VN Ren'Py Race of Life [Ep. 3.1 Extra Fix v3] [Underground Studio]

[Dessolos]

there are a few variants of the scene, but you pretty much have to be on bad terms with her, you need 8 points or less to trigger that argument after which you can hatefuck her. So if you do nice things you'll easily go over the point threshold.

ah I didn't know there were variants of the hate fuck scene as I wasn't trying to trigger it so I was being nice to her while doing a Jasmine run but still did

 

[RoryTate]

Here are some of my quick thoughts/observations after playing through this awesome VN for the first time this weekend.

• I searched the thread but no one appears to have noted the funny dialog about how Professor Heisenberg was absent and MC was "uncertain" about when he would return (an obvious physics reference to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle).
• This is the first game or novel in what is probably forever that has introduced me to an unfamiliar, commonly-used word (though it turns out to be Australian slang, so I guess it's not unsurprising that I've never heard of it before)...namely spruiking! spruik (verb) - to promote an idea to another person.
• Veronica and Jasmine far outpace the rest of the LI's in the game (that's just my personal opinion of course, others may disagree on which characters are more compelling and attractive to them).
• I do find Maggie to be very nice too, and the scene where she "doesn't want to bother" MC stands out to me the most, because it is such a great character moment for her that establishes her as being unselfish, which I find very attractive (again IMO).
• Allie is growing on me as the story progresses (though she won't ever reach the level of V or Jazz I suspect).
• The competitive banter and cattiness between Veronica and Jasmine is well done and makes them feel like real people to me. This rivalry – and the interesting dynamic of female aggression in general – isn't something you often see pulled off this well in adult VNs.
• On that topic, I would enjoy seeing the MC try to mellow the rivalry between Veronica and Jasmine somewhat in the future, to get them to at least respect and perhaps even admire what the other woman has to offer. They are both the standout LIs in the game (again IMO) and it would be nice if they could have generally positive endings even when MC is on the other's path. If the rivalry continues at this level, I don't see how it won't turn into serious hard feelings and much awkwardness later on.
• The deluge of puns between Natalya and MC around the subject of electromagnetism was sometimes funny, sometimes so terrible it was funny, and sometimes just downright awful and annoying to read yet another one of them.
• It seems pretty clear to me that Natalya is a shady plant who is involved in some way with people who are trying to steal the prototype/secrets from MC, though it feels like she will be a heel face turn or instead reveal herself to be working for some organization that is trying to protect MC. I do think she will ultimately land on our side, at least based on how the story beats are hitting with her character. She is just a bit too amateurish to be a full-on antagonist (I could be wrong about this though). Regardless, I'm keeping Natalya at arms length in my main playthrough for obvious reasons.
• Veronica didn't really come across well in lobbying for MC to choose her as his +1 for the ball. I think she should have argued that she was the much more proper and elegant choice as compared to Jasmine, instead of acting immature and focusing too much on the idea that MC should immediately jump in and defend her, just...because. (This could be deliberate on the part of the dev though, considering my next point...)
• Having Jasmine attend the ball feels like it fits better as story canon for some reason, perhaps in large part due to the great dynamic shown between her and Alexa during the ball scenes. Watching those two interact is very amusing, given how Alexa so easily pushes all of Jasmine's buttons.
• The final race to close out ch2 had me pumping my fist at the end alongside MC, so kudos to the devs there...great setup and establishing of stakes, execution, etc.
• Something about the start of the "Lily coma" arc did feel...a bit "off" to me. I'm not sure why it took so long for the obvious "call to action" for the protagonist to land, but perhaps it was the sense that it would quickly bring the story to a grinding halt, which did indeed turn out to be the case, unfortunately. I can understand why the MC and Allie would devote every second of their lives following this event to Lily's well being and care, but having the reader follow them through every...single...moment of so much of that process very quickly overstayed its welcome. Tighter editing was needed here.
• And speaking of places where some editing could improve the story, we have to address the technobabble. Now this common trope does serve an important purpose in storytelling: namely to quickly move the plot forward when the protagonists face a difficult impasse/challenge. And yes, it can be used differently in experienced hands. For example, the lengthy technobabble when MC and Jasmine solve the discharge problem is effective and appropriate, even though it goes into a fair bit of "unneeded" detail. In other places though, like during the long explanation by Dr Mahamaya for Lily's treatment, the technobabble just drags noticeably and has a negative effect on the story's overall pacing. In most situations, it's simply better to keep technobabble short and concise. And that's an area where the current version of the story could be improved I think.
• Alongside the pacing issues it obviously creates because of its length, the whole sales pitch given by Dr Mahamaya about Lily's care also had me screaming "snake oil salesman!" at several points, most importantly when the concept of copying memories was described in detail. Taken within story canon, it's hard to see MC and Allie as having done anything more than waste a whole lot of their money for very dubious reasons. Now I doubt the story is going to make our attractive Doctor an antagonist, but if it does the reasons are definitely there to support it. Personally, I think the sales pitch should have just been explained to the reader through a quick "bullet point" summary after the meeting as MC and Allison discussed the offer and made their decision, and in my head canon I had to replace most of the neurological nonsense that the good doctor proposed with a no-frills, practical care routine that focused on maintaining Lily's physical health as the top priority for medical staff (which was well established as being a valid concern under normal care), and that the WUI's special techniques would be much more likely to get her out of the coma earlier. The "dealing with trauma through memory manipulation" stuff can still be mentioned if needed (but only in summary I would argue...the problem though with any suggestion I make is that I don't know the overall intentions of the devs story-wise...this concept might become very important later on), but to me the "psychological trauma angle" needs to be at most a potential added benefit, while the number one priority simply has to be on the much more valuable result of shortening the timespan that Lily is in the coma. Nothing else properly justifies that level of investment/expense.
• It's quite frustrating how the MC gets cockblocked at every corner with Jasmine, but I guess it has served to build up anticipation and sexual tension fairly well...still, the execution does feel a bit too arbitrary and frustrating at times story-wise.
• The introduction of Tiana late in ch2 has me worried that the game will suffer in future updates from having too many side LIs, rather than putting the required focus on the the strong core group of characters that already exist.

Again, this is an incredible start to what is likely to be a great VN, and I think with just a bit of extra polish (mainly tighter editing, and a stronger and more compelling motivation regarding Lily's treatment) the story thus far is close to damn near perfect. Great job, and I'm really looking forward to playing the next update!

 

[Dessolos]

Here are some of my quick thoughts/observations after playing through this awesome VN for the first time this weekend.

• I searched the thread but no one appears to have noted the funny dialog about how Professor Heisenberg was absent and MC was "uncertain" about when he would return (an obvious physics reference to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle).
• This is the first game or novel in what is probably forever that has introduced me to an unfamiliar, commonly-used word (though it turns out to be Australian slang, so I guess it's not unsurprising that I've never heard of it before)...namely spruiking! spruik (verb) - to promote an idea to another person.
• Veronica and Jasmine far outpace the rest of the LI's in the game (that's just my personal opinion of course, others may disagree on which characters are more compelling and attractive to them).
• I do find Maggie to be very nice too, and the scene where she "doesn't want to bother" MC stands out to me the most, because it is such a great character moment for her that establishes her as being unselfish, which I find very attractive (again IMO).
• Allie is growing on me as the story progresses (though she won't ever reach the level of V or Jazz I suspect).
• The competitive banter and cattiness between Veronica and Jasmine is well done and makes them feel like real people to me. This rivalry – and the interesting dynamic of female aggression in general – isn't something you often see pulled off this well in adult VNs.
• On that topic, I would enjoy seeing the MC try to mellow the rivalry between Veronica and Jasmine somewhat in the future, to get them to at least respect and perhaps even admire what the other woman has to offer. They are both the standout LIs in the game (again IMO) and it would be nice if they could have generally positive endings even when MC is on the other's path. If the rivalry continues at this level, I don't see how it won't turn into serious hard feelings and much awkwardness later on.
• The deluge of puns between Natalya and MC around the subject of electromagnetism was sometimes funny, sometimes so terrible it was funny, and sometimes just downright awful and annoying to read yet another one of them.
• It seems pretty clear to me that Natalya is a shady plant who is involved in some way with people who are trying to steal the prototype/secrets from MC, though it feels like she will be a heel face turn or instead reveal herself to be working for some organization that is trying to protect MC. I do think she will ultimately land on our side, at least based on how the story beats are hitting with her character. She is just a bit too amateurish to be a full-on antagonist (I could be wrong about this though). Regardless, I'm keeping Natalya at arms length in my main playthrough for obvious reasons.
• Veronica didn't really come across well in lobbying for MC to choose her as his +1 for the ball. I think she should have argued that she was the much more proper and elegant choice as compared to Jasmine, instead of acting immature and focusing too much on the idea that MC should immediately jump in and defend her, just...because. (This could be deliberate on the part of the dev though, considering my next point...)
• Having Jasmine attend the ball feels like it fits better as story canon for some reason, perhaps in large part due to the great dynamic shown between her and Alexa during the ball scenes. Watching those two interact is very amusing, given how Alexa so easily pushes all of Jasmine's buttons.
• The final race to close out ch2 had me pumping my fist at the end alongside MC, so kudos to the devs there...great setup and establishing of stakes, execution, etc.
• Something about the start of the "Lily coma" arc did feel...a bit "off" to me. I'm not sure why it took so long for the obvious "call to action" for the protagonist to land, but perhaps it was the sense that it would quickly bring the story to a grinding halt, which did indeed turn out to be the case, unfortunately. I can understand why the MC and Allie would devote every second of their lives following this event to Lily's well being and care, but having the reader follow them through every...single...moment of so much of that process very quickly overstayed its welcome. Tighter editing was needed here.
• And speaking of places where some editing could improve the story, we have to address the technobabble. Now this common trope does serve an important purpose in storytelling: namely to quickly move the plot forward when the protagonists face a difficult impasse/challenge. And yes, it can be used differently in experienced hands. For example, the lengthy technobabble when MC and Jasmine solve the discharge problem is effective and appropriate, even though it goes into a fair bit of "unneeded" detail. In other places though, like during the long explanation by Dr Mahamaya for Lily's treatment, the technobabble just drags noticeably and has a negative effect on the story's overall pacing. In most situations, it's simply better to keep technobabble short and concise. And that's an area where the current version of the story could be improved I think.
• Alongside the pacing issues it obviously creates because of its length, the whole sales pitch given by Dr Mahamaya about Lily's care also had me screaming "snake oil salesman!" at several points, most importantly when the concept of copying memories was described in detail. Taken within story canon, it's hard to see MC and Allie as having done anything more than waste a whole lot of their money for very dubious reasons. Now I doubt the story is going to make our attractive Doctor an antagonist, but if it does the reasons are definitely there to support it. Personally, I think the sales pitch should have just been explained to the reader through a quick "bullet point" summary after the meeting as MC and Allison discussed the offer and made their decision, and in my head canon I had to replace most of the neurological nonsense that the good doctor proposed with a no-frills, practical care routine that focused on maintaining Lily's physical health as the top priority for medical staff (which was well established as being a valid concern under normal care), and that the WUI's special techniques would be much more likely to get her out of the coma earlier. The "dealing with trauma through memory manipulation" stuff can still be mentioned if needed (but only in summary I would argue...the problem though with any suggestion I make is that I don't know the overall intentions of the devs story-wise...this concept might become very important later on), but to me the "psychological trauma angle" needs to be at most a potential added benefit, while the number one priority simply has to be on the much more valuable result of shortening the timespan that Lily is in the coma. Nothing else properly justifies that level of investment/expense.
• It's quite frustrating how the MC gets cockblocked at every corner with Jasmine, but I guess it has served to build up anticipation and sexual tension fairly well...still, the execution does feel a bit too arbitrary and frustrating at times story-wise.
• The introduction of Tiana late in ch2 has me worried that the game will suffer in future updates from having too many side LIs, rather than putting the required focus on the the strong core group of characters that already exist.

Again, this is an incredible start to what is likely to be a great VN, and I think with just a bit of extra polish (mainly tighter editing, and a stronger and more compelling motivation regarding Lily's treatment) the story thus far is close to damn near perfect. Great job, and I'm really looking forward to playing the next update!

While we differ a little bit on LI the only thing I would add to this might full under "technobabble" not sure but also when they speak about car stuff too while it isnt as bad as the medical technobabble. Because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to cars it felt at times useless car speak I didn't understand but that's probably more of a me issue.

 

[RoryTate]

While we differ a little bit on LI the only thing I would add to this might full under "technobabble" not sure but also when they speak about car stuff too while it isnt as bad as the medical technobabble. Because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to cars it felt at times useless car speak I didn't understand but that's probably more of a me issue.

I think it's actually worse when you understand the subject to some degree. I have a physics degree (undergrad), with a decent amount of knowledge in biology and medicine, so there are many points in this story where the Wolfgang Pauli quote: "That's so bad, it's not even wrong!" come to mind. Honestly though, technobabble is perfectly fine in short bursts, or even in longer forms when it serves another purpose (such as establishing the friendship between the MC and Cooper while they work on cars, or the excitement of a new discovery being shared by the MC and Jasmine). But it's best used sparingly, and it's important to keep it short and concise.

 

[DuckDairyDip]

Veronica was a huge draw for me in the first episode and still is in episode 2. But, no matter how much I think about it or play this game, I can't imagine ever committing to a relationship with her to the seriousness she wants including marriage and kids especially in light of MC's trouble with Lily's medical treatment and his research. Took her to the charity ball since I like her and felt like it made sense to me for various reasons, but now she goes to Canada and I assume is out of the game for good. Really bummed about it, but still looking forward for what is to come.

 

[Dessolos]

Veronica was a huge draw for me in the first episode and still is in episode 2. But, no matter how much I think about it or play this game, I can't imagine ever committing to a relationship with her to the seriousness she wants including marriage and kids especially in light of MC's trouble with Lily's medical treatment and his research. Took her to the charity ball since I like her and felt like it made sense to me for various reasons, but now she goes to Canada and I assume is out of the game for good. Really bummed about it, but still looking forward for what is to come.

dang so she still goes to away if you are on her path ill be honest she is the one path I was saving for last liked her at first to some degree but then she started to feel to pushy after the stuff with Lilly made me want to pick someone else. Still a good character just not my top 3 for the game,

 

[Acsuka]

Veronica was a huge draw for me in the first episode and still is in episode 2. But, no matter how much I think about it or play this game, I can't imagine ever committing to a relationship with her to the seriousness she wants including marriage and kids especially in light of MC's trouble with Lily's medical treatment and his research. Took her to the charity ball since I like her and felt like it made sense to me for various reasons, but now she goes to Canada and I assume is out of the game for good. Really bummed about it, but still looking forward for what is to come.

It's interesting what you write...I also have Veronica's route, but in my version it doesn't say that she goes to Canada. I took her to the prom, then we slept together at MC's apartment and went on a trip...They confess their love to each other and Veronica's last sentence is that she is getting ready for work on Monday...she has 26 points with him.

 

[CereBros]

Hey everyone, what type is the MC' car please... It seems Like 1969 Pontiac GTO, but yet it does not... Or is it the old Chevrolete Chevelle SS. (Please do not nail me for heresy at car enthusiasts ) (Thanks for answer in advance). + Is it supercharger if I remember it correctly or turbocharger ?

Anyway love this game, love the story, characters (Jasmine), humor, music, racing minigame, cars and devs efforts for this.

 

[Holmster74]

How to install mod on mac? I merge the game folder from the mod with the game folder inside the "Race of Life" app and it says "mod not installed correctly" when i open the game. This happens with all games btw not just this one. what am i doing wrong?

You're not the only one, scrappy haven't answered any questions so far..

 

[Sin_Mechero]

Hey everyone, what type is the MC' car please... It seems Like 1969 Pontiac GTO, but yet it does not... Or is it the old Chevrolete Chevelle SS. (Please do not nail me for heresy at car enthusiasts ) (Thanks for answer in advance). + Is it supercharger if I remember it correctly or turbocharger ?

Anyway love this game, love the story, characters (Jasmine), humor, music, racing minigame, cars and devs efforts for this.

It looks a lot like a Ford Capri, and from the way it's named in the game it looks like they're talking about the Nissan Fairlady Z.
And yes, they have installed a supercharger

 

[CereBros]

It looks a lot like a Ford Capri, and from the way it's named in the game it looks like they're talking about the Nissan Fairlady Z.
And yes, they have installed a supercharger

Your right, the Ford Capri is strikingly similar, thanks for that. And for confirmation of the supercharger being installed. Love the sound of it in game as well real life from now on .

 

[08Hanbo]

Hmm, I tried everything (even completely ignoring other girls) but I can't get Allison scene. What should I must choose to get her scene?

I think you need to have less than 8 points with her. You don't get it in the good path with her.

If you mean the hate-fuck scene,make sure you're on very bad terms with her.

don't tell her where you get the money

there are a few variants of the scene, but you pretty much have to be on bad terms with her, you need 8 points or less to trigger that argument after which you can hatefuck her. So if you do nice things you'll easily go over the point threshold.

You don't need to be on bad terms with Allison, just make sure you don't take her to a charity ball, then choose to stay for tea with the doctor, and then go to Allison's house for dinner and you'll see these options, and then choose Fight back and the scene will be triggered



This is the relationship I had with her at the time of the scene, my 15 points still triggered the scene, it didn't need to be lower than 8, and I did tell her how I made my money.

 

[dazdncnfusd77]

I tried replaying from the start it still gave me the same bug. Anytime I get a text notification, I can't open the phone, I just get a bug screen

I was having the same issue and had to delete the renpy folder with old save data, then started a new game and everything worked fine.

 

[Dessolos]

You don't need to be on bad terms with Allison, just make sure you don't take her to a charity ball, then choose to stay for tea with the doctor, and then go to Allison's house for dinner and you'll see these options, and then choose Fight back and the scene will be triggered

View attachment 2938801

This is the relationship I had with her at the time of the scene, my 15 points still triggered the scene, it didn't need to be lower than 8, and I did tell her how I made my money.

View attachment 2938804

Glad you made this post as I was starting to wonder if I did pick options to be mean towards her on my Jasmine playthrough since I got this scenes but others said you had to be mean or w/e and I don't recall doing any of those options expect the tea and not taking her to ball like you just said.

 

[CereBros]

I have a question in general. Where do Ren'py games have music ? In this case the only big file I see is being archive.rpa in game folder of the game. But I do not exactly want to open it or extract to find just one music. And shazam can't seem to find it.
The game itself have no in-built menu list of all songs, only the link for creators and such. So I was hoping some of you could give me an advice.

Anyway, the song in question is like a goofy ambient instrumental song that plays in various moments and have a bit reocurring/repeating chorus that is at once both annoying, and catchy and I think about it a lot, because it is weirdly calming to me. It reminds me a bit of VALSE GYMNOPEDIE for comparsion...

I know everyone loves these types of question... And I hope I do not annoy you for it, but this site as I browse it has always many of you that are willing to help each other out and/or are experienced with this more.

 

[Abhai]

I have a question in general. Where do Ren'py games have music ? In this case the only big file I see is being archive.rpa in game folder of the game. But I do not exactly want to open it or extract to find just one music. And shazam can't seem to find it.
The game itself have no in-built menu list of all songs, only the link for creators and such. So I was hoping some of you could give me an advice.

Anyway, the song in question is like a goofy ambient instrumental song that plays in various moments and have a bit reocurring/repeating chorus that is at once both annoying, and catchy and I think about it a lot, because it is weirdly calming to me. It reminds me a bit of VALSE GYMNOPEDIE for comparsion...

I know everyone loves these types of question... And I hope I do not annoy you for it, but this site as I browse it has always many of you that are willing to help each other out and/or are experienced with this more.

it all depends on how devs are packing/compiling their games.
sometimes those are packed as rpa, sometimes not.
if they are packed as rpa (as here is the case), you have to unpack them.
useful and user-friendly tool is unren, for example this one.

other than that, can help you...not much into avn music, like not playing/listening it at all

 

[Bossftw]

I've tried a few times now but I can't seem to unlock the fifth scene? Can someone help? Thanks!

 

[SerHawkes]

Gonna keep it real. Enjoyed it so far and looking forward to the story and everything. Has my interest.

That said...
'Girlfriend' I am not a fan of. I get that she is wanting us to commit to her and such, given how we've apparently been seeing her for some time now, but honestly? Your asking us to commit to a real relationship, with everything going on in our lives right now??? Yeah, I really don't feel bad about likely breaking up with her. She's average in looks anyway. ...That is unless she turns full yandere and sets Delilah on fire... Then we are fucked.

Illustrious Tatted Sage... God I so fucking hope she is fine with sharing. Between her and her sisters, fun fun times ahead. Love her troublesomeness, not to mention she's is a grade A waifu in the making. Though I am curious to how she and Lily would interact if we started dating. Think she would be a decent mom type of sorts.

German Doll... Woooof. Girl is 3 parts trouble, 5 parts nympho, and 13 parts lewder than a new years eve orgy on viagra. Wonder if she plays for both teams, or if she is willing to dye her hair red. Hmmm... two redheads taking care of the boss in the workshop...

Ex-Waifu.... She's a bitch, and she knows it. Though I do like the thought of possible make up sex, or rekindling something there. Though I do hope if something does turn there, she is more open to a threesome or sharing. Though unlikely.

Racing Wifey... Won't lie... I do enjoy me some lusty succubus's from time to time, and she is no exception. Maybe getting on her good side will lead to a better discount down the road for things.

All in all, a gem in the making.

 

[rasyonel]

I can't stop thinking about this gem.

 

[icecrea233]

so good game