Ren'Py Cascade Falls [v0.1] [Stray Paranormal]

[strayparanormal]

I'm doing main cast showcase on Patreon by the way. It's open to public and no registration needed. I drop characters daily. Go check it out.

 

[anker11]

This is a minor complaint, as I've just started playing, but while cute, the predefined save names r rlly silly. I edited the load_save.rpy file so I could input my own save names. I'm also not sure what the "Path: Solo" text is supposed to represent, since it's hardcoded. If that's some placeholder and dev just forgot it was hardcoded and in the future will instead have some mutable value, then that's actually a rlly cool feature to have included in displaying saves.

But anyway it was worth mentioning cuz making the UX more frictionless is one of the easier improvements there r

 

[Canto Forte]

Dev stirred the pot:
”Be honest—but maybe don’t roast me too much, okay?
Right now, I’m working full-time on visuals—posing and rendering images like a man possessed. Having two capable PCs really helps speed things up, and I’m loving how things are coming together.
I’m so looking forward to sharing more of Cascade Falls with you, and I truly hope you’ll love it as much as I do.”
Here be the sharing in all the glory:
Cast of wonders and the beloved characters in bundles of words ...

Spoiler

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[Quetzzz]

A good start, but some minor issues:

• No transitions while there are many renders. Pretty much every line of dialogue has a scene change attached.
  I'd prefer a short (0.3 seconds) dissolve during dialogue to give the sense of movement.
• d01_e06_067 vs. d01_e06_068: Julia's bra straps clip through
• d02_e01_020 vs. d02_e01_021: duvet sinks into the bed
• If the MC treats Karmen professionally, he won't greet her at all on day 2 if he hasn't gone on a date with Julia.
• Unless you kissed Julia, the meeting with Matt gets cut short. Why?
• "Also, I’ve had a few people ask whether the Friday picnic are still happening. Short answer: yes. Long answer: please show up." => is still happening
• "So, Sophie was all over you."
  When? I don't even remember meeting a Sophie.
• "This was a courtesy call, really. We don't obligated to give such information." => we aren't obligated
• "We bent some rules to hire you, so you don't want that kind of attention."
  This needs exposition. Maybe it'll get cleared up in future content, but it's a pretty big thing to leave hanging.
• "It's our lawyer. Just how much are you owed, if you don't mind me asking?" => Just how much do you owe, if ...
• What is Monica's role at the company? I was surprised to see her in the meeting about the collectors and not Julia, the HR manager.
• Bokeh effect switch between d03_e06_028 and d03_e06_029 is unnecessary and confusing.
• "You should come too. It's weird that two of [mcname]'s friend hadn't met before." => friends haven't met
• The MC giving in to peer pressure a few times in a row feels weird. Going to the bar with Alan, then ordering beer. I wouldn't mind this being a choice instead, with one option being "Coke or I go home."
  I can relate to the MC's earlier remark of "I want to refuse you two just for the spite of it, you know?" and I think it would fit for him to be more contrarian.
• At the bar, the MC's arm clips through his shirt: d03_e07_051, d03_e07_055, d03_e07_056
• "You should learn this skill."
  Alan is a dick. I don't think I'll go out with him anymore.
  Ha! Even better, I'll stick him with the tab. Serves him right, and I've got debt to pay. Great choice!
• d03_e07_090 vs d03_e07_088: Fara's top changes when she moves her head, and the MC's reflection in the bar's mirror changes as well.
• The MC wasn't at home but is getting noise complaints... Either something weird is going on, or he should've told the cops that he wasn't even at home to cause any noise.
• The switch to the teaser comes entirely out of nowhere. A small interlude or intertitle signaling the end of content would be good.
• The teaser also highlights that I have no idea when I need to click to continue or a sequence is playing automatically. It would be great to have some kind of indication or consistency. For instance, it's perfectly fine to have every render without dialogue play automatically.

Elena... She's on the MC's mind a lot. He jerks off to her and visits her every Thursday evening. I'm guessing she's bedridden and/or paralyzed. Her situation is likely linked to the MC's debt, perhaps a very costly treatment. Or maybe she's dead and he's still hearing her voice?
He remarks about having the glitch with voices, but this is such a throwaway line that we lack the context for. I'm sure all of this will make sense when we replay after we learn about Elena's fate, but I'd argue this shouldn't be necessary. This isn't The Sixth Sense; the mystery isn't improving the experience.

I'm not sure what to make of the MC's attitude toward isolation and dating.
He says that:

• He flirted with Karen for months.
• Doesn't do relationships.
• Still goes on dates.
• Has no real issues with intimacy if the player lets him.
• Generally self-isolates.

Some of these won't be mentioned depending on the player's choices. For instance, if the player picks a professional attitude toward Karen, he won't have flirted with her, ever.

I think the narrative needs to do a better job at relaying to the player what the MC's state of mind is.
If, when left to his own devices, he'd love nothing more than to stay home and game, then the player needs to be told why it's important for the MC to connect with people. Currently, the only motivation we have is that we're playing an AVN and that flirting is the way to get lewd scenes. But as far as the MC's inner world goes, we're pretty much in the dark.

Note:​

I'm playing through the game for a 2nd time, and Monica does say that "Elena would totally want you to go", and the MC replies with "She did say I need to be around people more."... But Monica makes it weird by talking about office hotties. Plenty of mixed signals that make it difficult to ascertain what is going on. Elena suggesting that the MC needs to be around people (stop isolating himself) doesn't necessarily mean he needs to date or fuck anyone. While the MC sees Monica as a friend, I get the impression she wants more. But this could also mean that she's pushing the MC to be more social in ways that aren't necessarily good for him. We just don't know enough about the MC to know if Monica is acting in good faith, or is self-serving.​

Some stuff I really enjoyed:

• The small animations. Too bad we don't see them often.
• Despite my comments about ambiguity concerning Elana and the MC's state of mind, I actually enjoy that the MC isn't a fuckboy, or that the player at least has plenty of freedom and nuance to find their own way between friendship and fucking anything that moves.
• Choices and pathing are generally well done. One thing worries me, and that's how behavior changes with inaction.
  For instance, if we don't ask Julia out, then she acts the same as if we went out but the date was a disaster. We won't have friendly chats with her; it's as if she just doesn't matter to the story anymore. I think that's a shame.
• Sticking Alan with the bill. I can't imagine making any other choice.