Ren'Py Life in Santa County [v0.9.1] [Bold Bash Studios]

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Discussion Reviews (185)
dan_roger69

dan_roger69

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Dec 1, 2021
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Hey everyone, I'm Moody. As you know, we've been working on a new update for quite a while now. As mentioned earlier, we discussed significant changes we intend to make in the game. Let me explain the extent and reasons behind these changes.
I presume the first question that comes to mind for all of you is "Why are you doing this?" Both Fenriz and I initially started this project with the primary goal of creating a game. At the outset, we didn't have enough knowledge or experience, but that didn't stop us. Through trial and error along the way, we've brought ourselves to a certain point, content with what we've achieved so far.
However, we're not satisfied with the current state of the game. Whether it's the story, gameplay, writing style, plot, or even animations, none of these have ever reached a satisfactory level for us. We're aware that many people are content with these aspects, suggesting that just adding content through regular updates without any further modifications would suffice. We also know we could keep everyone happy by consistently releasing the same content. But especially in the current state of the game when it's getting harder and harder for us mentally to create something. Since the inception of this game's development, we've been experimenting with things. And what we're doing now is not for today but for creating much better content in the future. Frankly, we don't care much about the opinions or expectations of those who demand, "Throw in the same content we want, then go make it again."
For almost two years, we've had a game structure in mind, something we've dreamed of creating. At that time, we lacked the mental capacity, but now we're saying we can do it, and we're doing it. Let me make it clear right from the start that the essence of the main characters we've created so far won't be lost. However, we're completely changing the structure of the game, the storyline, the events—anything that we didn't like, deemed unnecessary, or felt didn't fit into the game's context, has been removed. We reworked all the old sequences that we felt didn't fit well with the game. And we've completed more work than expected, which makes us happy. We've made it much fresher, smoother, and more enjoyable. We've strengthened the characters' development by adding beautiful sequences we previously wanted to include but couldn't find the opportunity for, and we're continuing to do so. By turning the game into a sandbox, it allows us to develop the characters in a much better and desired manner, and we're seizing this opportunity.
Let me give you specific examples of the storytelling for each character:
REWORK
Iris: Contrary to the regular update content, Iris will not only have the camping sequence and the expected content but also an additional 10 new sequences, a more detailed and diverse plot, and much better events.
Lauren: We're adding nine new sequences that we felt were missing in her story and that we'd like to see in the game.
Chloe: We're adding seven new sequences to her story.
Sophie: Sophie didn't require much, so we're adding only one sequence.
Charlotte: She's joining the game from the very beginning, and besides her sequences with Chloe, we're adding seven more sequences.
Lauren-Chloe: Two new sequences for them.
Chloe-Charlotte: Three new sequences for them.
School and characters: I won't even involve the school in this. That is a subject for another day.
Prologue: Completely changing it and reconstructing it with a different narrative.
I can almost say that this is like a new game. Changing the game's structure provides us with a lot more flexibility and the ability to add more content compared to the game's current structure. The new update will still have a high number of scenes, but in terms of animation, it will be our most significant content to date. More than half of the new sequences added will involve animations. At the core, the reason for such a radical change in the game is to offer regular and content-rich updates. Providing an incredible storytelling experience has never been our strong suit or main goal. Our sole aim was to make a good game. We want everyone who follows our work and supports us to know this and support us accordingly. Despite facing many challenges so far, most of our supporters have been with us not just for an update but throughout the entire process. I'm genuinely grateful to all of them. Even if the support we receive for this decreases, we'll still proceed with LISC and see it in the way we envisioned.
Let me briefly explain why we're announcing this now. While we had started our regular update, we were also working on the underlying structure of the game for a few updates now. We realized that our experiments had reached a sufficient level, but we wanted to conduct a few more to be sure. Eventually, we became confident that we could overcome this challenge, and thus, we made our decision. If we hadn't taken this step, we'd always have regretted not doing so. Even if our support diminishes during this process, we'll continue on this path and realize LISC as we've imagined it. I hope you'll share this journey with us and experience the result alongside us. Even if LISC ends, we'll ensure it concludes the way we want it to.
Regarding the remaining tasks, this new situation has, of course, demanded a substantial amount of new animations, new scenes, and a significant need for scripting. We've completed most of the sequences, finished writing the scripts, and there's a considerable amount of animation yet to be done. Our target release date on Patreon is the end of January. The Steam release will come shortly after Patreon. If you've read this absurdly long text all the way here, thank you. When I pile up the devlogs and release them all at once, it turns out like this; nothing much to do about it. During this process, the best thing we can do for you is to release plenty of previews and answer any questions you have on your mind. At least I'm getting it out in the end, let's say that. I wish you all an amazing week. Remember, you can reach out on Discord or Patreon with any questions you have, and I'll answer when I'm available. Moody out. Lots to do!
 
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SteveyP

SteveyP

Active Member
Jul 1, 2017
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2,807
dan_roger69 said:
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Hey everyone, I'm Moody. As you know, we've been working on a new update for quite a while now. As mentioned earlier, we discussed significant changes we intend to make in the game. Let me explain the extent and reasons behind these changes.
I presume the first question that comes to mind for all of you is "Why are you doing this?" Both Fenriz and I initially started this project with the primary goal of creating a game. At the outset, we didn't have enough knowledge or experience, but that didn't stop us. Through trial and error along the way, we've brought ourselves to a certain point, content with what we've achieved so far.
However, we're not satisfied with the current state of the game. Whether it's the story, gameplay, writing style, plot, or even animations, none of these have ever reached a satisfactory level for us. We're aware that many people are content with these aspects, suggesting that just adding content through regular updates without any further modifications would suffice. We also know we could keep everyone happy by consistently releasing the same content. But especially in the current state of the game when it's getting harder and harder for us mentally to create something. Since the inception of this game's development, we've been experimenting with things. And what we're doing now is not for today but for creating much better content in the future. Frankly, we don't care much about the opinions or expectations of those who demand, "Throw in the same content we want, then go make it again."
For almost two years, we've had a game structure in mind, something we've dreamed of creating. At that time, we lacked the mental capacity, but now we're saying we can do it, and we're doing it. Let me make it clear right from the start that the essence of the main characters we've created so far won't be lost. However, we're completely changing the structure of the game, the storyline, the events—anything that we didn't like, deemed unnecessary, or felt didn't fit into the game's context, has been removed. We reworked all the old sequences that we felt didn't fit well with the game. And we've completed more work than expected, which makes us happy. We've made it much fresher, smoother, and more enjoyable. We've strengthened the characters' development by adding beautiful sequences we previously wanted to include but couldn't find the opportunity for, and we're continuing to do so. By turning the game into a sandbox, it allows us to develop the characters in a much better and desired manner, and we're seizing this opportunity.
Let me give you specific examples of the storytelling for each character:
REWORK
Iris: Contrary to the regular update content, Iris will not only have the camping sequence and the expected content but also an additional 10 new sequences, a more detailed and diverse plot, and much better events.
Lauren: We're adding nine new sequences that we felt were missing in her story and that we'd like to see in the game.
Chloe: We're adding seven new sequences to her story.
Sophie: Sophie didn't require much, so we're adding only one sequence.
Charlotte: She's joining the game from the very beginning, and besides her sequences with Chloe, we're adding seven more sequences.
Lauren-Chloe: Two new sequences for them.
Chloe-Charlotte: Three new sequences for them.
School and characters: I won't even involve the school in this. That is a subject for another day.
Prologue: Completely changing it and reconstructing it with a different narrative.
I can almost say that this is like a new game. Changing the game's structure provides us with a lot more flexibility and the ability to add more content compared to the game's current structure. The new update will still have a high number of scenes, but in terms of animation, it will be our most significant content to date. More than half of the new sequences added will involve animations. At the core, the reason for such a radical change in the game is to offer regular and content-rich updates. Providing an incredible storytelling experience has never been our strong suit or main goal. Our sole aim was to make a good game. We want everyone who follows our work and supports us to know this and support us accordingly. Despite facing many challenges so far, most of our supporters have been with us not just for an update but throughout the entire process. I'm genuinely grateful to all of them. Even if the support we receive for this decreases, we'll still proceed with LISC and see it in the way we envisioned.
Let me briefly explain why we're announcing this now. While we had started our regular update, we were also working on the underlying structure of the game for a few updates now. We realized that our experiments had reached a sufficient level, but we wanted to conduct a few more to be sure. Eventually, we became confident that we could overcome this challenge, and thus, we made our decision. If we hadn't taken this step, we'd always have regretted not doing so. Even if our support diminishes during this process, we'll continue on this path and realize LISC as we've imagined it. I hope you'll share this journey with us and experience the result alongside us. Even if LISC ends, we'll ensure it concludes the way we want it to.
Regarding the remaining tasks, this new situation has, of course, demanded a substantial amount of new animations, new scenes, and a significant need for scripting. We've completed most of the sequences, finished writing the scripts, and there's a considerable amount of animation yet to be done. Our target release date on Patreon is the end of January. The Steam release will come shortly after Patreon. If you've read this absurdly long text all the way here, thank you. When I pile up the devlogs and release them all at once, it turns out like this; nothing much to do about it. During this process, the best thing we can do for you is to release plenty of previews and answer any questions you have on your mind. At least I'm getting it out in the end, let's say that. I wish you all an amazing week. Remember, you can reach out on Discord or Patreon with any questions you have, and I'll answer when I'm available. Moody out. Lots to do!
Click to expand...
Interesting development here. While I can agree that there are issues with how this game is structured from a narrative standpoint. I'm typically VERY forgiving on just about every front if it's a dev's first game, hell even their second game. One of my favorite AVNs (Being a DIK) is a second game of the dev and I'm willing to overlook flaws I catch in the writing. I do this because, typically, people will take their vision and see it through to the best of their ability. Learn from their mistakes and apply that newfound knowledge/perspective into their next game (games like Being a DIK and Eternum come to mind). So in short, I can forgive a beautiful mess if the game has something going for it. Even if that "it" is something I can't explain.

Any overhaul is normally a remaster of sorts where the dev has clearly improved their rendering/coding skills during their development of their first or second game and just want to touch up their early works (Ripples and Shut Up and Dance are examples of this). I don't think I've seen a dev (solo or team) just try to completely overhaul their entire game to the degree that I'm assuming they're trying do here. I personally would agree (to an extent) that they should just follow through with their typical works and tell the story they are trying to tell with the structure they've built for themselves. And then take that knowledge and drive and apply it to their next project (if they decide to work on one) But as it turns out, the story they wanted to tell wasn't possible with their previous skillset.

I personally have a pretty bad feeling about this for a number of reasons. The biggest off the top of my head is that this overhaul will mess the current feel of the game (which I've enjoyed since I found this game). But I'm willing to stick around to see what they cook up. Maybe this overhaul will fix the story issues/structure and still maintain the aforementioned "feel" the game has. I think I'll maintain my pledge until the release of the update. Best of luck to the devs. Rooting for them here.
 
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dkatryl

Active Member
May 26, 2018
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dan_roger69 said:
You must be registered to see the links


Hey everyone, I'm Moody. As you know, we've been working on a new update for quite a while now. As mentioned earlier, we discussed significant changes we intend to make in the game. Let me explain the extent and reasons behind these changes.
I presume the first question that comes to mind for all of you is "Why are you doing this?" Both Fenriz and I initially started this project with the primary goal of creating a game. At the outset, we didn't have enough knowledge or experience, but that didn't stop us. Through trial and error along the way, we've brought ourselves to a certain point, content with what we've achieved so far.
However, we're not satisfied with the current state of the game. Whether it's the story, gameplay, writing style, plot, or even animations, none of these have ever reached a satisfactory level for us. We're aware that many people are content with these aspects, suggesting that just adding content through regular updates without any further modifications would suffice. We also know we could keep everyone happy by consistently releasing the same content. But especially in the current state of the game when it's getting harder and harder for us mentally to create something. Since the inception of this game's development, we've been experimenting with things. And what we're doing now is not for today but for creating much better content in the future. Frankly, we don't care much about the opinions or expectations of those who demand, "Throw in the same content we want, then go make it again."
For almost two years, we've had a game structure in mind, something we've dreamed of creating. At that time, we lacked the mental capacity, but now we're saying we can do it, and we're doing it. Let me make it clear right from the start that the essence of the main characters we've created so far won't be lost. However, we're completely changing the structure of the game, the storyline, the events—anything that we didn't like, deemed unnecessary, or felt didn't fit into the game's context, has been removed. We reworked all the old sequences that we felt didn't fit well with the game. And we've completed more work than expected, which makes us happy. We've made it much fresher, smoother, and more enjoyable. We've strengthened the characters' development by adding beautiful sequences we previously wanted to include but couldn't find the opportunity for, and we're continuing to do so. By turning the game into a sandbox, it allows us to develop the characters in a much better and desired manner, and we're seizing this opportunity.
Let me give you specific examples of the storytelling for each character:
REWORK
Iris: Contrary to the regular update content, Iris will not only have the camping sequence and the expected content but also an additional 10 new sequences, a more detailed and diverse plot, and much better events.
Lauren: We're adding nine new sequences that we felt were missing in her story and that we'd like to see in the game.
Chloe: We're adding seven new sequences to her story.
Sophie: Sophie didn't require much, so we're adding only one sequence.
Charlotte: She's joining the game from the very beginning, and besides her sequences with Chloe, we're adding seven more sequences.
Lauren-Chloe: Two new sequences for them.
Chloe-Charlotte: Three new sequences for them.
School and characters: I won't even involve the school in this. That is a subject for another day.
Prologue: Completely changing it and reconstructing it with a different narrative.
I can almost say that this is like a new game. Changing the game's structure provides us with a lot more flexibility and the ability to add more content compared to the game's current structure. The new update will still have a high number of scenes, but in terms of animation, it will be our most significant content to date. More than half of the new sequences added will involve animations. At the core, the reason for such a radical change in the game is to offer regular and content-rich updates. Providing an incredible storytelling experience has never been our strong suit or main goal. Our sole aim was to make a good game. We want everyone who follows our work and supports us to know this and support us accordingly. Despite facing many challenges so far, most of our supporters have been with us not just for an update but throughout the entire process. I'm genuinely grateful to all of them. Even if the support we receive for this decreases, we'll still proceed with LISC and see it in the way we envisioned.
Let me briefly explain why we're announcing this now. While we had started our regular update, we were also working on the underlying structure of the game for a few updates now. We realized that our experiments had reached a sufficient level, but we wanted to conduct a few more to be sure. Eventually, we became confident that we could overcome this challenge, and thus, we made our decision. If we hadn't taken this step, we'd always have regretted not doing so. Even if our support diminishes during this process, we'll continue on this path and realize LISC as we've imagined it. I hope you'll share this journey with us and experience the result alongside us. Even if LISC ends, we'll ensure it concludes the way we want it to.
Regarding the remaining tasks, this new situation has, of course, demanded a substantial amount of new animations, new scenes, and a significant need for scripting. We've completed most of the sequences, finished writing the scripts, and there's a considerable amount of animation yet to be done. Our target release date on Patreon is the end of January. The Steam release will come shortly after Patreon. If you've read this absurdly long text all the way here, thank you. When I pile up the devlogs and release them all at once, it turns out like this; nothing much to do about it. During this process, the best thing we can do for you is to release plenty of previews and answer any questions you have on your mind. At least I'm getting it out in the end, let's say that. I wish you all an amazing week. Remember, you can reach out on Discord or Patreon with any questions you have, and I'll answer when I'm available. Moody out. Lots to do!
Click to expand...
Just dont remove or drastically change the scene in Ep1 with Rose in the teacher's lounge when she's on the phone.

One of the best scenes.
 
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Fappable One

Active Member
May 14, 2020
574
659
Sounds like Moody wants to frankenstein the game...which I find baffling :cautious:
I found it mostly fine once you're passed the MC's bff (who shall not be named) bullshit stuff

Although at the same time I'm glad the big Iris update is happening later on in 2024
 
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