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

[HellFire_UA]

Kari art by Kentyrr

View attachment 4150030

where is the character from?

 

[Kirel]

where is the character from?

This is a new character for the devs' next game, Firebreak.

 

[Tulrek]

Art by Kentyrr

View attachment 4142060

 

[MagicMan753]

Kari looks good from there next game, but I am scared to play it, cause I don't want to get burned again with dumb decisions made by the devs like they did in this game and waste more of my time.

 

[Anteron]

Kari looks good from there next game, but I am scared to play it, cause I don't want to get burned again with dumb decisions made by the devs like they did in this game and waste more of my time.

What dumb decisions?

 

[MagicMan753]

What dumb decisions?

To me the pathing to get the throuple ending makes no sense to me and ruins the game for me. I had many playthroughs, solos, open, etc. So much time, but that one decision in how they presented the throuple ending is dumb, so I am worried the devs are going make another dumb pathing decision in there next game that also makes no sense.

 

[bobsmith104]

"Oh my God, you could have drowned an otter in my yoga pants!"

Best line in a VN ever!

 

[bobsmith104]

"Oh my God, you could have drowned an otter in my yoga pants!"

Best line in a VN ever!

Okay, I apologize, I was wrong.

"Wow, poaching ass at the middle school rocking that midlife crisis twat-knot was a ballsy flex!"

New best line ever!

 

[TonyMurray]

To me the pathing to get the throuple ending makes no sense to me and ruins the game for me. I had many playthroughs, solos, open, etc. So much time, but that one decision in how they presented the throuple ending is dumb, so I am worried the devs are going make another dumb pathing decision in there next game that also makes no sense.

The thing is, what you see as a dumb pathing decision, others could see the signs for and appreciate as a good bit of writing. Just because this one didn't go the same way as most other games probably would, doesn't mean it makes no sense.

 

[LizaS]

The thing is, what you see as a dumb pathing decision, others could see the signs for and appreciate as a good bit of writing. Just because this one didn't go the same way as most other games probably would, doesn't mean it makes no sense.

 

[PaxHadrian17]

When I started playing Chasing Sunsets, I never thought a throuple ending was in the cards as an ending.

Perhaps it always was or perhaps the calls for it prompted the devs to reconsider it sometime during the AVN's development - regardless, we have a throuple ending now.

I'm fine with the throuple ending requiring Jaye to be the driving force in that decision.

She's the deciding force in the relationship with the MC and she has the stronger personality of the two women.

Alex - by personality - left Jaye and home for 5+ years because this was his way of dealing with trying to find a way forward in life.

It took the death of his parents for him to return home - for the funeral, to deal with his parent's estate and to decide how to move forward with Jaye... was she his past, was she 'just' family or could she be more?

I get that some here want CS to follow the porn trope that the guy is the great decider of the throuple, but CS is not that story.

Will Firebreak have a throuple or more - who knows.

Porn logic says mini-harem, right?

I like the CS story, the way the relationships can evolve and, while it is not going to be a #1 read on the NY Times best seller list - what AVN story is?

IMO - it is a top tier AVN in both story and imagery and I'm glad I found it more than 2 years ago.

Cheers!!

 

[LizaS]

I like the CS story, the way the relationships can evolve and, while it is not going to be a #1 read on the NY Times best seller list - what AVN story is?

Oh dear godddd

IMO - it is a top tier AVN in imagery and I'm glad I found it more than 2 years ago.

ftfy

 

[TonyMurray]

Oh dear godddd

View attachment 4153069


ftfy

Sorry, are people not allowed to have an opinion that doesn't align with your own?

 

[ename144]

Sorry, are people not allowed to have an opinion that doesn't align with your own?

Of course they are, but there is a difference between disliking the devs' intent and disliking their execution.

The devs wanted to make the Jaye+Mallory ending hard to get and avoid some of the usual AVN conventions, which is a fine idea. But the method they used to achieve that result was terribly designed. The game is nowhere near sophisticated enough to handle the many paths from which we can reach the decision point. An MC who slept around with lots of girls should be treated differently than an MC who was laser-focused only on the girls he's (allegedly) unusually attracted to, but he isn't. He's judged entirely on whether he called things off with Mallory then committed fully to Jaye, which feels incomplete.

Moreover, there's no nuance allowed in the interactions with the two LIs. If the MC's relationship with Mallory is so strong that only perfect girl Jaye can barely overcome it, surely that's something that ought to be pondered seriously before the MC makes a final decision. Yet what we see in game doesn't reflect that in the slightest. He universally calls things off with Mallory the instant he learns she's serious about him, then commits to Jaye at the first available opportunity. This is not a solid foundation on which to build a polyamorous relationship with both ladies - certainly not in contrast with be being open about the MC's feelings for both girls and trying to build up from there.

Basically, the devs blundered by conflating an open relationship with an unserious one, leading to the mangled aesop that the best way to get both girls is to lie about wanting to. Speaking as someone who was booted off Mallory's path because it was moving too fast for my taste (or will be once they finally release that patch), the resolution to the Jaye/Mallory dilemma annoys me for reasons that have nothing to do with porn conventions.

 

[TonyMurray]

Of course they are, but there is a difference between disliking the devs' intent and disliking their execution.

The devs wanted to make the Jaye+Mallory ending hard to get and avoid some of the usual AVN conventions, which is a fine idea. But the method they used to achieve that result was terribly designed. The game is nowhere near sophisticated enough to handle the many paths from which we can reach the decision point. An MC who slept around with lots of girls should be treated differently than an MC who was laser-focused only on the girls he's (allegedly) unusually attracted to, but he isn't. He's judged entirely on whether he called things off with Mallory then committed fully to Jaye, which feels incomplete.

Moreover, there's no nuance allowed in the interactions with the two LIs. If the MC's relationship with Mallory is so strong that only perfect girl Jaye can barely overcome it, surely that's something that ought to be pondered seriously before the MC makes a final decision. Yet what we see in game doesn't reflect that in the slightest. He universally calls things off with Mallory the instant he learns she's serious about him, then commits to Jaye at the first available opportunity. This is not a solid foundation on which to build a polyamorous relationship with both ladies - certainly not in contrast with be being open about the MC's feelings for both girls and trying to build up from there.

Basically, the devs blundered by conflating an open relationship with an unserious one, leading to the mangled aesop that the best way to get both girls is to lie about wanting to. Speaking as someone who was booted off Mallory's path because it was moving too fast for my taste (or will be once they finally release that patch), the resolution to the Jaye/Mallory dilemma annoys me for reasons that have nothing to do with porn conventions.

That's all fine, but it's not actually what I was responding to.

The previous poster had suggested that I was delusional because I thought that it was good writing, which clearly doesn't match their opinion. They then "fixed" someone else's post because he said it was "a top tier AVN" (to which he also specified "IMO"). Those two posts suggest that because our opinion doesn't match, it is invalid. That is what I was responding to.

 

[PaxHadrian17]

Oh dear godddd

View attachment 4153069


ftfy

It's great to drop a meme or two versus having an actual dialogue - right?

So we disagree... and still I 'cope' with the laziness of some of the responders on this thread...

Cheers!!

 

[LizaS]

That's all fine, but it's not actually what I was responding to.

The previous poster had suggested that I was delusional because I thought that it was good writing, which clearly doesn't match their opinion. They then "fixed" someone else's post because he said it was "a top tier AVN" (to which he also specified "IMO"). Those two posts suggest that because our opinion doesn't match, it is invalid. That is what I was responding to.

Here’s the thing: if you played up to Chapter 6 and then completed the last three chapters without noticing a dip in the writing quality, I suppose ignorance is bliss.

I liked this game—emphasis on "liked". Years ago, around version 0.4, it had a lot of potential to be a game-changer in the adult visual novel (AVN) space. I believed it could become the most popular and best AVN on this site. The writing was strong, featuring humorous jokes, pop culture references, and solid character development with the two main love interests and to top it all, top-notch art. It had a coherent, easy-to-follow story.

Then something changed around Chapter 6. You could sense a shift in tone. Around that time, the writer announced that the game would consist of only nine chapters, ending with an epilogue. I thought, "Huh? But there's still a lot of story threads that were introduced and are nowhere near close in finishing."

Now that we’re here, with only the epilogue left to anticipate, and after the previous update, all dread have come to pass.

First, some important context: there are only two official love interests—Jaye and Mallory—and it seems these two characters will be the only ones with endings.
These are the thoughts that came to mind right away; I’ll discuss the rest once the game is complete and make a review about it.
I'll focus on some of the characters.

Stoya (the writer) introduced a redhead named Fiona early in the story, hinting that the main character (MC) longs for someone who resembles his stepsister. The writer included an unskippable sex scene with Fiona but later provided a way to ignore her messages, effectively for the players to have an some sort of escape hatch if they want to leave her "path". For those who texted and engaged with Fiona and attempted to flirt with her, reuniting with Jaye should have introduced potential conflicts, right?
Nope. Stoya never revisited that subplot, leaving it unresolved. I initially gave this a pass, assuming the writer thought a sex scene was essential in the early chapters of the game to gain traction/get more players. Okay, fine.

Next, Stoya introduced two blondes, Rikki and Linda. The backstory indicates that the MC had a crush on Linda when they were younger, and she felt the same way, but this detail ultimately feels inconsequential. At one point, while in bed with both Linda and Rikki (Linda's daughter, who has feelings for the MC), players are given the option to wake one of them for intimacy while the other remains present on the same bed. You might expect this choice to have repercussions later on, especially since only Jaye and Mallory are the designated endgame interests.
Nope, it ultimately didn’t matter. Stoya never revisited that subplot, even after some players expressed fondness for those characters.

Another character, Tara, was introduced early on as one of the MC's childhood friends and Jaye's best friend. Tara was integral to the plot, as she encouraged the MC to pursue a relationship with Jaye. How did she do this? One of the things she did this is through sex roleplay. Tara had a crush on the MC and engaged in an intimate scene with him while roleplaying as Jaye, allowing the MC to channel his feelings for her. It was a rather comical twist. Tara also played the role of wingwoman, facilitating the first kiss between Jaye and the MC while they were blindfolded in a closet. Throughout the game, she continued to support their relationship by sending enticing images of Jaye to tease the MC. Tara quickly became a fan favorite, with many players voicing their desire for her to have more screen time. You would think that, given her popularity, Stoya might reconsider and include Tara as one of the love interests with an ending, right?
Nope. The plan remained unchanged, and only two girls were considered LIs.
(This also applies to another character, Lisa, who is also integral to the plot and likely the second most popular side character.)

Need I talk about the battle in which who was the best choice for the MGs (which was clearly one-sided) and the nonsensical plot? The kinetic story that obviously is pushing the players to Jaye? Or with the last update to make the fierce, competitive, and obsessed Jaye in hinting at being okay sharing the MC with Mal? What about when the pacing shifted dramatically from slow in the early chapters to rushed in the final two? What about the cameo character in the latest udpate which was an Android and was protecting and hiding their internet presence so they wouldn't be located by the people who were trying to kill them. There was no set up for that. What about all the company politics and issues they had with it, why was it all resolved, in which feels like, all in one swing?

The epilogue has a lot on its shoulders answering all the questions about this and all of the ones I haven't mentioned, it better clear all of that up. Some have even said this is now comparable to Game of Thrones, when they had an excellent writing in the early seasons but then just spiraled down in the late seasons.

The thing is, what you see as a dumb pathing decision, others could see the signs for and appreciate as a good bit of writing. Just because this one didn't go the same way as most other games probably would, doesn't mean it makes no sense.

And this. It is obvious it was a dumb pathing decision. The writer himself admitted in a devlog he did a fuck up on that particular instance. And here you are saying it's a "good bit of writing". Please make it make sense.

Am I saying CS is bad compared to other AVNs? No. I think it had a strong start, but was just underwhelming in at the end.

It's great to drop a meme or two versus having an actual dialogue - right?

So we disagree... and still I 'cope' with the laziness of some of the responders on this thread...

Cheers!!

A'ight. Let's have that dialogue now.

 

[TonyMurray]

Here’s the thing: if you played up to Chapter 6 and then completed the last three chapters without noticing a dip in the writing quality, I suppose ignorance is bliss.

I liked this game—emphasis on "liked". Years ago, around version 0.4, it had a lot of potential to be a game-changer in the adult visual novel (AVN) space. I believed it could become the most popular and best AVN on this site. The writing was strong, featuring humorous jokes, pop culture references, and solid character development with the two main love interests and to top it all, top-notch art. It had a coherent, easy-to-follow story.

Then something changed around Chapter 6. You could sense a shift in tone. Around that time, the writer announced that the game would consist of only nine chapters, ending with an epilogue. I thought, "Huh? But there's still a lot of story threads that were introduced and are nowhere near close in finishing."

Now that we’re here, with only the epilogue left to anticipate, and after the previous update, all dread have come to pass.

First, some important context: there are only two official love interests—Jaye and Mallory—and it seems these two characters will be the only ones with endings.
These are the thoughts that came to mind right away; I’ll discuss the rest once the game is complete and make a review about it.
I'll focus on some of the characters.

Stoya (the writer) introduced a redhead named Fiona early in the story, hinting that the main character (MC) longs for someone who resembles his stepsister. The writer included an unskippable sex scene with Fiona but later provided a way to ignore her messages, effectively for the players to have an some sort of escape hatch if they want to leave her "path". For those who texted and engaged with Fiona and attempted to flirt with her, reuniting with Jaye should have introduced potential conflicts, right?
Nope. Stoya never revisited that subplot, leaving it unresolved. I initially gave this a pass, assuming the writer thought a sex scene was essential in the early chapters of the game to gain traction/get more players. Okay, fine.

Next, Stoya introduced two blondes, Rikki and Linda. The backstory indicates that the MC had a crush on Linda when they were younger, and she felt the same way, but this detail ultimately feels inconsequential. At one point, while in bed with both Linda and Rikki (Linda's daughter, who has feelings for the MC), players are given the option to wake one of them for intimacy while the other remains present on the same bed. You might expect this choice to have repercussions later on, especially since only Jaye and Mallory are the designated endgame interests.
Nope, it ultimately didn’t matter. Stoya never revisited that subplot, even after some players expressed fondness for those characters.

Another character, Tara, was introduced early on as one of the MC's childhood friends and Jaye's best friend. Tara was integral to the plot, as she encouraged the MC to pursue a relationship with Jaye. How did she do this? One of the things she did this is through sex roleplay. Tara had a crush on the MC and engaged in an intimate scene with him while roleplaying as Jaye, allowing the MC to channel his feelings for her. It was a rather comical twist. Tara also played the role of wingwoman, facilitating the first kiss between Jaye and the MC while they were blindfolded in a closet. Throughout the game, she continued to support their relationship by sending enticing images of Jaye to tease the MC. Tara quickly became a fan favorite, with many players voicing their desire for her to have more screen time. You would think that, given her popularity, Stoya might reconsider and include Tara as one of the love interests with an ending, right?
Nope. The plan remained unchanged, and only two girls were considered LIs.
(This also applies to another character, Lisa, who is also integral to the plot and likely the second most popular side character.)

Need I talk about the battle in which who was the best choice for the MGs (which was clearly one-sided) and the nonsensical plot? The kinetic story that obviously is pushing the players to Jaye? Or with the last update to make the fierce, competitive, and obsessed Jaye in hinting at being okay sharing the MC with Mal? What about when the pacing shifted dramatically from slow in the early chapters to rushed in the final two? What about the cameo character in the latest udpate which was an Android and was protecting and hiding their internet presence so they wouldn't be located by the people who were trying to kill them. There was no set up for that. What about all the company politics and issues they had with it, why was it all resolved, in which feels like, all in one swing?

The epilogue has a lot on its shoulders answering all the questions about this and all of the ones I haven't mentioned, it better clear all of that up. Some have even said this is now comparable to Game of Thrones, when they had an excellent writing in the early seasons but then just spiraled down in the late seasons.


And this. It is obvious it was a dumb pathing decision. The writer himself admitted in a devlog he did a fuck up on that particular instance. And here you are saying it's a "good bit of writing". Please make it make sense.

Am I saying CS is bad compared to other AVNs? No. I think it had a strong start, but was just underwhelming in at the end.


A'ight. Let's have that dialogue now.

Again, this is all fine, and it's good that you're adding lots of paragraphs to the discourse, but it still seems that you're trying to argue against an opposing opinion. My opinion isn't up for argument. It doesn't need to be validated.

Just because you have strong views doesn't make your opinion more valid than someone else's. We live in a world where we can have opposing views and yet both be right, because they are opinions.

 

[Just Jericho]

Here’s the thing: if you played up to Chapter 6 and then completed the last three chapters without noticing a dip in the writing quality, I suppose ignorance is bliss.

I liked this game—emphasis on "liked". Years ago, around version 0.4, it had a lot of potential to be a game-changer in the adult visual novel (AVN) space. I believed it could become the most popular and best AVN on this site. The writing was strong, featuring humorous jokes, pop culture references, and solid character development with the two main love interests and to top it all, top-notch art. It had a coherent, easy-to-follow story.

Then something changed around Chapter 6. You could sense a shift in tone. Around that time, the writer announced that the game would consist of only nine chapters, ending with an epilogue. I thought, "Huh? But there's still a lot of story threads that were introduced and are nowhere near close in finishing."

Now that we’re here, with only the epilogue left to anticipate, and after the previous update, all dread have come to pass.

First, some important context: there are only two official love interests—Jaye and Mallory—and it seems these two characters will be the only ones with endings.
These are the thoughts that came to mind right away; I’ll discuss the rest once the game is complete and make a review about it.
I'll focus on some of the characters.

Stoya (the writer) introduced a redhead named Fiona early in the story, hinting that the main character (MC) longs for someone who resembles his stepsister. The writer included an unskippable sex scene with Fiona but later provided a way to ignore her messages, effectively for the players to have an some sort of escape hatch if they want to leave her "path". For those who texted and engaged with Fiona and attempted to flirt with her, reuniting with Jaye should have introduced potential conflicts, right?
Nope. Stoya never revisited that subplot, leaving it unresolved. I initially gave this a pass, assuming the writer thought a sex scene was essential in the early chapters of the game to gain traction/get more players. Okay, fine.

Next, Stoya introduced two blondes, Rikki and Linda. The backstory indicates that the MC had a crush on Linda when they were younger, and she felt the same way, but this detail ultimately feels inconsequential. At one point, while in bed with both Linda and Rikki (Linda's daughter, who has feelings for the MC), players are given the option to wake one of them for intimacy while the other remains present on the same bed. You might expect this choice to have repercussions later on, especially since only Jaye and Mallory are the designated endgame interests.
Nope, it ultimately didn’t matter. Stoya never revisited that subplot, even after some players expressed fondness for those characters.

Another character, Tara, was introduced early on as one of the MC's childhood friends and Jaye's best friend. Tara was integral to the plot, as she encouraged the MC to pursue a relationship with Jaye. How did she do this? One of the things she did this is through sex roleplay. Tara had a crush on the MC and engaged in an intimate scene with him while roleplaying as Jaye, allowing the MC to channel his feelings for her. It was a rather comical twist. Tara also played the role of wingwoman, facilitating the first kiss between Jaye and the MC while they were blindfolded in a closet. Throughout the game, she continued to support their relationship by sending enticing images of Jaye to tease the MC. Tara quickly became a fan favorite, with many players voicing their desire for her to have more screen time. You would think that, given her popularity, Stoya might reconsider and include Tara as one of the love interests with an ending, right?
Nope. The plan remained unchanged, and only two girls were considered LIs.
(This also applies to another character, Lisa, who is also integral to the plot and likely the second most popular side character.)

Need I talk about the battle in which who was the best choice for the MGs (which was clearly one-sided) and the nonsensical plot? The kinetic story that obviously is pushing the players to Jaye? Or with the last update to make the fierce, competitive, and obsessed Jaye in hinting at being okay sharing the MC with Mal? What about when the pacing shifted dramatically from slow in the early chapters to rushed in the final two? What about the cameo character in the latest udpate which was an Android and was protecting and hiding their internet presence so they wouldn't be located by the people who were trying to kill them. There was no set up for that. What about all the company politics and issues they had with it, why was it all resolved, in which feels like, all in one swing?

The epilogue has a lot on its shoulders answering all the questions about this and all of the ones I haven't mentioned, it better clear all of that up. Some have even said this is now comparable to Game of Thrones, when they had an excellent writing in the early seasons but then just spiraled down in the late seasons.


And this. It is obvious it was a dumb pathing decision. The writer himself admitted in a devlog he did a fuck up on that particular instance. And here you are saying it's a "good bit of writing". Please make it make sense.

Am I saying CS is bad compared to other AVNs? No. I think it had a strong start, but was just underwhelming in at the end.


A'ight. Let's have that dialogue now.

I never was much of a Tara fan myself, but I can see why people might like her. She's sort of a hot female version of the Cyrano de Bergerac archetype. A fairly common LI type in a lot of romances, so her interest in Alex could definitely have been expanded on if the devs wanted to, but they obviously had different plans for her. I don't consider that bad writing per se, just simply not what some people wanted and/or expected.

I will say though... I might agree on some of your points about the writing after chapter 6 but whether the writing is good or bad is completely subjective. Our opinions are not a source of truth, so people who disagree with you are not "ignorant" unless they're opinion is based on an a factual inaccuracy. Don't fall into the trap of conflating fact and opinion like I see so many people do on F95.

 

[NebulousShooter]

• Han solo shot first determining if Jaye is dick virgin.
• Suprise throuple with zero hints and buildup and disrepecting the solo Mallory route in the process.
• Highly anticipated Lisa scene turned into a meme about George' dick, because in true MCU fashion nothing is sacred, or serious anymore.
• Speaking of MCU every single character has the same type of humor and knows the same pop culture references that you could swap the names and you still would not know who is the original character speaking.
• Stuborness to adjust the story to the the mega popularity of Tara, but having no problem in making a alleged Jaye/Mallory throuple ending that if you believe it was planned from the start, I have a bridge to sell you.
• Decission to use existing character in the new game, which means that Lisa joins Tara in the list of pointless waste of storylines and potential.
• Do I even have to mention how pointless characters like Bianca, the island girl, the Aspen duo, Fiona have been in the end?

I used to play this the second it dropped, since 0.1, keeping up with dev updates, previews, live streams. Now I am 1 update and a half behind, have no desire to catch up, dont mind being spoilled...thats how much it plummeted in quality the last few episodes.

Kentyrr was always the star, but now he is hardcore carrying this once cool AVN. Honestly, at this point not even sure I will check the next game, since like every other dev(s) that get too big to fail, they suround themselves with yes men in their echo chmbers, so I feel it will be more of the same.