Devlog #3 - Mimosa Mom Monday's at Joker's Trip

Buenos dias~ It’s been a week since 0.1.2. It’s also been a week since I’ve actually touched Joker’s Trip. That is the longest I haven’t worked on Joker’s Trip since I was laid off six months ago. I’ve been studying intensely for a job interview the other day and got the news that I passed…that phase! I still have more steps in the interview process cause job hunting is hell, but it’s back to the Joker’s Trip mines for me. And the first thing I’m working on is the dialog handling. 

The dialog in Joker’s Trip is limited. Characters can react to others but can’t have a conversation. This rework will enable that, clean up code, and make it easier to write dialog. This is also the first step in mod support, because I’m making a dialog studio to write and export lines instead of writing them in a shared google doc where we can accidentally misspell tags that end up in the game. 

Something funny about public game development is you’ll get comments along the lines of “I wish X gameplay feature was in,” or “I feel like Y should happen.” And meanwhile your internal game roadmap already has X and Y as planned gameplay features. I love it tbh, because it means we’re all on the same page about what the game should be. That being said, what’s next? 

We’ve mentioned plans for adding a bar and visual novel-like gameplay, with a drink mixing mini-game. The next update would lay the groundwork for this, starting with the drinks and their gameplay effects at the table. These would form the basis of your special abilities. AKA: cheating.

You will be able to select from an assortment of cocktails at the start of the game, each with a unique helpful ability. Does a gambler have too much money? Take a sip, and it’s halved! Think you’re about to bust? Down the hatch! Need a 21 to barely beat Rosalie? Bottom’s up! Each drink will have a limited amount of uses per game, but they can make all the difference if your luck’s just not enough!

The ideal version of this mechanic would involve mixing the drinks yourself while chatting up the ladies at the bar, unlocking new cocktails and conversations as you go. But that’s a lot to code, and a lot to make you wait for, so for now, it’ll just be something you can pick from a list before you enter the casino.

In addition to this, I’ll be reworking the crowd mechanic. The current implementation locks the girls into certain moods and behaviors, which can be frustrating to play against. Now, the status change will be a chance, rather than a guarantee, and have a slightly different effect. A girl affected by Hot, instead of always hitting, will now always listen to a Hit taunt. Shy always listens when told to Stand. Focused remains unchanged—that one’s supposed to be a disadvantage. Can’t make it too easy for you!

So to recap, our primary goals for 0.1.3:

• Create a dialog studio for internal, and eventual modder, use

• Add drinks and special abilities

• Rework crowd and status effects

Please look forward to it!

-Leo G (and TT)