I reviewed this game a long time ago when the game was fairly new. I still enjoy it but there are some problems with it.
The game suffers from an identity crisis. The author doesn't seem to know what kind of game they want it to be.
The skill system is the best example. Player have complained that it was only partially implemented and that there are few skill checks throughout the game. The author then gives plans to pull the entire skill system from the game instead of doing the right thing and fully implementing it and utilizing it.
If the author does remove the whole skill system it will break the structure of the game. There will no longer be any need for time periods throughout the day for sandbox purposes (building skills). There really won't be a need to have everything broken down into days either. The visual novel could easily move the player around at that point without the sandbox approach.
The second identity crisis is the MCs lack of self esteem and lack of moral standards. She will let just about anyone abuse and fuck her, even the homeless and the elderly. Agent Romanov's personality doesn't match a highly trained beautiful agent. It is more like a low self esteem slut who will sleep with anybody to get attention and to feel accepted.
Successful, beautiful people nearly always have high standards when it comes to their partners. They can be picky because of their looks and success. Lots of people want to hook up with them so they end up turning down a lot of people. That is why they often say 10s hook up with 10s and 5s hook up with 5s. But in this game, anything that walks and has a heartbeat is fuckable by the MC.
Overall, I still enjoy the game. If the author could resolve the two major identity crisis' in his game it would be much better. My guess is that it would require too much rewriting and so it won't happen. Also, because the author won't agree with it. That is fine, the author can do whatever they like. It is their game after all. The author can't expect players to write good reviews either though, on the flip side.
I wrote a 4 star review for this game like you did (but more recently). The author needs to make some important decisions instead of leaving the game half-baked. He either needs to remove the skill system and turn the game into a pure VN or fully implement the skill system, adding dozens of new skill checks throughout the game. That latter would be greatly preferred but it would require a bunch of work to accomplish and delaying new content for a release or two.
Currently, the player is grinding for skills that are barely used in the game. There is often nothing else to do during the day aside from grinding skills (on off story days). Why there is such a dilemma in deciding what to do with the skill system I don't understand.
The personality problem with Agent Romanov's personality is a problem of mistaken identity. The author wants the fame, prestige, and glory of a Marvel hero - Black Widow, and then treats her like a girl that has been abused her whole life and expects that treatment from men. Black Widow would never allow men to treat her the way she is abused and groped in the game constantly. She goes along with it every time without putting up much resistance. She also doesn't have any standards when it comes to men. This is the opposite of the real Black Widow in the Marvel universe. The real Black Widow doesn't put up with shit.
So the author is trying to twist Agent Romanov into something she isn't and expects everyone to be happy about it. I don't mind if the author turns Black Widow into a slut, as long as she is a slut with standards. Very rarely do highly trained gorgeous girls go around fucking strangers, the homeless, and the elderly. It is a fantasy that is really hard to swallow.
I wrote a 4 star review for this game like you did (but more recently). The author needs to make some important decisions instead of leaving the game half-baked. He either needs to remove the skill system and turn the game into a pure VN or fully implement the skill system, adding dozens of new skill checks throughout the game. That latter would be greatly preferred but it would require a bunch of work to accomplish and delaying new content for a release or two.
Currently, the player is grinding for skills that are barely used in the game. There is often nothing else to do during the day aside from grinding skills (on off story days). Why there is such a dilemma in deciding what to do with the skill system I don't understand.
The personality problem with Agent Romanov's personality is a problem of mistaken identity. The author wants the fame, prestige, and glory of a Marvel hero - Black Widow, and then treats her like a girl that has been abused her whole life and expects that treatment from men. Black Widow would never allow men to treat her the way she is abused and groped in the game constantly. She goes along with it every time without putting up much resistance. She also doesn't have any standards when it comes to men. This is the opposite of the real Black Widow in the Marvel universe. The real Black Widow doesn't put up with shit.
So the author is trying to twist Agent Romanov into something she isn't and expects everyone to be happy about it. I don't mind if the author turns Black Widow into a slut, as long as she is a slut with standards. Very rarely do highly trained gorgeous girls go around fucking strangers, the homeless, and the elderly. It is a fantasy that is really hard to swallow.
I don't know how to say this but I'm not the one turning Romanov into a slut that will fuck anyone for no reason... you are. The Canon Romanov is Good Romanov as stated several times. She's fighting the infection, she's succeeding, she's building a healthy relation with scout and she's teasing left, right and center without letting herself get fucked, neither figurately nor literally.
I do (we do), however, owe ourselves to very different types of fans with very different types of kinks, so options must be put out for everyone to enjoy (as long as we feel like doing them and can fit in the game). Slut Nat (corrupt Nat) is a believable character that just got completely eaten by the power of none other than Ivy herself... but if that's not your cup of tea, you shouldn't be following that arch.
I would strongly recommend to you 2 guys to play the game from the Good Path perspective and see if thats a Romanov you find yourselves more comfortable with. We could probably make the decisions easier to spot what path they lead to, but aside from that I think that removing sex scenes just cause they do not match the original character is not the option. Again, as said, Canon Nat is Good Nat, everything else is "your" Nat.
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About stats, yeap, they are pending to be reworked still. It's not a priority right now since they are not part of the game enough to be a problem. They don't block scenes, they don't force you to grind anything, they don't give you access to otherwise inaccessible content. So... yeah, they are just there as a placeholder for now pending to be decided on.
The dilemma you mention doesn't come from deciding what to do with them, comes from the time we need to spend on doing whatever we decide to do with them.
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In any case, thank you both for the feedback and for taking the time to come talk to us. We worked on the gallery cause you asked for it, we worked on the skip function cause you wanted it, we worked on the 100 save slots cause you needed it... we will work on those stats
I do (we do), however, owe ourselves to very different types of fans with very different types of kinks, so options must be put out for everyone to enjoy (as long as we feel like doing them and can fit in the game). Slut Nat (corrupt Nat) is a believable character that just got completely eaten by the power of none other than Ivy herself... but if that's not your cup of tea, you shouldn't be following that arch.
This is the opposite of how a novel should be written. A novel should be based on the character and the fetishes will come naturally to that character. Putting the emphasis on hitting as many fetishes as possible damages character development and can make the story unbelievable. This is what has happened with this game.
About stats, yep, they are pending to be reworked still. It's not a priority right now since they are not part of the game enough to be a problem. They don't block scenes, they don't force you to grind anything, they don't give you access to otherwise inaccessible content. So... yeah, they are just there as a placeholder for now pending to be decided on.
The dilemma you mention doesn't come from deciding what to do with them, comes from the time we need to spend on doing whatever we decide to do with them.
Way too many excuses here. If I remember correctly (and please forgive me if I am mistaken) the game was started by a different author and he abandoned it and you took over development. Perhaps you were on the same team, I don't recall. Anyway, most of the skill checks uses python scripts since Renpy is really meant to be a scene player and not an RPG. You probably don't know python and that is likely the main reason the skill system was only utilized at the very beginning of the game. If that is the case, you either need to learn python or get with another developer who does and team up.
The problem is that the story is generally well done but it is all based on an under-utilized skill system. A visual novel with RPG elements sets the game apart from the pure VN crowd. Yet, it was teased and then no longer used. That is worse than not having it at all.
Yes, the skill system doesn't block scenes but it should. Skill checks should be plentiful. The player does have lots of time slots throughout the day to build skills. No the player isn't forced to grind for them but oftentimes they are the only activity available aside from skipping time.
The placeholder argument isn't valid anymore. Way too much content has been added without the skill system. That decision should have been made towards the beginning. Now you are faced with loads of content that needs to be reworked with lots of skill checks added. You basically shot yourself in the foot.
If you think I'm being rude, I'm not. I'm being honest and straight with you. I am still a fan of the game and my review hasn't been changed from 4 stars.
This game has been out for a while now and still struggles with popularity. I'm trying to help you understand what is wrong with your game if you will listen. Ultimately, all decisions are yours. We all have to live in the bed we make.
This is the opposite of how a novel should be written. A novel should be based on the character and the fetishes will come naturally to that character. Putting the emphasis on hitting as many fetishes as possible damages character development and can make the story unbelievable. This is what has happened with this game.
Way too many excuses here. If I remember correctly (and please forgive me if I am mistaken) the game was started by a different author and he abandoned it and you took over development. Perhaps you were on the same team, I don't recall. Anyway, most of the skill checks uses python scripts since Renpy is really meant to be a scene player and not an RPG. You probably don't know python and that is likely the main reason the skill system was only utilized at the very beginning of the game. If that is the case, you either need to learn python or get with another developer who does and team up.
The problem is that the story is generally well done but it is all based on an under-utilized skill system. A visual novel with RPG elements sets the game apart from the pure VN crowd. Yet, it was teased and then no longer used. That is worse than not having it at all.
Yes, the skill system doesn't block scenes but it should. Skill checks should be plentiful. The player does have lots of time slots throughout the day to build skills. No the player isn't forced to grind for them but oftentimes they are the only activity available aside from skipping time.
The placeholder argument isn't valid anymore. Way too much content has been added without the skill system. That decision should have been made towards the beginning. Now you are faced with loads of content that needs to be reworked with lots of skill checks added. You basically shot yourself in the foot.
If you think I'm being rude, I'm not. I'm being honest and straight with you. I am still a fan of the game and my review hasn't been changed from 4 stars.
This game has been out for a while now and still struggles with popularity. I'm trying to help you understand what is wrong with your game if you will listen. Ultimately, all decisions are yours. We all have to live in the bed we make.
Hey there! Let me jump on in and join this chitchat, at least for a little bit. I left the first part alone so Unshi could see it and absorb the feedback directly, so now I think I should chime in with my take on things, yeah? Unshi may have come in a little hot, but I can tell you he doesn't think being rude or attacking. He and I appreciate the feedback, it's why were here after all, he's just almost always got a lot on his shoulders to carry for us, particularly now so close to a release.
Anyway, that's just interesting to know. The more relevent take away is that Unshi built the whole engine in Unity (not Ren'py), so he can code the checks. That's not the issue at hand, I'm afraid.
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Now to my takes.
Forgive me this time, as I am not trying to be rude either when I say this, but your feedback is a little obvious. Of course it would be better for the game if it had more checks, activity interaction and depth to character skill building. It simply would and I agree with you. Now, that's not to say it's not important that you speak up and say it, letting us know it's as clear to see from a player's perspective, but we do know it ourselves. However, even though it's better for the end result, it also comes with it's own costs and drawbacks. I fear it's more than it seems, not simply a something we can do in 1 version's wait, or maybe even 2. The complexity of the matter is the issue from what I can see. Since our current internal deliberations concern whether we're going to even get to do all the side content threads we would like, or if we need to move to Mission #3 and the game end sooner out of necessity, it's hard to see how we can find a lot of time for this, even at the game's expense.
(This is next part is my supposition, for give me Unshi if I am wrong).
Originally when the game was first started up, it wasn't supposed to run this long, be this big, be so complex. That's my feeling on it from being an early follower on to working on it as long as I have. To your other point about Nat not being quite like the original, it comes from the same place. Unshi started off having been able to make a good lookalike for many of the girls we have, thought it would be some enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek, semi-serious, only thin excuses needed for sex mash up of characters he and others could enjoy like Nat/Cat/Lara/Ivy, all in a bit of fun. It was an experimental early project to test the waters and try out things like the stats, the infection pop-up in the beginning, the achievement system bit etc, that could then go on to be a proper game later on if things worked out well. It wasn't supposed to be this serious, and certainly not supposed to go into it's 5th year of development. That is down in large part to my doing, my influence on things, and may well be a catalyst of the issues at hand (a long with the fact we can't make as big as updates as we would like per month).
(End supposition)
The idea of Good, Corrupt and Bad Nat came after I was already on the team, and a lot from my pushing to add more meaning to choices and variants to scenes. I'd like to think it's been a value add overall (feedback here suggests it is) but its also a very complex system thanks to the crossover points between the paths, which was not something the game was orignally planned around or expected to be. Not tho this extent anyway. Already it has to track of scenarios like this:
"You are Bad Nat, but you were Corrupt Nat up until the yacht, so half of your game went one way and the other is on another path. You had sex with him, but not him. You also started the Cat eventline as Corrupt, and so finish it as Corrupt, even though you are Bad Nat. Do you have any chance at all to become Good Nat again by the end? Who is alive in your game and who has died?"
Now imagine going back through the whole game to add checks in places and then taking them into account above. It'd have to include "You were Corrupt Nat up until the yacht, but you didn't do this or that, and you fucked him this way but not that guy". Every little thing would be a slippery branch to hold on to, and an exponentially growing order of complexity for us to account for. That's why I think we haven't done it much, honestly. We have tried to include options along things like what kind of sex the player wants to see (so giving the the option to the watch Monster rape, or mind controlled sex) as much as we can and take a hit in more things to track, but that's important for it's own reasons.
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So basically, as our game grew, as we became a team, and as we pushed on ahead, the project morphed into something bigger/different than what it was originally to be. We're still dealing with holder overs and remenants of those early days, particularly in the gameplay sections. But the key is what can we do about it that's practical at this point?
Going back and checks that add an entrance requirement to content/choices means adding alternate paths for scenes to play out, one for every check. That adds up quickly, adding more versions to the total, and more to account for later in the case of more prominent scenes. It is a big undertaking at this point, and yes, that's our fault, but it doesn't change the fact we have to work within our limits and what's best cost:value for us, so we can keep doing this month after month. Especially so since we've come this far and new changes will mostly effect new players. For others it's adding barriers to content they've already seen before (which is our own bullet in our foot, yes).
We've not made any decisions yet, and I'm not the one with the leading voice in the decision either, so we don't have a set solution yet. What I suspect is the most prudent way forward it to get to the end of the content development and spend some time cleaning up the game where it needs it. Reaching v1.0 is a big accomplishment, something worth celebrating in itself, and we'll not sniff at it. A first game under our belt will be quite the achivement, even if it's not been the perfect path to it. After that, we treat this as a learning experience, do the kind of in-depth analyisis and self review on the game and ourselves, figure out what worked, what didn't, what could have been better and what we didn't give a chance but maybe should have (stats included). We'll need to take that all into account as we form the base of whatever comes next, our 3rd project, and aim to do better than we did with this one. If there is ever an appetite (and I hope their might well be), for us and the fans, to really spend some time polishing old content and shaping up AoH:MoAR with a v1.1, or a v2.0, with some cleaner gameplay and improved early game renders, maybe even a dash of new content, then wonder indeed! Otherwise, being better and moving forward may well be the most prudent way forward for us.
Phew... I'll stop now, I've talked enough. Hopefully I've cleared up somethings for you and all here, even if my answers might not be what people want to hear. Also, I do want to thank you for your feedback, fandom and time. Cheers for enjoying our stuff so much you are wanting us to be better, enough to post to us, review and to be honest with us as we may need it.
All the best! We're going to keep on making goodness while the 2020 is still young. Ha.
I don't know how to say this but I'm not the one turning Romanov into a slut that will fuck anyone for no reason... you are. The Canon Romanov is Good Romanov as stated several times. She's fighting the infection, she's succeeding, she's building a healthy relation with scout and she's teasing left, right and center without letting herself get fucked, neither figurately nor literally.
I do (we do), however, owe ourselves to very different types of fans with very different types of kinks, so options must be put out for everyone to enjoy (as long as we feel like doing them and can fit in the game). Slut Nat (corrupt Nat) is a believable character that just got completely eaten by the power of none other than Ivy herself... but if that's not your cup of tea, you shouldn't be following that arch.
I would strongly recommend to you 2 guys to play the game from the Good Path perspective and see if thats a Romanov you find yourselves more comfortable with. We could probably make the decisions easier to spot what path they lead to, but aside from that I think that removing sex scenes just cause they do not match the original character is not the option. Again, as said, Canon Nat is Good Nat, everything else is "your" Nat.
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About stats, yeap, they are pending to be reworked still. It's not a priority right now since they are not part of the game enough to be a problem. They don't block scenes, they don't force you to grind anything, they don't give you access to otherwise inaccessible content. So... yeah, they are just there as a placeholder for now pending to be decided on.
The dilemma you mention doesn't come from deciding what to do with them, comes from the time we need to spend on doing whatever we decide to do with them.
--
In any case, thank you both for the feedback and for taking the time to come talk to us. We worked on the gallery cause you asked for it, we worked on the skip function cause you wanted it, we worked on the 100 save slots cause you needed it... we will work on those stats
Yeah it sucks being out of business almost a year, but its ok. And after this covid s..t storm is over i'll be back on business (and who knows, if things go well i might even be able to subscribe some of my favorite devs on patreon). In the meantime, this page and games like this keeps me going. Oh and i didn't notice public post before, thanks for letting me know.
An walkthrough would be amazing. I played version 1.8 and the now 1.9 when it released and i´m sure i must have missed some content, by not chosing the correct place to be at a certain time of the day. I think the game is great fun, but some guidance would be much appreciated
hmm...I loaded my Corruption path save and tried to play but it went straight to title with "thanks for playing"...or something like that. Will keep trying.
