VN Ren'Py Devil Chile [v0.1] [Babylon]

[Penumbral Evanescence]

i've gotta think about that a good bit more, that's an interesting proposition.

i find the alignment feature to be a bit finicky though, personally speaking. a certain college-themed, frat game utilizes an alignment feature that adjusts the way mc interacts with people, and his choice of vocabulary, based on his alignment. honestly, i found it very interesting at first, and very frustrating afterwards.
more often than not, it seems to ignore the concept of "code switching", while simultaneously dismissing the mc's duality. like sure, you're a bit of a sleazebag, but you've gotta know there's a time and place for everything.

i'll say this,

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Well, that makes sense. Truthfully, the MC is given the option to learn based on other's interactions around him, but ultimately he will decide for himself what sort of disposition he will embody based on those shared experiences.

Not necessarily spoon-feeding a generic representation of good vs bad, but more of a greyer/murkier undertone of sorts based on the MC's reactions to certain scenarios.

Sometimes, in games with choices that lean moreso towards good/evil, and don't necessarily address the in-betweens have players favouring min/maxing to choose the desired outcome that best suits their own moral philosophies/outlook on how they would address that situation if they were in the shoes of the MC. Escapism isn't everyone's cup of tea when they play such AVNs, perhaps they simply desire to make choices based on their own IRL moral compass.

Anyways, probably rambling a bit there. Interesting concepts nonetheless and narrative involvement between the MC and other parties.

 

[Babylon.]

Well, that makes sense. Truthfully, the MC is given the option to learn based on other's interactions around him, but ultimately he will decide for himself what sort of disposition he will embody based on those shared experiences.

Not necessarily spoon-feeding a generic representation of good vs bad, but more of a greyer/murkier undertone of sorts based on the MC's reactions to certain scenarios.

Sometimes, in games with choices that lean moreso towards good/evil, and don't necessarily address the in-betweens have players favouring min/maxing to choose the desired outcome that best suits their own moral philosophies/outlook on how they would address that situation if they were in the shoes of the MC. Escapism isn't everyone's cup of tea when they play such AVNs, perhaps they simply desire to make choices based on their own IRL moral compass.

Anyways, probably rambling a bit there. Interesting concepts nonetheless and narrative involvement between the MC and other parties.

i wouldn't say you're rambling, i'll eat up all food for thought, inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time, by no means do i have it "all figured out". any opinion or experience that comes from an informed place is of great value to me.

your first statement there hits the nail on the head in terms of the direction the mc is gonna take. he'll be picking up a more active role in his own personal development after acknowledging how little he really understands, which is precisely why the people around him are written to be so bright (though i don't plan on making an idiot out of him either).

i've always played these kinds of games as "myself". i've found that making the decisions that i'd have personally made gets me more immersed and invested in the story. i'm not thinking about good boy points or karma, i'm thinking action and consequence and honestly, the good vs bad formula that devs often go with fights against that, preventing you from doing things you still would have, purely based on stats. it's something that has always irked me. i avoid certain language in the way i phrase my choices, specifically to avoid players from thinking along the lines of "good choice vs bad choice".

expounding on the grey area isn't gonna be easy, but none of what i've done so far was either. i'll get this done by any means necessary.

 

[Penumbral Evanescence]

i'm thinking action and consequence and honestly, the good vs bad formula that devs often go with fights against that, preventing you from doing things you still would have, purely based on stats. it's something that has always irked me. i avoid certain language in the way i phrase my choices, specifically to avoid players from thinking along the lines of "good choice vs bad choice".

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from with that line of thinking. The way that choices and actions are presented to the player in-game isn't exactly understood in the sense that you can perceive the long-term effects of making said choice in the game.

That said, I did like the overall ambiguity and openness to interpretation in terms of the types of conflicting scenarios that the MC was presented with in the game. I think the character interactions were quite compelling, and having the MC converse with their inner demons every so often really helped portray just how conflicted their mindset was when coming to terms with their past, dealing with the stages of grief, and grappling with ways on how to make the most out of the situation they find themselves in currently.

 

[Penumbral Evanescence]

Also, Babylon. I found some of the MC's inner dialogues quite intriguing to say the least. It's unfortunate that he is lead to believe that the only way to think of themselves as being inherently special is to compete with others and compare themselves based on academic prowess alone. Yes, they might find themselves in an academically competitive environment, and there is nothing wrong with some healthy competition here and there, but fixating oneself on the need to attain perfection in everything they do academically can adversely affect their own sense of self-worth. Truthfully speaking, we all digest and disseminate the knowledge we consume in our own personal ways. We all have our own respective strengths and weaknesses, and I feel that with time, the MC will find something that they believe makes them content about the way they personally are without being so harsh on themselves and undermining their inherent potential.

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[YogSothoth1982]

my bad, i visited that comment way late and assumed you'd have either fucked around and found out, or not bothered at all.

I don't usually try games until I know for sure if I'm interested in them.

i can't say that i plan on making this a harem game. maybe one or two girls might be ok with sharing, but i do plan to aim for realism with the way i write my characters, and realistically speaking, they'd prolly be quite upset to find out mc is fucking around.

I'm not a big fan of choosing. Actually, the only way I'll be interested in this game is if I happen to like only one of the LIs in it. In fact, if that happens, I should also be able to avoid all sex scenes with all girls other than that LI. If I like two or more LIs, I'm not interested in the game.

i'm thinking i could make mc either very secretive, or a straight up liar, while also having certain choices lead to you being caught. i like writing smart characters, so having them completely oblivious to the mc's antics isn't gonna make any sense.

Either the LIs know and agree, or I don't like the MC having multiple relationships (I can accept that it's a secret at first until the LIs get more accepting, but only for a while). So if the game isn't harem-based, there's no chance I'd want the MC to have multiple relationships at the same time.

in terms of fetishes, all sex will be avoidable so all fetishes will be optional. as of right now

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

That's fine. I'm unlikely to end up trying the game anyway - harem games come first on my priority list, so this one is going to be pretty low down.

 

[Babylon.]

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from with that line of thinking. The way that choices and actions are presented to the player in-game isn't exactly understood in the sense that you can perceive the long-term effects of making said choice in the game.

That said, I did like the overall ambiguity and openness to interpretation in terms of the types of conflicting scenarios that the MC was presented with in the game. I think the character interactions were quite compelling, and having the MC converse with their inner demons every so often really helped portray just how conflicted their mindset was when coming to terms with their past, dealing with the stages of grief, and grappling with ways on how to make the most out of the situation they find themselves in currently.

that's exactly what i'm going for. i'd like you to understand what you're choosing to do, but the potential consequences are left to your imagination. i want players to consider what they know about a character when choosing how to interact with them, thinking twice before they decide to do something like lie to celeste for example. this is why i've gotta really immerse myself in the task of writing each character to be distinct and well established.

i'm giving a bit more context to the mc's past in the update as well.

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Also, Babylon. I found some of the MC's inner dialogues quite intriguing to say the least. It's unfortunate that he is lead to believe that the only way to think of themselves as being inherently special is to compete with others and compare themselves based on academic prowess alone. Yes, they might find themselves in an academically competitive environment, and there is nothing wrong with some healthy competition here and there, but fixating oneself on the need to attain perfection in everything they do academically can adversely affect their own sense of self-worth. Truthfully speaking, we all digest and disseminate the knowledge we consume in our own personal ways. We all have our own respective strengths and weaknesses, and I feel that with time, the MC will find something that they believe makes them content about the way they personally are without being so harsh on themselves and undermining their inherent potential.

i'm glad to see someone actually took note of this because it's something that i do plan on expanding on in the next update. so far, i've only set the groundwork for it and i was honestly worried that players would dismiss this as bizarre or irrational due to the lack of context. in this next update, intend to fully expose why mc's academic prowess is so interconnected with his sense of self-worth.
real (but vague) spoiler btw:

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[Babylon.]

If I like two or more LIs, I'm not interested in the game.

BOI WHAT DA HELL BOI
i'm sorry, but it's not the kind of game that focuses only on one girl. i'm actually actively attempting to make every love interest in here someone you could fall in love with, aka, the exact opposite of what you want.

Either the LIs know and agree, or I don't like the MC having multiple relationships (I can accept that it's a secret at first until the LIs get more accepting, but only for a while). So if the game isn't harem-based, there's no chance I'd want the MC to have multiple relationships at the same time.

he doesn't have to. again, it's all optional. by the time i'm finished, you'll be able to do a full playthrough where you don't end up with anybody. this mc isn't a horny guy, hyper-fixated on sex, so it would still be quite in-character to end up with nobody at all.

That's fine. I'm unlikely to end up trying the game anyway - harem games come first on my priority list, so this one is going to be pretty low down.

that's fine, i'll wait

 

[YogSothoth1982]

BOI WHAT DA HELL BOI
i'm sorry, but it's not the kind of game that focuses only on one girl. i'm actually actively attempting to make every love interest in here someone you could fall in love with, aka, the exact opposite of what you want.


he doesn't have to. again, it's all optional. by the time i'm finished, you'll be able to do a full playthrough where you don't end up with anybody. this mc isn't a horny guy, hyper-fixated on sex, so it would still be quite in-character to end up with nobody at all.


that's fine, i'll wait

My problem is that I only play one ending, so I actually prefer it to include all the LIs I like, which makes it very difficult to get interested in non-harem games.

 

[Babylon.]

My problem is that I only play one ending, so I actually prefer it to include all the LIs I like, which makes it very difficult to get interested in non-harem games.

well considering the story has only just started, i'd say it's best not to worry about the ending just yet.
if it makes you feel any better,

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[Penumbral Evanescence]

well considering the story has only just started, i'd say it's best not to worry about the ending just yet.
if it makes you feel any better,

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

That's good to know. Truthfully speaking, I found it hard to choose between the different FMCs in the game. Celeste is really cute and mystifying in her own eccentric way. And both the redhead and stepsis are also charming in their own way.

Real talk though, the step mom...any chance we get a tap at that ass in future updates?

Ngl, I got excited when I saw her wearing that sexy sleepwear of hers

 

[Babylon.]

That's good to know. Truthfully speaking, I found it hard to choose between the different FMCs in the game. Celeste is really cute and mystifying in her own eccentric way. And both the redhead and stepsis are also charming in their own way.

Real talk though, the step mom...any chance we get a tap at that ass in future updates?

if i manage to make it frustratingly impossible to choose, i'll know at that point that i succeeded

samantha will be romanceable as well, so you can look forward to that in future updates. i already know how i'm gonna do it too

Ngl, I got excited when I saw her wearing that sexy sleepwear of hers

i reflexively did a fist pump reading this lmao
i made it myself, you see

working on some new outfits right now actually, i'm trying to avoid a redundant wardrobe so i'm honestly not even sure if or when i'll ever stop making new clothes for these guys.