Ren'Py Desert Stalker [v0.19.4] [Zetan]

[HennKyun]

Yeah I was also playing some DS OST in the background while I was working, I'm quite impressed by creator's range of musical capabilities. There are some calm & mysterious pieces that really set the tone. The rock/metal piece at the intro was the first surprise for me.

I think Zetan handles the sexual tension quite well.There's always someone that's (at least slightly) out of our reach, the new mutants for example. Teasing, but not revealing everything all at once. Mandisa is irresistible to me because of the early introduction, and our inability to peel her clothes off of her. The proud/warrior archetype suits her really well as well. If Zetan is able to maintain this level of sexual tension, I think DS is going to remain exciting for a very long time.

 

[ReoNa_MK]

Would like to get a mobile wallpaper from the Mernieth main menu animation.
I've tried but I can't get it without it losing some quality.
Anyone skilled enough?

 

[Massagecook01]

A woman like that would Teach you a lot about yourself.

 

[Squirtoslav]

View attachment 4964560
A woman like that would Teach you a lot about yourself.

 

[Machete]

Imo the big one plot is clearly his ex master "king of ghouls" one but let's say the dev it's in no hurry to develop it...

Exactly. The 'big plot', so far, has been

- Introduction of the main caracters
- Introduction of the problem (Lord Abraxas hints something big and dire is coming)
- Shani went on a McGuffin run.

And i'm not being critic on the approach, it's a perfectly solid first act draft.

The 'episodic' is the various side plots, like seizing the miners village and gaining the trust of the mutants, and the romantic subplots that would come to fruitions in the main plot (like the relationshio with Ivy) and those who likely will be self contained, like the personal stories of Fairy and Emilia.

And just to come out, i totally adore this game. I think it's a monument to how spicy visual novel should be done.

You even seemed to have corrected yourself a bit by choosing your words carefully to present your assumption.

If you refer to my continuos editing of my posts, it's mostly because i have the bad habit to just write them down and post without proofreading. Then i read them, i see how many typost and stuff i did (english is not my first language) and i edit to correct them

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

If you refer to my continuos editing of my posts, it's mostly because i have the bad habit to just write them down and post without proofreading. Then i read them, i see how many typost and stuff i did (english is not my first language) and i edit to correct them

I was actually referring more to the caution you seemed to show when bringing up your main point in the first post, rather than to any editing. If there was any, I just didn’t notice or pay much attention to it.

And don’t worry, english isn’t my first language either. I’m a native french speaker, so I wasn’t judging you on that in any way.

 

[Fairlight0306]

And just to come out, i totally adore this game. I think it's a monument to how are spicy visual novel should be done.

Absolutely, i agree, maybe i want more content of the raider sisters but that is my personal taste. For the rest one of the best VN around if not the best.

 

[Leinad_Sevla]

You mean this one?

YES, that one! Sometimes I´ll have the game on and just go to the home screen and let that music play while I´m doing something else. It´s so relaxing.

Well, soon enough, Emilia will be receiving so much white liquid of joy that she will be able to make snow angels out of it all

Ahah there´s not enough white liquid for that, she has to share with the others.

Mandisa is irresistible to me because of the early introduction, and our inability to peel her clothes off of her. The proud/warrior archetype suits her really well as well. If Zetan is able to maintain this level of sexual tension, I think DS is going to remain exciting for a very long time.

Well, it looks like Mandisa is getting something in the upcoming update, so that tension might be satiated for a bit. The thing about every update is that it gives a little something with a girl but leaves you wanting something with another. Last update gave us something with the Queen, but left me wanting more with the long-tongue mutant. The one before that gave us something with Pepper, but left me wanting something with the redheaded mutant. It never ends.
And the raider sisters...I´m always hungry for the raider sisters.

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

I'm doing another playthrough and noticed a few things I don’t remember from before. It makes me wonder if some early parts of the game were updated or changed. One scene that really caught my attention is when Zaton and Shani rescue Kyra from the decayed, who were planning to eat her. The environment feels different now, and the option to negotiate her release seems to have been removed, along with the confrontation involving the rest of the group.

During that scene, there used to be a brief, quite gore-heavy moment where Shani catches a glimpse of a human slaughterhouse run by the decayed, with one of them skinning a body in a back room. That moment no longer appears in the current version.

Shortly after, there is an encounter at night at the Zeta market where Zaton confronts a man mistreating a girl. This part also feels noticeably different now. I believe this girl was his slave before, but in the latest version both characters look different and the girl, now accused of theft, defends herself fiercely by biting his fingers which she then tears off.

That said, I must admit that most of the changes blend smoothly with the rest of the game and I really like the new visuals in these scenes as they are quite impressive.

 

[xapican]

I'm doing another playthrough and noticed a few things I don’t remember from before. It makes me wonder if some parts of the early game were updated or changed. One scene that really caught my attention is when Zaton and Shani rescue Kyra from the decayed, who were planning to eat her. The environment feels different now, and the option to negotiate her release seems to have been removed, along with the confrontation involving the rest of the group.

During that scene, there used to be a brief, quite gore-heavy moment where Shani catches a glimpse of a human slaughterhouse run by the decayed, with one of them skinning a body in a back room. That moment no longer appears in the current version.

Shortly after, there is an encounter at night at the Zeta market where Zaton confronts a man mistreating a girl. This part also feels noticeably different now. I believe this girl was his slave before, but in the latest version both characters look different and the girl, now accused of theft, defends herself fiercely by biting his fingers which she then tears off.

That said, I must admit that most of the changes blend smoothly with the rest of the game and I really like the new visuals in these scenes as they are quite impressive.

that is part of the permanent discussion, The Dev. was unhappy with some early scenes, and did a soft overhaul, so yeah all what you felt like it was different, are the reworked scenes, now implemented and on their place.
I liked the new renders, and also the way they did renew them.

 

[JaxMan]

I'm doing another playthrough and noticed a few things I don’t remember from before. It makes me wonder if some parts of the early game were updated or changed. One scene that really caught my attention is when Zaton and Shani rescue Kyra from the decayed, who were planning to eat her. The environment feels different now, and the option to negotiate her release seems to have been removed, along with the confrontation involving the rest of the group.

During that scene, there used to be a brief, quite gore-heavy moment where Shani catches a glimpse of a human slaughterhouse run by the decayed, with one of them skinning a body in a back room. That moment no longer appears in the current version.

Shortly after, there is an encounter at night at the Zeta market where Zaton confronts a man mistreating a girl. This part also feels noticeably different now. I believe this girl was his slave before, but in the latest version both characters look different and the girl, now accused of theft, defends herself fiercely by biting his fingers which she then tears off.

That said, I must admit that most of the changes blend smoothly with the rest of the game and I really like the new visuals in these scenes as they are quite impressive.

Yes, those are two major chances. I've posted about them before, I didn't like them but some people think the changes are better.

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

I’m not too bothered by the changes the dev made, but it’s a bit disappointing that some choices with the decayed were removed, along with that brief scene where Shani discovers this human slaughterhouse. Other than that, aside from the new visuals, I don’t see any major changes to the story.

 

[JaxMan]

I’m not too bothered by the changes the dev made, but it’s a bit disappointing that some choices with the decayed were removed, along with that brief scene where Shani discovers this human slaughterhouse. Other than that, aside from the new visuals, I don’t see any major changes to the story.

The story doesn't change, but to me the quality of the scenes aren't up to the original and I don't mean the renders or anything technical. Like the scene with Kyra, it was more evocative, had more context and explained the situation better and you had a choice, I think that is important. The market scene was terrible imo. It made so much more sense in the original with the abusive owner being chided for his actions which were against Zetan culture. That showed Ivy you were trustworthy and cared about the less fortunate. Whereas, the new one has a violent thief who you have to let go if you want the mutant storyline, but you have no real reason to release her. It's illegal for her to be in city, she's a thief and she violently attacked a citizen.

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

The story doesn't change, but to me the quality of the scenes aren't up to the original and I don't mean the renders or anything technical. Like the scene with Kyra, it was more evocative, had more context and explained the situation better and you had a choice, I think that is important. The market scene was terrible imo. It made so much more sense in the original with the abusive owner being chided for his actions which were against Zetan culture. That showed Ivy you were trustworthy and cared about the less fortunate. Whereas, the new one has a violent thief who you have to let go if you want the mutant storyline, but you have no real reason to release her. It's illegal for her to be in city, she's a thief and she violently attacked a citizen.

The scene with the 'thief' now brings up a moral question that wasn’t there before, especially if, like Zaton says, you believe the man’s side. You don’t get the chance to fully compare both stories, so it’s hard to know what really happened. The girl breaks free and reacts strongly. Given how he treated her, it makes sense, but we still don’t know if the man was telling the truth.

As you pointed out, the path to Ivy and the mutants seems less logical now due to the changes in this scene. Without enough context, it’s tough to decide who to trust, so you end up siding with the girl more out of sympathy than solid evidence.

I don’t remember all the details of the Kyra rescue, but I see what you mean about that scene being more evocative before. It felt longer, with Zaton taking time to check everything around him. There were choices to make, like negotiating with the decayed or fight them. And there was that moment when Shani opens a door and sees a decayed cutting up a body.

As mentioned, one could question the meaning of these changes, and maybe the dev will revisit it. I’m not sure. Personally, I think the area where some clarification is needed is in the scene between the man and the girl, who’s presented as a thief. Choosing to help her doesn’t seem like an obvious decision, so a bit more context here could help clarify things.

That being said, I really enjoy the new visuals, and overall, these scenes remain engaging and entertaining. I wouldn't be in favor of removing them in favor of the old versions, as I feel the dev shouldn't waste too much time on that. Of course, he can do whatever he wants, as it's his game and artistic vision.

 

[Machete]

I’m not too bothered by the changes the dev made, but it’s a bit disappointing that some choices with the decayed were removed, along with that brief scene where Shani discovers this human slaughterhouse. Other than that, aside from the new visuals, I don’t see any major changes to the story.

I don't think this is the case butm just to be sure, cheek the preferences to see if you have all the 'bad boy' options activated.

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

I don't think this is the case butm just to be sure, cheek the preferences to see if you have all the 'bad boy' options activated.

What are you referring to exactly ? Are you talking about the gore options or the forceplay settings ? Both are activated for me right from the start.

 

[Machete]

What are you referring to exactly ? Are you talking about the gore options or the forceplay settings ? Both are activated for me right from the start.

Exactly. Sometimes when content seems to be 'missing' that is the reason. I didn't think it was your case but it was worth checking.

 

[Ebonheart (FR)]

Exactly. Sometimes when content seems to be 'missing' that is the reason. I didn't think it was your case but it was worth checking.

That's true, but I always enable both of these options whenever I start a new game. I would have seen them in the settings menu too, and honestly, it’s hard to miss them ! ^^

 

[Massagecook01]

What would you do for an Ass like that ?

 

[HennKyun]

During that scene, there used to be a brief, quite gore-heavy moment where Shani catches a glimpse of a human slaughterhouse run by the decayed, with one of them skinning a body in a back room. That moment no longer appears in the current version.

This is something I've immediately noticed as well, I wonder what caused them to change the tone so drastically. It was one of the only truly unsettling moments in the story "Never disturb a butcher while he's doing his work" or something like that.