Ren'Py Family, Friends and Strangers [v2024.10] [JohnAndRich]

4.00 star(s) 68 Votes

gilgamesh9

Well-Known Member
Sep 10, 2019
1,387
2,304
i can understand for as long as this games been around the updates are sub par at best. Those who actually like this route finally get somewhere even though 2 in a row actually i think. Even though its not much. I personally have been waiting a long time for the my curly haired friend to get the mom but we still have gone nowhere in that aspect.
 

hanpengyi

Newbie
Jul 10, 2019
34
67
I think the dev seems to be forgetting that this is a porn game website after all. This is not a place where people go read an exciting thriller or a magnificent novel. There is nothing wrong with wanting to produce a realistic, intriguing, and fascinating novel, but that is just not what this site is for. Combining the good literature aspect with decent pornographic content would be exceptional. But without the latter, people will lose interest.
 

bubbabutter

New Member
Sep 14, 2020
11
14
There is whining, then there is pointing out the lack of effective communication about this release. A thorough description of what this release entails would have done much to silence those (including me) who were in the dark and saved a d/l.

Know the difference.
you guys make it sound like you're losing money in the market to some type of fraudulent issue, its literally porn... chill out, if this was a multi million dollar production that you had a hand in i could understand but you dont... you just "point out" if its that bad go find another game or better yet make your own game LMAO
 

michelita

Member
Aug 24, 2020
203
599
you guys make it sound like you're losing money in the market to some type of fraudulent issue, its literally porn... chill out, if this was a multi million dollar production that you had a hand in i could understand but you dont... you just "point out" if its that bad go find another game or better yet make your own game LMAO
Mate, this is an internet forum, people are guaranteed to lose their shit if they don't get what they want, exactly how they want it and whenever they feel like like getting it, not to mention, free.
 

L.Lumpy

Member
Jan 3, 2019
183
688
There is whining, then there is pointing out the lack of effective communication about this release. A thorough description of what this release entails would have done much to silence those (including me) who were in the dark and saved a d/l.

Know the difference.
Since when does the dev owe "effective communication about this release" to a pirate site? The fact that he stops into this thread at all amazes me sometimes, what with all the negative comments that people post.

I think the dev seems to be forgetting that this is a porn game website after all.
And I think perhaps you need to consider the possibility that the dev is catering to the people that are actually supporting him on SubscribeStar and Patreon, and not to you.

Combining the good literature aspect with decent pornographic content would be exceptional. But without the latter, people will lose interest.
Everyone's definition of "decent pornographic content" differs. Personally, I thought the Parker/Emily scene was pretty hot. Anybody notice that Rich isn't using the same old worn-out animations, but is producing his own.

I personally have been waiting a long time for the my curly haired friend to get the mom but we still have gone nowhere in that aspect.
And, just because you happen to be waiting for this particular combination, Rich is obligated to include it?

Mate, this is an internet forum, people are guaranteed to lose their shit if they don't get what they want, exactly how they want it and whenever they feel like like getting it, not to mention, free.
Exactly.

Look, folks, everybody on this site is getting this because someone who's paying the dev is being kind enough to upload it here. (And, yes, I'm one of his supporters.) So, for all you non-payers, bitching and moaning about what the dev "owes you/this site" or what he chooses to put in his story or not put in his story is, in my opinion, complete and utter bullshit. If you want something included, sign up on SubscribeStar or Patreon and PM him to see what he thinks of the idea.

Otherwise, if you don't like the story, nobody is forcing you to download it and play it. Go find some other thread to complain about and let those of us who enjoyed the update alone.
 

John Doe Jr.

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2017
1,247
2,487
Carl ripping into the mc was quite an interesting read. In a lot of cases games like this don't have an npc with that much agency, especially the best friend npc. From the many games I've played they never felt like actual people but instead just in the background and kind of like just an accessory.
 

WuzzyFuzzy

Well-Known Member
Jan 23, 2020
1,622
3,300
Since when does the dev owe "effective communication about this release" to a pirate site? The fact that he stops into this thread at all amazes me sometimes, what with all the negative comments that people post.
You asserted that people were whining about the update. I asserted that given better communication (ie, an accurate description in the changelog) there would have been less "whine". It's a valid assertion. The rest of your argument is a straw man fallacy. I said nothing negative about the game itself. I said nothing at all about the quality of this release because, given the route I am playing, there was nothing to play.

you guys make it sound like you're losing money in the market to some type of fraudulent issue, its literally porn... chill out, if this was a multi million dollar production that you had a hand in i could understand but you dont... you just "point out" if its that bad go find another game or better yet make your own game LMAO
See above. You make the same mistake.
 

cleanfeel

Active Member
Jun 16, 2017
728
2,086
You asserted that people were whining about the update. I asserted that given better communication (ie, an accurate description in the changelog) there would have been less "whine". It's a valid assertion. The rest of your argument is a straw man fallacy. I said nothing negative about the game itself. I said nothing at all about the quality of this release because, given the route I am playing, there was nothing to play.
Beggars can't be choosers

 
  • Like
Reactions: bill meoff

Rich

Old Fart
Modder
Donor
Respected User
Game Developer
Jun 25, 2017
2,617
7,610
"Family, Friends and Strangers".

Why don't you just call this game "Everybody", Rich?
LOL. Ya, that's been mentioned before in this thread. JohnCBB and I, "back when," were struggling for a game name. This is what we came up with. I don't claim it's the most brilliant game title in the world, but you have to admit that it didn't limit us...
 

SPARDA2408

Member
Jan 28, 2019
334
1,357
Buying the game or not are not difference when you said one bad point of the game the dogs of the forum like ll lumpy attack you thats the spirit of this forum for years now
 

Rich

Old Fart
Modder
Donor
Respected User
Game Developer
Jun 25, 2017
2,617
7,610
You asserted that people were whining about the update. I asserted that given better communication (ie, an accurate description in the changelog) there would have been less "whine". It's a valid assertion.
No offense, but I don't feel I "owe" this site a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) description of the content of each update. Particularly when the update was posted here before it was released to all of my subscribers.

Had you looked at the previous changelog descriptions (i.e. "added chapter x") you'd have realized that there's a pattern there. So, expecting anything other than that is, IMHO, completely and utterly stupid. And, based on my experience here, which go back rather farther than yours, very few dev's give you a plot summary in the changelog. It's mostly "updates to <pick a character> path, NNN new renders." So, there was nothing "inaccurate" about the changelog. The fact that you didn't see what you wanted there is not my fault.

Look, folks. I'm telling the story I want to tell. I've said this over and over in this thread - not that newbies ever bother to read old posts. If you're taking advantage of the pirate nature of this site in order to "play" the story without contributing towards its development, you have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to bitch about how the story proceeds or doesn't proceed, or whine (yes, "whine") about the content you were looking for not showing up. And if you are contributing (thanks, L.Lumpy) and don't like where I'm taking it, you're completely free to stop supporting it.

Those of you who have never tried to develop a game (or a story, since I don't consider this a game) have absolutely zero idea how much of a time commitment it is, or how much the "I didn't get the content I wanted, so this game sucks" posts wear on a developer. There is a reason why so many games get to an 0.2 or 0.3 and then get abandoned. And a big piece if it is facing you in the mirror.

OK, I feel a little better now. But it's the same thing over and over and over and over again. I put out a release, and 90% of the comments here are negative. It sucks. I have vowed that I am going to finish this project, but (a) you folks - well, most of you - are making that VERY hard, and (b) I'm thinking that I'll be damned if I subject myself to this again with a subsequent game/project/whatever. It... just... isn't... worth... it!
 

Night Hacker

Forum Fanatic
Jul 3, 2021
4,797
23,197
Wow! EXCELLENT update! I absolutely loved the story in this one. Definitely unexpected, but I enjoyed it. Looking forward to future updates. :love:
 

Night Hacker

Forum Fanatic
Jul 3, 2021
4,797
23,197
No offense, but I don't feel I "owe" this site a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) description of the content of each update. Particularly when the update was posted here before it was released to all of my subscribers.

Had you looked at the previous changelog descriptions (i.e. "added chapter x") you'd have realized that there's a pattern there. So, expecting anything other than that is, IMHO, completely and utterly stupid. And, based on my experience here, which go back rather farther than yours, very few dev's give you a plot summary in the changelog. It's mostly "updates to <pick a character> path, NNN new renders." So, there was nothing "inaccurate" about the changelog. The fact that you didn't see what you wanted there is not my fault.

Look, folks. I'm telling the story I want to tell. I've said this over and over in this thread - not that newbies ever bother to read old posts. If you're taking advantage of the pirate nature of this site in order to "play" the story without contributing towards its development, you have ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to bitch about how the story proceeds or doesn't proceed, or whine (yes, "whine") about the content you were looking for not showing up. And if you are contributing (thanks, L.Lumpy) and don't like where I'm taking it, you're completely free to stop supporting it.

Those of you who have never tried to develop a game (or a story, since I don't consider this a game) have absolutely zero idea how much of a time commitment it is, or how much the "I didn't get the content I wanted, so this game sucks" posts wear on a developer. There is a reason why so many games get to an 0.2 or 0.3 and then get abandoned. And a big piece if it is facing you in the mirror.

OK, I feel a little better now. But it's the same thing over and over and over and over again. I put out a release, and 90% of the comments here are negative. It sucks. I have vowed that I am going to finish this project, but (a) you folks - well, most of you - are making that VERY hard, and (b) I'm thinking that I'll be damned if I subject myself to this again with a subsequent game/project/whatever. It... just... isn't... worth... it!
Ignore the nay sayers. I absolutely loved this update! Great story. And as someone who has developed a full blown game (not a VN, but one coded in C), I would love to see what some of these complainers can make. Think they can do better? Than do it or STFU. heck, for me, writing a good story alone is the hard part! Setting these scenes up alone takes a huge amount of time, to say nothing of the rendering times, and if you make a mistake, you have to redo it and rerender it; been working on a VN myself and I rerendered ALL my images three times now! LOL, but I tend to be picky. I look forward to future updates as I can see that you have quality work (not just renders, but the actual story).

It's too bad some miserable people will ruin it for the rest of us, but I understand. Just know that some of us appreciate your work. I know I certainly did. This update had my emotions all over the board! hehehe

Anyhow, again, nice work, for what it's worth. (y)
 

AlfredBundy4

Active Member
Feb 12, 2021
545
1,908
Carl ripping into the mc was quite an interesting read. In a lot of cases games like this don't have an npc with that much agency, especially the best friend npc. From the many games I've played they never felt like actual people but instead just in the background and kind of like just an accessory.
That's one of the main things VNs get wrong (or the users prefer to a creepy, incel-like degree). This notion that YOU are MC and MC is infallible is in most VNs and it's lame. I appreciate it when a dev has the balls to show a MC with acful faults or NPCs that stand up to them instead of constantly bowing to them or MC having "faults" that somehow nets them more pussy.
 

Lorenz1

Active Member
Nov 1, 2017
926
2,438
First, for the whiners, this is clearly the "Parker as hero" path.

Yep, sure, of course, because “MC a victorious hero” is what a game with :”WARNING: There are strong, non-avoidable elements of blackmail, coercion and NTR (depending on your definition of NTR) in this story.” is all about.

I remind you that the worst TERRIBLE BLACKMAIL AND COERCION in the entire game so far was a bit of groping and “show me your tits” that you might expect from an Activision office. There wasn’t a single non-con sexual scene.

Yeh, I’ll probably drop the Patreon support. The HAPPY END out of nowhere is really out of touch with what the game was built around.

It’s not even that the story is bad - half of the new chapter had a decent writing and renders - but it suddenly changed the direction from what was written as an NTR bad end to “fuck you, MC won through doing nothing smart, story is over”.

Eh, someone will probably like where the game is going now. I don’t. Good luck everyone.

P.S. Rich, I like you, I really do, so let me explain some things. People in this community have a certain expectation of the game and it’s direction, formulated by the tags and warnings and released episodes. If you disagree with that framework, it is fine, but don’t read the comments here then. You might see it as a story you want to tell, people here see it as a story set up in a certain genre, with certain tags and certain elements. If you do not deliver upon them after making an impression that you are going to, you are subverting expectations and people get mad.


If you do not want to read complaints about lack of NTR porn, you should not read comments left by people on a porn game website in a NTR games section. Go to steam or other “artist” platform where expectations are different.

There is a fundamental miscommunication between you and players about what the project is about and what to expect from it.

What you essentially did is promoted the game to the NTR-loving porn game players target audience, and released it to them - f95zone, SS, Patreon, NTR tags, WARNING: NTR, porn renders, all good. You did it well enough to set up a project and keep it going. However, here is the kicker - you set it up in the F95zone comunity and pushed away all the non-ntr folks by putting on NTR tags and WARNINGS. You are left with a very special audience.

It is not that you are bad, or people are shit and full of negativity - you just attracted the wrong crowd, that you were not going for, not the target audience you wanted. You want to release your artistic vision, but people that you attracted expect to see very different result from what you are producing. It is not that what you are doing is bad, it's just what you are producing is not interesting to people who are receiving it, and they are trying to correct you and scream at you that you are doing something wrong and come off the right NTR-porn game path, which you never intended to follow.

This is the same thing as what happens to the first Big Brother, where dev wanted to go NTR voyer, and assembled a crowd of normal porn games - project died.

If you want my advice - stop coming to f95 for now, people who read this thread are not the people you are trying to attract. Better yet, divide the game at A and B as separate projects, and remove "ntr" tags from B entirely, since it is not going to happen (as obvious now). Promote it like a normal, non-ntr heroic version of the game, treat it like a blank slate, and get the crown of people who appreciate this kind of things. Create another thread for it. Stay there.

You gotta understand your audience, man. If you don't, you are only getting pushed back by negativity that comes not from the game itself, but from miscommunication and could be completely avoided.
 
Last edited:
4.00 star(s) 68 Votes