🕑 Added 2015-05-13 23:34:59 +0000 UTC
(original text available as a download)
May Newsletter for FMG Game
Hello Patrons! All 10 of you! Here's another overdue update on how things stand, and where I'm currently planning on taking the game.
First off, 2.2 is finally out – hope you all enjoy it! I won't waste your time and repeat the additions made there since they've been documented all over the place.
What's coming up next?
Well, I'm planning on moving towards implementing all the steps for having a fully functioning job/profession system, which could springboard into all manner of things.
So, for the immediate future:
Intellect stat. Intelligence is a super broad concept, and I don't want to tie it solely into book smarts or mathematical ability or whatever. Instead, a wide spectrum of things will increase intellect.
Ideas for activities involving intellect:
- Reading books
- Watching documentaries/educational programs
- Playing chess
- Playing video games (strategic analysis/thinking speed)
- Debates on topics between the characters
This all ties into something I want to start introducing – a cap on how many points can be earned from each activity. For example, you'd only be able to increase a character's intelligence by X points from each of those things. Meaning, while a character might be able to gleam a point or two from video games, they can't become a genius solely from that.
On the note of books, I'd like to, if time permits have that lead into a submenu where a character can read a specific book. This would tie into the activity caps – you can only gain X amount of points from a certain book.
Reaction Speed. Fairly self explanatory. Comes into play for activities like video games, sports competitions, jobs/professions like being an athlete or pro-gamer. Also could come into play for adventures in the far future (primarily combat based encounters)
Creativity. Another self explanatory one. This kind of ties into intelligence, so it might not make the cut. The idea would be this is an essential stat for any character who wants a career as an artist/musician/writer, and a secondary stat for a lot of other jobs.
Other big future ideas:
Starting Profiles – basically, when you start the game you'd choose a profile for yourself and your girlfriend. You can just use the default ones, or you could choose to be all sorts of things. For example, consider a Personal Trainer starting profession that starts off highly fit and gives a boost to your girlfriend's training whenever you workout together. Another example, you could be an intelligent accountant who makes a lot of cash right off the bat, but is physically feeble. On the flip side, your girlfriend could be a sharply toned ballet dancer, or a professional gamer. Sky's the limit!
Jobs/Professions – as eluded to over and over. This would be a system where your character has a job/jobs and builds up experience and skills, leading to greater money earned or success/fame. This could tie into an eventual goals / way to win the game system. These jobs would tie into the stats in multiple ways. Say, for example, your player character is a programmer while your girlfriend is a construction worker. The player character might make more cash, but every time you both go to work, she'll be further honing her body, building up those stats. Alternatively, you could groom your girlfriend into becoming a financial monster if you're into that kind of growth.
Stuff to buy – I have a lot of ideas for ways to spend money. Consumables like potions, equipment that can grant various upgrades, and even ways to renovate your apartment. In a far future update, you could start off with a bare bones weight set, and have to earn money to upgrade it, eventually going so far as to buying gravity super weights for your girlfriend to really grow into!
Crafting/Inventing – Tying into the previous point, there's already some potions in the game, and a potential intellect/creativity stat, so logically, there could be a way for a particularly intelligent character to dissemble these potions and make their own. If their genius was great enough, they could even invent other items that could lead to further enchantments. Imagine an end-game character creating a Brawnafier for example...
Day cycle – Currently the day counter means little more than how long someone has been playing. I would like to elaborate on this somewhat. Perhaps a day could be separated into 3 or 4 parts. This would let a character, for example, work out during one part, earn money in another, and do another activity during a third. Extrapolating on this, in far future updates, there could be a system where characters have rent/bills to pay regularly, and if they're far enough along on their career tracks, could earn money on investments / royalties.
Anyways... all of this stuff is, well, just dreaming for now. There's a possibility that someday down the road I'll end up learning a new game engine and converting this to it. I know there's integration for existing twine stories and Unity, so perhaps that could happen eventually. Just idle thoughts for now.
Hope you enjoyed the update, and thanks for your support!
- Magnus
