Urgent Poll on Implementing the Dating System in the Game!
Hey everyone!
While we're revamping the Blaine storyline, we've got a question about how to handle the dating system in the game, and your input means a lot to us.
We're looking at two main options:
Dates as an Optional Bonus
Dates are available anytime during the story progression.
They're extra content that helps boost relationship points faster.
You can skip them entirely without missing out on the main plot.
The romantic storyline develops based on key choices in the game's core events, not the dates themselves.
Dates as a Required Part of the Plot
Dates are woven right into the main storyline.
How they go (success or failure) directly impacts relationship growth and unlocks unique scenes (similar to the early dates with Blaine and Iden).
They're a crucial element for shifting story branches and accessing bonus content.
Standard, everyday choices will still be there, but they'll influence other aspects of the plot.
Which one do you prefer? We'd love to hear why you picked that option!
Comments (7)
I’ll vote optional if not for anything else than the desire to not miss out on something big & plot-relevant because I like/dated a certain character one less than someone else. I understand that replay-ability is a huge factor of a game’s success, but I personally care more about the first experience- a time where a player can make a lot of these “mistakes” in missing opportunities and feeling like they’re “locked out” of good endings or something. ••• Maybe there’s a way to make both options workable in some way? Like a silent point system that allows for special characters to act a certain way in the story without affecting the player’s overall relationships, & then down the line there’s a ‘choose-your-favorite’/‘who-do-you-marry’ choice that sets playthroughs apart.
Both choices are nice but the problem is that if it is mandatory it will be harder to have a perfect play through and it will be another problem if alcyone doesn't make a walkthrough page that is free for everyone. If it becomes something like that it would be very hard for people who have little or no experience, like me.
I'll swing for mandatory, relationships seem like an integral part of the game, the girls were angled as the main draw of the game and we seem to explore the world & Alias through them.
Mandatory - because dates being optional for a romance storyline just seems wrong. The point of dating is to build up a relationship bit by bit, and when you take away the requirement to do so, it can make the romance seem rushed.
I chose optional dates because I feel that it is extremely tricky to have good storytelling pacing while having to juggle the main story and dates with multiple characters. I agree with the other commenter though, in that a mix of both would be nice (e.g. dates and interactions with Blaine becoming mandatory during a certain stretch of the story but the other characters remain available if it makes sense)
The poll is about the option to skip the date mechanic in the girls' routes (thus making it a bonus content), not about making dating everyone mandatory. All of the routes are optional
I have chosen Mandatory dates as it feels more meaningful that way, but a mix of both could also work I think.