So, on and off this summer I have been tinkering with the Dating Simulator game. Some of it was game balancing, some bug fixing, and in a few places, some new content.

There were some unserved rare scenarios, like what happens if you go dancing in the club, and get kicked out, then go lingerie shopping and meet Rebecca who wants to take you to the club you just got kicked out of? Or, whats the point of the “spin the bottle” game if the four possible results you can do on your own anyways?

Then there was a problem I have been struggling with since I started making the game 3 years ago. What about romance?

Throughout the game there are little mini games that basically test your intelligence: The dress shop (memory, logic), the home improvement store (observation), the art museum (general art history), star gazing (general astronomy), etc. Is there a systematic way to test romance?

Well this summer I sort of came up with one, and I won’t spoil the fun with hints, but I believe it is the last missing ingredient to the dozens of possible scenarios in the game.

With that in mind I am calling it the end of the stand alone dating simulator. Future versions, if there are any, may (or will) include various web enhancements. For example, maybe a trip to the movies with an embedded video, or maybe that radio will play real music, or an evening playing board games with flash animation, etc. Sounds like a lot of work actually, and I have other distractions in the mean time.

Have fun.