VN Ren'Py Kingdom of Deception [v0.14.2.2] [Hreinn Games]

[Enigmanic]

I want to be optimistic, I've been supporting KoD nearly from the beginning. But these are the facts:

- Nomo really is a fantastic artist. He deserves credit there, he's one of the best 2D artists I've seen. (..and I've been following erotic art and animation as well as adult games since at least 2014.)
- Sierra Lee is one of the best erotic writers on the planet. She could be writing fantasy erotic novels and make a killing.
- Despite the game containing no animations and the fact that the protagonists were girls from LoL, Sierra's writing and Nomo's art made Noxian Nights the wonderful game it is.
- Kingdom of Deception started out strong but Sierra Lee left due to "creative differences". The game never recovered. The current writer is simply not even close to SL's league. The main story arc has crawled along at a snail's pace and the character development has been weak. Furthermore, the dialog is weak and immersion-breaking. Too often, characters fail to speak like people in a medieval setting. Instead, they talk like regular people here in the real world in the modern day.
- The devs spend too much time trying to add erotic content and have done almost nothing to advance the story in over a year while most of the side-story arcs have stalled.

In closing, I have lost faith in this project. It is clear now the devs have no idea where to go with the story. There's plenty of erotic content out there, this game isn't worth following nor are updates worth waiting for until the devs get their acts together and find a decent writer.

 

[EpicReee]

Despite the game containing no animations and the fact that the protagonists were girls from LoL, Sierra's writing and Nomo's art made Noxian Nights the wonderful game it is.

What do you mean "despite"? That's EXACTLY why it was amazing. Animations are almost always (99 out of 100) cheap loops and in the very best case don't add anything of real value, in the worst case (again, almost always) make it feel cheap and make it look worse. + the protags being girls from League is a big plus.

In any case tho, I hope Sierra and Nomo didn't part ways on negative terms and Nomo can still ask her for some advice, like "Hey sorry to bother, but how would you let this part play out?" or something to that effect. Wonder if Nomo ever thought of that.

 

[Jinsoyun]

I want to be optimistic, I've been supporting KoD nearly from the beginning. But these are the facts:

- Nomo really is a fantastic artist. He deserves credit there, he's one of the best 2D artists I've seen. (..and I've been following erotic art and animation as well as adult games since at least 2014.)
- Sierra Lee is one of the best erotic writers on the planet. She could be writing fantasy erotic novels and make a killing.
- Despite the game containing no animations and the fact that the protagonists were girls from LoL, Sierra's writing and Nomo's art made Noxian Nights the wonderful game it is.
- Kingdom of Deception started out strong but Sierra Lee left due to "creative differences". The game never recovered. The current writer is simply not even close to SL's league. The main story arc has crawled along at a snail's pace and the character development has been weak. Furthermore, the dialog is weak and immersion-breaking. Too often, characters fail to speak like people in a medieval setting. Instead, they talk like regular people here in the real world in the modern day.
- The devs spend too much time trying to add erotic content and have done almost nothing to advance the story in over a year while most of the side-story arcs have stalled.

In closing, I have lost faith in this project. It is clear now the devs have no idea where to go with the story. There's plenty of erotic content out there, this game isn't worth following nor are updates worth waiting for until the devs get their acts together and find a decent writer.

The decision to slow down the story came just as much from the players as from the devs. At the time a lot of people agreed on this forum too. Somewhere around 0.6 or 0.7 the devs talked about how they wanted to add in new assets into the game and more scenes so they would focus on that instead of the story for the next 3 updates since this was what almost everyone asked them for at that point. Out of this we got the human towns, the groping, the sexy interactions, the art for tentacle monster and minotaurs and lots of set ups for the future.

The only part we didn't know was that it would take so long. After that 0.11 started to move the story forward again, but since the scenes in the story itself focused exclusively on Vehlis most people here didn't even notice that it was the main story and not another side quest.

So shifting the focus from the story was planned. The lower quality / reusable scenes were planned. Returning to the story in 0.11 was planned. Despite everything, this game is moving along the plans that the devs made and the players agreed.

The problem in this regard was the execution and the real world time. 0.7 was the last main story focused update where the orc boss disappeared, with a public release of 2019 january 6 (for patron is was 2018 dec), and the next story patch being 0.11 in the end of 2020 december, that's a massive 2 years of slowdown. Now 0.12 might contain a good amount of story set up, as it was mentioned back in april, but with this added 8, it's been almost 32 months for 2 story patches.

Because of this i do not agree with those who say that the game has gone off tracks or that the devs have no idea about how to go forward, but they do need to improve their execution. I support the reusable art, especially in this improved form and the repeatable scenes, but the story needs to move forward and it has to include good scenes with Sabia naturally. That is not an easy task, but it is necessary.

 

[kailina55]

I used to support them at the start when we were getting regular updates. But at one point they had some sort of emergency and had to delay a release. After this it seems they realized they could do less work and still get the same (or close to) amount of money. Since then the updates have just been taking longer and longer. Maybe if there was something to show for it, like bigger updates or higher quality, then it would be ok. But even this has gone in the opposite direction; when an update does finally roll around it's usually filled with bugs/errors, half baked writing, and lower quality art.


Personally, if I enjoy this update then I'll throw some money at them this month. But staying pledged any longer than a month just seems like a meme right now. If they get back to having regular updates then I'll happily pledge 15 or 25 a month, but for the time being I'd rather put my money towards a project where it actually feels like my dollar is yielding results.

 

[CourierNPC]

I want to be optimistic, I've been supporting KoD nearly from the beginning. But these are the facts:

- Nomo really is a fantastic artist. He deserves credit there, he's one of the best 2D artists I've seen. (..and I've been following erotic art and animation as well as adult games since at least 2014.)
- Sierra Lee is one of the best erotic writers on the planet. She could be writing fantasy erotic novels and make a killing.
- Despite the game containing no animations and the fact that the protagonists were girls from LoL, Sierra's writing and Nomo's art made Noxian Nights the wonderful game it is.
- Kingdom of Deception started out strong but Sierra Lee left due to "creative differences". The game never recovered. The current writer is simply not even close to SL's league. The main story arc has crawled along at a snail's pace and the character development has been weak. Furthermore, the dialog is weak and immersion-breaking. Too often, characters fail to speak like people in a medieval setting. Instead, they talk like regular people here in the real world in the modern day.
- The devs spend too much time trying to add erotic content and have done almost nothing to advance the story in over a year while most of the side-story arcs have stalled.

In closing, I have lost faith in this project. It is clear now the devs have no idea where to go with the story. There's plenty of erotic content out there, this game isn't worth following nor are updates worth waiting for until the devs get their acts together and find a decent writer.

I wouldn't mind honing my skills in writing erotica if they opened a slot for writers.

 

[Enigmanic]

What do you mean "despite"? That's EXACTLY why it was amazing. Animations are almost always (99 out of 100) cheap loops and in the very best case don't add anything of real value, in the worst case (again, almost always) make it feel cheap and make it look worse. + the protags being girls from League is a big plus.

In any case tho, I hope Sierra and Nomo didn't part ways on negative terms and Nomo can still ask her for some advice, like "Hey sorry to bother, but how would you let this part play out?" or something to that effect. Wonder if Nomo ever thought of that.

I'm afraid not. Recalling the discussion in their Discord, there was some 'tension' between them when they parted company. Several patrons joined in the discussion but Nomo and NDS got a little hostile talking about it. They said there was a heated argument and that they strongly opposed what Sierra had planned for the story. Since then, no one feels comfortable bringing up the subject again.

 

[Enigmanic]

..i do not agree with those who say that the game has gone off tracks or that the devs have no idea about how to go forward, but they do need to improve their execution. I support the reusable art, especially in this improved form and the repeatable scenes, but the story needs to move forward and it has to include good scenes with Sabia naturally. That is not an easy task, but it is necessary.

I partially disagree about the game being off-track. I do agree they're taking way too long to appease everyone with more sex content. But there are too many parts of the story that have been stalled or abandoned for too long.

- Sabia trying to track down the rest of the Markhor bones.
- Sabia serving in Ornshakar's rituals, presumably as a means to an end to get info about what the shamans are planning.
- Getting info about the fate of the Orc women.
- Discovering what happened to the warchief. (part of the main story plot)

 

[Enigmanic]

Personally, if I enjoy this update then I'll throw some money at them this month. But staying pledged any longer than a month just seems like a meme right now. If they get back to having regular updates then I'll happily pledge 15 or 25 a month, but for the time being I'd rather put my money towards a project where it actually feels like my dollar is yielding results.

I was pledging to them for awhile as a 25- and then a 15-dollar supporter. My complaint was that they seemed to put more effort into the patron picks for bonus (non-canon) scenes then on actually advancing the story.

 

[Enigmanic]

I wouldn't mind honing my skills in writing erotica if they opened a slot for writers.

They could certainly use the help. Even I offered assistance and was turned down (which is fine, of course. Such is life.) Sure, I was disappointed. I've been doing creative writing as a hobby all my life. For the past three or four years I've been running two online erotic role-playing campaigns through Discord and Roll20 using D&D 5e with a fair bit of homebrew. I have several players who have been with me from the beginning who can vouch for my talent.

What frustrates me is that I offered the devs to write for them for free to help with the game's development and they rejected me. Yet here we are, two years later, and the story has stalled with updates taking forever.

 

[Fanatic Vortex]

My expectations are quite low, not because I'm a critic but for me there was a feeling that this game might be added to the growing list of abandoned games showcased on this site and I think that would be a real shame if that's what happened. The scale of the project is massive and I hope they continue to work on it and stay as true as possible to their original intentions. I would like to see sequels and spin offs coming from this game and there is a lot within the storylines and sub-plots that could be developed much further including the whole Minotaur scenario, which would be a lot of fun. If the update exceeds expectations and delivers improved artwork and storyline progression I will become a patreon in the hope Hreinn have overcome whatever issues they seem to have been having. At that point my opinion will count, as at present it counts for zero given I'm just a freeloader enjoying the labours of others, as are the majority of 'contributors' on here atm.

FINALLY someone that appreciates the minotaur content and potential,with what we have so far this could be a unique experience.

 

[Fanatic Vortex]

I partially disagree about the game being off-track. I do agree they're taking way too long to appease everyone with more sex content. But there are too many parts of the story that have been stalled or abandoned for too long.

- Sabia trying to track down the rest of the Markhor bones.
- Sabia serving in Ornshakar's rituals, presumably as a means to an end to get info about what the shamans are planning.
- Getting info about the fate of the Orc women.
- Discovering what happened to the warchief. (part of the main story plot)

True but lets not forgett about the feud between the captains that isn't even close to the climax,the final/end is 1000 years further.
-Neve subplot,she has given the impression and hints that she seeks something and maybe Sabia is the key to it?
-Catgirls which at first and from what i heard, they had a bigger role
-Sabia independent and Djaab path
-We get a scene of Sabia's mom forcing a minotaur and elf to have sex,they are forced to do something and we still have no hint what,the elf appears in the orc camp sub plot but briefly.

 

[Jinsoyun]

I partially disagree about the game being off-track. I do agree they're taking way too long to appease everyone with more sex content. But there are too many parts of the story that have been stalled or abandoned for too long.

- Sabia trying to track down the rest of the Markhor bones.
- Sabia serving in Ornshakar's rituals, presumably as a means to an end to get info about what the shamans are planning.
- Getting info about the fate of the Orc women.
- Discovering what happened to the warchief. (part of the main story plot)

That's true. They set up a lot of cool lore points but they haven't been used much yet. Tho from the ones you mentioned, Kia already held her burial ritual, so i wasn't expecing it to go any further than this. And if i remember correctly, the surviving orc women are with the Shaman council in what is basically a house arrest. It would be cool to see what's going over there, but from a story point it could be risky for Sabia since the shamans made a deal with the empire and from a technical point this would require a ton of new art assets, so at least +2 +3 months of development time.

I kind of still hope that Sabia can turn things around against Ornshakar by fucking his henchmen so well that they accidentally spill the beans on their plan in front of a crowd. That would be a juicy story scene.

The obvious ones i've talked about before were the slavery stat which really haven't done anything aside from a single scene and Dajrab's whole route. It is also quite visible how the devs have been going back and forth between focusing more or less on the dom route depending on the comments they get.

 

[Jinsoyun]

FINALLY someone that appreciates the minotaur content and potential,with what we have so far this could be a unique experience.

I don't know if i've said this before, but i honestly admire your consistency. : )

 

[yawyeetah]

2 more days gents

 

[sam1545654]

FINALLY someone that appreciates the minotaur content and potential,with what we have so far this could be a unique experience.

Indeed Sir. I see that many of those here share my refined tastes. Though i must say that if such wonderfull things are to come to pass I would greatly hope that Sab should be required to wear cow print armor or clothes. Of course complete with CowBell Collar. Cow bell is an absolute must.

 

[Deleted member 3615720]

Indeed Sir. I see that many of those here share my refined tastes. Though i must say that if such wonderfull things are to come to pass I would greatly hope that Sab should be required to wear cow print armor or clothes. Of course complete with CowBell Collar. Cow bell is an absolute must.

Gotta have more cowbell!
Hopefully we'll see something close to minutaur ending from Noxian Nights in this one (one day in 2028 when game will finally be finished)

 

[Py Ape]

Gotta have more cowbell!
Hopefully we'll see something close to minutaur ending from Noxian Nights in this one (one day in 2028 when game will finally be finished)

It will probably get abandoned before that

 

[Shakira]

Hopefully we'll see something close to minutaur ending from Noxian Nights in this one (one day in 2028 when game will finally be finished)

I wanna see a bad ending where Sabia gets fucked and humiliated by Lynn and a parallel good ending where Sabia does the same to Lynn.

But like Py Ape said, I think the game will probably get abandoned before that happens at this rate

 

[ekroniuk]

I'm afraid not. Recalling the discussion in their Discord, there was some 'tension' between them when they parted company. Several patrons joined in the discussion but Nomo and NDS got a little hostile talking about it. They said there was a heated argument and that they strongly opposed what Sierra had planned for the story. Since then, no one feels comfortable bringing up the subject again.

That's interesting. I always assumed that Sierra quit, because people were complaining that there was "too many politics" or because she just stopped being interested in the game and preferred to create her own.

 

[Evergrey]

from what i can gather though Nomo wanted to make the game tamer to fit Patreons new guidelines but sierra wanted to continue on with the plans for the story and suggested other means of gaining monetary support but Nomo relented and sierra begrudgingly agreed until changes for the story diluted the original feel for the game and Sierra broached the topic again but was shot down by Nomo and a split occurred leading to today