Nicole 0.8.1 (demo preview)

[reader]

OK I'll try to add those things, if I don't make in time for the otome version / first release, will add it later as I make the yuri one (since gameplay is shared, will be updated also in the otome version later).

Will there be a new demo to illustrate how all these changes effect how the game plays? Find the current mechanics/game play to be well short of inspiring me to purchase the game. It would be a rather remarkable leap of faith to purchase the game sight unseen in the hopes that the game plays more in line with what I have suggested. These are your games and thus my suggestions are only my 2 cents towards what I'd like to see/pay for in a game. But once purchase is made, my 2 cents becomes what determine if I find the game worth my purchase. Thus making a demo something of interest for me anyway.

[jack1974]

Yes of course, the previous demo was just a teaser, new one will have new features, like the gift option you suggested time ago

[mizu_ki]

Hello. I just finished the demo and it looks great. I've been on the forums before with a different username but was unable to retrieve my password so I just re-registered.

I cannot wait for the release and I know the game is nearly completed, but I noticed some things in the demo. Granted, I am sure these things have probably already been addressed while working on the game but here I go:

1) It's probably my laptop but the Mystery Progress Bar does not show up properly. I have the most updated DirectX and there is no problem with properly seeing the Relationship Progress Bar.

2) Sept 24: Jeff laughs in face of how blunt I am, and I grin sheepishly in response.
Oct 21: Darren laughs ruefully in face of how blunt I am.

I think it should be my face. It would seem to flow better (to me anyway).

3) Sept 26: The description of Kurt when you first meet him describes his appearance as wearing only shoulder pads with a nice view of his abs. I was disappointed that the artwork did not match this description (it would have been nice to see those abs ). I also noticed later that his appearance in the locker room was actually his usual appearance in the game so the disappointment grew but I have a vivid imagination so I'll survive.

4) Oct 7: The other lab assistant grabs Jeff's arm worriedly, and her touch seems to bring him back. to reality.

It should be back without the period.

5) Oct 10: But... as the lecture proceeds, it's hard not to notice Kurt next to me. They guy has a notebook and a pen out, but it's like he's not paying attention at all.

They should be The.

6) The beginning and end of the day are too...redundant and monotone. I could see showing once or twice: "Restores some energy/moral after each night of sleep. A message at beginning of each day, could be news about the abduction or other" and "Another day has ended! Please review the progress summary then click to advance to the next day" so that a beginner understands that energy/moral might be restored, that there might be news, and that their progress summary has been updated, respectively. However, having these messages throughout the game becomes tedious. I think adding some of Nicole's thoughts for the day or some quirks about how her college life and the mystery are effecting her energy/moral might be better.

For example (beginning of day):
Nicole's energy/moral have improved

• Ah... my econ textbook made such a wonderful pillow. I feel so refreshed!
  I had a wonderful dream. I counted A's all night long.
  Call me smitten, but nothin' brings a smile to a girl's face more than having sweet dreams about her man (woman for yuri)!

(These are just examples that I came up with on the spot. That last one was so .)

Nicole's energy/moral have decreased

• Crap! I fell asleep while cramming for anthro.
  Ugh. I couldn't stop thinking about the bio test. I hope I didn't fail!
  Why did I stay up so late last night?!

In the case of Nicole's energy/moral decreasing after that lab incident with Jeff, I would say something like:

• Damn! I guess I must still be shaken by Mr. Perfect's facade.
  I understand that Jeff has his reasons, but I still can't shake off his creepiness from last night.

Examples (end of the day):

• Clues, clues, and more clues. I'll solve this mystery in a jiffy.
  I spent too much money.
  Wisdom is my power and Rollr is my game!

(Not a clue where the last example came from. )

Anyway, something different like that but staying true to Nicole's personality.

Well, I guess that's it. I've never made my own game or wrote for one so I must admit that I am truly in awe of all of you for taking on such a task. I really look forward to Nicole and Roommates!!! I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for updates. God speed and good luck!

[jack1974]

Thanks for the encouragement and the typos. As for the gameplay/interface suggestions, the demo was more like a preview, many things you pointed out (the mystery bar, the text at end of day, etc) were just temporary stuff
The texts at the end of day that change based on what happened are a good idea though, will try to add that!

[mizu_ki]

Score. You made my day! I do have a question though about raising the Amity stats. Unless I misread one of your earlier replies, I believe there will be an increase in stats boost earned. So, does that mean that Amity will have a higher range of increase when you socialize with other people or go to the movies? I hope so because unless I missed another activity (although perhaps there might be a job with an Amity increase), I think it would be hard to raise Amity unless you are constantly going to the movies which in the long run will end up costing a lot of money since it is $10 - $12 per movie.

[jack1974]

In the demo there aren't the jobs which will give the biggest increase in the stats (and also give you money to spend). There'll be a job for every stat (Park volunteer, Lab assitant, etc), and also the increase range will be tweaked during the final testing stage.

[mizu_ki]

Sweet. Thank you for the quick responses. I know you're super busy.

[crabbycake]

Long-time lurker here! I finally made an account to say that this is one of the games I'm anticipating most. The art and GUI look very pretty, and I'm eager to learn more about the mystery elements!

However, I wanted to voice my concerns about some of the changes that have been suggested. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge stat-raising fan (Tokimeki Memorial ftw) and was disappointed that the Nicole demo didn't make any use of the stats (as far as I can tell?). But while the stat-raising suggestions in this thread are all very good, I think you should keep them in mind from the start for future games, rather than trying to shoehorn them into a game that is almost done.

For one, this game has already been delayed several months. Any major changes would delay it even more, and those changes might just end up rushed/unpolished in the hurry to get the game out.

Adding a nice gift-giving system, for example, might require you to set up stores, commission images of the gifts, write scenes for every possible gift option, etc. (And I'm not sure how it actually addresses the main problem of making stats more meaningful, or if gifts are even appropriate for the mystery setting.) A short menu of gift options and a few reaction lines might be simpler, but could feel tacked-on and not well fleshed out unless more work is put into it. Ultimately, I'd rather get the game sooner than wait for a gift system that may or may not be well-developed or relevant to the story.

I do agree the stats should be more meaningful in the full game, else it’s better off as a pure VN. But maybe there are easier ways you can increase the importance of stats? For example:

• Changing the job result (money earned) based on energy+morale+related skill, as you previously suggested. This seems relatively easy to implement and makes a lot of sense.
• Having some scenes or choices only appear when certain stats are high enough. In the demo, it seemed like all the events happened regardless of what my stats were. Maybe you have to gain a certain stat level to see a character’s later scenes? Or the best choice in their scene is greyed out until you have a high enough stat?
• Having some jobs or activities only available if certain stats are high enough. Activities that give you bigger boosts for Diligence, for example, could be available only if your Diligence is sufficiently high.
• Changing a few lines in each scene depending on stats. In the tutoring scene, for instance, maybe Nicole got an A+ if her Wit is high (Kurt is super impressed), A- if it’s medium (Kurt is kinda impressed), B if it’s low (Kurt is like “meh, guess it’s at least better than a C”), etc. Though lots of stat-based scene branching and side events would be great, I hesitate to suggest that now, as it would require more writing and time to do consistently, and it sounds like the otome writer is almost done with their contract? (While another writer could perhaps fill in, you’d have to be careful that their writing styles don’t clash.)
• Getting different endings depending on your stats (I assume this is already the case).

At any rate, best of luck and sorry for my long post! I’m really looking forward to the full game, and was rather dismayed at the prospect of further delays. In the future, I think it would be great to see a Tokimeki-styled stat raiser, gift-giving systems, and other cool features like that. But I think those gameplay mechanics should be planned from the start and taken into consideration throughout the game development process. For a game that is almost complete, it doesn’t seem as feasible to try and tack them on, especially if you’re in a rush.

[jack1974]

Is actually easier and faster (the only issue could be the artist speed in drawing the gifts icons) to add the gifts system, than to add new different scenes based on stats, or change the lines depending on stats. I don't know if you played my other game Always Remember Me, but there's the possibility to purchase items, even if not exactly a gift system (there's a gift you can give to a character, but that's it).

I had already planned to have a mall or a online shopping store (since Nicole is a bit of a geek makes sense for her to buy online!) before, so it's not something new that I need to add, I only need to modify the idea to make use of the gifts

[jack1974]

added a couple more finished mystery scenes that were proofread already. Don't remember if I already posted this but together with writer we decided that the girls weren't completely missing, but disappeared for 3 days and when they're found they don't remember anything. Making them disappear completely would have involved more dark/scary/horror stuff and wouldn't fit the game