VN Ren'Py Past Tense [Ch.2] [Howie]

3.80 star(s) 13 Votes

Joratox

Member
Sep 1, 2018
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I agree you shouldn't be locked in right away cause not everyone can decide right away but I feel around Ch 4 or 5 for most games is about a good time for dev's to start to think about it. Tho that depends on how much content there is and varies from game to game. For me personally Usually after 2 or 3 chapters is all I need to decide on a favorite unless I end up liking everyone about the same , Some games even 1 chapter is enough haha but that isn't common.
Yeah, chapter 4 or 5 works most of the time. For this game specifically, hard to say. Chapters feel a bit short to be honest (some games have like 20k words per chapter, this one has around 5-6k) so you don't get that much info early on. Oh well, we'll see how this goes.
 

HowieGames

Past Tense Dev/Artist
Game Developer
Jul 4, 2023
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Trust me, I finished playing it, and I loved it

as long as the first priority is always story and characters, and the sex scenes make sense and they serve a purpose

And what I mean by that is if an update has a sex scene in there

It's because you wanted and needed to put it in there, and it's not in there just because it's an adult vn

And you had no choice but to put it in there




I don't know if the way I'm explaining it makes any sense
Yes, I understand, and I agree with that.
And that is exactly why I made
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First, I don't want to force romance/sex to the players, especially this early.
secondly, I don't want MC to take advantage of her in her emotional state, (this I hope the players can feel it through her body language/expression) the whole thing is her desperate attempt. as Quetzzz said, "hail mary". I want to portray that MC is not that kind of person, at least at the beginning of the game. :) :)
 

HowieGames

Past Tense Dev/Artist
Game Developer
Jul 4, 2023
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And how do you know what girl you want ? You see her looks and some small tidbits of info, then you go: this is it for me ?

I wasn't saying that I want to wait for the end of the game, I just want to have more info if that makes sense. I mean let's talk about this game. There was a point where you get to choose a story scene, either with Angela or Rose. Do I start getting locked to a path here when I choose ? I don't really know much about either, so how do I choose ? Not to mention about the other LIs, which again I know next to nothing about. If next chapter has a branching path choice, I feel like I need to make a blind choice and see where that takes me. The only "real" thing I know right now is how they look and if I like them physically. This is why I asked for the paths to not be setup "too early".
I understand your concern. But don't worry, the branching this episode is not going to "locked" you out from any LI's. You might missed some scenes but you won't be locked, at least not this early. :)
 
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Quetzzz

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Sep 29, 2023
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Sumbled across this one. Asking for opinions. Any good? Worth downloading?
If you're fine with the story being in a state of still being set up, and you don't mind leaving with more questions than answers, then yes, play it.
Otherwise, wait for an update or two. Quality-wise, it's all there.
 
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Yes, I understand, and I agree with that.
And that is exactly why I made
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.
First, I don't want to force romance/sex to the players, especially this early.
secondly, I don't want MC to take advantage of her in her emotional state, (this I hope the players can feel it through her body language/expression) the whole thing is her desperate attempt. as Quetzzz said, "hail mary". I want to portray that MC is not that kind of person, at least at the beginning of the game. :) :)
View attachment M. Bison _Yes Yes!_ Widescreen HD reupload.mp4
 

soemantri9

Member
Nov 7, 2022
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I understand your concern. But don't worry, the branching this episode is not going to "locked" you out from any LI's. You might missed some scenes but you won't be locked, at least not this early. :)
Don't u think its same? Its not locked but we cant see it either because "missed" If i may give advice sir... Don't give early branch give us info of every girl first and give scene later on. u can give branch in later date... Its like we are going blind here
 
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HowieGames

Past Tense Dev/Artist
Game Developer
Jul 4, 2023
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Don't u think its same? Its not locked but we cant see it either because "missed" If i may give advice sir... Don't give early branch give us info of every girl first and give scene later on. u can give branch in later date... Its like we are going blind here
Nah that's not the same at all. Being locked means that you stuck with that girl and lose the chance to get another girls. The branching we have now is just giving different outcomes without locking you in.

And I get what you're saying, but on chapter one I received enough complaints that are like "There's no branching, might as well call this a static novel" etc.
Just spam save on the playthrough and you're good to go. That's what I always does when I play AVNs. :)
 
Jan 5, 2023
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If you're fine with the story being in a state of still being set up, and you don't mind leaving with more questions than answers, then yes, play it.
Otherwise, wait for an update or two. Quality-wise, it's all there.
Qualty-wise makes a big dif, so thank you for letting me know. I get about letting it build, but I can live with it. Appreciate the advice.
 

johnmnf692

Active Member
Jun 20, 2022
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Nah that's not the same at all. Being locked means that you stuck with that girl and lose the chance to get another girls. The branching we have now is just giving different outcomes without locking you in.

And I get what you're saying, but on chapter one I received enough complaints that are like "There's no branching, might as well call this a static novel" etc.
Just spam save on the playthrough and you're good to go. That's what I always does when I play AVNs. :)
Forcing the player to save scum just to get basic info and actually talk to the LIs, rather than getting truly route dependent scenes, is terrible game design. Especially for a game that's over a year old and has virtually no content, sexual or otherwise. Branching just for the sake of branching is literally just punishing the player for no reason.

In a VN, branching needs to be for at least 1 of 2 purposes:
1) LI Routing: Self explanatory, scenes which are dependent upon being on a given LI's route
2) Plot Routing: Meaningful differences in the plot, an example would be a good route and an evil route

I still think the game is reasonably interesting, although the MC seemingly not understanding that Agnes is romantically and sexually interested in him damn near made my eyes roll out of my head.

Also, this is totally preference, but Rosie's hair being up, at least in that style, really does not suit her.
 

TonyMurray

Conversation Conqueror
Apr 8, 2024
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Hey guys!

Just wanna let y'all know, I'm still alive and kickin! :p

This is two weeks after the release of chapter two, and what I've been feeling this couple weeks is one of the weirdest feeling I've ever had.

Seeing the positive reviews and people said that they enjoy my game, theorizing, discussing, or even talked about it, makes me smiled ear to ear like a little girl in a candy shop! It really makes me feel like all the burden, all the effort, all that sweat and tears, are lifted from my shoulders. It makes me feel like I'm really doing something. :)))

On the other hand, while I know I shouldn't have, but I've been dwelling on negative reviews a little too much. While it's in the minority, I just can't help to read it all and it does stuck inside my head. If I'm being honest, there's not a single day that I'm not doubting myself. My whole year of being a "Dev", or at least I'm trying to be, it was always constant insecurity and inferiority feelings. Comparing myself to others, questioning my skills, my writings, my game, my hardware, like "Do I have what it takes?" "Am I good enough?", "Did people actually like my game? Did they enjoy it at all?" , "Is my game really a flop? Or a slop?" Or whatever the heck it is, It's always there.

All I can say about it is that this release of chapter two is a very valuable lesson for me. The good and the bad. "Aight, that's enough, Howie. Don't be a b*tch." :D

All the complains about how short the game is, and how long the development time, it's just making me more impatient. So I've surfed all different kinds of online marketplaces. Other devs advised me to get 4060 ti, cause it's a decently fast card for rendering, low power usage, also have 16GB of VRAM, which is a perfect card for me. But for the love of god... The 16GB ones are REALLY hard to find. They list it on the marketplace, but when I ask most of the sellers, 90% of the answer is "Sorry, we're out of stock for this card", Then why the flip did y'all still put it up on the main page?! The whole thing is flooded with 4060 ti, 5060, 5060 ti that have only 8GB of Vram. Bruh, these cards are all above 480$ up till 520$ !!! What is happening?!

Thankfully I found like couple of sellers that have 16GB cards available, and I've put them on my wishlist for now. Tell you what, I really wanna buy it with paylater credit, get the card now and then I can work for the game more comfortably and more efficient. but after I talk with MisterMaya the other day, Patreon is not a safe income. And he is absolutely, 1000% right. Even though I see a decent numbers now, it can change anytime. People come and goes, sub and cancel, it's all a normal thing for Patreon. So I refrain myself to buy it with credit, I mean, yeah, sure... I can pay the bills for the first month. But what if the numbers go down on the second months? I still love my kidneys and I don't want to sell my booty either. So I'll be patient and maybe wait for next month before I made that kind of decision. :D

This past few weeks I've spent a lot of my time to fix some errors and render bugs on chapter two. Story boarding and writing goes well. Also fixing some of things on the characters, especially Amanda. I've fix some things with her, so she'll not suffer some clippings anymore. Here's her body with the changes I've made recently:

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SIKE!! You thought I was gonna show y'all her naked body, don't you? Hah! Got yo ass! :p

Well, mkay... Just a little bit... Not nude, I'm saving the nude version for later. :D

Aight, I guess that's all I can say for now. It's a long yaps already. Thank you so much for sticking with me, supporting me, and put your trust in me. I'll try my best to keep improving :)

Hope you guys have a great week! Much love y'all! <3

-Howie.
 

Quetzzz

Well-Known Member
Sep 29, 2023
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Howie's post said:
Comparing myself to others, questioning my skills, my writings, my game, my hardware, like "Do I have what it takes?" "Am I good enough?", "Did people actually like my game? Did they enjoy it at all?" , "Is my game really a flop? Or a slop?" Or whatever the heck it is, It's always there.
Nothing you ever make or do will be universally loved or hated, and I commend you for taking criticism seriously. But I'd also like to urge you to ignore criticism that isn't constructive. If a person can't make the effort to string a few lines together about what bothered them, then I'm not sure their criticism can improve the game or your skill.

Even when criticism is constructive, take it with a grain of salt. Even mine. I've played over 400 AVNs and know very well what I like and dislike, but I'm also aware I have my own biases and preferences. So, in the end, it is entirely up to you which opinions or suggestions to implement or discard. It's your game.

That said, if you need help, you'll generally find it here. Need a proofreader? Spellchecker? Technical advice? You're on a forum filled with people who love the medium and would like nothing more than to help you succeed.
 
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HowieGames

Past Tense Dev/Artist
Game Developer
Jul 4, 2023
130
816
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Nothing you ever make or do will be universally loved or hated, and I commend you for taking criticism seriously. But I'd also like to urge you to ignore criticism that isn't constructive. If a person can't make the effort to string a few lines together about what bothered them, then I'm not sure their criticism can improve the game or your skill.

Even when criticism is constructive, take it with a grain of salt. Even mine. I've played over 400 AVNs and know very well what I like and dislike, but I'm also aware I have my own biases and preferences. So, in the end, it is entirely up to you which opinions or suggestions to implement or discard. It's your game.

That said, if you need help, you'll generally find it here. Need a proofreader? Spellchecker? Technical advice? You're on a forum filled with people who love the medium and would like nothing more than to help you succeed.
Yeah, it's just that a bad habit for me to always comparing myself to others. Also need to train myself to have a thick skin :D
Thank you so much for the kind words... I really appreciate you saying this. <3
 

mumudef4

Member
Oct 2, 2025
139
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Developer, if you give me a sexy and smoking-hot mature woman scene (you know, the kind that goes from night all the way until the next morning, at least 3–4 orgasms kind of marathon), I’ll give you a 5-star review.Keep it up, developer. Get that new graphics card soon.
If you really can’t afford it… well, I wouldn’t mind if you sold your ass. :sneaky:
Be a strong developer!
 
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3.80 star(s) 13 Votes