- Oct 24, 2018
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I've always felt that, if I were to go into development, I would set out my branching paths like this:
S 0 F 0 F 0 E
S = the start
F = a fixed event
E = the end point
- Thread starter TessSadist
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S = the start
F = a fixed event
E = the end point
I've watched even big name publishers with large design teams struggle under the weight of rapidly proliferating branches resulting in many of those branches getting unsatisfying endings. Dragon Age's god baby anyone? It had a huge build-up but it went out with a whimper because it was made optional to make everyone happy only for the the design team to later decide that they didn't want to deal with god baby vs no god baby. So they wrote it out of the story in a way that many found deeply disappointing. Branches can't be allowed to proliferate beyond a designer's ability to create meaningful content or quality will suffer. Merging branches back together is essential to keeping their number low enough to manage.
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- Jul 12, 2020
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Exactly how my own is. There is a story. There is a start, middle and end. That will never change regardless. However, who yuo happen to spend time with between those fixed points will be up to you, but all roads will lead back to where I wish them to go, in one singular story.
Otherwise you end up making 7 different stories unless you just choose widly differing endings (after a static fixed story). All comes down to time doesn't it.
Hmm ... maybe a better example than CheekyGimp more similar to your game (in structure) would be EvaKiss with Our Red String (dual protagonists and significant branching) or Good Girl Gone Bad (female protagonist and significant branching). EvaKiss was lucky and got an early boost because Patreon was growing rapidly at the time, but after that it's been slowly growing with some setbacks because the games are niche. Just recently EvaKiss got to 2000 patrons. As ORS is a more romantic VN than GGGB, there was also a significant drop in patrons with the move to a new genre and less focus on rapid corruption.
But really I don't think Cheeky is successful because of less branching. I think it's because he's passionate, sticks to his vision, interacts with fans and builds hype for new releases, and releases regular good updates, which is mostly what EvaKiss does too. And it's not like he gets to all his characters with each update either. Managing branching is one of the challenges of Karlsson's Gambit, but simplifying wouldn't copy what actually made Where the Heart Is work.
Anyway, good luck with your game!
- Dec 31, 2019
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Very interesting game, I'm a fan of Femdom and it's rare to find a good game with it. Really good and different plot, many great looking girls and so many unique and interesting characters. At first I didn't try it because of the Multiple Protagonist tag but I'm glad I gave it a try now.
I played two paths after that prison test and I'm glad my MC got level 5! I tried both 4 and 5 and they are very different. Many ways the MC can try to improve his situation and I managed to find some of them, it changes a lot.
You created a very interesting and different world with interesting characters and fetishes and a great story, really well done and I can't wait to see more of it!
I played two paths after that prison test and I'm glad my MC got level 5! I tried both 4 and 5 and they are very different. Many ways the MC can try to improve his situation and I managed to find some of them, it changes a lot.
You created a very interesting and different world with interesting characters and fetishes and a great story, really well done and I can't wait to see more of it!
- Oct 8, 2020
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- Apr 27, 2019
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I just want to add something based on what was commented in several previous comments and what Tess mentions right here.
I tell you about my experience, a week ago I started developing my own game, also using Ren Py as a development tool and Daz as a modeling tool. And beyond the obvious learning curve and the time that it took (I only have previous experience in corporate development, mainly using .NET) especially in configuring Daz and then in making each render is very high (even with a powerful machine, renders take varios minutes). That's why sometimes I understand and I also admire that Tess can make as many as 1300 or 1400 renders, when on a normal day I do about 5 (I admit that I am just starting with Daz) and a weekend that I can dedicate more time, maybe about 20 to 30 depending on the time of each scene and my inspiration. As you will notice, having to spend time generally Monday through Friday on our regular jobs drastically affects the development time for the advancement of any game. Not even counting the days that nothing is done for various reasons. And as Tess rightly says, sometimes it is difficult not only to balance the two worlds but it is almost impossible to do without one for the other since most of the main income comes from our regular jobs.
However I believe that Tess does a very good amount of weekly work, and she is taking the balance very well, I hope in time to be able to reach that rhythm.
Regarding what has been commented in other comments, personally, I think that sometimes it is better to start with a kinetic novel, and then when the "chapter" is finished adding various branches, obviously for argumentative reasons that sometimes becomes difficult. But at first it is interesting and rewarding to be able to tell a story and see how the project progresses and then add the various possible and optional paths. But ultimately that is always a developer's choice.
- Apr 27, 2019
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Hi, thanks for the interest.
Yes, when it is time I plan to release it in a new thread, I don't want to talk much about it here, especially because I respect that this is Tess's thread.
Likewise, as I was just starting out, I barely reached 60 renders yesterday, and it is a process that, as I mentioned, takes time. The only thing I can anticipate is that the main theme is going to be female domination, but the trick is that I intend to exploit the psyche of the protagonist. I want the player to be able to determine how low the main protagonist can fall, a man who is extremely pedantic, arrogant and domineering in his quest to survive a situation where his life or his dignity are in the balance, his choices are going to determine the various possible endings in one or another way. Who knows, maybe he turns to enjoy this new perspective of living, maybe he wants to fight back to the last consequences, or even maybe he can change the main "mistress" mind in his favour. A mix between SAW movies, Misery, etc.
Maybe by March I will have a first release, if I maintain or increase the current pace.
- Dec 9, 2018
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Not really. It's certainly easier to get to K6 if you make a couple of evil choices (keeping the food for yourself, cutting a deal with Pat and tipping her off to Zach's weakness), but it's not a prerequisite.
Look to the walkthrough for options that keep your "slave" score low.
Edit: On second thought, you may not be able to avoid slave points entirely without at least one evil choice (eating the food yourself to have energy for the walking trial), and starting at K6 requires 0 slave points during the trials. You can still play a predominantly good MC and get K6, but you may need to make one or two compromises.
- Mar 19, 2020
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You need to put yourself before others. That doesn't mean you have to pick evil choices necessarily, but a few do help.
1) If the MC gives the good food to others he gets none himself, and that hurts him. So I wouldn't call it evil for the MC to choose to maintain his strength instead of sacrificing it to help others maintain theirs.
2) It's possible to get up to 2 slave points removed, but getting them removed is potentially more complicated than not getting them in the first place. The pertinent choices can be found in the walkthrough.
2) It's possible to get up to 2 slave points removed, but getting them removed is potentially more complicated than not getting them in the first place. The pertinent choices can be found in the walkthrough.
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- Jul 14, 2020
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- Sep 26, 2019
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I'm enjoying mc being an evil dom, both of them actually. Don't shame 
it is your first game ? damm the thing is the story is good but the thing that make me very interested is you know how to organaze things thats make me think no metter what game you comes up with you are going to do very well, and i got done with any problem misgivings when i played the sex scene with the guard (the one the guys are kneeling below) i noticed you would know how to make things good to people who want to play a dominant mc too, i know you like femdom but unlike people who are complaining i can go along with it as long as the mc can turn the tables later on ( even people who don't have the kinky can enjoy it like it make you even more determined to crush them later on + some scenes i only don't chose cuz it will count as me being into sub but i watch them cuz is hot them scroll back )
being able to chose a sister i will chose whatever is less bitch WITH ME ( i don't give a shit what they do to others thats te law since eve )
Who is junko is one of the crazy sisters ? i just skipped most scenes with them i only like the Smart one by now
I chose to be impartial with Olivia, the mc should not blame her cuz someone else would do the same or worse, atlest this way some day she can help him, when her and him go up a little more and they are not the "pray anymore" they can just chill then plus being the brother i would think "being angry with her is what they want and she don't have a choice" ( just looks like she have a choice but in reallity helping him would be bad to them both, if i started to understand the dev )
saushauhs i don't know by now the game still going on ? there any news ?Or she is abandoning the game. I mean she is a sadist, right? Probably gets her totally wet, when we all get fucked that way.