VN Ren'Py Our Red String [Ch.14.1.4 Beta] [Eva Kiss]

[BlandChili]

In ORS, even though you don't have to dance to Seymour's tune, he still influences the narrative and Lena's situation, and potentially Ian's as well. Yes, for now you can manoeuvre around it with the help of the café, Kent, and now Billy, but it still puts Lina in a precarious position that could turn out badly. Yes, Seymour is a poorly written villain, but he is still a villain, because when confronted, something is at stake.

Sure, you are right that there are potential consequences yet to be revealed at least. This is an incomplete game after all.

That is where I argue on the balancing point, that Eva wants to let the player get their preferred experience, which is why I don't fear Seymour's impact in the end. That is merely an impression I have though, and speculation of my own based on it. I personally feel somewhat doubtful that the consequences will feel at all dire in the end, but of course we won't know for a while yet.

And I suppose some of the potential consequences could be subjective. You bring up how Ian might be impacted which is true enough, I just happen to not really be invested in his outcome. I will favor my preferred choice with Lena over any potential impact to Ian's side of the route, so I imagine people who feel more invested with Ian might tread more carefully than I.

 

[pandahoho]

any news about next update?

 

[Saerwen]

I would argue otherwise.

There are no villains in GGGB at all. And not because there are no villainous characters, but because nothing is at stake within the VN. You can refuse the offer to join the gang, reject Ethan and not repay your loans, help Arthur drug Iris, cheat (with rare exceptions), etc. without any consequences. And what do we lose if Ash has no money? Nothing, except the inability to buy tattoos, piercings, a car, or breast implants, which isn't that important. The only truly bad endings are related to thugs: death, prison, or addiction. Otherwise, everything is not so bad. And these are the only truly villainous characters, but even they can be avoided.

In ORS, even though you don't have to dance to Seymour's tune, he still influences the narrative and Lena's situation, and potentially Ian's as well. Yes, for now you can manoeuvre around it with the help of the café, Kent, and now Billy, but it still puts Lina in a precarious position that could turn out badly. Yes, Seymour is a poorly written villain, but he is still a villain, because when confronted, something is at stake.

Wasn't Arthur perving/lusting on his own son's girlfriend? That by itself is a RED flag. Ashley can accept his advances/rebuffs him but to say how he's not a villain... He's a Western type of an ugly bastard.

 

[Tierra_Azul]

any news about next update?

Pretty sure it’s the middle of the night in Spain right now, so if it’s dropping today, it'sprobably still 10+ hours or more away. That said, I wouldn’t place place any chips on it happening today.

 

[SerHawkes]

I'll end the discussion.

Arthur deserved a bullet, as does Geymour, Jeremy, Axel, Perry, Wade, Stan, Robert... Mike is chill, sorta.

 

[Turret]

In ORS, even though you don't have to dance to Seymour's tune, he still influences the narrative and Lena's situation, and potentially Ian's as well. Yes, for now you can manoeuvre around it with the help of the café, Kent, and now Billy, but it still puts Lina in a precarious position that could turn out badly. Yes, Seymour is a poorly written villain, but he is still a villain, because when confronted, something is at stake.

Hi!
Ian is/can only be directly influenced if he is in a relationship with Lena. If he is with Holly, Alison or even Gillian again(seems to becoming an option), he is impacted by a hypothetical confrontation only as a good friend at most. And yes, I only count Alison, Holly, Lena and possilby Gillian as viable long term options for Ian. They are the only ones who like/love Ian for being himself, going by what we see in the latest chapters it seems Gillian recognised what a mistake she made leaving him.
For the others, be it Cindy, Minerva, Emma and whoever else, he is just option B (even C) or a fling.

But back to Lena and Seymour. The big confrontation you seem to dream off can be a total dud or completely avoided. I doubt there will be a confrontation at all on the paths where Lena and Seymour have good relations. This is hinted at on these paths with Seymour being even less a villain than on those you butt heads.
Take the recent photo shot. A high quality, portfolio-building shooting in Rome with a couple days vacationing there, all paid by Seymour and a special necklace as a gift. Oh, the arch villainy involved, how could he!(irony off)

While there will be some kind of showdown with Seymour, Axel, Mike and whoever else if you butt heads with them repeatedly or constantly, I doubt such a showdown will happen on the paths Ian and Lena have good relations with Seymour.

 

[SerHawkes]

No Ian-Ivy content yet! I feel sorry for you guys, I know you like that content and would want to see it. I mean, I would be a downer if there's little Ian-Lena content. I feel like GGGB had much more variety with main characters.

Simply put.

 

[CoalPhelps]

Wasn't Arthur perving/lusting on his own son's girlfriend? That by itself is a RED flag. Ashley can accept his advances/rebuffs him but to say how he's not a villain... He's a Western type of an ugly bastard.

Of course, that's why I divided the villainous characters and the villains. By this I mean the narrative role of the character. Arthur is an absolutely villainous character, he does a lot of nasty things, but other players will never even see this if they are not interested in this character at all. On the other hand, even without knowing about Seymour's plans for Lena, the player will still be affected by his influence and will be forced to overcome it one way or another. Therefore, even those who have not seen his villainous side in its entirety (because something initially repelled them about him) will still consider him a villain.

 

[CoalPhelps]

I'll end the discussion.

Arthur deserved a bullet, as does Geymour, Jeremy, Axel, Perry, Wade, Stan, Robert... Mike is chill, sorta.

I don't know, Mike is a serial cheater, so that's a bullet. Mark, on the other hand, is a fuckboy, but he doesn't hurt anyone, so he gets a pass.

 

[SerHawkes]

I don't know, Mike is a serial cheater, so that's a bullet. Mark, on the other hand, is a fuckboy, but he doesn't hurt anyone, so he gets a pass.

Mike only really cheats if we allow it though. Sure, we could entirely whip out all the males in the game save for Ian and pretty much making him the breeding stud of the group of gals. BUT unfortunately that would upset the shrimpy cuckolds and EK can't have that. Oh no.

 

[CoalPhelps]

Mike only really cheats if we allow it though. Sure, we could entirely whip out all the males in the game save for Ian and pretty much making him the breeding stud of the group of gals. BUT unfortunately that would upset the shrimpy cuckolds and EK can't have that. Oh no.

He's getting it on with Ivy regardless (envious, aren't you?) of his relationship with Lena.

 

[SerHawkes]

He's getting it on with Ivy regardless (envious, aren't you?) of his relationship with Lena.

In the past, yet no mentions of present.

 

[Da¥e]

Pretty sure it’s the middle of the night in Spain right now, so if it’s dropping today, it'sprobably still 10+ hours or more away. That said, I wouldn’t place place any chips on it happening today.

Normally before an update the bug reports on the discord get worked on, but they haven't been touched, so...

 

[CoalPhelps]

Sure, you are right that there are potential consequences yet to be revealed at least. This is an incomplete game after all.

That is where I argue on the balancing point, that Eva wants to let the player get their preferred experience, which is why I don't fear Seymour's impact in the end. That is merely an impression I have though, and speculation of my own based on it. I personally feel somewhat doubtful that the consequences will feel at all dire in the end, but of course we won't know for a while yet.

And I suppose some of the potential consequences could be subjective. You bring up how Ian might be impacted which is true enough, I just happen to not really be invested in his outcome. I will favor my preferred choice with Lena over any potential impact to Ian's side of the route, so I imagine people who feel more invested with Ian might tread more carefully than I.

Yes, you're probably right. Some subplots, such as the revelation of Charles' character or political machinations, only arise if you have a contract with Seymour. It somewhat defies the logic of having such behind-the-scenes games and their participants, but oh well, it's not the first novel in which choice-based, catering to tastes and preferences, and plot-driven principles conflict with each other.

 

[What'sNew]

Did Eva ever mention if the upcoming update is Lena pov only or will we get a bit of Ian's too?

Im leaning towards Lena only since thats how the past few updates have been.

 

[mommysboiii]

I understand but the Cindy path is only just opening up and has the potential to be one of the most interesting romances in the game. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
View attachment 5205390

 

[Nifferman]

Did Eva ever mention if the upcoming update is Lena pov only or will we get a bit of Ian's too?

Im leaning towards Lena only since thats how the past few updates have been.

First 2 days of Lena's trip. There are total 3 days FYI.

 

[\\_Tremolo_//]

Hey guys I am new here. Is the update out yet?

 

[Radnos Salazar]

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Just a quick status update:
My goal was (and still is) to have the chapter ready this week, but I’m going to need a few more days to finish the remaining scenes. Writing, testing, and working on the visuals has been my sole focus, and it's frustrating that progress still feels slower than I’d like, but the truth is, this stuff takes a hell of a lot of time.

The scenes in this chapter are not only layered, they’re also tightly interconnected, with some even overlapping. That makes them really tedious to flesh out and tricky to structure together within the narrative arc.

On top of that, I’ve insisted on adding new 3, 4, and even 5-frame animations and cosmetic tweaks, which makes generating the images a real drag (but hopefully worth it in the end).

Right now I’m working on the final two scenes, and also waiting on the last batch of art from my colorist so I can add the final polish. I’ll be testing things in parallel so I can put out something solid and playable ASAP.

The plan is to make the last two scenes combinable, but to pull that off, I need both the artwork and time to write. I’d rather not release the alpha without that last bit, but I’m also racing to get everything ready this week as promised (plus, it’s my birthday this weekend and I’d really like to celebrate a little!).

If I haven’t been very active on socials lately, it’s because I’ve been pouring all my time and energy into finishing this chapter, and now I’m getting back to it. I’ll share an update right before launch, which I’m hoping will be very soon (if not by the end of this week, then the next).

Oh, by the way: which color do you think better fits Ivy's bikini?

 

[Nifferman]

View attachment 5207614

You must be registered to see the links

Just a quick status update:
My goal was (and still is) to have the chapter ready this week, but I’m going to need a few more days to finish the remaining scenes. Writing, testing, and working on the visuals has been my sole focus, and it's frustrating that progress still feels slower than I’d like, but the truth is, this stuff takes a hell of a lot of time.

The scenes in this chapter are not only layered, they’re also tightly interconnected, with some even overlapping. That makes them really tedious to flesh out and tricky to structure together within the narrative arc.

On top of that, I’ve insisted on adding new 3, 4, and even 5-frame animations and cosmetic tweaks, which makes generating the images a real drag (but hopefully worth it in the end).

Right now I’m working on the final two scenes, and also waiting on the last batch of art from my colorist so I can add the final polish. I’ll be testing things in parallel so I can put out something solid and playable ASAP.

The plan is to make the last two scenes combinable, but to pull that off, I need both the artwork and time to write. I’d rather not release the alpha without that last bit, but I’m also racing to get everything ready this week as promised (plus, it’s my birthday this weekend and I’d really like to celebrate a little!).

If I haven’t been very active on socials lately, it’s because I’ve been pouring all my time and energy into finishing this chapter, and now I’m getting back to it. I’ll share an update right before launch, which I’m hoping will be very soon (if not by the end of this week, then the next).

Oh, by the way: which color do you think better fits Ivy's bikini?

Well......I think we all knew it was going to get delayed a bit.