REQUEST Flirt pack, anyone?

Holy crap this is amazing. I understand nothing about coding, but now I'm fascinated at the mechanics behind it o:
I think at some point in a class many, many moons ago I did some little 'hello world' java bit, but that doesn't count.

Eeee, I'm so excited to see this mod in action

 

Yeah, I figured that's about right. So they're not affecting relationships right now? That's too bad :/

 

I really must say again, thank you for this.

 

That's great work here! As I said, if the programmatic way doesn't work out, you can still use the gift system and regenerate the item afterward. Being able to launch a script now can do just that!

As for the conditions, In the end how will you make them available to the writer since the csv option won't work?

@darkuslord98 : With the possibility of using scripts in between dialogs, that could be done. My issue though is that it would change the pace in which the romance are meant to happen, you could miss on events that would happen. The mod is meant to add lovetalk and funtalk in the less disrupting way possible.
Still you will be able to mod your own dialogues and scripts into it in the future if all goes well so you will be able to make it your way in the end

 

I will just write compiler function for my own file format. It will analyse content of the file line after line and add them to DialogBase class.
The conditions will start with Conditions key word for example.
Default strings for dialogues will start with ";
It will detect the content the type of the string by some keywords.
It is far easier than writing pascal compiler.
So, for example:
Show_Something.txt
Fall Summer Relations3
"Huh? What is that?"
playsound QuestionMark/Emote QuestionMark
Answers Show_Something3
Fall Summer Relations10
"Huh? What is that? I am so excited!"
playsound QuestionMark/Emote QuestionMark
Answers Show_Something10

So, If your relations is 10 it will give you the second set of questions, If it is less then it will give you first set of questions. If no requirements has been met this answer will not be shown at all.
This is how I imagine it should work.

 

Hoo, trying to wrap my head around the structure the conversations and requests would take since I want it to flow easily without you having to Frankenstein my text together on your own... Can I get a simple structure to follow for writing a couple?

Otherwise, I'm thinking of cribbing some entries from the Baldur's Gate flirtpacks, but I'm not sure if I should go for *actions that the character does* or (Stage descriptions of the character's outward emotions.) "And text with it." Or eschew that completely if it doesn't work with the feel of the game at large!

Such as, you'd come up to Abigail like so, and have it go like:

Command: "Hey Abby, can I ask you something?"
Reply: (She turns to you, smiling.) "Yeah, %name%?"

Command: "You don't really eat gems, do you?"
Reply: (Laughing, she steps closer, into your space. She looks up at you, her eyes sparkling.) "Do you really want to know?"

Command: "Well... no."
Reply: (She leans forward, and kisses your check, her soft lips lingering against your skin.) "A girl's gotta keep some secrets, right?" (She laughs again, more softly this time. There's something in that smile that's a bit... mysterious.)
OR Command: "If we're this serious about each other, don't I deserve to know if there's something... beneath the surface?"
Reply: (Her smile melts away, but her eyes are still shining. The serious look that replaces it tells you that you may have gone too far.) "Trust me, %name%, there might be some things you don't want to know."

End Dialogue​

That's what I'm thinking for structure and tone so far. Thoughts? Might not be a final event either way, just for a preview.

 

I think it depends on how much you want the structure to match the original dialogues.

If we're trying to match the original texts, I don't think the part in brackets should be added. At best we're switching portraits (the sad one, the conflicted one, etc).
But I personally like the descriptive style of writing, so......it's not that I dislike this.

Of course, this is just me. Others might see it differently.

 

Like, my example would use Emily:

Command : "So you can feel energies?" (note: based on her gift reactions-- which together with her affinity towards gems, I see it as Emily knowing bits of Reiki)
Emily (smiling) : "Yes! From people, plants, animals, fruits... they have this subtle waves I just feel."

Option A : Wow. That's...something.

Emily (normal face) : "I know, it's not easy to believe."
Emily (sad face) : "Of course, some people thinks it's stupid. Shane in particular never really thinks much of it."
Option : "...Do you think it's stupid too, %name%?"
1) Of course not, I believe in you!
2) I've never felt energy from things before, but it doesn't sound stupid.
3) It sounds strange, but you do you.
4) Yeah, it does sound kind of silly.​

Option B : So, can you read my energy?

Emily (smiling) : "Your energy seem... (insert thing here; I don't know whether if this can be modified depending on our stats)"
Emily (normal face) "I hope it helps you."​

Option C : "What about Haley? Can she do it too?"

Emily (normal face) : "I don't know. She seems to think it's strange."
Emily (happy face) : "But she does like to go out and take pictures. Maybe she can, and doesn't know it yet?"
​

...Something like this.

 

I belive we will be able to add emotions and facedirections using special commands. Not sure about moving however. I will look how pause between actions is implented in the game. Maybe make stepping closer by increasing the size of the portrait? Not sure about that.
Oh, sounds should work too.
Anyway I started to draw diagrams when I don't have access to C#. So the mod will work something like this:

 

I don't like the idea of increasing the size of the portrait very much. As for the action's description, I don't mind the descriptions. We are typically in a more emotional and involved narrative than the game usual tone. So it doesn't strike me as odd.
I think it's really the sensibility of the writer that would make the actions quote relevant or not.
What I mean to say is that I'm not sure we should force a unified format on how to write romance. As an example, the flirt pack from bg broke a lot of writing conventions some other did too, and while the experience was not seemless, it felt a bit more special, a break from the usual pace of the game...

Moving the sprite or even adding an alternate sprite sheet and portrait could also convey more feelings but it would get more technical and complicated so at least for the first few releases we should keep that out and stabilize what is already planned.
Once we're sure the base is solid, and we hammered down bugs and inconvenience, we could start adding more features to make the framework grow.

Well that's just my take on those issues

 

Just gonna jump in and say that I think it would be a good thing to keep with style of writing that the game already has for its dialogue, because while the descriptive writing in the example is beautiful, part of the charm of interacting with the characters in Stardew Valley is that it's like a small-talk, day-to-day conversation, rather than like reading fiction. Conveying reactions is sort of what the portraits are for, and I think including too much descriptive writing in the dialogue box would make it read more like a visual novel or a fanfic than a conversation.

 

Both azraal and Prinnia have expressed both arguments I'm having with myself!

On the one hand, the flirtpacks and romance mods for Baldur's Gate break away from the normal feeling of the game's style, tone, and overall feeling. They're something special; you share moments with characters that are uncommon, a little bit different from the normal everyday "how are you fine thank you" banter you get. The special emotive style of describing exactly how a character is moving and expressing themself is a unique break away, shows you're paying closer attention to them, and feels a little more special... (There were a couple of moments when I was romancing Ajantis that I actually felt something.)

On the other, I wouldn't want to make it so incredibly overt as to be a jarring contrast from the nomal conversations that are in vanilla. The normal dialogue boxes tend to keep it light, and let the tone of their words, the portrait, and the context say more.

So I'd want to make it something deeper than what's in vanilla without going all out and making it like something different. But text is easy to do, and I may end up making two separate versions for people who like it either way, if it ends up being the same amount of work for the person compiling it

 

I agree. I will try to make a possibility to make dialogues with Api to work like mini events. Also since dialogues in original game are not random but depends on the day of the week you will be able to do the same thing.
Anyway I don't see big problem here. If this mod will be an Api for dialogues you will be able to download mods that don't break immersion. I can also add one day one flirt option?
Also file system is finally ready. Didn't have time to work with conditions but they are read into DialogueElement class. So there are some more work until the mod is ready. Here is a working but wip example of base.txt file from Abigail folder. Don't know if I will change syntax of the file some more times.

Code:

How had you Cats?
Conditions/Winter
"I am ok, thank yo2u."
"I am ok, thank yo1uWinter."
"I am ok, thank yo3u."
"I am ok, thank yo5ufff."
Folder/Hopes
Conditions/Summer
"I am ok, thank yo2ufff."
"I am ok, thank yo1uSummer."
"I am ok, thank yo3u."
"I am ok, thank yo5u."
Conditions/Fall
"I am ok, thank yo2u."
"I am ok, thank yo1uFall."
"I am ok, thank yo3u."
"I am ok, thank yo5u."

 

Two style seems good (I probably will try too)

 

This is awesome stuff well done

 

I don't condemn the idea of having a dialog consistent with the game but as said zyymurgy it felt really special and I had this in mind when I requested this mod. Emotions are conveyed by the portraits really well, but there is a lack of closeness with the vanilla dialogues. An npc will never so much as touch another except if implied or heard in another conversation. It kind of lacks closeness. It's a stapple of jrpg games though. A kind of glass wall were people interact and react each other at a distance.
In chrono trigger for example the rule of the "glass wall" was broken once for chrono's death part: there was a hug! And it was conveyed only through a special sprite. Now the game was great, there is no questions. It felt as the only moment when there was a real "them" . Agreed they are kids, so there was not to be a real romance but for the game, the sentiment was there but that was all. For a flirting couple graviting around each other showing affection verbally or implied "off camera" it feels kind of lacking though. I don't mean sex by that, but all the little things you do with your girl/boyfriend to simply show your affection to each other.
I do think the fact that it evolved in a framework is even better. As said by keiten, anyone could write mods for it or even mix them together (May feel strange but hey modding, right?).
what really meant to say in my last post, is that anyone that mod dialogues should have the right to write the way he wants: no real guideline.
And for the mods, it would be great to add a quick and non spoilery description.

Descriptive narrative or not (this one might be important to write looking back at the previous posts)
Age rating for the content (might be only relevant for mod site such as the nexus, this one): something like all public, teens etc...
Type of relationship (abusive, normal, submissive, dominant, humorous, dramatic. Any way you can hint the content without ruining the surprises)

This would allow for the user to customize his experience without surprise.

Keyten, this is shaping to be a great framework, I like it!

 

I don't understand what this means in the slightest but I assume it's a good thing!

This is the ideal setup, and I am more than willing to write sets of dialogue based on community requests.

That said, I am most likely to favor my own interests first, which run along the lines of extremely descriptive posts that have a more personal, intimate (non-sexual ) feeling to them. I want to write what I'd like to see in game, but I'm going to try to alternate between releasing writing for a Descriptive set and a Vanilla-Alike set.

I'm likely going to keep my WIP stuff on Google Docs, but I'm also going to post here for public review and comment if that's fine by everyone

I know EXACTLY what you mean by a glass wall, and that's what I'd aim to break with (Emotive style entries) that include actions and description of visual and physical cues. Dialogue can really and truly only convey so much! Watching the characters interact in Chrono Trigger was indeed a large part of the fun, and seeing the slight innocent hints of romance in the game make it feel all the more special. Likewise, in the Baldur's Gate Flirtpack that inspired this mod's request, your characters are limited to dialogue-boxes only in their interactions, and thus you *need* an emotive banterpack to get much closer to them, but the options the flirt mods introduce include character specific romantic scenes where you slowly, gradually get to know each other (like heart events but more frequent) and then get into a relationship that feels real, where you can walk up and pick 9 different options to really and truly get closer and get to know your chosen partner in a way the base game would never allow.

So, that is why I'm going to focus on an emotive style first, but I have the feeling it can easily be trimmed of its emotive parts and still work out!

As for the rating system, I love it. Provides a concise guideline for what to expect within the writings! I'll have to use it when I pack things together ;3

Now for the real fun part: what I consider to be my first testing-grade release of writing that I hope Keyten can fit together for me, because I have no idea how to code or how its structure works!

I've tried to indicate the branching trees in this dialogue packet by a system of numbers and ">" signs, but if it doesn't make sense I'll put it in Google Docs and try to fix it since I made it in notepad++

GLOBAL BANTER
KEY: "Other person's dialogue" is in quotes
Your dialogue has no quotes
(PORTRAIT DIRECTIONS) are in caps, parentheses.
(Descriptive interludes) are in normal text, parentheses.
$NAME is your farmer's name.

Everything with the number 1 opens a new dialogue tree.
Each higher number in succession indicates a single branch.
Each new lower number in succession indicates a new branch.

So one COMPLETE dialogue branch goes from 1, 2, 3, 4 etc in order.
A branch does not go out of order, like 1, 4, 3, 3, etc, That is wrong.

__________

"Hey, $NAME!" (OPEN DIALOGUE)
1>Hey there. See anything cool around town?

2>>"Well, I did see some fish in the river..."
2>>"I think one of your crab pots looked ready!"
2>>"Out in the woods, I found some wildflowers."
(2'S ARE OPTIONAL RANDOM RESPONSES, IF NOT POSSIBLE PICK AT RANDOM YOURSELF TO INCLUDE)

3>>> (ALL 2's) Awesome! I'll have to run out there and check on things.
4>>>>"You look busy. Do you want any help?"
5>>>>>I could use some company, sure!
6>>>>>>> (GLOBAL, SMILING)(The two of you head down the path together, chatting and laughing along the way. It's a bit of a long walk, but with company the time passes more quickly, and you share a smile before parting ways at your destination.) (END DIALOGUE)

5>>>>>Nah, maybe next time. (END DIALOGUE)

2>>"Someone returned a library book I wanted to borrow."
3>>>Is it any good?
4>>>> (GLOBAL, SMILING) "Yeah, it's been interesting so far. It's a fantasy novel, where the heroes are going against a necromancer."

4>>>>> (PENNY, SMILING) "I'm really enjoying it! It's a mystery-action thriller where the killer is an escaped prisoner. But then, in the middle of the book, he-- (PENNY, SURPRISED) Oh, I almost spoiled it! (PENNY, SMILING) You should borrow it next. I'll let you know when I'm finished with it!"
(IF POSSIBLE TO DO CHARACTER SPECIFIC REPLIES)

5>>>>Oh, cool! I don't want to interrupt that, have fun. (END DIALOGUE)

1>Heya. Having a good day?
2>>"Oh, sure. I'm just getting some chores done, and about to relax."
3>>>You look busy. Do you want any help?
4>>>>"I could use the company, but only if you want to."
5>>>>>(With two people, the task goes much quicker. You chat the whole time, and get to know each other a little better.)


1>Hey, do you want to hang out?
2>>"I'd love to! Let's head back to my place."
3>>>(The two of you head back, and you follow inside into a tidy bedroom. Sitting on the bed, you look around with interest. Your eyes return as the door closes.)
4>>>>"So, what do you want to do?"
5>>>>>I figured we could play a game or something...
6>>>>>>>"How about a game of cards?"
6>>>>>>>"I have some good boardgames."
6>>>>>>>"Oh, we can play on the Super Funtendo!"
(ALL 6'S INTENDED TO BE BASED ON CHARACTER SELECTED, IF NOT PICK ONE RANDOMLY YOURSELF)

7>>>>>>> (ALL CHOICES) (You spend some time engaged in a racous game together. Your voices raise as you get more excited, laughing and shouting at each other, caught up in the throes of the game. By the end of it, you feel a little bit sore from smiling so much, and you're glad you stopped by.)


5>>>>>Well, now that we're alone...
6>>>>>>>(HAS BOUQUET) "Oh, you. Come here..."
7>>>>>>>> (SINGLE, BLUSHING) (The two of you sit down together on the bed. The room is full of an intimately personal scent, the faint lingering smell of sleep-sweat and the stronger notes of pleasant perfumes. The feel of warm skin next to yours, against yours, is like wonderful fire burning through you. You can feel your heart racing, a heat in your face.)
8>>>>>>>>> (UNDER 10 HEARTS) "I... I l-... I'm glad you came, $NAME." (END DIALOGUE)
8>>>>>>>>> (10 HEARTS) "I love you, $NAME. Never leave me..."

6>>>>>>>(NO BOUQUET) "Oh ho, something secret you want to tell me?"
7>>>>>>>> I saw Marnie and Mayor Lewis the other day, in the woods...
8>>>>>>>>> "No way! I knew it! Oh, they're so cute together..." (END DIALOGUE)
(IF POSSIBLE TO HAVE CONDITIONAL REPLIES, IF NOT USE NO BOUQUET)

1>Hihi! Just passing through. (END DIALOGUE)​

What do you think?!

 

Aww~...! This is exactly the kind of cute (and clean) intimacy I was hoping this mod would have~! The shy nervousness is especially sweet~​

 

@zyymurgy: It's only natural you favor your own preference, I can't imagine someone telling a good story if you're forced to go direction you don't like.
Since keyten is going for a framework, I hope a lot of writers will fill the gaps in the writings. It has the potential to at least...
There may also be great unexpected interpretations for the character we love.
As for the sexual part, it's not necessarily a bad thing to keep some things "off camera" and ellipses can be made even between two dialog boxes.

I like what you wrote and has a first draft, it feels great. Each character having a distinct interests and personality, I imagine a photography related event for Haley so the tree won't necessarily follow the same schema for each love interests.

 

@azraal I didn't know @ signing worked on this forum too, awesome!
I'm no good at making structures for other people to follow since my own work tends to be so erratic, but I'm willing to work with anything as long as it's given to me in a way I can understand, hehe.
Like @♥ Princess Sakura ♥ said, I'm a big fan of cute and clean intimacy, and non-sexual intimacy. In a game that has such a sweet and innocent feel, I'd like to keep it in that spirit, but there's room for sexy mods on the Nexus either way!

I think the potential for nonstandard headcanons being fleshed out in dialogue trees is huge, and it's one of the things that excites me most about this. If anyone can write for the framework, we can see a lot more really, really cool "full game" conversion mods like Anthro Valley and the like that give additional backstory and flavor!

I'm glad the first draft reads well too I was a little nervous putting it up and there's likely going to be massive edits, but that's a good example of what I plan on doing first. Now to hammer out something similar but different to show what a vanilla-alike would be...