Philosophy | The Little Things

Philosophy | The Little Things

Hey, everybody.

While you're all waiting for the next update, I thought I'd give you all some insight into the game. I wanted to share different aspects of my design philosophy and how I'm going about with the vision I have for everything.

At this point in the game, you have the option to pursue Harlow and Erika. I tried to emphasize that they're both important decisions because the choice you make will change the way your relationship develops with them. This philosophy applies to all of the other love interests who you're not able to pursue just yet.

I'm assuming most people choose to pursue a character because you like them and you want to have sex with them. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. I do the same thing when I play other VNs. You play through the story. You read the lines. You enjoy everything. But you need that payoff. You need that scene where you're actually sleeping with them.

I see that ultimate scene as a destination. It's the end of a journey. It's finding the treasure after beating a boss. It's the reward after saving the world. It's the culmination of lines of dialogue and dozens of choices.

But there's more to a destination than the destination. There's the journey, too. And sometimes it gets forgotten when we're trying to get to that destination.

One of the things I wanted for AMFA was to add some romance. Romance isn't just about sleeping with a girl. There are other things like kissing them or hugging them or even holding their hands. But there are even more things beyond that, like simply talking to them. When you pursue a girl, I want it to feel like more than just racing toward the next scene where you're naked. I know the sex is the best part but I want it to be that: a part. A part of a bigger picture. And I want that bigger picture to feel like something special. The destination AND the journey are important. I think this makes the girls feel less like sex objects, even if you're trying to build a harem.

It remains to be seen if I can actually pull this off. Maybe the relationships and storylines I'm writing won't be satisfying. You'll always have a voice and being able to say what you like and dislike.

In the next episode, Harlow and Erika both have moments that will vary depending on if you're pursuing them or not. They're little moments but they're moments. Again, the big moments are the ones you should care about but I think the little ones matter, too.

I thought it was only fair to tell you what I'm trying to do and where I'm placing the emphasis as development goes on. You're supporting the project. There's no question you should be able to know where this train is going.

Let me know your thoughts on romance, the little things, journeys, and destinations. What's the most important thing to you?

I'm still grinding away at Episode 6. I'm hoping to have the first progress update at the end of the month. By then, I think I'll have the smaller chunks of renders I need to do out of the way and will be able to focus on the bigger scenes. There's an event in Episode 6 that's bigger than anything that's happened so far. It's going to be a lot of fun though and I hope you'll enjoy it when I get to it.

In the meantime, I'll have more posts up to tell you more about the game. If there's anything you want to suggest or question or just general comments, feel free to speak up. I'm always listening.

You can download a hi-res version of the image above in the attachment if you're interested.

See you all next week. Take care.