A Small Rant (Suggestions and Requests included)
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 1:31 amI don't know why, but I was drawn back to try playing this game after seeing Stripes' post about the Mammoth herm on FA. I had played it a long time ago, and found it fun but oddly frustrating... and I think I quit after finally making some headway against the various creatures I had been losing too over and over... only to explore a bit too far into the Hellhound quest and getting a game over. Since I've started playing again its absorbed a lot of my time, as it has a lot of interesting content and story... but I *have* to make a few suggestions and complaints about how this game is set up.
I'll try to keep it short.
Keeping Ones Form
I know the concept is you're in a world where you struggle to remain human. I know there are certain feats you can get that help you maintain your form, even when you get changed partly by some event in the game. But I think a part of this game that makes it enjoyable is once you obtain that one form you *really* like, you manage to keep it. I'm not sure about the vast majority of other players, but getting changed every single time you perform an action gets frustrating after the millionth time.
An example was my visiting the hospital, and taking a liking to the Fluffy Owls there. I decided to try to make that my main form. As soon as I decided this though, the game almost furiously threw every other monster in the hospital at me, mainly Vixen Nurses and that damn Goat Janitor. And since the janitor brings about male changes, he reversed most of the changes the now barely appearing Owls were causing. Eventually I had to give up, having been mutated into something between a fox and a goat with some tailfeathers. It should be easier to get into a base form when actively searching for one. I know there's a skill like that too, but it should just be a variable I think instead of a skill. For example if you're submitting to a certain type of monster, others of the same sort should be drawn to you... since you obviously like them.
Initial Species
Almost everyone in the game that you talk to fell asleep or barely escaped something, only to wake up after changing... why not your character? The ways I see this working would be several: 1. Where you decide to start. Depending on where the player begins, they would get a choice of those species that dominate those areas. If you're coming in from outside, you would default to fully human though. 2. Making use of nav points more. Most of the nav points in the game have areas near them that contain certain species. If the player chooses the 'Caught Outside' option for starting, they can choose one of the nav points as their 'starting point'. It would be slightly less dangerous there (less attacks), and they could choose one of the more prevalent species as their starting species. For example, you could choose 'Caught Outside', then choose the mall to start out as that being your safe zone and then choose to be a Mall Rat.
Too Many Dicks On The Dance Floor!
Too many dicks! xD I don't mind all the gay and herm action in this game, but it feels like almost *everyone* has a dick. Maybe add a few more female only types to the mix. ...at least ones who aren't being kept purely as breeding stock by herds or packs of dominant males.
Fights Feel A Little One Sided
...at least in the early stages of the game. Everything and everyone can easily kick your ass, and you have no way to fight them off or resist. The best you can do is run off until you gain some levels... which is kind of counter intuitive, since you can't gain levels if you run off. And if you *don't* run off, you'll be starting your game as a Latex Fox/German Shepard/Something/Something/Something... plus there's something vaguely embarrassing imagining getting beat up by a Latex Fox...
Species Based Stat Bonuses?
I might be remembering this wrong, but I recall gaining stats based on the species you used,or the physical attributes of said species. I would often try to quickly get to the Park, for example, to find the Messy Whip and let it transform me into the Black Equinoid, due to the strength bonus I got from it. I might be remembering it wrong, to be honest. Did you have this and remove it? If you did I think restoring it would be great, and add a reason to gain certain forms or physical traits. It seems weird to grow from a Full Human to a Full Black Equinoid, with constant references to muscle growth, size increases and so on, while not gaining a single point of strength or vitality.
Saves
The game really needs an autosave function. One where you can decide how many turns before it saves (ideally every turn).
"Uncontrollable" Events <MAIN ISSUE>
These are events in which something is forced on the player, whether they like it or not, to an extreme level. I think you know what event is at the top of this list; it's that 'Black Hornet' event. The 'extreme content warning' is more like a lure to try it than a real warning, and yet it plunges you into a huge block of text that ends with you possessed by this unremovable larvae that infinitely produces eggs. I've tested it; going for 60 days straight with no food or water in the bunker, cranking eggs. This should never happen in a game like this. If the warning had read "Warning: Permanent Change involved!" I would have avoided it instantly. I'm not against the concept for other people who want it... but remembering the full story it should have had some options for retreat, or maybe fighting your way free, or SOMEthing before inflicting our character with something so hard to remove. I even remember going to the pregnancy doctor and having her test me, only to be told nothing was there. ...how would she not detect that larvae?
Other things in the game are like this too, where you encounter them, and though the story attached has several places where your stats might affect the outcome or the player could possibly decide to escape before something irreversible happens, no such option ever appears.
There's the 'narrow passage trap' where a panther taur just comes up and impregnates you. You can't decide if you want to even enter the narrow place, or use your strength to try to escape. Your libido has no effect on if you can resist the sexual advances of the panther taur; you just give in. It's just 'You explored and found this; now deal with the consequences'.
Another one is the 'Latex Fox Trailer'. If you've never seen this before (aka New Player), and you're curious, you get turned into a complete Latex Fox. No chance to use your Dexterity to gain your footing. No chance to choose anything. You open the door, turn into Jerry Lewis, stumbling and tripping over yourself, get attacked by that black tar monster from Creepshow, and now you're a goofy inflatable.
The 'Little Old Lady at the Docks' battle. You finish fighting off all those monsters to protect her, and see her pull out some heavy ordinance... and you decide NOT to follow her?! Nope. You *don't* decide that, you don't even get the option. If I saw some lady who had not only supplies to spare but huge guns on hand, *I* would follow here, are you silly? xD
Putting things like this in the game where there are no options or variables involved in them does nothing but force someone who might not have saved before each action (see my comment on autosaves above) to have to roll back who knows how many turns of gameplay just because. It's not fun and it's not fancy... it's just kinda annoying. I'm still enjoying the game overall... but it sometimes has some twists that feel less like fun or interesting and more like frustration and starting over while setting yourself back a few dozen turns.
A Note On Savewords
I know some people who read this are going to say "but you can just edit the saveword and set everything exactly how you want it!" to which I would reply, "Isn't editing the saveword pretty much cheating? What kind of game can only be played in an enjoyable way if you cheat at it?"
I'll try to keep it short.
Keeping Ones Form
I know the concept is you're in a world where you struggle to remain human. I know there are certain feats you can get that help you maintain your form, even when you get changed partly by some event in the game. But I think a part of this game that makes it enjoyable is once you obtain that one form you *really* like, you manage to keep it. I'm not sure about the vast majority of other players, but getting changed every single time you perform an action gets frustrating after the millionth time.
An example was my visiting the hospital, and taking a liking to the Fluffy Owls there. I decided to try to make that my main form. As soon as I decided this though, the game almost furiously threw every other monster in the hospital at me, mainly Vixen Nurses and that damn Goat Janitor. And since the janitor brings about male changes, he reversed most of the changes the now barely appearing Owls were causing. Eventually I had to give up, having been mutated into something between a fox and a goat with some tailfeathers. It should be easier to get into a base form when actively searching for one. I know there's a skill like that too, but it should just be a variable I think instead of a skill. For example if you're submitting to a certain type of monster, others of the same sort should be drawn to you... since you obviously like them.
Initial Species
Almost everyone in the game that you talk to fell asleep or barely escaped something, only to wake up after changing... why not your character? The ways I see this working would be several: 1. Where you decide to start. Depending on where the player begins, they would get a choice of those species that dominate those areas. If you're coming in from outside, you would default to fully human though. 2. Making use of nav points more. Most of the nav points in the game have areas near them that contain certain species. If the player chooses the 'Caught Outside' option for starting, they can choose one of the nav points as their 'starting point'. It would be slightly less dangerous there (less attacks), and they could choose one of the more prevalent species as their starting species. For example, you could choose 'Caught Outside', then choose the mall to start out as that being your safe zone and then choose to be a Mall Rat.
Too Many Dicks On The Dance Floor!
Too many dicks! xD I don't mind all the gay and herm action in this game, but it feels like almost *everyone* has a dick. Maybe add a few more female only types to the mix. ...at least ones who aren't being kept purely as breeding stock by herds or packs of dominant males.
Fights Feel A Little One Sided
...at least in the early stages of the game. Everything and everyone can easily kick your ass, and you have no way to fight them off or resist. The best you can do is run off until you gain some levels... which is kind of counter intuitive, since you can't gain levels if you run off. And if you *don't* run off, you'll be starting your game as a Latex Fox/German Shepard/Something/Something/Something... plus there's something vaguely embarrassing imagining getting beat up by a Latex Fox...
Species Based Stat Bonuses?
I might be remembering this wrong, but I recall gaining stats based on the species you used,or the physical attributes of said species. I would often try to quickly get to the Park, for example, to find the Messy Whip and let it transform me into the Black Equinoid, due to the strength bonus I got from it. I might be remembering it wrong, to be honest. Did you have this and remove it? If you did I think restoring it would be great, and add a reason to gain certain forms or physical traits. It seems weird to grow from a Full Human to a Full Black Equinoid, with constant references to muscle growth, size increases and so on, while not gaining a single point of strength or vitality.
Saves
The game really needs an autosave function. One where you can decide how many turns before it saves (ideally every turn).
"Uncontrollable" Events <MAIN ISSUE>
These are events in which something is forced on the player, whether they like it or not, to an extreme level. I think you know what event is at the top of this list; it's that 'Black Hornet' event. The 'extreme content warning' is more like a lure to try it than a real warning, and yet it plunges you into a huge block of text that ends with you possessed by this unremovable larvae that infinitely produces eggs. I've tested it; going for 60 days straight with no food or water in the bunker, cranking eggs. This should never happen in a game like this. If the warning had read "Warning: Permanent Change involved!" I would have avoided it instantly. I'm not against the concept for other people who want it... but remembering the full story it should have had some options for retreat, or maybe fighting your way free, or SOMEthing before inflicting our character with something so hard to remove. I even remember going to the pregnancy doctor and having her test me, only to be told nothing was there. ...how would she not detect that larvae?
Other things in the game are like this too, where you encounter them, and though the story attached has several places where your stats might affect the outcome or the player could possibly decide to escape before something irreversible happens, no such option ever appears.
There's the 'narrow passage trap' where a panther taur just comes up and impregnates you. You can't decide if you want to even enter the narrow place, or use your strength to try to escape. Your libido has no effect on if you can resist the sexual advances of the panther taur; you just give in. It's just 'You explored and found this; now deal with the consequences'.
Another one is the 'Latex Fox Trailer'. If you've never seen this before (aka New Player), and you're curious, you get turned into a complete Latex Fox. No chance to use your Dexterity to gain your footing. No chance to choose anything. You open the door, turn into Jerry Lewis, stumbling and tripping over yourself, get attacked by that black tar monster from Creepshow, and now you're a goofy inflatable.
The 'Little Old Lady at the Docks' battle. You finish fighting off all those monsters to protect her, and see her pull out some heavy ordinance... and you decide NOT to follow her?! Nope. You *don't* decide that, you don't even get the option. If I saw some lady who had not only supplies to spare but huge guns on hand, *I* would follow here, are you silly? xD
Putting things like this in the game where there are no options or variables involved in them does nothing but force someone who might not have saved before each action (see my comment on autosaves above) to have to roll back who knows how many turns of gameplay just because. It's not fun and it's not fancy... it's just kinda annoying. I'm still enjoying the game overall... but it sometimes has some twists that feel less like fun or interesting and more like frustration and starting over while setting yourself back a few dozen turns.
A Note On Savewords
I know some people who read this are going to say "but you can just edit the saveword and set everything exactly how you want it!" to which I would reply, "Isn't editing the saveword pretty much cheating? What kind of game can only be played in an enjoyable way if you cheat at it?"