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Story planning and...Lifepath? 😮 (Patreon)

Published:
2024-04-30 16:04:05
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

Hi guys!  We’re prepping the next episode for release, and it’ll be with you shortly. This report is about what happens next.

Story planning 

The whole point of Female Agent was always just to make the game I wanted to play.  While I’m very excited about future episodes, the truth is I feel like the pacing and story beats have been off recently.  I think there’s too much repetition and not enough action.

That’s my fault, and I think the problem is too much focus on writing and not enough on overall story planning.  I’ve spent some time this week just thinking through the details of exactly what key story beats are needed next and what order to place them in.  I think this extra work will help get the next episodes back on target. (Special thanks go to contributor XG, who very kindly spent a lot of time talking this through with me on calls this week.)

Lifepath? 😮 

Separately, Victoria and I have been talking about whether now is the right time to restore the Lifepath (a long character creation minigame where you set your heroine’s backstory and unique skills – play a demo version here).  We’re tempted to do it next, because that’ll allow us to add in some cool new features that will improve the next few episodes.

(Being 100% honest – I also think it might be good for me as a writer to have a little break from the Bangkok story chain before going back and completing the heroine’s transition from barmaid to bargirl.  I think I can make a better final product that way.)

What do you think?  Lifepath next, or later?  Let me know your thoughts, here or on Discord.  🦀❤️

Files

Comments

Scarletwing13

Lifepath was my favorite part of the game through its development, so I’m all for it.

Vitória

I played the life path after I finished the current version of the main game and I really liked it! So to me would be great to have more of it. Maybe you should do a poll with patrons, I think it'll be quicker this way

ego

My two cents: from what I have seen in other writers and myself, NOTHING kills a story or game faster than burnout. I really enjoy this game and it's story, so I would much rather you take a break (as much as you need), before seeing content again. Remember that depending on the severity of burnout it can take three months or more to recover.

Iain

Lifepath was always the part where I felt invested in the character's hopes and dreams. It gives them a little bit more of a soul. Also it would be really nice to actually get some of the skills back so that when we are doing tests in missions you might have a better chance of achieving the objectives that you have trained for.

SonjaB

If you think Lifepath will actually help your storytelling then sure. If it's just going to eat up all your resources for the next 5 months for no real payoff than I'd rather have the actual story. I don't really see how expanding the character creation is going to help the story unless you're also going to overhaul dialog and character options for every chapter you've already released. Otherwise it's just going to be this extra thing that's been inserted at the front of the game that has no bearing on the next 5-10 hours of gameplay. I CERTAINLY enjoyed playing through the lifepath when it was first released, but I'm suspicious that it isn't going to be much besides a long narrative way to select "Submissive," "Masochist," or "Exhibitionist."

William O'Connor

I liked the Lifepath, it would be fun to have it back

Paul Cormier

I have mixed feelings on this subject, but I agree that sometimes the best way to get back on track is to change your focus for a bit.I will also say that some creators (for whatever reason) juggle multiple projects and have long gaps between relatively small updates. That's when I start to lose interest in the project and move on.

Maurice Conchis

Following development for a little while now, I feel like the linearity of the approach to the story locks you into having to manage the pacing very carefully. I always assumed Bangkok would be much more of a sandbox, given the direction of the initial prototypes. I wonder if giving the player more control over what parts of the story they want to tackle and work on first, how they want to progress different goals and relationships, would give much more individual control over pacing - as at the minute you're just locked in for the ride. On the other hand though, I imagine it's probably a bit too late to significantly change the format of the story!

Worldknower

Adding a lifepath right now will not bring anything to the story. I do think having a version of the "lifepath" to play will be fun, but making a detailed, possibly multi-choice lifepath that actually has an impact on whats already been written? Thats gonna require potential changes to alot of already written dialogue. Ideally, thats the endgoal, but its also alot of work. If working on the lifepath will help with burnout, then go for it, but i personally see it as another thing that takes away from progressing the story. I mean, you did the Zero Kate Thirty, and that didnt help on speeding up main story progress at all, so i dont see how lifepath will help with burnout, writersblock, or something else either.

Steve C

Yes, Lifepath, please! 🙂

Zariaswell

LIFEPATH ALL THE WAY !!!!

Reaper_67

If it means a better game, then by all means, Lifepath!!

Heresiarch

OK, here's my 2 ¢ -- for the love of *everything*, do *not* resurrect the Life Path! The current version of Female Agent works because of the lack of a background (other than the barest of outlines). 'Kate' is a blank slate, and it's working fine as it is. And, like any engineer worth their credentials will tell you: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." (This, of course, excludes *software* engineers. Their motto is: "If it works, add more features.") Also, the Life Path will add multiple layers of complexity to the game. Please, please, please... don't do that! Look at what happened to the previous incarnation af FA: endless tinkering, adding features, removing features... If you need a break, that's fine. Take you time – burnout is a bitch (been there, done that: 1/10, would *not* recommend.) But at this point in the (main) story, the Life Path section is a completely seperate entity.

Redhand

The Lifepath thing I think should be optional given many want it but some don't - but in general, anything that adds polish and some meat on the bones of the game's structure is something I appreciate and so I would like it. I'll again emphasize that things like this are probably things that you can farm out to the community and then integrate later on - pace of updates has been an issue so I can see how this could become a problem if you try to take it all on yourself.

CaptainBook

LifePath with option to skip

J B

Yes please. I LOVED the lifepath when I first discovered Female Agent and was disappointed when it was deprecated (though, I understand why). I'm wholeheartedly in favor of you redeveloping the lifepath!

gg

At first, like years ago, I just went along with it but liked the original story in Thailand. Now that I have looked at it now, I love it and get it. You build a more relatable character. After the first run through, you should be able to save your character and feed it into the main game. Have you heard of RAW? Research Analysis Wing is India's CIA, GCCQ, FSB. Then launched an assassination attempt in the US that was stopped by CIA and FBI. They did one near Vancouver CA.

Matthew Cook

I agree life path just makes the game better

Scytha

I don't know if the feedback I've tried to send have gotten through. But I'll reiterate it here. While I don't personally feel things have become repetitive, it is possible to avoid a story from feeling repetitive even if the same story elements are happening over and over again. This is done by changing the perspective of both the protagonists. I mean there are successful Hollywood movies that show the exact same chain of event several times in a row without becoming repetitive just by changing the point of view to another character. In regards to the game, you have already set yourself up for success by introducing the new girl that the main character is already showing the ropes. You could easily keep the barmaid plot going for sometime without it becoming stale or repetitive by simply focusing on showing the new girl going through the same journey as a new barmaid, as we've already seen the MC go through, except now with the MC as the instigator, thus revealing both to the main character and the player how far she has fallen. It would not only keep the barmaid plot going for a bit longer but would also be an interesting character development to watch. Still, if you feel the bar gig is become stale and lacking action (as in spy action and not sex action) then just have the work in the bar fade to black and focus on the MC going out and actively looking for intelligence. There are several characters that's been introduced that could to with investigation from the MC. Such as the bar owner she had a date with at the beginning. Or the bartender teacher that somehow seems to have a surprisingly amount of pull over the people at the bar. Or the corrupt cop. And that's just a few examples. All which could provide opportunity for more spy related action in side quests, while the barmaid side just moves along off screen. And even if those character aren't actually important, red herrings are great in mysteries and thrillers. As for lifepath. Don't do it. At least not right now. It is honestly better than you just make a clean break from the project and go on summer holidays for a month or two, if you're starting to feel burnt out. Then when you come back with new energy and enthusiasm, you can decide what you want to work on. Just my two cents.

meiwow

Nobody is here for the "life path". The storyline should have been at a point already where the protagonist is or is about to become club prostitute or whatever we call it. Instead now you're getting cold feet and are going to do this other lifepath that I could care less about. I don't have the patience for it. So if you're taking a break, I'm taking a break too and wherever you want to get back to the current story, you let me know.

Worldknower
>>136675969

well said. I think a Lifepath standalone game could work though, some alternate universe Kate or something. It would work better as a completely seperate game instead of trying to cram it infront of the bangkok mission.

One of billions

I think life path is interesting and adds to the game, but I'm concerned about technical difficulties. From my point of view it seems to be a huge undertaking to integrate 2 existing parts while adding missing pieces in between. It's not like you can glue them together and call it a game. Earlier decisions will have to influence the later scenes and it's gonna take a lot of work, even if the influences are minor. To sum it up I'm worried it's gonna turn into another rewrite of the game or close to it. My suggestion is to work on life path in the background. Do Bangkok story releases (maybe somewhat slower) and take some time to work on life path each release cycle. This may not be feasible as the releases aren't very fast already, but it seems a much better approach than taking a long time to integrate two parts of the game. Also - iterations. It's easy to fall into a trap of trying to write as close as possible to a perfect version of what you envision, I myself am prone to that. Maybe looking at the story of world's most famous novels will help. We know those novels as their final versions, masterpieces but authors did many iterations to reach that state. Sometimes they were public and we have different published versions of the same work, sometimes private and we have different drafts. Those earlier drafts may be quite different from the final product. When you design something, it's always a balance between going as fast as you can and fixing all the problems later on one end and thinking it all through to the last detail so it works perfectly from the start on the other. In my opinion we are a little too far in the "make it perfect from the start" territory. Maybe try to lower the standards and do more changes after the release? Just as an experiment.

Solar Knight

I've been waiting for the life path to come back.

Unclemonkel

I really enjoyed the lifepath!

novacaineforthesoul

Yes to Lifepath. Half of the reason that I've stayed invested in this project is because I have been under the assumption that you'd get back to it.

KatyB14

I do feel lifepath would add a new dimension to the story and enhance the buildup to the agent's eventual transition.

Iain
>>136675969

I'm struggling to see why you would want a 'blank slate' Surely having a clearer picture of who she was before she got roped into this makes the story telling more interesting. For instance, the story is very different for a straight arrow kid who had one boyfriend through school and college than it it for one who went out and enjoyed the variety life had to offer even if they did pick up a few 'kinks' along the way.

轻巡海伦娜

I started playing your game in 2021 and to this day I've been waiting for the main character to change from a barmaid to a bargirl. The endless waiting has consumed too much of my patience. I understand that you want the story to be perfect and rich in details, which is why I like your work, but please also consider that this is an adult game. Players want to update the main line instead of repeatedly expanding the branch lines. This is what I really think, hope you can understand.

SonjaB
>>136675969

Because none of that will come into play in the main story unless the whole thing is updated. There are never any references to life before the mission, there's no continuity between backstory and main story. Like a poorly run d&d campaign, writing an entire backstory just for it to never come up at the table.

meiwow
>>136719586

It will enhance the build up to the agen's eventual transition that would take place... when? 10 years from now?

Marley Banks

I think the life path would be a good choice. It sounds to me like you need time to clear your mind so you can see the right path to take in regard to the bar and maybe going down the life path will do that for you...

Xcribar

You have the lifepath thread and then the 1.6 thread and now the 1.2 thread…. in addition to the Zero Kate Thirty snippet. You don’t necessarily need to fluidly connect all the parts into one game…. As long as you can save an endgame to use as a template for the next stage. So when you finish the lifepath you can create a savegame or save a character profile dossier that you can use as a template and load in the main game. This lifepath can be available only to Patreons for example, giving us more depth in the game as opposed to players of the public game.

One of billions
>>136883478

This won't help. If you can export / import a save, then "the next part" of the game must have code to react to choices made in that save, otherwise it's not different from current situation.

One of billions
>>136653433

I'm pretty sure that creating a good sandbox experience is harder than linear / almost linear one. Look at the big game titles - in my experience you're more likely to get repetitive (fetch / kill or otherwise dull random generator quality) quests in sandbox games. It hurts the story and the world of the game. Why is it even there? Because the world is big and too expensive / difficult to fill with handcrafted stories. The player can go anywhere at any time, so you'll have to consider much more states the world can be in at each important point. Most of the time the reason for a game to be open world is to be open world. I'm not sure if more sandboxy approach will be better for Female Agent story wise, but it won't make managing pacing easier, quite the opposite. And it will make development more complex.

Novamarauder

Honestly, I am here for the main story. We have been waiting for what seems like forever through innumerable delays for the Bangkok plot to get running and to complete the transition to bargirl. My patience is strained as it stands just by getting all the long-standing sidequests cleared. Now you propose to add even more delay and detours to resurrect the lifepath? Heck, no. Finish the transition first, then we may have room to restore the lifepath. Its RPG elements might be interesting and useful once the main story is much more advancedand less linear or at least reaches a natural milestone after the bargirl transition, but not now. As things stand, however, it looks like it would just add more delay and stagnation at the barmaid stage.

Amber_1131

I want to start off by saying I absolutely LOVE the life path, I think it is an amazing addition to the game and one of the reasons I fell in love with the project. That being said I don't believe that *This* update or the one that comes right after is the update to reintroduce it. We are so close to getting to the milestone where Kate is officially a bar girl, as well as having content for that (The 3 side missions). Maybe after getting to a point where the game can sandbox a bit (with clients, nights working, or exploring/mini-events with the other girls) it would be in a spot with enough replayability to do a long pause on progressing the story and give you time to work on reintegrating the life path. It just feels like the anticipation for this part of the game has gotten so HUGE, and that if resources are diverted for another half a year to something else some might not continue following the project. I'd hate to see the hype for this game die down due to pacing, I love this game with a passion and have been following it for years now, but overall this would make the already slow pace of progression slower. TL/DR: The life path is amazing, but now might not be the best time.

Joe Steel
>>137042284

This is almost word-for-word what I was going to write. This person must be a genius and you should listen to them.

target

i say go for life path or atleast work on it until your muse recharges

meiwow

Not sure how many people agree with me on this but I for one am not a huge fan of prequels per say. You shouldn't "have" to, in the middle of the main plot, resort to doing a prequel so that the main plot is improved...? Whatever time you would spend on this prequel I say is better spent working out whatever hurdles are keeping you from releasing the type of update you'd be satisfied with. If it takes you longer to release updates, so be it.

Justin Burke

I enjoyed the lifepath process that was in the early versions, do it up. Anything that helps shape the game is always good. Also, can't wait for the next update along with the story transition for the bargirl scenes.

CandiMeadows

I'd love to see the life path returned to the game, now or later I am for it.

JNebula_2019

I miss the lifepath thing! Go for it!

Poggel the lesser

Ok this might be a long comment, I have been a fan since 2021, and when this game first came out, it felt like you had freedom to make the main character whatever/ whoever you wanted. Ranging from a smart an competent secret agent who is the best person for the job, however is not suited for the promiscuous side of the job but has to get used to it. All the way to a promiscuous woman who actually enjoys that type of sex and could use that as a weapon for information or to lure people into a false sense of security, (ala James Bond or Black Widow). This was shown through the trips to clubs and the potential interactions you could find/ who you could sleep with... there was a lot of choice. This was found furthermore through the first trip back in time, where there was so many options. Had she slept with 1-5 men or 25-30 men... did she like them older or younger, did she focus on her grades... sport... or sex at parties. This however has been all but lacking since returning to Bangkok now it is more story driven and the only real choice we have is, will she doing this or not... this was particularly highlighted in the episode where she could not deal with giving someone a BJ she hardly new. Now this would have been fine if there was a concrete story from the start, but makes players frustrated who had a made her/ played her differently ( I.E particularly promiscuous). Crab, in the end of the day you have to make the game you want to make, the one point that I will say is... the game needs to be either a free for all, were the player make your character the way they want, or a story driven one were you call the shots but leave us some wiggle room... If you do go back in time, you have to either give us full choice like you once did, or the limited choice/ story driven method you have done recently. Either is fine, as its your game, and block out the haters, there opinion isn't constructive, but you cant make a game that is both... because there will be a great tension between both player bases (the ones who like either style). That I believe will lead to more confusion and frustration for all, particularly yourself. I wish you wisdom as you plan the path for your game, and look forward to seeing what you do.

Daniel

Tried lifepath for the first time, it was a great experience. Hope it gets added

Hoyomojo
>>138240513

Probably an "almost there" update right at the end of the month, then a "need to make something perfect" change, then a July or August release.

NuclearMelon

i would love to see lifepath added

rutsem

alternating between the lifepath and current time might be a good idea if it keeps you sane, just don't prolongue the lofepath dev too much