VN Ren'Py Price of Power [Ch.25] [Pandaman Games]

[boeschner]

I think with Maria, along with everything that happened she'd also barely slept, and with everything together it just buried her emotional stability. So she napped, realized that her One True Love is okay, and she was able to shake off the worst of it.

I don‘t know man…

Maybe I could accept it if she didn‘t seem so unstable before. I get it, no sleep, traumatic experience an all, but she was already kind of twisted before. The fact that she then switches back to normal like that just doesn’t work for me. I don’t buy it. Makes her look even more crazy.

 

[Pandaman Games]

I don‘t know man…

Maybe I could accept it if she didn‘t seem so unstable before. I get it, no sleep, traumatic experience an all, but she was already kind of twisted before. The fact that she then switches back to normal like that just doesn’t work for me. I don’t buy it. Makes her look even more crazy.

I wonder what's gonna happen in the future between them... There won't be much Maria-Emilia development in Chapter 7 (7 is primarily Maria-MC and plot), but there is certainly more content for their budding friendship/rivalry in this Act.

 

[ClockworkGnome]

Fair enough. Though, in my opinion, authorial intent always trumps reader/player choice.

I kind of disagree. For a story, sure. For a game, no.

It's why, if I'm playing a female protag and pursuing exclusively lesbian encounters, I don't want to be forced into a mandatory sex scene with a guy "because the plot demanded it". It's why, if I spend all game pursuring a specific love interest, I don't want the game to suddenly decide at the end that a different love interest has been my destined soulmate all along and force us together against my will. It's why, if I'm playing a game that is mostly fun power-fantasy wish-fulfilment, I don't want to suddenly turn around and get NTR'd with no ability to prevent it. It's why, if I'm playing as a relatively intelligent and confident character, I don't really want a scene where he become utterly incompetent and moronic just because the writer couldn't think of a better way to further the narrative. It's actually bad writing - in a game where you are giving players agency, you shouldn't suddenly remove all agency on a whim because you want something to happen that the player might not be willing to choose.

Now, the outcomes of choices can easily be beyond the player's control to tell a better story - having unexpected complications or setbacks can absolutely make for a better story. But the choices the main character are making should be the choices the player is making.

 

[Raife]

I wonder what's gonna happen in the future between them... There won't be much Maria-Emilia development in Chapter 7 (7 is primarily Maria-MC and plot), but there is certainly more content for their budding friendship/rivalry in this Act.

I actually liked Maria's 'mad turn' and generally bought it. She's clearly a passionate person, and the flipside of her loving passion is that she's a bit unhinged when her loved ones are threatened. It's a character flaw, but one that fits what we know of her personality... and seems to emerge only under stress. It one of the reasons why I don't think she's a Mary Sue (despite my habitual deference to Jufot, who is rarely wrong).

Emilia, on the other hand, seems almost the opposite: reflexively caring but a bit more passive/repressive in the face of extreme stress.

 

[Pandaman Games]

I actually liked Maria's 'mad turn' and generally bought it. She's clearly a passionate person, and the flipside of her loving passion is that she's a bit unhinged when her loved ones are threatened. It's a character flaw, but one that fits what we know of her personality... and seems to emerge only under stress. It one of the reasons why I don't think she's a Mary Sue (despite my habitual deference to Jufot, who is rarely wrong).

Emilia, on the other hand, seems almost the opposite: reflexively caring but a bit more passive/repressive in the face of extreme stress.

Oh, I 100% agree that Maria cracking a bit makes sense. It's just not the case that everything between Maria and Emilia is fully solved and that they're BFFs. They're definitely increasingly friendly, but... Chapters 9 and 10 will be very interesting.

 

[mightybored]

Maria and Emilia get drunk and then hate-handhold, confirmed.

 

[Helmeted Smith]

When you take the harem route, but then you see Maria approaching...

View attachment pop_m_angry.mp4

 

[seden]

Started the game with ch6, not bad although a lot to read, fine but, guess it will put the game among those to play over careful attention as to get both story and images...
TBS.

Maria is mellowing to new girl, so if the MC isn't an idiot, it's time to explain how the more support is better. Then, there is the social aspect.
Wonder if they will go to the semi abandoned and set themselves as creator of a new territory ? As things are, response is close, as money is required.
Guards and workers, they need to have a rounded variety of skills along, as to production and support. Or on the slow trail, go non-optimal and do it by steps ?
Guess it will be this way, as neither of the two MC is educated enough to understand even basics. Next up will also be the AI turn, how efficient will the MC be ?
As the IA can use sleep and even manage time inside, along with the do to learn process, setting up the stage then provide contextual information (Do you want to know more ?).

Wonder why they are so few educated and efficient MC, out of TLS (The Last Sovereign) where the MC is older as the start and has had a wife who did uplift him a lot, in fact setting him to be quite ready for is role in the game, socially at last.
It makes sense in stories to have young and somewhat idiots at starts, progressing trough stories. Game aren't covering a lot of time, guess TLS is currently over 20 years after the game started, he evolved from lone soldier to incubus king enabled, after which he met with a lot of great women's from various races.
As the story go, there is plenty of progress. Currently, we are setting up immortality, about a third of current members.
There is plenty to go on, as power wise, he has teachers and supports at every step. Not optimal but, probably good enough as things are.

For now, go Bimbo Life Coach a bit, as things are it is possible to evolve the human body, trough chemical and plants, of course time and efforts are required, even if, social settings do matter (food and activity etc).

 

[ani3003]

When you are releasing chapter 7?

 

[Pandaman Games]

When you are releasing chapter 7?

Late October or early November. More details here in my latest dev update:

You must be registered to see the links

 

[Rycharde's Realm]

Great game: a wonderful story, writing, renders, etc. Only thing I dislike? The damn Benign Narrative Entity!

 

[Pandaman Games]

PoP is coming to Steam! Read more here:

You must be registered to see the links

 

[ravendarklock]

I just played this game, and it is well written so far, the artwork is good, story seems to be really well thought out. First time developer, so I would say 9 out of 10 stars so far.
First "Post Apocalyptic" game I have come across that actually has a GOOD story, and isn't just about getting lucky. Real emotions, and reactions to dangerous situations, kind of nice to see someone who actually cares about the story. I would say keep an eye on this guy, he is going places.
OH, almost forgot, pre apocalypse tech that is still not only active, but some of which is dangerous.
And he gave me nanites! Nano-tech with built in A.I. is something I have wanted to see in a game for a while.
Sorry if this rambled, but it is a damned good first offering by a new dev. I am excited to see what he does next!

 

[ani3003]

T

Late October or early November. More details here in my latest dev update:

You must be registered to see the links

Tnx brother

 

[Krull]

Fan Sig

link

https://attachments.f95zone.to/2021/10/1481162_pop-fan.gif

 

[Weyrd]

I really think it is a great game and I love to hate the Benign Entity

Thanks Krull for the new fan sig

 

[Pandaman Games]

November 1st!

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[ArcherB]

Great game: a wonderful story, writing, renders, etc. Only thing I dislike? The damn Benign Narrative Entity!

The "Benign Narrative Entity" or "Legacy" is going to spoil this game. It started as the beautiful and well written love story of two cute, attractive and relatable characters, with some spicy scenes in a standar fantasy medieval world. That´s something that most of the people that play erotic games would like. After entering Legacy in scene as one of the main characters, the story changes and turns into something totally different, with a smaller market niche. I think that there are way more people interested in a love story in an erotic game, than in AI, nanotechnologies, technological transmission of thoughts and things like that. In my opinion, in the future, as updates come and Legacy becomes an increasingly important character, more and more people will quit this game because they will find Legacy a far fetched, boring and annoying character that is obtrusive in the love story of the other main characters. Or, at least, most people will skip Legacy´s scenes and his long, boring, uninteresting monologues and dialogues, to center in the other characters.

 

[jufot]

The "Benign Narrative Entity" or "Legacy" is going to spoil this game. It started as the beautiful and well written love story of two cute, attractive and relatable characters, with some spicy scenes in a standar fantasy medieval world. That´s something that most of the people that play erotic games would like. After entering Legacy in scene as one of the main characters, the story changes and turns into something totally different, with a smaller market niche. I think that there are way more people interested in a love story in an erotic game, than in AI, nanotechnologies, technological transmission of thoughts and things like that. In my opinion, in the future, as updates come and Legacy becomes an increasingly important character, more and more people will quit this game because they will find Legacy a far fetched, boring and annoying character that is obtrusive in the love story of the other main characters. Or, at least, most people will skip Legacy´s scenes and his long, boring, uninteresting monologues and dialogues, to center in the other characters.

Different tastes for different folks I'm the exact opposite. MC and Maria's cute, saccharine, PG-13 Disney Channel romance isn't very enticing to me. Been there, done that and all. The worldbuilding and the overarching mystery is what keeps me invested in this game.

 

[ClockworkGnome]

Different tastes for different folks. I'm the exact opposite.

This debate does kind of underline one of the dangers of that sort of "mood whiplash" style of narrative, though - where the game kind of lies about what it's supposed to be in the beginning before hitting you with the SHOCKING REVELATION once you've been playing for a while. If the genre/mood/tone/aesthetic shift is too severe, you risk hurting your own appeal.

Or to put it a different way, if people who are hoping see the game as a whimsical love story of two childhood friends and their forbidden love slowly finding themselves in a fantasy adventure that finally allows their relationship to blossom start playing the game expecting that (because of how the game is initially presented), they may be turned off by the twist and wind up abandoning the game after. While the sort of people who are way more interested in future-medieval sci-fi and philosophical weirdness, who would appreciate what the game eventually turns into, won't necessarily know it's that sort of game and so they'll never start playing it in the first place to find out.

So the appeal winds up being for the sort of players who fall in the middle of the Venn Diagram of people who find both the initial concept and the eventual reveal appealing, and who adapt to the shift with enthusiasm.

It's not impossible to pull off (I think Horizon: Zero Dawn handled it extremely well), and I'm personally right in the sweet spot as one of the people who sort of appreciate both sides of the coin, but I can definitely understand why some people might be discouraged by it, and how it might limit the overall appeal of the game.