jizzycow
I'm not sure if it's worth completely discarding all the progress made so far just to change the engine. To be honest, I'm more invested in the story and characters rather than the gameplay itself. I wanted to leave a review, but as the game stands currently, it would be a 3s one, and I don't want to harm the game. However, I do want to share my thoughts about the game, and hopefully, it can be helpful in some way.
Being a fan of "Dark Lords" games, this one really caught my attention, and I was genuinely excited as I progressed through the old version. The introduction of the maid in the first scene (H) and then she is a strict nun in the starting city, along with the protagonist's interaction with TIM, hinted at two
cool aspects: the protagonist building a massive harem, Protagonist isn't a bloodtristhy maniac but a lord with control over his mind, and protagonist ability to possess knowledge of the future while being in the past. These concepts are quite challenging to explore, but I've come across many manhuas/manhwas with amazing non-cliché stories, so I have complete faith that you can build something cool around them.
As an artist myself
(commissions open, cheap prices! xD), I'm a bit skeptical when it comes to defining what "
good" or "
bad" art is, as I've made plenty of mistakes on my own. However, in my opinion, the art in the game is enjoyable, so I don't have any complaints in that regard.
Unfortunately, the current version of the game seems to have some bugs, both visually (
as stretched images, etc) and in terms of gameplay with the cards. Additionally, there are glitches in the map that I'm sure you're already aware of. The overall feeling that everything seems "cardboard-like" doesn't appeal to me. It might just be my personal preference, but it doesn't give off a nice impression.
I'm not particularly the biggest fan of Ren'py, but considering the kind of project you initially wanted to create... You might be familiar with a game called "Knightly Passions" that also features a battle system similar to the one you presented, made in Ren'py. Instead of going through a complete overhaul, maybe it would have been better to invest that time in developing a similar system. I say this without any specific reason, as C# is
no less challenging than Java, and starting the entire game from scratch in a new engine can be exhausting, especially when you have to program everything from the ground up. Of course, you can purchase assets and such, but it still requires a lot of effort to get it exactly the way you envision, and that often leads to encountering more and more bugs, creating a snowball effect. This can take a toll on your enjoyment of the game. Perhaps I'm just talking nonsense, and if I am, please disregard my suggestions.
I believe it's worth taking a look at both "
Knightly Passions" and "
Divimera" if you haven't. They both showcase an interesting system that could serve as inspiration for anyone seeking to do something different with Ren'py. Maybe, just maybe, it would be beneficial for you and your team to consider the possibility of reverting these changes. But of course, this is merely my viewpoint as someone who enjoyed the theme of your game, and I don't intend for it to be seen as a plea.
I wish best luck for you!
