{"id":421,"date":"2026-03-13T18:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/?p=421"},"modified":"2026-04-29T22:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:53:17","slug":"week-8-gdc-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/week-8-gdc-in-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 8: GDC!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This week of the spring semester is notorious for project teams being away at GDC and this year was no different! Team A.N.E.N.Y had 4\/5 of our members away this week but while we were there we got to see some amazing things that are going on within the games community. We have been filled with energy and inspiration that we can’t wait to bring back to our project in Week 9!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photos from our trip!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nightray saw this really cool booth within ALTCTRL called “The Cap Circus” that used a physical coin in a digital game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love and Deep Space Talk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Love and Deep space did a few workshops on romance and sex which some of us got to attend! In case you are interested below is an indepth summary of Nightrays notes but the general highlights of the talk included: the importance of character fidelity in forming emotional connections, the types of interactions romance games use and why, how combat can be sexy\/romantic, and creating spaces within the game where romance can shine.
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  1. Designing Romance Through Systems \u2013 Love and Deepspace Overview Love and Deepspace is a mobile otome game that combines romantic storytelling, action combat, and daily-life simulation. The project took nearly six years of development and aims to expand the traditional boundaries of romance games. The key design challenge was: How can a romance game create deeper emotional engagement while attracting players who are not traditional otome players? The team explored this question through combat design, interaction pacing, and lifestyle integration. \u2e3b
    1. Romance as a Gameplay System<\/li><\/ol>Traditional otome games focus mainly on story and dialogue. Love and Deepspace introduces a different concept: Romance can also emerge from gameplay systems. The core idea: Fighting side-by-side creates a powerful form of romantic bonding. Design implications: \u2022 Shared challenges strengthen emotional connection. \u2022 Players and characters grow together through gameplay. \u2022 Emotional value can be delivered through mechanics, not only narrative. \u2e3b
      1. Expanding the Otome Genre<\/li><\/ol>To reach a broader audience, the developers combined three layers of gameplay: Romantic narrative \u2022 Relationship development with male leads \u2022 Character-driven storytelling Action combat \u2022 Cooperative battles with characters \u2022 Skill-based combat systems Daily-life simulation \u2022 Lifestyle interactions \u2022 Personal routines and companionship systems This hybrid structure allows romance to appear in both dramatic moments and everyday interactions. \u2e3b
        1. Character Quality as Emotional Foundation<\/li><\/ol>One of the biggest early challenges was player acceptance. Early reactions to the combat system were negative because: \u2022 Characters did not look convincing enough. \u2022 The romantic tone conflicted with awkward combat visuals. The team shifted strategy: Prioritize character fidelity first, then optimize for mobile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Key upgrades included: \u2022 Character models reaching 100k\u2013200k polygons \u2022 500+ bones for animation \u2022 Higher-detail facial and movement systems Result: Players were much more willing to emotionally invest in the characters. \u2e3b
          1. Interaction Pacing and Player Psychology<\/li><\/ol>Another major issue was interaction timing. Players initially felt uncomfortable with some romantic interactions because: The emotional relationship had not been established yet. The solution was to redesign the experience order: Early stages: \u2022 More serious combat interactions \u2022 Limited intimacy Later stages: \u2022 Gradual emotional development \u2022 Increased romantic interaction This pacing aligns gameplay interactions with player emotional readiness. \u2e3b<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            1. Screen Orientation Design<\/li><\/ol>The game faced a unique interface challenge. Romantic interaction works best in: \u2022 Vertical orientation (intimate face-to-face interaction) Combat works best in: \u2022 Horizontal orientation (wider battlefield visibility) The final solution was a hybrid system: \u2022 Vertical screen for narrative and relationship scenes \u2022 Horizontal screen for combat Although unconventional, players adapted quickly, and the switching behavior became a recognizable part of the game experience. \u2e3b
              1. Emotional Combat Design<\/li><\/ol>Combat mechanics were designed to reinforce emotional connection. Examples include: \u2022 Characters protecting the player during attacks \u2022 Cooperative attacks targeting enemy weak points \u2022 Dialogue and voice cues during combat These systems reinforce the idea that: Combat is not just gameplay \u2014 it is a shared romantic experience. \u2e3b
                1. Integrating Romance Into Daily Life<\/li><\/ol>Beyond story and combat, the game extends romance into everyday routines. Players can: \u2022 Choose outfits for characters \u2022 Ask for food recommendations \u2022 Study, exercise, or rest together The game even includes lifestyle features such as: \u2022 Calendars \u2022 Diaries \u2022 Period tracking These mechanics blur the boundary between game interaction and real-life companionship. \u2e3b
                  1. Character Personality Systems<\/li><\/ol>Each character behaves differently across gameplay situations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Examples include: \u2022 Different attitudes toward activities \u2022 Unique interaction patterns \u2022 Distinct behavioral animations These personality systems help maintain freshness in repeated gameplay while strengthening character identity. \u2e3b
                    1. The Home System<\/li><\/ol>The game introduces a personal home environment where players can invite characters. Features include: \u2022 Shared daily activities \u2022 Mood changes based on player behavior \u2022 Seasonal and event-based environmental effects These details reinforce the feeling that characters are part of the player\u2019s life. \u2e3b Key Design Takeaways
                      1. Romance can be expressed through mechanics, not only story.<\/li><\/ol>
                        1. Emotional engagement depends heavily on character quality.<\/li><\/ol>
                          1. Player psychology must guide interaction pacing.<\/li><\/ol>
                            1. Hybrid gameplay structures can expand niche genres.<\/li><\/ol>\n
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                              1. Small daily-life interactions can significantly strengthen emotional immersion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                This week of the spring semester is notorious for project teams being away at GDC and this year was no different! Team A.N.E.N.Y had 4\/5 of our members away this week but while we were there we got to see some amazing things that are going on within the games community. We have been filled […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=421"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/421\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aneny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}