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

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

Thanks for sharing. Since you are leaving it up to us on whether to take a dark path or not, I think I will add my support to your game. Like I said, I like the characters and your writing, at least on my chosen path.

Note to the person who felt the need to "facepalm" my prior post, if it was about basing my potential support based on content, is that not true for support of any project. I was not trying to sway devs towards a certain path, just trying to find out if I wanted to continue with this game and possibly help them out with my meager donations. If it is about what I and those around me suffered in real life, you know exactly where you can go.

Yeah, best to ignore people like that. In fact, may as well add them to your ignore list since it's obvious they're just shitty trolls That's what I do when I encounter that stuff. People's tastes are their own, especially given certain circumstances such as yours... but yeah, I can guarantee you as an avid player that you're never forced on any route Of course, you're not given a choice in every single circumstance or drama, since that would be insane branching from a dev pov, but you're given a choice where it counts the most. You can just not install the taboo patch or play the fully clean "Friends Indeed" version like Neon said You wouldn't even have to worry about seeing those possible options that bother you and I bet that'd be perfect for you! Cheers

Yea, that makes sense. It's a good way of determining the conditions for scenes/paths.

Also, I don't think "findom" is what you think it is in this context...

I wasn't saying those scenes w/ Gabby were findom, I just meant I don't know how any of the girls' happy points would play out on the corruption/findom route (by findom, I mean from the pov of the girls, not Guy; basically the rich sex pest route where Guy uses money to push people into doing sexual stuff, but never goes as far as full-out violent grape; am I misusing the term findom? maybe sugarbaby or corruption is what I'm looking for?). The findom/sugarbaby stuff with her I think will probably start after the apology in the bookstore (regarding her father) where you establish what your relationship is going to be. Hell, maybe that's actually what the LI's dark points are meant for: financial compulsion in the corruption route. Perhaps the sadistic grape route is meant to just chuck those point systems out the window entirely and do w/e MC feels like

Jesus H. Christ, PHIL101-YYouPPHard ! If I wanted to read a book, I'd go to Barnes & Noble and buy one.

I know, I'm pathetic and am lacking in any kind of useful conciseness

I decided I'm not going to focus on getting points in one path or another.
I'm just going to choose whichever option I would choose If I was in that situation in real life
And not worry about increasing my points

I have to say tho PHIL that was a damn impressive explanation of the point system.
The best I can do on this forum is simp for the girls in these games

That's probably the best way to play honestly. Falling into the min/max OCD 'power player' trap kind of robs you of the game's wonderful organic nature regarding decisions and routes. But, I just can't help myself I think maybe we're used to games with much more linear paths and scope of possibility; we get worried we'll get heavily punished for our choices and lose out on a lot of stuff, maybe even a whole LI altogether. Which, yeah, in this game you may lose out on certain decisions or small mini-scenes (within larger sex scenes usually), but losing entire sex scenes as a whole is really hard to do for the most part and is reserved for those players who want to take a wholesome steady romance building approach (so then the loss of sex scenes is realistic and immersive) or people who don't like a girl and want to remain friends. But this game does a good job at keeping things moving with the girls no matter what and continually gives you opportunities to try and jump in or play the field, which will result in eventual scenes with most girls I'd gander. Then you can finish the game (when that time comes) with the feeling that you organically obtained the relationship(s) your own way rather than the usually binary way most devs give you (she's madly in love with you and has sex on the first date vs she wants nothing to do with you and you'll lose her for the rest of the game; no in between).

If this were to be my first sex game when I was young, it'd seriously be the most enjoyable and nostalgic VN memory, bar none I think... I have a feeling I'd develop a comparison complex where no other games measure up (my own first games were the 3 Sisters + 1st Horny Bunnies, the latter being far superior imo being that it was actually fappable and made me want to continue trying VNs.. if anyone was curious )

Keep in mind btw I don't know how accurate a lot of that wall is lol. I bet someone else could do a much better analysis of the game's mechanics. Speaking of walls, here I've gone and done it again... I have a problem..

 

[Joshy92]

I have been thinking about why I love this game as much as I do
And there are a few big reasons.

Number one is the girls are all awesome
Number two is we get a lot of choices for how we want the mc to act even during the sex scenes
Number three is the fact that the writing is some of the best I have ever read in a game
I can't praise it enough it's better than most AAA games I have played.

I have been looking at the picture with all the girls in the op
And now I have some thoughts about a couple of the girls & Mason

Nicki, I feel is trying to hide her tattoos because she feels ashamed about them & her past?
Mason Is also trying to hide behind other people maybe he doesn't want anyone to notice him?
Pepper is hiding her pain behind a typical mean girl look but we know she is really hurting on the inside

This is one of those games I cherish the time I spend playing it

When I'm seventy years old and in a nursing home
I will still want to talk about this great game

I'm not very good at taking thoughts in my head and putting them into words
But I tried my best.

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

I have been thinking about why I love this game as much as I do
And there are a few big reasons.

Number one is the girls are all awesome
Number two is we get a lot of choices for how we want the mc to act even during the sex scenes
Number three is the fact that the writing is some of the best I have ever read in a game
I can't praise it enough it's better than most AAA games I have played.

I have been looking at the picture with all the girls in the op
And now I have some thoughts about a couple of the girls & Mason

Nicki, I feel is trying to hide her tattoos because she feels ashamed about them & her past?
Mason Is also trying to hide behind other people maybe he doesn't want anyone to notice him?
Pepper is hiding her pain behind a typical mean girl look but we know she is really hurting on the inside

This is one of those games I cherish the time I spend playing it

When I'm seventy years old and in a nursing home
I will still want to talk about this great game

I'm not very good at taking thoughts in my head and putting them into words
But I tried my best.

I don't know if my idea of Mason at all matches Neon's, but, when I think of Mason, I see someone who is both autistic and on top of it, trans (or at least experimenting with it, I guess). People with either of those I think are used to getting punished for being themselves (autistic people miss social cues and typically embarrass others around them growing up, people then avoid them in school, etc.; trans is pretty self-evident, people see you as weird and different, same result usually; in fact, I think research has confirmed that autistic people are more likely to identify as trans than general public). They probably get very accustomed to bullying, like autistic people who get messed with, they start getting confused between genuine attempts at interaction and fake ones where a bully is just having a go. I think their defense mechanism naturally becomes meek cautiousness because they lose trust with strangers and maybe even with themselves in evaluating them I think I sort of experienced that myself a little throughout school, so I feel like I get him more than some of the others. Don't know if I have autism, but I definitely saw people with really bad autism get bullied... the excitement they'd get when someone seemed like they were interested in what they liked, and then the torture of watching them figure it out when someone started laughing at them and insulting them and calling them stupid... "no one fucking cares retard" stuff like that... I hated that sort of stuff, but didn't have the balls to stick up for them though

 

[Joshy92]

I don't know if my idea of Mason at all matches Neon's, but, when I think of Mason, I see someone who is both autistic and on top of it, trans (or at least experimenting with it, I guess). People with either of those I think are used to getting punished for being themselves (autistic people miss social cues and typically embarrass others around them growing up, people then avoid them in school, etc.; trans is pretty self-evident, people see you as weird and different, same result usually; in fact, I think research has confirmed that autistic people are more likely to identify as trans than general public). They probably get very accustomed to bullying, like autistic people who get messed with, they start getting confused between genuine attempts at interaction and fake ones where a bully is just having a go. I think their defense mechanism naturally becomes meek cautiousness because they lose trust with strangers and maybe even with themselves in evaluating them I think I sort of experienced that myself a little throughout school, so I feel like I get him more than some of the others. Don't know if I have autism, but I definitely saw people with really bad autism get bullied... the excitement they'd get when someone seemed like they were interested in what they liked, and then the torture of watching them figure it out when someone started laughing at them and insulting them and calling them stupid... "no one fucking cares retard" stuff like that... I hated that sort of stuff, but didn't have the balls to stick up for them though

I'll be honest in high school I was diagnosed with Asperger's
And the bullying I got made it worse
I even started getting into fights.


Even now I'm not very good at face-to-face social interactions.
Even on this site I sometimes get stressed out

Maybe that's part of why I feel so much sympathy for people who are bullied for being different

That's why I want to protect Mason so much
He and everyone in this world like him deserve our love and respect

 

[Joshy92]

I don't want to make this thread all gloomy
So, let's talk about all the dirty things we would do to the girls.

You guys know how perverted I am.
These beautiful ladies would be in for a long night with me.

Also, I think Ashe wants to take my title as biggest pervert
I'm watching you Ashe

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

I'll be honest in high school I was diagnosed with Asperger's
And the bullying I got made it worse
I even started getting into fights.


Even now I'm not very good at face-to-face social interactions.
Even on this site I sometimes get stressed out

Maybe that's part of why I feel so much sympathy for people who are bullied for being different

That's why I want to protect Mason so much
He and everyone in this world like him deserve our love and respect

I was bullied pretty heavily too, mostly in my youngest years. I think I have really bad ADD and didn't know when to stfu, is what my main problem was, maybe a little autism too, I don't know.. When I got into middleschool and highschool, I kind of got the memo I guess and just stayed quiet and tried not to say anything that I was scared would make me a target. I even resorted to bullying others sometimes (only happened maybe handful of times in total), which I now very much regret. Never got into a fight, though, I am way too much of a pussy. If I could lose a fight like Guy, that'd be an improvement. So you're probably cooler than me, if that makes you feel any better Closest I ever got was with the weirdest amalgamation of a person, some fat country-farmer-wigger who acted like he was cool around everyone, but no one actually thought that; maybe he had autism too? Looking back, it would've been really funny to watch for the spectators I bet So, maybe I dodged a bullet there...

I don't want to make this thread all gloomy
So, let's talk about all the dirty things we would do to the girls.

You guys know how perverted I am.
These beautiful ladies would be in for a long night with me.

Also, I think Ashe wants to take my title as biggest pervert
I'm watching you Ashe

I'm concerned that what I would want to do to some of the girls wouldn't at all match what you have in mind Nah, I do really enjoy the wholesome route too, though... you know, if I'm being honest, I have a feeling that the toxic romance routes will be my favorite. I know it's fucked, but it's sort of like having your cake and eating it too. Like, the dressing room scene with Gabby, I 100% diddled her butt with my fingy and then I came on her face even though it wasn't an option she gave... I just couldn't help myself. But she liked both (or at least acted like she did) because I maxed happy points and I get to still be lovey dovey with her. Makes me feel like a wolf courting a sheep.. maybe I'm not like other wolves baby, but sometimes I gotta let the wolf out, too, ya know? Maybe nip at them hind quarters a bit.. nom nom I promise not to go too far though!!

 

[Joshy92]

I was bullied pretty heavily too, mostly in my youngest years. I think I have really bad ADD and didn't know when to stfu, is what my main problem was, maybe a little autism too, I don't know.. When I got into middleschool and highschool, I kind of got the memo I guess and just stayed quiet and tried not to say anything that I was scared would make me a target. I even resorted to bullying others sometimes (only happened maybe handful of times in total), which I now very much regret. Never got into a fight, though, I am way too much of a pussy. If I could lose a fight like Guy, that'd be an improvement. So you're probably cooler than me, if that makes you feel any better Closest I ever got was with the weirdest amalgamation of a person, some fat country-farmer-wigger who acted like he was cool around everyone, but no one actually thought that; maybe he had autism too? Looking back, it would've been really funny to watch for the spectators I bet So, maybe I dodged a bullet there...


I'm concerned that what I would want to do to some of the girls wouldn't at all match what you have in mind Nah, I do really enjoy the wholesome route too, though... you know, if I'm being honest, I have a feeling that the toxic romance routes will be my favorite. I know it's fucked, but it's sort of like having your cake and eating it too. Like, the dressing room scene with Gabby, I 100% diddled her butt with my fingy and then I came on her face even though it wasn't an option she gave... I just couldn't help myself. But she liked both (or at least acted like she did) because I maxed happy points and I get to still be lovey dovey with her. Makes me feel like a wolf courting a sheep.. maybe I'm not like other wolves baby, but sometimes I gotta let the wolf out, too, ya know? Maybe nip at them hind quarters a bit.. nom nom I promise not to go too far though!!

You know me PHIL I will give these babes nothing but love & kindness
So, romance path for me all the way lol

 

[PHIL101-YYouPPHard]

You know me PHIL I will give these babes nothing but love & kindness
So, romance path for me all the way lol

Knowing me, I will probably save the pure wholesome romance route for last. The aforementioned playthrough I'm on I fully intended to be just that, but then Neon waved some toxic options in my face like I wasn't going to go for them, come on!

 

[NeonGhosts]

I don't know if my idea of Mason at all matches Neon's, but, when I think of Mason, I see someone who is both autistic

Yup! I talked about it on Discord, but don't know if I ever mentioned it here. Yeah, Mason's on the spectrum. Very high-functioning, but he struggles with social cues, has a heightened interest in a narrow area of subjects, and defaults to masking/pattern recognition responses.

 

[Joshy92]

That makes me feel even more emotionally invested in Mason
I definitely will do whatever I have to do to protect him
He is really catching up to Nicki

 

[Haza34]

Really enjoyed it, well written and engaging.

 

[Joshy92]

Really enjoyed it, well written and engaging.

I agree
The writing is so good it makes the characters feel real
It's one of those games that makes me feel so many emotions

 

[jimmyjambles]

just wondering - is Friends Indeed even viable at all? by the sound of it it's more serious rework vs just censored version + patch and require additional time investment, and i can't imagine a lot of people would be getting it if normal FiN is available on SS anyway, just to get it on patreon? not like it's beloved platform these days
also - wouldn't censored FiN already comply with patreon policy?

The vanilla and taboo editions actually both have the same script.rpy file. The patch just sets a flag to allow access to the taboo menu options, and the script's variables take care of tracking the different routes like usual.

As the dev has stated, you don't actually need to sub on SS to get the taboo content. You can just grab the patch and apply it to the vanilla edition.

 

[Auriel the autistic bot]

I'll be honest in high school I was diagnosed with Asperger's
And the bullying I got made it worse
I even started getting into fights.


Even now I'm not very good at face-to-face social interactions.
Even on this site I sometimes get stressed out

Maybe that's part of why I feel so much sympathy for people who are bullied for being different

That's why I want to protect Mason so much
He and everyone in this world like him deserve our love and respect

I know what you've been through, I have autism spectrum, I've been bullied a lot and because of that I tend to get angry when I see someone similar being bullied or worse, for the same reason I have great respect for Mason. I hope to see a lot more of Mason... I feel like protecting Mason, trying to help in some way...

 

[NeonGhosts]

The vanilla and taboo editions actually both have the same script.rpy file. The patch just sets a flag to allow access to the taboo menu options, and the script's variables take care of tracking the different routes like usual.

As the dev has stated, you don't actually need to sub on SS to get the taboo content. You can just grab the patch and apply it to the vanilla edition.

That’s actually incorrect as of this version. Friends Indeed has the taboo stuff stripped from the files themselves, and can function as its own game. You still get some soft/dom options, choices to pursue one girl over another, etc. It just has the dark material removed.

You could always copy over a script file and image.rpa from Friends in Need, and paste it into Friends Indeed, but there are easier ways to go about getting the taboo material — like by signing up on the platform where I’m allowed to post that kind of material with fewer worries.

 

[hysepReC]

That’s actually incorrect as of this version. Friends Indeed has the taboo stuff stripped from the files themselves, and can function as its own game. You still get some soft/dom options, choices to pursue one girl over another, etc. It just has the dark material removed.

Just wondering, do the blackmail routes fall under "dark material" or is it just the rape scenes?

 

[Vidal the king of Pervert]

That’s actually incorrect as of this version. Friends Indeed has the taboo stuff stripped from the files themselves, and can function as its own game. You still get some soft/dom options, choices to pursue one girl over another, etc. It just has the dark material removed.

You could always copy over a script file and image.rpa from Friends in Need, and paste it into Friends Indeed, but there are easier ways to go about getting the taboo material — like by signing up on the platform where I’m allowed to post that kind of material with fewer worries.

my reading disability remember so can you tell me what files exactly I need to copy over

soo can I take them from the old version of my game and just drop them into the new version or

and also I'm very monogamous and I'm a good guy so does that mean I get no bdsm content

isn't it possible for two people to be in a loving monogamous relationship and still like the rough stuff
bro

 

[allanl9020142]

Yeah, best to ignore people like that. In fact, may as well add them to your ignore list since it's obvious they're just shitty trolls That's what I do when I encounter that stuff. People's tastes are their own, especially given certain circumstances such as yours... but yeah, I can guarantee you as an avid player that you're never forced on any route Of course, you're not given a choice in every single circumstance or drama, since that would be insane branching from a dev pov, but you're given a choice where it counts the most. You can just not install the taboo patch or play the fully clean "Friends Indeed" version like Neon said You wouldn't even have to worry about seeing those possible options that bother you and I bet that'd be perfect for you! Cheers


I wasn't saying those scenes w/ Gabby were findom, I just meant I don't know how any of the girls' happy points would play out on the corruption/findom route (by findom, I mean from the pov of the girls, not Guy; basically the rich sex pest route where Guy uses money to push people into doing sexual stuff, but never goes as far as full-out violent grape; am I misusing the term findom? maybe sugarbaby or corruption is what I'm looking for?). The findom/sugarbaby stuff with her I think will probably start after the apology in the bookstore (regarding her father) where you establish what your relationship is going to be. Hell, maybe that's actually what the LI's dark points are meant for: financial compulsion in the corruption route. Perhaps the sadistic grape route is meant to just chuck those point systems out the window entirely and do w/e MC feels like


I know, I'm pathetic and am lacking in any kind of useful conciseness


That's probably the best way to play honestly. Falling into the min/max OCD 'power player' trap kind of robs you of the game's wonderful organic nature regarding decisions and routes. But, I just can't help myself I think maybe we're used to games with much more linear paths and scope of possibility; we get worried we'll get heavily punished for our choices and lose out on a lot of stuff, maybe even a whole LI altogether. Which, yeah, in this game you may lose out on certain decisions or small mini-scenes (within larger sex scenes usually), but losing entire sex scenes as a whole is really hard to do for the most part and is reserved for those players who want to take a wholesome steady romance building approach (so then the loss of sex scenes is realistic and immersive) or people who don't like a girl and want to remain friends. But this game does a good job at keeping things moving with the girls no matter what and continually gives you opportunities to try and jump in or play the field, which will result in eventual scenes with most girls I'd gander. Then you can finish the game (when that time comes) with the feeling that you organically obtained the relationship(s) your own way rather than the usually binary way most devs give you (she's madly in love with you and has sex on the first date vs she wants nothing to do with you and you'll lose her for the rest of the game; no in between).

If this were to be my first sex game when I was young, it'd seriously be the most enjoyable and nostalgic VN memory, bar none I think... I have a feeling I'd develop a comparison complex where no other games measure up (my own first games were the 3 Sisters + 1st Horny Bunnies, the latter being far superior imo being that it was actually fappable and made me want to continue trying VNs.. if anyone was curious )

Keep in mind btw I don't know how accurate a lot of that wall is lol. I bet someone else could do a much better analysis of the game's mechanics. Speaking of walls, here I've gone and done it again... I have a problem..

Hmm, my understanding of findom was one person taking money from someone else that willingly gives it up because it's like a domination kink or something. What Guy does is basically use his money to coerce characters into things they don't want to do.

Don't worry. I'm also pretty long-winded.

Yea, there are a lot of times where trying to complete a playthrough of a path by making sure you pick only the right choices just SUCKS the fun out of a game. I haven't even finished all of my playthroughs of BADIK yet because 1. I still don't like ep 9 and 2. It just seems like a pretty dauntingly tedious task instead of actually doing something enjoyable.
You start to just break it down to a strategic, almost formulaic process and you subconsciously ignore everything else about the game. Coupled with the fact that doing so many playthroughs just to see minute changes in dialogue that are essentially meaningless to the plot as a whole (illusion of choice) makes you crazy bored with the same scenes you've seen a bunch of times already.

I think I've even started to develop a dislike for game devs who put in all these pedantic variables that don't really amount to anything more than something like a fun Easter egg in a sense.

(That being said: I'd probably be okay with Neon doing that since I wouldn't mind re-reading everything 100 times. Is it a double-standard? Maybe. I just think good writers get more leeway in that regard.)

 

[soprano31]

NeonGhosts

I don't remember exactly whether it has been asked or not,
i know the next update will be more focused on Ashe,
but will Viola and Pepper also be in the next update?

And if so,
in the future will you learn more about their problems,
their background and their character,and are they love interest like most of them?

 

[Old Grumpy Wolf]

I have been thinking about why I love this game as much as I do
And there are a few big reasons.

Number one is the girls are all awesome
Number two is we get a lot of choices for how we want the mc to act even during the sex scenes
Number three is the fact that the writing is some of the best I have ever read in a game
I can't praise it enough it's better than most AAA games I have played.

I have been looking at the picture with all the girls in the op
And now I have some thoughts about a couple of the girls & Mason

Nicki, I feel is trying to hide her tattoos because she feels ashamed about them & her past?
Mason Is also trying to hide behind other people maybe he doesn't want anyone to notice him?
Pepper is hiding her pain behind a typical mean girl look but we know she is really hurting on the inside

This is one of those games I cherish the time I spend playing it

When I'm seventy years old and in a nursing home
I will still want to talk about this great game

I'm not very good at taking thoughts in my head and putting them into words
But I tried my best.

You do that and when I'm 70 I'll be making more own stories with the nurses in the nursing home.