Story Evolution

The main story plot and each character’s arc are drafted out. However, things are flexible to a point to allow the story to develop in a natural fashion.

This does not mean the major vision for the game will change. What can change is how characters react to certain situations. Those reactions will hopefully be consistent with the personality of each character.

In response to player feedback, there was a change to scene selection between v0.1.0 to 0.1.1; Originally, after the college reception scene, the player had a choice of three scenes [cooper house, visit the gym, shopping for mom]. Whist replayability is a feature of the game, players felt splitting content this much throughout the entire game would require an unreasonable amount of replays to see all the content.

Therefore, the scene selection was changed [cooper house, visit gym]. After visiting the gym, you would automatically play the shopping scene. During the cooper scene, you have an option halfway to leave and do the shopping scene or stay at cooper’s house.

Not going shopping for mom has consequences. Whilst the mom character is not a love interest, you still have relationship stats to contend with. Such stats could mean the difference between her leaving you alone with a girl in your bedroom, to constantly interrupting and spoiling the mood.

What else has changed?

In the Catherine scene, the original draft expanded the ‘Pirate’ branch. The player could chase Catherine and eventually fall on top of her. This was removed as it would have been only one of the four branches available and the final design of the environment didn’t provide enough space. The living room and kitchen do fit within the external house model.

The other three branches would have needed to be extended, which didn’t fit in the time available.

A reference to the player’s head landing between Catherine’s breasts was added to an earlier dialogue option. The chase idea has been moved to a later Catherine scene.

In the original college reception scene, Cleavage would have only interrupted if you actually looked closer at the receptionist. In the current version, she always interrupts. This was changed to introduce the character for all players, and the college reception already had one hidden branch.

Also in the college reception scene. During the hidden branch with Zoe, you answer the phone to Margaret. In the draft, your dialogue choices could cause Margaret to turn up and argue with Zoe.

This was changed for the benefit of Margaret’s relationship with the player. As she is the college Dean, it makes more sense for the relationship development if Margaret doesn’t know the player is a student.

Gamer Girl’s introduction was to be optional. This was changed to mandatory as making any of the future scenes a possible introduction would be problematic.