VN Ren'Py Summer's Gone [S1 Steam + DLC] [Oceanlab]

[John972]

once MC dick starts working again he better unload some bullets before he starts hunting. My man is going to be backed up able to fill a swimming pool.

Backed up? Man, I just pictured that. Nika, the four-legged basketball player...

 

[BobTheDuck]

Completly agree, all of this would obviously suck for one reason or another.

Summer has to be gone at the moment to a point where Elsa can’t reach her either (for example).

The only other possibility im able to come up with would be some kind of scenario where summer and Nika decided together that summer has to go and they can’t have any contact anymore (because it endangers the people around them or something?).

But that’s weak sauce too, esp considering their age when she „left“

I just think IF she would be dead, it would have been mentioned already, there would be no need for mystery.

And if she’s not dead, she will 99% come back.

The part giving me hope is that the AVN is called „Summers gone“ so whatever the reason is, i imagine ocean put the necessary work into the plotline.

They couldn't have decided not to see each other, as Summer also abandoned Nia. This, plus Elsa recognising Nika and not being awkward talking to him, suggest strongly that Summer isn't 'gone' because of Nika specifically. Summer wouldn't be able to prevent herself meeting Nika at school for example - she'd have to get her parents to change schools or move, which no sane parent would do based solely on a child's opinion of tragic love stories.

Unless Summer's parent's died, her disappearence is tied to theirs - otherwise Nika/Noji/Nami/Nia would be asking them if there was any news - and there wouldn't be the same sense of mystery. A whole family has disappeared in some fashion; if the parents were murdered by another fiendish car crash, Nika would know at least something. The disappearance is more likely to be related to a plot twist that concerns Summer's parents near the end of WiaB (ie setting up the situation that will return to haunt them), and I'm guessing that it'll not be outlined until near the end of SG, if at all: firstly a good mystery is almost an endless supply of motion for the plot, and secondly revealing too much in either game that give away details weakens the impact of each game. The reveals in both developments need to occur in parallel to avoid each one spoilering the other.

 

[Maviarab]

Sorry for what i´m going to say but... Is not like Bella is pregnant or something is that photo?
Yes, she hasn´t a big belly but for some reason she seems diferent to me, for some reason i remembered her belly more "defined", like a sport woman.

The hell?

Specsavers is a callin' Don

 

[rudy007]

Such a character. A rare fucking bitch. But if we call her that, it doesn’t mean that she is hated.

Yeah, you right. She is a bitch, as personality. But she's also family... But I like her... She's like Bella on steroids. Bella is "bitchy", but I really laugh about it (MC ignores her) Zara could be close to Leia... But we don't know on which side is she.

 

[Krytax123]

They couldn't have decided not to see each other, as Summer also abandoned Nia. This, plus Elsa recognising Nika and not being awkward talking to him, suggest strongly that Summer isn't 'gone' because of Nika specifically. Summer wouldn't be able to prevent herself meeting Nika at school for example - she'd have to get her parents to change schools or move, which no sane parent would do based solely on a child's opinion of tragic love stories.

Unless Summer's parent's died, her disappearence is tied to theirs - otherwise Nika/Noji/Nami/Nia would be asking them if there was any news - and there wouldn't be the same sense of mystery. A whole family has disappeared in some fashion; if the parents were murdered by another fiendish car crash, Nika would know at least something. The disappearance is more likely to be related to a plot twist that concerns Summer's parents near the end of WiaB (ie setting up the situation that will return to haunt them), and I'm guessing that it'll not be outlined until near the end of SG, if at all: firstly a good mystery is almost an endless supply of motion for the plot, and secondly revealing too much in either game that give away details weakens the impact of each game. The reveals in both developments need to occur in parallel to avoid each one spoilering the other.

Yeah you got me wrong, of course it would have to be something serious, I meant something like (and I know it sucks but I lack imagination):

Nika and Nami are still related to the Zane’s somehow and Summers parents are part of a different mafia/clan whatever. Summer moves away and both are aware that they can’t see each other anymore or have contact because it would for example endanger their family’s.

Giving Summers family Enemy clues about her location or whatever.

I mean whatever is, her living still in the same city can be pretty much excluded as possibility

it’s noticeable that a lot of parents have disappeared one way or another (maybe in a gang war or something similar?)

 

[John972]

This is where it's at for me. I haven't decided which LI I'll really care about, it's the concern that Summer's absence becomes a weak story device, while currently it is a strong one, driving all of Nika's dysfunction. By weaking the main plot device, the story needs something stronger to support the challenges that disruption of narrative flow brings. A couple of scenarios:

- Summer returns, and thanks the aliens that kidnapped her and her family for their hopsitality, the tabletop game was a foreshadowing of the change to the plot. Weak or strong? I can actually think of a couple of VN's that have variations of this

- Summer returns, battling to close the portal to the cthonic realm of chaos. Nika's trauma shows that he is attuned the the elder god's madness and is able to overcome them. Weak or strong?

- Summer returns having escaped from a serial killer who murdered her family. The serial killer is wealthy and hides as a benefactor of MOR university. Weak or strong?

- Summer returns and was put in witness protection, but breaks her cover to reunite. Weak or strong?

All of these (in my opinion) are trainwrecks to what worldbuilding has been established. Summer returning will have to be not only plausible, but visceral enough to feel relevant. She can't waltz in and be on the scene as though the last 5(?) years haven't happened. Some gala at the Holgersons and a chance meeting? Summer would know from Elsa that Nika's still in WOllust, so there will be no chance meeting.

Also, reappearing for Nika, but having left Nia in the dark also? Doubly important to be a very plausible reason, unlike the humorous/sarcastic ideas I randomly suggested. THe plot holes need to be as small as possible if Summer returns.

While I expect Summer is not dead (at least based on the story so far), I believe her "disappearance" (*) needs to be more than something external like the family entering witness protection or, say, the family moving away for whatever.

I say this is because Nika took Summer's "disappearance" so personally and it caused him extraordinary trauma. I can't think of any external event that would do this to him to such a degree (unless he's just a snowflake). Whatever, the reason, I expect it involves Nika personally in some way.

Ocean has laid some groundwork, although it remains to be seen if and how this relates to why Summer is gone:

Spoiler: Spoiler

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PS - BobTheDuck, you forgot the most plausible reason Summer is now gone from Nika, Nami, and Nia's lives - she's the German version of "Drop Dead Fred." They explains perfectly why Summer literally disappeared.

(*) For anyone not so familiar with the game, "Disappearance" is used by characters in the game to describe Summer's fate. It's anyone's guess what that actually means or if it's a euphemism.

Nojiko to MC:
"These thoughts you have.. Summer's disappearance.. it all affected you too much."

MC to Amber during therapy:
"After the thing with Su-m..." *you inhale deeply.* "After Summer's disappearance... Nami and I got very close.."

 

[Metal Panic]

Summer is a chimera.

Nah, dat bitch is in Until Dawn... she the Wendigo!

The problem for me is that i don´t have any feelings about Summer

How would you have feelings for someone you don't even know? flashbacks won't really help. Those are the MCs, not ours. He feels for her while we, the player, do not.

The MC spends most of his time with Nami or Bella (since I avoided everyone I could, these two are the ones the game sticks/forces you with) game is basically pushing you towards one or both of them together (+ side bitches, I guess)

Having flashbacks so we can see Summer, her cute/lovely moments with the MC (since I am sure he won't remember much bad shit between them and more so the lovey dovey moments, all in the Dev's hands) that shit is just annoying while constantly getting multiple girls thrown in your face (when you are at school) or home (Nami/Bella) tits and all.


Do you want me to see/remember Summer to feel bad/happy? to move on? or ignore her to try and get excited/horny seeing all these other girls take showers, do random poses, lots of tit renders, Nami having a piece of nude art done of her.... I don't really know what this game is wanting from the MC/the Player.


Like, Yay! he can move on and finally let Summer go, welp that's over. Did one of the LIs did something or connects to Summer? ohh, anyways, Eh, idk.

 

[John972]

This, plus Elsa recognising Nika and not being awkward talking to him...

The interesting thing about Elsa seeing Nika in the restaurant was the way she approached him. It's only been five years, but she says to him, "Nika? You're... you're Nika Cyrus, right?" That suggests she had no contact with Nika after Summer disappeared since she seemingly struggles to recognize him, despite their childhood meetings via Summer.

 

[BobTheDuck]

The interesting thing about Elsa seeing Nika in the restaurant was the way she approached him. It's only been five years, but she says to him, "Nika? You're... you're Nika Cyrus, right?" That suggests she had no contact with Nika after Summer disappeared since she seemingly struggles to recognize him, despite their childhood meetings via Summer.

Yeah - there's a couple of angles to that, it's a tricky one that I guess we'll find out more about. She's a famous model now right (i forget)? So she sees a lot of people, in new shoots, has to remember names, struggles with those kind of things. Really depends on what her job is like - is it studio based or location?

Without going into that side of speculation, she's seeing a ghost from her past. Nika has the reborn haircut of youngling Nika. He's in an exclusive restaurant he could never afford before - jarring her with his appearance in a place she might frequent. The important thing is there's no sense of antagonism or wariness from her, just caution to not mentione the thing directly. She seems happy (even if shocked) to reconnect. This scene is the only thing that makes me wonder if it was completely Nika's involvement that triggered whatever happened (like you, I'm thinking witness protection).

Elsa's Aurora photo suggests she hasn't thought about those events for a while, and she's kept herself too busy to let them get to her. Maybe it was explained to her in some form and she could smell something fishy being covered up, but it seems more like a regret and wistfulness from her, suggesting she saw it as something final.

 

[Den1mo]

So once approved by Steam,there will still be time.

I don't know. since more information is about season 2 I assume that steam release is very close. I wrote it more or less just for fun but I would be happy if it was soon

I still have a few drops of patience left

 

[John972]

i can relate to ppl who have experience lost, but when it comes to SG i still havent seen anything worth while. to me this is still a game lesser AVN without the sex. Nika is not likable at all, season one is about to end and if it ends with no indication of what happened to summer im probably going to drop this all together(no real loss i know) because this game should be renamed "the search for a boner".

I kinda think the reason a lot of people don't like Nika in SG or some MC's in AVNs in general is because they insert THEMSELVES into the MC ('probably change the character's name to their own as well), raising their expectations on the MC's characteristics/traits and behavior to match what they want/fantasize for themselves.

While I generally play most AVNs under the name "John" (yep, it's not my real name, 'just an AVN avatar, I cannot play an AVN as myself without laughing), I play SG under the name "Nika" because he's a character distinct from myself, and I enjoy the story more that way.

 

[BobTheDuck]

I don't know. since more information is about season 2 I assume that steam release is very close. I wrote it more or less just for fun but I would be happy if it was soon

I still have a few drops of patience left

Well, finding out when Steam has approved it will be a good thing, because then there is a timeline rather than this endless wondering. The fact that Epic have passed the rating on it means Steam will see that and have to comply - I'm sure they don't want Epic to have exclusive sales

 

[John972]

Yeah - there's a couple of angles to that, it's a tricky one that I guess we'll find out more about. She's a famous model now right (i forget)? So she sees a lot of people, in new shoots, has to remember names, struggles with those kind of things. Really depends on what her job is like - is it studio based or location?

Without going into that side of speculation, she's seeing a ghost from her past. Nika has the reborn haircut of youngling Nika. He's in an exclusive restaurant he could never afford before - jarring her with his appearance in a place she might frequent. The important thing is there's no sense of antagonism or wariness from her, just caution to not mentione the thing directly. She seems happy (even if shocked) to reconnect. This scene is the only thing that makes me wonder if it was completely Nika's involvement that triggered whatever happened (like you, I'm thinking witness protection).

Elsa's Aurora photo suggests she hasn't thought about those events for a while, and she's kept herself too busy to let them get to her. Maybe it was explained to her in some form and she could smell something fishy being covered up, but it seems more like a regret and wistfulness from her, suggesting she saw it as something final.

Yeah, I forgot about that damned haircut. Elsa was probably like, "Oh, it's Nika! Hold on, that hair? No way, that can't be Nika! He would never..."

 

[mostwanted8]

While I generally play most AVNs under the name "John" (yep, it's not my real name, 'just an AVN avatar, I cannot play an AVN as myself without laughing)

 

[John972]

View attachment 3564819

'sorry, I lie a lot.

 

[Don Sucio]

The hell?

Specsavers is a callin' Don

I use contact lenses so... That explain a lot

I kinda think the reason a lot of people don't like Nika in SG or some MC's in AVNs in general is because they insert THEMSELVES into the MC ('probably change the character's name to their own as well), raising their expectations on the MC's characteristics/traits and behavior to match what they want/fantasize for themselves.

While I generally play most AVNs under the name "John" (yep, it's not my real name, 'just an AVN avatar, I cannot play an AVN as myself without laughing), I play SG under the name "Nika" because he's a character distinct from myself, and I enjoy the story more that way.

Could be, but i like to think i´m all the Mcs of the games i play, one of the things i love about SG is the inmersive world, this help me to be more inmersed in the game...

I like to think about this like a roleplay, devs give us a character and we can dive in it and act how we think the Mc would react (like i´m doing in SG) or try to change his personality and choose like you would do it if you were the Mc.

 

[John972]

Yeah - there's a couple of angles to that, it's a tricky one that I guess we'll find out more about. She's a famous model now right (i forget)? So she sees a lot of people, in new shoots, has to remember names, struggles with those kind of things. Really depends on what her job is like - is it studio based or location?

Without going into that side of speculation, she's seeing a ghost from her past. Nika has the reborn haircut of youngling Nika. He's in an exclusive restaurant he could never afford before - jarring her with his appearance in a place she might frequent. The important thing is there's no sense of antagonism or wariness from her, just caution to not mentione the thing directly. She seems happy (even if shocked) to reconnect. This scene is the only thing that makes me wonder if it was completely Nika's involvement that triggered whatever happened (like you, I'm thinking witness protection).

Elsa's Aurora photo suggests she hasn't thought about those events for a while, and she's kept herself too busy to let them get to her. Maybe it was explained to her in some form and she could smell something fishy being covered up, but it seems more like a regret and wistfulness from her, suggesting she saw it as something final.

On the subject of Elsa, I am interested to find out if Sasha knew Elsa and Summer back in the day (meaning she may know what went down). We already know Summer had friends or acquaintances that Nika wasn't aware of (i.e. Nia). Ocean chose to show that Sasha follows Elsa's social media page for whatever reason.

 

[mostwanted8]

On the subject of Elsa, I am interested to find out if Sasha knew Elsa and Summer back in the day (meaning she may know what went down). We already know Summer had friends or acquaintances that Nika wasn't aware of (i.e. Nia). Ocean chose to show that Sasha follows Elsa's social media page for whatever reason.

Who is Elsa

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Damn, I need to replay SG. I can’t follow you guys

 

[John972]

Could be, but i like to think i´m all the Mcs of the games i play, one of the things i love about SG is the inmersive world, this help me to be more inmersed in the game...

I like to think about this like a roleplay, devs give us a character and we can dive in it and act how we think the Mc would react (like i´m doing in SG) or try to change his personality and choose like you would do it if you were the Mc.

True. There's a lot of malleability with MC character building in SG (as with many AVNs). I may play the MC as "Nika," but my first playthrough always involves my own gut choices. Subsequent playthroughs explore the fuller range of choices.

(A part of me wishes SG could be erased from my memory so I could discover a more complete version of it in the future and play it for the first time.)

 

[John972]

Who is Elsa

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Damn, I need to replay SG. I can’t follow you guys

She's Summer's cousin, seen as a child in one of Nika's memories, now a famous model. Nika briefly meets her in the restaurant where Bella and him execute part of their plot against the Holgersons.