State of the Game September 2023

First thing before I go into details regarding the state of the game is that I must mention that I have finally hit 100 subscribers. I am pleased by this development and it is the primary motivation as to why I want to release this statement now, rather than later. The fact that I have hit this humble milestone is one of the major motivations that is pushing me to continue development.

On that topic, development of the game this year has been rocky to say the least. My day job keeps me extremely busy and leaves little time to work. I also endeavored to work on the game this past summer, but a major illness came back and prevented me from accomplishing as much as I wished.

With the excuses out of the way, it is time to discuss the game. As stated back in March, the last release is the final release of the game in its current state. As such, the next release is a complete rebuilding of the game from the ground up. My primary concern during the rebuild was refining and streamlining what I wanted to keep and either minimizing or eliminating that which was a distraction or felt “tacked on.” Essentially, The Libertine Conundrum is now a dating simulator, first and foremost. As of this release, I have plans for 12 dateable NPCs and I may expand this a little bit in future builds. Interaction between the player and the dateable NPCS is far more important to the overall plot and is the main focus of gameplay. The originally planned “erotic combat” mechanic has been scrapped as unnecessary. A much more simplified version for events is present in the new release so as to be both easier to understand and less prominent in overall gameplay. Below is a list of the major changes that will be in build 0.4:

Graphics Changes

A great deal of the graphics and maps have been updated or changed entirely. The first major change is Jordan’s overall look. In the current build, Jordan appeared in a default summer dress. This did not match with her characterization as a major inventor and physicist. Her new look puts her in a more modern outfit with lab coat that befits her station.

Old Jordan (left) compared to New Jordan (right)

Many of the maps have been updated as well. Many of these changes have been due to the treasure trove of wonderful tilesets created by Kokoro Reflections. Jordan’s lab has been completely overhauled to look much more appealing and Jordan’s mansion is now a location in the game. Its significance, while minor in the beginning, will grow over the course of the main plot. Likewise, the new tilesets show just how opulent the mansion is and reflect that Jordan is filthy rich.

The hotel is no longer the center of the game. An entire island and a portion of the mainland will be prominent in the game. This was done because the plot and the entirety of the game simply cannot be contained to a single, monolithic building and maintain beliveability. The hotel itself has been completely rebuilt with its new purpose in mind using a new tileset. This gives the hotel a unique look compared to other locales in the game.

Interface Changes

One of the biggest things that disappointed me in the prior builds is how I handled the game’s data and its presentation to the player. In short, the data was overly complicated and the manner in which the player could access the info was ham-fisted due to important information being buried in convoluted and ultimately unnecessary menus. Thus, this was completely overhauled. The Smartphone, which was a usable item in the current build, has been eliminated with the addition of a “smartphone” option to the main menu. This allows access to the various stats and attribute menus that players need to see in the game without the extra steps of obscure item usage. Likewise, the stats and attributes have been made easier to understand. This has been made possible with a creative use of the Yanfly Engine’s skill level mechanic. A great deal of backend code was eliminated due to using skills and the skill level mechanic to express Jordan’s physical abilities in a clean, easy to read and easy to track manner. The plugin does much of the dirty work of tracking stats that the old code did without the extra variables and work. While there is still complexity on the backend, the player will not see it at all.

Old Menu Layout showing the older stat system in the left-hand menu

Old menu Layout showing the Smartphone in the Key Item list, making its features cumbersome to access.

Old Menu Layout showing the physical body stats accessed through the smartphone. Note that this was accessed from a root menu in the smartphone, making for even more cumbersome interaction.

Old dialogue box showing physical attribute experience progress. All of this information was manually coded into the game’s backend and required extensive variable use to make work.

Old menu showing the relationship menu and the depreciated Physical Attributes menu.

New Smartphone menu accessed from main menu. All of the game’s features are now easily accessed. Note Jordan’s new look in the center.

New Physical Attributes menu. All data is handled far more efficiently through Yanfly’s Skill Level Plugin. Far less coding on the backend means far fewer chances for game-breaking bugs. Note that this is accessed far easier in the new build than the old.

Relationship menu will show grayed out entries until the specific NPC is encountered. The access and relationship level is also handled by Yanfly’s Skill Level plugin and is far more efficient that the variable system used in prior builds.

Dateable NPCs are now recruitable and playable. Note the location of the “Smartphone” in the main menu for easy access.

NPCs have specific reactions to the game’s fetishes. They are more willing to engage in some activities over others. Fetishes are grayed out until they are discovered. The player will always have the option to enable or disable fetishes in the “Fetish” menu in the Smartphone.

NPCs also have physical stats that affect both interaction with them and overall gameplay. While they have the chance to level up some stats, there are far fewer opportunities to do so compared to the player. Note the level in green text over each heart icon.

NPCs also have unique talents that affect their characters. In this example, Miki’s talents reflect her unique biology as a goblin. Some talents may be known upon encountering an NPC while others may be discovered later through gameplay.

The old world map from the currently available build. The squares are events as seen in RPG Maker’s editor.

The new world map under construction. Note that it is far larger in scope than its predecessor.

Jordan’s new lab.

Jordan’s mansion foyer showing the NPCs that are dateable in the game as planned for development.

From left to right, Simone, Coco, Chunky, Kuddles, Stringbean, Miki, Maxie, Mel, Toni, Minnie, Penny and Vee. The redhead at the bottom is a test event that is not representative of any specific NPC.

Gameplay Changes

Quests in the game will be better integrated. The Yanfly Quest plugin is still managing these, but tracking will be a bit more detailed.

Flavor text has been added to many of the background objects to help with worldbuilding and storytelling.

The random encounter rooms in the hotel have been eliminated. With the inclusion of various districts in Libertine City on the island, they were rendered both obsolete and inadequate for the purposes of the new system.

Libertine City has multiple districts that focus on either gameplay elements, such as the Promenade Districts shops, office buildings and Mel’s bar, as well as districts for generic encounters with NPCs for experience gaining and developing Jordan’s physical attributes. Core stats have been modified for a simplistic skill test system. The battle engine formulae are moot in the code and will not be used. The battle engine will be used for cutscenes of a certain type once the project has developed to the point that I can have artwork constructed for the game.

One of the biggest changes is that dateable NPCs can now be recruited into the party and become necessary for advancing character quests and other events. Some combinations of party members may even lead to hidden events, depending on who is tagging along with Jordan. They also have stats and attributes to tell the player more about the individual NPC. This is important when considering the outcome of some events and even whether an NPC will participate or not.

The job system will be streamlined and included in the game. This is necessary because the Libertine Island does not take the standard currency. This is as much a gameplay element as it is a plot element. If the island took standard currency, Jordan’s absurd wealth would let her steamroll through many mechanics. It also clashed with the storyline that the resort operates outside government jurisdictions in the game world.

Eliminated Mechanics, Options and Features

One of the big problems I encountered was the fact that my project is more than a little bit ambitious. I had to cut some things out to make room for things that would lend better to the newer product.

Some fetishes have been removed to cut down on the staggering variation of events that would be needed to complete the NPC events. Room has been left in the code to include new fetishes if there is sufficient demand once the project reaches a far later state of development.

The old origin story was overhauled and rewritten. I wanted something a bit more grounded and believable.

Erotic combat has been removed for a far simpler mechanic.

It goes without saying that save files from prior releases will be useless with the new build. Everyone must start fresh.

While there is much more going on, this is the current update regarding development. I am hoping to have this release available by the end of this year. I hope the pictures I have included show the work that has been going on behind the scenes and act as a bit of a teaser. Should there be any developments between now and the next release, I will keep everyone informed.