VN Ren'Py Isabella - Chasing Shadows [Ch. 4.3] [badtimetales]

[Jarulf]

After working weeks on an update it's hard for me to tell if it's good or not, I would need to step aside for a week or two.

Unfortunately this seems to be a common problem many Devs have, lack of meaningful feedback. I'm not saying this particular case of fanboyitis was meaningful, but hopefully better than just saying the game sucks or is awesome.

So, everyone I'd really like to encourage you to tell Devs not just that you like a game (or not), but a few words about why too. I'm terrible at it myself, but once in a blue moon I do try.

 

[badtimetales]

This game is great for what it is .. yet making content and hoping it ticks the boxes of the players,
does not feel like much of a ”feedback driven” approach.

Granted, the story is already on rails about all the opened cans of worms MC would go and investigate for
the duration of many updates, so this is not a diss, but a testament that you have done wonderful picking and
integrating both Alex and Isa into this story that keeps bringing players back to their screens with every update.

It's a question how you define feedback and feedback driven.

I've said that a few times: It's my story, I will not add something people want to see just because they want it.
That's because I'm stubborn, want to like what I do and more important limiting branches/coding (and therefor rendering).
I know more than one dev who tried to make it "right" for everybody and hated what he did.

Nevertheless feedback is important and it's not only a few nice taps on my shoulder, I changed scenes after some (beta) feedback or comments on what I had planned.

For the decisions, there would have been only one chance in this update for the general story. And to be honest I wanted to put one there but didn't find a good and logical way to do it.

For the relationship between the three there was no way to let the player decide, as the whole Chapter 4 is for bringing the main characters together, doesn't matter if you are on one of the single or the threesome route.

 

[badtimetales]

I'm terrible at it myself, but once in a blue moon I do try.

You are not and you did give more feedback in private since we first chatted

 

[Slick Bean]

Thank you for sticking to your vision. That is the means to any good game gettign actual closure on paths.

The many devs who feel like they are struggling and keep changing stuff that irks their core,
they are really too much attention mongers to strike it big:
they have to sustain the tirades of angry fans, precisely if they include disgusting material in their games
- like any horror movie, you have to take the critique of all the disgusting gory turn your stomack scenes
and own them, that is the intended reaction, no?

For the decisions, there would have been only one chance in this update for the general story. And to be honest I wanted to put one there but didn't find a good and logical way to do it.

For the relationship between the three there was no way to let the player decide, as the whole Chapter 4 is for bringing the main characters together, doesn't matter if you are on one of the single or the threesome route.

In this game, the story is quite interesting by steering away from usual human trafficking games,
by not showing the graphic rape or torture or disfigurement the uncle of Issa and his associates
would have to be perpetrating day in and day out to keep so many girls in and out of their sex slaves ring.

The fact that the one model Issa befriended and she let herslef be whored around, was bright and honest,
owning her life choices and not having a horrid rape or beatdown or disfigurement sappy story in toe,
really came as a surprise - wonderful writing and so far keeping things tight and focused on the babes
and our continuous adoration of their antics and beauty.

 

[Monkdrunkey76]

Hi, new to all of this VN stuff, can anyone explain or confirm if Isabella- Dark Paths (which i went searching for) is the same as Isabella- Chasing Shadows?

I'm assuming Ch3 was Dark Paths and Ch4 is Chasing Shadows, but it's only an uneducated guess.

Cheers,
Monk.

 

[Uriel ☁]

Hi, new to all of this VN stuff, can anyone explain or confirm if Isabella- Dark Paths (which i went searching for) is the same as Isabella- Chasing Shadows?

I'm assuming Ch3 was Dark Paths and Ch4 is Chasing Shadows, but it's only an uneducated guess.

Cheers,
Monk.

Yes, the game changed name with the latest chapter which is released on Patreon (Ch4.2).

 

[badtimetales]

I'm assuming Ch3 was Dark Paths and Ch4 is Chasing Shadows, but it's only an uneducated guess.

Yes, the game changed name with the latest chapter which is released on Patreon (Ch4.2).

Yep.

Name was changed for Chapter 4.2, reason explained

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[Monkdrunkey76]

Thanks for the replies

 

[Raminita]

KEEP IT CLEAN AND ON-TOPIC PEOPLE
NOT A PLACE TO BABYSIT GROWN ADULTS WITH TANTRUMS!

 

[badtimetales]

KEEP IT CLEAN AND ON-TOPIC PEOPLE
NOT A PLACE TO BABYSIT GROWN ADULTS WITH TANTRUMS!​

Yeah, if you mods would keep it clean everywhere, that would be nice.

 

[znar25]

Yep.

Name was changed for Chapter 4.2, reason explained

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Hope you are doing well badtimetales . Keep up the good work.

Maybe your next VN can be in the style of film noir. That would work well with shadowy, cynical MC etc themes.

 

[badtimetales]

Hope you are doing well badtimetales . Keep up the good work.

Maybe your next VN can be in the style of film noir. That would work well with shadowy, cynical MC etc themes.

Thanks, I'm good, I hope you (and everyone else) too

There was an AVN in black and white, don't remember the name.
It was interesting, but if I remember right people didn't really like it.

And if a new AVN will have a crime setting, we'll see.
For now there's enough Isa to finish

 

[FatGiant]

Thanks, I'm good, I hope you (and everyone else) too

There was an AVN in black and white, don't remember the name.
It was interesting, but if I remember right people didn't really like it.

And if a new AVN will have a crime setting, we'll see.
For now there's enough Isa to finish

Not that you aren't great at writing these type of stories, but, don't you feel some curiosity to try something different? I hope I am not presuming too much, I am simply asking if you have an interest in other type of stories, besides these.

Peace

 

[badtimetales]

Not that you aren't great at writing these type of stories, but, don't you feel some curiosity to try something different? I hope I am not presuming too much, I am simply asking if you have an interest in other type of stories, besides these.

Peace

Never thought about it, when I decided to create a game I was thinking "What would you like to play?", so I decided to do this story.
Not really the best decision , action scenes aren't really easy to set up and render.

I had an idea about a game with more ladies with a similar theme, but as I said, there's enough to do .
Are you asking with something in mind?

 

[Dessolos]

I had an idea about a game with more ladies with a similar theme, but as I said, there's enough to do .

Honestly I like the approach you took with the amount of LI. Because with 2 LI they get more screentime and you can get to know them better. Than a game with 3 - 4 or more. While 3-4 isnt a bad number either there is just something I enjoy more about only having 1-2 not quite sure what it is. If I have to guess probably because when it comes to romance when there is 1-2 LI it feels more romantic and intimate since you spend basically all your time with those girls instead of getting to know a bunch of other ones until you decide which LI is the path you are gonna follow.

 

[FatGiant]

Never thought about it, when I decided to create a game I was thinking "What would you like to play?", so I decided to do this story.
Not really the best decision , action scenes aren't really easy to set up and render.

I had an idea about a game with more ladies with a similar theme, but as I said, there's enough to do .
Are you asking with something in mind?

Not really. I do have a reading preference, sci-fi and Fantasy, but it is refreshing to try something else once in a while. So, just exploring what may go in your head, really.

Honestly I like the approach you took with the amount of LI. Because with 2 LI they get more screentime and you can get to know them better. Than a game with 3 - 4 or more. While 3-4 isnt a bad number either there is just something I enjoy more about only having 1-2 not quite sure what it is. If I have to guess probably because when it comes to romance when there is 1-2 LI it feels more romantic and intimate since you spend basically all your time with those girls instead of getting to know a bunch of other ones until you decide which LI is the path you are gonna follow.

I am forced to agree. While it is fun to play games with many, many more Li's, it is always a struggle to have enough time with each of them. In one hand you get (hopefully) more diversity and options, on the other, for each one there's a limited amount of content, sometimes it can be quite a while to have content with a specific one.

When and if the characters are as well developed as Alex and Isa are, really having 1 or 2 LI's isn't a problem, they do fulfill all the emotional gamut we may require that we look for in those games with 20 or 30 Li's. One of the best examples (not counting this one) is Bare Witness. A smallish cast, with many options. Here, Isa / Alex or the (yummii) Throuple are more reduced in options, but each of them fills the needs.

Peace

 

[Jarulf]

Honestly I like the approach you took with the amount of LI. Because with 2 LI they get more screentime and you can get to know them better.

This is a very good point imo. I've nothing against games with a lot of LIs, but as I really enjoy relationship building and backstory, fewer LIs often allow for greater depth to those parts of a game.

As for what comes after Isabella, why not a cyberpunk story? It can still be a noir type of game, but with different assets and mood. I think you could pull off something like that very well. You would definitely nail the renders.

 

[badtimetales]

Not really. I do have a reading preference, sci-fi

I love Sci-Fi, but with Nottys H5 and a few other damn good games in that genre it would be very hard to compete.
And it's already a constant hunt for assets, assets for these kind of games are much more harder to find and require much more work.

As for what comes after Isabella, why not a cyberpunk story? It can still be a noir type of game, but with different assets and mood. I think you could pull off something like that very well. You would definitely nail the renders.

Cyberpunk isn't really my thing, but who knows

 

[Jarulf]

Cyberpunk isn't really my thing, but who knows

We'll, I haven't read much cyberpunk either, I mostly just want to see you make pretty nighttime renders with lots of rain, neon, glass and stuff.
(Are those a pain to set up and render? The one in this update where the MC just looks out the window was so pretty I just stopped and looked at it for a while.)

But that can just as well just be any futuristic setting. I'd actually love to play a sci-fi VN that doesn't involve space. Lots of spaceships with a small crew getting lost in space out there in AVN-land.

 

[badtimetales]

pretty nighttime renders with lots of rain, neon, glass and stuff.
(Are those a pain to set up and render? The one in this update where the MC just looks out the window was so pretty I just stopped and looked at it for a while.)

Hmm, not sure which scene you are talking about. edit: In the uncle's house I think? That was a nightmare for many reasons /edit

But in general, everything with
- low lights
- reflections
- wet surfaces
- different light colors like neon

are a guarantee to blow up render times by 2-5 times.
If you remember last years New Year animation,

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the renders for the first part where they are on the balcony took forever.