Dev Update! 10/20/26
Hey, hey friends! Hope all’s well with you and yours, this week! Let’s get into it!
Progress on Ch16 continues, but I don’t have a lot to say about it. I’m still rendering, but pretty soon I’ll need to stop and start working on code for the (overdue) demo for Close Friends. I’m also looking at shuffling a little bit of the story around, to create a gap for some Viola and Molly maid content. But that’s not set in stone, yet.
Since I don’t have anything very interesting to talk about vis a vis Ch16, I wanted to toss out an idea I’ve been kicking around for a while: dates! One thing about Friends Indeed/Friends in Need is that it tends to be very narrative-driven. I’ve always written it a bit like a comic book or a TV show, where there’s an A-plot and a B-plot; or many B-plots. And romance, relationship-building, etc. tend to be kind of incidental to the plots going on.
Like, you might go on a stakeout with Risa, looking for information on Lucien.. But the narrative thrust is really about Lucien and Risa’s relationship to that plot, rather than your relationship with Risa. But, I’ve been getting some feedback concerning how people would like to really feel the developing romantic relationships with certain characters – particularly ones that you’re able to date. And the story is ultimately kind of a relationship simulator.
So, I’ve been mulling over this idea that would allow the player to go on dates, with said dates basically functioning as mini-games. I’m imagining something where you could arrange a date, pick a location, pick an activity, and have a variety of dialogue options, with your choices ultimately affecting how a love interest feels about you.
Maybe you’d tell Nicki you wanted to take her somewhere fancy, causing her to show up in a nice dress.. only to take her to Chesty Cheetahs for dinner, causing her to get annoyed with you. But, based on your relationship with her, maybe you could save the evening! Or maybe you’re planning a park date, and Ashe is into it while Gabby very much isn’t.
I’m also imagining these as being kiiiinda image-light, and being carried by the dialogue. If anyone ever played the old Lesson of Passion games, picture something a bit like that. The attached art shows what those dates might look like -- different costumes based on the girl's expectations, etc.
I think I’d need to experiment with the idea to see how I like it, but I’ve been mulling it for a few weeks now, and it seems like it’d address one of the most common complaints I receive: there’s not enough one-on-one time with the love interests. Let me know what you think!
Finally, I’m a little behind on my Monster Girltober stuff, but I’ll be uploading the new one today.
Alright, that’s it for today! As always, take care of yourselves, and thank you for your support!
Comments (13)
I think it's kind of a nice idea if done right. Something like each date needs to have at least 3 phases, the main activity, the secondary and finally cuddles part and each phase has at least 2 options so that every date can have various combinations and feels different. Certain characters I would love to see more so being able to go on repeated dates with say Ashe (of course😉) is a Yes Please!!!.
I have a question about Boosty - It's gone for good? Or it's time to migrate here?
I don't want to talk too much about other platforms, but the tldr is that Boosty banned all adult content. So, I've been told to remove all of said content, in order to have my account restored -- which will be a task for today. It'll live on with SFW Dev Updates, but that's all.
I think that to get that done right, you would have to make a million renders and write a million lines of dialogue. To have another style with less renders for one part of the game than the rest of the game, seems like a poor idea to me. Mosly because of the experience the players get. There are some text-heavy, render light games out there, and they don't get as much followers and I think that a scene like that can cheapen the feel of your game. My two cents, don't pay it any attention of you don't want to :)
Appreciate the feedback! My plan is to try this plan with Carolina's date, which is slated for Ch18. If I feel like it works, and the audience is receptive? Cool! If not, I'll have to re-think things.
I think this idea sounds pretty nice but the imediate question that comes to mind is How does it work in those "less-romantically-inclined-grey-tone" relationships? Sounds like something better appreciated in a romance only playthrough, which isnt all that bad tbh. I'm fine with losing out on content due to my choices. I was just wondering what you have planned for those cases.
I think it could still work for those paths. If you're on Nicki's corruption path, or Gabby's sugarbaby path, I think there's still room for dates there. They'd just be less romance-coded, but still focused on shaping the relationship dynamic.
I like the idea of mini-game style dates... I just get scared it will turn into sandbox style. Linean narritive is not a bad thing. Neather is sandbox (though I hate sandbox). It comes down to person preferences, and I like this game the way it is. That is, assuming I get more Ashe, Britney (and her mom hopefully) and Viola soon. Ashe made reference to a threesome for a month-aversery present... And I want it. By the way, what is "Close Friends"?
Ditto on Brit!! and her mom
Still waiting for you to give in and announce a total harem route lol , too many good female characters you've created to not pick them all 😉
Ashe !!!
The image above of Nikki throwing ass in a club is funny to me.
I feel like, if you get a couple drinks in that girl, she becomes a funky little dance machine. She may not dance well, but she does dance vigorously!