Start
If you are an ArianeB newbie and don’t know how to even start the game
this is the guide for you.
If you have downloaded the game, make sure to unzip its contents to a folder of your choice (without destroying the underlying folders datingsimulator and images). The game does not need to be installed and will play in any web browser (well, most modern web browsers anyway).
The starting file is called default.htm, located in the datingsimulator folder, and that is the one to open in your web browser (most of the time a double-click will do). More experienced players may try default2.htm that gives an overview of the most common parameters of the game and their actual value. I will not give the tedious list of those 60+ parameters and their function but you can consult these by opening the source code of the default.htm page. The maker of the game did a fine job by adding an explanation of every parameter in the game.
A new parameter in version 7.1 is previous experience, that is constantly monitored by starting the game in debug mode through default2.htm. At the end of the game an hexadecimal code is given that will be used to proceed with the game's sequel, predicted for 2012. Pushing the experience link will end the date, so I wouldn't do that if I were you.
Basically all parameters follow the rule that none is bad, a couple is better, but too many is worse. An example: if ArianeB gets a few drinks in her, she’ll find you a nicer guy, but if she drinks too much (over 3 glasses of wine without food) she’ll be so drunk the game will stop.
As the game is parameter driven many different situations can (and will) occur from many different places. It is simply impossible to bring a complete walkthrough for the game covering all different situations as it would take hundreds of pages. One philarianist (an ArianeB specialist) who disassembled the code counted 1800 different nodes, ways to get from A to Z, in version 5.8 alone.
The walkthroughs presented here pass through the different goals of the game and it is up to you, the player, to discover alternatives and situations that still haven't been described on this site… Feel free to send in your solution to a problem, and if it is valid (and hasn’t already been - more or less - described), it will be added to the list. So perhaps we will reach a complete overview, one day…
If you get stuck in the game it will often be impossible to press the back button of your browser. Most of the time the parameters will not be reset and the next image will give unwanted results. When you reach a dead end there will be no other option than to completely restart the game and start all over again.
If you have opened the default.htm file by now you will see ArianeB sitting in a sofa. If you move the mouse over her body the following text will appear: Introduce Yourself (also the bottom text will be upgraded and this can vary slightly from the tooltips). Every picture has so-called hotpoints (or image maps for the html initiated) and these will trigger or block certain events (and add some points as certain parameters). One image can hide several triggers and it is up to the player to take the right decision…
So if you are as anxious to start the game as I was, many years ago, just introduce yourself and start with the first frame of the game. Good Luck.
To carry on with the first walkthrough, click here: Introduction
Tags: start
