VN Ren'Py Eternum [v0.8.5 Public] [Caribdis]

[Alandir]

So to anyone hoping that we won't have any more downtime/relationship/harem-building episodes that'll "detract from the plot"...RIP I suppose.

Who's hoping that? Most scenes in the game so far are downtime in a way. The main story about the gems of doom generally only gets progressed in about 2 scenes per update.

The downtime is what these games are good at and the story here is basically set up to deliver 'going on wacky adventures with your harem'.
Even in 'Once in a lifetime', even if what the gang was doing was tangentially related to the plot, it was still mostly setups to have fun scenes with the various characters.

 

[Dorfnutter]

Who's hoping that? Most scenes in the game so far are downtime in a way. The main story about the gems of doom generally only gets progressed in about 2 scenes per update.

There's a few posters in this thread when 0.5 released that criticized it for mainly being downtime/SOL moments with some of the girls (I won't post names, don't want to start another war). I suppose they just want the story to just stick to going through Eternum and the mysteries behind it and not go through "filler" (despite such episodes being necessary in order to build character and relationships and to remind everyone that these characters are not beholden to the plot and actually have lives and such).

 

[Alandir]

There's a few posters in this thread when 0.5 released that criticized it for mainly being downtime/SOL moments with some of the girls (I won't post names, don't want to start another war). I suppose they just want the story to just stick to going through Eternum and the mysteries behind it and not go through "filler" (despite such episodes being necessary in order to build character and relationships and to remind everyone that these characters are not beholden to the plot and actually have lives and such).

That's funny, cause eternum is basically one big 'filler' generation plot device. It's the perfect vehicle to explain whatever wacky situation/environment cari dreams up to put the gang in.

 

[Dorfnutter]

That's funny, cause eternum is basically one big 'filler' generation plot device. It's the perfect vehicle to explain whatever wacky situation/environment cari dreams up to put the gang in.

I mean, to be fair, even if going through the servers themselves feel like filler (with some REALLY feeling like filler, like the visit to Dalia's Beach server), the purpose to the plot is pretty noticeable...

Ion server - Orion's baby steps into Eternum, introduction to Chop-chop, get a peek into the excommunication process (which kickstarts the plot moving forward)

Ekabar server - Orion's first taste on gem-hunting, introduction to Kenn-Imean Jerry, first encounter with Thanatos

Red Herring server - First encounter with the Syndicate, Group gets their first G.o.D. (creepy implication with the acronym, no?)

Ogygia server - First hint of Orion's mysterious power, Alex and Nova's combat prowess revealed (as well as reveal on what a Weapon of Atlas is capable of), Reveal that Praetorians are not invincible, Calypso freed and joins party, Second encounter with Thanny (Orion loses gem from Red Herring as a result), Orion's power unleashed, Hints of Thanny knowing more than the average gamer, Calypso displaying her portal powers

Random server jumping - Nothing here, just Caly showing off her jumping powers and reveal of servers having their own set of rules (which changes things like appearance for those who visit), Caly gets left in Ekabar and becomes her home for the time being

Egyptian server (forgot the name) - Nova gets rescued, Reveal of what happens if Nova's eye gets exposed for too long

Random Asian-themed server (possibly Meiyo, one of the servers teased in the posters in Orion's room in 0.6 Sneak Peek #3) - Orion trains with Dalia to test and gain some control with his power

Warthogs server - Penny and Orion magic training arc (lite edition), Some lore drops on private servers, Temple stirring up some memories from what Orion saw in his dreams, First hint of Orion and Caly having some sort of connection, Luna's summoning powers being shown off, Some flashback stuff with Penny, Secret reveal of Orion and the Founder having met before (only if you choose Orion instead of Penny for the Reminiscecombobuwhatsit), Penny acquiring Tome of Healing (hints of her becoming a healer as story moves forward)

Semper Invicta server - Nancy's first taste of Eternum, Orion finally showing off control of his power, Nancy becoming Empress of the WRE (and thus gaining an army that could potentially be used in the final conflict)

Sin City server - Second encounter with the Syndicate, First showcase of Orion and his harem actually working as a group (plus a taste of how Noah and Raul are actually competent in battle), Gem acquired from Garrington

Andromeda server (Nox 7) - Reveal from the audio tapes that people have dreamt of Eternum long before the game's release, existence of Xenomorphs implying that Ulysses Corp. does not have full control of the servers and that rogue elements exist within the game, sort-of reveal that Orion can't use his powers when he's tired (learn from horror movies kids: don't have sex in a place that could potentially serve as a horror setpiece), sort-of reveal that not everything Chop-chop sells is bullshit (i.e. Pendant of Destiny finally seeing some action)

Unknown server (Ulysses party) - Reveal that NPCs have some sort of chip that control their behavior and the existence of a device that could scramble said chip, sudden reveal of NPC heavily resembling Benjie that went unnoticed by Orion (but not by Axel it seems), reveal that the Founder hasn't been showing up in person to Ulysses meetings (only to reveal himself to Orion by the end of 0.4), Reveal of mysterious voices warning Orion while in the presence of the Founder, Founder revealing that Idriel created the Weapons of Atlas and that Ulysses corp may have lesser control of the game than anticipated (i.e. having limited tracking capability for first-time gem holders, but no tracking capability if gem gets forcefully acquired/stolen by another player, which is weird given that game devs SHOULD be able to keep track of such variables in their database if Eternum is indeed a virtual game of their making), Founder showing that he is willing to see promising players "cheat" in order to accelerate the acquisition of gems

Bonus: Ekabar (Bleeding Effect) - Reveal that Orion is able to visit a server without use of the standard login procedure, Encounter with Caly and possible reveal of her remembering said encounter later down the line

So yeah, I think that's all of the server visits covered so far in relation to the main plot...I think.

 

[Son of Durin]

Some of the deal is, despite the various conspiracy theories people like to investigate in this game and it's relationship to it's predecessor, there is much less drama here. Half of the 11 billion pages on the "Being a Dickhead" thread are people arguing , bitching, fighting about waifus and generally being Dickheads. No one here get's really hateful about waifus. People here are a little more layed back it seems. Except for that guy, yeah you! Over their behind the filing cabinet......put down that.....Ow! Stop that! GO AWAY!....

Yeah - that guy. The one alternating between Charlotte and Regina as his waifus. Can't believe the Church of Nova hasn't been able to have him excommunicated from the thread yet.

 

[T1NKYW1NKY]

Yeah - that guy. The one alternating between Charlotte and Regina as his waifus. Can't believe the Church of Nova hasn't been able to have him excommunicated from the thread yet.

An actual Charlotte and Regina simp? Damn. If he's willing to go down the depths of hell, why not take Gertrude as well to complete the trifecta

 

[Son of Durin]

There's a few posters in this thread when 0.5 released that criticized it for mainly being downtime/SOL moments with some of the girls (I won't post names, don't want to start another war). I suppose they just want the story to just stick to going through Eternum and the mysteries behind it and not go through "filler" (despite such episodes being necessary in order to build character and relationships and to remind everyone that these characters are not beholden to the plot and actually have lives and such).

Whether it's story advancement, character development, lewd scenes or just a bit of analysis between characters that looks at what has happened and what that might have meant, none of it is "filler". "Filler" to me is throwing in a random peeking scene as a girl is changing or showering just to have a little bit of minor lewd to keep the "all fapping all the time" folks appeased. Granted, I appreciate a nice peep scene, but an episode that allows some regrouping, resolution of a point or two/tying off of a thread, is necessary and makes sure a title can proceed. If those things aren't present, then you don't really have an AVN, just a long lewd loop kind of like 70s porn: three words then fuck.

 

[Son of Durin]

An actual Charlotte and Regina simp? Damn. If he's willing to go down the depths of hell, why not take Gertrude as well to complete the trifecta

Instead of Fantasy Island:

Welcome to the Nightmare Server, where all of your most disturbing fears come to life!

 

[Alandir]

I mean, to be fair, even if going through the servers themselves feel like filler (with some REALLY feeling like filler, like the visit to Dalia's Beach server), the purpose to the plot is pretty noticeable...

snip

So yeah, I think that's all of the server visits covered so far in relation to the main plot...I think.

Some of these are a real stretch. Revealing that nova gets the eye bleed in egypt is not connected to the eternum mystery, come on.
Yeah, you can make a point that there's some story hints in most of them, but they are rarely major and it's rarely the point.

Warthogs doesn't move the story forward, neither does andromeda, or egypt, or red herring or ekabar or semper invicta. They are there to be fun events with the gang, with some plot sprinkled in at some points.
All of that is fine. This is what Caribdis excells at. Writing fun, funny adventures with a likable gang of people and some sexy scenes. Not everything needs to move the story forward. To me these games are more like slice of life. There's a story and it's fun and interesting, but the point is to have these fun events and excursions.

 

[Dorfnutter]

Some of these are a real stretch. Revealing that nova gets the eye bleed in egypt is not connected to the eternum mystery, come on.
Yeah, you can make a point that there's some story hints in most of them, but they are rarely major and it's rarely the point.

Warthogs doesn't move the story forward, neither does andromeda, or egypt, or red herring or ekabar or semper invicta. They are there to be fun events with the gang, with some plot sprinkled in at some points.
All of that is fine. This is what Caribdis excells at. Writing fun, funny adventures with a likable gang of people and some sexy scenes. Not everything needs to move the story forward. To me these games are more like slice of life. There's a story and it's fun and interesting, but the point is to have these fun events and excursions.

Red Herring definitely did. Or do you think the gang getting their first gem of doom and encounter with the syndicate doesn't count as story progress?

Warthogs and Semper Invicta does by getting Penny and Nancy into Eternum and defining their roles moving forward (one having a future as a healer while the other as a commander).

Andromeda is essentially foreshadowing to the Bleeding Effect (it's implied that the "Bleeding Effect" is some form of waking dream based on Luna's dialogue of what she said Orion was doing throughout the entire ordeal) and added a lot of fuel to the "is Eternum really a game" question.

Egypt...fine, I'll give you that. But I feel like some of the character trait reveals there (particularly Nova's eye issue) feel like they're going to be a bit significant in the future.

Yeah sure, they are fun events. But they also move the story forward, if a little, as uncovering the truth regarding Benjie's mysterious death also ultimately leads the gang to uncover the truth about the nature of Eternum, the Founder, and whatever reason he has in having millions of players find those damn gems. So every progress they make in the game is crucial to the story, even if it's masked as an in-game activity or bonding moment with the girls. Compare that to "Once in a Lifetime" (Caribdis' first game) where majority of events with the girls absolutely did NOT move the plot forward at all (especially in much of the beginning segments of the story), and only served as ways for the OIAL MC to deepen his relationship with the girls instead of being crucial to the plot.

In fact, I'd dare argue that there's more deliberate plot and lore building in this VN more so than in OIAL (which is not surprising considering that Caribdis is writing this entire thing as a mystery story where you're encouraged to follow the breadcrumbs and keep your eye out for clues and theorize until the inevitable reveal), so to just view all that's happening as "fun events and excursions" feels like it's dismissing the stuff that Cari has been doing as far as the storytelling is concerned.

 

[Son of Durin]

Some of these are a real stretch. Revealing that nova gets the eye bleed in egypt is not connected to the eternum mystery, come on.
Yeah, you can make a point that there's some story hints in most of them, but they are rarely major and it's rarely the point.

Warthogs doesn't move the story forward, neither does andromeda, or egypt, or red herring or ekabar or semper invicta. They are there to be fun events with the gang, with some plot sprinkled in at some points.
All of that is fine. This is what Caribdis excells at. Writing fun, funny adventures with a likable gang of people and some sexy scenes. Not everything needs to move the story forward. To me these games are more like slice of life. There's a story and it's fun and interesting, but the point is to have these fun events and excursions.

What's a story without a few tangents? Do you want completely linear? You may as well get an AI to write the thing and take all human whimsy and distraction out of the story. Of course, then you'll take all of the humanity, soul and what makes things interesting out of the story and everything will be a Hallmark Channel (but with sex) cookie-cutter VN with no real story, no real surprise and nothing to differentiate it from the thousand other boring "romp from one lewd scene to another" choices out there.

One scene I found a bit superfluous that made my eyes roll a bit was the animated story server with the bear. I thought "oh brother" and rolled my eyes when it started. But now I think back on it and chuckle and really hope we get to pop back in at some point to see what things are like there now. It was goofy and not extremely enlightening from a story arc perspective, but it was fun and showed us a little bit of the mind of the author and that's something to appreciate (and maybe fear a little...).

 

[Alandir]

What's a story without a few tangents? Do you want completely linear? You may as well get an AI to write the thing and take all human whimsy and distraction out of the story. Of course, then you'll take all of the humanity, soul and what makes things interesting out of the story and everything will be a Hallmark Channel (but with sex) cookie-cutter VN with no real story, no real surprise and nothing to differentiate it from the thousand other boring "romp from one lewd scene to another" choices out there.

Did you just not read what I wrote? I never complained about it. Eternum isn't a complex, focused story and that's fine. That's what these games are good at, to have a more relaxed, chill story. The purpose of the game isn't to string you from story beat to story beat. The purpose of the game is to get you from one fun event to another fun event, which may or may not progress the story.
I am not saying that is bad, quite the contrary in fact. It's great, because this is what caribdis is good at. That Eternum focuses on that strength of his writing is good and the game is excellent for it.
I am just arguing because I get the feeling that Dorfnutter is arguing that the game is something that it isn't.

 

[Son of Durin]

Did you just not read what I wrote? I never complained about it. Eternum isn't a complex, focused story and that's fine. That's what these games are good at, to have a more relaxed, chill story. The purpose of the game isn't to string you from story beat to story beat. The purpose of the game is to get you from one fun event to another fun event, which may or may not progress the story.
I am not saying that is bad, quite the contrary in fact. It's great, because this is what caribdis is good at. That Eternum focuses on that strength of his writing is good and the game is excellent for it.
I am just arguing because I get the feeling that Dorfnutter is arguing that the game is something that it isn't.

I read, but your tone suggested you really didn't get it. Maybe you do, but if you get it, why bring it up? Why make it something if it's nothing? And if you think the game isn't "something", then figure out what you think is "something" and go enjoy that. Let those of us that enjoy this game - and consider it something more than you do - enjoy the game.

Adios.

 

[Dogorti]

when some psycho are gonna make a incest mod for this game?

p.s: i kwow this game have no incest thats why i said mod

 

[ArDZer]

when some psycho are gonna make a incest mod for this game?

p.s: i kwow this game have no incest thats why i said mod

Might be difficult to pull off, and imho the game's already fine as it is (at least in terms of relations between the characters). There's a reason why Patreon cracked down so hard in such content sometime ago iirc.

 

[Dogorti]

Might be difficult to pull off, and imho the game's already fine as it is (at least in terms of relations between the characters). There's a reason why Patreon cracked down so hard in such content sometime ago iirc.

There is a guy who made an incest mod for love season, changing almost the entire story. If someone has the desire and time, it's possible, I would do it if it wasn't because I don't know anything about programming lol

And as for patreon, there are still incest games and new ones come out every year as easy as using alternatives such as subscribestar or the usual "fan" patches.

 

[Dragon59]

Might be difficult to pull off, and imho the game's already fine as it is (at least in terms of relations between the characters). There's a reason why Patreon cracked down so hard in such content sometime ago iirc.

Yeah, pressure from the banking services who were afraid of being penalized for dealing with such material. Much like federally insured credit card providers won't allow their cards to be used in legal marijuana dispensaries. Legal in that state, but they have to deal with federal and international consequences. Mastercard pressured PayPal, and PayPal pressured Patreon.

 

[Deleted member 5730975]

when some psycho are gonna make a incest mod for this game?

p.s: i kwow this game have no incest thats why i said mod

Hopefully never because it goes against what the developer has envisioned for the game. This game is not designed to be an incest game where the MC fucks his mom/sisters/whatever - you can see this on the dev's profile page where someone asked him about creating an incest mod. There might be a threesome/foursome with a milf and her 2 daughters but no incest involving the MC. And I think it should stay that way.

 

[Yvier the Duck]

Hopefully never because it goes against what the developer has envisioned for the game. This game is not designed to be an incest game where the MC fucks his mom/sisters/whatever - you can see this on the dev's profile page where someone asked him about creating an incest mod. There might be a threesome/foursome with a milf and her 2 daughters but no incest involving the MC. And I think it should stay that way.

First of all, I'm 100% with you that this game doesn't need incest, but the developer vision is irrelevant for mods. I played Skyrim with Thomas the train being the dragons and using the Kamehameha instead the Fus Ro Dah, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the creative vision of Bethesda, but it was funny for a replay.
If someone prefer incest because the tabboo even imposted turn him on then cool, and you are free to play with or without mods, but we can't talk about the correct form to play a game because that doesn't exist, is a cyclical topic without real answer.

And about an incest mod in this game, it can be really difficult because is not changing one or two words, you need to change the story and it gonna have a lot of plotholes, like Dalia and the MC having the same age but not being twins, the father only taking Orion and totally ignoring the other two daughters, Nancy searching a new job when Orion is still with her, the cold reunion between Orion and his "sisters" at the beginning, etc.
Is practically another version.

 

[Dorfnutter]

I am just arguing because I get the feeling that Dorfnutter is arguing that the game is something that it isn't.

If by "something that it isn't" you mean I'm arguing that the game is a complex story with antagonists that have complex agendas and a plot that is confusing unless you pay close attention to the moving parts, no I'm not.

I'm arguing that a lot (note: not all of em) of the events that look like "one fun event to another fun event" on the surface level serve a narrative purpose other than just that. Not to mention that there's various hints and clues peppered in both the dialogue and lore reveals (i.e. NPCs being controlled by a chip which feels needless if they're supposed to be a full virtual construct) that eventually lead to even bigger reveals in the story (the 0.5 ending sequence is a testament to that).

Does that make Eternum's story complex? Not really. The entire thing is already building up to the fact that Orion and co will eventually switch from playing the game to stopping whatever bad thing is happening in Eternum (and I don't just mean the excommunications). Anything beyond that is just extra.

But the way the story is told beyond the surface level - from the deliberate peppering of information that Cari is doing to nonchalantly revealing certain things that eagle-eyed observers would freak out at - makes me believe that there's a lot more thought put into the storytelling and making the entire thing feel like you're uncovering a mystery instead of just being stringed along one random event to another like in OIAL (which is fine for that game since the entire thing played more like an Indy-style adventure with porn once Asmodeus was introduced to the story).