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

[Akamari]

Yeah, was too lazy to check it up

I had an inkling something wasn't right there.

 

[noname777]

If you had arrived within the first three months you wouldn't ask this question. This was a thread like no other. Back then Notty was crazy active here and it was a friendly place of endless fun, silliness and lore discussions. If you'd like to know what Notty is like I suggest you peruse some of the first 300 pages. That's right. Of the 330 pages, 300 of them were made between January and March (like 290 of them before Chapter 2 even went public here; it took like 40 days before someone of 80 or so patrons leaked the links - that should tell you how much loyalty she can inspire).

I must admit I really miss those times. I understand Notty is busy with RL and I suspect there are other reasons as well, but I secretely hope this thread can at least partly return to its former glory.

2019-02-08:

Trying to do tears in Daz, good ones, is a bitch!

But the even better news is thanks to those lovely patrons, assuming they don't all cancel once they've chapter two!, a mighty 6gb card is in reach!

Which will make March update so much easier!

2019-03-19:

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*goes back to finishing renders for Chapter Three*

2019-03-23:

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Getting ready to welcome you back to Chapter Three
Just bug testing and the animations left

2019-03-29:

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What is equally true is that I said you would get a chapter each month and you haven't. Alright, it was because I was really trying to push the boat out and give you something special this month with the new graphics card, but the fact remains that unlike last month you haven't received anything.

2019-05-26:

"When is the next chapter out?" Start of June. I refunded all my patrons everything from March to May so opening up the patron account and releasing it in June makes everything nice and neat from a financial perspective. Besides I haven't looked at Chapter Three in months and it will be good to play through it again to see if I spot any errors etc I didn't pick up in March. Please note however that Chapter Three is essentially what I did in March. The time gap doesn't mean this will represent three months work - having said that Three is considerably larger than the earlier chapters.

2019-05-27:

Having got out the old calendar (and taking into account next week I need to back at work for the first time in two months...which will be so much fun I'm sure). Delivery dates for each remaining chapter are as follows:

Chapter Three: 14 June 2019
Chapter Four: 26 July 2019
Note no chapter delivery nor patreon charge will be made in August
Chapter Five: 13 September 2019
Chapter Six: 25 October 2019
Chapter Seven: 29 November 2019
Note no chapter delivery nor patreon charge will be made in December
Chapter Eight: 31 January 2020
Chapter Nine: 13 March 2020
Chapter Ten: 24 April 2020

Following completion I'll be spending two months for retrofitting optional choices for the player such as being able to choose their gender and race and remastering earlier graphics.

2019-06-14:

Are these dates solid? The first chapter was promising. I hope this game will not end like Dual Family by Gumdrop Games.

Thank you. And no defo not a Gumdrop.
(...)
Mostly solid. Right now, I'm just tidying up minor errors in renders. I doubt most people would spot them tbh but after such a delay I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything out that isn't as a perfect as I can make it.

2019-06-23:

So, no update in this week. But what about the next one? Do you think it is doable? Or do we need to wait a little bit longer?

Her last Patreon post started with this...

Hi all,
So, all the spot rendering is finished and I'm trying to get it out this weekend.

There's still time, so perhaps we will still get the release "this weekend".

2019-06-30:

From the latest patron post:
TL;DR

• Chapter is out for final bug testing
• June patronage to be refunded
• Release date confirmed for 6 July
• Animations removed from chapter

I guess next weekend is gonna be busy

So, originally planned for March, postponed to the beginning of June, then to 14 June, then to 22-23 June, then to 6 July... Now we have 7 July, and still nothing. At the begging, she promised to release an update each month, but we already know that the last chapter was released on February 26, more than 4 months ago.
I really want to believe (in) Nottravis, but you know that this and lack of communication in recent weeks doesn't sound good, right?
Of course, I appreciate that she is willing to refund money, as opposed to e.g. Gumdrop, but it doesn't change the fact that the game has already suffered serious delays and the planned release dates are very uncertain at the moment.

 

[Http404z]

she promised to release an update each month

Not promised, intended. There's a huge difference. No developer promises a release, they project and anticipate, but only AAA games have hard set release dates. Don't get me wrong, I'm sorely disappointed (yet again), but I can't hold her to task for missing a release date on a free game. My patreon support doesn't have anything to do with the price of the game, that's just my support of the developer. That fact of the matter is that nobody is paying for this game, except Notty.

For now, I'll just stand by and see what news comes up in the next day or two.

 

[Sage Slave]

Does she have discord for this game?

 

[Akamari]

Does she have discord for this game?

Nope. There was a discussion about that in February, but the consensus was that it's just another platform adding more workload to track messages and as such it was not needed.

 

[Huitieme]

So, originally planned for March, postponed to the beginning of June, then to 14 June, then to 22-23 June, then to 6 July... Now we have 7 July, and still nothing. At the begging, she promised to release an update each month, but we already know that the last chapter was released on February 26, more than 4 months ago.
I really want to believe (in) Nottravis, but you know that this and lack of communication in recent weeks doesn't sound good, right?
Of course, I appreciate that she is willing to refund money, as opposed to e.g. Gumdrop, but it doesn't change the fact that the game has already suffered serious delays and the planned release dates are very uncertain at the moment.

I understand where you're coming from, but well, sometimes shit happens. Sure, I'd wish we'd be playing up to chapter 6 right now, but it isn't the case, and there's little to nothing we can do about it. You know the adage, "quality takes time". Right now, Heavy Five situation reminds me of two of my favorite games in here, The DeLuca Family and Doctor Amana. Releases might come later than expected, but you know that when they do come, you'll have a blast. In her last Patreon post, she did mention that a few things bothered her (especially the animation feedback in chapter 2, which is why she decided to stop doing animations) and she started to dread releasing chapter 3. I hope this is not the case anymore. Chapter 3 must come out before it becomes too heavy five a burden on Notty's shoulder.

The only thing I would ask Notty is for her to stop giving hard dates, because it sets an expectation and it's a double edge sword. I understand the need to give yourself deadline as a motivational kick in the ass, but if for whatever reason, you're unable to meet your own schedule, this becomes more stressful than useful (as anyone who ever worked in whichever industry can understand). Unfortunately, further delays for chapter 3 are starting to mar her reputation, as can be seen with the parallel with "less trustworthy devs" (note that I never played the mentionned games and have no opinion on their respective creators). We're not quite at the literary world level, with the infamous G.R.R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss, whose wait for the "new release" takes years (I actually hate the argument of "look, it's worse elsewhere, so you shouldn't complain". Complaining is good, it shows you care about something).

As Akamari said very well, the first few months on this thread had something special going on, and even now, very few posts are about "when do new relese is ready pls?", comparatively to the rest of the forum. Chapter 3 will come, I don't doubt it. Lack of communication, which is really my biggest pet peeve about all that, can be explained by a lot of factors, such as real life taking its toll. Maybe she did set a bad precedent by being so chatty at first, and now we expect her to always be like that... Wiggling eyebrows sure are sorely missed.

 

[DorcasAurelia]

I mean, episode 2 was delayed for a week or two because NotTravis realized she'd made a character's lipstick the wrong color, a detail many people wouldn't even have noticed, and redid all the renders for the character before releasing rather than put out a completed, if flawed, product and provide the corrected version later. If people want perfection, they've got to wait for it.

 

[noname777]

Releases might come later than expected, but you know that when they do come, you'll have a blast.

I do not doubt, but at the same time I believe that even Gumdrop will release the next part of his game. Maybe this month, maybe next year, but it will happen sooner or later.
The only question is what delay is acceptable for fans.

In her last Patreon post, she did mention that a few things bothered her (especially the animation feedback in chapter 2, which is why she decided to stop doing animations) and she started to dread releasing chapter 3. I hope this is not the case anymore. Chapter 3 must come out before it becomes too heavy five a burden on Notty's shoulder.

In mid-March, she was finishing the rendering. On March 23, she wrote that only bug testing and the animations left. At the end of May she said that the Chapter Three is essentially what she did in March. Now she says that she gets rid of these animations from the chapter.
I know that bug testing and polishing work may take some time, but from our perspective not much progress has been made since March. I don't blame her for that, for sure she is doing her best, but I'm beginning to doubt the dates of future releases.
Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate her work and I wish her the best, but I am beginning to doubt that she is able to meet the deadlines she sets. What's worse, the lack of communication doesn't work in her favor.

By the way, I am also a fan of Urban Voyeur by Cesar. The game is really nice and polished, but the long waiting time for updates makes me forget what decisions I made or even what exactly happened in the current game. Damn, I have already forgotten the names of some of the main characters. That's why I prefer games that are already completed or updated every month.

 

[Akamari]

I mean, episode 2 was delayed for a week or two because NotTravis realized she'd made a character's lipstick the wrong color, a detail many people wouldn't even have noticed, and redid all the renders for the character before releasing rather than put out a completed, if flawed, product and provide the corrected version later. If people want perfection, they've got to wait for it.

The delay for that specific reason was 4 days.

First impression is important. Would you rather play half-assed bug-infested release? In this age when people are alergic to bugs and glitches like nothing else? Do you download updates again just for bug-fixes? I never do.

If she can make it better, she should. I want to play the versions she's happy with.

 

[Akamari]

In mid-March, she was finishing the rendering. On March 23, she wrote that only bug testing and the animations left. At the end of May she said that the Chapter Three is essentially what she did in March. Now she says that she gets rid of these animations from the chapter.
I know that bug testing and polishing work may take some time, but from our perspective not much progress has been made since March.

There was a lot of work done since May. She expanded the Chapter a lot (it was 17 scenes originally, now it's 24) and she re-rendered about 70% of the renders to increase quality. The animations are removed because of hardware limitations that made them take too much time to make.

Now, I understand you may not know all that because a lot of information was posted only for the patrons and not reposted here.

Here are Notty's latest fun facts to give an idea how big Chapter 3 is:

Spoiler

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[Akamari]

I don't blame her for that, for sure she is doing her best, but I'm beginning to doubt the dates of future releases.
Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate her work and I wish her the best, but I am beginning to doubt that she is able to meet the deadlines she sets. What's worse, the lack of communication doesn't work in her favor.

It's best to disregard those dates completely as that only creates unrealistic expectations. The useful information from that roadmap is:

1) - the game itself is planned out
2) - she probably plans to have breaks in August and December that won't be charged to patrons
3) - approximate time it would take to make each chapter if there are no problems (5-6 weeks).

Honestly, you shouldn't take these dates too seriously. One of the lessons learned from Chapter 2 was "No More Deadlines", and I hope Notty will remember that.

The current lack of communication worries me though, that I won't deny.

 

[Qwert99]

This just in, update delayed until the second coming of Christ

 

[noname777]

There was a lot of work done since May. She expanded the Chapter a lot (it was 17 scenes originally, now it's 24) and she re-rendered about 70% of the renders to increase quality. The animations are removed because of hardware limitations that made them take too much time to make.

Now, I understand you may not know all that because a lot of information was posted only for the patrons and not reposted here.

Here are Notty's latest fun facts to give an idea how big Chapter 3 is:

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

OK, fair enough. But it doesn't change the fact that I prefer games with more frequent updates. I don't want to play the game over and over again, just because I've already forgotten what has happened before. And this is unfortunately the case with titles where you have to wait several months for the next chapter.

 

[noname777]

This just in, update delayed until the second coming of Christ

Which date do you mean?

• 2020 - Jeane Dixon, The Call to Glory. Bantam Books, New York, 1971. Pages 170, 172
• 2021 -
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• 2024 -
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• 2025 - Bailey, Alice A. The Externalisation of the Hierarchy New York: 1957 Lucis Publishing Co.
• 2029 - claimed by Jakob Lorber
• 2057 - The Physics of Immortality, by Frank J. Tipler
• 2093 -
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• 2204 -
  You must be registered to see the links

 

[Akamari]

OK, fair enough. But it doesn't change the fact that I prefer games with more frequent updates. I don't want to play the game over and over again, just because I've already forgotten what has happened before. And this is unfortunately the case with titles where you have to wait several months for the next chapter.

Chapter Two took six weeks to make with a weak graphics card and it is fairly large. Of those about two weeks were lost on re-rendering due to one set taking too much rendering time making it costly to use effectively in the future. That was before the level of support significantly grew over February and Notty decided to invest in a new card eliminating this issue for good.

Chapter Three was near completion in about four weeks as well.

It may not look it that way now, but Notty is very productive when it comes to actually making a chapter, so without all the hiccups and setbacks a monthly or near monthly update rate is possible.

 

[Pepito90]

I understand complaints, but I prefer not to look a gift horse in the teeth.

 

[xsssssssss]

Further delays are certainly disappointing. Hope it’s just notty being a perfectionist.
Less frequent good quality releases is fine by me. Just want to see it get over this long 0.3 hurdle.

 

[TheDevian]

Even if you won't see it on a single playthrough, one chapter here has far more content than most games too, I mean, Kukothemadhatter, did you ever finish all of the endings just in chapter one?

The only thing I would suggest, is if she plans to keep giving out refunds for the months she doesn't get out an update, she out to just change it so it only charges when she puts one up, rather than per month (unless they removed that option with the last set of changes).

Personally, as long as she is okay, then I am happy to wait as long as she needs it to take, but then I am a bit of a perfectionist myself.

 

[Goblin Baily: DILF]

Even if you won't see it on a single playthrough, one chapter here has far more content than most games too, I mean, Kukothemadhatter, did you ever finish all of the endings just in chapter one?

The only thing I would suggest, is if she plans to keep giving out refunds for the months she doesn't get out an update, she out to just change it so it only charges when she puts one up, rather than per month (unless they removed that option with the last set of changes).

Personally, as long as she is okay, then I am happy to wait as long as she needs it to take, but then I am a bit of a perfectionist myself.

I still need to finish few endings in chapter one, but I won't since that path I won't go

 

[Akamari]

The only thing I would suggest, is if she plans to keep giving out refunds for the months she doesn't get out an update, she out to just change it so it only charges when she puts one up, rather than per month (unless they removed that option with the last set of changes).

To my knowledge, once you enable charge up front it's no longer possible to make a change.