VN Ren'Py Realm Invader [Ep.2 P2] [Invader Gary]

[ShiroGato]

Up until Ep 02 Part 02, Realm Invader felt like a really good, borderline great, game. My biggest qualm with the game up to this point had been just the hamfisted comedy. Don't get me wrong, comedy is really hard to nail right for a large audience and I applaud the dev for trying, but sometimes the gags were too over the top or just didn't land. Perhaps another set of eyes on the script could've cut out some of this fluff for better pacing.

Ep 02 Part 02 just felt like it took one step forward, two steps back. While I enjoyed the direction of the party, the crux of the issues for me were that this update felt more like an on-rails experience where there player agency is gone for a lot of the sequences, and the other being what one reviewer wrote:

Dev can't decide if he wants to follow porn game logic or real life logic, so he does this weird milquetoast compromise.

Spoiler: Miya

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Spoiler: Cardi

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Spoiler: Grace

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Spoiler: Ashley

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Overall, the polish of the game is still there and the music absolutely slaps, but the 'brink of greatness' rating for me just got pushed back to merely 'good' after the update. Hopefully the degradation of player agency is just a hiccup so the dev could tell his story for this update.

 

[danb35]

But like why was this choice to confess or to hold it in taken out of the player's hands?

I think the answer here is "you already chose to be on her route." Likewise for Miya. Likewise, in reverse, for Ashley. Choices earlier have consequences later.

And if MC gets off with Grace, which he does, it literally isn't blueballing. We're at the end of Ep 2 and MC hasn't had intercourse yet. That IMO doesn't yet reach "slow burn."

 

[ShiroGato]

I think the answer here is "you already chose to be on her route." Likewise for Miya. Likewise, in reverse, for Ashley. Choices earlier have consequences later.

Just because you choose to be on someone's route shouldn't mean you cannot course correct or abort from a scene, and it irks me we are never really given that option. Agency is taken from the player.

IIRC the only skippable scene is

Spoiler: scene

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[TigerWolfe]

Just because you choose to be on someone's route shouldn't mean you cannot course correct or abort from a scene, and it irks me we are never really given that option. Agency is taken from the player.

IIRC the only skippable scene is

Spoiler: scene

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You're right every dev should spend the time to code in an option for you to revert your decision at any point in time. And it better be seamless and also flow within the narrative of the story.

You do realize how ridiculous you sound right? If you want infinite choice on the fly, go play a damn TTRPG, not an AVN.

 

[danb35]

Just because you choose to be on someone's route shouldn't mean you cannot course correct

I don't know about that. Certainly it's common to have a single choice lose a route for you, and sometimes those choices aren't very obvious. It's common to have off-ramps for a character's route once you're on it, but I don't know that I'd feel cheated if they aren't there--and I don't know whether that will happen in this game or not (other than Ashley, who had a specific choice to end his route).

And I'm playing with the walkthrough mod, so maybe those choices aren't as obvious otherwise. But as I see it, I'm OK with "you chose to be on her route, so you get the route."

 

[-HelloThere-]

Up until Ep 02 Part 02, Realm Invader felt like a really good, borderline great, game. My biggest qualm with the game up to this point had been just the hamfisted comedy. Don't get me wrong, comedy is really hard to nail right for a large audience and I applaud the dev for trying, but sometimes the gags were too over the top or just didn't land. Perhaps another set of eyes on the script could've cut out some of this fluff for better pacing.

Ep 02 Part 02 just felt like it took one step forward, two steps back. While I enjoyed the direction of the party, the crux of the issues for me were that this update felt more like an on-rails experience where there player agency is gone for a lot of the sequences, and the other being what one reviewer wrote:

Spoiler: Miya

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Spoiler: Cardi

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Spoiler: Grace

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Spoiler: Ashley

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Overall, the polish of the game is still there and the music absolutely slaps, but the 'brink of greatness' rating for me just got pushed back to merely 'good' after the update. Hopefully the degradation of player agency is just a hiccup so the dev could tell his story for this update.

You can ignore Ashley route right at the moment of changing sequence. I din't see any cock grab. Mb you actually put yourself there?)

 

[ShiroGato]

(other than Ashley, who had a specific choice to end his route).

I don't remember this, unless you're referring to the very beginning of whether or not you can choose/avoid to be on someone's route. I made the choice I did in anticipation there'd be an off-ramp to get off the route later.

You can ignore Ashley route right at the moment of changing sequence. I din't see any cock grab. Mb you actually put yourself there?)

Hmm, I don't see an option at the moment of changing for Ch 02. Up 02, only a choice to tell him he has a nice ass or make an excuse, neither which exclude me from the scene unfortunately. I did get certain bugs periodically throughout this update, but I suspect the scene might be locked in if you're already on the route and/or I have too many heart/points at this checkpoint.

 

[danb35]

I don't remember this

 

[ShiroGato]

View attachment 5459078

Ah, I think my game might have bugged out here cause I definitely did not get this option. In fact, I might need to replay this update again as several of the bug screens came up periodically through the update.

 

[danb35]

And my memory was a little off; I'd remembered the situation as "you're on Ashley's path by default; that's the off-ramp," but instead it's the choice to begin his route or not. If you chose "check in on Ashley," the scene immediately follows (at least to the point of him stripping; I haven't gone further). Whether there will be a future off-ramp for him or anyone else remains to be seen.

 

[ShiroGato]

And my memory was a little off; I'd remembered the situation as "you're on Ashley's path by default; that's the off-ramp," but instead it's the choice to begin his route or not. If you chose "check in on Ashley," the scene immediately follows (at least to the point of him stripping; I haven't gone further). Whether there will be a future off-ramp for him or anyone else remains to be seen.

Yeah it was definitely an issue on my end. I had a choice walkthrough mod for this latest update that I threw into the game folder when I installed the whole game and I guess it auto-selected this scene for me (this one of those exact moments where a bug screen popped up). Gonna have to replay this entire update to see what choices were taken from me lol.

 

[maxthruster]

You're right every dev should spend the time to code in an option for you to revert your decision at any point in time. And it better be seamless and also flow within the narrative of the story.

You do realize how ridiculous you sound right? If you want infinite choice on the fly, go play a damn TTRPG, not an AVN.

While I think the original complaint is a bit silly - "I wish I had an option to abort this route that I had to already actively choose to be on as soon as its first scene appears" - I don't disagree with the premise that most if not all sex scenes should have the ability to back out before they begin. Obviously, until you actually play through the full game and experience each scene you won't know exactly what to expect from a given one, but there's lots of ways in which a player previously interested in one of the LIs might be put off and want to avoid the scene. Whether that's the use of certain kinks, the buildup of behavior for the scene, or any other factors, players shouldn't be put into situations they're uncomfortable with simply because they had previously shown interest in a character who did not exhibit certain qualities.