VN Ren'Py Race of Life [Ep. 3.2 Extra] [Underground Studio]

[Krytax123]

See above. I'll take your word about Nat's dialog, but I don't think the distinction matters. The problem wasn't that the MC failed to "live up to his potential" last time. Even in an alternate world where the MC became rich and famous years ago, the marriage would still have fallen apart because the two of them weren't pulling in the same direction.

The idea that the MC would be more faithful and better able to communicate once he's had a chance to sleep around is... rather optimistic given his behavior in this update. Even turning down empty sex with his own student (when he KNOW Bates will fire him at the slightest provocation) has him fantasizing about the sex he's missing out on.

It kinda was imo. Allison did fall in love with the ambitious guy who always finds solutions for problems and leads the way out of trouble. For some reason (day to day life?) the mc lost this passion or drive (this is not only stated by allie but by Veronica, or for example William too) and turned into a guy taking the way with the least resistance (in his relationship and when he started working at the university).

Imo its not even about the marterial success or fame, its about achieving something, ambition, acting, being driven.

Now the Lily dilemma reverted him back into a guy who acts and finds solutions, one of the main things allison did fall in love with. She mentions it in the hospital too that "she needed to know that a little bit of the guy is still inside him", she wasnt even sure he would do whatever it takes for lily at this point.

And Jake reflected about their missing communication already and stated what he would have done different at their conversation at the park.



And sex and passion are simply very important parts of a relationship. He's a horndog but most single guys will at least be a little bit sad if he has to turn down a threesome with two sexy chicks I dont judge him to harshly for that alone.

And btw i strongly doubt that Bates would fire the mc over that (in a avn world), firing him would just be lost money for the university and worst case a negative public scandal and at this point the project is so big, the university has way more to win than to lose from it.

And i don think Bates even really dislikes the mc. Hes just an oldschool hardass, like a sophisticated version of ham dunkirk lol but he ultimately wants the mc to succeed and is merely pissed because he considered that jake didnt had the drive/ambition (to get back to the start of my post) to do it despite the potential.

Spoiler: Bates thoughts about the MC

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

 

[NadaMucho]

And i don think Bates even really dislikes the mc. Hes just an oldschool hardass, like a sophisticated version of ham dunkirk lol but he ultimately wants the mc to succeed and is merely pissed because he considered that jake didnt had the drive/ambition (to get back to the start of my post) to do it despite the potential.

Yea this is how I feel about it. Never thought of the Ham comparison but it holds... at least from my point of view. Bates (and Ham) definitely wants the MC to succeed.

 

[LinkBox88]

Really well done. I really like that there are very mature themes being explored such as workplace struggles, co-parenting and the fallout of adultery while still remaining a very fun and sexy journey. You really get the sense that the characters are complete persons shaped by their rich pasts. I really appreciate that the past is alluded to and referenced without resorting to blunt instruments such as flashbacks(a big pet peeve of mine). It really speaks to the quality of the writing.

Personally, I would love it if leaned way heavier into the street racing but I tend to wish most games dived deeper into the thing that is the flavor of the game. If the MC is an athlete on a sports team, lean into dramatizing the games. If he's a king, lean into the kingdom building/managing. If he's a lawyer, give me court room battles.

I'm a bit concerned the battery development/venture capitalism stuff is taking too much focus away from the street racing. The game began by introducing us to an underground world of danger and unsavory characters but the plot has not spent much time in that world. After dipping our toe in the racing, it's been kind of left behind in favor of powerpoint presentations and business conferences. I think the overall narrative was better served having a desperate MC having to make difficult decisions to save his daughter rather than having him live out some kind of entrepreneurial fantasy where he's the next big deal.

The quality of the game means it will be good no matter what direction it goes in, but I would appreciate a course correction that brings it back to its roots.

 

[NadaMucho]

The quality of the game means it will be good no matter what direction it goes in, but I would appreciate a course correction that brings it back to its roots.

I don't know man the MC wasn't doing any street racing and hadn't even been to a street race until his daughter was in a coma. Believe me I like the street racing as well but it's his daughter that represents "the roots". That partnered with the idea that there is much more money to be had working the battery/3d printer route than by actual racing it seemed like a logical move to me.

Just thoughts though and I'm not arguing against your perspective. You just made me think.... and that's kind of rare.

 

[Jack Townsend]

This update confirms that the more you make Veronica jealous, the more explosive she is in the bedroom.

 

[DanThaMan]

Allison has become my favorite..

 

[Alphaeboy]

This chapter's sex scenes have proven once and for all that despite the disgusting actions of unrepentant Ginger Supremacists, and their perfidious Kraut allies, Alexa stands tall; demonstrating with ease, what many of us have long suspected, that she is a- nay, THE main love interest of this work, and (in keeping with her adorable need for cuddles and forehead kisses) the superior choice for all boys, men and male-presenting robots of culture.




TLDR. Alexa is on the board. Case closed. She's the best. Suck it you ginger-fucking losers.

Honestly, unpopular opinion I find her more attractive than Jasmine and watched her extra sex scenes more than once and want more with her.

 

[Alphaeboy]

This chapter's sex scenes have proven once and for all that despite the disgusting actions of unrepentant Ginger Supremacists, and their perfidious Kraut allies, Alexa stands tall; demonstrating with ease, what many of us have long suspected, that she is a- nay, THE main love interest of this work, and (in keeping with her adorable need for cuddles and forehead kisses) the superior choice for all boys, men and male-presenting robots of culture.




TLDR. Alexa is on the board. Case closed. She's the best. Suck it you ginger-fucking losers.

Honestly, unpopular opinion I find her more attractive than Jasmine and watched her extra sex scenes more than once and want more with her.

 

[walker188]

Honestly, unpopular opinion I find her more attractive than Jasmine and watched her extra sex scenes more than once and want more with her.

Same. I've been a fan of hers since ep 1. I understand Jasmine's appeal, but Alexa just seems like she's in a whole other class for me. And every new layer we peel back of her character and crazy kinks only makes me want her more. She's a keeper for sure.

 

[LinkBox88]

I don't know man the MC wasn't doing any street racing and hadn't even been to a street race until his daughter was in a coma. Believe me I like the street racing as well but it's his daughter that represents "the roots". That partnered with the idea that there is much more money to be had working the battery/3d printer route than by actual racing it seemed like a logical move to me.

Just thoughts though and I'm not arguing against your perspective. You just made me think.... and that's kind of rare.

I love analyzing the decisions and paths the creators end up choosing for their stories (though I don't know how often they appreciate my discourse) so I always welcome a challenge of my opinion(which is only an opinion).I agree that the daughter must remain the primary motivation for the MC.

While it might be true for the MC that the battery is a better bet for his needs, I don't think his practical concerns should be shaping the narrative. What would be cool to see should be deciding where the story goes. There's always ways to make it so he HAS to race. What if his friend didn't win all that money but actually borrowed it from bookies at the races? The guy that hit his daughter with the van was like connected to the mob right? What if our MC has to enlist the help of mobsters at the race track in getting rid of him?

The battery development just doesn't present enough conflict and obstacles for the character to overcome. The original premise of the game was ''What would you do (or refuse to do) if you needed to suddenly acquire a bunch of money to save your daughter?''. I find it very easy to relate to the MC and to imagine myself in that situation. It's a bit too convenient and not at all relatable for the answer to be ''I would just find investors for this revolutionary invention I happen to be sitting on?''.

Again. I like the game as it stands, I'm not really trying to criticize what we've gotten so far. But if we're sharing our wishes for the future, I hope the MC will have to get his hands dirty and risk his life/safety. He won't have proven the extent of his love for his daughter if all he ends up having to do is pursue ethical and legal avenues of making money to save her.

 

[Blackheartz_]

I donno if there are many Camilla fans but Cooper will share his wife with MC sooner or later.

Spoiler: Never suck anything, except...

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

how does this imply that? that would be interesting tho

 

[NadaMucho]

Again. I like the game as it stands, I'm not really trying to criticize what we've gotten so far. But if we're sharing our wishes for the future, I hope the MC will have to get his hands dirty and risk his life/safety. He won't have proven the extent of his love for his daughter if all he ends up having to do is pursue ethical and legal avenues of making money to save her.

Ok so how about this (just now imaging)... what if he ends up driving for one of the World Racing League teams like Pinnacle or Brockham? Would that slake your thirst for racing? Just for fun.

 

[ename144]

It kinda was imo. Allison did fall in love with the ambitious guy who always finds solutions for problems and leads the way out of trouble. For some reason (day to day life?) the mc lost this passion or drive (this is not only stated by allie but by Veronica, or for example William too) and turned into a guy taking the way with the least resistance (in his relationship and when he started working at the university).

Imo its not even about the marterial success or fame, its about achieving something, ambition, acting, being driven.

I guess I disagree, at least to an extent. The problems with their marriage didn't stem from Allison being disappointed in the MC's lackluster career, nor from the MC settling for a humdrum corporate life. If anything, I think the the causality is reversed and the inability to evolve their relationship is what led to the MC falling short of the lofty heights he was "supposed" to reach.

And Jake reflected about their missing communication already and stated what he would have done different at their conversation at the park.

View attachment 4349530

That's a good thing, certainly, but hindsight is always 20/20. The acid test is what he does going forward... and he sure wasn't doing a good job implementing that insight in his relationship with Veronica. Even if her dinner date in Chapter 1 was the first time she raised the question of their long term future (which I doubt), the MC clammed up immediately and refused to address the matter for quite a while.

I get the MC is still a work in progress, but would it kill them to let us end the relationship ourselves if we really feel it isn't going anywhere rather than let the MC keep stringing things along until Veronica gets pissed?

And btw i strongly doubt that Bates would fire the mc over that (in a avn world), firing him would just be lost money for the university and worst case a negative public scandal and at this point the project is so big, the university has way more to win than to lose from it.

And i don think Bates even really dislikes the mc. Hes just an oldschool hardass, like a sophisticated version of ham dunkirk lol but he ultimately wants the mc to succeed and is merely pissed because he considered that jake didnt had the drive/ambition (to get back to the start of my post) to do it despite the potential.

Spoiler: Bates thoughts about the MC

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Trust me, I get Bates; I'm a much bigger fan of him than the MC. But a) he strikes me as a very Lawful Neutral type, so I don't see him turning a blind eye to the MC fraternizing with his student even if he starts pulling his weight, and b) whatever the truth is, the MC is convinced Bates has it out for him. (The MC has a tendency to blame people for failing to be amused by his own antics, actually.)

 

[Alfred the Fallen]

The game had previously implied Alexa and Kris were FWB, so it's not like this comes completely out of the blue.

I'll keep an eye out for that the next time I play, because I must've completely missed it.

I remember Alexa flirting with Jasmine in the study group, and I remember Alexa sending the drunk photos to you while Kris had your phone. Kris even sees the picture of Alexa's boobs and says something about it, but I guess she doesn't recognize them or her phone number because she doesn't show any sign of recognition there.

 

[LinkBox88]

Ok so how about this (just now imaging)... what if he ends up driving for one of the World Racing League teams like Pinnacle or Brockham? Would that slake your thirst for racing? Just for fun.

Not really. Again, we'd just giving him a conveniently legal path for him to pursue.

If we didn't have the daughter as the primary motivation, I wouldn't care what he chooses to pursue. He would have the flexibility to choose what he wants. But this is not a flexible situation. He NEEDS the money. So I want him to be forced to do things he'd rather not do. To deal with people he'd rather not have to deal with.

Maybe there's a future where he pursues both paths (light path: battery-printing-Pro racing / dark path: street racing/crime) and finds success in both initially. But then both sides start to touch. The illegal stuff puts all his legit business at risk, or the dark side elements learns of his huge invention and it makes unsavory characters target him for what he has. I kind of like having his two worlds colliding as a plot device.

That said. I'm not trying to be too prescriptive. I just want him to face more danger so that the tension remains high.

 

[NadaMucho]

If we didn't have the daughter as the primary motivation, I wouldn't care what he chooses to pursue. He would have the flexibility to choose what he wants. But this is not a flexible situation. He NEEDS the money. So I want him to be forced to do things he'd rather not do. To deal with people he'd rather not have to deal with.

I guess I don't see that happening without another huge and unexpected medical expense. Cooper tooled him up with a big chunk of change before they even went to the conference. Seems like a lot more income will be recognized based on the efforts and contacts from said conference.

I don't deny the appeal of the "whatever it takes" mentality but getting us back into that environment is gonna take "some kind" of plot twist. Maybe he gets robbed of his funds or maybe someone else in his life requires critical help.

All just speculation of course. Still fun...

 

[ename144]

This update confirms that the more you make Veronica jealous, the more explosive she is in the bedroom.

Huh... it's like we're playing as Killian from Pale Carnations. I'd never thought about it that way, but it does kinda fit.

I love analyzing the decisions and paths the creators end up choosing for their stories (though I don't know how often they appreciate my discourse) so I always welcome a challenge of my opinion(which is only an opinion).I agree that the daughter must remain the primary motivation for the MC.

While it might be true for the MC that the battery is a better bet for his needs, I don't think his practical concerns should be shaping the narrative. What would be cool to see should be deciding where the story goes. There's always ways to make it so he HAS to race. What if his friend didn't win all that money but actually borrowed it from bookies at the races? The guy that hit his daughter with the van was like connected to the mob right? What if our MC has to enlist the help of mobsters at the race track in getting rid of him?

The battery development just doesn't present enough conflict and obstacles for the character to overcome. The original premise of the game was ''What would you do (or refuse to do) if you needed to suddenly acquire a bunch of money to save your daughter?''. I find it very easy to relate to the MC and to imagine myself in that situation. It's a bit too convenient and not at all relatable for the answer to be ''I would just find investors for this revolutionary invention I happen to be sitting on?''.

Again. I like the game as it stands, I'm not really trying to criticize what we've gotten so far. But if we're sharing our wishes for the future, I hope the MC will have to get his hands dirty and risk his life/safety. He won't have proven the extent of his love for his daughter if all he ends up having to do is pursue ethical and legal avenues of making money to save her.

I agree that the transition from street racing for comparatively small stakes to founding a revolutionary tech startup has been a bit rocky, but I don't think the venture capital material is as creatively barren as you seem to think. We've already heard about Ham getting outmaneuvered for a WLR team back in the day, and we know all about Ian Freely's over-the-top villainy courtesy of Maggie. There's plenty of drama to be had from the MC trying to hang on to his meal ticket while still getting the money he needs for Lily.

I just wish the MC was at the center of that drama driving things forward rather flitting from one plot thread to another based on whatever the game tosses at him this week.

I'll keep an eye out for that the next time I play, because I must've completely missed it.

I remember Alexa flirting with Jasmine in the study group, and I remember Alexa sending the drunk photos to you while Kris had your phone. Kris even sees the picture of Alexa's boobs and says something about it, but I guess she doesn't recognize them or her phone number because she doesn't show any sign of recognition there.

As I recall it was during the charity banquet: Kris mentions something about finding Alexa if you turn her down. Or maybe it was Alexa that said something about Kris on Jasmine's path? My old saves are broken and I haven't reached the banquet in my replay so it's been a while since I played that part. Honestly, I never had any interest in Alexa (and only a platonic interest in Kris), so it didn't leave too much of an impression.

 

[MrDude1977]

The first time I played through I choose Allie and thought she was a total bitch. However it wasn't too far in, before teaching Bob to "shake paw" when they are on the phone and the below (image) dialog pops up. When I saw that I knew she still loved him, really wanted him to make it work and was struggling with the internal conflict. That one little line put me permanently on her path.

I don't feel like the MC is taking all the blame. I feel like he's treating her with kid gloves because he still loves her and wants to make it easier for her to take the "reconciliation" path. Of course that is all just opinion but it makes me happy to think that way.

View attachment 4349403

That's what i think also i don't think of it as him admitting he was the blame for their relationship going bad i think it's just him trying to be the better person instead of throwing blame back at her. He's trying to get along with her because of Lily, if he just throws the blame back at her they will just end up fighting and he doesn't want that. So best thing to do is take the blame.

 

[NadaMucho]

That's what i think also i don't think of it as him admitting he was the blame for their relationship going bad i think it's just him trying to be the better person instead of throwing blame back at her. He's trying to get along with her because of Lily, if he just throws the blame back at her they will just end up fighting and he doesn't want that. So best thing to do is take the blame.

Well said. Additionally she starts to show appreciation for these actions quite quickly. I know it's weird but I constantly feel like she's dying to forgive him and fall into his arms again... while also being a sincerely pissed off bitch who wants him to pay for his actions. Every time he's cool with her it seems that forgiveness goes up and "pissed off" goes down.

 

[Ilhares]

This update confirms that the more you make Veronica jealous, the more explosive she is in the bedroom.

So the key to a truly explosive night is to have her watch as you rail Jasmine and Alexa simultaneously.

Ok so how about this (just now imaging)... what if he ends up driving for one of the World Racing League teams like Pinnacle or Brockham? Would that slake your thirst for racing? Just for fun.

Or maybe his foamed aluminum chassis and new battery tech become the basis for Kris' new all-electric super racer and she takes the circuit instead?