VN Ren'Py Re Even [v0.2.5] [ReEven Studio]

[Ogre]

I agree that being harsh in the beginning is beneficial, as it encourages developers to address all complaints and focus on improving their game, ultimately leading to better support in the long run.

1. Just dont listen to one side (paid support or free to play players on here). Try listening to both sides and pick the ones that are most questioned/ commented on that fit your vision, so that it will lead to more support, most likely.

Spoiler: ranting about don't surprise tag when game almost completed.

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I agree that constructive criticism is useful, but I must say, giving a one star review for a first start demo that you describe as "okay for a new developer" is counter productive. One star should be reserved for shitty shovelware or incoherent nonsense. This is better than that, and the developer is doing his best to learn and improve.

Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of early one star reviews for people to stop even trying the game at all. People don't even open the thread, and the game dies.

 

[TsubameYui]

ReEven Studio I think your game has some good bones so far. I have a few constructive criticisms, though.

Your characters use the words "jail" and "prison" interchangeably, but they are very different things. A jail is a short-term detention facility, usually only for people awaiting trial/sentencing or those with sentences under a year. Prisons are long-term correctional facilities.

Your dialogue is missing a *lot* of punctuation. Many missing periods, and commas are missing in about 99% of places they should be. Commas are extremely important, as they denote slight pauses in a sentence. Without them, dialogue pacing becomes a trainwreck, and it reads as if everyone is talking after injecting espresso straight into their veins.

Capitalization is also very hit-or-miss. Names and titles are frequently uncapitalized. There are also spelling mistakes, especially with names. "Oldman" is referred to as "Oldmen" a few lines later. I'm just assuming the warden's name is actually Oldman, and MC isn't just calling him an old man.

SpyderArachnid already pointed out the flawed logic surrounding MC's imprisonment, but it bears repeating. No amount of corruption or bribery would dissuade the public outrage over a child being blatantly framed for patricide and sending him to an adult prison. At most, he could be charged as an adult, though that is extremely rare, and sent to a juvenile detention center until he's an adult and then transferred to an adult prison.

Lastly, you should be aware that your game is still very much in violation of Patreon's ToS regarding incest. Their rules state that even without blood relation, MC's "aunt" would still constitute a former caregiver, as she took part in raising him at some point in his life, and thus her, and her daughters, would still fall under Patreon's definition of "incest". To be fair, Patreon's definition of "incest" has become so broad, that almost any relationship between two people that have met could fall under it at this point. It would probably be in your best interest to establish alternative funding options, such as SubscribeStar, as quickly as possible, as Patreon is extremely unreliable for any game with words like "aunt" or "brother" in them.

 

[Tetsu S1]

yes some of the mistakes on the grammar and spelling part, otherwise your game has good potential thanx for sharing. keep it up.

 

[ReEven Studio]

I agree that constructive criticism is useful, but I must say, giving a one star review for a first start demo that you describe as "okay for a new developer" is counter productive. One star should be reserved for shitty shovelware or incoherent nonsense. This is better than that, and the developer is doing his best to learn and improve.

Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of early one star reviews for people to stop even trying the game at all. People don't even open the thread, and the game dies.

Thanks, really appreciate that! It means a lot to hear some encouragement❤

 

[The Pie Rat]

This is the 2nd release of my game I’m hoping to get some support to help me continue this project - it’s been tough to keep going without financial backing. Your support means a lot and helps keep Re-Even alive.❤

I haven't played the game yet, but this part right here doesn't exactly inspire confidence that you'll continue developing unless people start donating to you, you can't legally make money from this anyway and most of your players wont end up subscribing anyway.

(You really shouldn't get into this business with the intent to make money. Pretty sure most who tried that ended up abandoning.)

 

[ReEven Studio]

I haven't played the game yet, but this part right here doesn't exactly inspire confidence that you'll continue developing unless people start donating to you, you can't legally make money from this anyway and most of your players wont end up subscribing anyway.

(You really shouldn't get into this business with the intent to make money. Pretty sure most who tried that ended up abandoning.)

I don’t plan on abandoning my project. It’s my first one, and I’ve spent about 8 months on it completely unpaid. I still make Zero/0 from this. What really frustrates me isn’t the money itself I’m not expecting a huge payout or anything but seeing some really low-effort AI projects getting a decent amount of Patreon support while I’m putting in all this work. That’s what gets to me.


I’m doing this because I actually care about the project, not because I think I’ll get rich from it. But yeah, I’d be lying if I said the lack of support doesn’t affect motivation sometimes.

 

[SpyderArachnid]

I don’t plan on abandoning my project. It’s my first one, and I’ve spent about 8 months on it completely unpaid. I still make Zero/0 from this. What really frustrates me isn’t the money itself I’m not expecting a huge payout or anything but seeing some really low-effort AI projects getting a decent amount of Patreon support while I’m putting in all this work. That’s what gets to me.


I’m doing this because I actually care about the project, not because I think I’ll get rich from it. But yeah, I’d be lying if I said the lack of support doesn’t affect motivation sometimes.

Spoiler: blah blah blah, I'm an asshole

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[TsubameYui]

I don’t plan on abandoning my project. It’s my first one, and I’ve spent about 8 months on it completely unpaid. I still make Zero/0 from this. What really frustrates me isn’t the money itself I’m not expecting a huge payout or anything but seeing some really low-effort AI projects getting a decent amount of Patreon support while I’m putting in all this work. That’s what gets to me.


I’m doing this because I actually care about the project, not because I think I’ll get rich from it. But yeah, I’d be lying if I said the lack of support doesn’t affect motivation sometimes.

All I can say is stick with it. You have the makings of a potentially great game. Keep at it, keep improving, and the support will come in time. Most paid supporters are wary of new devs, so it can take some time to build enough trust to get them on-board.

I'd highly recommend focusing on improving your technical writing skills. Players tend to have a hard time appreciating your story and graphics if they're too distracted by rampant spelling and grammatical errors.

It might also help to spread your exposition out a bit more. The conversation at the guild hall came off more than a little dry, due to all the long-winded exposition about ranks. I've seen games with similar systems (guild ranks, quest ranks, etc.) explain these things with a simple graphic, to great success. Maybe instead of having the girls lore dump everything at once, just have Mira hand the MC a pamphlet explaining the ranks, and display it for the player to see. Then you can have the finer points, like specific high-ranking characters, be revealed more gradually via dialogue throughout the game as they become more relevant.

Overall, I really enjoyed the game thus far. Thanks for your hard work, and I sincerely look forward to seeing more.

 

[ReEven Studio]

Spoiler: blah blah blah, I'm an asshole

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I get that you have your opinions, and I respect honest feedback but there’s a big difference between constructive criticism and just being toxic. You talk as if making a game is easy, but unless you’ve actually gone through the process of writing, rendering, coding, debugging, learning Honey Select 2, setting up animations, and putting everything together on your own, maybe try understanding the effort behind it before trashing someone’s work.


Also, about the “fake choices” yes, I break the 4th wall intentionally. It’s part of the style. If that’s not your thing, that’s fine, but that doesn’t make it a flaw.

This is my first project I’ve spent months on it doing everything solo. I’m not expecting to get rich overnight, I’m doing it because I care about it. You’re not forced to play or support it, especially when it’s free. But if you’re that much of a wuss about it, maybe start supporting the creators you actually enjoy instead of playing for free and then complaining.


Constructive feedback helps - blind hate doesn’t.

 

[SpyderArachnid]

I get that you have your opinions, and I respect honest feedback but there’s a big difference between constructive criticism and just being toxic. You talk as if making a game is easy, but unless you’ve actually gone through the process of writing, rendering, coding, debugging, learning Honey Select 2, setting up animations, and putting everything together on your own, maybe try understanding the effort behind it before trashing someone’s work.


Also, about the “fake choices” yes, I break the 4th wall intentionally. It’s part of the style. If that’s not your thing, that’s fine, but that doesn’t make it a flaw.

This is my first project I’ve spent months on it doing everything solo. I’m not expecting to get rich overnight, I’m doing it because I care about it. You’re not forced to play or support it, especially when it’s free. But if you’re that much of a wuss about it, maybe start supporting the creators you actually enjoy instead of playing for free and then complaining.


Constructive feedback helps - blind hate doesn’t.

Spoiler: to avoid cluttering up the thread

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[ReEven Studio]

Spoiler: to avoid cluttering up the thread

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Alright, I get it you clearly didn’t enjoy the game, and that’s fine. Not every project is going to be for everyone. But the way you talk, it feels less like feedback and more like you’re trying to prove something.

You keep saying you’ve worked with Daz, HS, HS2, Blender, Ren’Py, and Unity yet I don’t see any developer badge, portfolio, or even a link to your work. If you’ve really gone through the whole process, you should understand how much time and effort it takes.

I’ve said it before this is my first project, not a polished AAA product. There will be rough edges and story logic that need refining, and I’m constantly improving based on actual feedback, not insults. The fourth-wall break and choice reversal were done intentionally it’s part of the tone I’m experimenting with. You can dislike it, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s “disrespecting players.”


If you didn’t like it, no problem uninstall and move on. But don’t act like your opinion is gospel truth. Some people genuinely enjoyed it, and I’ll keep working for those who do.


Thanks for playing anyway - even if it wasn’t your thing.

 

[FatGiant]

Alright, I get it you clearly didn’t enjoy the game, and that’s fine. Not every project is going to be for everyone. But the way you talk, it feels less like feedback and more like you’re trying to prove something.

You keep saying you’ve worked with Daz, HS, HS2, Blender, Ren’Py, and Unity yet I don’t see any developer badge, portfolio, or even a link to your work. If you’ve really gone through the whole process, you should understand how much time and effort it takes.

I’ve said it before this is my first project, not a polished AAA product. There will be rough edges and story logic that need refining, and I’m constantly improving based on actual feedback, not insults. The fourth-wall break and choice reversal were done intentionally it’s part of the tone I’m experimenting with. You can dislike it, sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s “disrespecting players.”


If you didn’t like it, no problem uninstall and move on. But don’t act like your opinion is gospel truth. Some people genuinely enjoyed it, and I’ll keep working for those who do.


Thanks for playing anyway - even if it wasn’t your thing.

It looks like we have a serious communication problem here.

You don't seem to be able to accept that people don't like certain things, for example, being trolled, asked to make a choice and have it reversed. Apparently this is completely impossible for you to comprehend. Therefore, you choose to interpret that as an insult to you and to your game.

It isn't. Not only it isn't meant to be an insult, it is a very straightforward feedback.

Besides that, the logical pitfalls that Spyder identified and expressed, are also very thorough feedback. It is offered as a review of your work, not as an insult, on you or on your game. Having a child do time in an adult prison, may happen in some 3rd world country where not even International Amnesty visits or hears about. That didn't seem to be the case in the setting of your game. It is a plot hole that simply destroys the player suspension of disbelief. Then the other ones...

I haven't played the latest update, you claimed to have made some corrections, I don't know what was done. And, now, I'll tell you why I haven't played. Your attitude here.

This seems to be a personality issue, that in itself would not be relevant. Yet, you are being extremely dismissive, rude and borderline offensive to anyone that doesn't offer instant and blind adoration. You are using this forum and this thread, to get people to be your patron, yet, even if you are the one publishing the game here, you are calling all of us freeloaders. You are dismissing our criticism because we aren't patrons, but, you are the one placing the game here.

Are you under the impression that we are not allowed to have opinions? That just because we are getting it for free, by your own hand, we are not deserving of expressing those opinions? Or, do you only consider valid opinions those that are complimentary? First rule of business: A customer that bothers to give a bad review is saying that your work was worth the effort.

Instead of reading us as insulting you, read us as trying to make you see how you can make this BETTER.

It is YOUR first game, but, it absolutely isn't OUR first time playing one. Respect our experience.

Peace

 

[ReEven Studio]

It looks like we have a serious communication problem here.

You don't seem to be able to accept that people don't like certain things, for example, being trolled, asked to make a choice and have it reversed. Apparently this is completely impossible for you to comprehend. Therefore, you choose to interpret that as an insult to you and to your game.

It isn't. Not only it isn't meant to be an insult, it is a very straightforward feedback.

Besides that, the logical pitfalls that Spyder identified and expressed, are also very thorough feedback. It is offered as a review of your work, not as an insult, on you or on your game. Having a child do time in an adult prison, may happen in some 3rd world country where not even International Amnesty visits or hears about. That didn't seem to be the case in the setting of your game. It is a plot hole that simply destroys the player suspension of disbelief. Then the other ones...

I haven't played the latest update, you claimed to have made some corrections, I don't know what was done. And, now, I'll tell you why I haven't played. Your attitude here.

This seems to be a personality issue, that in itself would not be relevant. Yet, you are being extremely dismissive, rude and borderline offensive to anyone that doesn't offer instant and blind adoration. You are using this forum and this thread, to get people to be your patron, yet, even if you are the one publishing the game here, you are calling all of us freeloaders. You are dismissing our criticism because we aren't patrons, but, you are the one placing the game here.

Are you under the impression that we are not allowed to have opinions? That just because we are getting it for free, by your own hand, we are not deserving of expressing those opinions? Or, do you only consider valid opinions those that are complimentary? First rule of business: A customer that bothers to give a bad review is saying that your work was worth the effort.

Instead of reading us as insulting you, read us as trying to make you see how you can make this BETTER.

It is YOUR first game, but, it absolutely isn't OUR first time playing one. Respect our experience.

Peace

I get where you’re coming from, but disagreement isn’t the same as being unable to take feedback. I’ve acknowledged valid points and made changes where needed, but I also stand by certain creative choices not everyone will like them, and that’s fine. Still, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[michael1984]

Just played trough it

Feels more like a small intro so far

You basicly go on a slime quest and you meet the slime queen

and thats the end

you meet up with some core members as well

But it feels like a prologue so far

Need to see alot more to see if its gonna be worthwhile

 

[MrBenny]

Adjustment Mod (V1)

Hello...
I've put together a minor utility mods, as well included a few adjustments which improves the function and visibility for this Ren'Py title...

• Replaced the default text box with a custom dark bottom shaded text box. (Improves visibility without blocking the back ground images.)
• Included the 0x52_URM tool. (it can almost do everything with Ren'Py titles...edit or display data by pressing your alt and m keys together to pull up the tool's search function.)
• Also included Quick Menu mod that hide's or display's the quick menu by pressing your Q key. (Used to clean up the dialog area of your screen.)
• Included a custom dialog text outline mod (places a slight dark shadow outline around the dialog and name font (makes it easier to see the dialog text against variously changing background images).
• Included the Universal Choice Descriptor mod (this mod can be used to display on screen some hidden data that could be behind some of the story choices...if and when it's been coded.)

Installation:
Just extract and merge the mod's game folder with this titles game folder (over write if prompted). Then run your game.exe, and enjoy this title's minor UI changes and added utility features.

Also note, unless major changes are done to the gui file...this mod shouldn't require regular updates like walk through mod's normally does. As well the URM mod comes with it's own self updating feature...so if and when an update is available, a prompt message will display at the starting of this title. Just follow the instructions to update this utility mod if needed.

Regards.




(Example image below displaying some of the visible changes using this Adjustment mod compilation.)
(Note: To hide or display your quick menu, just use shift and Q keys together.)

Spoiler: More example images...

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[YogSothoth1982]

Arem femdom, footjob, and maledom avoidable?

 

[ReEven Studio]

Arem femdom, footjob, and maledom avoidable?

Yes

 

[Sneak Monkey]

My laptop, while old, isn't quite a potato and does manage almost every other VN on here bar the most graphically demanding ones just fine, does it even better since I stripped it down and repasted everything. However these animations, which don't exactly feel like 4k ultra high quality, just grind to a halt and fail to get past one single render after a few seconds of stuttering.

I know next to nothing of the rendering side of things, are some animations optimised better so they run just fine? Cos I've noticed it's just a few VN's which are really obviously going to superheat my desk with how much is going on, the rest seem to do it while also not giving any obvious signs that they would, no particularly detailed textures that I can see or even custom animations even that would maybe cause issues. Lighting and shadows maybe? Who knows about this shizzle and cares to enlighten me?

 

[ReEven Studio]

My laptop, while old, isn't quite a potato and does manage almost every other VN on here bar the most graphically demanding ones just fine, does it even better since I stripped it down and repasted everything. However these animations, which don't exactly feel like 4k ultra high quality, just grind to a halt and fail to get past one single render after a few seconds of stuttering.

I know next to nothing of the rendering side of things, are some animations optimised better so they run just fine? Cos I've noticed it's just a few VN's which are really obviously going to superheat my desk with how much is going on, the rest seem to do it while also not giving any obvious signs that they would, no particularly detailed textures that I can see or even custom animations even that would maybe cause issues. Lighting and shadows maybe? Who knows about this shizzle and cares to enlighten me?

Those are just video man, I make webm format vp9 video cilps, there is no actual rendering is happening in your pc

 

[Sneak Monkey]

Those are just video man, I make webm format vp9 video cilps, there is no actual rendering is happening in your pc

Oh right, so there shouldn't be any issues at all, like stuttering just shouldn't happen then if it's just playing a video, it's literally unplayable it's so bad. I did always wonder what the hell was up with RenPy and it's ridiculous struggles, I've run Witcher on this thing... a VN shouldn't cause so many issues, so maybe it's just a software issue.

I've checked the actual usage during animation, it's using 35% GPU... not that. 676% CPU... that is not just playing a video, some other stuff is happening that really should not be happening.