Which Way Alleyway [Card Game Poll]

 

So, most of you have probably had a chance to play the card game by now. It was really only a demo, and there were a couple bugs with some actions possible in the wrong pose. Overall though, I think it worked pretty well. Next time, we'll definitely force the tutorial to open the first time it's played though, rather than depending on a button, lol.

We answered some questions and got several really good suggestions in the card-game-discussion channel on our Discord server. I thought it'd be a good idea to share some answers to some common questions and feedback for you all here.

Will the card game totally replace the current sex system?
The plan would be to leave the existing sex system in place while the card game is in progress, and like the demo, give the player the choice of which setup to use (card game, sex skip, sex scene). Eventually we'd probably set up a toggle option to choose your system. The old system wouldn't be gone, but we also wouldn't be improving it, either.

Just seeing cards and imagining them isn't the same as reading text about it.
We've been planning to have text that goes along with the cards. The key is to figure out the best way to display and present it. One option would be to show the text as each card is played like in this example image:

Text with each card played, scrollable but designed/sized to describe a single card.

While another would be to show it as a collected into a mini-scene at the end of the round describing everything that happened. Here's an example of what that could look like:

The created mini-scene for each round could be displayed at once. Works better with larger content.

One thing we want to consider is the vast library of action descriptions we already have written. We could make use of that content and fill in the gaps as needed, or we could go for new text that is shorter and more to the point. That's a whole different topic though, the point is that text is planned.

What is the AI doing, it seems to just play as many random cards as it can.
Pretty much. The demo doesn't have a real AI, it's mostly just making sure that the card it plays is valid. The AI will take some work to build properly, particularly because of the different desires for different NPCs, and the actual goal/scene type of the NPC.

The card game feels limiting because I can only do what the cards say. I (the player) want to do X but I can't unless I get the card.
Well, it wouldn't really be a card game otherwise. Right now the number of cards are extremely limited, and of course we don't have the kink and other special cards that you'd steer your character toward earning in the main game. With a deck shifted more toward your tastes, it should be a little better. In terms of what actions you can and can't do... I think it helps to imagine that the available cards are what your character currently has floating around in their imagination. 

The NPC does whatever they want, what about situations where you don't want that such as non-consent or condoms or whatever?
We've got to work on a system for contesting NPC (and player!) card plays. That's something that we'll have to get just right though, and something we'd want to work on later on in the development of the card game when the game is more fleshed out. We have to make sure any mechanic we add to the game is fun, and how it will synergize with other effects such as kink cards. And speaking of which, there are several mechanics we've already got dreamed up for bringing your character (and the NPC's) more into the game.

Have some WIP previews

Poll Options:

1. Full Steam: You really like the card game concept and want us to keep working on it alongside the hucow expansion.
2. Like It: You like the card game, but don't want it to take too much time away from Hucows, keep it as a side project.
3. Don't Care: You really don't care either way.
4. Unsure: What you've seen so far doesn't give you a good enough idea to make a decision. Look again after v1.22
5. Hate It: You don't like the card game/idea of a card game, and don't think we should spend any time on it.
6. Maybe Later: Whether you like it or not, now isn't a good time to work on it. Bring it up later as an optional expansion after the current hucow expansion.

Note: Voting is for patrons/subscribers only.