- Jan 29, 2020
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After a minute you get an infodump, something I like as a concept, but the infodump in itself is ... a bit lacking of understanding when it comes to international economy. Does american manufacturing move abroad for cheaper labor? Yep, sure does. So is it feasible that a breakdown of society might occur because of rising unemployment? Nope, has happened before. So what's the problem? The statement that companies are moving to Europe and Asia! Manufacturing moved FROM Europe (and the US) to Asia in the 70's and onwards, a trend that continues even today (although not to Japan as in the 70's but to China, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc).
That trend might continue or company flight might move to other parts of the world when infrastructure permits this, theoretically parts of Africa (unlikely, I know) might overtake Asia as the place to manufacture the toys of the western world. But Europe is VERY unlikely to ever become a place where a majority of things are being manufactured again as the one thing big manufucturing companies are interested in is cheap labor. Something very much lacking in western Europe. So moving a company from Santa Clara to Berlin just won't happen, at least not in that time span and for those reasons. Change Europe to South America and Berlin to Buenos Aires/Santiago/Sao Paolo, or, less realistically, Africa and Lagos/Nairobi/Cairo etc and we're cooking with gas. That would be feasible and not totally unlikely.
That trend might continue or company flight might move to other parts of the world when infrastructure permits this, theoretically parts of Africa (unlikely, I know) might overtake Asia as the place to manufacture the toys of the western world. But Europe is VERY unlikely to ever become a place where a majority of things are being manufactured again as the one thing big manufucturing companies are interested in is cheap labor. Something very much lacking in western Europe. So moving a company from Santa Clara to Berlin just won't happen, at least not in that time span and for those reasons. Change Europe to South America and Berlin to Buenos Aires/Santiago/Sao Paolo, or, less realistically, Africa and Lagos/Nairobi/Cairo etc and we're cooking with gas. That would be feasible and not totally unlikely.
- May 20, 2020
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And then there's more of an infodump on european politics: the protectionistic and nationalistic tendencies is feasible. That the whole of the EU, which never agrees on anything, would unanimously vote for anything, not to mention something as controversial as a departure from the U.N. could never happen. A part of the world or a union can't leave the U.N., just like they can't join it, only individual countries can, and even strongly nationalistic countries tend to prefer to stay in the U.N. to try to stop all procedings against them from the inside. If France and Germany were to disagree with the U.N., don't you think they'd be more likely to just hinder all sorts of progress from within (as a lot of countries are doing already)? And the idea that in less than ten years from now, Hungary, Ireland, Greece, Denmark and Sweden would agree on foreign policy?
Sorry, but it's more likely that Jesus will come back tomorrow and usher in the rapture. This is Qanon/David Ickes' lizzards everywhere-level of nonsense. When you're writing fantasy or SF, suspension of belief is really important, if it's near future SF, the future vision has to make sense from the perspective of where we are now. This absolutely doesn't.
Sorry, but it's more likely that Jesus will come back tomorrow and usher in the rapture. This is Qanon/David Ickes' lizzards everywhere-level of nonsense. When you're writing fantasy or SF, suspension of belief is really important, if it's near future SF, the future vision has to make sense from the perspective of where we are now. This absolutely doesn't.
- Aug 13, 2018
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So magic, celestial beings and all that stuff are more feasible then? 
Who the eff cares about some plot holes in good entertainment?
The characters in those Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill movies should have broken wrists and busted knuckels all the time.
Cars don't explode after every accident and sure not after some small arms fire.
There is no sound in space yet the TIE fighters got that distinctive engine sound.
Want me to go on?
Who the eff cares about some plot holes in good entertainment?
The characters in those Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill movies should have broken wrists and busted knuckels all the time.
Cars don't explode after every accident and sure not after some small arms fire.
There is no sound in space yet the TIE fighters got that distinctive engine sound.
Want me to go on?
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- Jan 29, 2020
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First of all, thanks for taking the time to write out your detailed comments on my game.
There is a big difference between manufacturing locations and tax jurisdictions. Major American companies currently manufacture their goods all around the world. And as you postulate these locations may change in the future. But what I am suggesting is that the corporate head offices and tax jurisdictions of these American companies move to places like Berlin and Shanghai. And perhaps more importantly the wealthiest Americans do the same. Do I think this will happen? Of course not. Just like I don't think everyone on this site fucks their mothers and sisters. But people can still play incest games. This is fantasy. The world I am writing about is meant to be similar to the one Mike Pondsmith established in his Cyberpunk sourcebooks from the early 90's. Could I have created my own world from scratch based on the current global economic environment? Sure, but I chose to invest that time in other things. I think the story can still be enjoyed even if you don't think the world will change this much in the next 27 years. I do also give the option to skip the "history" data dump for those who will have a negative experience from it. The concept of European nations leaving the UN was simply more rationalization to cripple the position of the US and further its collapse into chaos (to suit the stories "world"). Again, not something likely to happen any time soon, if ever.
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Sure, go on as much as you like. The only thing you're demonstrating is a basic lack of understanding how building a narrative, or in this case, world building works. Everything in a fantasy or SF-work is by nature fictional and thus requires suspension of disbelief. How does the author achieve this? By keeping it within the laws governing his or her universe. If magic works, then it works. We accept that. Dragons? Sure. In THAT world. If it is based on technology, like all SF is, then that technology has to make sense and be beliveable - within the framework of the created world. If it is clearly stated that FTL-travel exists, then we accept that as the basis of that world even if we know that in the here and now, from what we know about the laws of physics, FTL can not exist. That's how it works - and these are not my own opinions, this is fictional writing ABC, this is what you would learn in the first lesson of a writing course, this is world building for Dummies if such a book would exist. But it follows that if your fictional world building takes it cues from - has it starting point in the world we're all sharing right now, then it has to make sense based on that. What if I were to write a story/design a game/whatever that seemed to exaktly based on our world but one detail was wrong? Like when the protagonist describes the taste of beer and you recognize the description as being of wine or tea instead. Is it more likely that the taste of beer is the only thing that has changed or that the author has no idea of how beer tastes? These are not the sort of things that indicates that the author is playing with us or is doing something interesting to keep us on our toes, these things are obvious cues that there is a mistake in the world building or a lack of knowledge from the author.So magic, celestial beings and all that stuff are more feasible then?
Who the eff cares about some plot holes in good entertainment?
The characters in those Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill movies should have broken wrists and busted knuckels all the time.
Cars don't explode after every accident and sure not after some small arms fire.
There is no sound in space yet the TIE fighters got that distinctive engine sound.
Want me to go on?
In a published book, an editor would have stepped in and fixed it. With these types of games, we, the audience become the editor. So that's what I'm doing.
Now, regarding your examples: they have pretty much been answered already (for example the Terrence Hill/Bud Spencer movies work within what I mentioned before - great movies by the way, loved them when I was a kid - as they're works of comedy and comedy has it's own set of rules, it's not like Airplane! works on any logical level but it doesn't matter, they follow THEIR own internal rules), but I will adress the Star Wars conundrum, not for the first time ever. Absolutely there's no sound in space but 1: The audience doesn't know that generally (or, now they do, but not back in 77 when the first one came out), which makes it less of suspension of disbelief to include sound than the other way around, and 2: there are no sound effects generally in life, when someone is dying there usually aren't sad music in the background etc. Film makers have trained audiences for a hundred years to associate actions with certain types of audio effects, regardless of the logic. Some films have dared to be soundless while in space (2001 for example) but usually you don't take that sort of risk, a lot of money involved. And again, everything in the star wars universe makes some sense - IN THAT UNIVERSE! Which is in a far off galaxy (do you know how far it is even to the nearest galaxy? It is fucking far!), a long, long time ago. So if the author decides to connect his world to the one we're living in now - which he has - then he needs to follow the rules of our world.
- May 20, 2020
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Oh I'm enjoying it. I'm not the type to skip an info dump however. I have no issues with your designation of Shanghai as a future residing place for multi-national corporations, but since we are now very much closer to the future you're depicting than Mike Pondsmith was (Man, Bladerunner ... the problem with near future SF is how quickly the future catches up with us ...) it's pretty obvious that the scenario you're envisioning is Very unlikely, within that time frame. So I'm suggesting some changes in the back story to make it more beliveable. Think of it as the same job an editor does: not taming the vision of the author, but suggesting changes to make it more coherent in the greater scheme of things.
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I appreciate your thoughts, thanks! I have two pre-release testers/editors but I'd be happy to have a third if you're interested. We could have had this discussion months ago.
ps. Mike's "future" was originally 2013 (pushed to 2020) and now 2077. So originally his world had to go to shit in even less time than mine! Maybe kids in the 90's were just unaware of how impossible that was.
- Aug 13, 2018
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Nice to see someone value the games and VNs here so highly
as to compare them to literature.
But honestly mate, you talk like you demand every enthusiast creating a game/VN that fits on this board
to have taken writting 101 in college. That in it self isn't pretty feasible. (Sorry couldn't resist. No harm meant.)
I think your expectations are a bit too high or even way way out of proportion.
Oh Airplane!. Effing great movie. All of the ZAZ movies are epic.
Exactly my kind of dumb entertainment. Them ain't no Kubrick but they are fun.
You don't over think a ZAZ movie, so you shouldn't do so with a VN/game on here.
Just my opinon, you got a different one and that's cool too.
as to compare them to literature.
But honestly mate, you talk like you demand every enthusiast creating a game/VN that fits on this board
to have taken writting 101 in college. That in it self isn't pretty feasible. (Sorry couldn't resist. No harm meant.)
I think your expectations are a bit too high or even way way out of proportion.
Oh Airplane!. Effing great movie. All of the ZAZ movies are epic.
Exactly my kind of dumb entertainment. Them ain't no Kubrick but they are fun.
You don't over think a ZAZ movie, so you shouldn't do so with a VN/game on here.
Just my opinon, you got a different one and that's cool too.
- May 20, 2020
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Yeah, maybe I came across as a bit too agressive (or anal retentive). I've worked with this (culture, in different capacities) some 30 years and I sometimes forget not everyone takes this as seriously, your mileage may wary and all that, and that's cool. So the only thing I'll respond to is this: "Nice to see someone value the games and VNs here so highly as to compare them to literature."
Well yeah. They kind of are comparable. Not Literature, the hoity toity, high brow stuff, no new Proust's or Woolfe's being produced on F95 I would think. But at the end of the day, it's all story telling isn't it? Whether it's someone sitting by a camp fire telling stories, in a cave, centuries ago, or a VN, a manga, a script for a Hollywood film ... in the end, it comes down to the same thing. Telling a story. I'm not a believer in the "bad culture and good culture"-paradigm. A three minute pop song has the same intrinsic worth as an opera. That's why I take these things (a bit too) seriously. Make it as good as it can be, make the best of your abillities type of thing. Edit and polish ´til it's the best work you're capable of producing. But that's just me.
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I get you mate. Different perspective.
Too me, it's more important if the creator puts their heart into something rather than the polishing.
Better true and crappy or than polished and fake.
(Not saying that i11uminati Productions's game/VN is crappy!!!)
So I rather go to a basement show where a teenage band plays some crappy 3-chord noise
than a corporate rock show in a stadium where it is exactly that, a show, an act.
i11uminati Productions regularly cranks out updates and is active on the forums
and you don't see him/her whining about not having 1k paetroens already.
So apologies for the snark.
Too me, it's more important if the creator puts their heart into something rather than the polishing.
Better true and crappy or than polished and fake.
(Not saying that i11uminati Productions's game/VN is crappy!!!)
So I rather go to a basement show where a teenage band plays some crappy 3-chord noise
than a corporate rock show in a stadium where it is exactly that, a show, an act.
i11uminati Productions regularly cranks out updates and is active on the forums
and you don't see him/her whining about not having 1k paetroens already.
So apologies for the snark.
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No worries. Enjoyed the conversation. And I love going to see the local teenage punk band as well, would never pay to see the massive corporate gig, soulless and boring. But since I'm wired the way I am, I'd probably email them the day after saying: "great show! Can I recommend a different speaker brand for the bass player instead of the one you're using now?" I'm terrible that way. I blame way too long working with things like this, but there's probably some sort of diagnosis at work as well, atleast according to my wife: "Yo, Rain Man, can you just chill out and enjoy things for once, instead of compulsively finding areas of improvement?"
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Fortunately, I do this for the chicks and not the cheddar.
I see the ball gag and chain/leash in the final preview pic, how much BDSM is in the game so far?
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A few scenes would qualify. And more to come. This is from the most applicable scene currently in the game.
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Loving this. Let your freak flag fly Nice to see pet play and watersports. A Kinky fun good time so far. Best of luck
Nice to see pet play and watersports. A Kinky fun good time so far. Best of luck
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Thank you! So glad you're enjoying it. I'm trying to make it a fun-filled romp, suitable for the whole family. Btw you should be writing my reviewsLoving this. Let your freak flag fly
Here is a G-rated image from the next release:
