VN Ren'Py Chasing Sunsets [v0.9a] [Stone Fox Studios]

[NebulousShooter]

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The dev cycle is starting to head into its final stretches now!
As of tonight, we have just shy of 1500 renders complete with between 3-500 to go.
There are two remaining scenes to create art for, including a lewd one, and animations are nearing the 50% complete mark.
This weekend will be the first look Kent and I have of the art and dialogue coming together into an integrated whole as the v0.9 binary transitions into a playable framework.
As stated before, this is trending to be a larger chapter than the last one, and we're working hard to pull all of the pieces together and avoid any continuity gaps.
Our best estimate on a chapter release is between the end of September and mid-October, if all goes smoothly!
In addition to the Chapter 8 update, I'd also like to tease our next project, tentatively called "Firebreak."
Here's what I can share about it so far:

• We plan to keep the story in the same universe with some crossover characters from Chasing Sunsets
• We're looking at a different approach to episodic releases which will hopefully makes each update more self-contained
• It will feature a male MC
• While the game will be story-driven, there will be more potential LIs, including some who were not LIs in Chasing Sunsets

This is where we take some of the lessons we learned from Chasing Sunsets and apply them in a way that makes the long wait between updates more bearable.
We also recognize that while slow burns have their place, (we will certainly include them in Firebreak), these are called Adult Visual Novels for a reason. We thought a lot about a story vehicle to deliver more of that kind of content convincingly earlier in the game without cheapening or overcomplicating the relationships with ladies you may like, but find less interesting.
We're super excited to be approaching the end of one story, but even more excited to share that the tale of the friends we made along the way won't necessarily end with the last sunset!

Thanks, I hate it! I will die on the hill of leave Tara alone, you missed the mark with her in this game, lesson for the future. Every relationship with them in the next game(esp Tara) it will feel like settling, it will never have the perfect backstory and emotional connection she already had with this MC & Jaye...

What do Tara and Lisa even have in common to be both in the same game, as main LI?

 

[FlorenThanos Perez]

You must be registered to see the links

The dev cycle is starting to head into its final stretches now!
As of tonight, we have just shy of 1500 renders complete with between 3-500 to go.
There are two remaining scenes to create art for, including a lewd one, and animations are nearing the 50% complete mark.
This weekend will be the first look Kent and I have of the art and dialogue coming together into an integrated whole as the v0.9 binary transitions into a playable framework.
As stated before, this is trending to be a larger chapter than the last one, and we're working hard to pull all of the pieces together and avoid any continuity gaps.
Our best estimate on a chapter release is between the end of September and mid-October, if all goes smoothly!
In addition to the Chapter 8 update, I'd also like to tease our next project, tentatively called "Firebreak."
Here's what I can share about it so far:

• We plan to keep the story in the same universe with some crossover characters from Chasing Sunsets
• We're looking at a different approach to episodic releases which will hopefully makes each update more self-contained
• It will feature a male MC
• While the game will be story-driven, there will be more potential LIs, including some who were not LIs in Chasing Sunsets

This is where we take some of the lessons we learned from Chasing Sunsets and apply them in a way that makes the long wait between updates more bearable.
We also recognize that while slow burns have their place, (we will certainly include them in Firebreak), these are called Adult Visual Novels for a reason. We thought a lot about a story vehicle to deliver more of that kind of content convincingly earlier in the game without cheapening or overcomplicating the relationships with ladies you may like, but find less interesting.
We're super excited to be approaching the end of one story, but even more excited to share that the tale of the friends we made along the way won't necessarily end with the last sunset!

Who said what to those ladies?

 

[PaxHadrian17]

You must be registered to see the links

The dev cycle is starting to head into its final stretches now!
As of tonight, we have just shy of 1500 renders complete with between 3-500 to go.
There are two remaining scenes to create art for, including a lewd one, and animations are nearing the 50% complete mark.
This weekend will be the first look Kent and I have of the art and dialogue coming together into an integrated whole as the v0.9 binary transitions into a playable framework.
As stated before, this is trending to be a larger chapter than the last one, and we're working hard to pull all of the pieces together and avoid any continuity gaps.
Our best estimate on a chapter release is between the end of September and mid-October, if all goes smoothly!
In addition to the Chapter 8 update, I'd also like to tease our next project, tentatively called "Firebreak."
Here's what I can share about it so far:

• We plan to keep the story in the same universe with some crossover characters from Chasing Sunsets
• We're looking at a different approach to episodic releases which will hopefully makes each update more self-contained
• It will feature a male MC
• While the game will be story-driven, there will be more potential LIs, including some who were not LIs in Chasing Sunsets

This is where we take some of the lessons we learned from Chasing Sunsets and apply them in a way that makes the long wait between updates more bearable.
We also recognize that while slow burns have their place, (we will certainly include them in Firebreak), these are called Adult Visual Novels for a reason. We thought a lot about a story vehicle to deliver more of that kind of content convincingly earlier in the game without cheapening or overcomplicating the relationships with ladies you may like, but find less interesting.
We're super excited to be approaching the end of one story, but even more excited to share that the tale of the friends we made along the way won't necessarily end with the last sunset!

I'm looking forward to both the final chapters/Epilogue moments of Chasing Sunsets as well as Firebreak!

I don't know which women from Chasing Sunsets will be involved in Firebreak, but I certainly hope that Tara is among them.

I've posted before about some potential story lines for Tara, but outside of a few things we've seen for background (she was very popular in high school and her parents seem to be wealthy) - we know very little.

There is a Lot of room for Tara to become an LI, even sharing some of the same time frame as Chasing Sunsets, since the MC's journey in CS took him away from Jaye and Tara for 5 years.

Given how well Stone Fox Studios did in creating a rich world and a complex, interesting story with great characters and the two LIs for the MC, I have every reason to believe that they can do just as well with Firebreak.

There is also plenty of time for them to refine and polish the beginning of their second AVN since Chasing Sunsets will not finish until late 2024/mid 2025 - (my estimate as I hope that they give Chasing Sunsets the epilogue moments and looks - months to years after the formal end of CS - that it deserves).

They have earned my continued support for Chasing Sunsets, and I think the announcement of Firebreak is Very Good News!

Cheers!

 

[NebulousShooter]

I'm looking forward to both the final chapters/Epilogue moments of Chasing Sunsets as well as Firebreak!

I don't know which women from Chasing Sunsets will be involved in Firebreak, but I certainly hope that Tara is among them.

I've posted before about some potential story lines for Tara, but outside of a few things we've seen for background (she was very popular in high school and her parents seem to be wealthy) - we know very little.

There is a Lot of room for Tara to become an LI, even sharing some of the same time frame as Chasing Sunsets, since the MC's journey in CS took him away from Jaye and Tara for 5 years.

Given how well Stone Fox Studios did in creating a rich world and a complex, interesting story with great characters and the two LIs for the MC, I have every reason to believe that they can do just as well with Firebreak.

There is also plenty of time for them to refine and polish the beginning of their second AVN since Chasing Sunsets will not finish until late 2024/mid 2025 - (my estimate as I hope that they give Chasing Sunsets the epilogue moments and looks - months to years after the formal end of CS - that it deserves).

They have earned my continued support for Chasing Sunsets, and I think the announcement of Firebreak is Very Good News!

Cheers!

 

[NebulousShooter]

There is also the posibility she will be ruined, apart from the fact that it will never be the same as what could have been here.

Like I know I'm the minority here, both as a Mallory fan, but also as one of the few that hated the deus ex throuple in last update. I still cringe remembering the 'if I am enough for you, you are enough for me' speech, way to make the solo romance feel like the silver medal.

So, Stoya's writing isn't infallible.

 

[Nurikabe]

There is also the posibility she will be ruined, apart from the fact that it will never be the same as what could have been here.

Like I know I'm the minority here, both as a Mallory fan, but also as one of the few that hated the deus ex throuple in last update. I still cringe remembering the 'if I am enough for you, you are enough for me' speech, way to make the solo romance feel like the silver medal.

So, Stoya's writing isn't infallible.

Yeah, that's not an extreme viewpoint at all.

 

[felicemastronzo]

I'm looking forward to both the final chapters/Epilogue moments of Chasing Sunsets as well as Firebreak!

I don't know which women from Chasing Sunsets will be involved in Firebreak, but I certainly hope that Tara is among them.

I've posted before about some potential story lines for Tara, but outside of a few things we've seen for background (she was very popular in high school and her parents seem to be wealthy) - we know very little.

There is a Lot of room for Tara to become an LI, even sharing some of the same time frame as Chasing Sunsets, since the MC's journey in CS took him away from Jaye and Tara for 5 years.

Given how well Stone Fox Studios did in creating a rich world and a complex, interesting story with great characters and the two LIs for the MC, I have every reason to believe that they can do just as well with Firebreak.

There is also plenty of time for them to refine and polish the beginning of their second AVN since Chasing Sunsets will not finish until late 2024/mid 2025 - (my estimate as I hope that they give Chasing Sunsets the epilogue moments and looks - months to years after the formal end of CS - that it deserves).

They have earned my continued support for Chasing Sunsets, and I think the announcement of Firebreak is Very Good News!

Cheers!

Tara's relationship with Jaye and Alex is so special that in any other story it just becomes a ballast. And this is not a ntr argument, but a Tara who is not attracted to Jaye and Alex simply isn't Tara, but if she is, how can she be the LI of another story?

 

[NebulousShooter]

Other point that didn't occur to me before, who would go for any of the other LI, when people already have an emotional attachment to Tara & Lisa? Seems like an unnecessary mountain to climb, from a writing standpoint.

 

[felicemastronzo]

Other point that didn't occur to me before, who would go for any of the other LI, when people already have an emotional attachment to Tara & Lisa? Seems like an unnecessary mountain to climb, from a writing standpoint.

Lisa in my opinion is a different matter, for now she is a woman who had fun with a nice guy. Of course those who were bothered that Jaye wasn't a virgin will also be bothered by this, but it's not such an insurmountable problem

 

[Lostanddamned]

Other point that didn't occur to me before, who would go for any of the other LI, when people already have an emotional attachment to Tara & Lisa? Seems like an unnecessary mountain to climb, from a writing standpoint.

Judging by the LI lineup and seeing that Lisa and Tara were in the middle makes me think that they will be the main LI's of the next game. Personally I'm not bothered by that, but it will be weird to explain it storywise.

Lisa in my opinion is a different matter, for now she is a woman who had fun with a nice guy. Of course those who were bothered that Jaye wasn't a virgin will also be bothered by this, but it's not such an insurmountable problem

I never understood that, if you are attached to a character it's usually due to how she looks or her personality, not if she's a virgin or not. It literally changes nothing about her in my opinion if she's a virgin or not.

 

[NebulousShooter]

I never understood that, if you are attached to a character it's usually due to how she looks or her personality, not if she's a virgin or not. It literally changes nothing about her in my opinion if she's a virgin or not.

Yeah, for me its the emotional connection of those 3 characters that feels ireplaceable, the physical part is just the cherry on top in their dynamic. But, although the core audience that has been a while with the game seems mature enough to look past that, you know that discussion will come up 100%.
Shoutout to the 'Jaye is not a virgin' thread war

 

[felicemastronzo]

Judging by the LI lineup and seeing that Lisa and Tara were in the middle makes me think that they will be the main LI's of the next game. Personally I'm not bothered by that, but it will be weird to explain it storywise.



I never understood that, if you are attached to a character it's usually due to how she looks or her personality, not if she's a virgin or not. It literally changes nothing about her in my opinion if she's a virgin or not.

This should be neither a good nor a bad thing. That Jaye waited five years for Alex, her adopted brother, remains cringe-worthy for me like few things

 

[Lostanddamned]

Yeah, for me its the emotional connection of those 3 characters that feels ireplaceable, the physical part is just the cherry on top in their dynamic. But, although the core audience that has been a while with the game seems mature enough to look past that, you know that discussion will come up 100%.
Shoutout to the 'Jaye is not a virgin' thread war

Inb4 "Jaye is a whore because she wasn't a virgin when MC had sex with her"

 

[Lostanddamned]

This should be neither a good nor a bad thing. That Jaye waited five years for Alex, her adopted brother, remains cringe-worthy for me like few things

But then she destroys his dick the first time they have sex. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

 

[Defenestrator.for.traitor]

One day, not far from today, this game will have completed tag and that day will be a sad day for me even though it should not be.

 

[PaxHadrian17]

Tara's relationship with Jaye and Alex is so special that in any other story it just becomes a ballast. And this is not a ntr argument, but a Tara who is not attracted to Jaye and Alex simply isn't Tara, but if she is, how can she be the LI of another story?

Tara's relationship with Jaye is part of what makes her special, IMO.

She does have a relationship with, and attraction to, the MC - but she'd Never betray Jaye for the MC - Jaye is her first and foremost female relationship and friend in Chasing Sunsets.

There is a major time gap (I think it is at least 5 years) where the MC is off seeing the world and Jaye is in school.

I don't believe Tara was pining at home for those years doing nothing and living no life while waiting for the MC to reconnect with her BFF - Jaye.

So - what happened to Her during those years?

How did she develop as a person and build her passions for life and work?

When will Firebreak pick up, relative to the time frame covered by Chasing Sunsets?

Who is the male MC and what is his compelling story?

How do Lisa, Tara and the other women intersect his life, and perhaps - each other's?

(FYI - I can also see Jaye being the Best wingwoman for Tara and having her back in this new story. I remember a number of posts over the last 18 months exclaiming how Tara deserved a chance to be an LI - she was that Great a side character - now she is getting that chance.)

We have only 1 word for the new project: Firebreak (and it is a tentative title).

I'm not going to prejudge this story.

I need Much more information to even Begin to form an opinion about Firebreak.

Cheers!!

 

[Deleted member 6168082]

• We plan to keep the story in the same universe with some crossover characters from Chasing Sunsets
• We're looking at a different approach to episodic releases which will hopefully makes each update more self-contained
• It will feature a male MC
• While the game will be story-driven, there will be more potential LIs, including some who were not LIs in Chasing Sunsets

Eh, okay.

I wonder what that will look like.

I would be more surprised if it had a Female MC or an option to switch to that. I don't think the "it will feature a Male MC" needed to be mentioned. It's kind of obvious.

Hmm, having a bunch of LI's will make the game take longer to finish. All the paths, choices, paths for each choice and LI sounds like it will be a headache to deal with. Chasing Sunsets will be finished with what, 10 Chapters + an Epilogue? I feel like the next game will have even more Chapters till its completion.

 

[ename144]

Tara's relationship with Jaye and Alex is so special that in any other story it just becomes a ballast. And this is not a ntr argument, but a Tara who is not attracted to Jaye and Alex simply isn't Tara, but if she is, how can she be the LI of another story?

In theory that could be worked around. The story would presumably be about poor Tara finally encountering love directed towards her specifically, thus allowing her to move on and find happiness of her own. But it would be a very narrow path that makes the new romance engaging without belittling the events of CS that caught the audience's attention in the first place.

There's also the issue that Tara remains Jaye's BFF. If she's a central character in the next game and meets the love of her life, you'd think she'd want to tell Jaye about it - which raises the issue of how the next game handles our preferences in this one.

It's a very thorny set of problems. There's a real risk they missed the mark with Tara and it trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice will simply wind up burning them and breaking the bottle for good measure. Then again maybe it will work and all those Tara fans will finally get to live happily ever after. We'll just have to wait and see.

Other point that didn't occur to me before, who would go for any of the other LI, when people already have an emotional attachment to Tara & Lisa? Seems like an unnecessary mountain to climb, from a writing standpoint.

Eh, I never liked either of them so I'm glad we'll get more options. Of course, it's not clear catering to my tastes is a great business model.

 

[NebulousShooter]

Inb4 "Jaye is a whore because she wasn't a virgin when MC had sex with her"

Mallory is a virgin, Jaye is not, therefore Mal > Jaye, checkmate

 

[felicemastronzo]

In theory that could be worked around. The story would presumably be about poor Tara finally encountering love directed towards her specifically, thus allowing her to move on and find happiness of her own. But it would be a very narrow path that makes the new romance engaging without belittling the events of CS that caught the audience's attention in the first place.

There's also the issue that Tara remains Jaye's BFF. If she's a central character in the next game and meets the love of her life, you'd think she'd want to tell Jaye about it - which raises the issue of how the next game handles our preferences in this one.

It's a very thorny set of problems. There's a real risk they missed the mark with Tara and it trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice will simply wind up burning them and breaking the bottle for good measure. Then again maybe it will work and all those Tara fans will finally get to live happily ever after. We'll just have to wait and see.



Eh, I never liked either of them so I'm glad we'll get more options. Of course, it's not clear catering to my tastes is a great business model.

In CS canon Alex and Jaye are a couple, I have little doubt about that, so that would be the situation. By the way the strong bond is between Tara and Jaye not with Mallory (which would be more complicated to introduce)


I am not saying its impossible to write a story about it, but that on balance it would be more of a problem than a gain