Ouroboros 2.0 Discussion

Okay, the TLS update is in good enough shape that I have time to keep some other balls in the air! If you want to have an impact on the ongoing development of Ouroboros, this is the thread!

I don't know if I've been completely clear on my intentions for the game; at least some people seem unclear. The plan is to put out one more free version (1.1.7, which will just be another set of bug fixes). After that, my work will be toward creating a commercial version to hopefully test out all these new stores.

One of the main draws of the commercial version will be art for all scenes. I've continued to work with Santy in the background and in time there will be a thread for you guys to comment on the art. 

However, I'd also like to expand the game in a few ways. While my main goal is to reach audiences that would never have even seen the free version, if anyone who did decides to buy it, I'd like them to feel like they got their money's worth. You supporters will get version 2.0 free, of course. ^-^

Anyway, this post is for me to share my thought process on that expansion and to gather feedback.

1. Definite Additions 

Aside from art for the curent scenes, there will be new scenes that weren't in the original. More on that later. I also plan to include some optional dungeons that I hope will make more use of the strategic systems already in place, plus more character interactions overall.

2. Leveling System? 

Here is the biggest potential change. Hear me out, since I think there are pros and cons to both ways of taking this.

If implemented, enemies would now grant experience, though leveling up would provide only small boosts. When you reset the cycle, you'd go back down to level one. However, the goal would be to subvert the leveling system entirely, just like the game subverts other RPG tropes. Awakening Atreyan, for example, would permanently raise his minimum level on reset, and large amounts of experience would be granted for completing objectives instead of grinding enemies.

The main benefit of this would be to help draw people through the first cycle - I got plenty of feedback from people who quit or almost quit because killing enemies just didn't feel rewarding. The main drawback would be lengthening the amount of time it would take to finish the first cycle (though I'd like to balance it so that no grinding is necessary even on the first cycle).

Though I like the idea of subverting the grind later, I'm honestly not sure if this would be a mistake or not. So feel free to provide feedback!

3. Super Encounters? 

It seems clear that most players ignored all the random enemies after a short time, which is as it should be. But I regret the fact that most of the strategy I'd intended for them was easily smashed through and that the game was rendered nothing but the boss fights.

My idea here was that as you advanced cycles, the random enemies would disappear as they do now, but occasionally new super enemies would replace them. There'd be just one or two per area, and they wouldn't chase you. Fighting them would provide a challenge other than the optional bosses and would add small permanent benefits of some kind.

On the other hand, this one could be a lot of work and it might be better to focus on normal enemy difficulty just in the optional dungeons.

4. New Scene Choices 

I'd always intended to expand the number of sex scenes for version 2.0, but I'm reconsidering my exact plans. Originally I'd planned to focus on all possible threesome variations, which would be unlocked in a variety of ways. Now I'm wondering if it wouldn't be more fun to focus on the possibilities of the characters fucking around with the cycle.

The main problem there is that there's no reason the characters couldn't choose to do whatever they wanted pretty much right after awakening. Appropriately spacing out those scenes would be a major consideration there.

Anyway, that's enough for now. Keep an eye on this post and the comments for ongoing discussion!