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Game Pillars and Values for Dommy Monsters
6:42pm - I've been feeling the need to do more work, which is a bad feeling but a good thing to experience all the same, and as a result I'm out at a local Tim Horton's to do some work.
Today I'm continuing working on the design doc for Dommy Monsters. The next thing to figure out are the Design Pillars for the game. The idea here is to capture the values of the game and the core ideas I'm trying to capture.
6:58pm - I just re-read Charlie Cleaveland's article on Game Pillars and Values since I find it pretty inspiring. https://www.charliecleveland.com/game-pillars/
I'm going to write out some thoughts on the goals and ideas for Dommy Monsters, to try and figure out what I may have already subconciously thought of.
The game is an adult game, for a start. I was inspired by the indie game developer xey and their shocking success as an adult-oriented/kink games developer. https://xey.itch.io/
I took some time then and thought about what sort of a game I'd want to make, and how I'd want things to be different from other adult games. Xey's games are some inspiration for me, particularly To Love a Googirl. I'm also fond of Lilith's Throne, The Exile of Aphrodisia, and the classic Corruption of Champions 1 & 2 and Trials in Tainted Space.
I've played a lot of adult games, and there are some issues I find with them. Many adult games have a story or setting that makes it out of character or otherwise 'bad' to indulge in the adult activities you're there for. While some folks do really enjoy that sort of corruption and resistance kink, and I want to include that in my game, I don't want it to be the focus. You're not there to resist enjoying yourself, you're there to enjoy yourself, so you should either be encouraged to do kinky things, and rewarded, or straight-up forced into it if you're into that.
I was also really inspired by Lilith's Throne's immense variety of preference settings, and also their transformation options. For the former, you can enable and disable, emphasize and de-emphasize a whole host of kinks and sex content. You can also change the words used to refer to different sex and gender expressions. It has three columns as I recall, for masculine, neutral, and feminine, and down those columns you can set different terms for each combination of primary and secondary sexual characteristics. I do find it a bit odd that the default ones are the ones I hear folks upset with, but I suppose they might be in the minority? If people weren't regularly using those terms to start with, they wouldn't have much of a problem. I might not use those terms as defaults myself, though.
Lilith's Throne also has a tremendously detailed system for the shape of people's bodies. It's primarily expressed through a formatted text description, and for a long time I was convinced people wouldn't like that even though I do, and was avoiding doing that in the games I designed but didn't finish in the past.
Trying to come up with an idea for a game I'd not only want to make, but want to play and wish existed, I came up with the tag line "Dommy Monsters are Fighting Eachother to Own You." and there were several iterations that gradually built up to that.
There are Dommy Monsters. I expect to have many different sorts. I'd like some goofy tokusatsu style monsters like Nibblahfrog's Fripparoo or "Nanny" who I believe is joint owned by DreamerDon and Dolgrin Bronzebeard. I definately want my own style of cutesy living toy monsters. On the other hand, not everybody likes goofy monsters like that. I'll probably also have a variety of rogue AI and Robot style monsters, since I love that sort of thing and robot transformation is so good. Likewise there'll be the inevetable Rubber Drones, and since there are so many flavours of those that'll be interesting. Since I'm trying to focus on having specific Dommy Monsters, probably there will be a leader or 'queen' to any drone hives, or some sort of manifestation of their combined will or whatever. I'll probably also try to put in some more modern classic fantasy stuff like Kobolds and Goblins, Imps and Demons, maybe even Angels or something like that. I've seen some really dommy and monsterlike angels before. Likely there will be various bug hives, too. Ants, bees, that sort of thing.
For each theme or group, there'll be a leading Dommy Monster, and a domain for them. I had originally planned for the monsters to show up in eachother's domains, but after some time thinking last year I decided it would either be their minions, or a trap set up by them or on their behalf that may catch you, instead.
Each Dommy Monster wants you, personally. You're special in this situation, and uniquely up for grabs compared to the rank and file minions each Dommy Monster has. That is, until one of them completes a complex ritual to claim you. I like to feel wanted, useful, and precious, so that's why I want the Dommy Monsters to all be after the player in this way. Whether they'll want you for you, or want to change you to suit them, will depend on the monster. I might even be able to make them realize if you're holding back or something (you might have to put this in during character creation) and they'll help/force you to embrace what you desire or love. They might help/force you to embrace what THEY love, too.
Transformation is a big part of the game because it's a big part of me. I love transformation. As a kink and also just as a theme or interest. It can be a transformation of the body, but also other sorts of transformation are interesting to me. Changing appearance while keeping your body, changing your clothes, outfit, or costume, changing your mind or persona, changing your needs and wants, changing your role or how others see you, changing into a whole other species or sort of existance... All of it is good to me. My Fursona is pretty basic because I love getting TFed so much and I need to have a basic form that isn't already a bunch of my favorite things to get TFed into, so I can get TFed into them! I'm pretty much always already a furry, though, so that's interesting right?
I don't think I've gone into it much, but another part of this game that is important to me is self-expression and exploration. I want to let the player design and determine their body ahead of time, with basically all the possibilities in the game already open to them to start with. The Dommy Monsters may change them, but I also want them to be changed from the starting point they chose themselves. Combining that with being able to choose, to a certain degree, what monsters are present, players will be able to start in a form they feel comfortable with, and have opportunities to change into other forms that may be expressions of desires they have but are afraid to embrace.
So, the game is about being claimed and transformed by Dommy Monsters, exploring yourself, the game world, and the possibilities of the game, and generally finding a place in the world.
Gameplay will be mostly about 'survival' and filling your needs, and either embracing or escaping the situations you find yourself in, and avoiding being taken or trying to be 'rescued' by a different Dommy Monster.
I think I'll try making some potential pillars. I can modify or pick them afterwards.
Love of Transformation
Finding Your Place
Finding Yourself
Finding Your New Self
Exploring Inside and Out
Being a Hot Commodity
Being a Person of Interest
You are the Prize
Everybody Wants You
9:09pm - I think it's time to go home for now, but I haven't decided on pillars, let alone values. Still, this has been good work and lots of ideas came out.
I think the leading set is:
Love of Transformation
Exploring Inside and Out
Everybody Wants You
But I'm not settled yet.
Today I'm continuing working on the design doc for Dommy Monsters. The next thing to figure out are the Design Pillars for the game. The idea here is to capture the values of the game and the core ideas I'm trying to capture.
6:58pm - I just re-read Charlie Cleaveland's article on Game Pillars and Values since I find it pretty inspiring. https://www.charliecleveland.com/game-pillars/
I'm going to write out some thoughts on the goals and ideas for Dommy Monsters, to try and figure out what I may have already subconciously thought of.
The game is an adult game, for a start. I was inspired by the indie game developer xey and their shocking success as an adult-oriented/kink games developer. https://xey.itch.io/
I took some time then and thought about what sort of a game I'd want to make, and how I'd want things to be different from other adult games. Xey's games are some inspiration for me, particularly To Love a Googirl. I'm also fond of Lilith's Throne, The Exile of Aphrodisia, and the classic Corruption of Champions 1 & 2 and Trials in Tainted Space.
I've played a lot of adult games, and there are some issues I find with them. Many adult games have a story or setting that makes it out of character or otherwise 'bad' to indulge in the adult activities you're there for. While some folks do really enjoy that sort of corruption and resistance kink, and I want to include that in my game, I don't want it to be the focus. You're not there to resist enjoying yourself, you're there to enjoy yourself, so you should either be encouraged to do kinky things, and rewarded, or straight-up forced into it if you're into that.
I was also really inspired by Lilith's Throne's immense variety of preference settings, and also their transformation options. For the former, you can enable and disable, emphasize and de-emphasize a whole host of kinks and sex content. You can also change the words used to refer to different sex and gender expressions. It has three columns as I recall, for masculine, neutral, and feminine, and down those columns you can set different terms for each combination of primary and secondary sexual characteristics. I do find it a bit odd that the default ones are the ones I hear folks upset with, but I suppose they might be in the minority? If people weren't regularly using those terms to start with, they wouldn't have much of a problem. I might not use those terms as defaults myself, though.
Lilith's Throne also has a tremendously detailed system for the shape of people's bodies. It's primarily expressed through a formatted text description, and for a long time I was convinced people wouldn't like that even though I do, and was avoiding doing that in the games I designed but didn't finish in the past.
Trying to come up with an idea for a game I'd not only want to make, but want to play and wish existed, I came up with the tag line "Dommy Monsters are Fighting Eachother to Own You." and there were several iterations that gradually built up to that.
There are Dommy Monsters. I expect to have many different sorts. I'd like some goofy tokusatsu style monsters like Nibblahfrog's Fripparoo or "Nanny" who I believe is joint owned by DreamerDon and Dolgrin Bronzebeard. I definately want my own style of cutesy living toy monsters. On the other hand, not everybody likes goofy monsters like that. I'll probably also have a variety of rogue AI and Robot style monsters, since I love that sort of thing and robot transformation is so good. Likewise there'll be the inevetable Rubber Drones, and since there are so many flavours of those that'll be interesting. Since I'm trying to focus on having specific Dommy Monsters, probably there will be a leader or 'queen' to any drone hives, or some sort of manifestation of their combined will or whatever. I'll probably also try to put in some more modern classic fantasy stuff like Kobolds and Goblins, Imps and Demons, maybe even Angels or something like that. I've seen some really dommy and monsterlike angels before. Likely there will be various bug hives, too. Ants, bees, that sort of thing.
For each theme or group, there'll be a leading Dommy Monster, and a domain for them. I had originally planned for the monsters to show up in eachother's domains, but after some time thinking last year I decided it would either be their minions, or a trap set up by them or on their behalf that may catch you, instead.
Each Dommy Monster wants you, personally. You're special in this situation, and uniquely up for grabs compared to the rank and file minions each Dommy Monster has. That is, until one of them completes a complex ritual to claim you. I like to feel wanted, useful, and precious, so that's why I want the Dommy Monsters to all be after the player in this way. Whether they'll want you for you, or want to change you to suit them, will depend on the monster. I might even be able to make them realize if you're holding back or something (you might have to put this in during character creation) and they'll help/force you to embrace what you desire or love. They might help/force you to embrace what THEY love, too.
Transformation is a big part of the game because it's a big part of me. I love transformation. As a kink and also just as a theme or interest. It can be a transformation of the body, but also other sorts of transformation are interesting to me. Changing appearance while keeping your body, changing your clothes, outfit, or costume, changing your mind or persona, changing your needs and wants, changing your role or how others see you, changing into a whole other species or sort of existance... All of it is good to me. My Fursona is pretty basic because I love getting TFed so much and I need to have a basic form that isn't already a bunch of my favorite things to get TFed into, so I can get TFed into them! I'm pretty much always already a furry, though, so that's interesting right?
I don't think I've gone into it much, but another part of this game that is important to me is self-expression and exploration. I want to let the player design and determine their body ahead of time, with basically all the possibilities in the game already open to them to start with. The Dommy Monsters may change them, but I also want them to be changed from the starting point they chose themselves. Combining that with being able to choose, to a certain degree, what monsters are present, players will be able to start in a form they feel comfortable with, and have opportunities to change into other forms that may be expressions of desires they have but are afraid to embrace.
So, the game is about being claimed and transformed by Dommy Monsters, exploring yourself, the game world, and the possibilities of the game, and generally finding a place in the world.
Gameplay will be mostly about 'survival' and filling your needs, and either embracing or escaping the situations you find yourself in, and avoiding being taken or trying to be 'rescued' by a different Dommy Monster.
I think I'll try making some potential pillars. I can modify or pick them afterwards.
Love of Transformation
Finding Your Place
Finding Yourself
Finding Your New Self
Exploring Inside and Out
Being a Hot Commodity
Being a Person of Interest
You are the Prize
Everybody Wants You
9:09pm - I think it's time to go home for now, but I haven't decided on pillars, let alone values. Still, this has been good work and lots of ideas came out.
I think the leading set is:
Love of Transformation
Exploring Inside and Out
Everybody Wants You
But I'm not settled yet.