky" - you'll build up a lot of code and content on top of your initial mechanics. Eventually you realize that the early mechanics are inadequate (for instance: they allow femdom, but they can't handle guy-on-guy interactions). Then, you're forced to either abandon some of your planned content, or put development on hold while you try to repair the old code.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

It would be nice to hear a bit about the actual game mechanics involved here. If anything, I'd prefer to see an alpha prototype in which the sexual encounters consisted entirely of a placeholder info-dump.

Recently I've been playing a pseudo-game of my own.
I got Dark Souls 2 for PC and have been using it as a dummy plug for action rpg gameplay.
Whenever I beat a boss in DS2, I "capture" a girl. So my virtual harem grows with each boss defeated.

I then run a randomizer script that simulates the raping of the captives.
Each captive has a fertility rating, sensitivity rating, and emotional rating.
The more sex you have with them, the more chances you have of scoring a "critical" on them.
A fertility crit is of course impregnation. A sensitivity crit brings her to orgasm. Finally an emotional crit changes her mood. (Usually breaking down her will to resist)

The Emotion stat governs her overall ability to control herself.
But there are 5 different "debuffs" she can gain from failing her saving throw: Fear, Anger, Humility, Sadness, and Joy.
A girl with more Sad counters will cry, while a girl with more Anger counters will glare at you, grit her teeth and make threats.
Sometimes a girl will resist fiercely, then slowly have her will broken, then rally her resolve for a while.
This is an expected pattern to emerge out of so much randomness. But it's interesting to watch as they all react differently.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

Why? Because this sort of information can guide you towards systems which suit the content that you want to create. Imagine the kinds of gameplay paths that might be involved in the preceding scenario:

reach the Bandit HQ and request a private parley with the Bandit Lord (c.f. Fallout New Vegas)
option: agree to sex, let him fuck you, win his trust, convince him to stop raiding Nearby Village, return to village, [[Quest Complete!]]
hybrid challenge: convincing the Bandit Lord involves a conversation minigame. The player can get additional bonuses if they've spent time in the Bandit HQ (listening to gossip and rumours), or if they've snuck around and perused the Bandit Lord's private notes. Perhaps the player suffers a penalty if they have a positive Karma score, but this will be overlooked if they were fun in the sack ("I heard you were a goody-two-shoes, but any girl who can manage a reverse-piledriver is alright in my books!")
option: let him fuck you, he falls asleep, you cut his throat, steal everything that isn't nailed down, sneak out past the sleeping guards, then return to Nearby Village and report that the Bandit menace has been taken care of. [[Quest Complete!]]
option: refuse to fuck him, but offer your service as a Bandit instead. Begins a new [[Quest]] in which you must raid Nearby Village and deliver the spoils to Bandit Lord.
option: refuse to fuck him. He gets angry. The game reverts to normal 3dRPG gameplay at this point and the Bandit Lord attacks the player with his fists (dealing non-lethal damage). He's a big tough guy and the Player had to surrender their weapons and armor on the way in, so it's a hard fight.
If the Player loses then they get raped and then tossed out afterwards (losing some of your items in the process - you can sneak back in to try to retrieve them, but if you're caught then the consequences will be nasty - maybe gangrape GOR?).
If the Player wins the fistfight then they can attempt the aforementioned Persuasion challenge (with a different set of bonuses and penalties - did the Player win fairly, or did they use magic?) or maybe they can tie up the Bandit Lord and initiate a Femdom scene.
There are a few weapons scattered around the bedroom. If the Player manages to grab one and equip it then the Bandit Lord will draw a dagger - it becomes a fight to the death.

Most of the scenes for the first version of Renfield won't be this story-driven.
It's a lot of writing for what could end up being a one-night-stand.

In terms of gameflow, my idea for Renfield was heavily influenced by Illusionsoft games. Namely The-Game-We-Do-Not-Speak-Of.
I remember how great The-Game-We-Do-Not-Speak-Of was for its time. But letting them carry their pregnancies to term was Game Over.
Disappointed by this, I began to envision a game that was akin to all of Illusion's best titles rolled into one.

Imagine if you stalked a virtual town like in Biko, or fought like in Battle Raper.
Then you bring home your captives and train them The-Game-We-Do-Not-Speak-Of-style.
When children are born, you can raise them like in Musumaker.
And so forth....

When I play any H-game, I'm a collector/harem builder.
In the long term scenarios like what you've described will be included.
But for now that's a lot of preparation, writing and scripting for a single encounter.
It's much easier to simply treat your victims like virtual livestock.

Just look at the Dark Investigations mod for Skyrim.
The guy who made it put a ton of work into it, but it's still REALLY short.
So if I set out to create 50 quests of the length and complexity that he's trying to achieve, then Renfield wouldn't be finished in our lifetimes.

The good news is: Once the game is out I'll allow people to make their own content which can be as story-driven as they like.
DLSite allows for patched/upgraded versions to be uploaded.
So if 50 people each write out a questline, script, choice & consequence tree, etc. for a single quest apiece, then it becomes possible to have a large amount of complex content.

 

[imercenary]

Re: Renfield

Sandbox Fantasy RPG.
...with sex.

Oh dear...

 

[stuntcock42]

Re: Renfield

In the long term scenarios like what you've described will be included.
...
So if I set out to create 50 quests of the length and complexity that he's trying to achieve, then Renfield wouldn't be finished in our lifetimes.

I was making a point about design rather than implementation.

1. You sketch out a few scenes/encounters that you'd like to include in your game (eventually).
2. You plan out some game mechanics (health+mana, inventory limits, physics puzzles, melee combat, trade/barter, fog-of-war, mutually hostile AI factions, in-engine cutscenes, looting of corpses, a "skip" feature for conversations, RPG stats, dialog-tree schemas, morality meter, QTEs, etc) which are sufficient to support the long-term content goals.
3. You implement the systems, with rudimentary UI and graphics. At this stage a Longsword might be a single polygon without textures.
4. You implement initial scenes which use a subset of your systems and serves as a proof-of-concept (e.g. a tutorial mission which requires the player to pickup a sword, equip it, and attack a stationary target).
5. You implement more substantial scenes which could actually be fun to play (e.g. an RPGMaker dungeon with random encounters and a few treasure chests). Most of your mechanics should now be playable.
   • The initial content can be retained for testing purposes, or repackaged into a tutorial.
6. You implement major scenes (e.g. Skyrim dragon fights; Phoenix Wright courtroom battles). This stage will involve a lot of work (SFX, mo-cap, texturing, etc) but it shouldn't involve rework of the core mechanics.

Consider

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. It's a one-person development team (although he's still using public source control because that's just a good idea). His data structures include such minutiae as:

• a list of known magic spells
• a list of known alchemical recipes
• tongue length
• color of pubic hair
• independently-adjustable virility and fertility ratings for each sexual organ
• each NPC has an "submission or dominance" statistic governing their relationship with each other NPC (and with the player character)

Not one of these concepts, when initially coded in, was necessary for gameplay or content-creation. The game included a lot of straightforward fights and sexual encounters (which served to illustrate the game's premise to new players) but most of the "advanced" game mechanics simply lay dormant in the code. Magic and alchemy were eventually added to the game. The domination/submission statistic is now (many months and versions later) used in a few dialog sections and sex scenes.

Because the game design was frontloaded, each subsequent stage of implementation involved much more "writing stories" rather than "writing logic." This was good for the developer (less re-work) and for players (because old saved-games can be still be used after a major update).

You might note that the preceding list omits some details. For instance, magic spells are not assigned to "schools" (as in D&D or TES) and the game does not track "experience" or "mastery" with each spell (as in Disgaea). Instead, the player simply gains experience in the associated "job" (such as Mage). This was a deliberate decision - while the game involves a lot of combat, it's used mostly for role-playing purposes rather than tactical engagement. If the developer decided to implement spell-schools later on, he'd need to rewrite a bunch of code and he'd probably break saved-game compatibility. But he probably won't, because that features wouldn't make sense in his game. By nailing down the game mechanics early, he was able to set bounds on the game experience and ensure that his creative vision fit inside those bounds.

Which is why I've been nagging at you to go into detail about your game mechanics. I have some content ideas, but I don't know whether or not they could fit into the game.

The good news is: Once the game is out I'll allow people to make their own content which can be as story-driven as they like.

A few pages back, you complained about incompatibility between TES and Fallout mods. Much of the incompatibility arises because the original game systems are too shallow (e.g. each NPC has a hitpoints statistic, but not an "attractiveness" rating or a "pregnancy" status or a "heterosexuality" slider) and so modders need to add those things piecemeal via heartbeat scripts etc. And then the various scripts collide with each other and quests become stuck or NPCs spaz out or the game crashes.

This is especially important since you've indicated that you're going to control all of the code for Renfield. If you expect me to write up the whole "bandit lord" quest/subplot thing and submit it as a content module, then you need to ensure that your game mechanics are extensive enough to support it.

Let's imagine that Renfield v1.0 is a combat-focused RPG with visual-novel sex scenes. I could implement the bandit lord thing by spawning a whole bunch of extra NPCs who live in a special inaccessible underground chamber. For instance, "George" is spawned with 100 HP and his HP represents the bandit lord's patience and my dialog scripts would add or subtract HP from George when appropriate, and when George dies the bandit lord immediately goes hostile and attacks the player (because they belong to the same AI faction). But that's a godawful kludge and it would be very frustrating to write the content, so I wouldn't bother.

It's a lot of writing for what could end up being a one-night-stand.

You don't need to include a huge amount of writing in every moment of gameplay - you can have a lot of copy-pasted "storm dungeon, defeat badguy, rescue princess, add to harem" setpieces. But the player needs to feel that there's a potential for any given scene to include complex details and meaningful choices. I could theoretically marry anybody I wanted to in Fable 2, but because I knew that they were all interchangeable nobodies, I didn't want to marry any of them. Even if the game had allowed to accumulate a huge harem, I wouldn't have felt any sense of accomplishment in doing so.

But if there are 2-3 characters in Renfield with substantial backstory and personalities then I'll be happy to seduce them. And maybe then I'll go out and seduce a dozen of the interchangeable NPCs (you know... just to fill up the mansion).


P.S. The forum rules say that we're not supposed to talk about the Illusion RL game. Why does nobody ever read the forum rules?

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

Consider Fall of Eden.

Games like Fall of Eden, Corruption of Champions, Trap Quest, etc. are all great.
But Text games have a huge advantage in the fact that their "hidden" elements are no more difficult to implement than their "shown" elements.
When writing a new scene for a Text game, you can simply indicate that a character is a standard class of NPC but with an additional BellyButtonLint variable.
Then if you want to give this character a massive, elaborate lair you just need to describe it. (Which is actually less work than making a custom class: It's just flavor text.)

Meanwhile with Renfield adding hidden elements is just as easy.
But creating anything that is visually/physically represented is dependent on whether the needed art assets can be found or created.
So scenario writing for Renfield isn't that different from writing for a Text game so long as you don't introduce visual elements that you can't supply the assets for.
You sort of need a "Student Film Mindset".

The example scenario you gave of the bandit lord is perfectly feasible.
It's only a matter of adding a few static variables.
But if you write "The Bandit Lord is wearing a funny hat", then we have a minor problem unless you've already made said hat in a compatible file format.

 

[stuntcock42]

Re: Renfield

Meanwhile with Renfield adding hidden elements is just as easy.
...
The example scenario you gave of the bandit lord is perfectly feasible.
It's only a matter of adding a few static variables.

It's easy for you. It's feasible for you. Since I (as a hypothetical content-contributor) don't have access to your source code, I wouldn't be able to run my stuff through the dialog parser or test-drive any of the interaction. I would simply have to email you a text file full of obvious pseudocode statements like [[NPC.kill]] and then ask you to replace them with proper scripting.

It wouldn't be practical for me to add any complex systems (like "pregnancy" or "hypnosis" or "voyeurism" or whatever) to the game because the code would need to accommodate things like zone transitions, heartbeat scripts, proximity checks, navmesh accessibility, time compression, etc... I'd be completely unable to test any of it, so it would be very silly for me to attempt to implement it.

Hence, the only way that I could realistically contribute storyline content is if it ties into pre-existing game mechanics which have been exposed via a scripting API. Which is (to repeat myself a bit) why I'm asking you to talk about your game mechanics. If the API includes a [[player.hasDefeatedInCombat(npcName)]] function and a [[world.getRelationship(charName1, charName2).setDominance(value)]] method and a [[player.defeatedInCombat(eventArgs)]] event then I might be able to writeup the bandit lord encounter. If you don't intend to make these elements available - because they don't fit your vision of the game, or because you want to focus on the combat mechanics, or because you don't intend to have an API until version 2.0 - then just say so and I'll stop harassing you.

When I mentioned the [[player.hasDefeatedInCombat]] function, I'm implicitly assuming that fights don't always result in death. Perhaps that's because there's a nonlethal combat system, or there's a special type of magic which is specially-designed to subdue and immobilize enemies, or because the loser of a fight always gets incapacitated for a few minutes but doesn't actually die, or because the API lets us flag certain characters as plot-critical and they trigger special scripts instead of dying. Heck, you could probably include all of these options in a single game, if you wanted to be thorough. But you might as well tell your audience about what sort of game mechanics you plan to include (like the Fear, Anger, Humility, Sadness, and Joy emotion-buff system), because forum users might be able to offer suggestions. They might also be able to point out examples of other games which used those mechanics well... or examples of broken/incompatible systems to avoid.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

If the API includes a [[player.hasDefeatedInCombat(npcName)]] function and a [[world.getRelationship(charName1, charName2).setDominance(value)]] method and a [[player.defeatedInCombat(eventArgs)]] event then I might be able to writeup the bandit lord encounter.

Well you no longer have to jump through these kinds of hoops like when you use the Creation Kit.
When modding for a Bethesda game, you have to work around them.
In this case, I'm willing to work around the modders.

If I have a class that has 3 properties (Vanilla, Strawberry & Chocolate) and you write "This guy makes a roll against his Licorice stat" then I'll just use a custom class that has the additional 4th property.
The same thing goes for arrays, arguments, bools, static variables or whatever.
You have complete freedom to write any scenario you can imagine and I modify the game according to what is required.

If you want to make a Skyrim mod that has the "Three Sword Style" from One Piece, you'd essentially have to hack the game.
The kit Bethesda gives you doesn't allow that kind of flexibility.
But if you knew someone at Bethesda and called them up saying "Hey, for the next patch add another equipment slot to the mouth." then making your mod suddenly became much easier.

It wouldn't be practical for me to add any complex systems (like "pregnancy" or "hypnosis" or "voyeurism" or whatever) to the game because the code would need to accommodate things like zone transitions, heartbeat scripts, proximity checks, navmesh accessibility, time compression, etc... I'd be completely unable to test any of it, so it would be very silly for me to attempt to implement it.

I plan to release an open source version of the game that will allow people to test their code themselves.
This version will be stripped of many of the assets I bought since I don't necessarily have the rights to redistribute them.
But you don't need to know Unity scripting to contribute.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

You don't need to include a huge amount of writing in every moment of gameplay - you can have a lot of copy-pasted "storm dungeon, defeat badguy, rescue princess, add to harem" setpieces. But the player needs to feel that there's a potential for any given scene to include complex details and meaningful choices. I could theoretically marry anybody I wanted to in Fable 2, but because I knew that they were all interchangeable nobodies, I didn't want to marry any of them. Even if the game had allowed to accumulate a huge harem, I wouldn't have felt any sense of accomplishment in doing so.

But if there are 2-3 characters in Renfield with substantial backstory and personalities then I'll be happy to seduce them. And maybe then I'll go out and seduce a dozen of the interchangeable NPCs (you know... just to fill up the mansion).

Agreed. I still remember getting 1,000 evil karma points for beating my wife in the first Fable game.
I liked having a different wife in every town. But Elvira Gray was the only spouse with a unique backstory.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

It's easy for you. It's feasible for you. Since I (as a hypothetical content-contributor) don't have access to your source code, I wouldn't be able to run my stuff through the dialog parser or test-drive any of the interaction. I would simply have to email you a text file full of obvious pseudocode statements like [[NPC.kill]] and then ask you to replace them with proper scripting.

I have absolutely no problem translating pseudocode into code-code.
At this point I'm fortunate if anyone steps forward to write scenarios for my game.
You seem fairly well versed in scripting syntax. Not everyone is, though.

People of all levels of programming skill are encouraged to contribute.
There are a ton of people with a talent for writing, but not coding.
Or art, but not coding.... or music, but not coding.... or animation, but not coding.... etc.
I want people to focus on what they do best, and I'll handle the integration.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

I've put in 114 different pieces of equipment.

This includes weapons, armor, shields, and types of ammunition.
Still in the process of balancing cost, power, speed, reach etc.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

Let's imagine that Renfield v1.0 is a combat-focused RPG with visual-novel sex scenes. I could implement the bandit lord thing by spawning a whole bunch of extra NPCs who live in a special inaccessible underground chamber. For instance, "George" is spawned with 100 HP and his HP represents the bandit lord's patience and my dialog scripts would add or subtract HP from George when appropriate, and when George dies the bandit lord immediately goes hostile and attacks the player (because they belong to the same AI faction). But that's a godawful kludge and it would be very frustrating to write the content, so I wouldn't bother.

This reminds me of why I stopped using RPGMaker.
I reached a point where I had too many variables and was considering using the stats of dummy characters to store data.

You'll never need to use such a cumbersome workaround with Renfield.
With Unity, you just create an empty object and use it to store the relevant scripts and data.
When you declare a public variable in the compiler it adds an dialog box to the editor.
Really convenient. Really simple.

Perhaps I should create a small kit and post a tutorial on how to make a modular scenario.

 

[stuntcock42]

Re: Renfield

You'll never need to use such a cumbersome workaround with Renfield.
With Unity, you just create an empty object and use it to store the relevant scripts and data.
When you declare a public variable in the compiler it adds an dialog box to the editor.
Really convenient. Really simple.

I feel like we're talking past each other without understanding. I know that it's possible to add custom AI scripting in Unity. I know that it can be done cleanly and efficiently, by defining entity subclasses with a few extra properties. But I'd like to minimize that. If I'm thinking about logic-linked content (ignoring the narrative/dialog text for now) I would aim for a maximum of 20% custom properties - things like [[banditLord.SuspicionLevel]] and [[banditLieutenant.LoyaltyRating]]. I'd like to rely on standard API calls for the remaining 80+%.

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Here's a silly counter-example to illustrate the point. Let's imagine that I'm writing a pure-combat scene. I create a script that tracks the number of weapon hits scored on an NPC. When the counter reaches 10 then my script immediately kills the NPC and the quest advances to the next stage. This would be very stupid. The player has no way to know whether their attacks are having any effect. They can defeat the enemy with 10 machine-gun shots in less than a second, but if they're using a slow-loading bazooka then it might take several minutes.

Instead, I should write content which interacts with the normal game mechanics: armor rating, hitpoints, blocking, dodging, healing, etc... I should define an NPC who has a certain number of hitpoints (and/or a certain Level, and/or certain weapons and armor) so as to create an appropriate challenge. Hence, the player character's skills and equipment will influence their chances of success. If they find the encounter too difficult, then they can return to it (after visiting the store, or completing some other quests, or whatever). Or perhaps they can recruit a follower to assist in combat, or set a trap, or sneak past the NPC, etc...

----------------------------

Ideally, the sex-related content should work the same way. You define a set of properties and member functions, such as [[character.beauty]] or [[character.horniness]] or [[character.sexualPreferences.likesFemales]] or [[armor.lustResistance]] or [[item.onHitEffects.aphrodisiac]]. You encourage modders to use these tools in their content. The result (hopefully) is that modders are less reliant on custom scripting, content is more intercompatible, and players have more options.

Modders can still opt-out of some game mechanics when they're thematically inappropriate. Example: "this dungeon is full of undead creatures; I'll make them immune to Sneak Attacks and give them 100% resistance to Lust effects." But if you're trying to create an enjoyable sandbox game then you must give players as much freedom as possible. In my Bandit Lord example, I assumed that the player would seduce the NPC through a striptease minigame. However, perhaps they could trick the NPC into eating an aphrodisiac-laced meal. Even if the aphrodisiac items were created months later and by a different modder, it could still be an effective option for dealing with the Bandit Lord. If both modders used a common set of API calls, then neither of us would need to do any intermodule testing or patching. Flexibility also provides greater replay value:

• first playthrough - I try to do the Bandit Lord quest but fail the minigame, get raped, and get tossed out. It isn't a gameover, but I've failed part of the quest. Maybe I could do things differently next time?
• if I install the "alluring perfume" mod and reload my previous saved game, could I make the Bandit Lord really horny just by standing around and talking to him for a while? Then I can try the minigame again, but it will be much easier to satisfy the [[banditLord.lust >= 100]] victory condition because I'm starting from 50 instead of 10.
• if I restart the game as a minmaxed Level 1 Fighter, can I challenge the Bandit Lord to a duel and win? Is there any special dialog for doing so? (e.g. the Bandit Lord taunts me during combat as "the ugliest bitch that he's even seen")
• if I meet the Bandit Lord as a Level 5 Dancer with appearance-boosting clothing and jewelry, will I get enough of a reaction-boost to skip the whole seduction minigame and start the sex scene immediately?
• can I create a nerdy male character, postpone the quest while I gain experience, show up as a Level 20 Illusion Mage, trick the Bandit Lord into thinking I'm a beautiful woman, and seduce him? Can I then cancel the spell and watch him freak out? Will he immediately attack me in a fit of homophobic panic? Let's find out!
• can I use high-level magic to persuade the Bandit Lord that we're best friends, so that he'll immediately agree to whatever I ask, and I get to complete the quest without any fighting or sexing or sneaking at all?
• can I use high-level magic to hypnotise and gendershift the Bandit Lord, bypassing all of the custom content and quest stuff, just so that I can add another NPC to my Pokemon-style harem?

As a content-creator, I'm interested in these possibilities. I want to create sandbox scenarios that have a lot of possible approaches and outcomes. But I don't want to code everything up from scratch - it would take too long and the resulting code would be very brittle.

It's up to you to define a set of game mechanics which fit the theme of your game and the backstory of your world (e.g. slavery, trade routes, hermetic magic, ancient civilizations, matriarchy, drug addiction, body transformation, angels/demons, warring nations, conspiracies, sapient non-human species, nonbindary gender, etc). Ideally, you should reinforce the game's theme through its mechanics (such as applying a corruption effect whenever the player performs a sexual action). The Fallout series is an obvious example - they used the Radiation and Drug-Addiction mechanics to demonstrate the initial purity of the player character, and to emphasize the hostility of both the natural world and the fallen civilization around them.

Perhaps you could have a "prestige" statistic which increases when the player character manages to have sex with an important NPC. Or a "refractory period" mechanic which forces players to explore the world and do quests instead of just repeatedly using the Prostitution skill to generate cash. The details are up to you, but it wouldn't hurt to discuss these features in the thread before you sit down and start coding them.

----------------------------

tl;dr - technical details aren't important yet. Talk about your world and your game mechanics.

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

technical details aren't important yet. Talk about your world and your game mechanics.

At the moment the game mechanics aren't terribly complicated.
There are 5 enemy witches you need to capture to complete the game.
Over time their captivity, and the things you do to them, will alter their physical and emotional state.
This pattern is being used simply because it's so easy to implement.

Once they are in your captivity you're essentially playing Slave Maker, but with up to 5 girls at a time.
I welcome contributors creating more complex interaction, but I'm too busy trying to get basic systems working to worry about them myself.
As far as mechanics are concerned, the sky is the limit.
The whole point of modding is to add stuff.

The last thing I want to do is constrain people.
If a contributor provides a scenario that fits the existing content like a glove, that's fine.
But it's even better when they break new ground and introduce new elements.

can I use high-level magic to hypnotise and gendershift the Bandit Lord, bypassing all of the custom content and quest stuff, just so that I can add another NPC to my Pokemon-style harem?

Now see, this isn't something that I'd considered.
But I would just introduce 2 new rare items to the game.
If you happen to have them both in your inventory (the hypnosis item & gendershift item) then you'd have an additional option.
It would be a lot like the cutscene they added to Sif in the Dark Souls DLC.

Should the player complete the DLC before fighting Sif, they get a somewhat friendly reception from him.
I would've gone a step further though, and actually let you avoid fighting him altogether.
That would've been more consistent from a lore perspective.

If we mapped this model of encouraging retcon'ing and outside-the-box thinking to Renfield's development, we'll end up with more and more possible storylines and outcomes blossoming from what were initially simple encounters.
Eventually Renfield will seem equal parts Bioware and Bethesda.
There's no boundary. Nothing is off-limits.

By the way, I really appreciate the feedback.
Too many people seem to be lurking, afraid to ask questions or make suggestions.

 

[MajorKagami]

Re: Renfield

scrap what your doing and forget about making it look like a elder scrolls game and make it into a Borderlands H-game!

 

[stuntcock42]

Re: Renfield

Too many people seem to be lurking, afraid to ask questions or make suggestions.

Most people are probably skeptical. Your previous project was an unfinished RPGMaker game, and a 3d sandbox RPG is a very ambitious followup. You'll get more interest from potential players as you achieve "milestone" progress towards a playable game.

You'll get more interest from potential contributors if you commit to good development practices (e.g. modular content-loading framework, scripting API, story bible). Nobody wants to invest time into a project and then discover that it was wasted because the lead developer has vanished. Ideally the work would be done on a collaborative platform (e.g. Google docs, Github) so that progress is preserved and new developers can step in if the original guy goes AWOL.

The fact that you intend to commercialize the work adds complications:

• collaborative development is off the table; publishing your source code and resources would create a huge piracy risk
• if I'm working for free, then it's usually because I want to either "give something back to the community" or "get a big audience for my cool ideas." In both cases, it would make more sense to contribute to a freeware project instead of a commercial one.
• spite: "why should I do a bunch of volunteer modding work just so that KleptoLizard can make more money?"
• doubt: "if KleptoLizard wants to earn money from this game, then he's more likely to suddenly abandon it if/when it becomes apparent that it won't sell enough copies"
• the whole project could fall apart if someone discovers that the game has used art assets and animation packs (or even hidden stuff like AI scripts!) without proper licensing
  • this is much less of a concern with freeware projects because they tend to "fly under the radar" of license enforcement. Slavemaker has been using stolen artwork for years.
• the simplest vector for "adding stuff to the game" (i.e. ripping art assets from Skyrim) could generate legal complications. Ideally, you'll want modders to put in some actual effort and create stuff from scratch.
  • If I'm an aspiring 3d artist who creates content for Renfield, I can't really put it into my portfolio. If I do so, then there's a risk that a potential employer will link me to a porn game and deny me a job. It's in my best interest to avoid your project entirely if I want to have a career as an artist.
  • If I'm a novice 3d artist then I can create a few low-poly swords while I'm learning to use Blender, but they probably won't be useful:
    • If you're aiming for "convincing" sex scenes, then the player is going to be disappointed when they notice a Minecraft-type sword in the corner of the room.
    • If you're aiming for a consistent lore and visual style then user-contributed content may be unwelcome and disruptive (e.g. 8-foot anime swords in a "medieval" setting).
  • As a novice artist I can easily create armor pieces if I have access to the skin meshes (and ideally the skeleton also, but it's not strictly necessary). However, I assume that you'll be using commercial assets (face, body, hair, etc) which may not be available to modders.

The whole "Japanese and English release" is a confusing point. Am I supposed to include both languages in my mod? I don't even speak Japanese! Do I just publish my mod and then wait until a bilingual person decides to create a Japanese version? If I'm writing sexually-explicit content, then what happens when it runs afoul of Japanese censorship laws?

Finally, the nature of the game will drive some people away:

• because it's a 3d game, I might reluctant to contribute narrative content (e.g. original characters, questlines, backstory) unless I can accompany it with art assets.
  • In Skyrim I could just click "New Character" and "Randomize Face" in the Creation Kit (or, similarly, I could just plop down some prefab huts to make a village). I could then review my dialog and ensure that it fits the face (e.g. scarred, young, angry, etc) or ensure that my quest suits the area (e.g. don't put the royal princess in a thatch-roof hut).
  • With Renfield, I might need to just write all of the text and then email it to you. Weeks later, I might discover that you've created an NPC whose size/race/appearance doesn't match the character that I had in mind.
• Since it's a sandbox game, I can't retain creative control of the experience.
  • I might create a Mary Sue NPC based on myself, and the player is supposed to escort me around while I do awesome stuff. Well, maybe the player decides to murder my character and loot my cool stuff, or sell me into slavery and then post screenshots of my character being raped.
  • As a designer, you should allow this sort of freedom in a sandbox game - it's a core aspect of the genre. But some authors might be hurt or offended when they realize how people behave in games (especially if the author has an emotional investment in their characters).

 

[KleptoLizard]

Re: Renfield

The whole "Japanese and English release" is a confusing point. Am I supposed to include both languages in my mod? I don't even speak Japanese! Do I just publish my mod and then wait until a bilingual person decides to create a Japanese version? If I'm writing sexually-explicit content, then what happens when it runs afoul of Japanese censorship laws?

I'll handle all the translation issues.
Contributors can ignore the language barrier altogether.
Japanese censorship, from my experience, doesn't concern itself too much with written media.
Certain words are sometimes partially censored (Example: まんこ [manko] "pussy"　is often written ま〇こ)
but the overall story and events can be stuff you could never get away with in the West.

But that shouldn't concern contributing writers.
Just write everything in English.
Plus, people help me out just by posting.
It reminds me that I'm not doing all this for nothing.