User blog:Goldeaglefire1/Shipping: The Game (1)

Wow, Treesicle's new video was actually pretty good! Hmmm, maybe I'll do a blog post about it...

...

...Actually, you know what? Screw it! I've got six new characters, I've got more fleshed out ideas for gameplay, more achievements, and I've been sitting on all of that for weeks...sit back, Treesicle - Shipping: The Game comes first.

Shipping: The Game
So, for those of you who aren't in the know, on January Twenty Second, I posted a blog about an idea for a game I had, titled "Idea For a Game". Yeah, I was pretty literal with that title. In it, I explained how I got an idea for a sort of reverse Dating Simulator - you find work in a hotel open to the multiverse, and then pair people up for profit. I didn't go into much detail on the gameplay, introduced four characters, and gave some basic achievements. Since then, I've come up with a lot more for this game, and so, I'll be going into that here.

Gameplay
So, like I said, I didn't go into much detail on the gameplay previously. So, what is my vision for the gameplay? Well...it's a visual novel. So, like other visual novels, you talk to characters, and you're usually given options to do so. The more interesting part is the variety of ways you can pair people up.

The main way is rather simple - you befriend the two people you plan to ship together, then set up meetings between them, and, eventually, a date. You'll need a particular level of friendship between the two to set up a date, but if you really want to make sure the date goes well, you'll have to achieve the maximum level of friendship - by solving whatever problems they brought with them when they entered Lovely Hearts. Why you and not someone more qualified, like, say, a therapist? Because Lovely Hearts doesn't hire therapists.

Aside from that, there's also the option of having a resident you've befriended befriend one of the people you're planning to ship and have them talk good about whoever you're planning to ship the befriendee with, helping you out a bit. This generally works better when your agent is already paired with someone else, and that they're good friends with whoever you want them to talk about. Otherwise, you run the risk of your agent falling for the befriendee, or the date failing because your agent didn't know what he/she was talking about. Of course, even if you remove those risks, there will always be the risk of having the befriendee fall for your agent.

Then, you can have a resident set up a date for you - of course, they'll have to be friends with the two people you've put together. This can work well if you're having a hard time befriending one of your intended shipees. It's probably a good idea to check if they've fallen in love with one of the shipees first, though, because if so, they could sabotage the date and cause heartbreak.

Ah, yes, let me just address heartbreak real quick - it's when you set up a date...and it fails. Heartbreak can happen for a number of reasons - one of the shipees is in love with someone else, one of the shipees doesn't want to go into a relationship because of their personal problems, sabotage, the shipee doesn't swing that way, ETC. Whatever the reason is, heartbreak ruins any chance of setting up a romantic relationship between the intended shipees whatsoever. So, in other words, you have to avoid it as much as possible.

Residents
So, if I do end up making this, there will be fifty residents in total, twenty five male, twenty five female - not counting you and your manager. On another note, your manager will change to the opposite gender of your character - Eden Selor if you choose to be male, and Idon Selor if you choose to be female.

Now then...let's meet the residents, shall we?

(Note: the concepts are not scans - they're pictures taken by my camera. So...yeah.)

http://i.imgur.com/JNq9n52.jpg

First is X-3000. He's a polite little fellow who's rather pleasant, if a bit ramble-y at times. He's rather easy to befriend, really...the real challenge is trying to set him up with a romantic partner. Because he's a robot, X-3000 doesn't believe he's capable of love - he only came to Lovely Hearts to observe the process of it. So, in other words, you need to prove him wrong.

X-3000's talksprites:

Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. X-3000 clasping his hands together - or, rather, his fingers. Why yes, it does look awkward when he does that, why do you ask?

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. X-3000 explaining things.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. X-3000 shrugging.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. "...You do know I'm a robot, correct?" This is X-3000 being confused at your actions. And, as you could tell by that remark, it is possible to ship yourself with the residents, much like a Dating Sim - it's just a bit harder.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. X-3000 being flustered. Good sign you're doing something right if he's like this when talking to the person you're trying to set him up with.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. X-3000 moments after he gets into a romantic relationship. SUCCESS!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/74ggEeW.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Second is Frayed. She's a tall, creepy monster girl who...well...let's just say she isn't quite up to speed on social norms. Like that you should not eat a fresh dead animal that you killed raw. And that constantly smiling like that is considered creepy. That can be solved by spending enough time with her; what you really need to work on to make sure she hooks up with someone is that she gets over her insecurities about her body. Secretly, she's unsure if anyone would love her normally - which is why she went to Lovely Hearts - and even now, she's having doubts. Thankfully, you're here to help.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Frayed's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Frayed's default expression.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Frayed talking.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Frayed is pleased with you! Hooray!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Confusion. I think she might have caught you eating a chicken wing. The cooked kind.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Frayed flustered. She tries to hide behind her hair...but alas, her hair is too short in the front. The best she can do is cover the top of one of her eyes.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Frayed after she gets into a romantic relationship. Hey, she's smiling normally! And it looks pretty nice!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/WNHMwEo.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The girl on the left is Abby, and the girl on the right is Hope. Now, why did I put these two together on the same page? Well, for one, bad decisions (definitely would've perferred more space for Hope's expressions), but also because these two happen to be roomates! And they're normal people! Hooray! Now, how exactly did these two stumble across the true Lovely Hearts? Long story short, it was by coincidence and complete accident. Now, getting to the actual girls themselves...

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Abby is...not the nicest person. I believe the best term for her sort of behavior is "cactus". If you're not already friends with her, prepare for an onslaught of sarcasm, deadpan snarkery, and overall annoyance at your existance. If you manage to get past all that, however, she is very loyal to her friends, and also fiercely protective. And because of the latter, Abby is mainly prioritizing Hope's love life over hers. She's worried that someone will end up taking advantage of Hope's naivety to...I think you can connect the dots, and it's your job to set her fears at ease.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Hope is like a never-ending well of energy and optimism...with a dash of innocence. Which is good, because, well...I believe the best term for how Hope looks is "insert your own innuendo here". Being full of happiness and being generally friendly, Hope tends to cause Abby's stream of sarcasm to dwindle...at least in her presence. But, despite Hope not having any problems - aside from being completely unaware of how a good amount of the male population thinks of her - one major obstacle any potential suitor will have to get past is Abby. Because Abby wants to make sure Hope gets with the right person.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">And in case you're wondering, yes, you do have the option to ship these two together...mostly because I have a feeling that if I didn't include that option in the actual game (if I ever decide to make it), I would get hunted down by an internet mob.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Abby's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Abby's default expression. Like I said, cactus.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Abby talking.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Abby being surprised by...something. What she's surprised by...I'll leave to your imagination.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. And you managed to make Abby angry. Run for the hills.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Abby flustered. Because there's such a thing as a shy cactus.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Abby after she gets into a relationship. She is pleased.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Hope's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Hope's default expression.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Hope talking.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Hope's interested in something. What that something is...I will not leave to your imagination, because if you're anything like me, your mind will end up in the gutter when you try to think of what she's interested in.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Hope flustered. Because you have to be good to get Hope flustered.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Hope after she gets into a relationship. This is also the fifth talksprite instead of the sixth because I really should've used a seperate page for Hope.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/ZQ3uqZ3.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">And now we get into the new stuff. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Diabolicus. So, in a nutshell, this guy is a gloriously cheesy villain that you would probably find on a children's show - having a ridiculously large ego, a tendency towards flashy outfits, and...well, he calls them death traps, but they're completely harmless. That being said...not all is maniacal laughter and large hams with Diabolicus; his behavior is an act. There's a reason his "death traps" are harmless. You see, back in his home universe, Diabolicus acted much like he does in Lovely Hearts, but he used actual death traps, which the hero would always escape. Diabolicus didn't really think about what he was doing, figuring it was fine. Then one of his death traps actually worked. You can imagine the effect it had on Diabolicus.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">And you have to deal with it! Because you are totally qualified to deal with PTSD - just like how I'm qualified to research it for hours on end to write this character right!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Diabolicus' talk sprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Diabolicus' default expression. You can figure out everything about him by that one look.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Diabolicus talking.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Diabolicus confused. Or him being condescending. You pick.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Flashback...

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Diabolicus flustered. Isn't he just adorable?

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Diabolicus after succesfully getting into a relationship, grinning...differently.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/Jipyrgb.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Have you noticed I'm good at designing creepy things yet? Anyway, this is Macrabre, the ghost. He's sort of...lost, honestly. The guy has no memory of his former life, and he thinks about it a lot. He also has a bad habit of possessing random objects in his sleep, which forced Eden/Idon Selor to learn exorcism. So, yeah, that's a thing you have to do. But if you really want to help out, it would be best to help him find out about his past...though, when you do, telling him about it is a different story. Yeeeeaaaah...let's just his death wasn't pretty...or justified...

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Macrabre's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Macrabre's default expression. Also his talking sprite!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Macrabre is not amused.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Macrabre is confused.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Macrabre is surprised that those two rhymed.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Macrabre flustered.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Macrabre after he's successfully entered a relationship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">7. Little bonus: a pair of wooden legs that Macrabre partially possesses in some relationships.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/n2667Tu.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">So, this is Tenebrosus Praecantator! Name's quite a mouthful, ain't it? Well, it's essentially dark wizard in latin (tenebrosus = dark, gloomy, murky, dusky, shrouded in darkness; praecantator = enchanter, magician, sorceror, wizard), so I have no regrets. Back to the guy in question, like the name implies, he's a wizard...except wizards in his universe are literally made out of magic. What, did you think all that black was shade cast by the hood? No, no; that's his face. Now, you may be wondering - what's this guy's problem? Well, he's kinda concerned about what would happen if he and his partner...well...yeah, I'm not going to say it. The reason why there are no little wizards running around in his universe is very simple: they honestly have no idea what would happen if they did the birds and the bees with humans - I mean, they were humans once, before they got turned into pure magic. They don't know if it's contagious.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Tenebrosus' talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Tenebrosus looks down at you.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. What can I say? The guy ain't impressed very easily.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Oh boy...you made him mad.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Huh. Wonder what he's looking at...

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Tenebrosus flustered.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Tenebrosus after he enters a successful relationship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/1e247Pb.jpg

<p style="font-weight:normal;">You know that recurring boss? Loyal minions like, say, Bowser Junior, that keep appearing time after time to give you trouble? Well, The Mesangler served as that boss in her universe, except she didn't really have a choice; only meant to be a weapon...until her master, a psychotic warlord who doesn't have mercy in his vocabulary, died, and she went beyond her programming to grieve for his death. Now, that's great and all...but you need to help her understand that what her former master did was morally wrong, and, y'know, get her on the same moral ground as everyone else.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">The Mesangler's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. The Mesangler's default expression...if you can call it that. My intention was to make it clear that she isn't supposed to be sapient, and I think I succeeeded - but I really, really, couldn't do much with that design.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. The Mesangler talking.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. The Mesangler with her headlights off.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. The Mesangler confused.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. The Mesangler in the middle of a flashback.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. The Mesangler after she successfully gets into a relationship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/WR9LmQa.jpg <p style="font-weight:normal;">Well, golly gee, it's good ol' Mister Help-A-Feller! Eeyup, there is a walking, talking, oil company mascot as a character that you can ship with other people. Anyway, Mr. Help-A-Feller was created by the oil company he represents to help with sales - I mean, how many companies can say that their mascot is actually real? This...sort of worked. Mr. Help-A-Feller has a mouth that runs a mile a minute, and the guy doesn't like stopping for any reason. That being said, the guy's smart, and he knows the kind of people who were behind his creation, so he wonders about how they actually managed to make him. And it's your job to help with that! Why? Because there's literally no one else to do it!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Mr. Help-A-Feller's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Mr. Help-A-Feller's default expression. Skull: Happy, Bones: Waiting.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Mr. Help-A-Feller talking. Skull: Ditto, Bones: Ditto.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Mr. Help-A-Feller happy. Skull: Ditto, Bones: Dancing.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Mr. Help-A-Feller annoyed. Skull: Dissapointed, Bones: Scolding.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Mr. Help-A-Feller flustered. Skull: Stretched, Bones: Discoordinated Dancing.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Mr. Help-A-Feller after he's successfully gone into a relationship. Skull: Happy, Bones: Hat Tip.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">http://i.imgur.com/GPWFgth.jpg <p style="font-weight:normal;">And now we get to the last resident! Gaia here likes gardening. A lot. To the point where she'll actively avoid social interactions to garden. The reason for this? She feels lonely - she was created by accident, but she's the only one. So, seeing as how they're no other talking plants in sight, Gaia goes for the next best thing: plants. So, yeah, you have to help her out with that sort of thing. Because there are no therapists in the building to deal with this sort of thing.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Gaia's talksprites:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Top to bottom, left to right:

<p style="font-weight:normal;">1. Gaia's default expression. Well, the eyes can move, at least.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">2. Gaia confused.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">3. Gaia surprised by something. Perhaps you dressed up like a plant?

<p style="font-weight:normal;">4. Gaia is annoyed with your antics.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">5. Gaia flustered.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">6. Gaia after she's successfully gets into a relationship.

Achievements
<p style="font-weight:normal;">Okay, no explanation needed here: just some achievements!

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I Have Several Questions - Get X-3000 and Frayed together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Exposition - Get X-3000 and Eden Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Creepy Chauffeur: Get Frayed and Idon Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Because of Course You Did: Get Abby and Hope together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Blooming Cactus: Get Abby and Gaia together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Eco-Friendly: Get Hope and Gaia together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">I Like Your Enthusiasm: Get X-3000 and Hope together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Happy Haunting: Get Hope and Macrabre together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">This Reminds Me of Something...: Get Frayed and Macrabre together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Metal Attracts Metal: Get X-3000 and Mr. Help-A-Feller together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Twirling Mustaches: Get Diabolicus and Mr. Help-A-Feller together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Good For Morale: Get Hope and Idon Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Not-So-Evil Genius: Get X-3000 and Diabolicus together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Do You Believe in Magic?: Get Tenebrosus and Hope together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Living on the Edge: Get X-3000 and The Mesangler together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Magic N' Tech: Get The Mesangler and Tenebrosus together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Overlord and his Dragon: Get Frayed and Tenebrosus together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Maybe This Way I Won't Have To Exorcise You: Get Macrabre and Eden Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Dating a Therapist: Get The Mesangler and Idon Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Color Me Impressed - Get yourself and Eden Selor/Idon Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">And Then a Skeleton Popped Out! - Get yourself and Frayed together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;cursor:url("http://i.imgur.com/8IPIp4H.png"),text;">I Like Smart People - Get yourself and X-3000 together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Flirting with the Cactus: Get yourself and Abby together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Pick-Me Up: Get yourself and Hope together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Love Trap: Get yourself and Diabolicus together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Moving On: Get yourself and Macrabre together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Villain Protagonist: Get yourself and Tenebrosus together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Overprotective Girlfriend: Get yourself and The Mesangler together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Successful Sale: Get yourself and Mr. Help-A-Feller together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Deflowered: Get yourself and Gaia together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Well, That's One Way to do it...: Get Eden Selor and Idon Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Love What You Know: Get yourself and your gender-flipped counterpart together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Inception: Pair your gender-flipped counterpart with anyone.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">But Why?: Pair your gender-flipped counterpart and Idon Selor.Eden Selor together.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">What. - Get yourself a female harem.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">How. - Get yourself a male harem.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">You Broke the Game - Set up the omniship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Going the Extra Mile - Make a male and female save file.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Ship it Like Fed-Ex: Make five successful relationships.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Substitute Therapist: Achieve the maximum level of friendship with ten people.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Shipping Prime: Make ten successful relationships.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Halfway There!: Make twelve successful relationships and achieve the maximum level of friendship with twenty-five people.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Web of Ships: Make twenty five successful relationships.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">You Did Well: Make twenty seven successful relationships.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Now Do it While You're Drunk: Successfully get yourself together with someone with the minimum level of friendship while they have a friend with a higher level of friendship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">You Deserve a Drink: Achieve What., How., and You Broke the Game with the minimum level of friendship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;"> Here's an Achievement to Make You Feel Better: Cause heartbreak.

<p style="font-weight:normal;"> Critical Relationship Failure: Cause heartbreak because he/she doesn't swing that way.

<p style="font-weight:normal;">Way Too Much Time On Your Hands - Complete the game 100%.