hehe, So now I'm trying to think how I adjust it, as there's some stuff after that needs to be changed as well. Anyway, I'll divert everyone's attention with a picture of Louise....
- Thread starter Cenc
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- Sep 3, 2020
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hey wait a minute my brother
you can't just expect people to forget so eeeeasilyyyyyyyy oh my God
wait what were we talking about again
Hey everyone, I am currently running a poll to gage which images and scenes to re-master from chapter one. For those who play I would appreciate if you can select a scene (or scenes) you would favour more than the others.
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- Sep 3, 2020
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- Apr 26, 2019
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Where's the 'finish the game instead of remastering it already' option?
- Sep 3, 2020
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oh my God I can't believe I forgot about that Line you're right it doesn't make senseIt's this line here:
l "Well, perhaps I don't like the idea of you sleeping with everyone that moves."
It's not intended to be accusatory, more... hypothetical, like a misunderstanding, but obviously it doesn't come across correctly So I will be changing it - rest assured to those on a solo Louise route there's no issue with your saves. normal hot steamy love making with Louise will resume in 0.4.8
All joking aside, the line doesn't set the tone I'm going for so I'll be changing it.
especially since I'm a loyal and faithful husband that has never shown any interest in any other woman ever
I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner brother my bad
but maybe you could have Louise point out something that has always been bugging me
for a married man you sure do spend a lot of time with your female friends more than your wife
I never have any alone time together with you
and that could be a good reason for the mc to focus more on Louise in future chapters
- Jun 14, 2020
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Hello everyone,
Couple of updates this week, so let's start with the progress on 0.4.8:
Spent a lot of time writing ahead on the next few scenes, this was due mainly to the ending to chapter 4 being split into several branches, so wanted to ensure the code for this was in place.
You will also notice I've added the ch1 remaster, though I have not yet started work on those images. Talking of the remaster...
The results are in and I can share them below:
My plan for this is to tackle both the Emily and Louise scenes as well as the driving scenes first. Given the amount of images involved in the nightclub scene this will be saved for a future update and may even be broken down further.
Thank you to all those who voted.
Next poll will be for some patron only images, so look out for that during the week. Until next week,
Stay safe all.
Cenc
- Nov 14, 2017
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yes and no, you can request more dl links by reporting op and make a request BUT it happening is diff. thing.Is it possible to get a gofile link ?
- Jun 14, 2020
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Hello everyone,
Lot's to cover today, so let's dig in:
DoR Progress report
A lot of my focus over the last week has been on re-writing and updating the two chapter one scenes (Emily driving and the Kitchen scene). The writing for both is now completed and the images for the Emily driving scene have been completed.
Work has begun on the kitchen scene and I should have this completed by next week. Part of the re-mastering of the images was a re-write of the scenes. I will be going more in depth on these next week in a development log for supporters.
In addition to the above, I've also spent a lot of time writing the scenes with Cindy and Cassie (they are both connected.... wink wink).
The writing for this alone stands at almost 400 lines of code and that's just one possible path! I've got 6 possible routes involving these two to account for! So, there is a lot of work ahead of me, but 'm ready for the challenge!
Ch1 Re-Master
I've already mentioned this, but work on the re-master of older images and the scenes themselves is progressing. There is another section of the story that I do need to develop further and that is the progression of the MC and Danielle.
Many didn't understand the two early scenes involving her at the hospital and at home are essentially 'medication-induced fever dreams' This is an area I need to improve. IT will be unlikely to make it into the next update, but I will be looking at re-writing these scenes and if needed inserting additional scenes to make the progression (and her overall story) more coherent.
Poll results
I guess it wasn't fair of me adding the reveal of a character from the still untitled "New Game". There is, however, a week left to vote and change the results! The final images will be posted during next month - Reminder that those on a higher support tier get access to more lewd images.
Comming up
So, for the comming week I will be completing the final images of the Kitchen scene in chapter one, as well as writing a development log "deep dive" on those scenes. I would like to also have the writing for the Cindy and Cassie scenes completed.
It would also be good to have a big chunk of the renders done for them as well. I do have a video recording of me creating an environment for the new game and, If I have time I would like to get this edited and released next week too.
A scene from the next update, there's love in those eyes!
And finally...
I'm currently sat at 59 supporters on patreon. This is a new record for support for me and the game. I want to tank everyone from older members to new - without your support Dreams of Reality would not be, well, a reality. Thank you.
I wonder if there is a chance we can hit 60 before then end of the month?
Till next week, stay safe all.
Cenc
- Jun 14, 2020
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A Developer Log this week, this one’s a long one, so make a brew, sit down, and relax.
Four years ago, I embarked on a journey to create a visual novel called Dreams of Reality. However, the first year of this project was spent trying to figure out how Daz worked. At that time, I didn't have an Nvidia GPU, so my rendering was solely dependent on the CPU. Even though my processor, an AMD Ryzen 7 3700, was considered a mid-tier CPU at the time, it took a full 2 hours to render an image, regardless of how noisy or complete the image looked.
When rendering in DAZ, there are three main limits that can be set: time, iteration count, and convergence. If any of these limits are reached, the rendering engine will stop. Those who render on an Nvidia GPU don't have to worry about these limits as much, except for highly detailed or large scenes. A low iteration count isn't always indicative of a lower quality image. Other factors like detail, scene size, and the number of lights can also play a role. However, a low iteration and convergence will usually result in a noisy image.
This brings me to the issue of remastering chapter one images. When I first started the project, I didn't fully understand how these three limits affected the image, resulting in many noisy images. Halfway through chapter one development, I discovered de-noising, which did improve image quality. By the end of chapter one, I had purchased an Nvidia GPU (RTX2070) and gained a better understanding of these limits. Chapter two further improved my post-processing skills, resulting in better images overall.
As a developer, going back and redoing images can be seen as wasted time, but I began to question whether chapter one was a product I was happy with. Some feedback mentioned that the renders improved over time, and comments from others highlighted the initial images' noisiness or lower quality. While I initially believed that the project must always move forward, I began to have doubts when I stumbled upon an "Uglies of Daz" forum post featuring an image of Emily.
If you play this game, you know the importance of Emily's character to the story and what she means to me. So, when I saw her name on the list and clicked to see her picture, my heart broke. It wasn't because of the model, but because of my own lack of skill and knowledge that had resulted in an ugly portrayal of her.
Although this wasn't the image that broke the camel’s back, I knew I had to make things right. I went back and redid the images from that scene, and the difference was as one person put it, night and day. However, I still believed that spending time on older images was a waste of progress. That is until chapter four began to develop, and I noticed a glaring difference between the quality of images from chapter one and those in later chapters.
I couldn't ignore the mismatch, and I knew that new players would be confused and think that different artists had worked on the game. So, I decided to go through the worst offenders in chapter one and spend time correcting them. I created a list and put it to a vote, and I also decided that every scene would have another round of editing, especially the Kitchen scene, which you'll soon see.
Now, let's start with the Driving scene involving Emily.
The opening scene initially featured an animation of Emily driving as the MC pondered his thoughts. It took me considerable time to create this, using a green image behind the car window and rendering an animation of passing houses before combining them in Sony Vegas. While I was pleased with the added motion blur, overtime I grew to hate the animation.
The scene was revamped, removing Emily’s personal thoughts and the animation altogether. The scene takes place after the MC’s first night at the Purple Orchid Gentlemen’s Club, where either he has had an encounter with Cindy or Emily has witnessed Sebastian assaulting Louise, both events weighing heavily on their minds.
Rather than reading Emily’s thoughts, the scene now features an extended interaction between the MC and Emily. To add depth to the scene, I have expanded further and what was initially 5 images has grown to 16.
The second scene to be improved for update 0.4.8 is the morning kitchen scene between Louise, Emily, and the MC.
There has been quite an extensive rework of this scene, the interaction between Emily and Louise has been expanded, as has the group interaction including the MC.
The conversation choices were limited, and players were selecting one option at a time, this gave the impression there were other choices that were not active. The truth is the conversation flow was badly coded, due to the progression of images of Louise from the kitchen area to the table each conversation choice had to be kept separate.
This has now been improved, adding some additional choices, and having a better progression of the images.
The scene overall has been massively expanded from 19 to 56 images.
As I type this, image 49 out of 56 is rendering, so the above two kitchen scene images are before the final post-process polish. Although they do give you an idea of the final images.
There are other scenes and images that will be updated, however the two scenes detailed above are all that is marked for the 0.4.8 release.
I hope this deep dive into the reasons behind the remaster has been interesting, I’m always open to feedback so post in the comments below your thoughts.
Cenc
- Jun 14, 2020
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Hello all,
Time to update you on the progress for the next update.
Dreaming of Reality:
Writing for the Cassie 1 and Cindy 1 scenes has completed. I've added a new line for the bonus content that will feature Chantelle and 'peepo'. I'll let you speculate as to what that means.
The writing for these scenes is already underway. Several lead up images for the Cindy scenes have been rendered, however I am currently working through a large 600 frame animation (111/600 done so far) this will take a few days to render out, so scene creation is effectively paused until this is completed.
I plan for 1 more animation (possibly 2) for the Cindy / Cassie scenes and then I can move on to creating the images for the bonus / Melissa scenes.
Patreon images will be comming this week, these will include the reveal of a character from the 'new' game. I will probably be doing a proper reveal of the character including a back story before the images are released - So look out for that later this week. Speaking of the new game...
What is in a name?
It took far longer than it really should, however I can reveal the title for the 'new' game is:
The Mystery of Grimhurst Lodge
It might change, but I am pretty sold on this title. I do want to point out that development of MoGL is going to be very slow due to me only doing the odd bits and pieces during my spare time (of which I have precious little).
That's it for this week, stay safe all.
Cenc
- Jun 14, 2020
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I will be prefixing updates for The Mystery of Grimhurst Lodge with [MoGL] this is so that those interested can find these posts easier - It's also an attempt by me to make these updates a little more professional.
Okay, you can stop laughing now.
The first character to reveal is Emma. However, before we get to her details, let me share some details about the game itself:
NB: Some elements of the synopsis and character details are deliberately obscured.
Step into the shoes of a struggling writer in The Mystery of Grimhurst Lodge, as you explore the eerie countryside estate surrounded by dense trees and tranquil waters. You specialize in the murder mystery genre, yet your success has been elusive, leaving you to write mundane articles for the local news. But all that could change with one captivating story.
As fate would have it, Grimhurst Lodge, an ancestral property, has come into the picture. Following the death of the last owner, who raised you instead of your biological family, you receive a handwritten letter requesting a visit. Could it be that you are the heir to this mysterious property? Excitement and uncertainty flood your mind, but be warned, the enigma that lies within Grimhurst Lodge might be too perilous to unravel. Every house holds secrets, and this one is no exception.
Emma:
Meet Emma, the sensible and responsible older sister of SPOILER, who has always played it safe in life. Taking care of her mother was her top priority, which is why she never ventured too far from home until she finally moved to the city. Though she kept in touch with her mother, she never returned home to Grimhurst Lodge.
It has been over a decade since you last saw Emma. You left the estate under a storm cloud, and Emma never understood why. Secretly, she even had a crush on you. But time has passed, and Emma has grown wiser to the ways of the world. She now finds herself returning to the family estate, compelled by the passing of her mother and the fate of Grimhurst Lodge.
As she crosses the threshold of the iron gates, she knows she must confront the ghosts of her past that linger within the walls of the estate. Emma is ready to face the unknown and come to terms with the truth that awaits her.
Other characters will be announced in due course, bear in mind all of this is subject to change.
Cenc
- Nov 2, 2018
- 14
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About the drinking game, as stated before by YaYa_UnTIN2
and for those playing at hard difficulty to maximize points
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and for those playing at hard difficulty to maximize points
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- Jun 14, 2020
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A quick update this week, starting with the progress overview:
A large portion of the "Cindy" scenes have been done. There's still a few more to be created, which will be done over this week.
There is a second animation that has been created and just needs rendering out (300 frames in total). A lot of the writing has been completed, although the Louise/Danielle scenes will probably be the biggest portion of this update - just down to the sheer number of possibilities the story can have at this point.
That's all for now, 'till next week.
Stay safe all,
Cenc
Not sure if this has been shared...
There are some continuity problems when it comes to 'never ever have I ever'.
-The end-of-chapter synopsis says that "You shared something she told you in confidence" when clicking on Danielle. Even though that was not done.
-There are a couple of times when Danielle and Louise refer to the relationship between Danielle and the MC even if there was NO relationship.
-During the conversation with Louise on the hill overlooking the beach, she talks about how you switch personalities. I am guessing this is referring to the drug use... But in my playthrough, I did not use the meds.
-The bartender mini-game does not always produce the correct drink even if it was made correctly.
-There are a few others. I am guessing that maybe these things have been addressed. Like the comment Louise makes about him sleeping around even if he has been faithful.
There are some continuity problems when it comes to 'never ever have I ever'.
-The end-of-chapter synopsis says that "You shared something she told you in confidence" when clicking on Danielle. Even though that was not done.
-There are a couple of times when Danielle and Louise refer to the relationship between Danielle and the MC even if there was NO relationship.
-During the conversation with Louise on the hill overlooking the beach, she talks about how you switch personalities. I am guessing this is referring to the drug use... But in my playthrough, I did not use the meds.
-The bartender mini-game does not always produce the correct drink even if it was made correctly.
-There are a few others. I am guessing that maybe these things have been addressed. Like the comment Louise makes about him sleeping around even if he has been faithful.
Thanks for these, I think I've caught most already, but if you don't mind could you send me a save file (you can DM me on here, or on discord) I just want to dig in and check a couple of variables, just in case any issues have slipped through.
The 'switching personalities' isn't just to do with the drug use, it's a little more general. Though I'll go back and maybe re-think those lines to make it a little clearer.