Philosophy #30 - The Three-Level Pyramid

Philosophy #30 - The Three-Level Pyramid

It's taken me a long time to realize that I'm in a bubble. It's taken longer than it should have for me to realize this. As the developer of this game, I can see all of the pieces to the puzzle. I can see all of the steps and where everything is leading. I can see the entire forest for what it is. This is my bubble. And in this bubble, I forget that everybody else can only see the trees. You might be able to guess where all of the steps are leading but you don't know for sure until you've actually seen it for yourself.

I talk all the time about how I approach the game and share my thoughts on development as much as I can. I try to explain why I do things to give you some insight. At this point, especially for those of you who've been around for a long time, you've placed your trust in me. I'm grateful for that trust. I know that some of you are going to be here all the way to the end and that means a lot to me.

As the game has taken shape and the story has progressed, I've always been flexible on the specifics. But the general details and big picture have never changed. I wanted to take this time to talk about the three-level pyramid of the game and how it's built.

The base of the pyramid is the story. It's the foundation that everything is built upon. The fundamental core of your story that's been there since the beginning. This is mainly trying to finish your thesis so you can graduate. Second to that is your job at the coffee shop. Everything else in the story is derived from these two main story aspects. The fights in Old Town. Going to other shops in Midtown. The modeling contest in Uptown. Your science project for school. Searching for funding for the coffee shop. It's been a long time since the beginning but these are all connected. No matter what you do, you're always going to be working to deal with these things and handle what problems might arise. I know this is just another sex game but my first consideration was the story and all of the different aspects of it. In my eyes, nothing else could be built without a strong foundation. I just wanted to write a big story and that's how things ended up this way.

The next level of the pyramid are the characters. This isn't just your love interests. This is all of the characters. Throughout the course of the story, you've met a few dozen characters. Some are more important than others. It's obvious that a good story is important in a visual novel. And it should also be obvious that good characters make for a good story. I could go into details about the characters themselves but that's completely subjective. When it comes to characters, I'm just trying to do two general things with them: make them distinct and make interactions with them distinct.

So, once you have the story and characters, what else is there? Well, at the top of the pyramid, is the reason you're all here: the ladies and the sex. I'm under no illusions that you're all here because there's at least one girl you're a fan of. I know what you want. I know some of you are enjoying the story and like interacting with characters even if it's not a sexual thing. I appreciate that you're a fan of every aspect beyond the sex. But you're here because of the girls. No matter what reason you have for going to a restaurant, the food has to be good.

Part of the issue with me being in my bubble is that I see the foundation of the pyramid as the most important and I get lost in it completely. I place so much emphasis on it that when I finish an update and all that's happened is some story progress, I look at it and I'm completely satisfied with it. But as I've learned to step out of my bubble, I'm understanding more and more why others might not be.

It's a balancing act to manage all three of these things. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't gotten it right a lot of the time. But if it's any consolation, I want you to know that I'm aware of it.

I'm saying this now because after working on this game for so long, it's become clearer to me why development for this game has taken the course that it has. I wanted to write this post and explain why this game is the way that it is. I'm not making excuses or apologizing. This is just more of an explanation that I've realized. I should emphasize that I'm perfectly happy with how things are developing and I'm perfectly fine that my approach is different, strange, or even off-putting to others.

I'm not going to change anything. The story is still going to be the story. The game is going be more of the what you've already been playing. It's identity has only gotten stronger and I know what I need to do and keep doing. I guess I'm saying this now because I just realized all of this while I was thinking about it for some reason. Also, I just wanted to say thanks for playing.

A lot of you talk about the story and tell me that you're enjoying it. You encourage me to go at my own pace and want me to tell the story however I'm going to tell it. You've put your trust in me. I appreciate that. And nothing any one person says will make me change my approach, so you don't have to worry about me trying to please someone else for the sake of pleasing everybody.

I've said this so many times before but I'm excited about what's going to happen next in the story. I've been planning some things for years at this point and I can't wait until I finally get the chance to reveal the things I've been keeping to myself.

As with all philosophy posts, these are walls of text where I can get rambling. These are all insights that make some sense in my head and I'm trying to articulate as best as I can. If none of this makes any sense, just know that it does in mine.

On Episode 14

I've gotten a few big scenes finished. There's still a few longer scenes left that I need to render. I'm not anywhere close to a release but slowly and steadily, I'm getting there. I'm working on it.

I'll have a bigger progress update next week with a preview or two. Not much else to report on that front.

If you have any questions or comments, send me a message. Thanks for the support. Take care and I'll talk to you soon.