VN Ren'Py Friends in Need [S1 v0.85c] [NeonGhosts]

4.50 star(s) 248 Votes
Discussion Reviews (248)
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Sunlight1

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Jun 9, 2025
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Pixillin' said:
Might be. Mason is a fairly recent arrival in the game (other than as a street kid who Guy occasionally slips bills to). No one knows what his future holds. Remember that Mason is used to sex being transactional - it's the only thing he has to "buy stuff" with so it's too early to say what kind of relationship Mason will even want once he gets used to not being on the street.
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Then this scene in ch. 4 is probably the only one so far. Was thinking there might be more since I'm only halfway through current content.

Thank you. :)
 
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PHIL101-YYouPPHard

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2022
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Karla Jean said:
Cuddle + Refuse to call him his preferred gender = You're trying to be a romantic lover and failing because you're not respecting his identity. Being a lover won't work because he knows you don't actually see him as him and he won't want to make an emotional connection back.

Refuse to cuddle + Refuse to call him his preferred gender = You're trying to be an asshole lover and succeeding because you're not pretending to respect him. Being a lover will work because the love is referring strictly to sex as a transactional experience which he is willing to engage in. Long term the relationship will surely end, but for the moment you're lovers.
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I don't see the logic. Seems like Mason's hierarchy of needs for a romantic lover would be acknowledge gender > cuddle/intimacy. Failing to provide the most important need = not lover, fair; but failing to provide both needs = ..lover..?

Sunlight1 said:
Short question regarding Mason: If we are friends after the first scene (at MC's old apartment), is there an option to become lovers later? The choices I made resulted in a bit strange outcome. I was kind to her (him), accepted BJ, accepted cuddling, but want to adress her as a girl - that somehow makes the relationship status at the end "friend". If you don't cuddle but do otherwise the same, its "lover". [visible through the walkthrough mod]

Any info regarding if there are options later to become lovers when so far friends (after the first scene) would be appreciated. :)
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That's the old code. The new updated code goes like this after the first ero scene (and will be the only relevant one going forward):

* mason no bj -> help no strings -> msrel = 0 = platonic friend, no fwb
* mason no bj -> expect sex in return -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
genuine vs transactional makes difference between friend or sex pet here

* mason bj -> cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> roughly molest -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
* mason bj -> cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> ask her to clean studio -> msrel = 0 = friend
so roughly molesting or not is the difference between sex pet and friend

* mason bj -> cuddle -> respect gender (outside of sex) -> msrel = 1 = affection & mslove = true
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> respect gender -> help no strings -> kiss him -> msrel = 1 = lover
mslove remains false here, so cuddling makes the difference there
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> respect gender -> help no strings -> leave -> msrel = 0 = friend
kissing makes the difference between affection/lover and friend

* mason bj -> no cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> help no strings -> kiss her / leave -> msrel = 0 = friend
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> expect sex in return -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
genuine vs transactional again makes difference between friend or sex pet here

So, it seems there's only two ways to become 'lovers' (I'm thinking affectionate might be more accurate) after the first scene, and both require respecting gender; and if MC cuddles as well, he gets Mason's love. Otherwise, he can only achieve friend or sex pet. Again, after the first ero scene.

Later scenes will give more opportunities to get on or off the various paths. For example, just because MC refuses the bj in the beginning doesn't mean they won't become lovers, it just means they don't become lovers in chp 7. And also, just because a character's relationship status with MC is lover (or corruption or dark or whatever) doesn't mean the author doesn't plan variations depending on how they got there. So just keep this all in mind. There's multiple variables all at play.

Side note: I just looked through the script.rpy (not the chapter script files) that set up all the variables, and the author's notes for the routes are different, so it's a little confusing. The chapter script notes must be more accurate of course.
 
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Pixillin'

Pixillin'

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Oct 8, 2024
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DiTo said:
View attachment 5081429

Today's 'sneak peek of the week' got me a bit worried... I hope the dev doesn't plan to put tattoos on Brittney.
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No idea. He could just be playing around but I don't know much of Neon's origin story. He could be really into tats. I know a few people who went to art school and mainly do tattoos now (because it's one of the surest routes to a steady paycheck if you're an artist.)
 
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Sunlight1

New Member
Jun 9, 2025
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PHIL101-YYouPPHard said:
I don't see the logic. Seems like Mason's hierarchy of needs for a romantic lover would be acknowledge gender > cuddle/intimacy. Failing to provide the most important need = not lover, fair; but failing to provide both needs = ..lover..?


That's the old code. The new updated code goes like this after the first ero scene (and will be the only relevant one going forward):

* mason no bj -> help no strings -> msrel = 0 = platonic friend, no fwb
* mason no bj -> expect sex in return -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
genuine vs transactional makes difference between friend or sex pet here

* mason bj -> cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> roughly molest -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
* mason bj -> cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> ask her to clean studio -> msrel = 0 = friend
so roughly molesting or not is the difference between sex pet and friend

* mason bj -> cuddle -> respect gender (outside of sex) -> msrel = 1 = affection & mslove = true
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> respect gender -> help no strings -> kiss him -> msrel = 1 = lover
mslove remains false here, so cuddling makes the difference there
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> respect gender -> help no strings -> leave -> msrel = 0 = friend
kissing makes the difference between affection/lover and friend

* mason bj -> no cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> help no strings -> kiss her / leave -> msrel = 0 = friend
* mason bj -> no cuddle -> refuse to respect gender -> expect sex in return -> msrel = 2 = sex pet
genuine vs transactional again makes difference between friend or sex pet here

So, it seems there's only two ways to become 'lovers' (I'm thinking affectionate might be more accurate) after the first scene, and both require respecting gender; and if MC cuddles as well, he gets Mason's love. Otherwise, he can only achieve friend or sex pet. Again, after the first ero scene.

Later scenes will give more opportunities to get on or off the various paths. For example, just because MC refuses the bj in the beginning doesn't mean they won't become lovers, it just means they don't become lovers in chp 7. And also, just because a character's relationship status with MC is lover (or corruption or dark or whatever) doesn't mean the author doesn't plan variations depending on how they got there. So just keep this all in mind. There's multiple variables all at play.

Side note: I just looked through the script.rpy (not the chapter script files) that set up all the variables, and the author's notes for the routes are different, so it's a little confusing. The chapter script notes must be more accurate of course.
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That would seem to make more sense to me as well.

Thank you very much for the detailed response. Very kind of you! I wish you a good day. :)
 
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ffive

Devoted Member
Jun 19, 2022
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NeonGhosts said:
I'd never do something so terrible to Brittney. ;)
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Honestly, i have to agree with the person expressing concern. I actually like Nicki's tattoos but this one... it doesn't work for me at all. Something about the placement and how it goes right on top of the breasts seems silly and/or just screams "it's a 3d model with texture plastered on". I hope it's not some mandatory development. Or alternatively, placing it on the arm/shoulder might work better, it'd fit nicely there.

That said, i'm terrible with human faces but is that actually Brittani or her mom? (in a flashback or smth, i'd guess?) The hair color/style/length don't really match otherwise, although the shade could be maybe due to the lighting.
 
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PHIL101-YYouPPHard

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Jan 11, 2022
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ffive said:
Honestly, i have to agree with the person expressing concern. I actually like Nicki's tattoos but this one... it doesn't work for me at all. Something about the placement and how it goes right on top of the breasts seems silly and/or just screams "it's a 3d model with texture plastered on". I hope it's not some mandatory development. Or alternatively, placing it on the arm/shoulder might work better, it'd fit nicely there.

That said, i'm terrible with human faces but is that actually Brittani or her mom? (in a flashback or smth, i'd guess?) The hair color/style/length don't really match otherwise, although the shade could be maybe due to the lighting.
Click to expand...
To me, it looks like a different body model of an older woman. But I don't think it's her mom, since they have pretty different faces, especially in the nose, so I think Neon would just use an age morph if it were Isabella. I'm thinking it might be part of MC's fantasies, or some kind of dream sequence or something?
 
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4.50 star(s) 248 Votes