Flirts, flirts, flirts, spam and flirts

[RavenBlack]

Again...

 

Siiiiiiiiiigh.

 

Can't wait.

[K. Lou of Combs]

AWWWW!! Aklon's such a sweetie.

 

Nice work!

[jastey]

I am very impressed by the flirt spoilers, content and expression wise. I also like very much the way you leave the choice of reaction to the player. If this is representative for the quality of the whole mod I say Aklon will be one of the NPCs I am looking foreward to having in my party (and I am not one of those who has to try out all new NPC mods, no offence meant). Cool!

[Domi]

Very sweet

 

A couple of stylistic suggestions howevere (sorry about nitpicking!):

 

Aklon: (There are several ways you could go about hugging Aklon. Which will you choose)?

 

I know that you need Alkon's line, but this one sort of falls out of the sequence (ie the apeal to PC in Alkon's action makes me think that Alkon is saying something like this which is a bit awkward . Perhaps:

 

PC: You would like to hug Alkon

 

Alkon: The slender man watches your approach in delight...

 

PC: [...put your arm around Aklon’s waist and walk with him]

.....(Others)

 

 

Aklon (Random): (You walk up close beside Aklon, who raises his arm, allowing you close enough to get your arm around his waist, holding his body to yours. The arm Aklon raised now lowers itself neatly behind you, settling around your hips, the fingers of his hand splayed over your belly. As you walk on in silence, so close beside Aklon, you can feel his warmth reach through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you).

 

It's a bit overcomplicated sequence, I'd suggest simplifying it a bit to something like:

 

Alkon's arm envelops your shoulders, pulling you nearer. Then it slides down neatly behind you, finally settling around your hips. His fingers splay over your belly as you walk on in silence. So close you are that the warmth of his body reaches through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you.

[Guest Star_Dragonmaiden]

Very sweet 

 

A couple of stylistic suggestions howevere (sorry about nitpicking!):

 

Aklon: (There are several ways you could go about hugging Aklon. Which will you choose)?

 

I know that you need Alkon's line, but this one sort of falls out of the sequence (ie the apeal to PC in Alkon's action makes me think that Alkon is saying something like this which is a bit awkward . Perhaps:

 

PC: You would like to hug Alkon

 

Alkon: The slender elf watches your approach in delight...

 

PC: [...put your arm around Aklon’s waist and walk with him]

.....(Others)

 

 

Aklon (Random): (You walk up close beside Aklon, who raises his arm, allowing you close enough to get your arm around his waist, holding his body to yours. The arm Aklon raised now lowers itself neatly behind you, settling around your hips, the fingers of his hand splayed over your belly. As you walk on in silence, so close beside Aklon, you can feel his warmth reach through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you).

 

It's a bit overcomplicated sequence, I'd suggest simplifying it a bit to something like:

 

Alkon's arm envelops your shoulders, pulling you nearer. Then it slides down neatly behind you, finally settling around your hips. His fingers splay over your belly as you walk on in silence. So close you are that the warmth of the elf's body reaches through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I thought Alkon was human...

[Domi]

(Slaps her forehead) Corrected. Uhm, Kivan, Kivan and Kivan on my writing board lately. And reading Williams. Jiriki of the House of Year Dancing is maybe a Sithi, but we all know it's just another name for an Elf.

[neriana]

The original command does sound a bit clunky. However, I would greatly prefer a simple (Hug Aklon) choice, which then branches to the different hugs available, to anything that says "You want ___". I really don't like any style that tells my PC what she wants. It's also unecessary, IMO; obviously if my PC chooses to hug Aklon, it's because she wants to. Also, I don't like a style that creates commands in the second person. I think they should all be, well, commands, for me to choose between, just like in the original game.

[Domi]

Normally I would agree with you, that it is bad to tell PC what she feels. However in this case it is an option on the Flirts menue and PC may or may not chose it. It is also not a description of her feelings (ie You feel the need for cuddling because you did not get enough chocolate yestereve)

 

Basically, my problem with these lines are that they need to suggest intention rather than actionotherwise it breaks action sequence. Just think about the dialogue window:

 

Melirinda the Fair: (Hug Aklon) [This tells me that Mel hugged him]

Aklon: (There are more ways then one to hug me) [so Mel did not hug him? Or going to hug him again?]

1) (Hugging him in one way)

2) (Hugging him in another way)

 

See what I mean? The very presence of this hugging options shows that PC has to first make up her mind about how to hug Aklon.

 

One way to eliminate this 'decide' vs 'act' is to make the choice of 'hugs' random at the entry point, ie every time you open a flirt submenue you will have one type of a hug, but not another

[neriana]

Well, in most flirt packs it's already random. You choose "hug" and you get one of, say, four random responses. Personally, I don't see any confusion in:

click, choose (Hug Aklon)

Aklon: (Hug tightly) ["There is more than way to hug me" sounds like a Furby to me .]

(Hug quickly)

etc.

 

If I get a choice, I'd like the choice to be there all the time. If the two-tiered system looks too confusing, just add the options to the main list of flirts. But really, like I said, I don't see the confusion.

[BigRob]

Thanks for the kind words and the critiques.

 

This is a bit of a knotty one.

 

That bit of dialogue between the original hug and the hug choice is a bit out of whack. I could just leave the choice bit blank, so that all CHARNAME sees is:

 

PC: [Hug Aklon by...]

 

Aklon:... There might even be a way to remove this altogether and go back to CHARNAME for a second response

 

PC: [slipping your arm around his waist]

[Giving him a bear hug]

[Etc...]

 

 

Or, I could extend a kind description into that middle bit, to tell a story, thus:

 

PC: [Approach Aklon so you can hug him]

 

Aklon: (Looking curiously at some distant object, Aklon does not notice seem to you moving towards him, giving you ample opportunity to work your will)

 

PC: [slip your arm around his waist]

[Give Aklon a bear hug]

[Etc...]

 

The second approach (and possibly the first) will need some editing of the existing flirts, but I can do that. What does everybody think?

 

 

I am very impressed by the flirt spoilers, content and expression wise. I also like very much the way you leave the choice of reaction to the player. If this is representative for the quality of the whole mod I say Aklon will be one of the NPCs I am looking foreward to having in my party (and I am not one of those who has to try out all new NPC mods, no offence meant). Cool!

 

Sometimes Aklon will do something and you won't get a chance to react except in your skull after the "End Dialogue" button. But I try to leave as many choices up to the PC as I can. So where you do react, I like to give the choice.

 

 

 

Aklon (Random): (You walk up close beside Aklon, who raises his arm, allowing you close enough to get your arm around his waist, holding his body to yours. The arm Aklon raised now lowers itself neatly behind you, settling around your hips, the fingers of his hand splayed over your belly. As you walk on in silence, so close beside Aklon, you can feel his warmth reach through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you).

 

It's a bit overcomplicated sequence, I'd suggest simplifying it a bit to something like:

 

Alkon's arm envelops your shoulders, pulling you nearer. Then it slides down neatly behind you, finally settling around your hips. His fingers splay over your belly as you walk on in silence. So close you are that the warmth of his body reaches through the layers that separate your flesh, suffusing you

 

That's a better way to go, I think. I don't know how that many "arm"s got into that sentence there. That's what happens when you're writing late at night.

 

*puts some extra time aside for editing*

[neriana]

Those are both good ideas, imo. I personally prefer the first, since otherwise with lots of hugging, Aklon is gonna start seeming pretty dim . Though you could randomize the Aklon: part, too. But that's even more work, for what seems very little payoff, and the simpler it is, the faster we get Aklon.

[BigRob]

Well, I can randomise that bit, so that you only get his "Oh, there you are" responses from the example one and others responses from other versions. What I'd be doing, I guess, is bringing the first descriptive part of the flirt into the pre-decision phase. Wouldn't be too hard, but you could be guessing what responses you'd get from Aklon's initial reaction.

[Domi]

Either two would work, though as far as I know you cannot 'miss' Aklon's state ie you will have to have (...) as intermediary between PC's choices. BTW, if it is possible to do I would like to know how. You have the third choice (I know, i am repeating myself, but just for clarity, as when it was first suggested to me, I was confused as well)

 

Instead of [Hug Aklon] you will get one of:

 

[slipping your arm around his waist]

[Giving him a bear hug]

[Etc...]

 

each time a different one. It is simply the matter of putting them on RandomNum(#,#) in 'responces' to your Aklon flirt initiation header line

 

But have fun!

[BigRob]

I could put the options on the first flirt header, but there's a few of these sub-option types and only having one at a time appear could be a little frustrating (or to have them all appear would bulk up the flirting list considerably).

 

I could remove the intervening line from Aklon in the initial flirt selection by making the [Hug Aklon] option refer to additional choices in CHARNAME's dialogue, basically making CHARNAME talk to herself... but that's a pure guess as to whether its possible or not.

 

Making Aklon's first response an initial part of the flirt might be the way to go.

[Vereyena]

Hi BigRob! Well, I guess it's in order to say how much I'm thrilled about your project. And I can't wait for it to come out. Just one thing I'm wondering about what is the rating for your romance encounters if there is any? Cos I remember downloading one potentially great mod which had a PG rating that had spoiled the fun a lot. I hope yours is not PG. And if you still in need of any I might have a couple of late stage and underdark flirt suggestions. If you need them of course

 

Keep up a good work!