XnaVier

Member
Apr 29, 2022
137
319
It's linear in a sense that there is only one major story path and that the only "branching" there is at the moment either doesn't affect the plot in a major way (see: Space Station choice in who to help) or grey out a love interest's path and consequently make players miss out on story moments that could've happened during said love interest's event. Of course that could change as we get close to the final act, where the little choices we've made in the course of the story as players will likely affect the ending we get (as in the case of OIAL).

Compare that to, say, The Witcher 2 where the choices you make right at the start could potentially put you in wildly different paths and scenarios that are unique in their own right. This allows the game to be replay-friendly, but for a porn game with episodic content this could lead to longer dev times due to the branching paths thing or lead to updates that have - objectively - a lot of content but the kind that most players will not see if they're only invested in one path/playthrough (see: BADIK).
It is indeed linear. If we were to draw it's entire plot, it follows a straight line, with minor branching parts here and there. None of your choices alters the story and its world in a significant way, apart from closing off romance paths to some characters which causes you to miss some scenes.
I agree, there is one major story and whatever choices you make doesn't change where the story goes but just affects which girl you end up with so I agree that in that sense it's linear.
It would be interesting for the game to have that sort of option where you can change major events in the game but this is a porn game we are talking about and that sort of visual novel is just too much work for the dev
 

Frowster

Member
Nov 4, 2022
135
1,448
Can't agree more. If I were to compare the structure of Eternum to other games we can find in this platform, this would be one of those "Story-driven games that just happened to have porn on them". We get way more story than sex scenes per update, and the interaction between characters feels "organic" for lack of a better word. We are actually establishing relationships instead of the common "Girl sees man with big dick, girl suddenly wants to fuck and is suddenly head over heels for the MC for some reason".
This is the key part on what separates an AVN from a "porn game" for me. I know that to a lot of people an AVN is a porn game by definition and they use those terms interchangeably, but I don't. For me, a "porn game" is a game that is focused solely on the sexual content and whose story and characters (such as they are) are just ancillary to that goal. In other words, if you were to remove all the lewd content from such a game, you would be left with an empty husk that has nothing to hold your attention.

In what I call proper AVNs, such as Eternum, the writing can stand on its own merits and the lewd stuff flows naturally from the complex worldbuilding and characterization. Remove the lewd and I will still be playing to see how the story develops, whether my theories were right or wrong and I will be looking forward to seeing all the characters I've become invested in over the course of the game.

Naturally, some allowances have to be made to accommodate some things, like a harem setting that all the women are just cool with, but it doesn't detract from the overall experience in any way.

In other news, yesterday I started a brand new plathrough in anticipation of 0.6. I have a few theories I will be trying to verify (like Calypso being an antagonist) and my memory needs some refreshing. I've only played the game twice so far, believe it or not - the first time when it was at 0.2, and more recently the 0.5 version which puts me at a bit of a disadvantage against some of the hardcore Eturnumites here. :ROFLMAO:

And I'm already having a blast. Again!
 
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HardcoreCuddler

Engaged Member
Aug 4, 2020
2,402
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Takkatakka

Engaged Member
Nov 11, 2022
2,575
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/Replays the game for the nth time

/Notices something weird in the beginning slides of the story

View attachment 2595395 View attachment 2595396 View attachment 2595397

/does a quick mental math

Me: ...So she's been side-hustling since she was 8? Talk about being dedicated...
I haven't replayed the beginning, but "announcing" and "releasing" a game are two different things. I mean...she still would be like 11 or 12 even if it would've taken them 3 or 4 years between announcing and releasing Eternum.
 
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Dylan741

Forum Fanatic
Nov 18, 2019
4,661
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I haven't replayed the beginning, but "announcing" and "releasing" a game are two different things. I mean...she still would be like 11 or 12 even if it would've taken them 3 or 4 years between announcing and releasing Eternum.
Agreed also the neural implant cost 2500 US dollars, I don't know how much you can make with side gigs and other works, but she surely needed time to gather all that money to buy it.
Also, there was the chat about minors playing Eternum when Orion, Alex and Nova where looking for Calypso in the Ogygia server, I highly doubt Annie could have start playing that many years before, I suspect she was at least 14/15 at max... I mean it's still early but it would be more reasonable.... :)
 

wiseold6996

Well-Known Member
Sep 22, 2020
1,518
1,950
EDIT: thinking about it now, I don't think Nancy's totally in love with the MC yet . Her dynamic with the MC feels way more like she wants to re-explore her youth than actually being in love, other wise she wouldn't ask Orion if he'd like to bang her daughters if given the chance
What do you mean. That's true love
 

shucia

Newbie
Jan 3, 2019
89
451
I haven't replayed the beginning, but "announcing" and "releasing" a game are two different things. I mean...she still would be like 11 or 12 even if it would've taken them 3 or 4 years between announcing and releasing Eternum.
Like how FF 7 Remake was announced at 2015 and released at 2020.
 
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quorkboy

Active Member
Sep 26, 2020
748
1,483
I took a break for a week or so because I had other things going on. I have now reached the end of the heist portion of the story.

There is a lot I've really liked, and some not so much.

The good:

Nova

Annie has some competition here for most adorable character. Nova's super-forward hacker personality and absolute confidence in her abilities contrasted with her shyness when it comes to her romantic desires is irresistible.

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Luna

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Penny

The photoshoot was great. It's nice to see her bonding so well with the MC. It's also really nice to have her in Eternum.

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Nancy

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Annie

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Alex

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Dalia

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The MC

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Calypso

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The Heist

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The Story

I am intrigued. The world of Eternum is clearly not what it seems. I could speculate about many things, but for now I'm going along for the ride and not thinking too much about what could really be going on.

I enjoyed all the mini-quests on the Warthogs server. I am not easily scared, so the chapel was fun but not actually scary to me. I was also not scared by the mystery server story, but I liked the story itself. The mystery was a bit simple, given that Luna said she had not been able to solve it while solving many others, but I suspect this is due to the MC's chosen one status. The clue which solved the mystery was waiting for him, and without it, Luna was stuck.

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I've probably forgotten so many other good things I wanted to comment on.

-------------------------

The Bad:

Now, bear in mind these are opinions, based on my preferences and impressions. Take them as such. If you feel the need to argue I'm wrong, go ahead. But do so respectfully, please. It should be clear from the above that I think Caribdis is a good writer. But not a perfect one.

Jerry

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The Warthogs Server

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Chop-Chop

I know he's supposed to be funny, but he's not funny to me. I'd have enjoyed those scenes more if he'd been a serious character. As it is, he's a slightly jarring presence in at least two of his appearances (Ion and The Red Herring) – he doesn't fit the tone.

-------------------------

Glitches/Errors

I didn't spot a lot of errors, and I can't remember them all now (I took screenshots). Most were odd uses of grammar that didn't sound like the way a first language English speaker would talk/write, none of them serious.

There was an odd graphics glitch in the Nova blowjob. During the first animation, a dark spot appears on the side of her lip.
 
Apr 26, 2023
13
43
I took a break for a week or so because I had other things going on. I have now reached the end of the heist portion of the story.

There is a lot I've really liked, and some not so much.

The good:

Nova

Annie has some competition here for most adorable character. Nova's super-forward hacker personality and absolute confidence in her abilities contrasted with her shyness when it comes to her romantic desires is irresistible.

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Luna

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Penny

The photoshoot was great. It's nice to see her bonding so well with the MC. It's also really nice to have her in Eternum.

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Nancy

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Annie

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Alex

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Dalia

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The MC

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Calypso

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The Heist

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The Story

I am intrigued. The world of Eternum is clearly not what it seems. I could speculate about many things, but for now I'm going along for the ride and not thinking too much about what could really be going on.

I enjoyed all the mini-quests on the Warthogs server. I am not easily scared, so the chapel was fun but not actually scary to me. I was also not scared by the mystery server story, but I liked the story itself. The mystery was a bit simple, given that Luna said she had not been able to solve it while solving many others, but I suspect this is due to the MC's chosen one status. The clue which solved the mystery was waiting for him, and without it, Luna was stuck.

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I've probably forgotten so many other good things I wanted to comment on.

-------------------------

The Bad:

Now, bear in mind these are opinions, based on my preferences and impressions. Take them as such. If you feel the need to argue I'm wrong, go ahead. But do so respectfully, please. It should be clear from the above that I think Caribdis is a good writer. But not a perfect one.

Jerry

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The Warthogs Server

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Chop-Chop

I know he's supposed to be funny, but he's not funny to me. I'd have enjoyed those scenes more if he'd been a serious character. As it is, he's a slightly jarring presence in at least two of his appearances (Ion and The Red Herring) – he doesn't fit the tone.

-------------------------

Glitches/Errors

I didn't spot a lot of errors, and I can't remember them all now (I took screenshots). Most were odd uses of grammar that didn't sound like the way a first language English speaker would talk/write, none of them serious.

There was an odd graphics glitch in the Nova blowjob. During the first animation, a dark spot appears on the side of her lip.
You retelling the story of this game reminds me how good it was. I binged it in 2 days and got to the end at the end of last week. I've been in Eternum withdrawal for the past week since I finished it, and I've been thinking about it ever since over the past week since I finished it after binging it in 2 days. I want to play another game like this, but I think this game is truly one of a kind, and it's impossible to find a true replacement, at least until Caribdis releases his next game, maybe he'll make it better than Eternum. But it's going to be a high bar to cross.
 

Son of Durin

Engaged Member
Jul 5, 2021
3,686
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The Warthogs Server

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I'm thinking you missed the point on this one a little. The whole joke was that it was ripped from JKR because JKR ripped it from Prof. (can't remember the play on Dumbledore right now...). If you weren't already completely disillusioned by the HP universe, whatever your reasons may be, I think you would have found it both absurd and amusing, which I think was the point, not laziness. And, honestly, choosing any other magical series rather than creating something from whole cloth could have been viewed as lazy by someone playing this game. HP is one that most people here will get, and probably enjoy seeing lampooned. Another, more obscure, series, other than maybe providing a discovery moment for the uninitiated, wouldn't resonate as much with most, when lampooned would likely cause greater offense to those that do follow them, and too few people would get the joke because they weren't as widely known.

But, that's just my perspective. Welcome to Eternum and the Church of Nova!
 
Last edited:
Jan 21, 2023
196
601
I took a break for a week or so because I had other things going on. I have now reached the end of the heist portion of the story.

There is a lot I've really liked, and some not so much.

The good:

Nova

Annie has some competition here for most adorable character. Nova's super-forward hacker personality and absolute confidence in her abilities contrasted with her shyness when it comes to her romantic desires is irresistible.

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Luna

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Penny

The photoshoot was great. It's nice to see her bonding so well with the MC. It's also really nice to have her in Eternum.

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Nancy

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Annie

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Alex

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Dalia

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The MC

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Calypso

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The Heist

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The Story

I am intrigued. The world of Eternum is clearly not what it seems. I could speculate about many things, but for now I'm going along for the ride and not thinking too much about what could really be going on.

I enjoyed all the mini-quests on the Warthogs server. I am not easily scared, so the chapel was fun but not actually scary to me. I was also not scared by the mystery server story, but I liked the story itself. The mystery was a bit simple, given that Luna said she had not been able to solve it while solving many others, but I suspect this is due to the MC's chosen one status. The clue which solved the mystery was waiting for him, and without it, Luna was stuck.

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

I've probably forgotten so many other good things I wanted to comment on.

-------------------------

The Bad:

Now, bear in mind these are opinions, based on my preferences and impressions. Take them as such. If you feel the need to argue I'm wrong, go ahead. But do so respectfully, please. It should be clear from the above that I think Caribdis is a good writer. But not a perfect one.

Jerry

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The Warthogs Server

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Chop-Chop

I know he's supposed to be funny, but he's not funny to me. I'd have enjoyed those scenes more if he'd been a serious character. As it is, he's a slightly jarring presence in at least two of his appearances (Ion and The Red Herring) – he doesn't fit the tone.

-------------------------

Glitches/Errors

I didn't spot a lot of errors, and I can't remember them all now (I took screenshots). Most were odd uses of grammar that didn't sound like the way a first language English speaker would talk/write, none of them serious.

There was an odd graphics glitch in the Nova blowjob. During the first animation, a dark spot appears on the side of her lip.
Hogwarts was one of my favorite scenes. And Chop-Chop is one of my favorite characters.

Different tastes I guess.
 
Apr 26, 2023
13
43
Hogwarts was one of my favorite scenes. And Chop-Chop is one of my favorite characters.

Different tastes I guess.
Hogwarts was a great scene IMO, lots of fun character momments for all of the characters and good comedy. If you think it's cringe, well, this is a campy sweet happy harem Adult AVN it's supposed to be a little over the top and, yes, at times what could be considered by some to be cringe. This is the intended tone for the game.
 

Elhemeer

Forum Fanatic
Jun 20, 2022
5,660
9,432
Hogwarts was a great scene IMO, lots of fun character momments for all of the characters and good comedy. If you think it's cringe, well, this is a campy sweet happy harem Adult AVN it's supposed to be a little over the top and, yes, at times what could be considered by some to be cringe. This is the intended tone for the game.
(y) :love: (y) *This message has been brought to you by "FARL" (Fappers Against Reaction Limits)*
 

Dorfnutter

Engaged Member
May 21, 2017
3,073
15,855
I haven't replayed the beginning, but "announcing" and "releasing" a game are two different things. I mean...she still would be like 11 or 12 even if it would've taken them 3 or 4 years between announcing and releasing Eternum.
Agreed also the neural implant cost 2500 US dollars, I don't know how much you can make with side gigs and other works, but she surely needed time to gather all that money to buy it.
Also, there was the chat about minors playing Eternum when Orion, Alex and Nova where looking for Calypso in the Ogygia server, I highly doubt Annie could have start playing that many years before, I suspect she was at least 14/15 at max... I mean it's still early but it would be more reasonable.... :)
Like how FF 7 Remake was announced at 2015 and released at 2020.
I'm just going by with what she said: that she has been doing side-gigs to earn the cash for the implant "as soon as the game was announced" (about a decade prior to the events of the VN as per Orion's infodump). Not released, announced.

So unless it's another oversight on Carib's part (like in the case of Penny's college status prior to the 0.5 fix), then yeah she's been on the grind since she was 8.

Of course it doesn't mean that she's been playing since then. Could be that she got the implant a lot later (say...a few years after). 2500 USD is quite a loooot of moolah, after all.
 
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Son of Durin

Engaged Member
Jul 5, 2021
3,686
6,675
I'm just going by with what she said: that she has been doing side-gigs to earn the cash for the implant "as soon as the game was announced" (about a decade prior to the events of the VN as per Orion's infodump). Not released, announced.

So unless it's another oversight on Carib's part (like in the case of Penny's college status prior to the 0.5 fix), then yeah she's been on the grind since she was 8.

Of course it doesn't mean that she's been playing since then. Could be that she got the implant a lot later (say...a few years after). 2500 USD is quite a loooot of moolah, after all.
I was earning an allowance by 8, occasionally babysitting neighbors by 11, mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs around the neighborhood by 12, earned several hundred dollars each fall raking leaves and cutting wood by the time I was 14, and working outside my home as soon as I could drive at 16. Even in the late 70s and early 80s, I'm sure I could have gotten to $2,500 (if I didn't blow it on other things) by the time I was old enough to play the game (or fake credentials that allowed me to before then). A motivated girl like Annie would have had no problem so long as she could find babysitting, petsitting, cleaning and other kinds of things adults are willing to hire a younger girl to do without getting into trouble at the same time.
 
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