A sequence of four pie images sounds excellent. But would it be nuclear powered pie?
Iâm not 100% sure what you mean by subimage⊠but, if you do have different versions of the child on the cover, I think also having them different ages like you seem to be suggesting with the single look could also work.
They will indeed be different ages.
Updated! Also, @Isa is officially doing the cover art for The Parenting Simulator. A huge thank you to everyone who expressed interest, both here and on other sites. I am being 100% serious when I say I would gladly work with any of you, and may contact you later about other irons I will have in the fire after this is done. But I really appreciated Isaâs talent, determination, creativity and everything she brings to the Morganization.
Five regular chapters remain, followed by graduation and likely a separate epilogue (tentatively titled Moving On). Number of words? Unknown. I need to get these chapters shorter or itâll be a long time until I finish
The fact that âPieâ is so highly voted⊠this is why we canât have nice things lol
You could argue that since I am trying to gather actual data I should not include it in these polls. However, this is still data of a sort; it tells me the people who are more committed to a joke answer than making their voice heard on the matter at hand.
And if anyone thinks that is an insult, keep in mind which choice I selected.
@hustlertwo
Bug in year 13.
The badsis variable starts at 0, but the requirements for Lana to visit again is having the badsis variable at -1, which is only avaible in the âSure. You go in and crash on the couch for a bit. Iâll give this little nugget my full attention.â Choice in year 5.
The choice:
âWhy donât we unpack while you get $!{nname} settled?â Needs *set badsis-1
.
In year 13.
Jennifer alternately referred to Lucy as âa little fungusâ and ["]Captain Twerpâ
Change the bracketed quote to a single quote.
Apparently store name is doing a casting call for a commercial,
I think the italised text is supposed to be: Groce R Ease
"I dunno, Dad. Itâs like, I want to get it, but I donâ want to get it.
Donât
Not exactly sure what is or isnât allowed, but here are some considerations for Year 14:
- Art Sale:
Summary
After years of art lessons, turns out your kid is good. Like, really good. No, I mean like REALLY good. So good, in fact, that the teacher feels they can have their stuff in a competition. But maybe its too early for that. How do they feel about the pressure of having it really scrutinized? After all, while this isnât a nationwide competition, its still got a lot of other very good kids also practicing. Oh, and did I mention thereâs prize money involved?
- New Phone:
Summary
You canât believe it. Or rather, âtheyâ canât believe it. The new !phone Y has come out and its got the sleekest design with the coolest and trendiest bells and whistles. Honestly, to you it may or may not be just another phone, but to your kid its a matter of life or death. Depending on the school they are going to, this phone will either skyrocket them to the cool kidâs table (Public School), be an interesting distraction (Private School), or the baseline requirement against being seen as a âcharity caseâ (Rich School). Upon looking at the price tag, its no wonder everyone is into it as it probably cost BOTH arms and a leg⊠and probably a kidney as well. Still, maybe theyâve been good enough to deserve it or have been responsible enough to go half and half with you on it. Hell, depending on how theyâve been raised, they may be willing to work extra hard so that their allowance covers the whole thing! All you know is that they want it⊠and they want it bad.
- Start a Business:
Summary
You almost canât believe it. Only a few years ago they were too young to even SPELL business and now they are up and running one. Well, kind of. Sure it isnât technically a brick and mortar one and canât be seen as much more than a glorified âlemonade standâ but, due to the internet and the growth of online stores, your kid has decided to try out the world of entrepreneurship. However, like all businesses, turns out even e-stores require capital. Did they muscle up all the funds on their own or did you help out at all? On one hand, its great for them to have done it on their own but you canât reasonably expect them to have done enough to keep it going with so little do you? Still, how responsible are they? Its one thing to start a business. Its quite another to see it through. And who knows? They may just walk away with a bit more than you did with your lemonade standâŠ
- Get into a fight:
Summary
This⊠was not what you wanted to hear today. Turns out your kid was involved in a pretty gnarly fight with one of the kids at the school. Now, who it was, who started it, or how it happened, you have no idea yet. Was it that bully that was giving them a hard time earlier? What about their old friend from earlier? Youâre not sure. All you know is that the two of you are going to have a talk. It also begs the question, if they werenât the instigator, whoâs to say this wonât happen again? Maybe its worth putting them in a new school or at the very least have them look at some self defense classes. Still, money is kind of tight. How exactly are you going to deal with this problem?
- Learning a new Language:
Summary
Well, âHalloâ to you too! Apparently the school is offering classes to start learning a new language and they donât know what to choose. Are they going to look into Spanish, German, Chinese, or French? While ones like Chinese or French are⊠wordy⊠to say the least, they are spoken in the upper echelons of business and what many colleges will look a bit more favorably on in terms of languages. That said, Spanish and German are much easier languages and wonât stress them out nearly as much. All you know is this kid is looking at you for all the answers and really needs your help. Do you convince him of one or the other, or do you let them make the decision on their own?
- Lost Pet:
Summary
Oh no! Say it ainât so! Looks like the pet managed to escape and have gotten lost. Your child is very upset, and rightly so. What are you going to do? Consider where you live and how far away others are from you. Are you in the city where itâs infinitely more dangerous in terms of speeding cars and reckless drivers but many more people to help search for them, or are you in the subarbs that may have less drivers, but also less (though maybe better) people to help. Or are you all the way out into the country, where thereâs a lot less humans to either help or hurt your pet but more woods and places for them to get lost? Its a tough situation no matter what your living conditions are. Do you go full stop and help put out flyers and knock on doors? Do you call out to animal control that your pet is lost and to be on the lookout? Or do you wipe your hands clean of this and just get a new pet and hope they donât notice the difference? Thereâs also the option of hammering home the fact that this was your kidâs mistake and that they need to clean it up on their own. Whatâs it gonna be, Papa/Mama?
- Mini Tournament:
Summary
And you were worried that having your kid spend all that time on video games could turn out bad! Looks like your little tykeâs done pret-ty well for themselves and have even been invited to play in a local tournament. While the prize money isnât millions, it certainly is in the thousands. Five thousand, to be exact. But is this the right message you want to send to them? Sure âsomeâ people do well playing video games for a living but in reality those people are few and far between. You giving them an unrealistic expectation that they can be a lazy bum and screw around all the time may not be great later on when it comes to schooling or college. Still, they âareâ pretty good, and its not âimpossibleâ⊠plus five grand IS five grand.
- Child gets an RO:
Summary
Love is in the air! Well, as much as a 14 year old can properly comprehend âloveâ. All you know is that Freshman Homecoming is soon arriving and your kid seems to have set their sights on someone. Only problem is, theyâve never had a date before! Now, here they are, all flustered and upset, coming to you for advice on how to talk to their crush. Do you give them a few pointers? And if so, what kind? Maybe you press how you were raised on them (boys ask girls out) or perhaps break with old traditions for the sake of this new 21st Century way of doing things. Whatâs more, theyâve just told you they have a crush and someone they want to take to a dance. While you are certain it will be supervised⊠do you also give them⊠âTHE TALKâ?
- Moving to a new school:
Summary
Oh boy⊠this wasnât something you wanted to deal with. Maybe it was because you guys decided to move. Maybe the school was just getting to expensive/dangerous. All that really matters is that you had to make a change. You havenât talked with your kid yet about the move but unfortunately it is going to happen. How do you break the news to them? Do you try and get them in a good mood by going for ice cream and a movie, or do you just drop the axe fast and clean? Considering all the friends and relationships theyâve established though, do they HAVE to move to another school? Surely it couldnât be THAT expensive/dangerous, could it?
- Child Actor:
Summary
Turns out your kidâs home video was a lot better than you expected. Despite it being a few years ago, turns out a talent scout got a hold of it and absolutely loved it. Theyâve already given you an email and a call telling you the kid has potential and is willing to give them a chance audition at the local acting studio. This might be big news! While there is no money for winning, it does open up the chance for them to get placed in commercials and movies in the area. Hell, if they do well enough, they may just get an agent and get placed in something that IS amazing. Still, thatâs only if they like acting. When was the last time they actually performed or did any type of stage work? Do they even want to? And if they did, that doesnât mean theyâd win. Decisions, DecisionsâŠ
Again, just keep in mind that these are without any knowledge of what you are going for later in the game as well as what isnât allowed. Iâve tried to keep them all âfamily friendlyâ so hopefully they give you something to consider one way or another.
To be fair, I feel that this was the infinitely bigger issue with NPT.
Idea wise, maybe in the future, how the child reacts to parent potentially going on a date, how that could influence the child, and maybe have a partner being a reoccurring character, to a limited degree, with how they interact with the child. Could potentially introduce the birds-and-bees talk with the child if they go âmom youâre dating another lady, but everyone else in my class has moms-and-dadsâ, so on.
And that could maybe tie in if the child is a member of the lgbtq+ later on?
Also, family road trip! Arguing over music choices and what to eat. XD
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Have your child enroll in writing courses if youâre not content with just reading books and other literature. If they are really good at it, you can even have them publish a story (age notwithstanding).
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You are watching your child compete in a game against their schoolâs fierce rival, and things end up getting a little heated, both on and off the field.
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âWhere did you learn that word!?â
yâknowâŠone thing I felt let down inâŠwas choosing in the sport area ? personally , while sports like hokeyâŠsoccerâŠare all fun and such , I would put my kid (if I had one) in a sport that can actually serve them more in the dark world we live in :Self defense classâŠkick boxingâŠkaratĂ©âŠJudoâŠand such .
I just discovered this game and I am in LOVE with it!
I liked how year 13 directly calls back to other years and the way you implemented the scenes. Thereâs definitely a feeling of nostalgia and childhood with the second visit of your sister and the spring cleaning scenes, and I liked how no matter what the player will see one of them â especially since it seems like the upcoming teenage years will have the kid rebelling more from that familial love and childhood interests. I didnât get the commercial scene in this playthrough, but I feel like Iâd still try to aim for the two scenes I saw even in the next playthrough, too, because of how well it fits into the story overall.
Typos
"Probably a good idea. Itâs just too much for ${fbhim}.
Needs a quotation at the end.
Youâre glad you didnât insist on ${ahim} parting with them,
This is how year 13 ended when I chose the storage option. I think itâs because choosing to store sets stuffgo to 0, but the rest of the line is either behind an *if (stuffgo = 2) or *if (stuffgo >2).
Looking forward to year 14!
Also, I saw you added the Motherâs Day scene! I didnât know where itâd appear, so the clay turtle was a nice surprise. Although this was your chance to finally add a pie into the story by having the kid try to make one for the parent!
You did an amazing job with the update, I relate to the cousin scene so much⊠I have a cousin whoâs a few years younger than me, and I pretty much did not want hang out with her ever because I found her annoying and clingy as a child⊠But as we grew older she became one of my bestest friends So again awesome job, I canât wait for year 14
This game deserves a better response from me then I just love it;
This game is by far one of the most intuitive and thought provoking games I have ever played. The choices you make, at first have very little consequence, but as your child grows up, you soon regret the mistakes you made.
Now, I am British and there is a LOT of American culture in this I donât understand like summer school/camps, but that is a very small problem in a game that has honestly captivated my soul.
It would be really cool if you could give the parent more choices, as opposed to the choices you make based on your child. Example, can your choices effect your work standing (or even the ambiguous âjobâ that is never explained) or even dating life.
I could go on. But honestly? Just thank you. Thank you for a game I could honestly replay as a demo over and over again.
@hustlertwo
Do you think that more years could have three events, like year 4? I really liked the clay turtle event, along with the year 13 events.
If the player doesnât have a niece/nephew, the only event in year 13 is the housecleaning. I get that 13 is a callback to the other years, but it is a very short chapter if you donât have a niece/nephew. Maybe a pet-related event (or a chance to get a pet for those that didnât in year 9)?
Also, typo found:
Change âanâ to âandâ.
Play works in that context.
Also, @hustlertwo,
I didnât know my son dad Billie Dee Wiliams!!! I literally laughed out loud when i saw that! This game gets better all the time! Lmao
@hustlertwo
In year 13, in the letting go scene.
Dilly Dillo I donât think youâve seen since you started school; that armadillo was a toy from when you were sick as a baby.
The armadillo is only available in the baby steps scene.
The bolded text should be changed to:
that armadillo was a toy you got when you started walking.
That is an excellent list! Some of those are definitely already on there, a couple might be good for me to consider, and one of them (child actor) was already added with year 13. A few are less feasible though, like the art show. With so many activities available (and likely a new one coming in; martial arts is getting a lot of love and may either be added or potentially even replace gymnastics), as well as the option to do none at all, a whole scene for one will never be feasible.
@Quincy has excellent taste! Seriously, I am glad you are here, and had no idea summer camps were not a universal thing. Very interesting. And that is a possibility regarding the job; I could add a hidden variable to track choices made like working overtime or taking time off to do projects and such, and have these impact job earnings in later years by you either getting a promotion and raise or being passed over. Not worth a whole scene, but maybe a year-ender for year 15 or something.
Dang, hit post too soon. @Snowflower It is only a very short chapter if you both donât have a niece/nephew and didnât have the kid star in the play. And while that does leave it short, itâs already colossal in word total (the longest yet) so I canât really put much more in there. Glad everyone liked the clay turtle, that was a great suggestion and I enjoyed doing it.
@ChristandJackel Hey, just wait until your kid takes a DNA test and starts getting a bite of the old manâs Colt .45 residualsâŠ
I like random references, itâs a weakness. See also the Commando bit during swim lessons and Batman Begins in the end of the play. Or the extended Beastie Boys bit in Nuclear Powered Toaster, which was inspired by the most hilariously random reference in history, when Limp Bizkit popped up in the middle of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Good catches as always, guys! Especially the armadillo. I totally forgot it wasnât a sickness thing.