Ren'Py Family, Friends and Strangers [v2024.01] [JohnAndRich]

3.90 star(s) 66 Votes

Lorenz1

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Nov 1, 2017
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I don't care much about the GF or mother, to be honest. My favourite are sister and cheerleader
 

Lorenz1

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Nov 1, 2017
886
2,350
The most amusing thing about this game is that even now, 12 chapters in, it still feels like a prologue and "actually interesting things will start... now... now... now?"

There is a slow burn, and then there is this game. Not that I am too much against that, artistic vision and all. I just hope the project won't get cancelled with Bekki still a virgin.
 

clowns234

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May 2, 2021
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The most amusing thing about this game is that even now, 12 chapters in, it still feels like a prologue and "actually interesting things will start... now... now... now?"

There is a slow burn, and then there is this game. Not that I am too much against that, artistic vision and all. I just hope the project won't get cancelled with Bekki still a virgin.
I figure that there are plenty of other games out there, so I can afford to wait to play this one. I don't have a problem checking in on how it's going now and again.
As I have said now many times, I am here for the MC's mom. :)
 
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Rich

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The most amusing thing about this game is that even now, 12 chapters in, it still feels like a prologue and "actually interesting things will start... now... now... now?"

There is a slow burn, and then there is this game. Not that I am too much against that, artistic vision and all.
I understand the sentiment, particularly when compared to all those "I can bang every woman in sight" games out there.

Part of what you have to remember is that this is, fundamentally, a story, not a game. So, I'm telling the story I want to tell. At the same time, my twisted brain demands that I keep the plot somehow closer to "reality" (ok, my sense of reality) than the path that most games tend to tread. And, yes, I know that this is off-putting to some people who are looking for a sex scene every 50 lines of dialog or so.

That being said, I'm going to break one of my normal rules just a leetle bit, and let the world know that the "b" path is nearing its climax. ("Climax" in the "novel" sense! Get your mind out of the gutter! :D ) The "a" path still has a ways to go, however.

I'm also pondering the idea of adding some "scenes that didn't happen" selections down the road. (Meaning, tossing in a few random segments/bonus scenes/whatever that take certain events in the story in... different directions than they went.) Haven't committed to the idea, but it seems like that would be an opportunity to satisfy some of the "oh, if only X would Y..." sentiments that people have expressed that ran counter to the plot.

I just hope the project won't get cancelled with Bekki still a virgin.
Barring me getting hit by a bus, this project will not get cancelled or abandoned. I'm 100% committed to finishing it. I can't guarantee that everybody will be satisfied with how the two paths will end, but I will finish them.
 

Night Hacker

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Jul 3, 2021
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I understand the sentiment, particularly when compared to all those "I can bang every woman in sight" games out there.

Part of what you have to remember is that this is, fundamentally, a story, not a game. So, I'm telling the story I want to tell. At the same time, my twisted brain demands that I keep the plot somehow closer to "reality" (ok, my sense of reality) than the path that most games tend to tread. And, yes, I know that this is off-putting to some people who are looking for a sex scene every 50 lines of dialog or so.

That being said, I'm going to break one of my normal rules just a leetle bit, and let the world know that the "b" path is nearing its climax. ("Climax" in the "novel" sense! Get your mind out of the gutter! :D ) The "a" path still has a ways to go, however.

I'm also pondering the idea of adding some "scenes that didn't happen" selections down the road. (Meaning, tossing in a few random segments/bonus scenes/whatever that take certain events in the story in... different directions than they went.) Haven't committed to the idea, but it seems like that would be an opportunity to satisfy some of the "oh, if only X would Y..." sentiments that people have expressed that ran counter to the plot.



Barring me getting hit by a bus, this project will not get cancelled or abandoned. I'm 100% committed to finishing it. I can't guarantee that everybody will be satisfied with how the two paths will end, but I will finish them.

Love the novel so far, keep up the good work. There's plenty to keep me occupied in the meantime. :)

I started working on my own VN and it takes time (especially on my low end hardware). Just setting up each scene takes a LOT of time and then there's the story writing which, to me anyhow, is the most difficult. I can render on crappy hardware, set up scenes and program with no problem, but I have a new respect for people who write stories. They're not easy to do without looking like a cheesy porn.

I LOVE a slow buildup as well, so keep it up. Those games where you end up banging every girl you trip over, are a dime a dozen. I noticed that games that have a slower build up with more story can be more popular (if the story's well written anyhow).
 
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Lorenz1

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Nov 1, 2017
886
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And, yes, I know that this is off-putting to some people who are looking for a sex scene every 50 lines of dialog or so.

Nah, not really what I meant. It is not about the sex scenes, it is about "moving plot". We are at the stage "main character's family got blackmailed by cops, he learned about it, his GF is frigid virgin" - we started in it, we are still in it. It feels like we are still in the first chapter of the story, with the second one "MC joins cops and doing stuff to his family"/"MC is fucked over by the cops" only barely starting - and this is 12 chapters deep.

Basically, it feels like story is pretty much at the same point as when the game had started. Becky is the same frigid virgin, Mother is the same blackmailed by cops woman, Melanie(?) is the same slutty sister with no plot relevance (throw her to the cops, come on, she should be in the list in both stories), etc. MC made only one step - either by joining the cops, or by getting reckt by them, but is still in the very start of the path.

Granted, on the B path things with Becky actually started moving - and thanks god for that, we moved into the second chapter somewhere.

To understand what I mean, take chapter 3 or 4 (right after the cops and Becky issues), and then put the chapter 10 right there (where split happens). It makes a consistent and developed story? "Cops -> Join/No -> Consequences"? Cool, everything in between is mostly a filler.

At least this is my opinion. I don't want to sound rough or anything - the content is good, and fillers are nice, but I do not consider about 70% of the game crucial to the story or character development.

---

Btw, in the path A, two MC plans -
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Rich

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I started working on my own VN and it takes time (especially on my low end hardware). Just setting up each scene takes a LOT of time and then there's the story writing which, to me anyhow, is the most difficult. I can render on crappy hardware, set up scenes and program with no problem, but I have a new respect for people who write stories. They're not easy to do without looking like a cheesy porn.
I hear you. The people that "just play" really have no concept of how much effort is involved in producing a VN. I'm in your boat - the writing is really tough, since I'm not a natural author. And once you get that, it's image after image after image.

In my case, rendering time isn't usually the issue (animations aside). It's the time required to set up each individual scene. Once that's done, I render overnight using the batch renderer from Rendo. But I have not-completely-crappy hardware, so I can usually run more renders overnight than I can produce in any evening.
 

Rich

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Basically, it feels like story is pretty much at the same point as when the game had started.
Understood. I follow what you're saying. Blame it on me being a crappy author. LOL
 

Night Hacker

Forum Fanatic
Jul 3, 2021
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I hear you. The people that "just play" really have no concept of how much effort is involved in producing a VN. I'm in your boat - the writing is really tough, since I'm not a natural author. And once you get that, it's image after image after image.

In my case, rendering time isn't usually the issue (animations aside). It's the time required to set up each individual scene. Once that's done, I render overnight using the batch renderer from Rendo. But I have not-completely-crappy hardware, so I can usually run more renders overnight than I can produce in any evening.
I programmed for many years (decades really) so it's second nature to me (I'm new to Python and am loving it, always coded in C before). I watched some videos on story writing. Seen a good one where they talked to Stephen King and he described how he went about it. It was fascinating to watch.
Here's a link to it if you're curious, he's great to listen to.
 

Firebeast

Active Member
Dec 24, 2021
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I gather your game will be with a female protagonist? Looking at your signature games you like.

I programmed for many years (decades really) so it's second nature to me (I'm new to Python and am loving it, always coded in C before). I watched some videos on story writing. Seen a good one where they talked to Stephen King and he described how he went about it. It was fascinating to watch.
Here's a link to it if you're curious, he's great to listen to.
 
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L.Lumpy

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Jan 3, 2019
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This is unacceptable. Considering we live in a world where 90% of the games get released well before being finished.
I think that was meant to say that the update would be released when it (the update, not the entire game) was complete.

And, per the FAQ, we have no clue when that will be.
 
3.90 star(s) 66 Votes