Ren'Py Beauty and the Thug [v0.4.5] [Ze-gam-eZ]

[Stan5851]

Yeah, I know who thinks that: Me. It's a personal view.

Well, then “agree to disagree” because I'm also sticking to my opinion.

 

[zegamez]

When I first started dreaming about making my own game, DMD was honestly one of my favorite titles ever. In fact, my very first draft was a full-blown drama: “Daddy” had just returned from an Arab country, where he’d been captured during military service and spent years locked up in a prison before managing a miraculous escape. Back home, everyone believed he was dead. His wife had remarried, and his daughter was living alone in their old house. She never believed her dad was gone and even tried sneaking onto a ship to go find and rescue him. I probably don’t need to explain where the story went from there


Then I re-read the script and thought… yeah, maybe I should start with something less epic. Like a short game. A small, manageable project. So I came up with Beauty and the Thug.

…And then promptly proved that writing a short story is apparently not one of my talents. But hey—what came out is what came out!

As for Lisa—she was originally inspired by Amy from Project Sage by Paperwork. Like Amy… but with red hair. Like Amy… but a little more athletic. Like Amy… but… well, in the end, she turned out nothing like Amy.

 

[Big Rooster]

When I first started dreaming about making my own game, DMD was honestly one of my favorite titles ever. In fact, my very first draft was a full-blown drama: “Daddy” had just returned from an Arab country, where he’d been captured during military service and spent years locked up in a prison before managing a miraculous escape. Back home, everyone believed he was dead. His wife had remarried, and his daughter was living alone in their old house. She never believed her dad was gone and even tried sneaking onto a ship to go find and rescue him. I probably don’t need to explain where the story went from there


Then I re-read the script and thought… yeah, maybe I should start with something less epic. Like a short game. A small, manageable project. So I came up with Beauty and the Thug.

…And then promptly proved that writing a short story is apparently not one of my talents. But hey—what came out is what came out!

As for Lisa—she was originally inspired by Amy from Project Sage by Paperwork. Like Amy… but with red hair. Like Amy… but a little more athletic. Like Amy… but… well, in the end, she turned out nothing like Amy.

Always thought your Lisa looked like Mr. Dots, Melody. (BTW that's a good thing)

 

[JNev]

When I first started dreaming about making my own game, DMD was honestly one of my favorite titles ever. In fact, my very first draft was a full-blown drama: “Daddy” had just returned from an Arab country, where he’d been captured during military service and spent years locked up in a prison before managing a miraculous escape. Back home, everyone believed he was dead. His wife had remarried, and his daughter was living alone in their old house. She never believed her dad was gone and even tried sneaking onto a ship to go find and rescue him. I probably don’t need to explain where the story went from there


Then I re-read the script and thought… yeah, maybe I should start with something less epic. Like a short game. A small, manageable project. So I came up with Beauty and the Thug.

…And then promptly proved that writing a short story is apparently not one of my talents. But hey—what came out is what came out!

As for Lisa—she was originally inspired by Amy from Project Sage by Paperwork. Like Amy… but with red hair. Like Amy… but a little more athletic. Like Amy… but… well, in the end, she turned out nothing like Amy.

Somehow I am relieved that Project Sage convinced to make a female protagonist game. Of course, the first game is always the hardest, because of the lack of experience, but the way The Beauty And The Thug developed over the years, shows me, that you learned fast and getting better every time.
If B&T ist finished in ... lets say in 10 years ... there is still time to make daddy come back to find his daughter ... or mommy ... can we stick with mommy?

 

[jackdanniels]

“Daddy” had just returned from an Arab country, where he’d been captured during military service and spent years locked up in a prison before managing a miraculous escape. Back home, everyone believed he was dead. His wife had remarried, and his daughter was living alone in their old house. She never believed her dad was gone and even tried sneaking onto a ship to go find and rescue him.

That's one hell of a plot. I hope this may be a future project. You have your hands full with two AVNs, but this daddy tale sounds badass.

 

[zegamez]

Just found the old plot doc—309 pages of script, ready to go. That’s what I call E for Efficiency!
Write it, toss it, write something completely different.

Of course, it’ll need some serious rewriting—my English was even worse back then—but the core idea isn’t too bad. It even has some mystical themes inspired by Native American legends. I actually did quite a bit of research to understand their myths and stories.

And yeah… "daddy" could easily be replaced with a landlady. Or an older sister childhood friend.

 

[jackdanniels]

And yeah… "daddy" could easily be replaced with a landlady. Or an older sister childhood friend.

Better: Let the player choose their relationship, like "MC is female character .... (leave in blank for landlord)", there are a lot of AVNs that use this system, like 'Her Desire' and 'Light of My Life'. With this system, they don't have any problem with Patreon.

 

[Stan5851]

Better: Let the player choose their relationship, like "MC is female character .... (leave in blank for landlord)", there are a lot of AVNs that use this system, like 'Her Desire' and 'Light of My Life'. With this system, they don't have any problem with Patreon.

The problem with almost any AVN with FMC is that the output of almost any dev of such a game, willingly or not, turns out to be a “happy slut simulator”, sometimes with the turbo prefix, sometimes without. And it's already quite boring. “Beauty and the Thug” still manages to balance on the edge, but even this project is not immune to an unexpected lurch and dumping into the usual rut for these games.

That's why the time-tested “DMD format”, where this Daddy, freed from captivity, is our MC, and the very daughter, who believed, hoped, and searched for her father, is the object of our love, looks, in my opinion, more winning.

 

[Stan5851]

Beauty and the Thug try hard to make a monogamous romance, which you can turn kink or not. People are demanding a lesbian route and to kick the thug out of the story - I hope the dev have the balls to hold the desire of those guys who dream to be a lesbian woman. But I'm not against choices and routes.

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[zegamez]

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

I get it now—but at first, it totally caught me off guard that so many players (probably most of them, honestly) identify so closely with the MC that when she sleeps with a guy, it feels… a little too personal. Like, “Wait… does this make me gay?” vibes.

I originally picked a female MC just because I wanted to show a kind of “normal” female routine—sure, one that’s constantly half-naked and way too focused on sex, but still, you know… normal-ish.

That’s why I didn’t stress about Amy showing up later than Hunter. But don’t worry—I’m definitely keeping that in mind now!

 

[JNev]

I get it now—but at first, it totally caught me off guard that so many players (probably most of them, honestly) identify so closely with the MC that when she sleeps with a guy, it feels… a little too personal. Like, “Wait… does this make me gay?” vibes.

I originally picked a female MC just because I wanted to show a kind of “normal” female routine—sure, one that’s constantly half-naked and way too focused on sex, but still, you know… normal-ish.

That’s why I didn’t stress about Amy showing up later than Hunter. But don’t worry—I’m definitely keeping that in mind now!

I think people have different reasons for playing a female main character and which love interest is the best for her. From my perspective I wouldn't be bothered to get Lisa a boyfriend, but Hunter isn't the one that feels like the right match for her. As you can read, I don't see myself very much in Lisa. It's more like having a daughter and you want to decide what's the best for her. But sure, there might be situations when I see myself in the female main characters position, for example when I have to decide if Lisa has to shave her pubic hair or not. As a woman, I just wouldn't like it. Amy is very cute and because the girls have a history together, it feels like falling in love with a childhood friend. But of course, being (more) attracted to women makes the lesbian romance, the prefered one for men when they play a woman.

 

[BobBobbyBob006]

Thanks !

 

[Buletti]

Lisa's feet are more detailed now

12 hours ago

Lisa's got new feet, more detailed. Do you like them?

I am personally not into feet, but there surely will be lots of people to appreciate.

 

[Buletti]

it totally caught me off guard that so many players (probably most of them, honestly) identify so closely with the MC that when she sleeps with a guy, it feels… a little too personal. Like, “Wait… does this make me gay?” vibes.

For what It's worth, I personally almost never identify with a MC in a VN.

I just prefer to fap to naked women's bodies. So for porn in general I highly prefer "lesbian" content (I am aware that it is made for men, not lesbians).

If I want to stare at a dick, I can look at my own. I don't necessarily need other dicks in my porn. Tits and pussy on the other hand there cannot be enough...

 

[zegamez]

You must be registered to see the links

is ready!

 

[Buletti]

You must be registered to see the links

is ready! View attachment 4907663

Man, please go to bed earlier. It is no use to ruin yourself for short wins and then Stop everything eventually. Both your VNs are outstanding and I really would love to see them get finished.

Crossing my fingers that none of the shit comes back!

Cheers!

 

[cuthbert_binns]

Hunter did a number on her
This guy is Hunter, right? Looks different...

No, this is Jose, the owner of the car wash. Tell me you didn't read the report without telling me you didn't read the report.

 

[jackdanniels]

No, this is Jose, the owner of the car wash. Tell me you didn't read the report without telling me you didn't read the report.

Thank you for the answer. Yeah, I tell you: no, I didn't read it. That's why I have asked such a question.

 

[GrumpyOldGit]

I've been playing this again after leaving it alone for years. Started a completely new playthrough. I don't recall how far beyond Lisa and Hunter's first date I got last time, but I think I got cut off no more than a couple days after that.

While overall I like the game, I'm honestly more than a little miffed that Lisa is stuck with a molester of a nurse just for signing up for a gynecologist appointment. If that is the whole point of the gynecologist arc, then the hint needs to clarify that the choice isn't just about Lisa being brave enough to visit a gynecologist. Personally, I was feeling an intense desire to have Gloria kicked out not just from the clinic but the country, but the stronger feeling was the frustration that there are literally no choices in there to tell her to fuck off. Especially given how the gynecologist arc is structured, I feel that Gloria's presence and actions strongly merits allowing the player some kind of exit point. It wouldn't be the worst instance of favoring player choice over plot continuity. If it wasn't for that character, I would enjoy not just the presence of the OB/GYN arc, but the content of it as well; her interactions felt kinda weird during the first appointment, but I wasn't expecting feel annoyed and uncomfortable already by the second appointment.

Most people, especially writers, are at least vaguely aware that hate for a character they wrote is better than apathy, and that is absolutely true. However, hating a character's presence in a story is an entirely different matter. I don't hate Gloria as a character. But I would, far more strongly than I care to admit, prefer the character's presence in (this particular playthrough of) the game entirely removed. Mostly because the only way to opt out would be to load a save at least >1 in-game week back, depending on when you reach your breaking point. Also the fact that the opt-out is deciding the MC isn't brave enough, the end. There is no other way (so far) to deal with Gloria once you even learn of her presence in the story. And that, imho, is weak narrative design. Not because player choice should always be present, but because of the ubiquity of player choice everywhere else in the game. It feels kinda like the game telling you that you can choose anal or no anal for the MC, but then ignoring that choice for one lengthy, if relatively minor arc.

Also, given the relative slow cadence of this particular arc, I feel like this is one that should absolutely take the main romance paths into account.

Ok, not the longest rant I've seen on these boards, but still longer than I had planned. I may be more frustrated than I thought.

 

[JNev]

While overall I like the game, I'm honestly more than a little miffed that Lisa is stuck with a molester of a nurse just for signing up for a gynecologist appointment. If that is the whole point of the gynecologist arc, then the hint needs to clarify that the choice isn't just about Lisa being brave enough to visit a gynecologist. Personally, I was feeling an intense desire to have Gloria kicked out not just from the clinic but the country, but the stronger feeling was the frustration that there are literally no choices in there to tell her to fuck off. Especially given how the gynecologist arc is structured, I feel that Gloria's presence and actions strongly merits allowing the player some kind of exit point. It wouldn't be the worst instance of favoring player choice over plot continuity. If it wasn't for that character, I would enjoy not just the presence of the OB/GYN arc, but the content of it as well; her interactions felt kinda weird during the first appointment, but I wasn't expecting feel annoyed and uncomfortable already by the second appointment.

I think I understand the problem, but I doubt this is the biggest problem of the game right now. Of course, there could be an exit route for Gloria, but this would require an alternative event so make it even. The game hasn't a strong focus on choices and maybe this is a story that ze-gam-ez want to be told. Still, I think it's valid feedback and the developer could consider to build in "skip"-paths for certain events in the future that are not deeply story related. Nevertheless this could also lead to much more work and bloat scenes for every possibility that the audience might prefer.