MC is a Matchmaker - Thoughts?

Heya! So I was thinking MC has a sidequest of being a matchmaker to certain NPCs. I’d like to know how players feel about that?

To further elaborate: being a matchmaker is a small sidequest MC has the freedom to do or ignore. It will change the story, but mostly in a flavor text kind of way? It won’t give them the “bad ending” or punish the players for choosing to ignore it, nor will it suddenly make gameplay easier. More like giving the MC different bonuses and disadvantages for how they deal with the sidequest.

For example: MC has the option for helping get two of their guardians together. If the two guardians get together, MC has the advantage of doing whatever they want more freely because their guardian is too busy with each other. On the flipside, if MC chooses to do nothing or actively got in between their two guardians, MC has the advantage of gaining the favor of one or both guardians to help in whatever they want to do.

I thought that maybe this kind of system would be unfair for some players who really don’t give an f about matchmaking, because they get “advantages” and “disadvantages” regardless. Or if they wanted the other perks matchmaking gets you, but couldn’t reach because they had to play matchmaker.

I thought that maybe the solution is to have the matchmaking quest very optional, with no impact to the gameplay whatsoever.

So uh, which do you think is better as a player? Have a matchmaking sidequest with perks that affect gameplay, or have an optional matchmaking sidequest that only affects the story?

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As someone trying that in their own game:
It’s doable, can be fun, but be prepared to scream at the code more than with regular romances.

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I prefer it to have only story consequences. I’d feel bad to do or avoid doing something like that because it would give perks, since I may want or not want them to be together for story reasons, but really like the perk of doing the opposite, and it would be a frustrating conondrum.

Now, this is obviously about “true NPCs” - not ROs that can end up with someone else if not romanced, cause no matter the perks or not or whatever, I would never play matchmaker in these cases since I actively avoid these situations.

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After years of (mostly bad written) matchmaking in Choice by Pixelberry, I’m sick of that feature

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Sounds fun, but should be optional and skippable without damaging the overall plot. In other word, only if you are mentally tough as nails as an author.

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Oh yes, I actually love the complicated coding part of this journey, so I think can handle that level of stress :laughing:

Yeah, I was really worried about players feeling about perks in this situation :sweat_smile: And yes! This is purely for non-RO NPC’s. That’s just a whole world of headaches on its own!

Ah, sorry to hear that. Yes, I’ll try to make it non-consequential for players who choose to opt out of this sidequest :relaxed:

I’m already planning to make my brain more stressed than it usually does. I think I can take up that challenge :laughing:

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In some of the Pixelberry NPC matchmaking bits, I would rather have liked an option to break them up!

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Good luck! Don’t overwork yourself:)

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If i say it from a reader’s prespective i think it is absolutely a delightful idea , but if i try to see it from your eyes i feel sorry for your brain and sleep . But as a reader i would absolutely love to see it.

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Matchmaking sounds interesting, I always wanted something like that in a choice game. Might as well be RO’s, that could make the game either hilarious or add some drama, so I’d love that😏.
With NPCs it’d be fun, too, of course😇.

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I think it’s fine to give the MC an “advantage” so there’s an incentive other than just wanting it to happen, but the advantage shouldn’t be exclusive. If the MC needs more freedom from their guardians, doing the sidequest is one way, but it shouldn’t be the only one.

It’s mostly bad because (other than it’s a premium choice with no relevance) it’s in your face and they often try to guilt trip you.

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I know I’ve stated before that what I have in mind is purely for NPC’s only, but then I remembered I have an RO who has an existing rocky relationship who uh, can be “influenced” by the MC. :flushed:

I’m still on the fence on if I should implement it with RO’s, because matchmaking ROs is a chaotic subject to tackle. So I’ll just chuck that problem to future me instead. :laughing:

Hah, …I actually haven’t thought of that. :sweat_smile: Yeah, that makes a solid solution, because I really want to give players certain perks and at the same time cheesy soap opera-levels of drama. :laughing:

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I’ve never enjoyed it. I already have a difficult with romances in literature, but I don’t think I could be asked to care enough about npcs to invest anytime in their love lives.

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Yes, I absolutely understand. From the reader’s perspective I’d love that but from the writer’s perspective I know that it has potential to become a nightmare😂.
It’s an important plot point in my story, so there’s no going around it, but if I had a choice whether or not to implement it, I guess, one has to consider the benefits for the readers and the game itself in correlation with the extra amount of work. Depends on the genre, too, how romance or comedy heavy the plot is🤔.

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I love matchmaking quest. I think the trick is to have variety. I love getting them together, but I also love the opposite action of breaking them apart. Bioware has done this with Jade empire, dragon age 1 and 2.

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