--- title: "Game Developer Says Team Can’t Add Dating Feature Because Team Has No “Real Life” Romance Experience" description: "Troubleshooter, a popular turn-based RPG, wanted to introduce a dating feature — but the people making it don't have no experience." date: "2024-06-13" modified: "2024-06-13" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/troubleshooter-developers-no-gf" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "gaming" - "romance" - "steam" - "the digest" --- # Game Developer Says Team Can’t Add Dating Feature Because Team Has No “Real Life” Romance Experience ![Troubleshooter, a popular turn-based RPG, wanted to introduce a dating feature — but the people making it don't have no experience.]() *\Image: Dandylion\* ## Love Game An [uber-popular]() turn-based RPG wanted to introduce a dating feature — but the people making it didnt' have enough experience to make it work. As [*Games Radar* reports](), the developers behind the Korean indie game Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children admitted that although they'd had no problem creating a dramatic dystopian world, adding a realistic dating simulation has been a sticking point. Released in full in 2020 by the game studio Dandylion, [Troubleshooter takes place]() in the crime-riddled and dystopian city of Valhalla where users play as private mercenaries. Per [reviews]() and [descriptions](), the game seems to have almost everything: action, intrigue, drama, trauma, and hidden agendas. All it lacks, as users have [pointed out]() [more than once]() since its release, is romance — a shortcoming the developers are now saying they're ill-equipped to address. In response to a [user review on Steam]() for the game about it lacking a "waifu dating system," Dandylion acknowledged the sorry state of affairs going on behind the scenes. "Dating system... it's a feature that a lot of people wanted," the developer wrote back. "But my team members... have no experience with it, even in real life...." ## Loneliest Number Elsewhere online, folks took notice of the sad — and hilarious — developer response in a [viral post screenshotting the exchange]() on X-formerly-Twitter. "We can build a feature to ride a dragon but not go on a date, because we have no experience with that," [quipped game designer Ben Pielstick](), whose resume includes titles such as Star Wars: The Old Republic. "A date might be harder to imagine these days I suppose." While it's certainly a shame to imagine the loveless lives of the [six devs that seem to make up Dandylion's team](), it's clear from the responses and [quote-tweets]() of the review screenshot that gamers were charmed by their honesty. "Gaming can be saved if every dev was like this," [one X user posted](). "I’ve never wishlisted a game so fast based on a Steam review before," [joked another](). Honesty, as this scenario shows us, is the best policy — especially if your audience is [likely to relate](). More on gamers: [*This Pedantic Elon Musk Tweet Perfectly Illustrates Why Nobody Can Stand Him Anymore*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()