[Ren'py] Long Live the Princess

[Belle]

Hello! I'm the creator and developer of a relatively new adult game called Long Live the Princess, inspired by such game series as Persona and Ace Attorney. It is non-linear and has you make choices each day on how you will spend your precious time to prepare for the arrival of Princess Selena, fabled for her beauty. Your task is to seduce her through magic so that you can save the realm, but you don't know how or why. All you know is that you need to practice.

Downloads
Current public version: 0.31.0: https://mega.nz/file/5o5EVKLQ#PRbOoTLbD ... 3rg4Fqn0NU
Coming public updates:

• Version 0.32.0 in September/October.

You can find my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/longlivetheprincess

Synopsis
The King is dead. His daughter, Princess Selena, is set to take the crown. But something is wrong. Murder, backstabbing, and visions of extinction threaten to bring ruin to all that is good. And at the heart of it all is a tale of personal tragedy and lost love.

You are a Truthsayer. Yours is the ability to tell if someone is lying. With your mentor dead, it is up to you to protect the Princess when she arrives in your hometown for her coronation. But a secretive old crone and her foul-mouthed pixie assistant have different plans for you.

With a newly learned ability to uncover secrets and use them to your own advantage, you are tasked with getting close to Princess Selena to save her from her darkness. But to achieve that, you must practice by getting close to the women in town. Real close.

And as you venture towards your destiny, someone is watching you closely...

Gameplay
Do you like Persona? Do you like Ace Attorney? There are elements of both in this game. You have a limited number of in-game days to prepare yourself for the Princess' arrival. Each day allows you to take three separate actions. Your choice of actions will dictate whether or not you are ready when the Princess finally arrives, so choose wisely. Carefully balance the various aspects of your life, such as practicing your spellcasting, improving your abilities, building relationships, earning money, and so on. Don't worry, there is no grinding in this game, and every action will be meaningful.

While doing all this, you also have to uncover the deepest, darkest secrets of the girls in town so that you can affect them with your spells. When you feel confident that you have figured out a girl's secrets, confront her and reveal the knowledge you have uncovered at the precise time needed for maximum effect.

Long Live the Princess is not a linear game, and you might very well end up failing in your quest. Replaying will allow you to keep some of your abilities from the previous playthrough, increasing your chances of success the second time around. Can you find all the game's secrets?

Screenshots

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

I will be hanging out in this thread to answer any questions you may have about the game, so feel free to ask anything you like.

[lostone2]

Oh... I'm glad to see you here. Welcome! Glad to see that the recent issues haven't affected you greatly. That said, my feedback is kind of outdated.

Lately, I had been kinda of distracted for a whole RL issues (both personal and political, as I live in Spain lol). From what I had played in the 0.10 version there:

I like your world building and the game mechanics that I can glimpse. So far the worst thing is the MC's character, has although I can empathize somehow with him, it can get a bit tiresome after a while. But I'm hopeful that he has time to grow (and that could be one of the strong points for me). The art is good but not remrakable, but the story has the potential to be quite engaging.

I'm very curious to see how the next version plays out.

[keradi01]

I've liked a lot of what I've seen so far. Kind of disappointed with the lack of content, but it's an early version so that's to be expected. I definitely like the art a lot more than what is normally seen around here; the bodies actually look somewhat natural without exaggerated features. Nothing kills my mood more than seeing models with weird proportions (like big eyes and breasts) and tiny bodies. The plot and mechanics seem fairly easy to understand and definitely seem interesting. Though as the previous commenter said, the MC's personality is probably the worst of it; it's not that terrible, I've seen much worse, but the lazy loser characterization is a bit overplayed, so hopefully it gets changed as the game goes on (I'd imagine it being linked to progression with other characters, spell training, and/or courage). The fairy though is rather amusing. Hopefully, there will be chances for her to do more than providing exposition and commentary. Build a more amicable relationship with her, have her involved in scenes, or even get some of her own. After all, the game's synopsis states that the MC has to "seduce as many girls as possible," so it would be a shame to leave her out completely, even if she doesn't become as important as the other characters.

[Belle]

Thanks for your comments, both of you.

Your comments about the main character are interesting. I'm not writing him to be a "loser", per se. I intend for him to be an avatar for the player. That's why he doesn't have a lot of personality and doesn't fire off so many quips. He's meant to be a blank slate. But if you are left with the impression that he's a loser, that concept kind of falls flat, and that means I need to improve on it. I'll give this some more thought.

Also, rest assured that Belle the pixie will have content of her own. In fact, the next version (0.3) should contain new scenes for her. I'm really looking forward to creating them. Among other things, she will be able to utter the first line of dialogue I ever wrote for this game in my design document, the line that sold me on Belle as a character. You won't approach her like you do the other girls (so no Invade Mind sequences or solving secrets for her), but she has her own mechanics going on.

[lostone2]

Oh, I kind see it a little what you are saying, but maybe my wrong impression was due to how you present him at the very start of the game.

Good to know about Belle, as I was under the wrong impression that she was out of limits. I hope that Nov 10 arrives soon enough

[keradi01]

My impression about the MC is mainly based on a lot of the dialogue from and concerning him. People (including himself) mentioning how he often slacks off in his training on top of not being shown to have ever worked or done much other than that, being taunted and teased by nearly every character, being easily flustered and occasionally stuttering, being distrusted by one of the few acquaintances he has, losing touch with his only known childhood friend (and I think the only friend he is even mentioned as ever having) just because of puberty, and his sister having to defend him as a character from others, stuff like that. That one of the main stats he has to build up over the course of the game is "courage" and the fact that he is repeatedly stated to be bad at the one talent he has doesn't help; I understand that at least those aspects make sense mechanically since it is expected for him to improve over time, but it does contribute to that perception.

That said, I cannot say for sure how to resolve the issue. Programming in a variety of potential responses, filling in blanks to make his past match up how we want it and such is very labor intensive and can overly complicate making a lot of the story and gameplay since it would have to account for numerous possibilities; so having set circumstances makes sense, there is no need to over complicate things just to make sure we get the character exactly how we want. The problem (from my perspective) is that the MC has to have certain conditions about himself to be true to fit with what it seems like you want to do with the game. He can't have that good of a relationship or social skills with any of the girls because he is supposed to improve on/overcome that to make progress in the game proper. He can't be that good at his talent at truthseeing because he is supposed to improve on that as well throughout the game (that's so important it was one of the main points of the plot, him having to improve his talent). And since he doesn't make many jokes or come up with quips all that much, it is usually up to other characters to handle that; but because of that he often becomes the butt of those jokes as well.

So I can see how the design choices could end up giving us an unintentional impression about the MC, but subsequently, I don't know how you would alter it without upsetting a lot of the base concepts in a way that fits with your own intentions. So my main advice is what I suggested previously, and just try to make sure the MC does progress as a character (even if he does not have that much characterization) and in how other people see him and treat him to reflect that progression.

[Belle]

My impression about the MC is mainly based on a lot of the dialogue from and concerning him. People (including himself) mentioning how he often slacks off in his training on top of not being shown to have ever worked or done much other than that, being taunted and teased by nearly every character, being easily flustered and occasionally stuttering, being distrusted by one of the few acquaintances he has, losing touch with his only known childhood friend (and I think the only friend he is even mentioned as ever having) just because of puberty, and his sister having to defend him as a character from others, stuff like that. That one of the main stats he has to build up over the course of the game is "courage" and the fact that he is repeatedly stated to be bad at the one talent he has doesn't help; I understand that at least those aspects make sense mechanically since it is expected for him to improve over time, but it does contribute to that perception.

Heh, when you put it like that, I definitely see what you mean. I guess it's hard to avoid that kind of situation with a story like this for the reasons you mention.

The MC does grow as a character very quickly after getting his first spells though. He shows more confidence (even if he still lacks courage) and is capable of turning Belle's taunts back at her from time to time. Growth after that is going to be a little difficult since this is an open game. Unless I write every dialogue in the game in multiple versions depending on the MC's current growth, he'll have to remain somewhat stationary in his social abilities, and that is beyond the scope of what I'm trying to achieve at the moment. I can and will tie some character growth to the abilities you can learn though since that is a simpler way of judging the MC's progression.

Thanks for your feedback. It's really helpful (and interesting) to get one's own perspective turned on its head to see what the game can look like to others.

[lostone2]

Thanks for the clarifications. It's a pleasure to find such insightful reflections .

[UnLimiTeD]

Are the black boxes with red outlines a permanent feature for a tutorial of sorts, or just temporary?

[Belle]

Are the black boxes with red outlines a permanent feature for a tutorial of sorts, or just temporary?

The ones used for tutorial purposes (ie. not the ones that point out limitations in the current versions) are meant to be permanent, but they could probably use some prettying up. Why do you ask?

[Belle]

Version 0.15 is now released for everyone. I'm currently updating the download link in the original post of this thread, but since my posts are still subject to moderation, I don't know how quickly these updates will be up.

Enjoy!

[UnLimiTeD]

Are the black boxes with red outlines a permanent feature for a tutorial of sorts, or just temporary?

Why do you ask?

Well, I just wondered, as there's black boxes introducing things, like "you can now train with the crone", which, to my knowledge, haven't been implemented yet (at least I sure couldn't), and then others that notify me of current limitations, like the money display.
So, I assume the answer is "both".

[Belle]

Well, I just wondered, as there's black boxes introducing things, like "you can now train with the crone", which, to my knowledge, haven't been implemented yet (at least I sure couldn't), and then others that notify me of current limitations, like the money display.
So, I assume the answer is "both".

Heh, yeah. That's probably the best way to summarize it. Some screens will go away in future versions, while others will stay. Some do indeed "lie" right now because they refer to features or scenes that aren't in the game yet, but I decided that striving to make each version of the game stand completely alone would mean too much going back and updating old content whenever I release new content. The missing features won't be missing for long though. With one exception (the work site that Aldred mentions at one point) all locations and features that are mentioned in such boxes should be available from version 0.3 and out.

[UnLimiTeD]

What kind of internal structure do you have? I think it should (theoretically) be doable to have tags or pointers that append stuff like"WIP" or "(not implemented yet)" to boxes by means of a call to not yet created content.
... Then again I just like needlessly complex systems.
Ah well, looking forward to future versions. Good work so far.

[Belle]

What kind of internal structure do you have? I think it should (theoretically) be doable to have tags or pointers that append stuff like"WIP" or "(not implemented yet)" to boxes by means of a call to not yet created content.
... Then again I just like needlessly complex systems.
Ah well, looking forward to future versions. Good work so far.

I'm kind of the opposite way in that I like to simplify systems as much as possible. I'm a professional software developer, and yet the time I'd spend implementing something like what you describe would probably far surpass the time it would take me to do it manually, even with the added risk of me forgetting something.

I have some ideas for how to make it clearer when the end of some kinds of content has been reached though, but since this isn't a linear game, that means most players will run into a whole bunch of these messages in one playthrough.

[UnLimiTeD]

Heh, I've worked on games in the past and I remember spending three hours to put everything in a neat table that I could have just winged in one. ^^
Only pays off in really complex projects.
Might be prudent to just have the buttons, and then either mark those, or have them link to those messages, then it's hard to forget that as you'd have to modify it anyways once you link it to the finished content.
Ah, hell, I won't be telling you how to do your work. Go, you.

[Belle]

Heh, I've worked on games in the past and I remember spending three hours to put everything in a neat table that I could have just winged in one. ^^
Only pays off in really complex projects.
Might be prudent to just have the buttons, and then either mark those, or have them link to those messages, then it's hard to forget that as you'd have to modify it anyways once you link it to the finished content.
Ah, hell, I won't be telling you how to do your work. Go, you.

I'm figuring this out as I go. I've already started to add some messages like this for the upcoming version, and where and when I add them seems like it will vary based on the situation.

[Iwo]

Nice renders. This is most important in adult games. But... I have question. Which fetishes are planned? Impregnation, NTR maybe ?

[Belle]

Nice renders. This is most important in adult games. But... I have question. Which fetishes are planned? Impregnation, NTR maybe ?

It's dangerous speaking about all the things I hope to include too early since things can change during development. I do have a reasonably long list of things I wish to cover, though most of it is pretty "vanilla" compared to the more extreme games out there. Of your two suggestions, NTR (I had to look this up) is not going to happen... well, not exactly in the typical way at least, and what is going to be there will be entirely optional. Impregnation is definitely on the list of fetishes that I wish to include. This being a fantasy game, there are some unusual fetishes that will show up as early as in version 0.3.

Here are a couple of fetishes that are absolutely off the table and will never show up in my game. This list is not exhaustive.
- Scat
- Pee
- Furry
- Bestiality
- Loli (though there are small-breasted adult girls since I try to maintain somewhat realistic proportions)

[Belle]

Version 0.20 is now available to everyone. I have added the links to the first post. Enjoy!

Changelog:

• New scenes for Primrose (featuring more than 60 new images).
• The current day of the week is now shown when time progresses.
• Disabled the loading of old saves to prevent crashes and story progression issues.
• Lifted the time limit completely for now. It will be reintroduced in a later version.
• Backgrounds now use JPG instead of PNG, reducing the size of the game on disk.
• Tweaked clue names in the code to reduce the risk of accidental spoilers in case of crashes.