Everyone knows about sex and sexuality, but coming up with fun game mechanics can be difficult.

One approach which works has to do with scripted relationships. These tend to work best when they have some basis in real world relationships - if something really mostly happened, it can seem real.

But scripts can quickly grow into out-of-control complexities and they also need a good backdrop.

In fact, good games tend to have game mechanics (and art) tackled on several levels of abstraction. One level alone gets repetitive, but each added layer can improve things (or mess things up (or both)).

So...

Here's what I currently think I want for a plugin for sexlab aroused redux:

When aroused, sexual activity mildly increases health regeneration, and mildly penalizes stamina regeneration. These effects last for a few hours when they gradually taper off. Orgasm heals significantly and drains magicka and stamina and also extends the timers and magnitude of those regeneration effects.

When not aroused, nearly the opposite happens - health regeneration gets penalized, and stamina regeneration gets boosted. And maybe there should be a painful "anti-orgasm" which injures health, boosts magicka and maybe stamina?

Of course all of this is artificial, but my general idea is to represent the adrenaline boost from feeling trapped as well as the diversion of internal resources towards constructive activities, or something like that.

So that's one layer, maybe?

Another layer has to do with struggle and competition. This is where you get your "pump left/right to escape" mechanics. But you also need a reason to want to escape - so, sure, maybe you are getting healed up, but meanwhile the tactical situation is probably changing for the worst. So you need to get out of there before things get really bad? Or maybe it's just that some twerp is running away with your good gear and you have a limited time to pursue them? Or maybe you need to preserve what's left of your reputation?

So maybe that's another layer?

Meanwhile, though, there's the whole "onset of arousal" - arousal has a physical basis, so exercising it should help make it stronger in the long term, but lead also to short term pacing issues. This can be implemented through perks and through numeric stuff - and mostly there is a lot already implemented here (though only about a third of that matches my preferences).

I suppose I should put together a mod and see how some of this plays...