- Jun 3, 2017
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I know, right? It wasn't too shabby an animation was it?So far I like it very much... but gotta wonderhow would that victory f... sound like with voice
- Oct 28, 2020
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Actually, now that you mention it, the same thing happens to me as well. I usually go drinking with Annie in the evening in chapter 2 but in chapter 3, Sarah and the MC act as if this is the second time they're playing VR. This happened every time I did a playthrough so I thought it was on purpose.Thanks for this and glad you like it
I'll check out the conversation flag on VR. I'm guessing you played Caverns the first time then switched and I've forgotten to amend a line to reflect that, so nice catch.
The combat blocky tho is probs deliberate as Sarah plays with the blood/gore turned off. I'll check it out tho just in case I've messed a render up.
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- May 24, 2018
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Glad to see the less played routes are still getting the attention they deserve.It's changed. You'll be glad to hear it's not you.
And it changed for exactly the reason you stated in the spoiler
Out of intrest, do you have any sort of analytics on the typical major route preferences? If so, are the differences meaningful to you? There is a degree of variance that must be aesthetic preference, but it must be hard to analyse what routes may not be being pursued becuase of a lack of awareness. Particularly given that this game features slightly more options than peeking is acceptable, peeking is neccessary and peeking is a failure condition, I was wondering if you had thought at all about subtle ways of informing people of alternative routes?
- Jun 3, 2017
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Not in hard numbers. But in some ways that doesn't matter to me so much. Although I'm happy to take on board suggestions for certain content paths (namely the Chris domme one as that is both rather ringfenced and of special interest) I tend to treat the remaining paths with equal weight. Ofc Sarah and her CoC will always take up a big chunk of space but then again that's just a pure joy to write tbh. But the fact that, say, the majority of players play VR with Sarah doesn't mean it gets extra loading. It will be as big as it's meant to be; as will the fem MC's pursuit of poor Annie or the path where Annie now has chaperone.
I mean we've all seen games where paths have faded out and tbh it just makes the overall product look weak in my view when that happens. It's almost a betrayal of the player base if they've got invested in something and then you take it away from them.
*laughs*
In a way that's supposed to be Becca's job at the end of each chapter where she flags what I consider to be the major bits of content/paths. Ofc with so many I have to be very selective. But then again, although on one hand frustrating if she doesn't mention something, it can also be a source of joy when a player tries something new....and finds the game has taken a completely different turn.
I mean, how often does that happen?
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- May 24, 2018
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Not sure if you mean broad suggestions for the path or you mean specific suggestions in terms of how to signal that such a path is available. If the latter, I would say something, something magazines in lockers; something, something, suble cues via tats, jewellery, leather belts; something, something jokes about dominating others post fight scene. TBH I doubt the Chris domme path is underplayed though, I would imagine the non-domme is far less obvious. One route has a fap metronome... to most players on here, I think that will be read as the intimate romance route... (Not to say I can't see such a route going that way eventually, but from Chris' imagined PoV, a domme route obviously makes it easier for her to dismiss romantic intrest as misguided or lust driven impulse. In my mind, this would mean that how she deals with the protagonists boldness romantically should be more dismissive on this route... from my non dev perspective anywho XD)
It is far too tempting to say, how often does that happen is exactly the question 0_o...
Unique game experiences are obviously something you care a great deal about, and the value in them is also not easily dismissed, however treading between them being optional and unique and being unexplored is I still think an important question. The role of the post mission briefings I thought was to allow you the Dev to communicate with the players, an okay solution with a major flaw.
If, as I imagine, this game can have major success one day, it will presumably see a diminished or non existant role for Becca. The game so far has very immersive writing, and bar quibbles I might have with specialist knowledge that characters have of some fields (massages his ego as an amateur geologist confronted by cave analysis abilities far beyond his own) the effort you go to, to immerse a player is one of the huge successes of this game. BTW, huge credit given for the pre-Walker mission hallway talk, moving walls are my fetish... Eitherway, I am sure I don't need to tell you that the immersive efforts are both valuable, and on the whole succesful. Heck, by having your protagonists inner monologue dismiss aberant and transparently lewd/humoress events in game you even manage to retain immersion in a world with fairly whacky events.
Imaging a more fluid chapter transition in the future, and in the intrests of maintaining a greater degree of immersion, I was wondering if you had considered an acheivement esque system. I know many games use a fairly unusual, unlock images system as a way to encourage exploration and I would not neccesarily pursue this. However, it has been a staple for msot game players for years now to have acheivments outside the immersion of the game. Strictly speaking this doesn't mean they don't hurt immersion, but either the effect is small, or some of the best immersive story creators out their think them worth it regardless. They would also be less intrusive than the comments that Becca makes and probably result in less negative feelings from 'failing' things that ultimately represent diveristy in story experience. (For instance, I know the information Annie will give me abotu Chadwick, and even though she represents my main intrest, I don't consider the information given a neccessary addition to my prefered experience of her story. Nonetheless, minor pangs when you see 'you didn't learn about x' where x is the character of intrest).
Acheivements might be good because they are much more elective. Some will wish to pursue all of them, enabling most of your niche content be explored (should you choose to do so), some will completely ignore them (allowing for almost complete immersion, because now if I miss content, say aforementiond information, I don't even know I do so unless I elect to look through acheivements) and some will have a casual intrest in them when they pop up hopefully accompanied with a positive feeling of discovering something, rather than a negative one of missing something.
Words so easy though. I have, in truth, no idea how difficult this would be to do, and advertising more work for the dev of this game seems a faustian bargain in terms of getting mah story experience sooner. Regardless of my selfish intrests though, I do think such a system could help if it is feasible. And, given your success with wordplay so far, can't wait to see puzzled players asking on these forums, "how do you unlock 'Keeping Chaste with the Chadwick's' "... I really can't help myself XD
- Apr 20, 2018
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The story of the game is pretty entertaining but if you are going for your first playtrhough I would advise you against playing as a woman mc without a walktrhough. The differences between woman and male mc are remarcable as I did almost the same decisions in both of my saves and I did not have any sexual scenes as a woman. Anyone with the same experience?
- Jul 8, 2020
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That reminds me of another forum where a friend changed his avatar image to a gif of a crawling bug. Like, a white square then there's this tiny flea or something moving slowly across that square, stopped at the edge, and crawled to the other corner.Thanks. It's funny because the first time I saw it before playing VR with Sarah in chapter 3, I thought it was a smudge or something in the corner and I started cleaning my monitor.
I keep wanting to thwack at my monitor...
- Oct 1, 2020
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Top notch, especially the expressions on her face.I know, right? It wasn't too shabby an animation was it?
It's only the one screen, she had indeed turned off blood/wounds but all the other hits just show the sword without the 'censor' blocks. I did make a screeny if that helps locating the render in question.
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- Jul 8, 2020
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Ahahaha I just realized ... all the "I" ships ...
Illustrious ... Intrepid ... Invincible ...
Then Iowa.
It seems the UK lost their naming rights after the loss of the Invincible and had to hand over the token to the US
EDit: That brought my mind to the possible naming of "B" class vessels (if there will be any) ... Bodacious, Bountiful, Beguile, Brilliance ... and Bob.
Illustrious ... Intrepid ... Invincible ...
Then Iowa.
It seems the UK lost their naming rights after the loss of the Invincible and had to hand over the token to the US
EDit: That brought my mind to the possible naming of "B" class vessels (if there will be any) ... Bodacious, Bountiful, Beguile, Brilliance ... and Bob.
- May 28, 2017
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Actually, Iowa is the first of the I-class. And Intrepid has US naval tradition as well as British.
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I'm sorry you had to go through that. On the other hand, you now have a cool story to tell.
- Oct 18, 2017
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Oh, I have no doubt C4 is going to be juicySo I think there is some nice build up for some fun happening in chapter 4You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
I grant you, Annie was always going to be a slow burn, and I dig it, but It's hard to stay patient sometimes, ya know?
Interesting that you say there's more intricacy, compared to the male route with her. I suppose at the end of the day, I'd take a quirky, awkward, beautiful slow burn over instant sex every time.
As far as Chris goes: I was wondering where that went. Good to know it's just been moved (and for good reasons!) I really should give her some more exploration in C3...
Nope, can't say I have! As expected, there's more to find
Can confirm, I encountered this as well.
Glad to know I wasn't alone lol. So, to confirm: there's various naughty bits, some nudity, but no actual sex for feMC's as yet, yes?
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- Jun 3, 2017
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*tries to stop laughing!*
Not my fault the MC is smart
Although on this point, with him/her being in the role of an engineer on a colonisation project it didn't seem to far a stretch that they would have some geology knowledge. Certainly stops them building on swamps and hoping for the best!Thanks
It's an interesting point but I think it risks too many spoilers perhaps. I don't want the player to know what's coming up where possible. Instead to encourage exploration I have hidden content. I dunno many games that have as hidden extras entire porn comics or 100 render scenes
And that is the rub sadly. 10,000 renders to make this chapter and one PC. No wonder I keep burning the bugger out. Adding more work on top of what I have to do with what I've got.....
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- Jun 3, 2017
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Yep that's delib. Maybe I should make some of the others blocky too. I'll have a quick peekTop notch, especially the expressions on her face.
It's only the one screen, she had indeed turned off blood/wounds but all the other hits just show the sword without the 'censor' blocks. I did make a screeny if that helps locating the render in question.
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- Jun 3, 2017
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Damnit. Now I have to try and get that in!
- Jun 3, 2017
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Utter filth *sage nods*Oh, I have no doubt C4 is going to be juicy
Yep. It worked...but it just wasn't fun. Which sort of defeated the point. But I've got it figured out now so all good going forward.
Yep, correct. Well, if we exclude VR that is but that's a bit of an odd one. In real time ofc the MC has only been with these people two days so it didn't seem to make sense for me at this point.
- Jun 3, 2017
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Alrighties. Just a quick heads up in that I need to get my arse in gear on doing the rebuilds etc for Three and getting the ani's for Four running (is doing some pretty complex stuff this time around) so won't be around much for a bit. But coming up in Four....
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- May 24, 2018
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Thanks for the considerate reply. I want to make it clear that I completely respect your creative control. In so far as I am going to disagree with your above comments it is not borne out of my adamancy that an acheivement system would be better, but more that I think you are dismissing it for reasons I believe incorrect. For instance, if you were dismissing it because you lack confidence in the idea, or because it is extra workload I wouldn't challenge at all. Anywho, on to my disagreement.It's an interesting point but I think it risks too many spoilers perhaps. I don't want the player to know what's coming up where possible. Instead to encourage exploration I have hidden content. I dunno many games that have as hidden extras entire porn comics or 100 render scenes
On the first point, I don't think it is true to say that acheivements actually create any greater liklihood of spoilers than the system you currently have. An acheivement does not have to be prescriptive or transparent. A cryptic or hidden acheivement system would simply signal to people that there is more in the game to encounter without being particularly obvious about what content it is they are missing.
To demonstrate this point, let us compare how a current Becca comment looks, and what impact it has, to an imagined cryptic acheivement
C1 - You didn't attempt to blackmail Sarah
A1 - To tame the Lion (or a much better cryptic name of your creation)
A2 - To tame the Lion - attempt to blackmail Sarah
If you compare the possibility of spoilers of comment 1 to one of the acheivment options I don't see how the liklihood of being spoiled goes up, unless you allow the player to do so. If we say in this case, that discovering that one can take a harsh blackmail approach with Sarah would be a spoiler in of itself then of course, in the latter acheivements case, this would become a problem, but with a cryptic name, the former would not be. Moreover, at the point where your immersion is broken to chat with Becca, tthe spoiler is now guranteed by a Becca comment and may (to some folks) now leave a negative feeling of having missed an oppurtunity, or some information.
In the case of things like, finding the magazine, or watching the 'news' report. I again don't really see how a cryptic acheivement is particularly more of a spoiler than having Becca assertively tell the player, "you did not find" them. Perhaps if a player can decrypt your comment there is now an oppurtunity for exploration premptively in a chapter rather than only on their next playthrough of a chapter, but then, isn't this a better outcome. Having a player playthrough with an inflated desire to explore due to them decrypting acheivements is probably a better experience than having them reload saves serially unitll they find everything? (OFC not every player is going to comb through the game, but I am imagining the experience of those who do).
In terms of hidden content encouraging exploration, I think that where said content is listed as not being found by Becca, I think though you are encouraging exploration, you are doing it via a negative feeling rather than a positive one, and, not neccesarily encouraging exploration that is enjoyable because instead of a player finding the experience of discovering information inherently rewarding, they now may find discoveries tedious or time consuming (say a cooking device) because they aren't the listed item they are missing (say a magazine). None of this means that acheivements would be a better way to encourage exploration, I just think that it is important to ask, do the Becca comments where they are used encourage the right sort of exploration?
Your writing is compelling, and the story impetus for exploration clear. I see these things as very effective ways to encourage exploration in those suffciently immersed. However, not everyone will play like that and in so far as they do not, I think they are missing out on experiencing a better story. So the question of how to motivate people to play the game in a likely more rewarding way for said players rests on my mind. Again, despite my apperent motivation to advertise acheivements, I feel less strongly about how good they would be, then about asking whether the current system to inform players of content is a best fit.
Hopefully none of this comes of as too creatively intrusive; I am hoping that in speaking about a information delivery system rather than creative (though those scenes are characterful) decisions I am stepping on fewer toes.
Oh, and on the MC being smart bit, I was actually refering to Sarah's expert knowledge, of volcanism, though she has always been a character slightly beyond my suspension of disbelief so *shrugs*, she's your baby.