HTML Masters of Raana [v0.8.3.9 public] [GrimDark]

[HereandNow2022]

...

Just read any of the "getting started" guides. They recommend:

• Extremely specific character background choices.
• Extremely specific skill choices.
• Extremely specific early game strategies.
• Extremely specific interactions with the harem.

...

I, like many others, find the "correct" way to play the game completely torturous. And if you're making a sandbox game with a "correct" way to play it, you're doing it wrong.

I enjoy the game quite a bit. Never once followed any "guide" for anything you say is required to follow. As point of fact, reading through this forum you see people absolutely choose various different ways to play.

 

[Ennoch]

You will either lose or lock yourself out of content.

Not at all.

what a grind-fest

Grindy indeed.

Why should I have to make a fully non-combat character and then rely on combat to make it through the early game?

Because you shouldn't just ignore the reality of the world you are playing in.

Why should I have to make a fully non-combat character and then rely on combat to make it through the early game?

You doesn't have to make a non-combat character, you decide whether you want to or not while the meantime the combat is perfectly viable with a non combat character. You have to pick your fights. You cannot solo. This isn't a one-man doomstack game. Use a team. IF you don't want to fight, you don't need a team and thus no need to hire mercs -> they won't ruin your economy.

Why is non-combat not viable for early game?

It is.

Why is a combat oriented character not viable for late game?

Okay so there is an on-going misconception here. The simple answer: Combat oriented character is viable. Just have to grind more to catch up in other aspects. Again. This is a team game in terms of fights. Old-school rpg style. You don't solo.

Yes, there is the issue that you will most definitely will not able to pump certain skills high enough BUT not to a degree that would break the game.

The issue i see here is that you talk about 'late game'. There is no late game. This isn't a VN where all updates constitute as an episode. Neither a game that introduced the entirety of the game and the character skills and options just try to catch up.
There is NO end game. There is only early game that you can sandbox in indefinitely. The game is not at the phase where it can make usage of certain skills and thus they are pointless to have and in turn not much reason to increase either.

The mechanics aren't balanced due to this either. Currently things either increase too fast or too slow, can train them or can't train them at all. Because they are just barely optimized to suit the current state of the game. You treat it like a full game but you really shouldn't.

Why put us in a situations where we are obliged to make decisions that make no sense except from a game mechanics perspective? Why make the early game a complete struggle where you're constantly on the verge of bankruptcy, grinding, grinding, grinding in the hope that one far-off golden day you will be allowed to finally play in the fucking sand?

Lots of games do this and i'm not talking about indie games. Not necessarily because they are poorly balanced but you can say that if you want to. Most of these games are optimized to a certain approach. Your display suggests a very specific mono-action viability which is rarely if ever the optimal way and interestingly if they are now THAT is a botched economy (Looking at you, Alchemy, in the ElderScroll series)

Lets take Skyrim for example. Try that game without using readily available self healing magics. Good luck having fun that way. Ramp up the difficulty and follow self-imposed restrictions and you will end up grinding far far more than you should have while doing boring chores for scraps.

Same deal here except with only segments of it being introduced and it isn't optimized to suit this segment alone. That would be a mistake. They would have to redo the entire thing with each new added mechanics and section. So the reason why the economy, the way to get it and skills tied to it, isn't optimized is because they cannot be and shouldn't be.

If I have to make a specific character, invest in very specific skills, and do very specific things at very specific times in order to be able to play, why even make a sandbox game? It's mind boggling.

Fun fact. You are arguing the exact opposite. Your argument in it's entirety relies on that you want to play a specific way with very specific skills and for some reason you expect not to be relegated/forced into a specific role regardless. Which is just misguided expectation from the start. This is what is mind boggling.

The state of the game does not support this approach from all possible angle. You can start out something and currently you can find out that such specific sepcialization is not supported by the currently available parts. This is just the nature of game development.

I, like many others, find the "correct" way to play the game completely torturous. And if you're making a sandbox game with a "correct" way to play it, you're doing it wrong.

I have to disagree. My view on this matter is that it is you who simply aren't getting it right. Not the game play mind you, that you probably can figure out after a while if i could , but the entire state of the game, that what that implies in terms of balance, economy, viability of certain orientations.

You expect a very specific way of development. You aren't getting it. You blame it on the developers. As if they can't develop the game in their pace in their way, set priorities based on their own ideas. Because it's boring you say. Yeah. Playing a demo over and over again that offers limited possibilities will get you bored.

You got bored too soon? Maybe you were forcing an approach that currently isn't viable. That is on you. That is a YOU problem, not a development problem. Crafting is boring as fuck as sole source of income to get rich. Is this a problem? Not really.

They are making a sandbox game. There are already several ways to get by, just not all of them offer the same results in the same amount of time and definitely not from the get go. This is intentional. This is how it has to be plus this is what it makes an actual sandbox. If everything does the exact same thing in the exact same way then just pick one and forget the rest. Alternatives have to be more than just a different icon.

It is perfectly normal and in fact the common way of doing things is that you start out doing something first and switch to something else later on. Play an economy sandbox game and you won't be getting rich from practices that gets you by early on and the same time the big prizes aren't available for the newcomer.

There is already fighting, working, gambling, crafting, slave trade, investments, trained slave workforce for economy. Are these balanced? Of course not. Nor could they be. Too much effort only to be thrown away if something needs to be changes and something else gets added. The foundations are in.

We haven't even talked about the time factor! Evidently, time is very important. We can age. Yet currently the world we have access to, the things we can do, do not support this. Nothing will keep you interested for years to see kids grow up (which is a thing here) or people grow old. There is no option for skipping extended periods of times either. No point for it yet. So it's grind grind grind if you want to see it.. buut there is no reason to do it. It's not a completed feature. Far from it. No need to bother with it, if you grind ages to see it yourself and found nothing well that can be annoying but hardly something you should be blaming anyone for it.

You should understand that a sandbox game isn't just a free roam game and the same time a sandbox game still won't allow you to do whatever you want. That would be an impossibility as this is still just a bunch of scripts put together.

In case of a Visual Novel this is like having 5 options all the time. Those are still "just" 5. You aren't actually saying what you mayhaps wanted. You pick from predefined options.

This game offers lots of alternatives but those alternatives aren't properly implemented at. Currently they don't lead in to a chain, improving and expanding on the initial piece. I simply cannot imagine that the crafting system for example is already finished and this is what we will get as well with a finished game. OR that as doctor with medicine skill all we can do by the end is using or crafing a medkit. I expect surgeries, plastic surgeries, hospital career, genetic engineering, combating disease outbreaks... but mostly just breast implants not gonna lie

Same with crafting. I expect actual Assembly route with foreman promotions, engineering core, infrastructure improving, setting up rails perhaps or improving sewer system, power grid. Building transportation, advanced systems, urban development, whatever!

But these are just not yet in. Have to be reasonable here. (I wanna have the silicon implants for bigger boobies right now!!)

 

[djv007]

Damn i see ppl are still pissed about the grind in the game. Well its a HTML game. Just change your stats and enjoy it. Its not grindy if you can cheat right .

 

[He11sound]

Well, I'm lost in this game again

 

[ntentacle]

Okay so there is an on-going misconception here. The simple answer: Combat oriented character is viable. Just have to grind more to catch up in other aspects. Again. This is a team game in terms of fights. Old-school rpg style. You don't solo.

See, this is how I know you don't know what you are talking about. You literally can't grind academics, charm and manipulation.

In fact, reading through most of what you're saying, it seems like you either did not read or did not comprehend what I wrote, so cheers.

 

[SirD3vil]

That sounds like you either haven't properly extracted the game files, or else your browser isn't properly reading the css and fonts. What browser are you using? Are you using any addons that can mess with a website, like a "dark mode on all websites" type addon?

Hargan2 : thanks for helping
I'm using Chrome and only using adblocker extension(s), but I am using "auto dark mode" via chrome://flags. Tried disabling it, and also tried incognito mode (with no extensions), but still the same problem. I've played numerous other html/renpy games from here and it's the only game I've had trouble with. Guess I was hoping I could replace the text colour code with the black one in the html file (yea, I've got no clue about html coding)

That's weird. It's black on beige here.

This is what I got, and when there is 2-3 lines of text I can read 2/3's of a sentence if I put my face 2 inches from a 24" monitor:

 

[Ennoch]

See, this is how I know you don't know what you are talking about. You literally can't grind academics, charm and manipulation.

You mean you don't know how and that somehow means i know nothing. I feel like John Snow now

 

[TwitTwat]

Question.
Would it be possible to implement girl packs into this, "like Brothel King and numerous other games, I've tried switching out some images and it seems to work.

 

[ntentacle]

You mean you don't know how and that somehow means i know nothing. I feel like John Snow now

Cool cool. Go ahead and explain how to grind charm, manipulation, and academics outside of the skill books and the classes (which are finite, and thus not truly grindable). I'll be over here doing stuff.

Of course, all of this is irrelevent since the entire point of what I wrote was not whether different styles of play were *possible* its whether they are *fun*.

If you like the current state of play, I may also recommend Cock and Ball Torture Simulator 2023

 

[Strec]

If I remember well, you can get charm by gambling or working at the chemistry plant, academics by teaching and gambling.

But they are rare events and not really something you can count on to really up quickly. Effectively some skills lacks training, at least for now.

 

[Ennoch]

charm

Affections actions, dinner and theater events, successful seduction rolls will increase charm the same way critical roll in combat increase respective fighting skill. You buy +5 Charm for 7000$ at the Hospital as a repeatable until it reaches 85.

manipulation

Intimidate actions, explain duties with dominant tone, aggressive approach during seduction and during sex all increase manipulation.

academics

You cannot grind academics in an easy way but you don't need academics unless you want to teach at the Academy. Otherwise it just helps at home tutoring. It is like medicine. Has a very limited purpose and as i have explained before, these aren't must have skills.

outside of the skill books and the classes (which are finite, and thus not truly grindable

This is some arbitrary rule that you set up to maintain your argument or something?

You are talking about Academics. How else you think Academics should be improved?? That is THE way. Through books and courses. They are available. 'Hey i wanna learn nuclear physics.. but i don't wanna take lessons and read books. Surely there must be a way to do beside those'


This isn't a missing feature. This itself is the feature

If you like the current state of play, I may also recommend Cock and Ball Torture Simulator 2023

If you don't like the current state of the play, you can leave. Hit the door. Spend time with stuff you like to do.

 

[fixet]

This game is not a good sandbox game. […]

it’s not a good game in its current state, period
it’s also REALLY content starved and that seems extremely unlikely to significantly change given the game’s track record and ocean wide, puddle deep philosophy
I’m subbed to the patreon because I really like the concept and the dev is constantly sharing updates and ideas, but it’s clear this will never be properly filled out or unslogged, for lack of better wording, it’s far beyond the dev’s capacity

 

[tarzan999]

Cool cool. Go ahead and explain how to grind charm, manipulation, and academics outside of the skill books and the classes (which are finite, and thus not truly grindable). I'll be over here doing stuff.

Of course, all of this is irrelevent since the entire point of what I wrote was not whether different styles of play were *possible* its whether they are *fun*.

If you like the current state of play, I may also recommend Cock and Ball Torture Simulator 2023

I get complaining about big AAA games polish and balancing, but when it comes to porn games just cheat. The h stuff is what's important.

 

[Gunner Rey]

See, this is how I know you don't know what you are talking about. You literally can't grind academics, charm and manipulation.

In fact, reading through most of what you're saying, it seems like you either did not read or did not comprehend what I wrote, so cheers.

You can increase Charm by Caressing during seduction up to 70 and then you can get plastic surgery in the Doctor's Hall in Crystal Heights to get it to 85. Academics can be gained by drinking at Furry's. Manipulation goes up when you get a critical success when using it, like when dominantly suggesting sex, which you can succeed at even with low manip if you have other factors going for you like Affection or Respect.

You can play this game whatever way you want, though if you do it certain ways you'll have some advantages. The guides might well be outdated or written by someone who has a certain playstyle and goals that they want to achieve. I started (many iterations back) by hunting and fucking Juno in bondage and had a lot of fun while eventually figuring out the other aspects of the game.

 

[LoreMaster6]

it’s not a good game in its current state, period
it’s also REALLY content starved and that seems extremely unlikely to significantly change given the game’s track record and ocean wide, puddle deep philosophy
I’m subbed to the patreon because I really like the concept and the dev is constantly sharing updates and ideas, but it’s clear this will never be properly filled out or unslogged, for lack of better wording, it’s far beyond the dev’s capacity

Content starved? LOL

I think you're in the wrong thread, brother. There's more content here than in Skyrim.

 

[Zabimuee]

Any good mirrors that are not being throttled?

 

[Gunner Rey]

Cool cool. Go ahead and explain how to grind charm, manipulation, and academics outside of the skill books and the classes (which are finite, and thus not truly grindable). I'll be over here doing stuff.

Of course, all of this is irrelevent since the entire point of what I wrote was not whether different styles of play were *possible* its whether they are *fun*.

If you like the current state of play, I may also recommend Cock and Ball Torture Simulator 2023

I've not taken a single course or read even one skill book and I've raised my Charm 60 points, Academics 67 and Manip 15. I didn't do much to raise the latter because I wanted to keep willpower on my girls high and didn't need to.

 

[Ennoch]

I've not taken a single course or read even one skill book and I've raised my Charm 60 points, Academics 67 and Manip 15. I didn't do much to raise the latter because I wanted to keep willpower on my girls high and didn't need to.

You know nothing then!

 

[Gunner Rey]

You know nothing then!

Heh, my favorite was this. Note that he was right in pretty much everything he said. Jon got captured because he was a weenie, and Sam failed to send the Ravens because he was a fuck-up.

You must be registered to see the links

 

[Saburo. M]

This game is not a good sandbox game. And without a serious overhaul of mechanics, it's never going to be a good sandbox game. This is made all the more tragic because its a game with a lot of potential, but I don't think it will ever be allowed to simply be fun.

The entire point of a sandbox game is to let people play in the sandbox. This game looks like a sandbox, but its a sandbox where you're not allowed to play with the sand. At least not without filling out the appropriate paperwork and checking out a regulation-sized sand shovel.

Just read any of the "getting started" guides. They recommend:

• Extremely specific character background choices.
• Extremely specific skill choices.
• Extremely specific early game strategies.
• Extremely specific interactions with the harem.

Doing anything other than what is in the guide is basically pointless. You will either lose or lock yourself out of content.

Failing to properly employ these strategies leads to a slow death via bankruptcy. Non-standard strategies do not work. There are important skills for late game that you simply cannot get if you do not follow these procedures pretty much to the letter.

Even when you do follow these strategies, holy crap -- what a grind-fest. Why should I have to make a fully non-combat character and then rely on combat to make it through the early game? Why is non-combat not viable for early game? Why is a combat oriented character not viable for late game?

Why put us in a situations where we are obliged to make decisions that make no sense except from a game mechanics perspective? Why make the early game a complete struggle where you're constantly on the verge of bankruptcy, grinding, grinding, grinding in the hope that one far-off golden day you will be allowed to finally play in the fucking sand?

If I have to make a specific character, invest in very specific skills, and do very specific things at very specific times in order to be able to play, why even make a sandbox game? It's mind boggling.

I, like many others, find the "correct" way to play the game completely torturous. And if you're making a sandbox game with a "correct" way to play it, you're doing it wrong.

i kind of know where you are coming from and i think i agree; it doesn't really cater to my fantasies etc, i hate hentai game that involves combat tbh and i am often turned off by hentai games that does not have pregnancies. lol. my perfect fantasy would include erotic asphyxiation and other sick stuff so under normal circumstances i'll give this a meh but i am more than willing to give this an exception and see how far they can push their imaginations and put it into this game so please hear me out and hope you can understand what i am trying to convey as my English is bad.

When i look at the time and effort they poured into this game i have to a admit that they are just trying to realize a dream, yes, how they go about delivering it might not be the best or even the right way but to think about how much they get in return for this is absolutely not worthwhile their time, yet they are still doing it. That is a lot of passion there where money can't buy. i guess this is what i value most.

as of now after playing for a couple of months tho my wishlist is unlikely going to materialize in game i can't help but wanting to cheer them on and see their years of effort come to fruition. this might be the only time in their lives doing this. i hope the next game they make they would learn certain lessons from this experiencing that they created for themselves to make a better game that can blow my brain matter out of my ears.

so the last thing i want to do is to tell them how wrong their approach is and awful it is. instead i want to see their dreams realize thus they can be silently proud of themselves alone considering the nature of the game. i guess this costs me nothing so why not?

thats why i am cheering them on. it is far from perfect and its WIP. but i hope they have a good time enjoying the long excruciating(a new word i learnt from this game xD) process of developing something they deem worthwhile and who am i to rain on their parade.

i really look forward to see the end product and how this would turn out. I am saving my criticsm until they are done with the job. it would be sad for them and for me to see they abandon it halfway just because i think they are doing it all wrong. nothing positive can come out of such scenario.

life is short yo. when someone embark on something to achieve a dream, it is my policy to help them see to it. by then at least i get to earn my bitching right when i contribute little to help them put food on the table. the fate of the world and my happiness does not lay in a hentai game tbh.

my 1 1/4 yen of thoughts. less than 1cent USD. lol