This is looking really nice so far, I enjoy games like this. But, I also noticed that choosing an attraction to both genders lowers the sobriety stat down 5% more than just to one. Why is that?
I understand that sexuality expressed in Ancient Rome emphasized social status and encouraged the man of the upper class to be in a dominant role. But, it wasn’t uncommon for a man to have a wife and at the same time to engage himself with a slave, prostitute, or other man of lower class.
And not much is known for women being with other women while with a man, so there’s not much to suggest it would be seen as historically debaucherous and it’s open to historical interpretation.
I’m curious as to why bisexuality would be seen as more debaucherous than heterosexuality or homosexulity?
By, the way keep up the good work, I really enjoy this.
I’m really enjoying this so far. Can’t wait to read more! I’m really loving the tutor, poet, and concubine paths.
Just wondering, if you sleep with your slave, will that affect any future romances or your relationship with the slave? Or is it treated like a one time thing?
@Ashlyn1634: Hi there. I knew that would be a question when I renamed the way the stat is displayed. Then I lived with the pair of names for so long I stopped noticing it.
The actual variable is called Venus in the programming, and it’s a reflection of how open the character is to expressions of love and sexuality. Debauchery as a word is so often associated with Rome and it’s amusing to pair it as “debauchery/sobriety,” but that does negative connotations. It’s more useful in the game to have either a high Venus stat or an unwavering dedication to sobriety (not really expressed in that era by celibacy alone, but…). There’s a better way to name it, I’m sure.
Yeah, you’re right, there’s not nearly as much to be found of discussions of women’s sexuality in the literature when not in relation to a male. I made the student’s father pretty dismissive of a relationship between a female teacher and his daughter in a sort of “how could this be anything if there isn’t a man involved?” way.
To everybody: Thank you for the feedback! The weekend is when I can work on this the most because of the usual RL stuff. If I take down any of the stop signs blocking off branches during the week, I’ll post to let folks know. I’m going to try to add in a couple of the missing scenes to the poet path this afternoon, though.
@attolia: Whether your slave is a one-time thing, an ongoing fling, or an important relationship is up to you, but it’s only mentioned when you’re about to start another romance. They do affect each other, on the basis of parameters like, “would this cause a stir in this place and time?” (like when @Ashlyn1634 mentions that it wouldn’t be considered odd for a man to have a wife, slave, concubine, and various other fooling around, as long as he maintained his manly-man appearance) or “is this person overly possessive?”
The relationship with the slave affects some unseen stats and how well everyone gets along, how much gossipy info s/he brings you, whether s/he follows you into danger, how you appear to other people. I’m thinking these all need a little refinement, so that it makes more of a noticeable difference during play.
@Ashlyn1634: (I can’t edit the first reply–typos, dagnabbit.) I wanted also to say that there’s a “practice makes perfect” component in the Venus stat. It’s not just openness, but also practical knowledge.
I was calling the stat “Venus/Vesta” at one point, but that seemed weird for male characters. Maybe it isn’t, though?
Excellent, I’ve wanted a CoG like this for a long, long time. I enjoyed the poet path most, I think, as it feels closest to the life of an ordinary person that you’re going for. Valerianus is also a pretty endearing character. The potential love story between the player and Metella Pia is very nice, too, especially its use of verse.
I’m eager to play more, especially the options to meet the emperor alongside Licina or join in the Aquillian-Metellan conspiracy to assassinate him. Fun times! =D
@dannyjohnr: It’s a very high-class establishment that aims to provide its workers with a fulfilling career
@dreamshell: I hope I can apply what works in one part of the story to other parts. I’m having a great time writing Valerianus and his unfiltered approach to everything.
I fixed some typos and some embarrassing “remember to write something here later” notes, and added a too-long chunk of text to the first party in the Poet branch (I’ll work on that). And I changed the Debauchery/Sobriety stat pair to Venus/Vesta. I like the way “Debauchery/Sobriety” sounds, but I don’t want it to be taken as a value judgement.
Also, there are more temples. In case you feel a sudden urge to sacrifice an ox or something.
I want more. The only way to make this better would be to put more scenes in each profession. Though I know and understand that I am giving up length for more replayability.
When my character(MC) is with Flora and MC ends the relationship to save her reputation, flora wants to get back together and one of the options it “I’m the secret that’s endangering his reputation. I’m leaving” It should be her,not him,
This is somewhat breathtaking, please continue the storyline. I rather enjoyed the main character going from low farm born, to a slave seller, and then to protect the emperor for gold (or so I am told in the storyline…who knows, except you mr. author!)
Hi, @Victoriya. There’s a subplot planned for the slave dealer involving the “bedwarmer” your boss offers you (whether or not you accept his offer). I don’t think that’ll be ready for view for a couple of weeks–I want to get the research right, or at least plausible If you stick with Flora and she’s happy with your relationship, there will be another couple of scenes before everything comes to a boil. If I can make the game both replayable and little longer for each profession I’ll be happy.
I’ll fix that pronoun and look around for any others!
@Shell_San: wow, thanks, I’ll try to keep it exciting. Depending on who’s offering you the gold, you may want to watch your back for any daggers sticking out of it.
I absolutely love the poet path! Will there be any proper romance with Valerianus? I chose the option to kiss him after the rooftop fight scene, only to have him say that we should respect Hedylus and the MC’s slave, but I chose not to have any romantic relationship with Pavo/Heron prior to this?
@attolia: The scruffy poet (if you’re his type), Licina/Licinus (who you may not want–s/he’s a little sleazy). But the poet path doesn’t have a clear romance option and has all the focus on the mentor relationship. I’ll put that on the to-do list.
@heyyoungblood: Were you playing as male or female? It makes a difference in his reaction/assumptions about you and your servant. And he gets surly if you suggest killing the henchman, or if he thinks you’re a little snobbish. I can work on that–proper romance, more options for both genders, clearer idea why he’s making assumptions. Between your comment and @attolia’s I can feel ideas swarming around in my head for the romance aspect. Definitely will work on this.
@Samuel_H_Young: I’m really happy to hear all these nice comments. I’ll have to work twice as hard to keep the writing strong as I finish the rest of the game!
prostitute: 4 scenes - sketched out but they need a rethink
tutor: 1 scene
slave dealer: a subplot I’d like to add, because this path isn’t as long as the others
scribe/scholar: currently very skeletal and has some glitches
palace: 3 different arcs, depending on how the rest of the game was played, which I’ve nicknamed “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” “Ars Longa, Vita Brevis,” and “I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m Here to Rescue You.” A lot of the next month is going to be spent making these challenging/fun/exciting/work.
In terms of words, 90K is written of what I guesstimate will end up being 120K by the time I can call it a beta version, judging by how long the finished parts are.
After that, I’ll be looking at:
alternative romance plot in the poet path
more than one way to get to a marriage
a “glory through athletic prowess” path
The weekend is when I can work on this the most because of the usual RL stuff. If I take down any of the stop signs blocking off branches during the week, I’ll post to let folks know. I’m going to try to add in a couple of the missing scenes to the poet path this afternoon, though.