Unity A Long Journey [v0.9.4] [Marvellous Lunatic]

[Aristos]

Not much is left.

[Episode Hamal] Progress Update XXX

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Greetings,
last week I finished all remaining static images for the episode content. It's all scripted in. I'm just doing some final touches on the dialogue of the lewd scene right now and after that I'll hand it over for review. I also added quite a lot new lewd sounds to fill the final scene a bit more.
Animations as minor follow up update
On my task tracker are 45 animations listed that I would like to add. I said previously I want to render them during the last beta phase and maybe not all. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do that in a week or two. Therefor I'll add them (maybe / probably) all in a minor update a bit later. Maybe I'll give myself a time frame for that like 2 - 4 weeks or something to get as much done as possible and filter out some minor animations. I'm not sure about that yet. I'll see how fast I'll get through with the first few animations.
Impact of changes in my actual job
However, there is another point that might slow things down a bit in the next few weeks. In my primary / real-life job I got assigned to another project with a software I'm not yet really familiar and I got a working student to onboard in this project too. As I don't like being unprepared or lacking the skill for the current project I'll probably end up doing overtime to get into the new project and software to fill in my knowledge and skill gaps. Therefor progress might be a bit slower the first few weeks but I'm pretty sure I'll be quick to catch up.
Current Status
~ 1500 rendered and edited images
- 9 HQ vertical scroll images
- 12 animations
~ 100% written
~ 99,9% scripting
- 28 SFX

 

[osanaiko]

I handed over the final script review and edits for Episode 8 to Marvellous Lunatic yesterday.

You'll be seeing some serious plot developments as the conflict grows and time runs out.
And there is one of the best* erotic scenes I've had the pleasure to see in an adult game. ("best" = long, detailed and sexy, with excellent images and animations as well as kinky scenario and dialogue. Chef's Kiss! I won't say I was surprised, but I was very impressed. )

 

[Aristos]

Thanks osanaiko for your work and for dropping by.

Just to make it clear so no one will feel let down if they are expecting something different: the sex scene will be a new flashback with Pia. We've been seeing some previews on Patreon for the past months and it looks indeed *chef's kiss*.

Spoiler: Appetizer

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[jhonatanw]

Episode Hamal Previews I

 

[jhonatanw]

Episode Hamal - Previews II

 

[BorgiaBou]

So flashbacks with his girlfriend... yeah this update will be a hardpass for me... if its something i hate in these games are flasbacks and dream scenes, why just why...

 

[Aristos]

It's out

 

[MamaOswald]

Patiently waiting for the update!

Without spoiling anything, can anyone tell me if the update has more scenes than just flashbacks with Pia?

 

[Aristos]

Patiently waiting for the update!

Without spoiling anything, can anyone tell me if the update has more scenes than just flashbacks with Pia?

The only sex scene in this update is the flashback with Pia, yes.
But that's only as far as sex is concerned. The main story keeps moving forward, and actually next update will put an end to this first part of the story, or chapter, or season, or however you wanna call it.
This is yesterday's dev post:

[General] Update

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Greetings,
Episode Hamal is finally released and can be downloaded in the 2 previous posts (tier depending). The development cycle was pretty long this time. Even if it has the most content of any episode yet, I'll try to keep the next ones shorter again.
Short vacation
According to my previous plans I was supposed to be on my way to a short vacation by now. However, due to my real life work I had to post-pone it by one week. So I'll be on vacation next week and a few days on top. Real life work is currently taking quite a toll on me and I'm really looking forward to be able to take a little break.
Progress
My real life job took a lot of time the past weeks which leaves/left less time for the game. I finished up the whole episode but I haven't had the time to really dig into the animation update which I want to tackle next. However, I'll grind it after the short vacation. Anyway, I'll take my writing stuff and some books with me for inspiration and will start writing on the next episode in the evening when I feel like.
Episode Izar
The next episode will be named 'Izar', following the alphabetical naming scheme by stars I've chosen for my episodes. This episode should be the last one of the first season. At least to my original plans. The episode is very roughly sketched already but I have a feeling it would be quite a long one again. So my plan is to sketch the episode with dialogue and scenes in more detail during my vacation and then I'll decide if I have to split it in smaller parts to not have such long development cycles.
However, due to the development in the story there is hardly any space for a lewd scene to fit in the present time-line of the game. I would prefer if I can come up with a lewd scene that fits the narrative but I won't force one in if it doesn't fit or would disturb the flow of the current story. If I don't come up with a good way I will handle it a bit different but I'll definitely create at least one lewd scene anyway, because I like creating them. However, they may not be unlocked during the normal main story. Maybe they will be unlocked like secrets or some other gameplay mechanic. Anyway, this is not set in stone yet and I'll give it another thought. I just want to be as transparent as I can on how the development will go on.

Kind regards.

 

[BorgiaBou]

However, they may not be unlocked during the normal main story. Maybe they will be unlocked like secrets or some other gameplay mechanic.

God no, please no... man this game started soooo good, first sex scene with Selene one of the best around these games... now we have them flasbacks (cuz a sex scene flasback is so important story wise) and secret galeries unlockables...

I finished up the whole episode but I haven't had the time to really dig into the animation update which I want to tackle next

What does that mean, no animations in this update?

 

[osanaiko]

The developer is writing a dramatic space thriller with a limited timeline for the hero and heroine to overcome the bad guys. It is simply not a dumb wankfest game, and trying to force a sex scene with the heroine into the plot at this point would just be obvious illogical fanservice.

The update does contain a number of animations in the flashback sex scene with Pia, and a number of animations at points in the main plot. However the dev has previously said he wants to add even more, as he enjoys making them.

 

[Canto Forte]

We are getting all lost in the weeds in this forrest of so many days wandering aimlessly around this space station looking for a scene or two at the right time in the right room.

Spoiler

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How much codes does it take to make it so there was this one room/corner/bed/couch/tube or:
NO.1 - shower,
NO.2 one of the other bunks,
NO.3 gym closet,
NO.4 gym changing room,
NO.5 air ducts
NO.s 6 to infinity - of literal dozens of the unutilised rooms all around the ship where every day/other day/week/month MC would get together with the currently only GF he has - a living breathing bombshell who is this close to getting offed - to have sexual healing??? For all MC knows he could go streaking and have public sex anywhere on this barren ship.

Plot advancement - MC should not go mad with his long lost gf fever dreams and this would make the tiring +time consuming+ nothingness growing inside and outside all around him in his current situation - seem a little more bearable?

 

[Aristos]

OK, first of all,

We are getting all lost in the weeds in this forrest of so many days wandering aimlessly around this space station looking for a scene or two at the right time in the right room.

don't lie.
You don't have to roam the spaceship to randomly bump into a scene or too. That's misleading for potential new players.

The game is mostly a VN, and when it goes into sandbox mode and you do have to go somewhere at a specific time (very few instances throughout the game), the hint system tells you where you have to go and it's absolutely straightforward.
Am I a fan of sandbox elements? NO, I'M NOT.
But are they unbearable in this game? NO, THEY AREN'T. They are pretty secondary at this point.
The only times when you have to do a bit more roaming is at the end of each update, to find the secret pics if, and only if you are interested in those. And again, there are hints telling you the room where you have to look for them.

Now, on a different subject, I'm not sure if I understood Cantonese correctly this time: were you complaining that the sanbox was horrible while asking for repeatable sex scenes?

 

[osanaiko]

I think it's important to understand where this game has come from and how it has changed.

It is my understanding (and Marvellous Lunatic please correct me if I am misleading people) that the original vision of the game was based around the large spaceship forming a sandbox in which the full story could be told.

The developer chose many things that are not "default renpy f95 game" because that's how he prefers to work:
- to build his own game engine in unity
- make his own 3d assets
- choose a non-standard render pipeline

He is not a person who follows the easy, normal path. He does these things primarily because he enjoys the creation process, not because he is trying to cash-in with "college kid's father died so now he lives with his landlady and roommates (Hint Hint) game #43"

Because he is approaching it like a true writer and allowing the text and the characters to drive the plot, he has found that the needs of telling the story have made it have a quite linear Kinetic Novel style gameplay, that is not really suited to the sandbox style game that was the original vision.

He has told me that this entire current arc of the story is just the introduction. Soon it will come to the end, and then MC will find himself on the ship with more people awake. In this second arc, the sandbox style will come into much wider use, as ******* (<--- spoilers I will not reveal).

As the introduction which has few choices is developed, the bones of the sandbox game engine remain (the map, the navigation, the quest log, the hints) but it's not really used.

Perhaps some players wish the still-in-development game was different. But it is the creation of the dev, it is his choice how to make it.

If you are not even a supporter, you have exactly zero rights to complain. Even if you are a Patron - remember you are supporting the artist make what they want to make - you are not buying a product. No-one is forcing you to be a supporter. If you don't like the creation, stop supporting.

It seems so easy to understand to me, discussion finished.

 

[MamaOswald]

Is anyone up for sharing the update?

 

[Fuchsschweif]

Nobody:

The dev: "Let's put the MC's yellow ass into the preview pics, my target audience will love this"

 

[Nulldev]

Nobody:

The dev: "Let's put the MC's yellow ass into the preview pics, my target audience will love this"

View attachment 3539983

That's for the female audience, every Hollywood movie needs a male ass shot too

 

[magvearn]

I'll put this on the back burner until i see a completed tag for the whole story not just a season or chapter. The scenes, the models are great, the story ok for the most part. Just a bit too slow for me and unfortunately i'm also not so interested in sex scene in the flashback. Good luck Dev.

 

[Glaz64]

The freckles on the face of the readhead in screenshots 1, 4, 5 and 6 are way over done, or is this supposed to be some alien woman? Also the freckles on the redhead in screenshots 9 and 13 are so badly overdone they look like she's just covered in dirt.

I'm guessing the dev really likes freckles but struggled to make them show up well with the lighting, and rather than fix the lighting, because admittedly, lighting is hard, he just amped up the freckles to stupid levels, and now the effect just looks bad. Unfortunate.

 

[Mordikay]

Anyone got a save file with scene replay unlocked? I'm not going through this again and gameplay is kinda tedious.