Post by SiddoSnow in Inn Another World comments

Viewing post in Inn Another World comments

TL;DR: Well worth playing and clearly a passion project.

The art is pretty decent and consistent in quality. The writing is not extraordinary, but it is compelling and enjoyable to read. It has very few, insignificant typos.

Certain mechanics in the 'dating sim' aspect of the game are not explained (well), but just playing along through the game will serve you well for the most part. Most characters have a trust stat and an affection stat. There are also milestones in your relationship that unlocks certain NSFW content. The progression in some relationships feels quite natural, while others feel more rushed and "let's get lewd" - which by rights could just be a character trait, but I do wish that certain characters had more of a narrative arc before falling victim to the mighty cock of ye olde innkeep.

I do like that certain characters have the possibility of sabotaging your relationship based on your choices at key sections - which the game kindly warns you of and gives you a chance to save before progressing. It'd be really cool to see more 'bad ends' for relationships explored across other characters. Not necessarily strictly bad ends, but temporary setbacks would make the relationships between the characters feel more real and grounded. Rather than MC can do no wrong and will inseminate every available orifice. So @dev, if you have something like that in mind - go for it! You've clearly put a lot of time and effort into crafting these characters. While some of the lore is not very original and the twist of many of them not conforming to their racial stereotype... It is also very evident in the writing and how the characters are portrayed and portray themselves, that a lot of care went into their creation. So please-please-please keep fleshing them out and expand on their narratives.

While on review my comment seems a bit loaded on the negative side, I assure you I loved this game. I'm offering the critique to hopefully give you some perspective from this single player. I can't wait to see what else is in store <3

Dagotto228 days ago

First of all, glad to hear you enjoyed the game!
In regards to the points you've made...

-I suppose the "trust" vs "affection" stats weren't explained very well, I just didn't want endless tutorials bogging down the early game. I guess I could add in the ability to ask Rei about it ^^;

-On the rushed vs. natural thing: I wanted to have a variety of girls, some who would feel more comfortable getting sexual faster (e.g. Sacha), some who are a slow burn (e.g. Camilla, Tirria). I hope none of the girl's stories came off as too unnatural...

-For the "bad end" part; I think leaning more towards the "temporary setback" is a good idea, even if it might be a bit more work. I still get many people asking what to do after sleeping with Alice in the wrong way (despite the game's warnings ._. ) but I would like to add more player control/choices in the future.

-I tried to strike a balance between characters who defy/don't conform to their race (Camilla, Tirria, Maria, kind of Kirana) and those who are typical of their race (Sacha, Beth, Alice, etc.) while some of the stories are definitely skewed towards that idea, hopefully I can balance it out in the future.

I'm really happy to hear you loved the game! I always welcome constructive feedback, positive or negative, and I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future ^^

SiddoSnow228 days ago(+1)

Re: Trust vs Affection - From my understanding from playing it, the stats have very clear effects that can be deferred from their names. But maybe you can add a quick blurb in the getting to know the inn section of the de facto tutorial? I think the first interaction/choice you have with Rei lets you affect one of the stats. It'd be a natural segue for Rei to explain about building trust and affection with the locals.

Re: Natural vs Rushed - That was my impression as well, which is why I also pointed it out. Namely, it could be seen as part of their character just having a different approach to it. I favour slow burns, so I'm biased on the matter. I do feel like it was a bit mixed on whether it felt like a character trait or felt like an odd pace on the more quick-to-lewd characters. I'd have to replay to point out specifics, but overall it really isn't a big issue. None of what I mentioned are glaring issues. It's more a flavour thing and I of course want the flavour that appeals to me <3

Re: Bad end - I figured the lewd option was bad, after the warning. Yay meta-gaming. But I picked the lewd one to see where it went and I was really impressed with how it played out. Which is why you whetted my appetite for more of it. Players not paying attention to the very clear warning from Rei is not really on you.

Re: Conform vs Breakout - I don't think you need to focus on balancing it as a goal. If anything, you've got a good balance already, in my opinion. I'd love to see more nuances to it. Like a good example, in my opinion as always, is Maria. Centaurs are known for being on the wilder side as barbarians in universe. She maintains a more restrained attitude - but then your first romantic interaction is her unable to contain her desire to kiss you. In that way still sharing similarity to her species and conforming, while also clearly standing apart and being distinct from the stereotype. I think that's really sweet. Both romantically but from a writing perspective as well. It's what makes her an individual rather than a representative of her species. What makes her "Maria" and not "the unusual centaur". Just keep up the good work on this front, you're golden. If anything, play around with the conformity/defiance of expectation/stereotype more <3

And finally, again: thanks for making this! It's really nice and I like it a lot.

Hunter Sugar227 days ago(+1)

Maybe what’s missing in regards to the “dating sim stat” area is some indication in the “progress indicator menu”. It tells you what to do next, but maybe it could give you information on how your trust/affection is going? Even if just a general descriptor rather than a number.

Also: As it stands, does Vera’s submission stat, which is unique to her, even do anything? Her content seems pretty linear at the moment and the submission stat is feeling vestigial of a different earlier plan where you would shape the MC’s relation to her but got scrapped in favour of having the MC be unambiguously and decidedly opposed to the concept of having an actual slave

Dagotto225 days ago

I would like to rework the relationship progress screen at some point. More information might be nice for the player to have. Just not sure if it would break immersion too much. I'll have to try some things out.

Initially, I did plan for Vera to have a lover/slave route, depending on if the player built more affection or submission, but it was put on the back burner to flesh out the other girls and give them content.

Looking at it now, I'm wondering if it would be a very satisfying experience at all, given her personality. She would likely offer very little resistance to any domination or corruption. Perhaps the dual route would be best saved for a more willful slave that can be purchased in the future.

Hunter Sugar225 days ago(+1)

Hmmm perhaps. I think it would make sense if we one day got to see some meters and Vera’s submission starts very nearly maxed out.

Maybe her time to shine will be as a mentor type to this hypothetical second slave. But with the MC locked into being very reluctant about the whole slavery thing, it might get tricky to work in any sort of domination/training angle. Remains to be seen =)

SiddoSnow223 days ago(+1)

For myself, I feel a bit split. On one hand, the stats being visualized or readily available would be greatly convenient and make sense in the context of it being a game. Inversely, I would much rather have hints, e.g. "She doesn't seem to trust you very much right now" or something to that effect. Kind of similarly to the way it is now. Where you get a hint for what you would need to work on, rather than fumbling blindly. But without telling you it's a matter of "Do X action 5 times to unlock next milestone" - which I feel would damage the narrative experience and getting to know the character.

itch.io

Viewing post in Inn Another World comments