While feedback can continue to be posted in the main thread, please post any specific suggestions you have to improve the game here!
Please do not post about bugs though, as they belong in the bugs thread.
So my immediate first suggestion/question is regarding Ellieās clinicā¦ whatās the point of it? Yeah you can buy the pills or whatever I guess, but using them to their fullest feels rather expensive, equivalent to debugging at this stage.
I canāt seem to find anyway to become a client at Ellieās clinic, which feels like a missed opportunity. If Ellie is going to have multiple ways to play with her, I assume its probably like
- Being her feedee
- Not committing to her, but having feedee dates
- Reversing Roles
- Being her patient/client
Itās not missed, just not added yet. Features involving Ellie and her clinic still have a long way to go at the moment.
For now itās just a shop, but becoming a patient and/or utilising other services there will open up in the late game.
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Although i doubt thereās going to be a male weight gain character perhaps a heart or other kind of relationship system can be put in for characters who arenāt part of the main cast so they can be a bit more involved in the story
Iāve checked out a lot of the content in different versions occasionally and after my recent play through of 0.47.2 here are some suggestions. These are just thoughts and opinions that have come up that I feel would enhance my experience with the game.
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I know a lot of effort has gone into the UI and UX elements and it looks great, but some of the stuff functionally clashes with the game. It will cover up/overlap with scenes often obscuring faces or parts of scenes. It can always get in the way of clicking on some of the travel options. Iāve definitely accidentally clicked on the skip, settings, stats, or phone before instead of the location I want to travel to. The settings and skip buttons I donāt really see a point to personally as renāpy has hot keys for these functions already. I think a simple explanation of the keys to access these already baked in features to the engine could just take the place of needing actual buttons on screen at all times (if this was done for mobile I can understand itās inclusion but seems like you could have separate versions without the buttons.)
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My first thought is to simply remove and/or resize certain UI features. This is done at times for scenes the UI was fixed for that previously had the same issue of being in the way. But there are plenty of times not all features are needed, especially within scenes or mini games. The other thought is making some UI features hidden (or giving the option to hide them) until moused over, or they are needed. Like the phone for instance or the player calorie/time UI element. If Iām not on a path that has the player doing mutual gaining with a character I donāt need to see elements like this during feeding minigames, or know what time/my money count when in dialogue scenes, date events, etc with one of the girls. This happens with Leilaniās date at doughy delights, going to Paigeās house, etc and itās what I had in mind for most of the scenes interacting with the girls. If hiding the UI is the play then I would think making it visible when out in the open overworld when traveling between locations and before starting events makes the most sense. That is really the only time I would need to know about money, time of day and things like the phone.
- The way that sentences pop in within dialogue conversations. Often when multiple sentences appear for dialogue on the screen at the same time they kind of pop in at different intervals. I assume this is supposed to simulate the cadences of people talking and sometimes is used to emphasize dialogue. Since itās used every time there are more than one sentence on screen at a time, I often find myself accidentally skipping the dialogue by accident not knowing that more is going to be said. And since rollback was disabled I canāt just rollback to see what I skipped past. Iām the type of individual that likes the text to be instant when there are options to select the speed at which it appears on screen. This probably wouldnāt be much of an issue for me if I could rollback but having to load a save to see dialogue is a bit annoying. It would be nice if maybe there was an option in the preferences menu to set the text to display instantly all at once within conversations (although, I think from how you have it designed itās probably not that easy of an ask.)
- Rollback being reenabled. I know some devs want to make it feel like choices are permanent, or disable rollback to not worry about bugs or some issues that can be caused with its inclusion. Iām not sure why it was changed to have rollback disabled but the reality for me is I like the freedom to be able to rollback if Iāve accidentally clicked a choice I didnāt mean to or having the choice to explore what some choices do. Itās nice when doing subsequent playthroughs if I pick the wrong choice for a pathway or accidently pick the wrong option to not have to load an old save because of a mistake. This would just incentivize me to save before most choices which is just more cumbersome then I would like it to be.
- It would be nice to be able to organize the inventory. Like dragging and dropping items to swap spots. Also the arrows move the inventory left and right within the menu. Iād like to see them move to an entire new ālineā of seven inventory slots when arrowing left or right and not just one āsquareā at a time. While buying items from stores it would make sense to have the inventory popup without the player having to open it to see the overall amount of items being bought and keep track of the items/total number being purchased (auto closing when exiting the buy menu as well.)
- Having a UI feature to indicate new messages or new items added to inventory would be good. Maybe a number, symbol, or glow that would indicate there are unread messages, or new items acquired(since there are times where items are just added to the inventory like Autumnās milk, and list) on the phone and bag icons respectively. There is the text that pops up sometimes but from my experience so far it doesnāt seem to work consistently especially with the new stuff. And I donāt think having the inventory pop up in the middle of Autumnās dialogue makes sense when the items are added into the inventory. Especially when there is already a message that pops up in the right corner of the screen for things like that.
- The notifications for new phone numbers, items added to inventory, etc that pop up in the far right corner and overlap existing UI it would be nice to see this moved to may be right about the dialogue box or somewhere more noticeable. The messages are temporary and fade out on their own so it would be nice to have it in a more visible place, especially one that doesnāt overlap existing UI elements.
Thank you very much for the detailed feedback, Krodmandoon. Iāll respond to each point respectively:
We are very aware of the UI being a nuisance, and weāre working towards a fix for this. Like you suggested, weāve already shrank and rearranged things for 0.48.0. Before this change, I have been gradually hiding the UI entirely in certain new scenes, but I did not want to go back through all the old scenes hiding it at the right moments when the UI is still being worked on, as this would be a waste of time. All the important buttons have now been moved down to a phone menu in the bottom right, so the player will be able to save/reload in scenes even when the HUD at the top is hidden. The buttons all being contained here should also help with the accidental button pushing youāve been experiencing.
You are correct that it would be difficult to remove all of the text tags with an option in the menuā¦ While I would like to give this option, it may require me to double the entire script, with an alternate version which doesnāt contain the text tags. I donāt know if itās possible to make RenāPy ignore text tags somehow, but that would also mean things like quotation marks and italics would break. So Iām afraid that this may be an impossible ask without just completely removing all the pauses, slow text, etc.
Unfortunately rollback cannot be enabled, because it breaks the whole inventory system if something is added or removed and then it is used. As an example, that bug where the characters heads remain on screen permanently will also happen when using rollback. Maybe it could potentially be enabled at moments where there is no inventory activity possible and then greyed out when it is, so we could look into that when the game is closer to completion.
Inventory suggestions duly noted! Opening when at the shop is easy enough, and the rest can probably be done too.
I agree with you on how the UI should function when adding items to the inventory, and would say that everything you reported here is a bug. If you can let me know of every instance you find where this doesnāt happen the way you have stated then we will be sure to fix it.
I agree with the notification problem too - the reason for this is because itās using a built in RenāPy notification feature which Iāve just been using since the start. It can be edited though, so weāll be sure to move it and make it more noticeable.
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Do you mean for characters like Bob? I might give characters like him an affection metre which affects certain outcomes. And you never know, if somebody wants a male character enough, Iād be happy to do it as a commission.
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Yep thatās exactly what i was talking about thanks for replying to me
This sort of thing is usually caused by not enrolling variables into the rollback system using default. Itās often the result of creating variables in Python init blocks which was common in RenāPy 6 and earlier (thus a lot of outdated code examples), but can also be caused by not allowing RenāPy to automagically replace Python collection types with itās own revertable versions. It should be a relatively easy fix.
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Something I had noticed playing 0.48.0, although this is the same in at least some earlier versions, is that when you pick the body builder hobby(? I donāt remember how itās currently characterized) you still lack the base requirements to carry Wanda on the first day. I think you should always be able to carry Wanda on day one if you have selected the body builder trait.
This is worse if you donāt pick the tallest option as you get less strength and weight. Iām guessing the check is that you need 30 strength to be able to carry her when you meet her at the bakery at noon. But you canāt obtain this on the first day to my knowledge. It also seems kind of weird to pick the body builder type and basically be set up to auto fail the first strength check in the game. I can understand needing to work out for later non day one checks but it just seems like one of those things that I think was not intended when the event was added.
Did you try picking labourer as a job? That also adds to the initial strength stat and I think it has to be maxed out in character creation to get the scene.
Hmm, well we shanāt rule it out, and look into it a little more then.
Different heights with manual laborer and body building, with high protein. Although I didnāt check the other gender option. Iām not sure if this is the highest combo but it really doesnāt make sense to me to have Wanda tell you āIf you were one of those body-builder typesā¦ā when you are. I get the idea of the random stats that the different hobbies and characteristics have, but the first strength check being something you can fail like this when you are the type of person best suited to carry her is weird to me. While I get the idea of the different hobbies or interests netting you some additional stats in different areas, it doesnāt feel like even that should be enough to fail this check. Since it has to happen on day one you really donāt get the option to do something different about it. But thatās just my opinion, it feels weird to select the body builder type and be called out for not being strong enough for the first check 
Yeah, youāre right - it is misleading that Wanda directly references the body builder ātypeā. This interaction should work as a day 1 hint which says: āthe stats you pick determine what scenes you getā. Iāll be sure to change it.
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I totally get that. It can and should be some kind of indication of needing to be stronger to lift her. And thatās fine to have a hint for other play throughs or if this is a repeating event, that thereās another possible outcome there. But is it possible to lift her in game without cheats on day one? Does any starting combo give thirty strength? I thought I had done it legit at some point in older versions without the cheats but I donāt recall. And if not is the Wanda donut shopping event planned to be a repeating event? As in you would get another chance to be able to carry her.
I thought I had set it up so that if you pick all the strength options (male, tall, bodybuilder, high protein, laborer) and then lift weight until noon youād be able to do it, but maybe something changed somewhere in some update. The event is actually planned to repeat again in chapter 2, as Wanda will continue to visit the bakery up to a certain point in the game if the player misses the interaction. Still, Iād like it to be possible on day 1 for that tutorial aspect.
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After my playthrough of 0.52.0 here are suggestions.
Food, money, and feeding mini game
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The feeding mini game, food costs, and money likely need a look at the balance of them all. Food costs way too much and is not standardized between the places that sell the same items.
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Yuki and Wanda can basically eat the same amount of food at the start, which doesnāt seem right. Anywhere from 8-12 on average for the two with someone like Becca being able to eat up to 50 items (tested with blue donuts and using cola if needed to hit full capacity.) If Becca is meant to be able to be fed early in the game you are looking at $300 per feeding session if the player is meant to be able to fill her up completely and 50 to 100 for the other girls per session. In game the costs of dates and food items are relatively cheap 20, 30 bucks during story moments.
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Becca makes me feel like I want a buy in bulk option at the stores. Having to click 50+ times in a row to buy items in singles feels bad. Having the option to buy larger quantities would be great.
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The Appetite and Capacity(?) meters for the feeding mini games and when the player can eat would be unknown as to what the bars represent to a new player or someone who did not check the game out in much earlier versions before the UI has updated the last few times. The bars make sense but thereās no way to tell what they mean other than trial and error and the āAā and āCā labels probably arenāt as intuitive as they could be. Having some way to find out about them (tutorial, help menu on the phone, labeled differently, having the labels on the bars like Appetite and Fullness, etc.) would probably be helpful.
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Food and drink items have stats and some placeholder images, with descriptions, but they arenāt all accurate with the calories, this is especially true as they are often different for the player and the NPCS. Something like the white delight donut is marked as less calories than the blue ones. And the other stats of taste, filling, weight, and health really donāt mean anything to the player. Chocolate cake has a health of 1 but the double cheeseburger has a health of 45. I donāt know what this means as far as mechanics in the game. Plus these stats are also not accurate, if filling corresponds to the āCā meter something like the blue donuts are more filling than the white according to the info stats, which is not how they are in game. The drink items donāt all have the same description that mention they are great for washing down meals. I think this might also not be a good enough indicator of the fact that they restore appetite based on the info.
Texting
- Beccaās and Ellieās texts require you to transition between locations in order to receive new texts from them when they talk in succession for different events. This is not how the rest of the texting functions in game and is cumbersome to deal with. It would be nice to see these updated to how most other texting functions in game currently.
Ellieās Clinic map text
- Ellieās clinic overworld map text is hidden behind the current UI; this likely should just be moved to a different anchor point. Have it at the base of the building or to the side rather than having it above the building where it pops up into the UI and is not visible. New players might not know where to go as they canāt read the text behind the UI.
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Nice, this will be useful to refer back to when we do some balancing. I would just like to mention that Becca is a late game character though, she just happens to have had a lot of early updates due to popularity. Still, bulk buying would be useful for sure, so maybe we should add a x10 button to the shops.
A tutorial overlay would be something that I could whip up in the near future, so I might put some time aside to do this.
The item stats listed are drawn from same place as their actual stats in the script, so Iām not sure how they could not be accurate. If so, this is a bug that we will have to look into. Stats like āhealthā arenāt implemented in the game yet, but they are there in preparation. Filling actually corresponds to the āAā meter - the idea being that it is very rich and makes the character feel full without necessarily physically filling them up as much.
These last two are definitely bugs, thanks for pointing them out.
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