Others The Ultimate Stripper Club [v1.0.4] [everglow]

[everglow]

CaptC atmosphere1980 update the doc with your suggestions

### Actual competition

In the same way the player hire girls from rival brothel (*stealing* 'em), the rival brother can do the same with your girls.

The relative gameplay might look like:
- depending on some set of variables (girl mood, relationship with her, etc) some girls will be randomly contacted by rivals
- those girls will ask you to go visit them (aka *we need to talk*)
- minimal story flow with negotiation chance on salary
- the girl will go/stay depending on the story outcome

ofc the player can go to the rival club and try to hire the girl again, but some penalties should apply (eg: even higher salary, negative relationship?)

Ideally, rivals with no more girls should go out of business; it's still unclear at this point if this means forever, or they can still steal from you and re-open. Probably the latter (keeps the gameplay active event at day 1k).

Emerged from comments: possibility to acquire rivals. It should be possible with some *business runway* computation, and *business evaluation* numbers for all the clubs. Once the player runway gets up to a certain level, the player should be able to make acquisition offers, and those offers might be accepted/rejected from the rivals.
Once the player acquired a rival business, it should be able to use that club as a secondary one: this surely needs relevant management UI changes at least for dispositions.
Side note: maybe compute all the required numbers in 2.0, but add the acquisition/management of rivals in 2.1.

### Tour girls

Given we have all the reputation/popularity and competition changes in place, we can have *tour girls*.
Those girls will be excluded from all the other pools (can't hire them) and will appear in the city once a week (ideally 2 days fri and sat). During the 5 days prior (and only if the club has enough popularity – how much TBD) an auction will be avail and the player can place offers among with other clubs. The winning offer gets the girl the following weekend.

Tour girl presence should *noticeably* increase popularity and income for those days on the club hosting the girl, and lower the other ones.

Additional considerations:
- ideally 1 or more "guest rooms" should be built by the player in order to host tour girls
- with the above point done, the player should be able to visit such girls and spend time with 'em (slightly different mechanic from std visits? probably yes, no train, different dialogues)
- decide wether is just 1 girl in rotation or more (probably just 1 is easier in terms of proc edits)
- if is only 1 girl, the room can be a standard empty room, keep the flow easier; control checks can be made on the girl itself
- still to decide: using a parameter in girlpack or just ~randomly pick girls for this pool at the beginning on the game

 

[everglow]

On a side node: all the things being said so far on the competition side of things kinda made me thinking it might be cool to have an actual multi-player version of TUSC, where each player have its own club and compete with others.

This approach would have several downsides compared to standard TUSC as:
- the girlpacks would need to be stored and served remotely (the alternative of the single player streaming its own packs to the other player doesn't sound better; and pretending each player has the same girlpacks locally sounds a bit unreasonable)
- it's online, so ofc requires internet access, bandwidth, etc
BUT, hear me out:
- a single game consist of a new city (might even be customisable in terms of population) and a pool of players can join that specific game until it starts
- the processing can happen in real-time, and the time can be 1:1 real if the game asks for a specific timezone
- OR we still have some ratio 1second in game:X in real to have eg at least 2 night turns for 1 real day
- all the dispositions/management can be set in advance and the game will process those in the background if the player is not connected
- players compete in hiring girls, as for that game the pool is shared
- players can make offers to acquire the other players; at that point the player who accepted the offer can even start a new club with the money he made
- visiting other clubs means playing as a customer of the other brothel's player

...thoughts? would you be interested or the online thing is a strict "no thanks"?

 

[Logan1377]

On a side node: all the things being said so far on the competition side of things kinda made me thinking it might be cool to have an actual multi-player version of TUSC, where each player have its own club and compete with others.

This approach would have several downsides compared to standard TUSC as:
- the girlpacks would need to be stored and served remotely (the alternative of the single player streaming its own packs to the other player doesn't sound better; and pretending each player has the same girlpacks locally sounds a bit unreasonable)
- it's online, so ofc requires internet access, bandwidth, etc
BUT, hear me out:
- a single game consist of a new city (might even be customisable in terms of population) and a pool of players can join that specific game until it starts
- the processing can happen in real-time, and the time can be 1:1 real if the game asks for a specific timezone
- OR we still have some ratio 1second in game:X in real to have eg at least 2 night turns for 1 real day
- all the dispositions/management can be set in advance and the game will process those in the background if the player is not connected
- players compete in hiring girls, as for that game the pool is shared
- players can make offers to acquire the other players; at that point the player who accepted the offer can even start a new club with the money he made
- visiting other clubs means playing as a customer of the other brothel's player

...thoughts? would you be interested or the online thing is a strict "no thanks"?

I have a ton of respect for your creativity and the idea. I think that real time would be hard, as you'd have to have a pretty big player base to make it work. But as a side thing where you take turns "making moves" when you have the chance, its intriguing.

 

[everglow]

I think that real time would be hard, as you'd have to have a pretty big player base to make it work. But as a side thing where you take turns "making moves" when you have the chance, its intriguing.

I mean, to my perspective the real-time I described is quite the same of a turn-based system; the only difference is that the turn is time-limited (you can make "moves" during the eg 8h night window), and if you don't show up and didn't prepared moves it would be just the same of "no moves". I said real-time since in my idea if 2 players hit the same girl at the same location it would disappear for the other player as soon as the first one hasn't completed his actions.

 

[atmosphere1980]

Sounds like an option; maybe depending on the business runway you can acquire one of the other clubs. But probably that should happen independently of whether the other club is out of business: maybe the mechanic should allow you to make offers to acquire the rivals, and depending on some metrics those offers might be accepted/rejected. wdyt atmosphere1980 ?

Love the idea. You make an offer on the club and they accept or reject. Could be based on lots of things like market share, how profitable the other club is, how much you offer, the level of your club, and maybe a degree of randomness.

 

[WarblGarbl]

I think some way to opt out of online would be a good idea. Can you host games on here if they're online only?

 

[CaptC]

CaptC atmosphere1980 update the doc with your suggestions

<snippage>

### Tour girls

Given we have all the reputation/popularity and competition changes in place, we can have *tour girls*.
Those girls will be excluded from all the other pools (can't hire them) and will appear in the city once a week (ideally 2 days fri and sat). During the 5 days prior (and only if the club has enough popularity – how much TBD) an auction will be avail and the player can place offers among with other clubs. The winning offer gets the girl the following weekend.

Tour girl presence should *noticeably* increase popularity and income for those days on the club hosting the girl, and lower the other ones.

Additional considerations:
- ideally 1 or more "guest rooms" should be built by the player in order to host tour girls
- with the above point done, the player should be able to visit such girls and spend time with 'em (slightly different mechanic from std visits? probably yes, no train, different dialogues)
- decide wether is just 1 girl in rotation or more (probably just 1 is easier in terms of proc edits)
- if is only 1 girl, the room can be a standard empty room, keep the flow easier; control checks can be made on the girl itself
- still to decide: using a parameter in girlpack or just ~randomly pick girls for this pool at the beginning on the game

I quibble with the "can't hire tour girls". You couldn't hire them normally, no... but it's your club, you should get to decide who to hire, but I think you should have to hire them in competition against the other clubs.

Possible game loops for feature girls:

Really simple process: Random girl is selected by game. She posts a required price to perform at any club. Clubs get to say yes or no, in order depending upon their ranking. Once she's hired, no one else gets a shot at her.

More complex process: Random girl makes announcement that she will be coming to your city. She takes bids from all the clubs, picks the best offer, and appears at that club on the weekend. Bids would potentially consist of positive attributes: 1) pay to the girl 2) marketing dollars spent to advertise her appearance 3) reduced cut of her proceeds by the club, and negative attributes: sexual favors required by the club owner. "So, RandomGirl, 1000 bucks per night, 5000 bucks of advertisement, and you can keep 20% more of what the customers pay, but you gotta give me a blowjob at the end of every night when you pay me my cut." "Mr. Club Owner, I have an offer for the same money but no blowjob, so I am taking that offer instead of yours." How that all balances will have to be tested out, of course.

Possible enhancements to base game loop:

Interactive bidding: Same as above, but an actual interactive bidding process where you see and can respond to the other club's bids.

More choices: Occasionally (or maybe regularly, depending upon how many girls the player has available?), multiple girls would be available for the same time, so that multiple clubs can have competing national stars that weekend.

 

[rb813]

I'm not really intrigued by the idea of TUSC being basically a video player. A game should be a game.
I mean, at that point it's probably just faster if you create VLC playlists from girlpacks and just use a real video player for that.

As a matter of fact, I had been doing exactly that for many years before I ever discovered VC, so I can say from firsthand experience that I don't enjoy it as much. A game should be a game, but it doesn't need to be a difficult game. I play sexy games to be aroused, not to be challenged. Having girls whose video clips I want to look at be stolen away by another club just sounds like a boner-killer to me.

 

[Logan1377]

As a matter of fact, I had been doing exactly that for many years before I ever discovered VC, so I can say from firsthand experience that I don't enjoy it as much. A game should be a game, but it doesn't need to be a difficult game. I play sexy games to be aroused, not to be challenged. Having girls whose video clips I want to look at be stolen away by another club just sounds like a boner-killer to me.

We all like what we like, and are turned on by different things. For me, having some element of challenge that can lead to a feeling of accomplishment or pleasant surprise truly adds to my arousal in games. The polar opposite of a boner killer. It just has to be executed the right way. Keeping me interested and on my toes as I get a little bit more by more is ideally what I'm after. Otherwise, I'd just watch the raw porn videos themselves rather than play the game. I do VC and TUSC to make it more interesting and fun.

 

[rb813]

For me, having some element of challenge that can lead to a feeling of accomplishment or pleasant surprise truly adds to my arousal in games. The polar opposite of a boner killer.

I didn't say challenge in general would be a boner killer, I said that having girls whose video clips I want to look at be stolen away by another club would be a boner killer. Are you saying that specific element of challenge would increase your arousal?

 

[Logan1377]

I didn't say challenge in general would be a boner killer, I said that having girls whose video clips I want to look at be stolen away by another club would be a boner killer. Are you saying that specific element of challenge would increase your arousal?

Well, with any game like this, the challenge is to gather more than you lose. If a favorite is stolen, then the quest then becomes to get her back, and then accomplishing that eventually makers it better in the end. So yes, long term it does.

 

[rb813]

Well, with any game like this, the challenge is to gather more than you lose. If a favorite is stolen, then the quest then becomes to get her back, and then accomplishing that eventually makers it better in the end. So yes, long term it does.

I guess you and I have very different tastes, then.

 

[Logan1377]

I guess you and I have very different tastes, then.

I find that often in many discussions on this board. Not a bad thing, as its insightful to get an idea into the thoughts and feelings of others who are very different from yourself.

As to this topic, I relate it to something like this - What's more satisfying and makes you feel good - having a woman choose you over a variety of other options because you stand out as the best in here eyes, or simply giving her no other choice and its you or nothing? I think that proving myself and getting the girl because of my merit is the far superior choice.

 

[rb813]

What's more satisfying and makes you feel good - having a woman choose you over a variety of other options because you stand out as the best in here eyes, or simply giving her no other choice and its you or nothing? I think that proving myself and getting the girl because of my merit is the far superior choice.

I guess that's what makes us different. I don't put myself into the game like that. I don't see recruiting a girl to my club as someone choosing me, I just see it as unlocking the ability to look at porn clips of that girl in the game.

 

[atmosphere1980]

### 3rd party services

Maybe not for 2.0, but ideally:

- escort service: gameplay might be like receiving special requests and sending girls over for a high quote

I like this idea too. And this might be something you could offer in a simple form in 2.0 and build on later. The initial version could just be a club improvement that's basically a pricier VIP area and shows sex clips in an escort setting. Then for a subsequent version you could build it out to special requests. And maybe one of the other clubs or businesses in the city could have an escort service that the main character could utilize after the clubs close or on nights the club that offers VIP isn't open.

 

[Logan1377]

I guess that's what makes us different. I don't put myself into the game like that. I don't see recruiting a girl to my club as someone choosing me, I just see it as unlocking the ability to look at porn clips of that girl in the game.

Perhaps the other big difference is that I augment all of my packs, or am working on it, so I possess all of the videos in the first place, and can watch them the regular way any time that I choose. The game gives me something different.

 

[Terakahn]

Challenge is good but it's important that the player can control the level of challenge to some extent.

 

[Logan1377]

Challenge is good but it's important that the player can control the level of challenge to some extent.

With any game, of any genre, that's always the key. You need to be able to thread the needle between the right level of challenge and just moving forward to where you want and need to be. Too much of either and its boring.

 

[rb813]

With any game, of any genre, that's always the key. You need to be able to thread the needle between the right level of challenge and just moving forward to where you want and need to be. Too much of either and its boring.

But the right level of challenge can be very different for different people, which is why the best approach (whenever possible) is to make the level of challenge something that's flexible and can be tuned or adjusted by the player.

 

[rb813]

Okay, I give up. I went to the trouble of putting gloryhole folders in one of the girl's packs, and then assigned her to the bath, and I still just get this.