Ren'Py Divine Dawn [v0.30] [Cryswar]

[Trynn]

You know, you're not the first person who thought her intro was weird. It was intended to be weird - implied / eventually stated that she panicked when she found out from Sam that you were leaving and basically interjected herself to the party - but it seems like I maybe missed something in implementing it? If you have specific thoughts on that I'm all ears. She's one of my favorite characters to write, so I'm glad you like her!

I certainly got that that's what was happening behind the scenes, but it is rather subtlely manifested. Just having Celica be more forceful about her presence in the party could be a fix, but it's a balancing issue with her thing being that she doesn't take action. Like, if she were to try and take charge of some aspect of the party to exert her presence, I think that'd be out of character. But maybe you could have her ask for details on what the plan is in such a way that it places her firmly next to the MC "So, what are WE intending to do first?" said to the MC to announce her presence and clearly meaning that the "we" is the two of them, ignoring the others.

I don't quite understand the rush comment though; if you're referring to Ina, you get a fair bit of extra dialogue with her compared to the other routes, the most dialogue of any route in that event actually I think. There's not meant to be a single correct route, but that one's probably the most rewarding IMO aside from maybe Celica's. Or Kuril's LOL.

Oh no, there are unique events for characters that aren't repeatable? I think I'd agree with some sort of hint system to suggest who to take in such a case. I found having Metatron with you when you meet Grass Doggo hilarious, but that encounter is repeatable so if you miss it the first time you can catch it later. I know you had a plan to incorporate some sort of scrying mechanic for a gallery system, to see H-scenes you might have missed. Maybe that could be expanded for non-H-scenes as well?

Tomboy Supremacy!

 

[zeraligator]

It's already the strongest stat in the game by a wide margin. If I was going to add HP to it, I'd have to drop the mitigation significantly.

I'm not violently against the idea, but it's also not a problem I'm desperate to solve.

A decrease in the mitigation percentile is fair for the sake of balance.
If vitality were to give some HP, maybe the levelup HP gain should be somewhat lowered in tandem. It would incentivise more generalist builds into investing in the stats and could provide a clearer tradeoff for glasscannon builds.

 

[zeraligator]

I noticed that in Maya's intro-headpat scene her hair is noted as being very soft, in contrast to it's appearance, but in the Yokobaki(or whatever) conversation the option to headpat her is followed by her hair being described as ruff in texture.
Inconsequencial, I know but I just happened to notice.

It also contains the sentence "So, uh, what all kind of girls are in this dog tribe." where the all is unnecessary

And the stat screen shows my character as having no hp regen even though he has deep breathing. It doesn't show anything other than 0 regen for other characters either even though Aspasia has a racial regen ability.

Allies seem to be able to use the 'continous' magics even while down.

Having sparred against every party member I feel that I can state that Aspasia is currently overpowered. I can beat every party member but her, she nearly two shots me every time, where most can only deal, like, a fith of my health per turn and she debuffs with most/all of her attacks.

It seems that attunement increases by one for every ten points of magic from what I can extrapolate from my stats, maybe the magic stat should specify this? I only realised because my attunement was higher than I thought it should be.

 

[Cryswar]

April 17th Weekly Update
I got back to work this past week, and have a decent bit to show for it, along with a lot that I don't want to spoil just yet.

Spent a decent amount of time trying to make camp/transitions a little less clunky; there are visible transitions going back to/leaving camp or passing time, some characters fade in or move onto the screen from one side rather than just appearing instantly, and I improved some related backend code to hopefully make it easier to do in the future.

Sarah got a nice lore conversation, and Maya got a surprisingly chunky affection scene that continues to drive her home as best doog. What a cutie. I can't wait for her art so I can do all kinds of dumb shit with transitions, she seems like the type to superhero land in scenes and wiggle back and forth a lot.

Ina's initial camp scene is also mostly done; a bit more info on her, her personality, and what all is going on. It won't answer every question, but after you get her to the knight-commander and she joins the party properly she'll have a lot more.

Celica now has an amazing custom camp theme; there's a preview of it up on Patreon, and I'll post the full version sometime in the near future. Got a bit of a Chrono Trigger vibe to it, but not too much.

Also, there's a lot of... commission stuff going on in the background, hopefully next week I'll be able to talk about it more. Seems to be going pretty well so far though!

 

[PyoT]

I wanted to give some impressions for a while, maybe after I played a bit more, but I keep forgetting; so I'll use this moment to say my 2 cents:
one, as usual with games on here, I find the humor depressingly unfunny. Especially the genre-awareness stuff leans into being rather cringe when the hero and heroines then act out ever porn protagonist trope ever ("oh you're such a nice person protagonist, let's have sex forever").
But at least the writing in general is good, so it's not as bad as in other games where the humor is questionable and the prose it's presented in is even worse ...

two, the combat system, well, maybe it's good, or maybe it isn't; without information I can't tell. Perhaps other people invest more time and care into playing the game and figure things out - for me it was spamming some attacks and being done with it, wondering why I even had the option to use others. Given that it seems to be a major part of the game I found that rather unsatisfying. An action log or at least a display on what damage you do or something would at least for me be the minimum necessity to improve the combat.
Also not sure about the idea about not controlling your companion. Doesn't help make things feel more satisfactory.

Probably sounds kinda negative; it's not. Setting seems interesting, the mechanics generally work fine; didn't have any bugs or anything of that sort, characters maybe a bit generic but in a likable way, and such. Oh, and nice visuals of course. So absolutely overall positive, just doesn't work for me due to the combat, which, eh. Guess it's fine for others.

 

[Trynn]

"oh you're such a nice person protagonist, let's have sex forever"

I have to assume you're talking about the succubi, as the other major characters in the game either take longer to warm up to the MC (Metatron, who also embodies the aspect (oops) virtue of courage and you've displayed that to her) or are MC's childhood friends and have an established relationship with him before the game starts (the other characters - fishgirl and doggirl, being too new to have much content to them. The doggirl has more, but it basically establishes she's a grifter and so you can't trust anything she says). In which case, they're succubi, it's literally their nature. And they are also aware they're alone in a world that is completely unfamiliar to them for the most part, and the bits that are familiar to them are hostile. The reason succubi are tolerated in the modern world is because they can't use the dark magic those two can. They're alone, they're in a hostile world, and they saw the MC protect them against an incarnation of obliteration after they got shafted by their own side. I'm not surprised they'd choose to stay with him, nor am I surprised they'd choose to show their affection in a way that is both typical of their species and makes them more powerful so they can better protect themselves in this new situation they're in. Over time it becomes genuine, there you go.

An action log or at least a display on what damage you do or something would at least for me be the minimum necessity to improve the combat.

This (damage numbers) used to be in the game and as I understand it will be coming back. I fully agree it's required, otherwise any advantages of particular attacks are meaningless as you don't know when to use them. "This attack ignores some defence" that's great, I've no idea how much defence any specific enemy has and can't figure it out by seeing what my attacks do to them. But, this should be being addressed.

 

[Cryswar]

I have to assume you're talking about the succubi, as the other major characters in the game either take longer to warm up to the MC (Metatron, who also embodies the aspect of courage and you've displayed that to her) or are MC's childhood friends and have an established relationship with him before the game starts (the other characters - fishgirl and doggirl, being too new to have much content to them. The doggirl has more, but it basically establishes she's a grifter and so you can't trust anything she says). In which case, they're succubi, it's literally their nature. And they are also aware they're alone in a world that is completely unfamiliar to them for the most part, and the bits that are familiar to them are hostile. The reason succubi are tolerated in the modern world is because they can't use the dark magic those two can. They're alone, they're in a hostile world, and they saw the MC protect them against an incarnation of obliteration after they got shafted by their own side. I'm not surprised they'd choose to stay with him, nor am I surprised they'd choose to show their affection in a way that is both typical of their species and makes them more powerful so they can better protect themselves in this new situation they're in. Over time it becomes genuine, there you go.

This (damage numbers) used to be in the game and as I understand it will be coming back. I fully agree it's required, otherwise any advantages of particular attacks are meaningless as you don't know when to use them. "This attack ignores some defence" that's great, I've no idea how much defence any specific enemy has and can't figure it out by seeing what my attacks do to them. But, this should be being addressed.

Aww, that's very nice of you to post! Thank you, and well said.

I'll also confirm that the numbers thing is a known issue, and *should* be fixed (fixed-ish) next update, with ability damage previews and listed damage reports.

It's been one of those things that gradually became an issue as enemy descriptions/health bars got replaced by art. User interface work is... not my strength lol, and the game was built around the assumption I wouldn't have art for years, if at all.

 

[Trynn]

It's been one of those things that gradually became an issue as enemy descriptions/health bars got replaced by art. User interface work is... not my strength lol, and the game was built around the assumption I wouldn't have art for years, if at all.

Life is a work in progress.

I will admit though, I'm quite glad you turned out to be wrong about the artwork. It has a unique style I find myself liking, and the picture of Metatron is what first caught my eye and made me give it a go.



Though the shot of Sarah's titfuck really just looks like Azur Lane's Graf Spee with a tail. I mean, a different tail. Hopefully that's just a placeholder?

 

[horny wizard]

game looks pretty cool, will give it a shot

 

[TheeSonus]

Though the shot of Sarah's titfuck really just looks like Azur Lane's Graf Spee with a tail. I mean, a different tail. Hopefully that's just a placeholder?

Last I recall hearing, that was from when Crys was wanting to add sexual CGs to the game, and Sarah had a different-ish design back then. Can't remember exactly why he decided against adding more.

 

[Cryswar]

Life is a work in progress.

I will admit though, I'm quite glad you turned out to be wrong about the artwork. It has a unique style I find myself liking, and the picture of Metatron is what first caught my eye and made me give it a go.

View attachment 1765426

Though the shot of Sarah's titfuck really just looks like Azur Lane's Graf Spee with a tail. I mean, a different tail. Hopefully that's just a placeholder?

Yeah, the character art I'm very fond of! I've been lucky to work with some great artists.

The Sarah paizuri was an experiment and my first-ever commission. I didn't adequately express to the artist that she wasn't supposed to ACTUALLY be graf spee, and I didn't know how to correct it on the final version LOL.

Then I polled patrons, and people unanimously voted that I focus sprites instead, so CGs paused and I never got a chance to fix that.

In the future, we will get more lewd CGs, and any Sarah gets will have her correct appearance. I'll eventually replace that one as well. CGs can be pretty expensive though, and take a while to commission->finish. So unless I start pulling in MUCH better numbers I wouldn't expect them to come quickly.

game looks pretty cool, will give it a shot

Hope you enjoy!

Last I recall hearing, that was from when Crys was wanting to add sexual CGs to the game, and Sarah had a different-ish design back then. Can't remember exactly why he decided against adding more.

Yeah. I explained a bit above, but tl;dr they got put on hold 'cuz patrons wanted sprites instead. They will be back! I think they're cool af and can make a good scene great, personally.

 

[Quintilus]

CGs can be pretty expensive though

Damn right it is!!! You cant use torrents for this....
We talking about Console Gaming, right!?

 

[skull3146]

I played Sarah and METAtron (routes?) and I'm enjoying the game so far, quality game in the making, keep up the good work

 

[Cryswar]

April 24th Weekly Update
Taxes, DoL shenanigans, other IRL crap, and a lot of time spent on commissions definitely cut into my dev time this week, but we still made some surprisingly nice progress!

I think the most exciting for some will be that we finally have a functional damage/heal display! It's a little clunky, and I'd like to improve it further, but at least it's there.

Abilities now also preview their approximate damage, both normal and crit, and update those numbers when targeting different enemies. It takes into account almost everything the actual calculations do.

Duplicate enemies also get assigned bespoke names, so it's a little easier to tell which boar is headbutting your dick.

Sam's new sprite is done and looking wonderfully expressive! She also has a very nice nude version, which you'll probably be seeing in the near future...

There are more racial and character-unique traits in the game, with flavor text I'm quite proud of. The biggest beneficiaries are probably Sarah and Ashley, but everyone will get something.

Weapon stuff has also been hashed out; the UI is still uhh.... it's a work in progress, BUT I know what I'm doing now and have the system planned out, which was the hard part. Weapons will have icons now too!

Sam art sketches and Celica's AMAZING new theme are up on Patreon, I'll start previewing the fantastic finalized Sam art there over the next few weeks as well!

 

[Trynn]

Sam's new sprite is done and looking wonderfully expressive! She also has a very nice nude version, which you'll probably be seeing in the near future...

Tomboy Supremacy...

 

[zeraligator]

April 24th Weekly Update
Taxes, DoL shenanigans, other IRL crap, and a lot of time spent on commissions definitely cut into my dev time this week, but we still made some surprisingly nice progress!

I think the most exciting for some will be that we finally have a functional damage/heal display! It's a little clunky, and I'd like to improve it further, but at least it's there.

Abilities now also preview their approximate damage, both normal and crit, and update those numbers when targeting different enemies. It takes into account almost everything the actual calculations do.

Duplicate enemies also get assigned bespoke names, so it's a little easier to tell which boar is headbutting your dick.

Sam's new sprite is done and looking wonderfully expressive! She also has a very nice nude version, which you'll probably be seeing in the near future...

There are more racial and character-unique traits in the game, with flavor text I'm quite proud of. The biggest beneficiaries are probably Sarah and Ashley, but everyone will get something.

Weapon stuff has also been hashed out; the UI is still uhh.... it's a work in progress, BUT I know what I'm doing now and have the system planned out, which was the hard part. Weapons will have icons now too!

Sam art sketches and Celica's AMAZING new theme are up on Patreon, I'll start previewing the fantastic finalized Sam art there over the next few weeks as well!

I was wondering why Sam's art seemed so different from the rest, good to know (s)he is finally getting the good stuff.

 

[Cryswar]

View attachment 1775051

Tomboy Supremacy...

Love the meme! Tomboys are peak culture. Especially rough tomboys that get surprisingly girlish during sex (sometimes).

I was wondering why Sam's art seemed so different from the rest, good to know (s)he is finally getting the good stuff.

Her old sprite was the first sprite commission I had done, so it was definitely a learning experience. New one is from another new artist, but has a much wider variety of expressions, can be improved in the future, and has a usable nude vs the old one. I definitely hope people like it, especially considering how much time I ended up spending on my end of it LOL.

 

[Big_chungus88]

Tomboy Supremacy?
What About Muscular Girl Supremacy?

 

[ankhtar]

Tomboy Supremacy?
What About Muscular Girl Supremacy?

You'll usually find that they're both the same thing most of the time. Nothing wrong with a big ol' musclehead (within reason...) of a woman giving you a hard time, only for her to do a complete 180 and become uncharacteristically girly and skittish during hand holding. I honestly didn't know I was into that until it happened for the first time, like sleeping au naturel.

 

[Trynn]

Her old sprite was the first sprite commission I had done, so it was definitely a learning experience. New one is from another new artist, but has a much wider variety of expressions, can be improved in the future, and has a usable nude vs the old one. I definitely hope people like it, especially considering how much time I ended up spending on my end of it LOL.

Hopefully she hasn't changed too much, but I remain generally optimistic and look forward to the reveal. Plural. Reveals. Both seeing her in general, and then seeing her nekkid...

Hmm, thinking about that lovely idea, another thought occurs. It may be in the future, but what is your stance regarding group activities? There seem to be quite a variety of duos among the girls that could be set up for fun times: Ashley and Sarah, Metatron and Sarah, Ashely and Sam, Sam and Celica (that'd be fun), Aspasia and Celica, Metatron and Maya... each has their own unique dynamic that could be in play. Arguably, this could extend to activities even without the MC, though that's a dangerous route. Opinions are split regarding a harem means the harem members can all fool around with each other with the MC being an equal member, or if the harem must be centered on the MC in question and anything not involving him goes right to NTR. I place myself in the former group, not least because it's the only way a healthy polyamorous setup could work as there's only so much attention one person can split and share. But really, I just want to see Sam and Celica sniping at each other during a threesome (especially if they try to one-up each other with each other : V) or Metatron indulging in a petting frenzy with Maya. And Sam with either of the succubi could be amusing, given how the adventure started.

No idea what your plans are, sorry if I've meandered with this train of thought too much. I've just come to really like the cast, which is always a big draw for me so I like musing.