LoveSick Darlings - Relationships with Consequences

Lacey M. · 2019-12-21T19:04:04Z

So ummm... I've been on itch.io for like almost two years and I've never really commented or anything but I feel like it's high time that I do. (It took a lot of debating with self because I'd rather not put myself out here but the creator is so passionate and well...) So ummm... I'm enjoying the game so far. The art, characters, music, the dialogue and script are all amazing. I really look forward to the finished game. That being said, ummm there's some stuff you might want to fix. On Week 6, Day Thursday, Lunchtime, everyone is present and gathered for luchtime (tho no one seems to eat anything at lunch aside from Syd, lol). I take a moment to explain to Jayda that Steph lent me a book. Jayda: Mind if I borrow it after Sydie, Stephanie? Syd: Of course, you're more than welcome to. I think Steph was supposed to be the one to say this. Also, Jayda moves forward, completely blocking out Stephanie in this scene. IDK if that's a foreshadowing or something and if it was meant to be on purpose, but if its aim was to make me lie back and and make me have DokiDoki Literature flashbacks, then spot on. Stuart then also says, "That or to finish up or touch-up or projects". I think that should've been 'our' projects. Those minor details aside, and since I'm already making this post, I'll mention some other even more minor stuff that are more personal than technical. I feel like the background art (that's drawn) are better than the background taken from photos. (Ex. the art for the background and character when Syd lent Jayda his jacket). The photographic background are still cool though, and serve as really good sceneries. It's just that on some instances, where it's supposed to be late, the lighting is bright enough to still be considered mid-day. An exception was when we got to Maisy's house at evening, the sky was purple and orange so that was a nice detail. Um, the characters pop out because of the bold coloring and I really like it (it's like straight out of a comic book). An example would be the luchtime scenes. The characters wonderfully blend in the background, without making us overlook them. Sometimes though, especially on scenes with Maisy, it feels a little forced, like the colors are too saturated so it clashes with the background. Also, the art with Jayda was wonderful but I think the part where Syd plays video games with her and then we're shown a sprite, umm... she's uhhh... p r e t t y umm.. thicc? Sorry, I don't mean to be a weirdo. Anyways, I just think the body structure is a bit disproportionate. I'll uhh... I'll see myself out. PS. I hope the constructive criticism on the first part of my long message helps you out. Please don't fret and take what I said on the latter half with a grain of salt. PPS. I love this, especially how the choices affect other characters and how they affect future events. The more it branches out, the more complex and intriguing it is (like The Letter) and I don't really get to play many games that have such diversity and effect on the playthorugh (that aren't abandoned like Queen's Crown). It really shows how much work and time you've put into this and if I had the means, I would send some cash to back you up but... *cries in broke*. I hope you get to continue to do things you're passionate about (without burning out). Thank you so much for this. Update: When Stuart and Syd talk about Jayda's self-confidence, Syd says, "That's... that's so cruel to herself." This sounds off, like grammatically incorrect. I think "That's... she's so harsh on herself." would sound better (just a suggestion). II. On the same day, same evening, Syd debates with himself. "... maybe I can't make this decision alone. I can't condemn the other students who tried so hard to failure, all just to help Jayda's ego." I think this will flow better if it was tweaked to "... maybe I can't make this decision alone. I can't condemn the other students to fail when they've tried so hard, all just to help Jayda's ego". The Neville Longbottom joke was amazeballs. There's some minor thing around this part and I was going to mention it but I was so caught up in the story that I told myself 'maybe later'. It's now 'later' and I lost it, can't find it. I also thought, 'I shouldn't' because I've already written a long message but here I am, on my 4th edit. *facepalm* III. Ummm... When we go to the hospital to visit Albie, the term for food from (fastfood) restaurants put in boxes is 'takeout' not 'takeaway'. Also, after that when Syd texts Albie, Albie says "... d'you know anything about it?". The font used was different from the font that shows when Syd is texting and recieving texts. IV. On week 7, Monday morning, Syd says "Dont tell you guys have retired in your prime already...!". I think it should be "Don't tell me you guys have retired in your prime already!" V. I've been thinking about it for a while now. The d in Syd's name tag looks a little farther away. It looked like there's a space added to it. I'm not sure tho... Nevermind, Jayda's was the same too. It's probs just how the font is. Game is still phenomenal. I love the mini tutorials.

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LoveSick Darlings - Relationships with Consequences community

Some stuff you might want to edit

A topic by Deleted Account created Dec 21, 2019 Views: 337 Replies: 4

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Deleted account4 years ago

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DimitriDeveloper4 years ago (1 edit)

Hello Grace Grayson! Thanks so much for reaching out and posting! I'm honoured that my game was the reason you chose to make your first post! :)

Alright, I will address your points one-by-one! :)

That first one is definitely a jumbled-up scene! I played it back, and I don't know how I got missed Jayda jumping in front of Steph! Fully unintentional! There's no doki doki in this game ahaha. I must have entirely missed this while editing, seeing as there's a decent amount of errors here. Thanks so much for bringing them to my attention!

I have received a lot of mixed feedback regarding backgrounds, but nonetheless, thank you for tellingme your thoughts. I think some of the "real-life" backgrounds work really well for certain scenes, the lunch background especially, but I totally get that some of them just don't quite... "fit." Not yet, at least. I also do regret not taking more night-time photos. I totally get how that can be annoying to be told "it's the evening," yet it looks like the middle of the day hahah.

I should also say that ALL of the backgrounds are photos too. There are no drawn backgrounds :)

Jayda does... admittedly... have thick thighs and long legs. They are an actual intended feature of hers. Don't worry, you're not a weirdo. You're neither the first or last person to notice Jayda's legs hahaha. But, I will consult my artist about whether proportions need to be adjusted. As much as possible, I've tried to have my game represent all kinds of people and body types in a realistic way that allows them to be beautiful and attractive - but not too sexualized. Except for Maisy, who chooses to express herself much more sexually than most people. But that's just her character hahaha.

Don't worry about your message! I find it very constructive, and I actually love to hear people's thoughts and feedback. It helps me improve the game! :)
Also, I especially like being told when bugs occur. If it's something that helps me make the game better, I love hearing from people. And if it helps me fix something that both myself and my editor and everyone else who plays missed - then all the better!
I'm really glad you like the choices! I appreciate that not everyone can help financially, but even this kind of support (reporting bugs and giving feedback) and help means the world to me! I can see how much you like the game just based on how detailed and caring the feedback you've given is. Someone who doesn't like this game wouldn't bother to do all this, so don't worry. I am very appreciative!

Thanks so much for supporting LoveSick Darlings and trying this game out! I hope I can keep making it, and avoid all kinds of burnout, while delivering this game to you all!

Update 1:
Will adjust!

Update 2:
Will look into it! Also, don't worry about finding it - these are all great bits of reporting!

Update 3:
"Takeaway" is the Australian word for local fast food!
Oops! Didn't mean to use texting font...

Update 4:
Fixed.

Update 5:
Yeah, that is in fact the font, yeah hahah.

I'm so glad you've enjoyed the game/demo so far! I love to hear from people who play, so thanks so much for taking the time to give me all this info and feedback!

Also, wow, you like the tutorials?! That's the first compliment they've ever received! (I haven't gotten complaints either to be fair... but still!) Thanks for the kinds words!

Deleted account4 years ago

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DimitriDeveloper4 years ago (1 edit)

Hahaha! I always do my best to reply to everyone! It's fun to engage with the audience!

Don't worry about any of that too - a lot of people have learned a few "Australian-isms" thanks to my game hahah!

I am super thankful that you like my game so much! Really, it's great to hear.

Also, while I don't think my game is some paragon or saviour for representation - I did do my best to keep the game as diverse as possible. At the end of the day, I guess it's still about a guy getting into potential relationships with girls - so it's probably not that unique! But of course, I will keep your proportion feedback in mind :)

You have basically the exact reaction I hope people to have of Maisy. I want people to like or dislike her. And if they dislike or like her, to understand why others feel differently. Which you do! She's the game's most divisive character for sure. She's meant to be flawed and human - yet also like, larger than life and wonderful. She's probably the character I write most naturally at least. I'm glad it shows :)

Also, your secret is safe from your friend! Don't worry, she'll never know ;)
But seriously, I am always honoured when people say the characters in LoveSick remind them of people in their own lives. It really makes me feel like I've done a good job if my characters connect with people's real experiences with people!

I love the references you're dropping for my game too - don't worry, they aren't lost on me ;)

Syd has a lot of internal monolgues and - frankly - I do think they need to be cut down a bit before the full release. They go on a bit, and are repetitive. Which was the point, to show how indecisive he is. But I also don't wanna bore the player hahah. Especially on repeat playthroughs. I will find a middle-ground for it!

Hearing your thought process about the art show is also super interesting! I love hearing why people did or didn't do things. It's all valid of course, just interesting. I want the in-game choices to be both impactful and realistic - because it's hard to say what the "right" choice is most of the time.

Hahah, I'm sure Syd would appreciate a good head-pat! And you are completely right: even if Syd knew it was Jayda's... he argued the genuine artistic merit for it. Not just "it's Jayda's art, just vote for it", y'know? It's morally grey, but that was my hope when I made it that way :D

Yeah, Stuart realizes he was just as caught-up-in-the-moment as everyone else was. He's human liek the rest of the gang, even if he acts a bit detached sometimes hahah. I'm glad you liked the references! I packed heeeeaps into the game. Everyone's hobbies "OtherWorld/Around The Galaxy/Doomsday 3/etc" are all based on real games and fandoms. I just switched some words and scenarios around hahah.

Also! The door they wait outside is someone else's. Albie's room is down the hall ;)

I'm glad to hear you love watching this awkward group of geeky friends geek out and finally come to terms with/understand their blossoming feelings as they mature and start growing up. They're in this transitionary period between childhood and adulthood, and it's weird, and messy, and feelings WILL get hurt... but at the least, they can enjoy the time they do have with each other. While they still have it. Sometimes, it's nice to just talk about your favourite show(s) or game(s) with your friends, and indulge in what you love. That's the aspect of friendship that LoveSick Darlings really wants to represent positively.

I'm glad my weird "tutorial/instructor" character/voice is entertaining! It's fun writing self-aware dialogie hahahah...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I love discussing LoveSick Darlings!
If you want to discuss more, and have a discord account, I highly recommend joining the Discord server! It's quite active, and there are quite a few LoveSick Darlings fans to talk with! (Inclduing me, I'm very active there!)
You can join here if you so feel like it: https://discord.gg/7pxB8c3
Have a nice day in any case!

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