VN Ren'Py Color of My Sound [Ch.3A v6] [Gallant Trombe]

[Gallant Trombe]

I own many AVN titles on Steam and still DL them from here to play outside of Steam's purview. I hate Steam and other 3rd party sites like it. I only use them because I must, not because that is my preference. If itch.io had better search functionality, I would be more inclined to use it but it doesn't so I don't.

Your game, your call, 100%, my friend. But, I prefer to get my games here for free.

Adventure ever on, Phat

Not like I can stop games from showing up here.

 

[Voez1999]

Natural cycle not just from here but for a lot of other devs as well. They start out small, post games here, get feedback and interact. Once enough patrons have been achieved and become big they'll rely less and less on these sites until eventually they just stop and in most cases even start banning people for using this.
It works for most xD.

 

[EndlessNights]

The plan is to release on itch when Ch2.B is ready.

I never explained why Ch2 is behind a paywall here, so I guess I can go into that.

The simple reason is that I want to sell the game on itch and steam eventually. And if I'm going to sell it, it just doesn't make sense to make the entire game available for free on an official level. It doesn't seem fair to those that bought it and not knowing it was free elsewhere. I know certain popular games do that and get away with it. But it just doesn't make any sense to me from a consumer point of view. Sure, if it is a model like Patreon where the idea is less about selling something, but more about providing continuous support to an artist to keep working on something, that's fair. But when it is sold as a product, that's completely different.

So, no matter how I think of it, I just can't reconcile the two models. Either I don't ever sell it as a product and keep CoMS a freeware, or I sell it as a product and cannot offer it for free myself.

Look, I know where I am posting this message, I myself am of course a user here, so I know what that means. I just can't say what I think personally. It doesn't seem fair to those who paid.

I think it's completely understandable that you feel this way. It's absolutely commendable that you want to do right by your customers and supporters. Also, while you didn't mention this, you are entirely deserving of a good return on all the time, money, sweat, and tears you've poured into this game. Anyone who has played it and knows anything about game development knows you've invested an awful lot of yourself into it. I'd like to think that even the most inveterate pirate among us still wants to see you get paid...just with other people's money rather than their own. Still, it's the thought that counts!

On the practical side of things, though, I tend to think having the updates continue to be available here will benefit more than hurt the game. CoMS still needs to reach more eyeballs and build momentum at this stage. I feel like games that don't have updates shared here quickly enough suffer from it in terms of lost exposure and engagement which correlates with lost income and popularity over the long run. Eventually, there might be enough organic growth that having the game leak wouldn't be as beneficial, but that's still way into the future IMO.

That doesn't mean you should continue to upload the game yourself when it doesn't feel right anymore. That sounds like it would be a little soul-destroying if you made yourself do it just because it might make sense from a marketing perspective. Instead, we'll hopefully see a super fan emerge who believes he or she is actually promoting the game and winning you more patrons and sales by sharing it with the community. Chances are they'll turn out to be absolutely right!

That person most likely won't be me. I suppose a lot of us have somewhat complicated feelings about piracy even though we all benefit from it and the AVN scene as we know it today likely wouldn't even exist without it. I would feel guilty to share a game I've put money into even if I did think it would benefit the game and make it more popular. It still would feel a bit like a betrayal, all the more so when you've talked to the dev personally and think of him/her as a person and an artist rather than just a name on the title screen. I feel like it's often the games with small but extremely loyal fan bases that end up having to toil away in obscurity the longest while the games with enthusiastic pirates for fans often gain more of a following more quickly.

I plan to be a day 1 buyer on Itch!

 

[bruce555]

Fuck! Old saves don't work...if I load the last save, the "special thanks" screen appears and I can't continue playing! Shit... is it only me that unlucky on Christmas day?

 

[Cabin Fever]

Fuck! Old saves don't work...if I load the last save, the "special thanks" screen appears and I can't continue playing! Shit... is it only me that unlucky on Christmas day?

What did you expect when the latest release posted here is not a continuation of the last release posted here but ends at the exact same point of the story?

 

[bruce555]

What did you expect when the latest release posted here is not a continuation of the last release posted here but ends at the exact same point of the story?

Sorry, English is not my native language... sorry but I don't understand what you mean.

 

[PussyDelendaEst]

Sorry, English is not my native language... sorry but I don't understand what you mean.

I think the game was reworked my friend. Meaning you would always have to play from the start again. There's no new content after your saves Is what I am guessing.

 

[bruce555]

Ok, thanks for your time.

 

[DarkDemon]

Any idea when will the update be released to public or get here?

 

[MagOnib]

I'm crazy about the update..

 

[amandressedlikeabat]

Love what I've seen so far by the way.

So, no matter how I think of it, I just can't reconcile the two models. Either I don't ever sell it as a product and keep CoMS a freeware, or I sell it as a product and cannot offer it for free myself.

I actually think there's a middle ground, where the paid product has advantages compared to the freeware you release. It could be anything, from extra scenes to an integrated gallery to simply earlier releases, where you make schmucks like me wait an extra week to a month. And you can advertise it as part of the paid ones. IE on patreon "subscribers get 1 month earlier access to each release." But of course, do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[Gallant Trombe]

Love what I've seen so far by the way.

I actually think there's a middle ground, where the paid product has advantages compared to the freeware you release. It could be anything, from extra scenes to an integrated gallery to simply earlier releases, where you make schmucks like me wait an extra week to a month. And you can advertise it as part of the paid ones. IE on patreon "subscribers get 1 month earlier access to each release." But of course, do what you feel comfortable with.

That is something I have considered and it is still a possibility. Things I want to avoid are "bonus scenes" or extended lewd scenes, etc. But I am considering features like my Patreon wallpapers, that's something I think it is fair to package within the game itself.

If you guys have ideas about what I can include in the paid build, let me know. The more value I can pack into the paid version, the easier it is for me to offer a free version. Ultimately my main concern is always being fair to the people who pay, the consumers. However, there is also something else very difficult to reconcile with, and that's Steam. I cannot sell the game on Steam while offering the game for free or at a lower price elsewhere. I don't want to name names, but let's just say this really isn't something that is allowed and can get devs banned from Steam I believe. At the very least it isn't the kind of risk I am willing to take.

I hope this makes sense to people. And if not, well, I'm not one to DMCA people.

 

[PapaPhat]

That is something I have considered and it is still a possibility. Things I want to avoid are "bonus scenes" or extended lewd scenes, etc. But I am considering features like my Patreon wallpapers, that's something I think it is fair to package within the game itself.

If you guys have ideas about what I can include in the paid build, let me know. The more value I can pack into the paid version, the easier it is for me to offer a free version. Ultimately my main concern is always being fair to the people who pay, the consumers. However, there is also something else very difficult to reconcile with, and that's Steam. I cannot sell the game on Steam while offering the game for free or at a lower price elsewhere. I don't want to name names, but let's just say this really isn't something that is allowed and can get devs banned from Steam I believe. At the very least it isn't the kind of risk I am willing to take.

I hope this makes sense to people. And if not, well, I'm not one to DMCA people.

When you are posting your game content here, YOU are in control of what gets released and when. Timing is everything. Give top tier patrons a full week to enjoy the latest content before releasing to the next tier. Give the second tier a full week to do the same. Then you release to ALL of your patrons a week before you release it to the public here. That is exactly how it works for my other friends who do this like OBD Games, Xavster, BadTimeTales, PTGames and several others. Those devs all actively participate here in their F95 forums and banter with the fans, the same way you do. They ALL have their patrons on Patreon and some other paid formats as well and once they have provided appropriate early access to all of their paying patrons then they let the latest release go public and it seems to serve them all rather well.

I agree with you on not doing Patron specific scenes. That gets to be a mess and causes fan resentment as well. There are some other detracting factors too, like your passwords for the "Patreon Only" content being made public anyway. This is especially true if you you go only with paid releases such as Patreon, itch.io and Steam. If YOU are not publishing a public release then someone else will and they will NOT follow your release guidelines for patron tiers. You drop a new release and within two or three days, it is here. The F95 uploaders pride themselves on obtaining and publishing the latest releases quickly. So, I reiterate... If YOU continue to make the public releases here, YOU are in control. If you choose to jump ship in favor only of paid sites then you are at the mercy of the data miners.

Another way I have seen devs make their own public posts without dealing with all the negativity that can spawn in forums is to have a member of their dev team make the posts and publish updates. Philly Games and Grinvald, author of Hot Sand of Antarctica, are the only ones that come to mind in that camp at present but there are several more that my fading memory cannot recall at present.

I would gladly support many of my favorite devs if I were still able to work, mais non. I am crippled with multiple disabilities and forced to retire well over a decade ago. My disability stipend is barely sufficient to pay for basics like rent, utilities and food but I still manage to scrape up a few bucks for titles on Steam that I have enjoyed here to show my support. I seldom play AVN's from Steam. I prefer to play them from my PC without Steam interference or censorship. Patreon censors games as well. I abhor censorship. So, I play my games from F95 instead, even those I have on Steam.

Phat will officially STFU now... I'm sure I've given you a lot to think about. I really hope you consider what I have said and reach out to some of the other devs I mentioned. They will give you the straight scoop from their own experience.

Adventure ever on my friend, Phat Happy New Year

 

[AchedCroissant]

She caught my eye, I will play it after the holidays

 

[osanaiko]

She caught my eye

Another intelligent and perceptive player who appreciates the best girl.

 

[Gallant Trombe]

Happy New Year!

 

[camaqua]

I normally dont post here, but i have a very clear opinion about the paid/free games! So i would like to share it.
I have played a lot of the free games here, and the best ones, i bought on steam after that, so i could continue the story. So, having a season 1 here, its like a demo, and i wouldnt mind paying for it, BUT, i wouldnt mind paying for a FULL GAME, not a season, and another, and another, and never knowing when or IF the story is going to be finished, and that, makes me stop buying!
So, if you want to sell on steam, i would buy a full game, knowing and expecting a full story. Having the season 2~3~4... for free, as DLCs after buiyng the game, or (the best in my opinion) havin a full game release, already with all seasons in it!

 

[imadumb]

Okay, the plot are good so far, loving the novel mistery and all that thing of "game of thrones" they have here

 

[imadumb]

Dear dev, this red light when people shot someone is a bit anoying ( in my case, this hurt my eyes, other people maybe is fine with it :V)

 

[Gallant Trombe]

Dear dev, this red light when people shot someone is a bit anoying ( in my case, this hurt my eyes, other people maybe is fine with it :V)

You are the second person who doesn't like that. Is it because it is just too bright? I'll consider tweaking them, but they are synced to the audio and also serve as the transitions, it will be difficult to come up with another way to do it.