Ren'Py Abandoned Family Way [v0.3.3] [Sural Argonus]

2.50 star(s) 2 Votes

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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Game Developer
May 12, 2017
762
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OK. So between this Covid crap, me having medical issues, and getting dragged into the family restaurant to help out more (Our restaurant's business has actually almost tripled being that we were one of the few in the area to actually remain in business, even if our dining room is closed)...I haven't had much time/energy to deal with the DAZ issues.

Well...today...I forced myself. I was trying to just recover/repair assets as I could. However...it seems that the DAZ program itself is totally hosed up. The assets are in the wrong places...I just said fug it. I am removing DAZ completely. There's a new version anyway...so no point in trying to install it over a broken installation. Now starting the long process of re-adding all my assets. Perhaps then...I can start putting time back into the game.

WHICH REMINDS ME...During all this time (way too long, I know)...I've seriously given consideration to scrapping what I have and starting over. Keeping the story and such...but giving the Ren'Py coding a total revamp. Since I've tried to learn a bit more, I think I want to re-code some things. Not sure if I can do what I want, but I might reach out and ask for help making the UI, or at least get some help re-tooling it so I can actually make a proper VN out of Family Way and future games.

So as I've said...I am not giving up on FW...I just haven't been able to devote any significant time to development. :(
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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Game Developer
May 12, 2017
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For the record...This is a quick prototype of the UI I just threw together. Obviously I want to make it look better...Used one of the old intro scenes and placed this on top. I already have the phone popup code, but I think it could be better.

Eventually I want to have it like this, with a hide option so it doesn't always show unless you want it to.

The stats, will be relationships with other girls and probably Jack's personal stats. Eventually I want to have a lot of his interactions with everyone (including Sue and Cait) be dependent on specific stats. I don't want to make it too grindy, so it won't be anything major, like you need 100 fitness before talking to the gym rat girl, when you only gain like 1 or 2 fitness per workout session. For example. Not saying there will be a gym rat girl. haha

Not sure exactly how I want to do it, but yes...I will be kinda turning this into a sandbox type game, but hopefully not as grindy. End of Day will require you to go home, and actually go to sleep.

I want to have a map...local and area. That way when you want to go somewhere, like the Library, Bar, etc...you can. I want to have a notification of a location having content as well. Like some girl to meet, or a date or other interaction with a known girl.

The local map, like if you are home or in an area that has multiple locations you can travel between them.

I know it's nothing ground breaking, a lot of other games have those features...but it's something I've always wanted to be able to do in FW. Give you a little freedom, even if the main story is unavoidable with Sue.

Eventually there will be reasons for having Jack have other relationships besides Sue. It will make sense. I hope. I have, as I said previously, the main storyline pretty much all mapped out to the end of the year mark. The side stories and other interactions are there so you don't totally feel trapped in any way.

I eventually plan on having probably 3 side girls at most along with Sue and uh...a certain other girl with a certain patch...

I have already introduced one of the side girls, and once Jack and Sue start their time in College, the other 2 will be introduced. I already have the characters created, as long as I can get them reinstalled properly.

So figured you guys would want a bit more info...I PROMISE I am not stopping. I have so much more to tell with Family Way. Plus I keep coming up with other game ideas I want to get moving on as well. Not at the same time as FW...but after.

View attachment UI Prototype.webp
 

DA22

Devoted Member
Jan 10, 2018
8,055
16,618
For the record...This is a quick prototype of the UI I just threw together. Obviously I want to make it look better...Used one of the old intro scenes and placed this on top. I already have the phone popup code, but I think it could be better.

Eventually I want to have it like this, with a hide option so it doesn't always show unless you want it to.

The stats, will be relationships with other girls and probably Jack's personal stats. Eventually I want to have a lot of his interactions with everyone (including Sue and Cait) be dependent on specific stats. I don't want to make it too grindy, so it won't be anything major, like you need 100 fitness before talking to the gym rat girl, when you only gain like 1 or 2 fitness per workout session. For example. Not saying there will be a gym rat girl. haha

Not sure exactly how I want to do it, but yes...I will be kinda turning this into a sandbox type game, but hopefully not as grindy. End of Day will require you to go home, and actually go to sleep.

I want to have a map...local and area. That way when you want to go somewhere, like the Library, Bar, etc...you can. I want to have a notification of a location having content as well. Like some girl to meet, or a date or other interaction with a known girl.

The local map, like if you are home or in an area that has multiple locations you can travel between them.

I know it's nothing ground breaking, a lot of other games have those features...but it's something I've always wanted to be able to do in FW. Give you a little freedom, even if the main story is unavoidable with Sue.

Eventually there will be reasons for having Jack have other relationships besides Sue. It will make sense. I hope. I have, as I said previously, the main storyline pretty much all mapped out to the end of the year mark. The side stories and other interactions are there so you don't totally feel trapped in any way.

I eventually plan on having probably 3 side girls at most along with Sue and uh...a certain other girl with a certain patch...

I have already introduced one of the side girls, and once Jack and Sue start their time in College, the other 2 will be introduced. I already have the characters created, as long as I can get them reinstalled properly.

So figured you guys would want a bit more info...I PROMISE I am not stopping. I have so much more to tell with Family Way. Plus I keep coming up with other game ideas I want to get moving on as well. Not at the same time as FW...but after.

View attachment 802794
Just remember to add a quicklink to jump to the bedroom if we need to go there every time to sleep. :p Good to hear you are well and surviving these times. :)
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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Game Developer
May 12, 2017
762
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OK. So...The new DazCentral...is gonna take me a bit to figure out...and a while longer to get my stuff reinstalled. :/
 

OhWee

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Jun 17, 2017
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OK. So...The new DazCentral...is gonna take me a bit to figure out...and a while longer to get my stuff reinstalled. :/
A number of us are avoiding Daz Central completely, just in case you might want to go back to using DIM. Product descriptions and order dates have been removed from the product library pages as well, which has a number of people annoyed. Supposedly they may be working to restore that functionality, but it's anyone's guess as to if or how soon that will be.

Setting aside the bad reviews of Daz Central, and since my Daz computer is kept away from the internet anyways, I'm a bit behind the times and still doing things manually to begin with, but so far I can still find manual downloads on the product pages for the freebies and stuff that I've bought recently from the Daz store.

Renderosity is still the same old Renderosity pretty much though, love those guys!

Best of luck!
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
Donor
Game Developer
May 12, 2017
762
2,031
A number of us are avoiding Daz Central completely, just in case you might want to go back to using DIM. Product descriptions and order dates have been removed from the product library pages as well, which has a number of people annoyed. Supposedly they may be working to restore that functionality, but it's anyone's guess as to if or how soon that will be.

Setting aside the bad reviews of Daz Central, and since my Daz computer is kept away from the internet anyways, I'm a bit behind the times and still doing things manually to begin with, but so far I can still find manual downloads on the product pages for the freebies and stuff that I've bought recently from the Daz store.

Renderosity is still the same old Renderosity pretty much though, love those guys!

Best of luck!
At least DAZ itself seems about the same. I opened it and it has all the items I used to have (even if they are showing as missing files)...so that makes it easier to find the stuff I don't have backed up any longer. Right now...Unzipping several hundred gigs worth of assets. This will take a while.

I had nearly a TB of assets in total.
 

OhWee

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Jun 17, 2017
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At least DAZ itself seems about the same. I opened it and it has all the items I used to have (even if they are showing as missing files)...so that makes it easier to find the stuff I don't have backed up any longer. Right now...Unzipping several hundred gigs worth of assets. This will take a while.

I had nearly a TB of assets in total.
Recommendation #1. As soon as you finish downloading your Daz library, I highly suggest finding the downloads folder and backing up all of those .zip files on another drive, that you can stick in a drawer or something. That way if something goes wrong again, you'll have a backup and won't need to download it all a third time...

I'm sitting at around 2 TB of Daz related content ATM, and my drive is down to it's last 24 GB. I set up a new folder on a different drive for my latest downloads as a temporary measure, and added that directory to my Content Library, but the plan is to upgrade to a 4 TB NVME soon..

In any case, best of luck getting it all working again! Starting over from scratch sounds like a good idea too, it's been a long time since people last played the game so I don't think they will mind, as long as the first chapter has a little more content than where the old game left things.
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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May 12, 2017
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I don't save all my stuff in one location anymore. My downloads folder is on another drive entirely. I have a LOT of extra drives. Some I keep plugged into a 5 port docking station, and I have 2 external 6TBs and 2 8TB internal.
 
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Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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May 12, 2017
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I think I am gonna ram my head through a wall. Looks like I have actually lost a LOT of assets.

Most of them are gone. It's going to take a long time to get them all back...

I have Jack, Sue and Cait's assets recovered...well...at least for the models. Not sure if I have the environments yet.

Working as I can to figure out what I am missing. At least the way it's showing things makes it easier to find them again.

This is JUST the Accessories page under"Smart Content" and only part of that page.

1599499807094.png
 
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Bobber Tail

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Nov 28, 2017
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I think I am gonna ram my head through a wall. Looks like I have actually lost a LOT of assets.

Most of them are gone. It's going to take a long time to get them all back...

I have Jack, Sue and Cait's assets recovered...well...at least for the models. Not sure if I have the environments yet.

Working as I can to figure out what I am missing. At least the way it's showing things makes it easier to find them again.

This is JUST the Accessories page under"Smart Content" and only part of that page.

View attachment 805887
I'm unfamiliar with the software used in making the game, but is there metadata in the images that could aid in finding resources?
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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Game Developer
May 12, 2017
762
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I'm unfamiliar with the software used in making the game, but is there metadata in the images that could aid in finding resources?
Yeah. It's just a matter of finding it since I didn't actually pay for them via DAZ Studio's store. If I had...I'd have them all in my history and just redownload them. :D

Part of the problem is that some of the links on the download sites are bad. Either the files removed, or the owner got shut down.


I am hunting for probably 600 Gigs or more worth of assets I swore I already had downloaded and saved. :(

I thought I had all these backed up already, but it looks like I was wrong. So doing this the hard way. Good thing I can find most of the assets for free...It's just a matter of downloading, extracting, and copying over to where DAZ needs them.

THis time I am taking the large external 8TB drive...and putting ALL of the files there. Hopefully I never have to deal with this again. :/
 
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Morpheus668

Active Member
Jun 22, 2017
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lemme know what you need and if I have it, i'll put it up on my mega or something...
fairly sure you dont want to download my full 1Tb assets lol
 
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Bobber Tail

Well-Known Member
Nov 28, 2017
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Yeah. It's just a matter of finding it since I didn't actually pay for them via DAZ Studio's store. If I had...I'd have them all in my history and just redownload them. :D

Part of the problem is that some of the links on the download sites are bad. Either the files removed, or the owner got shut down.


I am hunting for probably 600 Gigs or more worth of assets I swore I already had downloaded and saved. :(

I thought I had all these backed up already, but it looks like I was wrong. So doing this the hard way. Good thing I can find most of the assets for free...It's just a matter of downloading, extracting, and copying over to where DAZ needs them.

THis time I am taking the large external 8TB drive...and putting ALL of the files there. Hopefully I never have to deal with this again. :/
Yeah, I have an 8TB for games and stuff, but my 4TB got corrupted once and I lost lost of stuff. Have rebuilt that. Not assets.
They have a section here with assets and others that may trade some. Or rebuild with new environments, it is the core characters that are most important, people can move or upgrade.
 

Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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Game Developer
May 12, 2017
762
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The fun part is that now that I am going thru this...I am finding that I actually missed pre-requisites for some assets. Like I didn't realize (notice) that some needed head and body morphs. Might be why I had a few characters come up as Melon Heads.
 
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Sural Argonus

Chimpanor Productions
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May 12, 2017
762
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Also...rekindling my rage. I kinda forgot how much I hated nested zips.

You know...the ones that have zip files inside zip files inside zip files or zips inside folders inside zip files...etc...Frustrating and time consuming. Especially when you manually install everything. heh
 
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