Ren'Py Heavy Five [Ch.2RS] [Nottravis]

4.10 star(s) 64 Votes
Discussion Reviews (64)
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paragan

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Feb 18, 2018
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I have just finished new content, now i will wait a week and try another route(s) and waifus :D .

Sometimes it is hard (even for me) to change paradigm - we play games for win (some people even pay for win = cheat/ hack ... but that´s another story). We are hunters and gathers, mighty conquerors we want to beat/ outsmart/ punish enemy (computer, player) - like Conan´s: What is best in life? To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.

This game is different. It is like Swedish table. You pick what you want - chef don´t try (mostly :D ) to confuse you. So you have freedom. And rewards are different too: piece of information, nice picture or animation, clue, interesting story twist, witty dialogue ... - i think creator rewards our imagination - curiosity (what if ?) more than our ego.

So first things first - one (not so) simple question:
Is it going to be fun ?
Damn Yes, but ... (kill me there is but :( )

YES

There are (for) me three layers of gameplay:

* detective story
In every paradise is venomous snake - there is whole nest :D
This one is most tricky one - there are so many motives, hidden agendas, personal character goals that average writer will write 5 book space opera series ... I like that even characters who looks like their motives are clear want to manipulate, use you - they are not passive .... :D lovely
We are somewhere in the middle of story so hard to say where it will lead (and that´s great).
I ´m not sure how will creator handle all these clues - will we have opportunity to use them, make good/bad/questionable choices and actions and deal (die ? :D ) with consequences ?

* romancing walker
I love them all - Nottravis has created unique characters. They are like flawed gems - realistic, interesting - i can imagine them as whole people.

* engineer
For me least interesting part - but maybe it will lead to interesting things.

Btw with all those aliens, mens/womens, villains (hot/mysterious/vicious) is this really mission for mundane engineer ? Someone like captain Jack Harkness is man for this work, or not ?

BUT

This is problem of every game (for example Alpha protocol) that is really non-linear (authors don´t kill you when you go two steps another direction) - narrative looks sometimes unfocused. With so many choices and consequences author reacts to your actions and sometimes things have less emotional impact than when your story is straight as arrow.

Second thing is gameplay on a map screen - you do something (not so important) and suddenly there is evening. Maybe this is where realism has gone too far. I had always feeling that i missed something important (did i missed ? - i´m not sure). Maybe something like timer on screen and highlight important meetings will make game more clear.

CONCLUSION
When i see insane amount of effort, love and time that Nottravis invested into this game i can´t say anything bad. It is unique and better than 99% of games on this forum. It can be even better (after some polishing and balancing)

87%

PS: I hope i´m not Thea Lundgren .... you never know ...
 
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anne O'nymous

anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
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paragan said:
I ´m not sure how will creator handle all these clues - will we have opportunity to use them, make good/bad/questionable choices and actions and deal (die ? :D ) with consequences ?
Click to expand...
Oh, we will surely die if we don't use them correctly. We can already die twice in the game, and I don't see Notty stopping this ; in fact I perfectly picture her doing the opposite.
But for the opportunity to use them, I'm not sure that all will be effectively usable ; at least, directly usable in game. I mean by this that many clues seem to be here more to feed our thoughts, and possibly also our paranoia, that to effectively open possibilities.
At one point we will be glad to know about this or that, because it will make our decision easier. But there I doubt that there will be some kind of "you've found this, so you can make this choice" mechanism. It's clear from the start, that Notty wrote his game in such way that everything rely on our own shoulders. She provide the information and the choices, and we provide the brain that will proceed the information, and therefore make the right choice.

While the story isn't effectively a thriller, it still share common point with this genre.
Everything starts, for the MC, like an annoying mission. Yet a strange one, who put the future of a station between the hands of an engineer ? But we haven't even put a foot on Ophion, that things already start to be more complicated, with the strange behavior of the Vanguard AI and the near crash landing.
Until this chapter 4, we could put than on the count of the hurry in which the ship was prepared ; after all, Annie found a reasonable cause to the issue. But in this chapter Sarah was clear, so far if the Vanguard quit the station, it will be destroyed... And while there's possibly a material reason behind this, difficult to imagine that it's just because the Vanguard wasn't initially planed for this mission. This would mean that the cause is obvious enough to have been found, therefore with a now three days long investigation, Annie would have solved the issue.

Add to this the suspicious behavior of Marcus and Mike regarding the freezer, the interesting books in Amanda's office, and many other small, almost insignificant, things. Like by example the mysterious ammo clip on a station where no one wear arms, and with a sealed armory, or the two other objects that disappeared (three if you include the suspicious pad with what looks like a bullet hole).
Everything is here to raise the tension and let the players (at least the ones who take the time to appreciate the game) wonder in what vipers nest he put his feet.

I would say, looking at the guys around there, that this game target both of our brain. What make it, at least from my point of view, interesting.



All this being said, she can't do it herself because, for many reasons, she don't come here anymore, but someone having informed her about your post, Notty asked to pass you her thanks for what you wrote and the interest you clearly have for her game and story.
 
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paragan

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Feb 18, 2018
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anne O'nymous said:
All this being said, she can't do it herself because, for many reasons, she don't come here anymore, but someone having informed her about your post, Notty asked to pass you her thanks for what you wrote and the interest you clearly have for her game and story.
Click to expand...
Thank you kindly. ♡
 
C

Cabin Fever

Engaged Member
Nov 23, 2018
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Akamari said:
NOTE: Walkthrough for Chapter Four is up. There are a few parts I left incomplete. Those will be added once a patch is released.
Click to expand...
Just wondering. Since the patch is out for a while now, will the walkthrough be getting an update soon?
 
Nottravis

Nottravis

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paragan said:
Second thing is gameplay on a map screen - you do something (not so important) and suddenly there is evening. Maybe this is where realism has gone too far. I had always feeling that i missed something important (did i missed ? - i´m not sure). Maybe something like timer on screen and highlight important meetings will make game more clear.
Click to expand...
Thank you for this, and the thoughtful comments overall. As anne O'nymous says I haven't been around for a while, mainly due to the production problems on the chapter. But on this specific point I think you're right. I'd been kicking it around with the testers for a bit on whether to do so or not, but it was your well constructed thoughts that decided it for me. I'll be retrofitting a clock mechanism in Five.

paragan said:
CONCLUSION
When i see insane amount of effort, love and time that Nottravis invested into this game i can´t say anything bad. It is unique and better than 99% of games on this forum. It can be even better (after some polishing and balancing)

87%
Click to expand...
Thank you. I'm so pleased you like it.
 
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Nottravis

Nottravis

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Oh! *forgot the main reason she came on*. The good news is it looks like I should be able to get a 3090 machine by the new year. Three times as fast as what I have now which should make a massive difference in terms of production time especially given the lewd scenes on the books for Chapter Five.

So a big thank you to anyone who has dropped me some cash at any point. I started out with a used PC and a 2GB 1050, progressed up to a 2080 and now it looks like I'm finally getting the tools for the job due to you. Thank you :)
 
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Nottravis

Nottravis

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Oh! (part 2). There's probs a 101 useful things for me to take away from comments etc but at the moment I'm still behind the curve on where I want to be project wise.

I will catch up and read back through them, I just want to clear the decks a bit more on my side of the screen first. So please don't feel as I'm ignoring you guys, more just still insanely busy at the mo.
 
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ClockworkGnome

ClockworkGnome

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Sep 18, 2021
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paragan said:
Sometimes it is hard (even for me) to change paradigm - we play games for win (some people even pay for win = cheat/ hack ... but that´s another story). We are hunters and gathers, mighty conquerors we want to beat/ outsmart/ punish enemy (computer, player) - like Conan´s: What is best in life? To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women.
Click to expand...
Depends on the player, honestly.

It's why the "Bartle Test" exists as a concept (
You must be registered to see the links
). The type of playstyle you're describing is the Killer/Club mentality. And to be fair, it's probably the most common playstyle, especially for single-player games.

But there are other ways to play/view games. The Achiever/Diamond mindset prioritizes things like getting achievements (duh), but also beating the game as a whole, getting 100% completion, and so on. Explorers/Spades tend to enjoy discovering things, whether that means filling in blank spaces on a map or delving into the DEEP LORE of a game's setting. And Socializers/Hearts tend to value social interaction most - in a single-player setting, that tends to mean engaging with NPCs via dialogue options or romance routes.

(It also applies to multiplayer game dynamics, since the Bartle Test was originally designed to model the behavior of players in MUDs and MMOs... though that's less important for the sorts of games we find on this site. Still, it's easy to draw a line between PvPing Clubs, Hearts who favor things like co-op, support roles, or tutoring new players, Diamonds who want to own one of every item, complete specific challenges, or max out stats, and Spades who just want to wander around the map, looking at the pretty scenery, finding hidden things, and generally puzzling out secrets both in the lore and the game mechanics.)

I'd argue that VNs in general (and romance/adult VNs specifically) are going to attract Heart and Spade types far more than the other two - Hearts want to engage with specific characters and enjoy the romance routes, while Spades are more likely to focus on the overall story and setting. A game that gets either of those two things right is going to be popular. A game that gets them both right is going to be one of the ones that everyone praises.

There's obviously other factors (renders, music, and for AVNs just how more porn there is and what fetishes you're catering to), but I think it does a fairly good job of outlining the considerations a developer needs to have.
 
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Kagarus

Kagarus

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Sep 28, 2017
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ClockworkGnome said:
Depends on the player, honestly.

It's why the "Bartle Test" exists as a concept (
You must be registered to see the links
). The type of playstyle you're describing is the Killer/Club mentality. And to be fair, it's probably the most common playstyle, especially for single-player games.

But there are other ways to play/view games. The Achiever/Diamond mindset prioritizes things like getting achievements (duh), but also beating the game as a whole, getting 100% completion, and so on. Explorers/Spades tend to enjoy discovering things, whether that means filling in blank spaces on a map or delving into the DEEP LORE of a game's setting. And Socializers/Hearts tend to value social interaction most - in a single-player setting, that tends to mean engaging with NPCs via dialogue options or romance routes.

(It also applies to multiplayer game dynamics, since the Bartle Test was originally designed to model the behavior of players in MUDs and MMOs... though that's less important for the sorts of games we find on this site. Still, it's easy to draw a line between PvPing Clubs, Hearts who favor things like co-op, support roles, or tutoring new players, Diamonds who want to own one of every item, complete specific challenges, or max out stats, and Spades who just want to wander around the map, looking at the pretty scenery, finding hidden things, and generally puzzling out secrets both in the lore and the game mechanics.)

I'd argue that VNs in general (and romance/adult VNs specifically) are going to attract Heart and Spade types far more than the other two - Hearts want to engage with specific characters and enjoy the romance routes, while Spades are more likely to focus on the overall story and setting. A game that gets either of those two things right is going to be popular. A game that gets them both right is going to be one of the ones that everyone praises.

There's obviously other factors (renders, music, and for AVNs just how more porn there is and what fetishes you're catering to), but I think it does a fairly good job of outlining the considerations a developer needs to have.
Click to expand...
Yeah, what players want out of/enjoy in games varies wildly, and if you assume that everyone wants the same things you will you're in for a rude awakening (That doesn't mean that a game needs to appeal to everyone - if you make a game that has a really high skill ceiling, interesting mechanics, no lore or characters you have a good chance of doing great with people that play for mastery of the game, but us lore/immersion heads will probably bounce - which is fine, especially if that is clearly communicated.)

The Bartle model is a great introduction to that topic, but from my understanding the model has some issues. The model by
You must be registered to see the links
is another popular and more recent one that's probably more useful when it comes to players of our kind of games - sadly I'm not aware of any models specifically about players of erotic games.
 
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4.10 star(s) 64 Votes