Pandas are once again on the verge of extinction and it’s up to you to get things hot and heavy! Help these pandas find their libido and save their species!
In this game players will wrestle with the finicky sex drive of the Giant Panda. Randomized mood swings, food, thirst, and arousal levels will demand humorously awkward, frustrating, and frequent tasks of the player in hopes of finding each panda’s unique balance of needs.
For my final project I want to challenge the current, redundant mechanics behind romance in gaming. I want to subvert the “Kindness Currency” phenomenon in contemporary dating simulations by focusing on three elements: Nuanced and intertwined factors for sexual attraction, a third-person perspective, and a redistribution of agency.
I want to design a system for sexual attraction with a large set of factors that are based in real life and, in that same vein, not immediately discernible or navigable. By making the player a match-maker instead of a suitor, I aim to force the player to examine the characters as individuals. I’ll use characters with unique individual needs and preferences to take some control away from the player and give it to the characters themselves. This is aimed to encourage experimentation and even resignation on the player’s part.
These will be the first steps towards rejuvenating gaming romance and combating the way gaming currently reinforces a harmful approach to romantic/sexual attraction. I want to package this in a game that is lighthearted, humorous, and presents a challenging level of depth that makes success feel like an actual accomplishment.
My standard for success is whether or not the game keeps the player on their toes enough to provide that sense of accomplishment. Secondary goals will be an attractive game feel and “juice” that make the interactions more meaningful.
Game References:
- Pakka Pets– Clear Visual Communication without Text
- Fallout Shelter– Intertwined Mechanics and Roaming Characters
- Pokemon-Amie – Character Player Interaction and Interface
Non-Game References:
- Panda Enclosure Needs
- Environment’s Effect on Panda Behavior
- Fact Sheets on Panda Breeding 1 2
- Discourse on Dating Sims: Kindness Currency
- Further Discourse on Romance Games
- Hedonistic Treadmill – Used to add some (depressing) spice to the game
WORK TIMELINE
- NOV 9th ___ Finalize Mechanics for Sexual Attraction & Player Interactions
- NOV 14th ___Code System for Calculating Character Compatibility
- NOV 16th ___Create Crude UI for mouse/touch
- NOV 21st ___Incorporate Real-Time
- NOV 30th ___Begin Final Assets
- Debug Debug Cry Debug
- DUE DATE___???