VN Ren'Py Completed Chasing Sunsets [v1.10a] [Stone Fox Studios]

[felicemastronzo]

The media would certainly have a field day, though it probably won't last too long unless the MC and/or Jaye keep stoking the fires. But I'm not sure Ray Lewis is a meaningful comparison. Football players are non-management and (ultimately) they're in the entertainment business. Winning is big part of their appeal to the fans and that's what will matter to the owners (well, that and their price tag). Whereas 'losing' players are unpopular and thus easily replaced when problematic (or just when a scapegoat is needed).

The MC and Jaye, however, aren't employees. They would be running Polygene. It seems like George and Lisa are already in their corner, so it's not clear who they'd win over by taking Prizer to the cleaners. I suppose if Polygene has an independent board of directors they might be need convincing, but since we haven't heard a peep out of them thus far I assume they already support the status quo (or are completely powerless). To the public at large it would just be out-of-touch, rich assholes fighting each other; they won't like it, but they also won't waste a lot of time caring about it. If anything, keeping the story in the news (even by winning a legal case) would probably keep reminding everyone about their squicky relationship.

Granted, the public doesn't have much influence over Polygene, but in theory if the MC and Jaye make a big enough stink it might encourage other businesses to shun Polygene. That would be a fairly extreme reaction, though, much more than a salacious not-quite-incest story would gin up. I suppose Prizer could try a smear campaign in an effort to force the board and/or the government to intervene, but that's a longshot that could easily backfire given their own Bond-villain schemes. So my advice would simply be for the MC and Jaye to keep as low a profile as possible and wait for any negative press to blow over.

Oddly enough, I actually think Mallory is a much potential bigger problem if the MC is pursuing her. She's apparently an up and coming reporter of some note, yet she is having an affair with the subject of her reports - and she's not exactly being subtle about it after those body shots. That's a relatively simple scandal for the public to latch onto, and unlike the MC, Mallory does have bosses she must answer to. If word of this comes out she's almost certain to lose her job and in so doing incentivize her former employer to investigate the matter thoroughly - if only to cover their own ass.

That will keep the MC/Polygene in the news cycle longer, which is a bad start. But it gets worse if the digging reveals Mallory's backstory, much worse. Beyond the sensational 'Rich Playboy Heir Dates Clone of His Mother!" headlines, the revelation will inevitably lead to a massive investigation into what Prizer and other bio-tech magacorps have been up to. That's going to be quite a headache for Polygene when they have to admit they bypassed the normal selection process to get Mallory's friend treated by an experimental drug. That notoriety - fueled by the high profile legal battles over how to regulate this new frontier of medicine - will ensure the MC won't be able to lead a quiet life anytime soon. At that point if it's also revealed he has a thing for his step-sister, well, it's probably just icing on the cake.

Mallory poses a huge risk to Polygene by her mere existence, regardless of her relationship with MC.

Polygene cloned a human being, whether it was licensed or not to the public really matters little (who trusts an industry that places all responsibility on an individual?) this is enough to create a huge tsunami of crap

and also what they did to Amanda represents a huge risk, they experimented with a treatment on a human being. they are jumping heads for much less

 

[ename144]

Mallory poses a huge risk to Polygene by her mere existence, regardless of her relationship with MC.

Polygene cloned a human being, whether it was licensed or not to the public really matters little (who trusts an industry that places all responsibility on an individual?) this is enough to create a huge tsunami of crap

and also what they did to Amanda represents a huge risk, they experimented with a treatment on a human being. they are jumping heads for much less

Errr, no. Polygene had nothing to do with Crucible, that was Prizer (or more likely, certain well documented, highly expendable individuals within Prizer). Mallory was born before Sarah and Devon left the company. I agree that the public won't really care that Prizer technically can't be linked to what Devon was doing, but there's no reason for them to blame Polygene for it (even if Mallory is having an affair with the MC).

As for Amanda, the problem isn't human testing: that's a normal part of research and Sarah's drug was already scheduled for such. The issue is that they bumped Amanda to the top of the line. That's a serious risk because the process they bypassed is meant to ensure that a) desperate people aren't exploited, and b) rich, well connected people aren't given special treatment.

Now like Mallory says when making her case, Amanda's situation is sufficiently urgent that Polygene could probably justify itself against the first charge: Amanda was a perfect candidate who understood the risks and couldn't wait for the next set of tests. But the second charge is much harder to defend against if it comes out that Mallory is sleeping with the new head of Polygene - especially if the MC *did* intervene on Amanda's behalf.

 

[felicemastronzo]

Errr, no. Polygene had nothing to do with Crucible, that was Prizer (or more likely, certain well documented, highly expendable individuals within Prizer). Mallory was born before Sarah and Devon left the company. I agree that the public won't really care that Prizer technically can't be linked to what Devon was doing, but there's no reason for them to blame Polygene for it (even if Mallory is having an affair with the MC).

As for Amanda, the problem isn't human testing: that's a normal part of research and Sarah's drug was already scheduled for such. The issue is that they bumped Amanda to the top of the line. That's a serious risk because the process they bypassed is meant to ensure that a) desperate people aren't exploited, and b) rich, well connected people aren't given special treatment.

Now like Mallory says when making her case, Amanda's situation is sufficiently urgent that Polygene could probably justify itself against the first charge: Amanda was a perfect candidate who understood the risks and couldn't wait for the next set of tests. But the second charge is much harder to defend against if it comes out that Mallory is sleeping with the new head of Polygene - especially if the MC *did* intervene on Amanda's behalf.

you are right but Prizer is more powerful at least in its current state than Polygene.

an associate of Sara's cloned Sara, and this clone is now more or less officially connected to Polygene.
no one will care about crucible, everyone will want to know about the clone

if it rains, it will rain harder on Polygene's head than on Prizer's about that problem.

 

[Lostanddamned]

The media would certainly have a field day, though it probably won't last too long unless the MC and/or Jaye keep stoking the fires. But I'm not sure Ray Lewis is a meaningful comparison. Football players are non-management and (ultimately) they're in the entertainment business. Winning is big part of their appeal to the fans and that's what will matter to the owners (well, that and their price tag). Whereas 'losing' players are unpopular and thus easily replaced when problematic (or just when a scapegoat is needed).

The MC and Jaye, however, aren't employees. They would be running Polygene. It seems like George and Lisa are already in their corner, so it's not clear who they'd win over by taking Prizer to the cleaners. I suppose if Polygene has an independent board of directors they might be need convincing, but since we haven't heard a peep out of them thus far I assume they already support the status quo (or are completely powerless). To the public at large it would just be out-of-touch, rich assholes fighting each other; they won't like it, but they also won't waste a lot of time caring about it. If anything, keeping the story in the news (even by winning a legal case) would probably keep reminding everyone about their squicky relationship.

Granted, the public doesn't have much influence over Polygene, but in theory if the MC and Jaye make a big enough stink it might encourage other businesses to shun Polygene. That would be a fairly extreme reaction, though, much more than a salacious not-quite-incest story would gin up. I suppose Prizer could try a smear campaign in an effort to force the board and/or the government to intervene, but that's a longshot that could easily backfire given their own Bond-villain schemes. So my advice would simply be for the MC and Jaye to keep as low a profile as possible and wait for any negative press to blow over.

Oddly enough, I actually think Mallory is a much potential bigger problem if the MC is pursuing her. She's apparently an up and coming reporter of some note, yet she is having an affair with the subject of her reports - and she's not exactly being subtle about it after those body shots. That's a relatively simple scandal for the public to latch onto, and unlike the MC, Mallory does have bosses she must answer to. If word of this comes out she's almost certain to lose her job and in so doing incentivize her former employer to investigate the matter thoroughly - if only to cover their own ass.

That will keep the MC/Polygene in the news cycle longer, which is a bad start. But it gets worse if the digging reveals Mallory's backstory, much worse. Beyond the sensational 'Rich Playboy Heir Dates Clone of His Mother!" headlines, the revelation will inevitably lead to a massive investigation into what Prizer and other bio-tech magacorps have been up to. That's going to be quite a headache for Polygene when they have to admit they bypassed the normal selection process to get Mallory's friend treated by an experimental drug. That notoriety - fueled by the high profile legal battles over how to regulate this new frontier of medicine - will ensure the MC won't be able to lead a quiet life anytime soon. At that point if it's also revealed he has a thing for his step-sister, well, it's probably just icing on the cake.

I don't remember if Polygene had a Board of Directors or seeing it mentioned anywhere. I have to check about it, though I vaguely recall something along the lines mentioned from George or Lisa (another reason for me to replay the game ). The Board of Directors aren't a big thing to worry about though - assuming that both Jaye and MC are the majority shareholders of the company, they have full rights to fire the board if they disagree with their decisions by calling a meeting of the shareholders, announce the decision and appoint a new Board of Directors i.e people they trust and that they know for sure are in their corner.

That being said, Mallory's involvement in the company worries me, given how her involvement can snowball everything out of control. What multi-billion pharmaceutical company gives a wacky journalist that talks to herself full access to their database? That's clearly asking for trouble, even if Mallory's intentions are good.

Though I'm fairly confident Prizer will screw themselves up, by taking such extreme matters to deal with their opponents. Sooner or later, it will bring the spotlight on them and considering the crimes they've commited so far, I don't doubt that they'll get the 25-to-life. The murder of the judge's wife was premeditated, which classifies it as first-degree murder. Life imprisonment is the most common penalty given to such crime. Given it was an ordered hit i.e proxy murder, the hitman and the person who ordered the hit both get the same penalty. So, shortly said, there's no way out for Prizer if they continue their crime spree.

 

[motseer]

I don't remember if Polygene had a Board of Directors or seeing it mentioned anywhere. I have to check about it, though I vaguely recall something along the lines mentioned from George or Lisa (another reason for me to replay the game ). The Board of Directors aren't a big thing to worry about though - assuming that both Jaye and MC are the majority shareholders of the company, they have full rights to fire the board if they disagree with their decisions by calling a meeting of the shareholders, announce the decision and appoint a new Board of Directors i.e people they trust and that they know for sure are in their corner.

That being said, Mallory's involvement in the company worries me, given how her involvement can snowball everything out of control. What multi-billion pharmaceutical company gives a wacky journalist that talks to herself full access to their database? That's clearly asking for trouble, even if Mallory's intentions are good.

Though I'm fairly confident Prizer will screw themselves up, by taking such extreme matters to deal with their opponents. Sooner or later, it will bring the spotlight on them and considering the crimes they've commited so far, I don't doubt that they'll get the 25-to-life. The murder of the judge's wife was premeditated, which classifies it as first-degree murder. Life imprisonment is the most common penalty given to such crime. Given it was an ordered hit i.e proxy murder, the hitman and the person who ordered the hit both get the same penalty. So, shortly said, there's no way out for Prizer if they continue their crime spree.

I think I remember Prizer's most prominent board members consisted of Stefani, Gonzo and Deluca. ... I know nothing, nothiiiiiiinggggggggg.

 

[LizaS]

You know nothing, Jon Snow.

 

[Lostanddamned]

you are right but Prizer is more powerful at least in its current state than Polygene.

an associate of Sara's cloned Sara, and this clone is now more or less officially connected to Polygene.
no one will care about crucible, everyone will want to know about the clone

if it rains, it will rain harder on Polygene's head than on Prizer's about that problem.

Close, but no cigar.

If it's revealed that they both were actually involved with Prizer, the blame would fall on Prizer by default.

For example with the Macintosh, everyone associates it with Steve Jobs, but the Macintosh didn't become a success until Jobs was forced out of the project.

Same thing here, how would the blame fall on Polygene when in fact both Devon and Sarah were still at Prizer when the clone was created?

 

[motseer]

View attachment 1925021

I was going for Schultz but I'll take Snow. Honor before glory and all that... cheers!

Sometimes it takes a bastard to get it done!

 

[felicemastronzo]

Close, but no cigar.

If it's revealed that they both were actually involved with Prizer, the blame would fall on Prizer by default.

For example with the Macintosh, everyone associates it with Steve Jobs, but the Macintosh didn't become a success until Jobs was forced out of the project.

Same thing here, how would the blame fall on Polygene when in fact both Devon and Sarah were still at Prizer when the clone was created?

There is a truth and there is a story, the story talk only about Sara, every element is connected to her

Prizer has a lot of interested to tell that story

People want a story, not the thrue

 

[LizaS]

Hey, has anyone mentioned how Mallory might play a big part in all of this?

Her being a clone, might become a focal point of the story where she is a living existing proof that whatever Sarah was doing was effective and it worked?

My brain is like gaining a lot of theories while thinking about Mallory's situation.
dalli_x I hope you're proud of me.

Mallory being Sara's clone could be an opening like, if for example you're playing a 0 love 0 trust Mallory route, her being a clone could open storylines where she's technically Sara, and by law, she would takeover the company, and then a side-story would appear where her friend got sick again and she needs to sell the company to the opposing company or something.
And because you're 0 love 0 trust, she will. Because her friend is all she has.
Or scratch that, she just takes over the whole company.

Also, brush off that press talk. Because Mallory is a journalist/reporter right?
Stoya might take the easy route and for some reason wherever Mallory works would be like the #1 News source and Mallory might be able to pull some strings to be able to fight against those who would spread fake-news or news that might harm them like A&J "incestuous" relationship, even though it's not.

 

[D3xzalias]

There is a truth and there is a story, the story talk only about Sara, every element is connected to her

Prizer has a lot of interested to tell that story

People want a story, not the thrue

In the start of chapter 5 prizer people talk about Malory's father and that they are keeping checks on him since they know what he did to create Malory. So they are talking about both people involved with prizer inc. Malory's father and the Fosters

 

[Canto Forte]

The whole point of it was ... the highr ups of the most brilliant mind in this game
were stealing her research and using it in nefarious ways, as demosntrated by them sinking
billions in the research of her coworker who was sabotaging her to keep her under heel.

They did not need her to be successful, much like any pharma pyramidal scheme,
they were giving most girls dupes and using her research for other purposes.

When she found out she jumped ship, you cannot do serious research if your trials are all
sabotaged with placebos so that the company does not lose money
and does not actually give anything to their customers.

Hey, has anyone mentioned how Mallory might play a big part in all of this?

Her being a clone, might become a focal point of the story where she is a living existing proof that whatever Sarah was doing was effective and it worked?

My brain is like gaining a lot of theories while thinking about Mallory's situation.
dalli_x I hope you're proud of me.

Mallory being Sara's clone could be an opening like, if for example you're playing a 0 love 0 trust Mallory route, her being a clone could open storylines where she's technically Sara, and by law, she would takeover the company, and then a side-story would appear where her friend got sick again and she needs to sell the company to the opposing company or something.
And because you're 0 love 0 trust, she will. Because her friend is all she has.
Or scratch that, she just takes over the whole company.

Also, brush off that press talk. Because Mallory is a journalist/reporter right?
Stoya might take the easy route and for some reason wherever Mallory works would be like the #1 News source and Mallory might be able to pull some strings to be able to fight against those who would spread fake-news or news that might harm them like A&J "incestuous" relationship, even though it's not.

In the start of chapter 5 prizer people talk about Malory's father and that they are keeping checks on him since they know what he did to create Malory. So they are talking about both people involved with prizer inc. Malory's father and the Fosters

We should all have faith and love for our wonderful hotties to assemble a mighty war room and assist MC
in making right in the name of our most spectacular mother this game has ever seen.

 

[Cabin Fever]

All this talk about Prizer or Polygene in trouble, but I can assure you one thing:

Spoiler

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

 

[Walter Victor]

All this talk about Prizer or Polygene in trouble, but I can assure you one thing:

Spoiler

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

Then again, when the fire destroys the boat, we may have to choose between saving Jaye or Mallory!

 

[felicemastronzo]

All this talk about Prizer or Polygene in trouble, but I can assure you one thing:

Spoiler

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

precisely that it is an AVN, who cares what will happen to Polygene?

an ending in which MC and his chosen one retire to private life doesn't seem so implausible to me

 

[WICKEDp4th]

Then again, when the fire destroys the boat, we may have to choose between saving Jaye or Mallory!

OH YOU! (Jaye ofc, there is no alternative) And here i thought the worst what could happen would be an orange Tag before the Title.

No, i'm not jinxin' it.

 

[Canto Forte]

We have seen titanic ... maybe ... so MC is swimming them ashore if it kills him.
No point holding on to a raft and freezing off when he could swim.

Then again, when the fire destroys the boat, we may have to choose between saving Jaye or Mallory!

precisely that it is an AVN, who cares what will happen to Polygene?

an ending in which MC and his chosen one retire to private life doesn't seem so implausible to me

OH YOU! (Jaye ofc, there is no alternative) And here i thought the worst what could happen would be an orange Tag before the Title.

No, i'm not jinxin' it.

There are many more salvage options for the MC to protect all his babes on modern yachts,
not to mention way lighter materials to find and makeshift rafts for all he would find.
There is no choice, he already lost his parents and his mentor to indecision and fear.

 

[matschbirne]

Then again, when the fire destroys the boat, we may have to choose between saving Jaye or Mallory!

I'm definitely rescuing Jaye, period.

 

[jdoch]

I replayed the game, making different choices and i have to say the whole "choice" thing is kinda meaningless because there are clearly right choices and wrong choices.

Personally i would have chosen to give the player choices with side characters. In the end those are more meaningful than main story choices where basically all choices but one completely derail the main story. Like giving me the choice to backstab my love interest in a romance game is completely pointless. (also predictably leading to a Game Over)

This isn't really a criticism of this awesome game but more of the whole "you need choices in a VN" Idea. I'd rather the main Story just progresses as it is CLEARLY meant to and give me choices that i can actually make and still stay in the game.

One example would be to be dominant or loving during a sex scene. Or to choose outfits for certain scenes.

(Of course the absolute best would be to have meaningful choices inside the main story that actually, fundamentally change the main story and lead to completely indipendent branching paths, but that is waaaaay outside the scope of anything a dev could handle)

 

[ename144]

I don't remember if Polygene had a Board of Directors or seeing it mentioned anywhere. I have to check about it, though I vaguely recall something along the lines mentioned from George or Lisa (another reason for me to replay the game ). The Board of Directors aren't a big thing to worry about though - assuming that both Jaye and MC are the majority shareholders of the company, they have full rights to fire the board if they disagree with their decisions by calling a meeting of the shareholders, announce the decision and appoint a new Board of Directors i.e people they trust and that they know for sure are in their corner.

Assuming Sarah and James owned an outright majority of the company then yes, the Board is effectively powerless (though it's a bit complicated by the fact they're dead - someone must be acting on their behalf and we don't really know what if any discretion they have).

Even in that situation, though, there are some options for ambitious board members since they could potentially manipulate the new owners into giving up some of their power, or turn them against each other and thereby form a new majority with other shareholders. The fact that Lisa is apparently the only person interested in buddying up with the would-be heirs suggests to me that the Board is irrelevant (whatever the precise reason).

That being said, Mallory's involvement in the company worries me, given how her involvement can snowball everything out of control. What multi-billion pharmaceutical company gives a wacky journalist that talks to herself full access to their database? That's clearly asking for trouble, even if Mallory's intentions are good.

Technically, Polygene didn't give Mallory nigh-unfettered access; the MC did. It's unclear if George or Lisa realize that's happened.

I agree it wasn't a very prudent move on our part, though I suspect most of us did it automatically. I think the real point of the choice was probably to illustrate that the Trust rating works both ways rather than to give us a real change in how the game unfolds.

There is a truth and there is a story, the story talk only about Sara, every element is connected to her

Prizer has a lot of interested to tell that story

People want a story, not the thrue

Normally I'd agree, but in this case the facts are going to be more stubborn than usual thanks to Mallory's very messy life. She was born nearly a decade before Polygene even existed. She was kidnapped by Devon - who subsequently killed himself - then she became a ward of the state for years. That's all going to be well documented, and there's no link to to Polygene beyond her 'impossible' genetics. And even that is highly both tangential and speculative. With Sarah dead, no one is going to follow a trail to Polygene. Sure, if Mallory somehow takes a position of power with Polygene that might muddy the waters, but that will take time. By then the public will have made up their mind about the matter, and they'll settle on a much simpler story.

Prizer might be able to cover up their own involvement in the matter and pin everything on Devon as a rogue scientist (though they haven't impressed me with their subtlety), but I don't see a way they can turn it against Polygene. Especially if Polygene fights back and plays up the 'innocent victim' angle for themselves and Sarah, which is a much quicker track to run.

Then again, when the fire destroys the boat, we may have to choose between saving Jaye or Mallory!

Hmmph. And you think my story suggestions are misguided.