Ren'Py Abandoned Power Vacuum [Ch. 12 Official] [What? Why? Games]

[Villain Of Game]

isn't it let's re share it so that it reach to developers

 

[Gwimmly]

won't it will be awesome to play as the old man you know in one of the vol he shares how he was going to steal those girls . At least we can see it to get it in action or else his past. What you say guys ?
7767

Maybe in his next game he will have the MC be an ugly old man like Hunter

 

[Snugglepuff]

7767

That's not how you spell What? Why? Games...

 

[elbro]

I never said Power Vacuum was "great", I said "better than average". I don't think the plot is anything amazing, and I find the jokes don't always land even though they appeal to my sense of humor. But what I've tried articulate, to anyone who can finish reading a paragraph and still remember its beginning, is that the strength of Power Vacuum's writing is in its character development. The characters have backstories, motivations, flaws, etc. which help them feel more like real people and not simply virtual sex dolls. But yes, as if it needed to be said: all of this is my opinion, and I acknowledge my bias.

However, instead of litigating the specific merits of all these games, let me just say this: I've been reading books, watching films/television, and playing video games since the 1980s, and in that time I've learned to recognize amateurish writing and one-dimensional characters. Such things can still be entertaining depending on your individual tastes, but one may find them less interesting or satisfying as one experiences more things.

I really like this game and I came in just to see if there was any news about the update (I don't see any), your comment caught my attention and I thought it was good but I do not agree with the character development, I think the development it is being filled with characters that should not have relevance but are added to create sex scenes, for example the Asian girl's family, the cleaning girl's mother, the girl for the bestiality scene, Drew's supposed partner, the arrival of the grandmother and the aunt, the story is being filled with people which only generates complexity in the development of the game, if they really were interested in the characters they would concentrate on less to develop them more, it also seems to me that they are only lengthening the story and they do not do that because they care very much about the characters, this game should have an ending in 2 more chapters but they will surely extend it indefinitely. (This game is not a Batman Comic so expect it to be filled with stories for decades)

 

[storm1051787]

I really like this game and I came in just to see if there was any news about the update (I don't see any), your comment caught my attention and I thought it was good but I do not agree with the character development, I think the development it is being filled with characters that should not have relevance but are added to create sex scenes, for example the Asian girl's family, the cleaning girl's mother, the girl for the bestiality scene, Drew's supposed partner, the arrival of the grandmother and the aunt, the story is being filled with people which only generates complexity in the development of the game, if they really were interested in the characters they would concentrate on less to develop them more, it also seems to me that they are only lengthening the story and they do not do that because they care very much about the characters, this game should have an ending in 2 more chapters but they will surely extend it indefinitely. (This game is not a Batman Comic so expect it to be filled with stories for decades)

Next chapter is the final chapter, afterwards there will be several mini updates that includes different epilogues. But the story itself will be done after this next update

 

[BigBGuse]

is this game still being developed if so is it not just being updated here if so where can i see the current development

 

[Fayn Arawn]

I really like this game and I came in just to see if there was any news about the update (I don't see any), your comment caught my attention and I thought it was good but I do not agree with the character development, I think the development it is being filled with characters that should not have relevance but are added to create sex scenes, for example the Asian girl's family, the cleaning girl's mother, the girl for the bestiality scene, Drew's supposed partner, the arrival of the grandmother and the aunt, the story is being filled with people which only generates complexity in the development of the game, if they really were interested in the characters they would concentrate on less to develop them more, it also seems to me that they are only lengthening the story and they do not do that because they care very much about the characters, this game should have an ending in 2 more chapters but they will surely extend it indefinitely. (This game is not a Batman Comic so expect it to be filled with stories for decades)

Let me clarify that I was talking about the main cast, not about every single character in the game. You're right, some characters just aren't very developed, and are there to add variety to sex scenes. But, as with any story, some characters are simply less important, and only exist to help tell the story of the main characters, so we only learn about them what we need to. Some of the women Sterling has sex with later in the game are basically props to show that he has evolved into a sex god. It's his story, not theirs.

 

[Virpgoil]

is this game still being developed if so is it not just being updated here if so where can i see the current development

Go first page has patreon you can support the dev there

 

[beegemgeege]

How many long soliloquys and monologues do we get that are all strictly there to set up some high brow one liner? He even does it during the spicy scenes. That may be great writing to you, but sometimes it feels like a means to an end to show off "how smart and cultured WWG" is.

Just pointing out that your opinion isn't the golden rule, it's just your opinion. Same as so many of you disagree with mine.

THANK YOU. Kudos for at least attempting to voice a dissenting opinion in here.

 

[blacklight47]

1641 pages when Ch13 coms out its going the crash the website

 

[AlwaysJustM]

I never said Power Vacuum was "great", I said "better than average". I don't think the plot is anything amazing, and I find the jokes don't always land even though they appeal to my sense of humor. But what I've tried articulate, to anyone who can finish reading a paragraph and still remember its beginning, is that the strength of Power Vacuum's writing is in its character development. The characters have backstories, motivations, flaws, etc. which help them feel more like real people and not simply virtual sex dolls. But yes, as if it needed to be said: all of this is my opinion, and I acknowledge my bias.

However, instead of litigating the specific merits of all these games, let me just say this: I've been reading books, watching films/television, and playing video games since the 1980s, and in that time I've learned to recognize amateurish writing and one-dimensional characters. Such things can still be entertaining depending on your individual tastes, but one may find them less interesting or satisfying as one experiences more things.

I sincerely mean this as an inquiry not a challenge to your opinion, I'm just really surprised at your perspective because it's nearly the exact opposite experience to mine. Sometimes by asking and then reading again, I get a different viewpoint. That said, I feel desperate for character development in this game. The art is phenomenal, the writing is fluid, and the characters are interesting, especially in their prologue and backstory. The game's overall quality, detail, and content is very good.

But I feel like the characters and story could hardly be more shallow. I really did not even get the impression that the author was trying for that sort of story because it's so surface level.

The jokes, for example, feel like every character is the same when they make them. Like it's the author's sense of humor and if you took any line you would never be able to place it to a character but you might know it came from Power Vacuum because of the author's style.

The women most certainly feel like sex dolls. The barriers they put up, even the MC's make little sense from one scene to the next making the characters feel like fantasies more than people.

The protagonist of the story is actually drugs and a priapism as it's the only thing that actually enables any progression, mostly because the characters have no lives outside of if they're going to have sex or not. I honestly feel like nothing else happens besides setting change and moving from one barrier and sex tag to the next.

It's feels like the author's intent is just an extreme male fantasy trope to the point where the story is just to set up for the scenes rather than an actual arc or plot.

I'm actually desperate for something else to happen because it currently feels like just an xvideo stepcontent compilation, which just isn't really what I look to AVNs for, especially with so much reading.

I would love to be wrong about this, or see a different side. I really love the art and the description of the characters, but they never get any deeper than their descriptions in my opinion. What are you seeing as the development?

For reference, stories I would say that had great character and story development while having pretty much the same sexual sub story by comparison are Desert Stalker, Ripples, Eternum, Knightly Passions, Summertime Saga, the entire NLT Lust Epidemic trilogy, Defending Lydia C-something, Unending Void, Freeloading Family, even SexBot which is closest to PV in campy silliness and ridiculous characters, but still it had a plot outside of just 'did you get the family butt yet?'

I would honestly say PV probably has the least of any I've read now that I really put thought into it writing this comment. PV has a lot of value and quality I'm just surprised to hear someone feels character development is one of those values. I would love if that were true in my experience.

 

[Fayn Arawn]

I sincerely mean this as an inquiry not a challenge to your opinion, I'm just really surprised at your perspective because it's nearly the exact opposite experience to mine. Sometimes by asking and then reading again, I get a different viewpoint. That said, I feel desperate for character development in this game. The art is phenomenal, the writing is fluid, and the characters are interesting, especially in their prologue and backstory. The game's overall quality, detail, and content is very good.

But I feel like the characters and story could hardly be more shallow. I really did not even get the impression that the author was trying for that sort of story because it's so surface level.

My understanding of "character development" is the creation of a fictional character which has depth and complexity like a real person. The main characters in Power Vacuum have personality traits and quirks which remind me of people I've known or things I've experienced. Also I'm familiar with most of the references the characters mention, which makes them (and their world) feel more real, i.e. detailed and fleshed out.

What I think you're describing is what I know as a "character arc". To be honest the character arcs in this game ARE simplistic, basically about overcoming inhibitions and taboos so they can have sex. That's fine by me, because not only is this game a fantasy, but it's a deliberate send-up of its genre, parodying many tropes from games with a similar premise. This story was never meant chronicle the characters' lives on some grand adventure.

The jokes, for example, feel like every character is the same when they make them. Like it's the author's sense of humor and if you took any line you would never be able to place it to a character but you might know it came from Power Vacuum because of the author's style.

While there are some distinct patterns of jokes (e.g. Catherine's moral/religious references), I agree that the voice of the author can be heard pretty strongly in different characters making similar jokes. But under that, I recognize a style of humor obviously inspired by decades of consuming comedy films/shows. Basically Power Vacuum IS a sitcom, just one with porn in it. Looking at it this way, I don't expect the humor to be organic. I can almost hear the laugh track sometimes.

The women most certainly feel like sex dolls. The barriers they put up, even the MC's make little sense from one scene to the next making the characters feel like fantasies more than people.

I did say that they're "not SIMPLY virtual sex dolls", by which I mean that they ARE sex dolls, but also MORE than that. Some of the conflict is pretty contrived, but again, that's part and parcel of the genre. I think the escalation of the sex follows a decent trajectory; just slow enough to create anticipation, but without going backwards like some games which keep pushing the goal further away.

The protagonist of the story is actually drugs and a priapism as it's the only thing that actually enables any progression, mostly because the characters have no lives outside of if they're going to have sex or not. I honestly feel like nothing else happens besides setting change and moving from one barrier and sex tag to the next.

It's feels like the author's intent is just an extreme male fantasy trope to the point where the story is just to set up for the scenes rather than an actual arc or plot.

I'm actually desperate for something else to happen because it currently feels like just an xvideo stepcontent compilation, which just isn't really what I look to AVNs for, especially with so much reading.

Yes, the priapism and the drugs are convenient plot devices to drive the story. I never said it was a great story, but I recognize the author employed these plot devices to get around genre cliches like the main male character being a total creep, and the women being easy sluts. The characters are somewhat absolved because of external factors. The story IS a fantasy, but it's also sort of an indictment of similar stories, as if the writer was trying to avoid many of the gross or nonsensical behaviors from other games.

I would love to be wrong about this, or see a different side. I really love the art and the description of the characters, but they never get any deeper than their descriptions in my opinion. What are you seeing as the development?

For reference, stories I would say that had great character and story development while having pretty much the same sexual sub story by comparison are Desert Stalker, Ripples, Eternum, Knightly Passions, Summertime Saga, the entire NLT Lust Epidemic trilogy, Defending Lydia C-something, Unending Void, Freeloading Family, even SexBot which is closest to PV in campy silliness and ridiculous characters, but still it had a plot outside of just 'did you get the family butt yet?'

I would honestly say PV probably has the least of any I've read now that I really put thought into it writing this comment. PV has a lot of value and quality I'm just surprised to hear someone feels character development is one of those values. I would love if that were true in my experience.

The characters aren't on much of a journey besides the one to having sex. With the exception of Sterling's physical transformation, the characters don't really change beyond overcoming their inhibitions. But as I have mentioned, the development is not in their story, it is in the layering of details about them, like past experiences or their habits.

P.S. - These are mostly just my opinions, although some have been validated by discussion with the developer on his discord. But art is of course subjective, and even porn games can be a form of art, so I'm not saying my interpretation is the "right" one. Thanks for the thoughtful and respectful discussion.

 

[Commander Booty]

What I think you're describing is what I know as a "character arc". To be honest the character arcs in this game ARE simplistic, basically about overcoming inhibitions and taboos so they can have sex. That's fine by me, because not only is this game a fantasy, but it's a deliberate send-up of its genre, parodying many tropes from games with a similar premise. This story was never meant chronicle the characters' lives on some grand adventure.

I think Fayn Arawn's whole last post is spot-on... particularly the statement I put in bold above about it being a send-up of the genre. There is a lot of nuance to this game, evident in the plot, characters and dialogue. There are literal jokes in the dialogue but then there are the jokes hidden within the rest of the game, often layered on top of one another through parody, irony or other devices. I am not necessarily saying the dev is a comedic genius, but this game functions on levels that some players are simply not going to understand or appreciate.

 

[billzero4657]

Will there be pregnancy plots in the game?

 

[Elgranfandelharem]

Will there be pregnancy plots in the game?

Yes

 

[AlwaysJustM]

My understanding of "character development" is the creation of a fictional character which has depth and complexity like a real person. The main characters in Power Vacuum have personality traits and quirks which remind me of people I've known or things I've experienced.

Ah, OK, I've been fortunate I guess because this is pretty standard in the AVNs I've happened to read. Like I said they have a good character synopsis regarding their history. It just usually also comes up in the story and might be the driving force for the deepening relationship.

But, yes I think "development" is the actual arc, it's how the character develops over the story usually driven by the arc they travel along the story.

What I think you're describing is what I know as a "character arc". To be honest the character arcs in this game ARE simplistic, basically about overcoming inhibitions and taboos so they can have sex. That's fine by me, because not only is this game a fantasy, but it's a deliberate send-up of its genre, parodying many tropes from games with a similar premise.

Same idea, but also it rarely is a grand story to have an arc. For example, say Sterling wasn't a raging hypocrite and Hunter actually just took him under his wing, like the What If 7. That's more arc and effort than Sterling puts into any relationship, that dude was a dick, but he at least had to actually work for it.

Sterling by comparison feels like a Harry Stu, everything just falls right into place, all of his challenges, even making money which gets him the heroic title just require him having a big dick.

I did say that they're "not SIMPLY virtual sex dolls", by which I mean that they ARE sex dolls, but also MORE than that. Some of the conflict is pretty contrived, but again, that's part and parcel of the genre. I think the escalation of the sex follows a decent trajectory; just slow enough to create anticipation, but without going backwards like some games which keep pushing the goal further away.

Haha, that's true, you did say that. Fair enough.

Yes, the priapism and the drugs are convenient plot devices to drive the story. I never said it was a great story, but I recognize the author employed these plot devices to get around genre cliches like the main male character being a total creep, and the women being easy sluts. The characters are somewhat absolved because of external factors. The story IS a fantasy, but it's also sort of an indictment of similar stories, as if the writer was trying to avoid many of the gross or nonsensical behaviors from other games.

This was the main hang up for me. The moral inconsistency makes the behavior nonsensical. It's like the author doesn't actually notice how messed up Sterling is or is trying to trick or mock the reader, lol. Sterling cheats on Amber and is like "I do what I want" "why should I apologize for nothing..." but two pages later berates his Dad for cheating. Flagrantly lies to everyone he's having sex with BECAUSE he knows they would be rightfully upset. "I'm not a monster. I won't spy on my Mom and touch her while she sleeps but let me casually stick my finger in my sister's butthole while she's trusting me to help her..." He actually says 'this is my chance,' and aims to force her to like it before she can stop him. Especially since she already said no many times and the obvious "let me pressure my whole family into having sex with me when they don't want to while I know they are DRUGGED"...He's absolutely a creep so it keeps feeling like the author somehow didn't know or is baiting the readers. And it's preferable if the women are just slutty rather than drugged and/or stupid...at least for the not being creepy part.

The characters aren't on much of a journey besides the one to having sex. With the exception of Sterling's physical transformation, the characters don't really change beyond overcoming their inhibitions. But as I have mentioned, the development is not in their story, it is in the layering of details about them, like past experiences or their habits.

P.S. - These are mostly just my opinions, although some have been validated by discussion with the developer on his discord. But art is of course subjective, and even porn games can be a form of art, so I'm not saying my interpretation is the "right" one. Thanks for the thoughtful and respectful discussion.

Yeah, I love discussing this stuff, thanks for the thoughtful response. I really like the characters but that made it harder for me watching them make decisions I couldn't understand. I can enjoy a story with a character like Hunter because it's just a villainous power fantasy guilty pleasure. It's more like roleplay. But, it's confusing when the character's portrayed as a hero.

 

[Fayn Arawn]

But, yes I think "development" is the actual arc, it's how the character develops over the story usually driven by the arc they travel along the story.

I get what you mean, I just think the phrase has more than one definition, i.e. an author developing a character (which I'm talking about), vs. a character developing over the course of a story.

This was the main hang up for me. The moral inconsistency makes the behavior nonsensical. It's like the author doesn't actually notice how messed up Sterling is or is trying to trick or mock the reader, lol. Sterling cheats on Amber and is like "I do what I want" "why should I apologize for nothing..." but two pages later berates his Dad for cheating. Flagrantly lies to everyone he's having sex with BECAUSE he knows they would be rightfully upset. "I'm not a monster. I won't spy on my Mom and touch her while she sleeps but let me casually stick my finger in my sister's butthole while she's trusting me to help her..." He actually says 'this is my chance,' and aims to force her to like it before she can stop him. Especially since she already said no many times and the obvious "let me pressure my whole family into having sex with me when they don't want to while I know they are DRUGGED"...He's absolutely a creep so it keeps feeling like the author somehow didn't know or is baiting the readers. And it's preferable if the women are just slutty rather than drugged and/or stupid...at least for the not being creepy part.

I've made this argument in the past and it was poorly received by some, but here it is: the REAL story is that Sterling is becoming Hunter. Not literally, but he's embracing his legacy as the fabled "dio del sesso" ("god of sex"), which is what Hunter wanted all along. It's the "Xanatos Gambit"; no matter what happens, Hunter wins.

We're biased to see Sterling as the hero because he's the main character and we view the story from his perspective. I like to think that he genuinely cares about most of the women, but his apparently altruistic deeds are ultimately self-serving. Sterling is also deceptive and knowingly capitalizes on the fact that the women are being drugged, but there is a difference in that Sterling is not (yet?) able to easily manipulate their wills, the way Hunter does (in "bad ends"). It remains to be seen whether Sterling becomes exactly like Hunter, but I think he'll become who Hunter would have been, had Hunter not been physically disfigured.

"It's like poetry, it rhymes."

 

[SuddenReal]

The moral inconsistency makes the behavior nonsensical. It's like the author doesn't actually notice how messed up Sterling is or is trying to trick or mock the reader, lol. Sterling cheats on Amber and is like "I do what I want" "why should I apologize for nothing..." but two pages later berates his Dad for cheating.

Yes, Sterling is hypocritical. It's one of his character flaws (which is exagerated by the mind-altering drugs).

 

[preglovr12]

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I see what you're saying and don't disagree entirely, but I do think it's a stretch. We see Sterling have regrets and clearly he has feelings for the girls, they arent just playthings like they are to Hunter. Drew also seems pissed Hunter is drugging everyone and iirc, thought Hunter was doing things above board. I dont think Sterling is selfless, and certainly he's doing very selfish things, but he's also making lemonade with the lemons provided by Hunter, and I cant damn him for that.

 

[Fayn Arawn]

I see what you're saying and don't disagree entirely, but I do think it's a stretch. We see Sterling have regrets and clearly he has feelings for the girls, they arent just playthings like they are to Hunter. Drew also seems pissed Hunter is drugging everyone and iirc, thought Hunter was doing things above board. I dont think Sterling is selfless, and certainly he's doing very selfish things, but he's also making lemonade with the lemons provided by Hunter, and I cant damn him for that.

I also think Sterling feels genuine love for (some of) the girls. I think a mutually beneficial act is less noble than a selfless act, but I don't necessarily begrudge Sterling for that, after all he's still a man with needs. When I say Sterling is becoming Hunter, I don't mean he will treat the women as mere pleasure objects. It's my impression that Hunter wasn't always this way; as far as I know, as a youngster he seduced the females in his family without the aid of drugs, and again as an older man when he won Annabelle's heart. That's who Sterling is becoming, a man who women want to be with voluntarily. What Hunter has become now is no longer worthy of the "dio del sesso" title, he's more of a fallen "god" really.