Ren'Py Lab Rats 2 - Reformulate [v2024.08] [Tristim/LZ_Starbuck/Trollden]

[bloodbus]

Sure, its easier to keep adding 2D items frame by frame rather than create a model and let the renderer do the dirty job.

That "renders would need to be remade from scratch since Vren never shared his daz assets or presets" sounds more like an excuse than a real problem.

The lack of new models and updated visual content is the real elephant in the room nobody wants (dares) to talk about.
Tristim, Starbuck and Trollden did their best upgrading the game mechanics; but right now what this project needs (IMO) is a true model revamp.

And yes, this (3D renderer over Live2D assets) was discused about 1 year ago, before VRen stopped working on LR2.

There's still considerations being made to commission a Daz artist, but that won't be started until January if it's followed through. Vren was working on Live2d which most likely led to his abandonment. The results were pretty hideous too. And Ren'Py isn't an engine that supports real time 3d rendering. I'm no game developer but saying "Just port it bro" doesn't really acknowledge the amount of work or time that takes. I'd prefer to see it ported, because the 2d renders are a major burden

 

[Porrvald]

Yeah that's a good idea, we would get rid of the annoying legacy code and build an architecture that would allow more gameplay customizations and easier maintenance, while working on the 3d engine at the same time. This however looks like a many people's job, or a very dedicated dev's job, so I doubt it will happen. Happy to be proven wrong though

Yes, it would for sure be a big undertaking.

But I am also thinking that if it is created with easy expandability in mind, from the very start, then I could very much end up not having to create much content at all.

For example, if all actions, events, dialogue trees and resources, would be external, then I could put all focus on making the UI and game world flexible enough for that to work well.

Then if someone wants to add a zoo with a 400 pound gorilla, some custom actions and NTR events, well good for them. As long as it fulfills all technical requirements, it may even be included in the installation and made available via options.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.

Difficulty level just increased significantly, but also motivation

 

[Factor96]

I'm still thinking that it would have been the better option, to remake the entire game in a 3D engine.

And yes, I am actually considering to do that myself, as an experiment / learning project in Godot.

But, if I go for it, then I would definitely save any work related to the visualization of the girls to be done last, and most likely not bother at all with the old models.

It would probably be more interresting to use new models and to make them interact with the enironment, like sitting on bed, on the floor, at desk, etc.

The main advantage of remaking the entire game would however, be to have nice fresh game world, which is not stuck with Vrens, early design choices, such as for example 5 time slots per day, where all actions either take no time at all or several hours.

If that was replaced with time, then chatting with girls would take time, not energy. And having sex would require time and energy, making it impossible to give a girl 20 orgasms in 0 seconds, while the next one is waiting.

But, I will most likely, either find my self too lazy to do it or give up half way through

Seems like a lot of work, but I wish you the best on it, and I really hope it works out.

 

[HootieMcBoob]

what I think he wanted is the total count from the whole town.

correct

 

[Factor96]

Yes, it would for sure be a big undertaking.

But I am also thinking that if it is created with easy expandability in mind, from the very start, then I could very much end up not having to create much content at all.

For example, if all actions, events, dialogue trees and resources, would be external, then I could put all focus on making the UI and game world flexible enough for that to work well.

Then if someone wants to add a zoo with a 400 pound gorilla, some custom actions and NTR events, well good for them. As long as it fulfills all technical requirements, it may even be included in the installation and made available via options.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.

Difficulty level just increased significantly, but also motivation

If you did manage to pull this off, it'd be amazing, so let us know if you actually manage to get anywhere with this.

 

[milfluv69]

Well, there's always the enetics of free sex in Lab Rats, as legacy of Vren. It's pretty obvious to me why he gravitated towards that theme since corruption to the greatest extend is the erasure of all decency and self-awarness. There's that extremum where all social boundaries are broken, all faith are discarded, and all normalcy be destroyed for the sake of it. The women are lab rats, they are to be deparved of free will and be made to do things for the sake of their abusers. Hence, the original exhibitionism and free use training, which enables events such as Lily's bukkake and Jennifer's office orgies. Of course, in these cases they are still acting under MC's whims, so I never consider it NTR, it's more swinging (which, the storyline with the yoga instructor in this mod is potentially going into)

Regardless, I don't know how things have changed since about a week ago, but according to Roadmap.txt on gitgud

You must be registered to see the links

In September they will begin prototyping for Patch 2, among the planned objectives include progress Jennifer's office storyline alongside the introduction of her personal assitant storyline for MC

I, for one, would prefer if the original plot left by Vren be continued in LR1's spirit.

Read that development roadmap and just saw this line "Figure out by this month what we are doing with graphic overhaul and funding. Are we making a patreon? subcribestar? If patreon begin pivoting away from incest content"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO This game is one of the last surviving proper incest games, please don't sacrifice that to Patreon

 

[kurosx]

Vren had the game all the time on Patreon, in spite of the incest.

 

[bloodbus]

Read that development roadmap and just saw this line "Figure out by this month what we are doing with graphic overhaul and funding. Are we making a patreon? subcribestar? If patreon begin pivoting away from incest content"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO This game is one of the last surviving proper incest games, please don't sacrifice that to Patreon

As I remember, there was a vote on the discord and it was nearly completely in favor of subscribestar. This game isn't in any danger of erasing incest. I think the next update is getting content for Jennifer and the last was for Rebecca

 

[fulcrum]

console.

first command to enter is

long

it will stop renpy from cropping the output (very annoying for long lists)

list_of_traits[#].name

returns the name of the #th trait (production schemes are mechanicaly a trait too), begins at 0 -> list_of_traits[0].name

dir(list_of_traits[0])

returns all the fields of the first trait. selected excerpts with more guess than knowing what they do:

attention - increases serum attention penalty containing this trait when sold to public
duration - all traits are summed up to final serum duration
side_affect_chance - all traits are summed up to determine the randomly assigned trait effect chance when unlocking (mastery reduces that chance)
slots - adds trait slots (duh)

to use these, enter like name:

list_of_traits[0].slots = #

where # is the new number

tip: always use commands without parameters first to see what its set as to get an idea for the usage

list_of_traits[0].slots

displays as

list_of_traits[0].slots
1

report to link this in the opening post was refused. shooter682 ping to include this list in your comment linked on front.

 

[shooter682]

Done

 

[Porrvald]

Considering a game which is already trying that (and looking at the results), I can wholeheartedly say HELL NO.

I don't think that 3D can offer anything worthwhile that can be presented in a reasonable amount of dev time and effort.

Which game would that be? If you are referring to Lab Rats 2, then I would say that it is exactly my point.

The problem with the current 2D system is not so much that it is 2D. The problem is that it can't be improved without huge work effort. Vren tried and failed to solve that problem with Live2D.

In any case, I have now pretty much decided that I will try to remake most of the game mechanics as text only in Godot.

Assuming that it doesn't fail or end up as a big nothing burger, then the next logical step would be to implement new graphics instead of re-adding the original graphics. But technically both options would be possible.

 

[HootieMcBoob]

You can't hire her until after Ophelia complete story and then talk to Candace many times, twice each with all talk options.
Then you can get the talk option with Ophelia about Candace.

Apolgies for digging up an old comment, but i'm stuck at this part here.

I have talked all there is to Candace, and have gotten the message to talk to Ophelia, but no such option appears with Ophelia. I know for a fact that I have done this in the past (pre-reformulate)

 

[Deleted member 3324909]

low love, low obedience, high lust?

Nah, you gotta have high for all 3 (Well not really tho) , however, you gotta break some taboos with them two. Or you can change their opinion by using clarity or cheats

 

[a1fox3]

Apolgies for digging up an old comment, but i'm stuck at this part here.

I have talked all there is to Candace, and have gotten the message to talk to Ophelia, but no such option appears with Ophelia. I know for a fact that I have done this in the past (pre-reformulate)

I have not played in a long time now so you will get a answer from the discord faster than here.

 

[slobber]

All this talk about the visuals. I'm honestly ok even if this was done on Honey Select or no visuals tbh. It's the options/dialogue/expositions that make the game great for me. As mentioned before, Tristim and Starbuck are good at what they do. If anyone wants to donate time to do the visuals, by all means go ahead, then they'll probably realize how gargantuan the task is and how much work Vren had put into this initially.

HootieMcBoob
You have to talk to Candace to the point where she'll say "I'm worried about there being backlash from my boyfriend" and you do an inner monologue saying Ophelia can help out. There should be an option in the righthand column for Ophelia going forward "Talk to about Candace" or something. If you don't see that, you possibly have not completed the Candace part yet or your game is glitched.

Sully1
You're probably playing a newer version than me where you can hire maids. I don't think Naomi is officially unlocked until you progress Sarah's story deep enough though. I remember I used to bang Naomi before Sarah until she was restricted by Sarah's story.

GrizzlyUK
Yeah the condom thing is just so they ask you to use a condom each time. It might be for those people with the kink of doggy styling the girl and giving her a surprise creampie.

MC Non Consent is if you are ok with your MC being raped. There is currently a story arc with Stephanie's younger sister (I think) where she's a Dom. If you turn on that setting, you might get pegged by her or something. That also hints at the Roleplay vs Enabled (raped or fake rape)

Left column is the serum you have in your pockets (can be used on girls to drug them, cannot be sold)
Right column is the serum in your business (can be sold, cannot be used on girls to drug)
Right column is what should be sellable in your marketing division.

 

[Factor96]

Vren had the game all the time on Patreon, in spite of the incest.

I have no idea how this game survived on Patreon so long with Vren, because I'm pretty sure Patreon also doesn't like Mind Control, and while maybe that ban is more against hypnosis...

 

[whitecode]

Read that development roadmap and just saw this line "Figure out by this month what we are doing with graphic overhaul and funding. Are we making a patreon? subcribestar? If patreon begin pivoting away from incest content"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO This game is one of the last surviving proper incest games, please don't sacrifice that to Patreon

Wait there is a graphic overhaul planned?

 

[mrme654321]

While graphics would be nice, I'm so glad they are working on the story first. I havr been playing this game on and off for years and love what the modders have done with it.

I would really like an APK file at some stage to make it easier to add new versions on to an android device

 

[GrizzlyUK]

GrizzlyUK
Yeah the condom thing is just so they ask you to use a condom each time. It might be for those people with the kink of doggy styling the girl and giving her a surprise creampie.

MC Non Consent is if you are ok with your MC being raped. There is currently a story arc with Stephanie's younger sister (I think) where she's a Dom. If you turn on that setting, you might get pegged by her or something. That also hints at the Roleplay vs Enabled (raped or fake rape)

Left column is the serum you have in your pockets (can be used on girls to drug them, cannot be sold)
Right column is the serum in your business (can be sold, cannot be used on girls to drug)
Right column is what should be sellable in your marketing division.

Thanks for the explanation of those two settings, good to know what they actually do.

I know what the columns are for when viewing the Production Stockpile. The problem I had was that two Serums were showing as 0 in there (under both columns) but when viewing the Check Stock (button on bottom left on the main interface) that was showing the two serums as having quantities. Producing only those two serums was adding to the quantities displayed in Check Stock, but still nothing showed in the Production Stockpile, so I wasn't able to transfer any of them to the players inventory. Guess my original explanation wasn't clear enough on the issue I had. While the serums were available to be sold, they were not available to be transferred to the player for actual use. But no matter, I decided to simply delete those save games and the Persistent file and start a fresh new game. *shrug*

 

[slobber]

hmm i dont think i ever came across a bug like that. but... usually i made serums that were way stronger and effective than the blue purple red anyways xD

edit: i dont think i ever used "check stock". i only used the production stockpile
edit2: yeah just checked my game. dont see any check stock or whatnot. only production stockpile and it's never had anything weird.