BBBen
patreon
Weekly preview - Nobuko's DP #2
🕑 Added 2023-03-05 22:00:02 +0000 UTCtl;dr - I made this new scene not because it was requested, but because I had an idea for it. Still, I do listen to requests and feedback.
This week's image
As you can see, this is from a new scene coming up in April's release - a second Nobuko DP interactive scene.
This scene will require that you've seen the first one and that you wait at least a day since you've accessed it. (If it's an old save you'll still have to wait another day, even if you've already done so.)
I've got a couple of animations from the scene to show off too, but they'll come in a later preview.
Following my own inspiration
I've had a number of requests for this (I presume because people liked the first one) and while I don't really make scenes according to request but rather according to what ideas I have that seem strong for new content, I do at least listen to requests and try to accommodate things where I can.
Of course, as soon as I announced this I got people asking why I was making this scene and not some other scene that they wanted... this is the life of a dev.
As a rule there's some good advice that if readers (or players in this case) identify a problem they're almost always right and when they tell you the solution they're almost always wrong. That's because figuring out the balance of how to make a story and gameplay experience work is about a lot of subtle elements that are hard to see if you're not the creator of the game/book/movie/whatever.
So I do listen to people's responses, in fact I pay them a lot of attention, but sometimes I'll zig when you expect me to zag. If you say you want me to focus on your favourite character that already has a lot of content, I might decide that actually means I haven't done enough to make the other characters interesting yet and they're the ones who really need work.
In this case, though, I just thought this scene would work and I had a couple of picture ideas already in mind for it, so there was no need to over-think it.
Are you happy this new scene is coming up in v0.51? Do you have another scene you would have wanted instead? Let me know in the comments below!
Comments
BBBen
Yes, I suppose I made it sound a bit harsher than I meant to - I do use fans' ideas if I can use them, but sometimes an idea can be perfectly good and just something I can't use for a variety of different reasons. I do sometimes make a whole scene based on a player's suggestion, but it has to be one that *feels* right to me in the moment. Partly that's just because that's the way I tend to work most effectively and make the most interesting scenes.
Der Polygonianer
So, what you're saying is that you don't write certain scenes because Fans want them but because you have Inspiration for them. And then, if the Fans have good ideas for that scene you might integrate them into the Scene you already had inspiration for. That sounds like a good mode to run on. I think Fans should only vote on a general direction at best or maybe on order of content. Otherwise it's not your Game anymore.
BBBen
Still, I do feel bad if I've left you with the opinion that I'm just ignoring fans. The reason for bringing it up was just to explain how my process works.
BBBen
Well, all I can ask is that you take my word at it when I say I do pay a lot of attention to feedback, suggestions and the occasional poll that I do.
Jo
Having some weight in direction would be nice as opposed to none, I’m not saying you need to poll us for every decision or path but giving us the option to select between 2 or more choices for a few things in terms of story or scenes would at least be engaging. Also, trying to subvert expectations every update doesn’t sound sustainable in the long run, sometimes it’s just good to reward people’s faith in you and give them what they expect. That's just my take.
BBBen
Fair enough, but maybe I didn't explain the situation clearly enough because I was trying to say that I listen, but just that I find working to player requests makes it all a lot harder and the results are generally much poorer. It's the "writing by committee" problem, rather than writing a passion project. That's why I don't usually use polls to determine what content to put in - because if I put something up to a vote then people will expect me to abide by the results of it, which might not end up being what I think is best for the game. Those kinds of polls also always reinforce that the developer should make *more* of what already works in the game, rather than building out new ideas. And it's the new stuff, the things that players weren't expecting, that is often among the best. That said, I do use polls every now and then just to ask about what people think were the best features I worked on each year. And I ask questions on here and Discord every week! I wouldn't do that if I wasn't listening. Sorry, I had to edit this reply down so I didn't throw a wall of text at you. :D
Jo
You can get a better understanding of what people what if you put up something like a strawpoll or the like. It is a little bit concerning that you had to specify that you only made this scene because what you wanted happened to align with what supporters wanted. It gives the impression of reluctance and kinda makes our feedback and requests seem less important than we thought they were.
