VN Ren'Py One Day at a Time [Ch. 18c] [Zoey Raven]

[Spawn420]

I think I just might quit doing this all together I'm getting tired of all the nit picking TBH. It's the same shit w my walkthroughs and mods. I just assumed when I wrote that she would think it was him because as you know Lydia has a keen sense about almost everything, plus what if he said hello during the transition, if this is all you can find I'm ok with that.

i by no mean try to give you grief for this and like i mentioned in the first comment i love what you've done with the game so far!
was just trying to give some input...

 

[Zoey Raven]

i'll give you that on not having it programmed into her phone since after the hearing Barb asks Lydia if she still has her number...
but still she was getting a phone call from either barbs saved number or an unrecognized number and the first thing she does when picking up is assume its MC.. maybe add a line at the start like "babe is that you?" or "whose phone is this?" or something of the sorts.. i get random phone calls all the time from either ppl who dialed a wrong digit or those damn telemarketers...

Hope that's good enough.

 

[Zoey Raven]

i by no mean try to give you grief for this and like i mentioned in the first comment i love what you've done with the game so far!
was just trying to give some input...

It's not you and I'm sorry, I am just a little down about some things right now that don't even have to do with you or the game, I apologize. It also takes a lot out of you when you work on something for two months and people tear it to shreds, Yes the comments are mostly positive as are the reviews, but a person can only take so much, you just happened to be the one that broke the camels back and it wasn't even a big deal, so it's not you.

 

[Spawn420]

It's not you and I'm sorry, I am just a little down about so things right now that don't even have to do with you or the game, I apologize.

its all good! we all have bad days and our ups and downs...

 

[Zoey Raven]

its all good! we all have bad days and our ups and downs...

I just need to take a week and recharge my batteries. Then I'll be ready to go at it again. You would think launching an update for a dev would be a very happy time, it's not it's hell, I enjoy the time in between when I'm creating.

 

[Zoey Raven]

its all good! we all have bad days and our ups and downs...

I also added this just to make it a little more clear.

 

[Zoey Raven]

Awesome game, really enjoyed the story, these guy's are funny as hell and the drugs story is pretty much like it is in real life, been there done that, glad to be sober today, but still have a few beers here and there today, but nothing to the extreme, I enjoy a cold one thanks for the game Zoey, good job man.

Thank you, I appreciate it! Glad you were able to get it under control, most people can't do that unless there are just chipping.

 

[MattShizzle]

Lydia is so hot. Realistic from what I saw. Most people think junkies look like skeletons but that seems to be a late stage addiction thing. I saw where I worked women who used that were gorgeous and ones who looked half dead. Sadly, I saw in the news ex clients (mostly male) who wound up ODing to the point of death (usually those who were resistant to following the program.) Also saw some do some stupid shit and get sent up for years in prison (burglary or such. One ended up on death row for murder. He was offered money to kill someone. He went to the wrong place and killed the whole family including children.)
Trufact - I thought when she told MC not to steal and if he did she'd "violate him" that she was talking about like using a strap on on him before I realized she meant saying he violated parole.

 

[Zoey Raven]

Lydia is so hot. Realistic from what I saw. Most people think junkies look like skeletons but that seems to be a late stage addiction thing. I saw where I worked women who used that were gorgeous and ones who looked half dead. Sadly, I saw in the news ex clients (mostly male) who wound up ODing to the point of death (usually those who were resistant to following the program.) Also saw some do some stupid shit and get sent up for years in prison (burglary or such. One ended up on death row for murder. He was offered money to kill someone. He went to the wrong place and killed the whole family including children.)
Trufact - I thought when she told MC not to steal and if he did she'd "violate him" that she was talking about like using a strap on on him before I realized she meant saying he violated parole.

You are right, a lot of women never go that far, but that's the end stage of the disease. We have a saying in the program. You have four options. Recover, Jail's, Institutions, and Death.

 

[Zoey Raven]

Ok ya'll, now that we are through three versions I've got a PUBLIC favorite girl poll up on Patreon. I'm just curious, for fun. Below is the link:

You must be registered to see the links

 

[MattShizzle]

Agree from what I saw. I want to see all recover. Invested in all especially MC and Lydia. Heroin fucking sucks. Bayer invented it thinking it was less addictive than Morphine. Boy were they wrong. That shit hurts people. I'd cut my throat before I touched that shit. I'd rather be dead than fuck my life and have to try to get better. Apologies to you and congratualitons managing to recover. I think most on that shit never do from what I saw.

 

[Zoey Raven]

Agree from what I saw. I want to see all recover. Invested in all especially MC and Lydia. Heroin fucking sucks. Bayer invented it thinking it was less addictive than Morphine. Boy were they wrong. That shit hurts people. I'd cut my throat before I touched that shit. I'd rather be dead than fuck my life and have to try to get better. Apologies to you and congratualitons managing to recover. I think most on that shit never do from what I saw.

Fentenol is even worse, that's why you are hearing about more OD's in the last 4 or 5 years than we've ever had in the period of time.

 

[MattShizzle]

Yeah, that shit sucks. That was a factor in some of the ODs. Curse on whoever brought that in. The pretty girls I always wanted to rescue but knew I couldn't. I knew it was up to them to fix themselves. I met one who was almost 30 at the time. She managed to learn to be a welder. I was so proud.

 

[Walter Victor]

View attachment 1049677
Hope that's good enough.

As far as I'm concerned, you can take it back out. After all, who the fuck else is she expecting a call from, after what happened.

Your gut-feelings about these things are almost inevitably spot on.

However, the change doesn't hurt anything either. So...

 

[Zoey Raven]

This is the point I always harp on.

My favorite games are the ones where the developers have a clear vision of what they want to say and how they want to say it. My least favorite games are those where I disagree with their visions and just don't play them.

My point being that developers should stick to their guns and change things only when it makes sense to them, and the success or failure of any particular game should be that it appeals or does not appeal to a sufficient audience.

There are also games whose developers have no plan, have great ideas for the beginning and no clue as to where the game will end up. We all know developers like that. Their games start and draw players, but are soon abandoned. Only to have the developer start up another one, which follows the same path. Those developers soon gain a reputation that attaches forever.

And there are developers who just listen to their audience to tell them what to do next. I try to avoid those games.

I like to compare a VN to making a movie. No director in his right mind starts to make a movie with only a basic premise and just wings it. No, they storyboard before they even start.

Which brings me back to this game. It is refreshing to find another game where the developer has a story to tell and has thoroughly mapped it out.

As to whether there is too much or too little text in this game, if the text is interesting, which to me it is, the length is of little consideration. [I have read an unabridged version of War and Peace, just because I wanted to. Don't recommend it though, because I don't agree with Tolstoy's view of history, which he throws so heavily into the narrative.] Is this game perfect? Not to me. I think Zoey (like Tolstoy perhaps) preaches to me too much. However, this is his game and his story, and I am never going to ask him to tone anything down. The good outweighs the bad so heavily that I will continue to place this game at the top of my list of games to play.

In all fairness I have ideas of how I want things to go, but nothing is set it stone for me. I have a lot of light bulb moments I could call them, but I always have things in the last version that are going to set up things for the next one, even if those ideas are written spontaneously which is how I write best. I also have a general idea of how it's going to turn out in the end, but when I get there that's subject to change as well.

I agree with just about everything you said. Doing a visual novel is the only medium of writing I know of were people almost feel entitled to have a say in the story or tell you how they would do it better or what is bad and what is good, during the process. When most have never created anything like this themselves and have no idea the amount of blood sweat and tears that go into it.

In ANY other medium of writing, you are given the product to consume when it's finished, and you then make a value judgement after reading it as to whether or not it was your cup or tea so to speak. This is not so with creating a visual novel and it's communities. Don't get me wrong I am all about constructive criticism, but it goes far past that here at times. People will straight out tell you there way is better, not only that, they will point out very specific things for you to change, and act as though if you don't your game will fail.

So, I hear everything you are saying and feel it. As I said to someone earlier in the thread. You would think release time would be the coolest time for a developer, and in a some ways it is, because by in large the reception of this game has been overwhelmingly positive. But, there is another part of it that is just hell. People fighting over who is right about what, some of which is spirited debate, which is fine, but I've seen it devolve (not here as much, but in other threads) to what I would call the worst part of what the internet has to offer. People saying things to the dev and others in the thread they would never say to their face. This is the sad part, and what makes a version launch very stressful at times. Bigger devs and people who don't offer other content on here like me, are insulated from this, because they don't have to even be on here if they don't want to.

I am here because I love this community as a whole. It's the reason I started producing walkthrough and mod content, and also the reason I decided to do this game. It's yet another way to give back, to maybe someone who might be struggling with not just drugs and alcohol, but whatever, and to show them there is hope, and light at the end of the tunnel if they want it.

However along with doing that comes the above mentioned things. I personally like the time in between updates when I am just creating the most, as this is the time I make and write the stuff that matters to me and I hope affects people. If you don't like to read, you will not like this game. If you want a sexfest only, look elsewhere. There's a TON of those on here, if you want something light and fluffy you'll find that here as well. My game is, and always will be about reality, I know some don't want that in their video games and I respect that, but the product I'm creating is meant to hit you in the gut. So, I guess I might be my own worse enemy when it comes to getting feedback, because the game is going to be divisive, I hope there's at least one thing in there each person can't stand. If there's not I'm not doing my job for this particular piece.

I'm not in any way saying I'm special or the work in special, but it is different than a lot of things on here and if you decided to play it, I just want to make it clear what you are in for. There is a LOT of light in the darkness in this game, but there are things I have to show to make it both real for you and true to my vision for the game.

So thank you Walter Victor for setting up a post for me to respond to and air all this out.

Thank you all who support the game in any way and who have played, and especially to those who have told me it affected them in one way or another, good or bad. I hope it continues to for many updates to come. If you have made it to the end of this post you probably have what is takes to enjoy my game, because this is how I write. Thank you again.

 

[Walter Victor]

In all fairness I have ideas of how I want things to go, but nothing is set it stone for me. I have a lot of light bulb moments I could call them, but I always have things in the last version that are going to set up things for the next one, even if those ideas are written spontaneously which is how I write best. I also have a general idea of how it's going to turn out in the end, but when I get there that's subject to change as well.

I agree with just about everything you said. Doing a visual novel is the only medium of writing I know of were people almost feel entitled to have a say in the story or tell you how they would do it better or what is bad and what is good, during the process. When most have never created anything like this themselves and have no idea the amount of blood sweat and tears that go into it.

In ANY other medium of writing, you are given the product to consume when it's finished, and you then make a value judgement after reading it as to whether or not it was your cup or tea so to speak. This is not so with creating a visual novel and it's communities. Don't get me wrong I am all about constructive criticism, but it goes far past that here at times. People will straight out tell you there way is better, not only that, they will point out very specific things for you to change, and act as though if you don't your game will fail.

So, I hear everything you are saying and feel it. As I said to someone earlier in the thread. You would think release time would be the coolest time for a developer, and in a some ways it is, because by in large the reception of this game has been overwhelmingly positive. But, there is another part of it that is just hell. People fighting over who is right about what, some of which is spirited debate, which is fine, but I've seen it devolve (not here as much, but in other threads) to what I would call the worst part of what the internet has to offer. People saying things to the dev and others in the thread they would never say to their face. This is the sad part, and what makes a version launch very stressful at times. Bigger devs and people who don't offer other content on here like me, are insulated from this, because they don't have to even be on here if they don't want to.

I am here because I love this community as a whole. It's the reason I started producing walkthrough and mod content, and also the reason I decided to do this game. It's yet another way to give back, to maybe someone who might be struggling with not just drugs and alcohol, but whatever, and to show them there is hope, and light at the end of the tunnel if they want it.

However along with doing that comes the above mentioned things. I personally like the time in between updates when I am just creating the most, as this is the time I make and write the stuff that matters to me and I hope affects people. If you don't like to read, you will not like this game. If you want a sexfest only, look elsewhere. There's a TON of those on here, if you want something light and fluffy you'll find that here as well. My game is, and always will be about reality, I know some don't want that in their video games and I respect that, but the product I'm creating is meant to hit you in the gut. So, I guess I might be my own worse enemy when it comes to getting feedback, because the game is going to be divisive, I hope there's at least one thing in there each person can't stand. If there's not I'm not doing my job for this particular piece.

I'm not in any way saying I'm special or the work in special, but it is different than a lot of things on here and if you decided to play it, I just want to make it clear what you are in for. There is a LOT of light in the darkness in this game, but there are things I have to show to make it both real for you and true to my vision for the game.

So thank you Walter Victor for setting up a post for me to respond to and air all this out.

Thank you all who support the game in any way and who have played, and especially to those who have told me it affected them in one way or another, good or bad. I hope it continues to for many updates to come. If you have made it to the end of this post you probably have what is takes to enjoy my game, because this is how I write. Thank you again.

The way you feel at release time is completely unsurprising to me. An artist can revel in the creation of his or her art, but tremble over the reception at the opening to the public.

It is a positive thing that you respond to posters on this forum. But I won't be surprised if you eventually abandon that practice. Many excellent developers have started out as you have here, only to say, 'to hell with those ingrates' after enough trolls gather to prate. And believe me, the more popular your game gets, the more they will gather.

 

[MattShizzle]

I LOVE the sexfest games but this is different. This is one I actually care about the chracters. Especially MC and Lydia Lydia is not only so hot but it's just hard to explain. Almost like she was my girlfriend. Like I would go around and take in the ground for her.

 

[MattShizzle]

Some are just bad though like AWAM where it's like no sex.

 

[MattShizzle]

TBH I'd be Lydia's sex slave.

 

[Zoey Raven]

TBH I'd be Lydia's sex slave.

Me too! Not literally, because I'm not a sub, but you know. I'd marry her and stuff.