This thread is nuts and I've quite enjoyed watching it grow from a handful of pages into...whatever monstrosity it is now. The second the next episode hits, F95 and file hosts will likely crash under the sheer volume.
I had some doubts in the beginning because, while I like sci-fi, I tend to avoid these 3d static type of games, but this game seems like it might just pull it off regardless with oodles of well thought out plot/characters/aesthetic/sound/art/dialogue. Every character has solid potential, and the lore of the setting is oddly captivating, which is something few sci-fi works can accomplish, let alone a niche porn game.
If I had one concern, it regards the issue of choice...I have to wonder, if some episodes deep, how the weight of all the choices that came before could possibly be accounted for without having more branching paths than there are stars in the sky. I know each installment will be its own thing, but then how will narrative impact properly carry over?
But yeah, definitely liking what I'm seeing so far, especially such an actively communicative developer! I'll definitely be keeping tabs on this game!
*peers up from her render pile*
Thank you for the kind words, especially around the characterisations and design - and my thanks also to @
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for replying on my behalf. I'm glad you've enjoyed what you've seen so far and I do hope you stick around.
As to your question, the answer is somewhere in between. Each Chapter does tend, as an aside, to have it's own theme. Although each one is a continuation of the story of course. So Part 1 was our journey down, Part 2 is our first day on Ophion etc. @
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is right that I tend to use the standard stats check formulae for -general- progress. But there are also a number of overriding triggers and key event checks which do indeed add that nuance.
For example, so you've got so far with gal X. Which is great. But if we had to wait for the stats to rise then we're on the usual stairway to heaven/grind bollocks. Now that has its place of course -long term- but isn't how real life works. People get drunk and make mistakes, or perhaps say the wrong or right thing at the wrong or right time which suddenly changes everything. Sometimes these changes are for an instant - other times with lasting impact. Sooooo....yes, we have the standard mechanisms - but also we don't. If that makes sense.
The game is also two games in one. I like to think of it as a game with it's own DLC already installed
You can, should you choose, interact with the girls, make your choices, have a (hopefully) fun time and get to the end of the story thinking that was quite fun.
You can also poke around and delve. You'll have noticed the tons of information flying around on the PDA with all the background lore. There are a whole series of mysteries across the chapters to explore should you so wish which will change your game experience hugely. But these aren't necessary. Some, if not most, will probably ignore them - and why not, if that's what they choose. But others...well, there are some interesting things there to explore should they wish. Although some may wish they hadn't...
Why would I do this? Well, part of the joy I get from this game is setting up the world and then letting people roam around in it. To see what they will do, see what they will find, give them perhaps a few moments where the pulse raises and not just because Sarah has forgot her bra - again. It thrills me enormously to see the guys start to work things out, to see just what is actually going on. To see my imagination and plotting come live. *is a bit weird she knows*
As to the tracking of the choices, plot etc. Well, I took six months to write this little game so everything is fairly nailed down I think - some choice arcs are small, some can run with others and others still massively change the outcome. It's a lot of balls in the air I know, but out of all the aspects of this game this is the one that least concerns me *eyes her render pile and takes a moment to whip the hamster on for filler pics*
Ah, ok, so basically just your standard VN setup? I guess I got the impression that it would be more nuanced than that. Still, its a pretty time tested formula.
9 saves by chapter 6 is gonna be quite annoying if full content is desired...my poor brain will melt trying to keep all the alternate realities from bleeding into one another...
This one is an interesting one to address. Please don't take me wrong, in that I'm not seeing this as a criticism tho!
It was more I wanted to address your concerns. I suppose with an engine like Renpy there is only so much I can do. But in a way it's a bit like saying I have some pictures and some text on the screen. Yes, indeed I do. And although my images are noway near as good as I would like, on the text...yeah. I think I have that
So, on the same basis, yes - I have a VN set up, but I would argue (in a good way
) that it's not standard. Oh, it's nothing magic I know - but it does indeed have some depth and what I can squeak out of it with my basic coding I'm trying to and I -think- I've gone beyond the standard formulae. But I'll leave that others to judge as we trundle along.
The number of paths are also deliberate.
I'll try to explain without getting too spoilery but some decisions the player -can- make can get very dark indeed. I've set no traps. There is no forced content. Everything that happens to the people around you will be down to you within the constrains of the overall arc. Some paths people will not want to travel down. It will be clear what the action and consequences will be.
I state that because some of the paths the player can choose to do, will force them to make some very big decisions. These won't come out of nowhere. You'll have seen my flagging and foreshadowing in Chapter One a little, albeit on a small scale. But because these paths fundamentally change the game...for reasons...if someone wants to explore all the content then they would need a number of paths. And frankly its too many to play without getting bored.
And this is by design. Because actually, I want the player to have his/her decisions have weight. To have consequences more than just a roll back or a scum save. This is, next to my attempts at realism, the key behind the game. For the player to choose a path and then to have to live with the consequences of their choices....
Sorry, that was a bit of a ramble wasn't it! Feel free to drop me a PM if I wasn't very clear on anything. Always happy to discuss.