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

[NeonGhosts]

I mean I can't read and I'm not very smart

but in my opinion wouldn't it make more sense to release the Remake first

I mean since it's going to force everybody to restart their playthrough

I’ve talked about this before, but to be brief: I wanted to pause development on the thing that happens at the end of Chapter 10, and then backtrack to clean things up and remake Chapter 1. It just took longer to get there than I thought it would. See earlier comments re: one chapter essentially becoming three.

I could hem and haw about if it was a good decision or not, but.. It’s already done. Why worry about it?

Now, my task for the next few months is to get Chapter 1 fully remade, touch up some stuff for Chapters 2 and 3, pull all the variables out and place them so that the game doesn’t throw those “[X] not defined” errors in the future, and then go through every menu option and see if I need to add any variables. I also have to upgrade my PC with new parts.

It’s all going to be a pain in the ass for me, and not a ton of fun for my subscribers to read about. But, after putting out ten chapters, I’d hope that I’ve mostly earned their trust enough that they understand why I feel the need to move backwards, instead of forward.

If I’d suddenly stopped after Chapter 4, and then redone everything from the ground up, maybe they’d have been less forgiving? I dunno! Maybe not.

But, as I said: what’s done is done. If anyone wants to wait until the remake is done, that’s their prerogative. I personally don’t think it’s the biggest deal to just check out the new content, and then fast-forward through the remake to get back to Chapter 10. Most of the game’s scenes aren’t super difficult to get to. It’s rarely a situation where you need to do W, X, and Y, in order to unlock outcome Z.

 

[Vidal the king of Pervert]

I’ve talked about this before, but to be brief: I wanted to pause development on the thing that happens at the end of Chapter 10, and then backtrack to clean things up and remake Chapter 1. It just took longer to get there than I thought it would. See earlier comments re: one chapter essentially becoming three.

I could hem and haw about if it was a good decision or not, but.. It’s already done. Why worry about it?

Now, my task for the next few months is to get Chapter 1 fully remade, touch up some stuff for Chapters 2 and 3, pull all the variables out and place them so that the game doesn’t throw those “[X] not defined” errors in the future, and then go through every menu option and see if I need to add any variables. I also have to upgrade my PC with new parts.

It’s all going to be a pain in the ass for me, and not a ton of fun for my subscribers to read about. But, after putting out ten chapters, I’d hope that I’ve mostly earned their trust enough that they understand why I feel the need to move backwards, instead of forward.

If I’d suddenly stopped after Chapter 4, and then redone everything from the ground up, maybe they’d have been less forgiving? I dunno! Maybe not.

But, as I said: what’s done is done. If anyone wants to wait until the remake is done, that’s their prerogative. I personally don’t think it’s the biggest deal to just check out the new content, and then fast-forward through the remake to get back to Chapter 10. Most of the game’s scenes aren’t super difficult to get to. It’s rarely a situation where you need to do W, X, and Y, in order to unlock outcome Z.

well as a monogamy player that has three separate save files I don't mind at all playing from the beginning

I'm not upset or anything I didn't mean anything by it

I just thought it would make more sense to release the update that starts everybody over first

but I don't mind I'm just grateful for monogamy as an option

 

[Birdnman993]

As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy that they remade the first episode, maybe then Nicky's face at the beginning will stop giving me nightmares.

 

[karauke]

what was that chapter neonghosts really cooked this time and mason's mvp this time

 

[Afro888]

Can I be with more then one girl at a time or not?

 

[MagicMan753]

Can I be with more then one girl at a time or not?

Yes, in love paths there will be throuples and poly relationships(unsure compatible girls as of now). On corruption there will be full harem, but that will be like fwb, and blackmailing, giving money to sleep with you.

Right now no consequences to pursuing love with multiple girls, but probably will happen in future.

 

[soldano]

For me it's not really a problem to start from the beginning. And it will give me the opportunity to clean up my saves a bit. What does bother me is that the plot doesn't advance during a long period of development, but I put up with it and that's it. There's no need to be a whiner.
And well, I've played several times from the beginning and the truth is that the first chapters are noticeably worse than the rest. Chapter 1 in particular. But the real leap in quality is seen in the fourth chapter which, for whatever reason, the developer found his key. So yes, a rework is necessary. But it still pisses me off, frankly.

 

[NeonGhosts]

FYI: The Beta is now available for $5, which adds an Ashe scene, assuming you're on her girlfriend path. That one requires that she slept over following the date, and made you breakfast. Also implemented some bug fixes, typo fixes, etc.

I've played several times from the beginning and the truth is that the first chapters are noticeably worse than the rest. Chapter 1 in particular. But the real leap in quality is seen in the fourth chapter which, for whatever reason, the developer found his key. So yes, a rework is necessary. But it still pisses me off, frankly.

Yeah, I always cite the chapter where Britt has her photoshoot, as the one where everything suddenly clicked.

 

[kikomascado]

Now, my task for the next few months is to get Chapter 1 fully remade, touch up some stuff for Chapters 2 and 3, pull all the variables out and place them so that the game doesn’t throw those “[X] not defined” errors in the future, and then go through every menu option and see if I need to add any variables. I also have to upgrade my PC with new parts.

I just came to this thread by chance (Thanks for the awesome game, by the way) and I don't even know what you all are talking about, but a good way to "future-proof" it is defining variables for all choices, regardless if you intend to use it or not.
Also I think it's possible to make an if or a try catch to see if some variable is undefined, and show a menu for the player to define it themself or something like that.

 

[Trakzer]

here i was all excited after reading the changelog then i see the android version as not updated

 

[watdapakisdis]

here i was all excited after reading the changelog then i see the android version as not updated View attachment 4260033

Just go to KoGa's website for your Android port.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

I understand what you're saying, and I agree that FiN is much higher quality than the average game on this site. For me it's the best one I've played, but that's easily debatable (especially since I've played far from all of them).

Now, in my opinion the problem is just that. If you want to write a good choral story, you have to weave a lot of plots together. That's complex, and it's very easy to get loose ends that unravel the whole thing. To avoid that, you have to be very careful. And that burns, and it takes time and planning. This is being developed by one person, not a team. And obviously development is becoming more and more complex. I'm not saying that will happen, but my fear is that the developer will end up burned out. This is a hobby, not a job, and it's easy to quit if you get to the point where the knots are too complex. Quit, or just ignore the loose ends or look for shortcuts.

If NeonGhosts manages to pull this off and see the story through to the end, great. Thumbs up. But we have to be aware that a great story doesn't need to be choral. Bergman's Persona is an excellent story told with just 4 or 5 characters. And we also have to be aware that the development of this game is going to be more complex, and exponentially so. What costs you 5 today, will cost you 25 tomorrow. And the day after, 625. The developer has already announced that it will make shorter chapters, which is a good idea. But I'll bet you anything that those shorter chapters will take the same time as this one sooner rather than later.

This isn't being a doomsayer, it's just saying my honest opinion. Which isn't very important now. The number of characters is already there, and it can hardly be reduced without it being a botched job. So the only thing left is to continue enjoying this great story while it lasts. Hopefully until the end.

I get where you guys are coming from too, at least the ones who put it politely and are already fans. I'm mostly bitching into the abyss to the randos chiming in with the complaint, usually with an attitude and usually with no idea about the dev's plans or process, when the dev and others have stated several times that it's staying the way it is. I guess I'm just making pointless wishes here, but I wish more people would keep negative stank opinions to themselves and focus more on positivity and encouraging the dev. If they have a criticism, at least put it politely. But that's the internet, that isn't ever going to change

I'm pretty confident in the game's progress, though. The fact that it's (actually) well-written and seems to be well-loved, I think that's a big boon for the dev and keeps them interested in working on it. Other games frankly (exceptions here and there), even the ones that many others love, I don't get the appeal personally.. they just feel like mediocre games at least compared to FiN, albeit with great renders. I don't follow enough games to know what the pattern usually is for their demise, but this game's updates remain regular and of utmost quality; in fact, seems to get better and better as it goes along. All of this combined with the fact that the dev has laid out their plans on how to keep things from getting too crazy, i.e. soon time jumps will make sense story-wise and ero scenes can get shorter while certain routes can start to tamp down, as well as self-awareness for how long this game may take to make (5 more years? more? w/e) makes me feel pretty reassured. Obviously nobody knows, but we can at least just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

This game was surprisingly really good. I initially went for as dark of a route as possible but quickly regretted it because ngl, it felt too brutal and none of the girls actually deserved it. Instead I went for a more middle of the road type of playthrough.

One thing though, I have no clue if my playthrough would be good for a possible harem ending because the dev has said the romance route won't get that, corruption/dark apparently will?

I might have picked too many nice options with certain girls for that to be possible, I don't know if I've locked myself out of a possible harem ending because of it.

I think the dev said that the 'harem' in those routes is more like 'harem-lite'; basically, the dark route is pretty self-explanatory, it's just brute force and fear tactics to get the LIs to do what you want; and the corruption route is (usually) you just paying the LIs to get what you want. Keep in mind that none of that necessarily implies having sex with bunches of them at the same time in like an orgy or something, just that you can continue having relations with them without losing access to others like you would with a romantic relationship or what have you.

So, if I had to guess, I think you're probably safe because the dev usually gives quite a lot of freedom to shift routes with LIs at different points as the game moves forward, and they're usually pretty well-advertised to the player. If you're not on a LI's dark route, which should be obvious, and not her romance route, which again should be obvious, but you're still having sex with her, you're probably on her corruption route, especially if you're paying her. I think he mentioned a friends with benefits route for some/all of the LIs, so that might be another form of 'harem-lite'. It's complicated, I know, but honestly quite simple in actual play-through. Romance, in my experience, is the hardest route to get on, especially early; the rest are pretty straight-forward.

It'll be a bit. I plan for Isabella and Tessa to be a little more in-focus in Season 2, as Evil Guy continues to grow more unhinged, or Good Guy becomes more steadfast in his opposition to the malign forces around him. But here, have some old Tessa renders.

View attachment 4259005 View attachment 4259006 View attachment 4259007



That is super weird. That variable's been in the script since Chapter 3, including the control variable. There was an early version of Chapter 3 that was published without the full Viola scene, which means that control variable wouldn't have been in there. Might be a lingering effect of an old, old save? I'll add a default version of the variable to today's Beta release, since it won't hurt anything. Until then, you can either add the variable yourself to the script with "$ vihumiliation = 0" added to the list at the beginning of Chapter 10, or start back at the end of Chapter 2 (when Nicki returns) and Ctrl+Skip your way to the present.

But, the vihumiliation error should have triggered during Viola's car ride home with Ashe, too. So, if you didn't get that error while playing the Ashe date chapter, you probably have some save files that have all the necessary variables.



They basically affect MC's mentality, and the options he has available to him. An MC with a higher dark rating is generally more cynical, misogynistic, and cruel. Even if you're on a character's good path, an MC with a high dark score may frame certain situations more negatively than one who's generally more of an optimist.

Damn, that's such a good character model! Probably my favorite actually haha, how unfortunate for me. When this game's finished, I bet super fans *cough* would love to hear about what the original ideas were and how they changed.

 

[lexhen]

anychance for an updated gallery mod soonish?

 

[SonsOfLiberty]

anychance for an updated gallery mod soonish?

Did you read what the person who makes the gallery mod said?

Edit for new version v.0.70A - I am very likely not updating the mod until the final 0.70 version is released.

No point in doing the work multiple times, after all the version here is an alpha, the beta is now out, then the final/public.

 

[lexhen]

ah ok thanks i hadn't seen that post, sorry.

 

[Swordsman83]

whats vanila version ?

 

[SonsOfLiberty]

whats vanila version ?

No rape/blackmail scenes and whenever the time comes no incest (incest isn't in the game yet but is planned for it in the future).

The "main version" is the same; to disable rape/blackmail scenes you just delete the patch, or change the patch from true to false and hit save.

Honestly as the dev said, the vanilla version should be removed from the OP, as you can just remove the patch to have the vanilla version.

 

[CrazyRabbit]

That was a really good update (I need more Gabby but even with an entire chapter with her, I'd still say that )
Brent redemption ? Won't bet money on it but hey, who knows ?
Viola is becoming so much cuter every update, and that's saying something. I do hope we can help getting Mason and her to...get it on, in a romantic way I mean.
Nicki was a riot, always impeccable humor from the shortstack. She's growing on me (not litterally, she tiny) more and more.
And the scene with Gabby.... broke my heart a little. So much they never said to each other, I hope we can finally clear things up with her next update.
Who knew Cassie was so close ? And a delinquant like her big bro now ; I'm so proud.


Fantastic work NeonGhosts ; it was really worth the wait. One of my top 10 VNs, hands down.

 

[Swordsman83]

No rape/blackmail scenes and whenever the time comes no incest (incest isn't in the game yet but is planned for it in the future).

The "main version" is the same; to disable rape/blackmail scenes you just delete the patch, or change the patch from true to false and hit save.

Honestly as the dev said, the vanilla version should be removed from the OP, as you can just remove the patch to have the vanilla version.

thanks for the information..

 

[AMUR48]

Sneak Peek of the Week! 11/22/24

Hey, hey folks! Hope you're all doing well, today. Just a quick FYI -- the beta release for Chapter 10 dropped today, adding a new, small with Ashe which wasn't in the alpha release. I also did my usual round of bug-fixes, and little additions. One thing I'm slowly working on is adding accurate dialogue portraits for all the characters. To that end, I've recently done them for Mr. Fowler, the dream/delusion versions of Cassie, and flashback versions of Guy and Cassie. Plus, probably a few more I've forgotten.

As more people continue to play the update, I'll no doubt continue to
get more bug reports, and tweak little things here and there. I've still
got a little change to make in Chapter 9. Some players wanted the
option to simply turn off the video Lucien shows you, in that chapter.
That's a pretty easy and reasonable request, so I'll be making that
change. I also wanted to have a few pieces of hand-drawn art in the
game, for when Guy and Nicki are talking about comics. I got them all
partially done, but just didn't have time to finish. So, I'll spend my
next few days doing that.

Besides tying up loose ends, my
attention is now on the remake of Chapter 1, and next steps in Chapter
11. I'm honestly hoping Chapter 1 goes pretty quickly. It'll follow a
similar route as the existing Chapter 1, but with a little extra. The
opening is a little more organic, Nicki and Guy's friendship is
highlighted more, and we get some little teases about characters who
show up later.


As for Chapter 11, I'm trying to write a modestly-sized update, which
will mainly touch on Gabby, Ashe, and Viola, while also dealing with the
immediate fallout of Chapter 10. If you know, you know. >_>

But,
I'm definitely looking forward to getting Ashe back for a couple of
little scenes, where we'll be visiting her at her place of work. To that
end, I just took a little time today to design her office, and sketch
out a little bit of dialogue.

I'm also thinking ahead to Chapter
12, where we'll see Brittani do a screen test for her movie role, under
the eye of Guy, the film's director, and Ashe. Should be fun! I know I
should really focus more on the immediate concerns I have, but.. C'mon.
It's Brittani!

I'll leave you with your regularly scheduled Sneak Peek at the story
ahead. But, as always: take care of yourselves, and thank you for your
support!

---

mc"Ashe? Babe?"

ash"Guy! Like, I'm in here!"

mc"Oh. Uh.. Hi. This is.. Cozy. I brought you a plant, but uh.. Not really seeing a window in here."

ash"Mmhm.. My boss still isn't happy about being forced to hire me. So, she like, banished me to the dungeon."

Spoiler: spoler

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