Money

[D&M]

For future upgrades I think it could be good to make better use of money.
At present, the only time money is an issue is when buying properties. Even then, it is rare that money is an issue, as it is accumulated so quickly. The money is largely irrelevant to the game as it is - especially once all the properties are purchased.
Currently, when faced with a "money option" e.g do an action or pay $500 to avoid it, or buy a piece of clothing off your partner etc, it does not matter whether you have the money or not. You can simply develop a negative money balance. OK, pretty much like real life I suppose, using credit, but it doesn't add to the game IMHO !
There is no real incentive to accumulate/keep money.
Simply preventing a negative money balance, thereby forcing players to do actions instead of money options when there are insufficient funds, I think could help.
Also to slow the rate of accumulation or add some additional "costs" . The "decline" option could always be associated with a cost for example.
Anyone else think the same?

[hawkf14]

I don't necessarily agree that money should play a role. I understand the need to have a payday and the need to have something by which you can purchase property and build but I wish we could come up with something other than money. Why does everything have to center around money? Don't we have enough things dealing with money in our daily lives that we could come up with something different for a game that you are playing with your spouse that is supposed to lead you to enjoying the time you are spending with them? To me the issue of purchasing and building using money is something I would rather see removed, but I understand you have to have something to purchase the property with and use to build with. I don't think it should become more of what the game is about.

[squarepeg]

I'd like to see the use of money extended. My idea isn't completely worked out, but what if some actions allowed or offered a bit more and it could be bartered or negotiated with money. That is, if the original action allowed it, the partner (or action recipient) could ask for an extra measure (of something) and the subject (or action provider) could set a price. For example, for a shoulder rub action, the transaction might be: OK, I'll rub your shoulders and neck for an extra 2 minutes but it'll cost you $100, agree? And the money could transfer from one partner to the other. Or the "super-size" action (or "action-plus") could go like: "I'd really like to take a picture of you just like that". "Well that would cost you $500 and you've only got $425". "Well how much would a picture like this cost?". And so forth. Or it could be a simple "How much do want to do that one more time?"

This probably would be fairly easy to implement. You'd need an "agreed" button and a money textbox to transfer the money and these would appear only when the (new) action-plus indicator was set for an action. Not all actions lend themselves to "super-sizing".

The goal is to increase intimacy, trust and communication, so hopefully bartering for your desires would be a step in that direction. Besides having more fun.

[hawkf14]

[quote="squarepeg"]The goal is to increase intimacy, trust and communication, so hopefully bartering for your desires would be a step in that direction.[/quote]

I agree with the first part of your statement but see a major problem with the middle or last part. My understanding is the goal of the game is to increase intimacy, trust and communication period. Bartering for your desires in my humble opinion is going totally the wrong direction. Granted you are overing the spouse the option of agreeing or not but I think the whole idea of bartering for anything related to sex or intimacy is the wrong approach. Sex or intimacy is not something you should barter for, that is getting to close to getting into the realm of prostitution in my mind. I understand you did not probably intend to indicate that but when you are talking about bartering for something and money is changing hands, is that not what prostitution is? That is the reason I would like to see money taken out of the equation but I don't have a good substitute.

[tecbuilder]

hawkf14, I am curious what your thoughts conderning the jailor is? After all, isn't that similar to prostitution? He/She will let you go if you do provide some service? Come to think of it. Once you reach a certain level, doesn't much of the game turn into this type of situation. And isn't that what sex and intamacy is all about? Doing something for someone. And isn't anyone who has an employer a prostitute by your definition. You receive money for your services.

I think that if you make your partner feel like a prosititute or completely loved by your actions. Money itself doesn't do it. If the word money has an issue, call them tokens. It really doesn't matter, it's all the same in the end.

[hawkf14]

tecbuilder,

Lets take a look at the definition of the word prostitution, according to webster dictionery it is 1. the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money 2. the state of being prostituted:debasement. Based on that definition I do not thing receiving money for services from your employer would apply unless of course you are a prostitute. I can see, and maybe I am not explaining it well, where some women, or men, could be made to feel like a prostitute if they are agreeing to do something in addtion to the action mentioned for a specified amount of money. I do not like the idea of bartering for sexual favors either in the game or outside of it. Sex should not be a bargaining piece in a marriage. I am sure others have a different view but to me in a good marriage neither spouse should be using something to do with sex as a way to get something from the other. In my opinion if you are offering sex in exchange for your spouse doing "x" then you are on the wrong path. That is were my objection to what was being mentioned originated.

This is Don's game and he can do as he wishes with it but my understanding of the forum is that poeple can make suggestions and others can give their opinions. They are all just opinions because the end result is in his hands.

I apologize if I come across rather hard on this topic but it just really touches on a nerve. I agree with you that the game is supposed to be about doing something sexual for your spouse. All I am trying to say is I don't like the idea of saying for an extra $$$ one spouse will do this in addition to the specified action.

[rkaiser108]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but my wife and I came up with a way to incorporate money into the game a little better. This is what we did. When we landed on a property owned by the other person, the amount of money you had determined if you were an employee or guest. If the person who landed on the property had more money they could choose to work or pay, but if they had less money, they had to work, no qustions. It puts a little strategy into the game. It worked for us.

[D&M]

What a great idea ! Would also be simple to implement in the programming itself I would think.

[Dean7878]

A few ideas on money! I agree it needs more meaning!

You could make it more Monopoly like, if you run out of cash you must sell a property! Also landing on your partners square could cost money. When a player is out of cash and property a game ending action should come up! Each player could choose a game ending action before the game and the winner gets theirs. That way you would know what you have to win or loose. You could also create a list of favorite game enders and let the game choose one for the winner.

Even if you do not sell property there should be some penalty foe incurring negative balance! Maybe loose some clothes of perform a sex act or just not allow a negative balance.

I am a big fan of having a end to the game! Maybe players could choose a dollar amount before play starts, ant the first player to reach that amount gets their winning action. Than they set the dollar amount higher or lower for a long or short game!

I have one more money idea, what if some fee, bribes could be based on wealth? Late in the game, do this or pay is meaningless because you all have so much $$ What if you had to pay half of your cash to get out of jail. It could be done on a percentage, rounded up to the nearest 1, 5, 10, or 25 dollar amount.

We love the game as it is but still have our suggestions! I think it awesome that the designers of this game have created this forum to suggest improvements, or critique their work! Thank you for the opportunity to be heard!

[The_g]

Can we change the cost of things in the editor, make things more $$$$
Money does not do much in this game

An option to buy back things like clothes....
or a sell price on actions such as pay for a dance.

[Pickwalls]

Perhaps a level of inflation could be added into the coding to automatically make actions cost more as the amount of money increases in the game...

I love rkaiser's idea though, we'll have to incorporate that.

[welshlover]

I like some of the ideas posted here around the use of money. Wouldn't it work to allow players to run out of money? If one player had run out I would expect the other player to have much more money; allow the wealthier player to decide if they would like to give a money gift to the other player? It would just allow the player with money to control the game a little which could turn out to be fun!

[supafly]

I too think something has to be done about the money. I also like the idea by [rkaiser] and use it. I am also working on a set of actions that all involve money. If I can figure out how I will post them when I have a decent amount ready. I agree that money should not be a major point to the game but it is there so we'll just have to make the best of it.

[catcheeto]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but my wife and I came up with a way to incorporate money into the game a little better. This is what we did. When we landed on a property owned by the other person, the amount of money you had determined if you were an employee or guest. If the person who landed on the property had more money they could choose to work or pay, but if they had less money, they had to work, no qustions. It puts a little strategy into the game. It worked for us.

After playing through 2-3 times, my wife and I decided on this as well. It has worked for us for a while now. I would like to see other things done with money, but for now this is what we do.

[chustme]

We particularly liked the suggestion about creating a prize for the person who got to a specific dollar amount first.

Any suggestions down that line for what a prize might be?

For instance, the wife might make a request of an at least 15 minute backrub every day for the next three days, and the husband might make a request of playing the game again within one week. Both partners need to agree before the game that the other's request is feasible or doable. Whoever reaches $4,000 first gets their request honored.

Reaching the dollar amount doesn't necessarily mean that the game is over.