VN Ren'Py Corporate Culture [v0.6] [sqwl]

[jufot]

Perhaps she wants to feel like she's giving something back to the world and doing something good even as she rather obsessively strives for success and status. She might just like to be needed and to be the most important presence in someone's life. Of course, she also seems to have uses for Ed that will help her in her own rise to power as well so her motives certainly aren't entirely pure even in her own mind.

Perhaps. While I don't see Elsa being an altruistic person, we don't really know. She has material wealth, yes, but we don't know if she actually cares for it, or if her fancy stuff was simply provided for her.

As for being needed, I can see that more easily. She is too polite to say it (maybe even to herself), but she looks down on Edward and I could see her enjoy being the most important person in someone's life who she considers to be beneath her.

Another possibility is that she really needs to have a human punching bag to lash out at occasionally. [...] Elsa doesn't seem like a particularly happy and healthy person to me. Her world is narrow. [...] She has a few friends, but she's admitted that it's more a sense of loyalty than shared interests that continue to tie her to them.

As a fellow cynical misanthrope, I hesitate to label her "unhealthy" but I can see how one might. But we simply don't know enough about her to declare her unhappy. Remember, we only see Edward's perspective and Elsa deliberately keeps him away from her personal life. Aside from a brief exchange at the police station, we've never seen her have a personal, non-transactional interaction. She could have a whole different life outside of work. I base this assumption on myself - work me and family and friends me are two very different people

It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Elsa and Alice actually come from similarly privileged backgrounds, but Alice seems to enjoy her life of privilege much, much more.

I agree with the observation, but not with the conclusion. Alice strikes me as nouveau riche; she is ostentatious about money. Her showiness and exuberance feel like cover for an empty life. Elsa, on the other hand, exudes old money vibes. Despite being just as privileged, her approach to wealth is more private and subdued. Even her clothes are understated. She could very well be enjoying her wealth to the fullest but in private, with people she is actually close to. That seems a lot healthier than what Alice is doing.

There are a number of boxes she wouldn't check for me -- most notably, I doubt she'd be a very supportive or loving person in a relationship, and those are two very important personality traits for me.

We only see Elsa through Edward's twisted psyche. She is cold to him, yes, but I don't think we can deduce her romantic side (or lack thereof) from that.

And I can imagine she might turn off a whole host of men for various reasons. Insecure guys wouldn't like feeling inferior next to her. Proud fellows might find her insulting and disrespectful. Proper gents might be scandalized by her bluntness.

These I agree with completely.

She doesn't exactly ooze sexual availability either which might turn off the Brians and Neils of the world.

I think her mix of intelligence, confidence and demeanour oozes sexuality, but not sexual availability. That just increases her desirability for me, but I admit it would be a turn-off for some

 

[Bruce F. Lee]

A preggo Lucy would no doubt look gorgeous and radiant, but are we sure Edward's actually ready to be a dad at this point? To be sure, life tends to happen whether you're ready or not, but I hope if that scenario pans out Ed will undergo the most extensive course of prenatal counseling in the history of fatherhood. It would be fascinating to see the reactions of the other characters, though. Ed's mom would probably be thrilled. I could totally see Tommy doing a fantastic job of filling the fun uncle role. Aunt Elsa is a bit harder to imagine, but Aunt Zoe would be quite possible I think.

That's a very thoughtful response. I was admittedly focused on the looking gorgeous and radiant part. But I agree that Ed would make a poor father at this point in his life.

 

[Bruce F. Lee]

Perhaps. While I don't see Elsa being an altruistic person, we don't really know. She has material wealth, yes, but we don't know if she actually cares for it, or if her fancy stuff was simply provided for her.

As for being needed, I can see that more easily. She is too polite to say it (maybe even to herself), but she looks down on Edward and I could see her enjoy being the most important person in someone's life who she considers to be beneath her.



As a fellow cynical misanthrope, I hesitate to label her "unhealthy" but I can see how one might. But we simply don't know enough about her to declare her unhappy. Remember, we only see Edward's perspective and Elsa deliberately keeps him away from her personal life. Aside from a brief exchange at the police station, we've never seen her have a personal, non-transactional interaction. She could have a whole different life outside of work. I base this assumption on myself - work me and family and friends me are two very different people


I agree with the observation, but not with the conclusion. Alice strikes me as nouveau riche; she is ostentatious about money. Her showiness and exuberance feel like cover for an empty life. Elsa, on the other hand, exudes old money vibes. Despite being just as privileged, her approach to wealth is more private and subdued. Even her clothes are understated. She could very well be enjoying her wealth to the fullest but in private, with people she is actually close to. That seems a lot healthier than what Alice is doing.


We only see Elsa through Edward's twisted psyche. She is cold to him, yes, but I don't think we can deduce her romantic side (or lack thereof) from that.


These I agree with completely.


I think her mix of intelligence, confidence and demeanour oozes sexuality, but not sexual availability. That just increases her desirability for me, but I admit it would be a turn-off for some

Just saying I enjoyed the civil discussion between you and Endless Nights. You both make interesting points that are worth considering. Much better stuff than the flame wars that often consume threads on this site.

 

[Ottoeight]

The whole debate is so nice and all that jazz, nonetheless I'd rather see the next update coming out soon.

Bummer.

 

[elle21]

I don't know I liked the story but man literally too much time pass from every update and it's just literally too short update

 

[DrDerpington]

I don't know I liked the story but man literally too much time pass from every update and it's just literally too short update

Oh, thanks. I was about to check the new update, but then I saw your post. I hate small updates especially if it took long time to make them.
I guess I should wait for next one for more content.

 

[vikdor]

nice feet

 

[6pak2go]

I also enjoyed the in-depth character analysis here. Many points and connections have been brought to light that I haven't thought of. It's a very intriguing story.

 

[JB08]

Anything new from the dev on his patreon about the next updates progress?

 

[kabir_07]

OK, it's time to finish up my little Corporate Culture character study with some thoughts on some of the game's minor or hitherto less developed characters.

Anita:

Anita is the nice brunette who liked Edward in college but lost out to Jenny. I think she's a great example of the one who got away -- the person who in retrospect seems perfect for us, but we didn't choose her or circumstances intervened to keep you and her apart. There are girls I knew in college who seem endlessly fascinating and alluring when I think about them now, but at the time I hardly noticed or thought much of them. Sometimes I'll have clear memories of a great conversation or two I shared with someone and then realize I never even bothered to ask her for her number. Never asked her out to coffee. Never found out if she had a boyfriend. All those missed opportunities can really start to weigh on you as the years go by if you let them...sometimes I do.

I'm not sure Edward will ever be coming face to face with any of the people from his past that we've seen in the game, but I'd definitely rather he run into Anita again instead of Jenny or the "friend" who betrayed and resented him. Anita was cool. Just maybe Ed will get another chance to make up for his missed opportunity. I really don't want to start the Internet's only Anita from Corporate Culture conspiracy theory, but I think there's a vague possibility Anita might work for EO now. Anyone else notice the dark-haired woman who talks to Joyce in the hallway when Edward is on his way to meet Emma? I think there's a physical resemblance there for sure.

Ashley:

Ashley's the one Corporate Culture character who doesn't seem to have any depth or complexity to her. She's a girl who likes muscle hunks, and that's pretty much the end of the story. Probably the only erotic VNs she plays are by EpicLust. If you were to ask her if she thinks Summer is ever going to come back, she'd look at you quizzically because she doesn't know who Summer is or that she's gone. Edward has his issues, but surely he deserves better than THAT. Even Elsa I'm sure at least plays both Tess and Darktoz games so there's at least a bit more variety.

I will fault our protagonist for asking Ashley out when he already knew there was no chemistry or rapport there, but that still doesn't excuse her behavior. If they do ever end up on another date, Edward should insist they take Ashley's grandma along so the evening isn't a total waste if Ash has to suddenly drop everything and chase down a wandering muscle dude. And so GILF Quest begins!

C. (Bar Girl):

The bar scene is one of the most creative and memorable in the game, but because it is completely devoid of dialogue we don't get to know C very well. Even Tommy who set her up with Edward doesn't actually know her name. So she's definitely mysterious, but based on the limited time we've seen her I think she's pretty, fun, and kind. You better believe I'm taking that number. No idea what was up with those guys in the bar, though. Are they the ex-boyfriends of C and Tommy's date? Brothers? Just drunken regulars they happen to know? Or is this some sort of swinger fight club situation we've haplessly wandered into? Eddie needs to call C up pronto so we can finally get the lowdown.

Elsa's friends, Katie & Emily:

Those who feel "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls was in fact a hidden Corporate Culture walkthrough and that Scary Spice is the foremost time traveler of our time have to be disappointed with the poor start to Edward's relationship with Elsa's best friends. Katie completely ignores him at the jail while Edward completely ignores Emily when he's getting lunch with Elsa. True to form, our MC doesn't do a good job of noticing other girls when Elsa and especially Alice is around. So far, Emily seems nice and Katie doesn't, but we really need some more data to go on to form a definite opinion of them. I'd have liked the option to ask Katie if she has a ride home and to at least say hello to Emily, but our Eddie just hasn't leveled up charisma to that degree just yet.

Jenny:

Jenny is a nuanced character for a cheater. I liked how the game showed the fissures in their relationship prior to the betrayal. It didn't seem like there was any chance that relationship was going to last. Edward didn't seem that serious about her (to the point of actually not treating her very well at times) and they were both very young. Their connection would probably have fizzled out gently on its own given enough time, but instead it went out with a big bang and ended up absolutely devastating Edward who was betrayed by not just by his girlfriend but also his childhood friend. I'm not going to call that resentful freak his best friend because that title clearly belongs Tommy both now and then.

I can understand to an extent why Jenny cheated and actually don't feel as angry towards her as I do the false friend she cheated with yet I also have zero interest in seeing her back in the story. Ed shouldn't waste energy hating her or trying to get revenge, but he should totally move on and consign her away with all the other ghosts of his past.

Joyce:

Joyce is Emma's assistant. We only see her a couple of times in the game, but I'd definitely like to see more of her in the future...she's nice. Who knew candy of all the things would turn out to be the key to taming Emma's temper?! The main reason I wanted to mention Joyce here is because I wanted to give a quick shout out to sqwl for the little things he does to make his characters seem more vivid and alive. In the case of Joyce, he changes her hair color and style between scenes in a dramatic enough way I actually had to go back to make sure it was the same character. It was...she just changed her look up a bit as millions of people do in offices around the world each day. Sqwl also does a really nice job of giving all the characters different outfits to wear. Little touches like that really increase immersion and make the game world more realistic.

Tommy:

What a great friend. Seriously, this guy is the best. He's the one person who seems to always be there for Edward and who always tries to build him up. He has to have felt disappointed and frustrated with his depressed best friend a thousand times, but giving up on a friend just isn't part of his code of ethics. He's shown at times to be a rather single-minded skirt chaser; however, I can't think of a single time where he actually prioritized going after a woman to being there for Edward.

I totally agree with you on most part of your analysis. Loved your explanation and specially the Anita theory. It was very fascinating to see the observation you have watched.

 

[Coinzell]

 

[PeopleCallMeSmile]

Did I just messed up my save or the game ends after you leave your boss's office?

 

[Coinzell]

Did I just messed up my save or the game ends after you leave your boss's office?

No you're not. It does ends at this point currently.

 

[ostrogotihichun]

is the dev doing well?

 

[dolfe67]

is the dev doing well?

Not really.

You must be registered to see the links

Hey, guys.

Life turned out funny. I found myself between a rock and a hard place.There's a huge amount of uncertainty in my life right now and this affects development process. I'm trying to solve my situation, but as of now there's no quick and easy solution.

To the important part:

I want you assure you that this thing I wrote up there - this isn't some cheap excuse to abandon the game.

No.

I'm fully committed to the project and I want to keep working on it.

But to keep it honest between us - in my current circumstances my ability to work is severely limited, so to speak. 0.5 is about 70% ready, but I don't know when I'll be able to finish it.

I'm considering fully switching my attention to developing the game, but this option has its downsides, it's not something that can be done quick and painless.

I do not plan to go dark and will update you as soon as I can. This is all I can promise you right now.

Thanks. Be safe and I hope to see you soon.

 

[ostrogotihichun]

Not really.

You must be registered to see the links

Hey, guys.

Life turned out funny. I found myself between a rock and a hard place.There's a huge amount of uncertainty in my life right now and this affects development process. I'm trying to solve my situation, but as of now there's no quick and easy solution.

To the important part:

I want you assure you that this thing I wrote up there - this isn't some cheap excuse to abandon the game.

No.

I'm fully committed to the project and I want to keep working on it.

But to keep it honest between us - in my current circumstances my ability to work is severely limited, so to speak. 0.5 is about 70% ready, but I don't know when I'll be able to finish it.

I'm considering fully switching my attention to developing the game, but this option has its downsides, it's not something that can be done quick and painless.

I do not plan to go dark and will update you as soon as I can. This is all I can promise you right now.

Thanks. Be safe and I hope to see you soon.

Damn hope he recovers
thanks for the update

 

[The unseen]

Not really.

You must be registered to see the links

Hey, guys.

Life turned out funny. I found myself between a rock and a hard place.There's a huge amount of uncertainty in my life right now and this affects development process. I'm trying to solve my situation, but as of now there's no quick and easy solution.

To the important part:

I want you assure you that this thing I wrote up there - this isn't some cheap excuse to abandon the game.

No.

I'm fully committed to the project and I want to keep working on it.

But to keep it honest between us - in my current circumstances my ability to work is severely limited, so to speak. 0.5 is about 70% ready, but I don't know when I'll be able to finish it.

I'm considering fully switching my attention to developing the game, but this option has its downsides, it's not something that can be done quick and painless.

I do not plan to go dark and will update you as soon as I can. This is all I can promise you right now.

Thanks. Be safe and I hope to see you soon.

welp .. At least he isn't milking and abandoning a good game so that's a point.

 

[deadh30775n]

Did the dev said something abt how big 0.5 update will be?

 

[dolfe67]

Did the dev said something abt how big 0.5 update will be?

Like the 4.5 I think, about 300 renders.

 

[deadh30775n]

And here I thought It will be a bigger update than a 300 renders one hence the long delay after the last update.