Pregnancy Poll

I agree with pretty much all of this! I feel that I'm already dealing with some pretty major elements concerning the slavery and emotional trauma on a personal and emotional level within the game (In contrast to the candy coated approach most creators take with the subject. Not that there;s anything wrong with that. ) The subject is one that hits close to home for me on some levels, so elements of what I would have created would have been drawn from personal experience. And while the subject matter may be outside my comfort zone (And lets face it, this is subject matter that should be outside of everyone's comfort zone on one level or another) I DO think that it is meaningful and worth doing if people were interested in exploring it. That said, with the poll results as they stand, I'm tabling the idea and moving on for the time being.

Aftermath Team

Just as my two cents, Inheritance is very much a story-driven experience, and it comes down to your skills as an author to make things work. If you want to explore some tragic topics, I think that'd be excellent, and probably enhance the reader's connection to the story. It's damned-near impossible to find a story considered a masterpiece that doesn't have some some major tragic elements. On the other hand, if you aren't completely comfortable with these topics, you should avoid them like the plague. If you aren't comfortable with writing it, it's going to be very difficult to get a decent result, and it'd be better to focus your talents elsewhere. It's your story, so tell what you want to tell. Your subject lists are a bit wide in scope, some of the items aren't terribly tragic or dangerous, others are. 1/3 of pregnancies end in miscarriage, but only a small fraction of those are stillbirths. Ectopic pregnancy is very risky in several ways, gestational diabetes is typically controlled with a small to moderate change in diet. If you want to add more realism but are uncomfortable with the more dangerous items on the list, it might be worth looking at some of the comparatively mild items.

ThaumX

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has posted and voted on this topic. I'll be making a post related to this later today time permitting (Got a lot going on today on the home front, still not sure how its going to affect my work time.) to talk briefly about the conversation and the result. You guys are awesome and I thank you all very much for being willing to have this conversation with me and to present your opinions in a respectful and meaningful way. (Seriously, I expected at least one major rant out of the experience. :P ) At a glance, it looks like all three topics in the poll are in the 80% "No" range, so I'll pull the plug on this idea. The pregnancies going into the game will be as originally planned. That's not to say I'm not willing to touch on the subjects in other ways down the road, even if we won't be dealing with them on such a personal level.. ;)

Aftermath Team

Thank you. This is always my goal. Every project I approach is intended to be a story first and foremost. The pornographic content is icing on the cake. In most cases, I'll add content if I think it is important enough. The two girls from the game are emotionally damaged, each in their own way, I felt that was very important to express well in the game and I've been pleasantly surprised at how well their characterization has been received (And lets face it, if I had done a poll about emotionally damaged characters, I'd have probably gotten the same negative response we see for this.) But I thought their characterization was pivotal to how the game presents itself. The pregnancy, given that its going to be an optional feature for players in the first place, is not going to play as big a part for many players (Well, it has the potential to be a pivotal portion of the game depending on play style, but it doesnt HAVE to be.) and I felt it was worth presenting the topic to the community before I actually started to plan that kind of content. You are right about me being the author and it being my decision ultimately. I have a vision for what I want the game to eventually to become, and I have every intention to stay true to that. However when I look to grow or expand that vision in ways that may prove controversial, then I feel it is worth presenting it to all of you so we can have a conversation about it like we;re doing right now, and to see if the community would be receptive to the kind(s) of addition being presented.

Aftermath Team

Inheritance already touches on some difficult topics, slavery, physical and emotional abuse, etc and those topics are dealt with seriously instead of skirted like so many other games do. I'm not the type to avoid difficult subjects, and I'll openly embrace them when I feel they are necessary. In this case I expected the topic to appeal to a fairly nitch group, and while I feel the topic could be dealt with in both a respectful and meaningful way, people do seem to be overwhelmingly against it. I agree completely that these kinds of scenes can add an amazing amount of depth and emotion to a game like this. And quite frankly that depth is what I was thinking of when I put the subject to the community.

Aftermath Team

Perhaps I'm speaking for myself but Inheritance is a great story first and foremost. The porn part is in this case secondary. As you said it's definitely a sensitive subject however it is impressive that you are willing to include such "heavy" content. Well you are the author so it should be your decision what you should and shoudn't write. Nevertheless I'm sure people will support you no matter what you'll add to the game. As long as it's the usual quality we all came to love ;)

Gandohar

I voted yes for all the defects. It seems like I'm a minority but I really like these kind of dramatic events, they are good for the soul so to speak. Sadness and tragedy and loss are a part of life and I like art to reflect that but I also realize many people play these games to "escape" these parts of real life and therefore want to play in a land of milk and honey where there is only happiness and joy. Still sucks for people like me it is not going to be in the game (judging from the poll), especially since you say it would have been avoidable for those who dislike it anyway.

This is part of why I put it to the community. Its a heavy subject. and while the community has responded well to the girls' emotional vulnerability, its a subject that I didn't want to wade into unless there was some serious interest in it. All said and done, I think this was a great topic and I'm happy to see a robust and genuine conversation about all of this, but at the same time I'm also pleased that the poll is leaning the way it is. (As you could probably tell from my initial post, I had some reservations about delving into the topic in a serious way anyway.)

Aftermath Team

It's your game and you can include whatever realism and subject matter you want. At the end of the day though people are probably going to play your game for its story, its porn and to get a good fap. It's nice to have some mature subject matter but depending on your preferences at some point things just get too real, too dark and too depressing.

This is another reason I asked before I started planning. ;)

Aftermath Team

That, and maybe we play these games as an escape from the awfulness and complications that make up the real world, not to have them reinforced. :) I mean, if one wants to make a game about those sorts of things, then that's cool and all... But I think that the vast majority of the audience for these types of games that we like to make isn't looking for much focus on heavy subjects like that.

Echo Hollow

The goal is to include 1-2 "actions" in pretty much all of the rooms in the house (Master Bedroom has sleeping and sex. Master bathroom has showering. Dining Hall has meals, etc.) Obviously some of those will be more meaningful than others. I think a small number of options in each room helps to make those rooms meaningful, but like you imply, its important to not add so much that such things become a distraction too.

Aftermath Team

my concern would be actually playing he game, more and more actions, but then again it would use up time through the day

It has the potential for that, yes. I think however that a meaningful pregnancy in a game is going to be about the pregnancy (At least during the pregnancy) anyway. The trick is to create a balance between the pregnancy (Regardless of the nature of the pregnancy) and the rest of the game. At this stage, I think its a foregone conclusion that it won't be part of the game. I know it would have been a controversial topic to approach, but I wouldn't have brought it up if I thought it would somehow take away from the overall experience of the game. ;)

Aftermath Team

Any story that includes a sick baby is going to be a story *about* a sick baby. Some topics are so weighty they will swamp out all the other story and dominate the narrative. Throwing it in as a side plot seems like a huge mistake.

Dissonant Soundtrack

From a mechanical standpoint it wouldn't be difficult. The bulk of it would be the time to write the content. My biggest concern would be that if the topic was dealt with on a realistic level, then it may prove more emotional than some people are prepared for.

Aftermath Team

i feel that adding these features could lead to the game being too complicated

You're comments are always a joy to see. I appreciate the bluntness of your reply very much. Its too often that people softball comments about sensitive issues. I try to think about the full picture first, then walk things back to a "comfort zone". I fully understand that in games we have to scale things back a lot of the time, but given the positive response to the emotional aspects of the game so far I felt it was worth asking. I expected the poll to lean the direction its currently headed, but I'm a little surprised by how heavily its leaning that direction. That said, I asked people to vote their conscience on this one, and that's what we're getting. I was brought up to never shy away from something just because it is difficult. You can meet an issue head on with your own terms, or as often as not it comes back and bites you in the ass in real life. My willingness to approach this topic is simply an extension to that mindset. ;)

Aftermath Team

'tis because they are pussies, yes they wanna fuck, yes they wanna have pregnacy, but blood, gore and defects, oh god pluheese no! our poor baby eyes and brains can't handle that. You know what, damn I respect you that you put those things up as the very first thing! You sir are a tough cookie and I really like that!

waffel

Looks like this one is going to be pretty definitive. 35 votes in the first 20 minutes and only one of them for a "yes." I'll take a peek again this evening and if nothing significant changes I'll call this topic DOA.

Aftermath Team