A important decision !
Hey everyone!
The experimental new version of LDR is getting close, and while some systems still need to be activated, I have to be honest: I’m not entirely satisfied with certain parts of the game.
As I told you back when I announced the Reforge, I want to use this opportunity to truly reshape the project I care so much about – and that means making bold changes where needed.
And there’s an idea that’s been in my head for a long time…
I’m thinking of removing combat from the game.
It takes a huge amount of development time, and let’s be real – you probably didn’t download LDR for that 😉. It’s a big shift, but I have a very clear vision for where it could go instead.
I want to focus the game on a town management / evolution system, designed to directly enhance the sexual gameplay.
Your character wouldn’t be defined by strength or speed anymore, but by stats like charisma, crafting, corruption, or sex appeal.
The idea: to corrupt and reshape the townspeople according to your tastes and kinks.
For example:
Craft clothes to influence how NPCs dress.
Sell potions to change their body shape or gender.
Make them more exhibitionist, kinkier.
Build pillories, gloryholes, and other installations… shaping the world exactly as you want.
You could unlock new buildings and upgrades, travel to find better resources, recruit special NPCs, and get unique outfits for your scenes.
I don’t want this to turn into an overcomplicated management sim – each building would simply have a constant, straightforward effect, with no heavy production chains.
And of course… the construction of brothels and other kinky spots!
In short: turning LDR from a cramped RPG into an erotic sandbox focused on progressively corrupting NPCs and fulfilling your own fantasies.
I really want to hear your thoughts on this change. It’s a direction I’m deeply excited about, but it’s also a real turning point for the project.
Comments (15)
I think it's possibly a good idea. Obviously progression, goals, and challenge don't necessarily mean "combat" in a game. So long as there is a form of progression and goals to shoot for that are not immediately achievable it will still be fun. You can still keep the current vibe of progressing and seducing NPCs without it. Not that this was implied in the post but just in case I want to say don't discount magic as part of the system. Just because combat wouldn't be part of it, doesn't mean spells and stats that scale magic can't still be part of the game in other ways. Also to echo a thing I'm seeing in the comments is don't force kink or corruption (which I don't think is you're intention). I guess so long as there is variety in paths a player can take on what they progress you could potentially have a pretty dynamic system to shape the game to people's tastes.
Voting neutral, though I would be very interested in having the crafting and city building be an important part of the game. I think that it needn't necessarily be "Corruption" as it seems some folks aren't on board with that, but perhaps the villagers can ask you for upgrades that are mutually exclusive, allowing you to shape the village that way and differentiating it from other villages and the the games of other players. It seems to me that pivoting away from combat is a big change that could pay off, but it is a risk. If this is the path you're set on, could I suggest a gane calles Palia for a potential source of inspiration - it has a very strong combat optional gathering/crafting/NPC socialising game loop, and you can add your own city upgrade stuff to that formula. Anyway, I like both of the games you're describing (combat/non-combat) so I'll still be here cheering you on!
The idea is currenlty in design, but yes my idea by corruption is not only from naive to slutty, is more from what it is to what you want. and yes you experiment in the way you want too. i want the sandbox /laboratory feeling "what if i do this !" my actual idea is to buy some slot in city and add building to them, but later create your own or at least your own place with more liberty in what you can do. maybe not a full city but at least a interesting place with multiple building.
1: What would be the "Primary Gameplay Loop" then? Like, for Half-Life 2, the moment-to-moment gameplay is shooting the baddies, moving to the next area, and occasionally doing physics puzzles. What would this version of LivingDolls be doing? Just wandering the environment finding resources with no challenge, then returning to camp to manage/spend resources? Wandering town, admiring your handiwork? It sounds like it'd turn the game into just a bit of a sex-simulator sandbox, almost completely removing any actual gameplay. 2: For my tastes, this proposal is kind of... "Backwards"? My idea of a good fetish-customization system is that of "Mr Zed" games: at the very start, the game asks you to customize your fetish preferences, so that you can then immediately enjoy the rest of the game, not having to see much of the content you don't like. Meanwhile, this idea, it seems like you'd start out with an unsexy and/or default state, and in order to customize it to make it actually enjoyable, you'd have to work for it. I mean, it successfully rewards the player for playing the game, but in my mind, it's 'rewarding' by making the game actually tolerable. This seems, to me, to be building the "Corruption" kink into the core identity of the game: starting out with a 'pure, unsexy' village, and slowly perverting it into one's own sexual tastes. This is great for people who are 'into that', but I'm not one of those people. Corruption just isn't a kink I have. I also don't see the point in multiple villages, with different kink customization per village. My personal kinks aren't so varied that they'd be entirely mutually exclusive from one another. I don't need to have a dedicated "big boob" village, and a dedicated "Femdom" village. So, at least for me, there's no point in splitting them up. One global kink menu would be all that's needed, which, again, my mind thinks would be best to have at the very start. I agree that the combat was not the life-or-death core of the game, but it was something. This proposal just doesn't feel like it's 'enough' to fill the void. Overall, this proposal is just very much not my style. If the rest of the community likes it, then power to ya, have fun. But it's not for me.
It seems your main question is about what will be the first driving factor to progress in the game, and especially that you’d prefer not to have to wait too long or do too much before unlocking the content you’re actually here to play for. My idea for this is the following: I imagine a progression tied to sexual activity, which at the start of the game would happen on an individual scale seducing, taking part in sexual events, or finding NPCs more inclined to engage in such activities. This would give points that would gradually allow access to bigger things. Resource gathering, capturing sexual “mobs” (through a type of mini-game that wouldn’t really be classified as combat), obtaining loot through sex, etc., would all be ways to acquire your first useful resources. In addition, the different towns wouldn’t exist just to give the player multiple “testing grounds,” but rather to offer different starting situations. I think having a very prudish town is essential, but other towns already steeped in different setups would also be quite interesting. I’m also not abandoning the idea of having multiple species (elves, kitsune, humans, etc.). I imagine a world where exploration, capturing rare or local mobs, and unlocking things through new towns would be central elements similar to Slime Rancher, where you venture into increasingly complex environments to reach the next stage. Your message is very interesting because it also allows me to explain what the game’s rhythm would be like. My goal would be that the player never goes more than three minutes without a sexual action presenting itself. That said, yes the sandbox and “laboratory” aspect is becoming very important to me. I want to take the player from having to play by the rules to eventually being able to evolve them as they wish. I do believe this vision will work best for players who already enjoy games where their imagination and creativity are essential for full enjoyment.
Personally I would like combat to stay, even if it's not activly being updated. That being said the ideas suggested do seem promising so I'm fine with either.
Yes but the amount of work it requiere is bigger than just that, it mean, mobs, ai, healing systeme, loot related, spawn, dedicated items... it's worth it only if it's a central part of the gameplay, wich i think i'm bad at making. even with the update comming wich improve some stuff...
I think this could be a really great improvement to the game if done well. I have some questions / thoughts. First, will there still be open world exploration? How will resource gathering, crafting, and money making happen? Second, this idea implies the player character will always be in a dominant / controlling position. Are there plans to implement systems where NPCs will be able to pursue the player character and/or take control of events (without combat)? Perhaps a form of NPC corruption that makes them proactive / aggressive?
Yes! The open world will still be there, with multiple small villages. In each village, you’ll be able to build structures that provide unique global crafting buffs, or sometimes special building slots. You’ll also be able to personally gather certain resources to create what’s produced in your buildings. For example, if you find a rare flower to craft a potion, your building could then replicate it without consuming more resources (keeping management simple – only an upfront cost for buildings and items). I’m imagining a sort of “kink slider” for each fetish: you could turn an entire village into a femdom hub if you want, simply by using specific potions and items. Or you could remove certain kinks entirely, like disabling oral content, for example. The main goal is to give players more and more tools to modify NPCs – their clothing, habits, behaviors, and kinks – and watch the results, almost like a kinky laboratory. All the magical items, potions, and mechanics will be designed for this purpose. Money will be a very versatile resource: you’ll use it to buy from merchants, construct buildings, purchase resources (for those that can be bought), and hire employees to run your establishments. Like I mentioned earlier, to keep things simple, employees will be paid only once upfront instead of having recurring wages. i imagine a way to have a global progression with some ressources but also if you have created enough sexual energy or something similar (some of this will probably change, it's still need to be thinked)
i did enjoy the combat but this seems interesting too
thanks
Yeah, I like this idea tbh. If i wanted combat I'd play her hoes instead. I dunno if there were ever any plans for some kind of pregnancy feature but I like everything else at play so far.
I'm very happy someone like the combat of this game even if i feel it's not good enough! for pregnancy i will take a look at what is possible (mostly because of patreon rule)
that's an interesting approach for the game. i think it will set the game apart in the industry if done right. i am in support of that honestly
Yea it's probably a better things than have a broken combat systeme with no unique feature