In the two weeks since the last update I've been trying to create a few systems in MV that doesn't hinge on sprites, things that are fundamental enough that the game wouldn't function without them (even with sprites). It might be somewhat beneficial to test out the system's limit now rather than later, less of the chance of being blindsided by technical difficulties down the road, and see what can or cannot be done and plan my approach accordingly.

 

Here is what I've experimented with so far:

- Time - 

The rpg maker doesn’t handle the passage of time on its own. You either download plugins or do it yourself. The creation of the time system is a fairly straightforward one and without too many incidences, just what I wanted from the get-go. With this system, I can handle time progression of 24 hours in conjunction with months/years. I can now create events that will trigger themselves in a precisely defined hour/month/year, and with this system in place, each event is an isolated incident, I can just plug in new random events in the middle of the calendar whenever without much revision or worrying that it might mess up with other pass or feature events. 

Unlike Stardew or Minecraft, the duration of each hour isn't hard limited to a clock/counter, the time will only move on when you do a certain thing or when a condition is met. That means you can prolong the time if you want, or just brisk it by. Magical camp and the like are processing time in the same manner now come to think of it. But most other games that follow this kind of time progression have everything hard-tied to a linear story progression. Their downside is that it could be considerably harder to expand or rewrite an established scene without things getting too messy. And with the limitation the player is more likely to be forced down to a predefined path, limiting their choice down to an option between x or y. But with my system, you can do x and do y later, or reject y, or do neither, and have vastly different outcomes for each option. So my approach has a bit more flexibility in this regard. 

- Menstrual -

The process of creating a menstruation cycle and pregnancy is a much more head-scratching one and with a lot more trial and error and constant readjustments. Partially because I can’t get what some function was meant to do without spending a bit of time to rule out what it isn’t first.

Many parts of the equation have a bit of randomness built in, from the length and fertility rate of each menstrual phase, how long will bleeding last, the length which semen can survive in the body, the length of a pregnancy… 

A lot of other planning and technical stuff has to be considered beforehand as well, like taking into account Protag's gender before and after tg event, Setting up ways to stop the menstrual cycle during pregnancy, then kicking it in again once pregnancy was terminated… boot up milk production after labor… For now, I just want to know what can or cannot be done, and the better way to handle it. 

The experience I wish to create is one where the player must learn to track their own fertility rate and menstrual cycle by themself, by calculating the date since their last period, closely observing their mood swings, little changes in the body, and other signs; and even still, a little bit of randomness that may occur now and then can still throw everything off.

With the lack of contraceptive options, players must then take a greater risk during their most fertile days, lie, or use their cunning and knowledge to do whatever else they can to not end up on the Sultan's bed. Even if that means accepting some unfavorable terms and the other form of coercion. 

 

With that done, I will be moving back to create art assets. Thanks for reading.