Ren'Py Lessons in Love [v0.47.0] [Selebus]

[Fire Lord Zuko]

So, I was wondering if anyone else had the same experience I had where I suddenly realized that LiL is not your typical VN. I remember clearly understanding this only after sensei blacked out and kissed Yumi back in original version of Chapter 1.

I was just figuring it was a slow burn with good writing, but after that event, I was way more careful of any decision I made. It still sticks with me as a great "uh-oh" moment where I legitimately felt like an asshole in a porn game. Cool experience.

Oh yeah same here. “This Town Has Two Halves” caught me so off guard at first. Initially I just figured I made the wrong choice, but it hit harder when I realized your ‘choice’ was just an illusion. You’re a marionette to the gods essentially and there’s nothing you can do about it.

The moment for me specifically, though, when I knew this VN was gonna be something special was when I saw the very first Happy Event. I think we all can remember seeing “The Room With Clocks” for the first time and just being like ‘wtf’. But I love it for that. I will always look forward to more Happy Events, because they’re always a trip.

Edit: Looks like you and me are on the same wavelength, Pedro.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

Wow, I must be dense. For some reason I wasn't really phased by the room with clocks event, haha. Just kept cruising on through, thinking, "Yeah, this is probably fine." It took me feeling like a predator to finally realize shit was fucked. Also, I recall trying to roll back the choice for that event, and it wouldn't let me scroll back and choose the other option. I didn't think about loading an autosave and just decided that I would roll with whatever punches the game threw at me after that.

I do find it interesting how the room with clocks even seems to be a watershed moment for you guys, though. I feel like I missed something important on my virgin playthrough, and that kinda bums me out.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

Wow, I must be dense. For some reason I wasn't really phased by the room with clocks event, haha. Just kept cruising on through, thinking, "Yeah, this is probably fine." It took me feeling like a predator to finally realize shit was fucked. Also, I recall trying to roll back the choice for that event, and it wouldn't let me scroll back and choose the other option. I didn't think about loading an autosave and just decided that I would roll with whatever punches the game threw at me after that.

I do find it interesting how the room with clocks even seems to be a watershed moment for you guys, though. I feel like I missed something important on my virgin playthrough, and that kinda bums me out.

Eh, I guess just chalk it up to me liking psychological horror and disturbing stuff. It’s not just the first Happy Event, but the Happy Events collectively that I find so fascinating and unique. Because they’re so unlike the rest of the game and could technically be about anything. Take my favorite Happy Event in the game for example, “Amy”. If you know, you know.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

I have no idea who Amy is. Also, petition to add mall escape directions to the puzzle guide.

I also really like the Happy Events for the most part, as they really do shake up the feeling of the game in a good way. Just for some reason my brain didn't connect the room with clocks with something deeper going on. Maybe I just didn't trust that any free porn VN could actually do something novel and interesting by that point. The only other VN I enjoyed before LiL was Katawa Shoujo long, long ago. Though I guess I don't have a ton of experience with real paid-for VNs, to be honest.

 

[Pedro4545454]

The clock room, mini game about getting your niece pregnant and the scene with Yumi are practically a filter to see if people will continue playing that game or not hahahaha it's literally a test to see who will continue this madness and look, me I really don't regret it.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

Neither do I, though I do sometimes wonder as to what that might actually mean about myself. Ultimately, I find the characters to be so fun to watch, and the overall story to be so weird and complicated, that I can't really pull myself away. I guess I'm not really easy to be made to feel disturbed or bothered by just about anything media can throw at me, so I can kinda just keep pushing through whatever happens. That doesn't mean it doesn't leave an emotional impact on me, though, and I think this impact is what makes art worth experiencing.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

I guess to add further, beyond the weird horror aspects and reset time loop shenanigans, I realized very quickly just how attached I got to the characters. Not just main girls in class, but the other ones too. Not many VNs have been able to do that for me. What Lessons In Love is, is an in depth character analysis. On Sensei, on Ami, on Maya, on Io, on Kaori. On everyone pretty much. They all have their separate issues, and we get to see what makes each of them tick.

Most of all, I enjoy the conflicting feelings you get while playing. To go from dicking someone down in their dorm room to having an endearing conversation with them in the next event… it kinda messes with your head in the best possible way if that makes sense.

“Ugh, this is so messed up… But I gotta see where this goes!” That kinda thing.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

That sums it up so well, man. The characters really make it something else. I went from hating Ayane early on, to having her be a top girl, and Futaba went the opposite way, where I now hate her after thinking she was pretty good early on. And my changes in opinion didn't happen because the writing went haywire and fucked up; its was because the writing showed them changing and evolving and deepening. And these character arcs have got me invested in a way that few other games have.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

That sums it up so well, man. The characters really make it something else. I went from hating Ayane early on, to having her be a top girl, and Futaba went the opposite way, where I now hate her after thinking she was pretty good early on. And my changes in opinion didn't happen because the writing went haywire and fucked up; its was because the writing showed them changing and evolving and deepening. And these character arcs have got me invested in a way that few other games have.

That’s really funny because I had the same exact experience with Ayane lol. I didn’t hate her early on, but she did kinda annoy me a little. Especially since she didn’t take the whole reset stuff very seriously at first and treated it almost as a game. Which in hindsight, I mean, I can’t blame her for. Any sane person’s reaction would either be immense panic or excitement, so yeah.

But as Ayane grew more and more experienced with the resets, and after all the recent hardships the RAS went through, we’re finally seeing Ayane’s evolution as Akira’s new rock. Ayane keeps him held together, and Akira does the same for her so she isn’t alone with this burden.

Tl;dr - Ayane is top tier

 

[seventhsword]

I have to intensely disagree with the thread on this one. This update was amazing. Nodoka is climbing the ranks in my tier list. I liked Io a lot when she was first introduced, but she has fallen to the absolute bottom with how un-fun she has been as a character. Dorm wars were great too. I didn't mind the bit of levity after how heavy the last update was. I personally wouldn't mind if Sensei and Maya both just fucked off from the story for good and we just got cute lesbian shenanigans instead, but losing Ami (the best girl) would suck.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

Nodoka is climbing the ranks in my tier list.

If a certain glasses-wearing genius writer is blackmailing you, blink twice.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

I personally wouldn't mind if Sensei and Maya both just fucked off from the story for good and we just got cute lesbian shenanigans instead.

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[Pedro4545454]

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That was exactly my reaction reading the atrocity that this guy said hahhahahaha he wants to take the best characters out of the game and thinks the game would be better ahhahahahaha

 

[vexx_]

I'm reinstalling this to a different PC, do I still need to download the care packages?

 

[hopeisdead6969]

In fairness, I have to agree with their take on Maya. I do not now, nor have I ever, liked Maya. (Sorry,
Pedro4545454, I know that's unforgivable)

I don't want her to fuck off forever, necessarily, but her recent events have only served to solidify my opinions on her.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

I'm reinstalling this to a different PC, do I still need to download the care packages?

If its a fresh install on the new computer from a download site, then yes. Is you are copying the files over from a thumb drive or something, then no. Also, don't forget to sanitize them to avoid save fuckery.

 

[Pedro4545454]

In fairness, I have to agree with their take on Maya. I do not now, nor have I ever, liked Maya. (Sorry,
Pedro4545454, I know that's unforgivable)

I'm disappointed in you friend.

 

[hopeisdead6969]

If its any consolation, I still think she's fucking adorable. So at least I agree with Maya on that front.

 

[Fire Lord Zuko]

In fairness, I have to agree with their take on Maya. I do not now, nor have I ever, liked Maya. (Sorry,
Pedro4545454, I know that's unforgivable)

I don't want her to fuck off forever, necessarily, but her recent events have only served to solidify my opinions on her.

Out of curiosity, who’s your favorite character?

 

[hopeisdead6969]

Out of curiosity, who’s your favorite character?

For me, having now experienced proper "good homie route" on my second playthrough, Rin is sitting right up there. But Niki is neck and neck, and I'm not really sure who's the better of the two. I have a feeling that if Rin is handled well this chapter, she'll dominate the ranking though. Runner-up is Uta, because how couldn't Uta be at the top?