VN Ren'Py Friends in Need [Ch.10 v0.71] [NeonGhosts]

[NeonGhosts]

Yesterday I played again from the beginning to unlock the scene where you twist Britanni's nipples, and that beginning really needs a revamp. I liked it at the time, but right now it looks very shoddy compared to the rest of the game.

I did a couple of playthroughs yesterday, and I'd honestly love to redo the first three chapters, eventually.

Chapter One just needs a comprehensive rework. But with Chapter Two and Three, I was still struggling to figure out how to frame things, use assets, etc. A lot of the expressions are just a bit too broad and crazy, the lighting isn't very good, and a lot of the poses are lacking. I was also over-narrating stuff a lot back then.. Something which I'm still working on.

I think with Chapter Four, where Brittani comes in to model, I basically found my style for the art. I used a lot more locked-off camera positions, as well as mixing in POV shots for conversations, and 'dramatic' shots for big moments. The expressions and poses got more subtle, I started making better use of DForce objects, and on and on.

I think that, once the game is done, I'll likely go back and redo some of the art for Chapters 2/3, and then excise a lot of my redundant narration. But, that's a lonnnnng ways away, and something I consider low priority.

 

[Joshy92]

Hmm I don't think I have ever really paid attention to stuff like lighting with these games.
My focus is more on how the mc acts and stuff like that.

 

[NeonGhosts]

Hmm I don't think I have ever really paid attention to stuff like lighting with these games.
My focus is more on how the mc acts and stuff like that.

A lot of it's stuff that's not really a huge deal.. But does still bug me. :'D

The low-res bricks and graffiti in this asset, which I could change with a couple shaders..


The super unnatural way Guy's sleeping/covered in this image..


Gabby being lit up like the sun here, and the ceiling having two separate textures..


A couple of profoundly weird facial expressions..


Guy's goofy shopping bags..


It's not a ton of stuff, really. I'd probably fully re-render the initial Barron Books scene, and mayyyybe the stuff where you first go to Gabby/Madison's house. Besides that, a lot of it's just tweaks. I still have all the DUF files for these chapters, so I can just reload them, create a set of lights/refined objects, drop them into the scene, save them, and set them up to run via RenderQueue. It'd be a little annoying, but not terrible.

Like I said though, that'll be one of those, "Neon finished the story and now wants to fiddle with things.." updates.

 

[Maviarab]

A lot of it's stuff that's not really a huge deal.. But does still bug me. :'D

The low-res bricks and graffiti in this asset, which I could change with a couple shaders..
View attachment 3229721

The super unnatural way Guy's sleeping/covered in this image..
View attachment 3229739

Gabby being lit up like the sun here, and the ceiling having two separate textures..
View attachment 3229756

A couple of profoundly weird facial expressions..
View attachment 3229766

Guy's goofy shopping bags..
View attachment 3229783

It's not a ton of stuff, really. I'd probably fully re-render the initial Barron Books scene, and mayyyybe the stuff where you first go to Gabby/Madison's house. Besides that, a lot of it's just tweaks. I still have all the DUF files for these chapters, so I can just reload them, create a set of lights/refined objects, drop them into the scene, save them, and set them up to run via RenderQueue. It'd be a little annoying, but not terrible.

Like I said though, that'll be one of those, "Neon finished the story and now wants to fiddle with things.." updates.

It's the little small details. They make the image and the story. It's already great..but small aesthetic details...would elevate this into truly top tier territory.

 

[soldano]

Chapter 3 doesn't seem so bad to me. In fact, I think there is a lot of improvement compared to 2 and, especially 1. Some of Ashe's expressions in 2 do seem exaggerated to me, but in 7 (I think it's 7. The one at dinner, I say) you can also see Ashe with exaggerated expressions. What I do agree on is the light. There is a tremendous improvement between chapters 1 and 2, and the photo session with Britanni.

anyway, I don't care that much about the renders. As long as they're decent, that's enough for me. I care much more about the story, and that's where FiN shines. But it is appreciated that you have taken the trouble to try to improve them. Actually between chapters 1 and 8 there is a real gap. Although I also think that the renders of chapter 1 were not made by you, and it shows that Guy and Nicki look different than they do later.

 

[Maviarab]

Chapter 3 doesn't seem so bad to me. In fact, I think there is a lot of improvement compared to 2 and, especially 1. Some of Ashe's expressions in 2 do seem exaggerated to me, but in 7 (I think it's 7. The one at dinner, I say) you can also see Ashe with exaggerated expressions. What I do agree on is the light. There is a tremendous improvement between chapters 1 and 2, and the photo session with Britanni.

anyway, I don't care that much about the renders. As long as they're decent, that's enough for me. I care much more about the story, and that's where FiN shines. But it is appreciated that you have taken the trouble to try to improve them. Actually between chapters 1 and 8 there is a real gap. Although I also think that the renders of chapter 1 were not made by you, and it shows that Guy and Nicki look different than they do later.

Ashe's expressions are exactly how Ashe intends them to be.

Less Ashe bashing!

Or else....

Damn I need more coffee.

 

[Chaosguy]

A lot of it's stuff that's not really a huge deal.. But does still bug me. :'D

The low-res bricks and graffiti in this asset, which I could change with a couple shaders..
View attachment 3229721

The super unnatural way Guy's sleeping/covered in this image..
View attachment 3229739

Gabby being lit up like the sun here, and the ceiling having two separate textures..
View attachment 3229756

A couple of profoundly weird facial expressions..
View attachment 3229766

Guy's goofy shopping bags..
View attachment 3229783

It's not a ton of stuff, really. I'd probably fully re-render the initial Barron Books scene, and mayyyybe the stuff where you first go to Gabby/Madison's house. Besides that, a lot of it's just tweaks. I still have all the DUF files for these chapters, so I can just reload them, create a set of lights/refined objects, drop them into the scene, save them, and set them up to run via RenderQueue. It'd be a little annoying, but not terrible.

Like I said though, that'll be one of those, "Neon finished the story and now wants to fiddle with things.." updates.

It's part of the charm. Also since you done these scene's you've probably learned a lot more about daz. So it's a learning experience for the later scenes.

 

[Master of Puppets]

I do hope that the chapter one rework won't be changing things too much. The same story, but with improvements in writing and visuals rather than something very different. And I think the option not to have sex with Nicki has been mentioned, that's probably a good idea, since every other sex scene has been optional.

 

[vez]

I did a couple of playthroughs yesterday, and I'd honestly love to redo the first three chapters, eventually.

Chapter One just needs a comprehensive rework. But with Chapter Two and Three, I was still struggling to figure out how to frame things, use assets, etc. A lot of the expressions are just a bit too broad and crazy, the lighting isn't very good, and a lot of the poses are lacking. I was also over-narrating stuff a lot back then.. Something which I'm still working on.

I think with Chapter Four, where Brittani comes in to model, I basically found my style for the art. I used a lot more locked-off camera positions, as well as mixing in POV shots for conversations, and 'dramatic' shots for big moments. The expressions and poses got more subtle, I started making better use of DForce objects, and on and on.

I think that, once the game is done, I'll likely go back and redo some of the art for Chapters 2/3, and then excise a lot of my redundant narration. But, that's a lonnnnng ways away, and something I consider low priority.

You did mention wanting to tweak a few things beyond chapter 1 though, or am I wrong? Like fleshing out the dark path with Ashe in the previous update and adding some choices to Risa, I think.

 

[NeonGhosts]

Chapter 3 doesn't seem so bad to me. In fact, I think there is a lot of improvement compared to 2 and, especially 1. Some of Ashe's expressions in 2 do seem exaggerated to me, but in 7 (I think it's 7. The one at dinner, I say) you can also see Ashe with exaggerated expressions. What I do agree on is the light. There is a tremendous improvement between chapters 1 and 2, and the photo session with Britanni.

anyway, I don't care that much about the renders. As long as they're decent, that's enough for me. I care much more about the story, and that's where FiN shines. But it is appreciated that you have taken the trouble to try to improve them. Actually between chapters 1 and 8 there is a real gap. Although I also think that the renders of chapter 1 were not made by you, and it shows that Guy and Nicki look different than they do later.

Yeah, the Nicki from the anti-Nicki patch kind of shows how my Nicki will likely look for the do-over. But, her hair asset here is a giant pain in the ass, so I may go with a similar but different one.

I do hope that the chapter one rework won't be changing things too much. The same story, but with improvements in writing and visuals rather than something very different. And I think the option not to have sex with Nicki has been mentioned, that's probably a good idea, since every other sex scene has been optional.

It's going to be pretty different, I'm afraid. I've said this before, but the 0-to-60 dark path in Chapter One makes Nicki's reappearance a little harder to believe, in my view. I think it'd be better for the story if it was something where Nicki can reasonably feel betrayed and hurt, but still willing to give Guy the benefit of the doubt.

Plus, originally I'd kind of written Nicki to be more like a work friend, not a best friend. Over time that shifted, and I made it clear that Nicki and Guy saw each other outside work quite a bit. So, some of her characterization in Chapter One stands at odds with how she is later.

And yeah, the sex scene will be optional.

You did mention wanting to tweak a few things beyond chapter 1 though, or am I wrong? Like fleshing out the dark path with Ashe in the previous update and adding some choices to Risa, I think.

That's still very much on the docket. I was giving some thought to doing those Ashe scenes now, as sort of a bonus update.. But speaking of Ashe, I also want to clean up her reactions to Guy, once she sees him rollerblading and later. So, when I relaunch I'll add a tag to make Ashe pissed/hateful if Guy acts like a creep at his condo, even if he doesn't sleep with her. Right now you can make her strip, not have sex with her, and she only responds to you with mild skittishness. I'd also like to work on giving her a lighter corruption route to start in Chapter Two, where you can actually focus on trying to make her enjoy the sex, instead of just fucking her with the intent to degrade her.

That'd allow for a slightly easier transition into her later corruption path, where she's interested in fucking you, despite having a bit of animosity for you. And I could solve that with a few partial renders to make Guy nicer and Ashe happier. So, not a ton of time/effort investment.

 

[Maviarab]

I'd also like to work on giving her a lighter corruption route to start in Chapter Two, where you can actually focus on trying to make her enjoy the sex, instead of just fucking her with the intent to degrade her.

That'd allow for a slightly easier transition into her later corruption path, where she's interested in fucking you, despite having a bit of animosity for you. And I could solve that with a few partial renders to make Guy nicer and Ashe happier. So, not a ton of time/effort investment.

*gasps*

 

[bolondro2]

I have downloaded the "chapter 8 v 0.55" but in the game say V0.4. Have I messed the things someway?

 

[NeonGhosts]

I have downloaded the "chapter 8 v 0.55" but in the game say V0.4. Have I messed the things someway?

Nah, I just forgot to change it in the game for the Alpha version. I’ve fixed it for the most recent (0.57) version.

 

[Joshy92]

A lot of it's stuff that's not really a huge deal.. But does still bug me. :'D

The low-res bricks and graffiti in this asset, which I could change with a couple shaders..
View attachment 3229721

The super unnatural way Guy's sleeping/covered in this image..
View attachment 3229739

Gabby being lit up like the sun here, and the ceiling having two separate textures..
View attachment 3229756

A couple of profoundly weird facial expressions..
View attachment 3229766

Guy's goofy shopping bags..
View attachment 3229783

It's not a ton of stuff, really. I'd probably fully re-render the initial Barron Books scene, and mayyyybe the stuff where you first go to Gabby/Madison's house. Besides that, a lot of it's just tweaks. I still have all the DUF files for these chapters, so I can just reload them, create a set of lights/refined objects, drop them into the scene, save them, and set them up to run via RenderQueue. It'd be a little annoying, but not terrible.

Like I said though, that'll be one of those, "Neon finished the story and now wants to fiddle with things.." updates.

I honestly never really noticed that stuff until now.
I was too busy thinking about plowing all these sexy babes.

I'm glad you're waiting to redo stuff though.
I think a lot of devs get trapped in remaking parts of their games.

 

[Joshy92]

When the chapter one rework comes out and I start a new game.
My goal is to be even nicer to every single LI.

I'll try and be the best simp ever. That's what these beauties need after all.

 

[The Anti]

When the chapter one rework comes out and I start a new game.
My goal is to be even nicer to every single LI.

I'll try and be the best simp ever. That's what these beauties need after all.

Funny, I have the exact opposite goal.

 

[Master of Puppets]

It's going to be pretty different, I'm afraid. I've said this before, but the 0-to-60 dark path in Chapter One makes Nicki's reappearance a little harder to believe, in my view. I think it'd be better for the story if it was something where Nicki can reasonably feel betrayed and hurt, but still willing to give Guy the benefit of the doubt.

It really doesn't IMO. Women go back to guys who've done worse to them even when they have other options, and she clearly doesn't.
I know it doesn't matter what I think, but I'd love to see playing chapter one differently to the rest get a bit smoother. Instead of immediately skipping to three months later, show him waking up with a hangover the next day and a choice between "Oh shit what did I do last night?!" and "Gold-digging bitch was asking for it" (OK, maybe not that extreme...)
Or, if he was good to Nicki and then she takes his money and disappears (from his perspective) and that makes him jaded and cruel, he should not be so happy to see her when she reappears later on.

 

[soprano31]

Why are only the Vanilla download links being updated?

Friends in Need [Ch. 8] [NeonGhosts]

NOTE: This is the SubscribeStar version and is patched

COMPRESSED: Win/Linux/Mac:
MEGA - PIXELDRAIN - WORKUPLOAD

 

[longjohngold]

Yeah, the Nicki from the anti-Nicki patch kind of shows how my Nicki will likely look for the do-over. But, her hair asset here is a giant pain in the ass, so I may go with a similar but different one.

View attachment 3230139 View attachment 3230150

Personally I like current Nikki, something about her here is less sexy, the one on the right in particular is more just kinda spunky.

 

[DougDimmadope]

Chapter 3 doesn't seem so bad to me. In fact, I think there is a lot of improvement compared to 2 and, especially 1. Some of Ashe's expressions in 2 do seem exaggerated to me, but in 7 (I think it's 7. The one at dinner, I say) you can also see Ashe with exaggerated expressions. What I do agree on is the light. There is a tremendous improvement between chapters 1 and 2, and the photo session with Britanni.

anyway, I don't care that much about the renders. As long as they're decent, that's enough for me. I care much more about the story, and that's where FiN shines. But it is appreciated that you have taken the trouble to try to improve them. Actually between chapters 1 and 8 there is a real gap. Although I also think that the renders of chapter 1 were not made by you, and it shows that Guy and Nicki look different than they do later.

nah lets be real, some of the really early renders need a revamp lol. especially as it could turn off some new players