Do not make a relationship card game

Rethinking Relationships

"It's boring. It doesn't give the player a sense of direction."

That was my verdict after playtesting the new card-based relationship system with a couple of friends.

What went wrong

The idea was a system where players feel the thrill of waiting for the cards to appear on screen. It failed, and it failed badly. The game felt boring, and players mostly just pressed Play at random, a shortcut I'd added for players who didn't want to focus on relationships.

That's not what I want the game to be.

Back to text, with a few quirks

So I've decided to go back to a classic, text-based version, with a few quirks. Players find out what other characters like by exploring. There's also a way to automate relationships so they don't become tedious, though it comes at a cost.

Interactions

Players can choose from different types of interactions, like "Talking using Gen-Z slang", "Going for a matcha latte" and more. The list isn't complete, and it keeps growing.

What's next

This is only part of the relationship experience. The rest will be (surprise, surprise) a card game. It's a different one, though, and it takes less time.

[https://x.com/OpenLifeSim/status/2101252673181770200(https://x.com/OpenLifeSim/status/2101252673181770200)