Unity Renegades Vault [v0.14] [Drako Productions]

[DrakoProductions]

Well i go to save game, press empty save slot and it stays empty.

Thanks for sharing. I have not had this myself but will try to fix it

 

[Frostvred]

Thanks for attaching the video. I have never had this issue myself so its great to have a visual. I will try fix it by the next update.

No problem at all! ><
Figured it'd be helpful, as this one's... "Odd"..
First time I've experienced something like this.

And thanks for looking into it!

I'll add:
I've tried rebooting the computer(I rarely reboot. sometimes go 70 - 80 days before reboot. )
I've deleted the folder, and re-extracted the files. Same deal.. (the mega one)
I'll try download the others and do a test with too.. May not be able to tonight, but I'll try..


Where's the game's save folder?
if I could locate it, I'd delete the folder and allow the game to rebuild it.
In case of if it's remnants from the previous version conflicting for whatever reason.

edit: Tried the Gofile, and pixeldrain download links...
Same results..

was a far-fetched testing attempt.
But if it was a case of a borked file on either of the links, it wouldn't have been first time around here. ><

edit 2:
I found the save location -> AppData/localLow/Drako Productions <-
Deleted the folder..
Still the same.

Probably safe to assume persistent data is not at fault here.
Unless there's another folder hiding somewhere?

 

[somebodynobody]

Issue 1. The constant rumbling sound. Why is there no audio option for that? Also the scrolling for the choices in the menu for screen size/text speed/etc. That should be way easier.

Issue 2. If you load during a conversation it skips over and seems to act as you saw other text, so now you are asking about a scrap metal thing you never saw. Similarly talking to Kheva and going how is the settlement instead of talking about new jobs has MC asking about the scrap metal job.

Issue 3. Found a note on a body at buried substation, you can show the note to kheva and she says it was from before your character was born. That doesn't make sense since it talks about the Baron and other things.

Issue 4. Saves don't really save as you are, since you can be without endurance/water when you do load.

 

[hanahsolo]

Issue 4. Saves don't really save as you are, since you can be without endurance/water when you do load.

Loading old version? as this version doesn't save. (point out previous posts about it)

 

[Snowfell]

The connection between progress in sexual training and the emotional state of the slave (which includes as many as 6 parameters) is unclear.

 

[Frostvred]

Loading old version? as this version doesn't save. (point out previous posts about it)

I think different folks have different issues with this version..
From what I can tell from other posts.

Some can't save at all(like you and I)
Some can save, but the data is "scrambled", and not how they were while saving.

 

[Hklmn]

hope u will remove slave-trading content

 

[Frostvred]

hope u will remove slave-trading content

That is part of this game's post-apocalyptic world.
There isn't much to the game atm, and it's buggy.
But from how the story goes, there are raiders, slavers, degenerate murderers all over the place.
"Removing slavery" would essentially make the game world building void and very shallow.

In a world such as in the game, it's a matter of "survival of the fittest".
Some will cling to their groups and small colonies for "strength".
Others if capable, will reap the benefits of overwhelming those "weaker"(or singular individuals caught in the open),
and add them as a bottom layer(thralls/lower servants) to empower oneself.

At the moment, you can choose to enslave a NPC, or bring her back to her people.
The latter(returning her to her people), effectively making it so there's next to 0 content in the game atm.
(At the moment, there are 8 cells in the player "base". And from the looks of it, there might be a possibility to expand that in the future, through building mechanics.)

What you can 'hope for', is that maybe down the line, you can choose to be a good person, and liberate the slaves instead.
(This would likely be a path that removes half the game's content, if not more though. But choices matter!)

Who knows... Only Drako Productions does at this moment.
As is, everything is up for speculation.

Drako has done well so far, to leave things open for expanding in any direction down the line.
However, I think that if he don't find a way to "expand" the map, in any way.
It'll likely either get "too cluttered", or too few locations in the future.
(multiple "pages"?. Could be done with Tabs(buttons) off to the side of the screen.)
(unless there will be multiple "one off" locations, such as the one we'll find Kyra)

 

[gringrintarl]

I think the game's state is too early in development to write a review, so instead I'll just share my impressions here.

The game has potential. I don't really get why people compare it with Desert Stalker, maybe just because of the setting. Desert Stalker is a visual novel with a bit less railroading than it's typical. Mechanically, Renegades Vault is more like Masters of Raana in its earliest stages, with resource management at its core.

Right now, IMO, what holds it back isn't its early stage of development but rather its clunky UI.

Flavor-wise, I liked it. Two things that were a bit off:

1. How easy the MC escapes his predicament and how come he has a spacious vault to begin with. Again, that's not necessarily a problem, just something that can be improved from the narrative standpoint. Maybe add some interactivity to the escape instead of making it just a description. Maybe add some prominent backstory for the vault (cf. how in Masters of Raana the MC inherits his big but decrepit house).

2. How relatively friendly are the settlement people. Again, this may be just something personal, but they are more like "friendly villagers" from a fantasy settings overall when I expected something more brutal.

Mechanically, I liked the tightness of the first couple questlines. You really have to manage water, you can't afford "exploring" much even when you actually have too. This adds to the realism.

Again, there are some things that may be worth reconsidering:

1. First thing told is "you need clean water". But actually you are forced to drink contaminated water like in 8 game days, no way around it (unless I screwed up when playing). If that's the case, maybe flavor wise it's better to say something like "eh, you have just so much clean water, but thankfully you discovered the well and at least you can drink unclean water which is not great but better than nothing".

2. The fact that you sometimes get 0 water from the well is maybe flavorful, but really makes it too hard to manage. Maybe make it at least 1 water minimum.

3. The scavenging quest is brutally long. It took me around 20 days total to collect 50 scrap metal. Maybe RNG screwed me. But I ran out of clean water and was stuck in a looong cycle of just collecting water from the well (or getting 0, see above) and training stamina to be able to collect more water AND scavenge on the same day, all on reduced stamina from drinking from the well. Overall I liked the idea, but it was too prolonged to be fun.

4. I persuaded the girl to come with me but then the MC put her in the cell, that's a bit of railroading IMO. Is the dialogue the same no matter if you force or persuade her?

Now to the saddest part, the UI. Is Unity really the best choice here? Being a software guy myself, I don't suggest to switch it, but for now the UI is too clunky. The amount of clicks to do anything is just too big. There are no shortcuts I could find. The text boxes are slow, numerous, and require skipping when you see them the second time. There is no scrollback nor history if you accidentally skip new text (and you can do that, why?). For now it looks like the bring-you-own-framework isn't very fitting as all the basics VN things will need to be reimplemented. I see why the devs of Space Journey X and Masters of Raana chose RenPy and Twine.

So, to sum it up:

1. Make reading the text more enjoyable, taking inspiration from all the VN engines out there.
2. Have less clicks overall, and add keyboard shortcuts.

Good luck and cheers!

 

[DrakoProductions]

No problem at all! ><
Figured it'd be helpful, as this one's... "Odd"..
First time I've experienced something like this.

And thanks for looking into it!

I'll add:
I've tried rebooting the computer(I rarely reboot. sometimes go 70 - 80 days before reboot. )
I've deleted the folder, and re-extracted the files. Same deal.. (the mega one)
I'll try download the others and do a test with too.. May not be able to tonight, but I'll try..


Where's the game's save folder?
if I could locate it, I'd delete the folder and allow the game to rebuild it.
In case of if it's remnants from the previous version conflicting for whatever reason.

edit: Tried the Gofile, and pixeldrain download links...
Same results..

was a far-fetched testing attempt.
But if it was a case of a borked file on either of the links, it wouldn't have been first time around here. ><

edit 2:
I found the save location -> AppData/localLow/Drako Productions <-
Deleted the folder..
Still the same.

Probably safe to assume persistent data is not at fault here.
Unless there's another folder hiding somewhere?

Thanks for digging so deep. I will spend the weekend trying to figure it out.

 

[DrakoProductions]

That is part of this game's post-apocalyptic world.
There isn't much to the game atm, and it's buggy.
But from how the story goes, there are raiders, slavers, degenerate murderers all over the place.
"Removing slavery" would essentially make the game world building void and very shallow.

In a world such as in the game, it's a matter of "survival of the fittest".
Some will cling to their groups and small colonies for "strength".
Others if capable, will reap the benefits of overwhelming those "weaker"(or singular individuals caught in the open),
and add them as a bottom layer(thralls/lower servants) to empower oneself.

At the moment, you can choose to enslave a NPC, or bring her back to her people.
The latter(returning her to her people), effectively making it so there's next to 0 content in the game atm.
(At the moment, there are 8 cells in the player "base". And from the looks of it, there might be a possibility to expand that in the future, through building mechanics.)

What you can 'hope for', is that maybe down the line, you can choose to be a good person, and liberate the slaves instead.
(This would likely be a path that removes half the game's content, if not more though. But choices matter!)

Who knows... Only Drako Productions does at this moment.
As is, everything is up for speculation.

Drako has done well so far, to leave things open for expanding in any direction down the line.
However, I think that if he don't find a way to "expand" the map, in any way.
It'll likely either get "too cluttered", or too few locations in the future.
(multiple "pages"?. Could be done with Tabs(buttons) off to the side of the screen.)
(unless there will be multiple "one off" locations, such as the one we'll find Kyra)

You are spot on with the first 3 paragraphs. for expanding that will also be there (inspired by the RAGS Game i think was called Hive Master or something similar). I do try to add a "Friendly" option in most conversations and perhaps whilst the game is fully developed you could build your Vault and finish the main story without slave/training but that would kinda defeat the purpose.

As for locations in my plans there are currently 4 settlements and the Main city. I have started working on the first settlement but since every bug i solve results in 2 new bugs this location will probably get rolled out in phases over multiple updates.

 

[DrakoProductions]

I think the game's state is too early in development to write a review, so instead I'll just share my impressions here.

The game has potential. I don't really get why people compare it with Desert Stalker, maybe just because of the setting. Desert Stalker is a visual novel with a bit less railroading than it's typical. Mechanically, Renegades Vault is more like Masters of Raana in its earliest stages, with resource management at its core.

Right now, IMO, what holds it back isn't its early stage of development but rather its clunky UI.

Flavor-wise, I liked it. Two things that were a bit off:

1. How easy the MC escapes his predicament and how come he has a spacious vault to begin with. Again, that's not necessarily a problem, just something that can be improved from the narrative standpoint. Maybe add some interactivity to the escape instead of making it just a description. Maybe add some prominent backstory for the vault (cf. how in Masters of Raana the MC inherits his big but decrepit house).

2. How relatively friendly are the settlement people. Again, this may be just something personal, but they are more like "friendly villagers" from a fantasy settings overall when I expected something more brutal.

Mechanically, I liked the tightness of the first couple questlines. You really have to manage water, you can't afford "exploring" much even when you actually have too. This adds to the realism.

Again, there are some things that may be worth reconsidering:

1. First thing told is "you need clean water". But actually you are forced to drink contaminated water like in 8 game days, no way around it (unless I screwed up when playing). If that's the case, maybe flavor wise it's better to say something like "eh, you have just so much clean water, but thankfully you discovered the well and at least you can drink unclean water which is not great but better than nothing".

2. The fact that you sometimes get 0 water from the well is maybe flavorful, but really makes it too hard to manage. Maybe make it at least 1 water minimum.

3. The scavenging quest is brutally long. It took me around 20 days total to collect 50 scrap metal. Maybe RNG screwed me. But I ran out of clean water and was stuck in a looong cycle of just collecting water from the well (or getting 0, see above) and training stamina to be able to collect more water AND scavenge on the same day, all on reduced stamina from drinking from the well. Overall I liked the idea, but it was too prolonged to be fun.

4. I persuaded the girl to come with me but then the MC put her in the cell, that's a bit of railroading IMO. Is the dialogue the same no matter if you force or persuade her?

Now to the saddest part, the UI. Is Unity really the best choice here? Being a software guy myself, I don't suggest to switch it, but for now the UI is too clunky. The amount of clicks to do anything is just too big. There are no shortcuts I could find. The text boxes are slow, numerous, and require skipping when you see them the second time. There is no scrollback nor history if you accidentally skip new text (and you can do that, why?). For now it looks like the bring-you-own-framework isn't very fitting as all the basics VN things will need to be reimplemented. I see why the devs of Space Journey X and Masters of Raana chose RenPy and Twine.

So, to sum it up:

1. Make reading the text more enjoyable, taking inspiration from all the VN engines out there.
2. Have less clicks overall, and add keyboard shortcuts.

Good luck and cheers!

Thanks for the feedback!

Great points. Eventually I want to make the character customizable as well which would bring different starts to the story but this is very far down the line. I will look into the grinding aspect as well of certain items/quests.

You are correct about the railroading on pursuiding the girl. Perhaps you are also spot on about the Unity thing but i think in the long-run it will payoff as I do think the UI improves (if only slightly) every update. I will try to get all the ren'py shortcuts in there on a relative timeframe as well.

Thanks

 

[Frostvred]

Thanks for digging so deep. I will spend the weekend trying to figure it out.

No problem at all... I may not be adept at coding and what not.
But from following tons of Early Access games and their development, I've gotten used to "troubleshooting".

And I have a full understanding that Early releases will always have some "growing pains",
before things start getting easier during development.
Management, planning, and all that obviously also takes time in the early phases.

As for locations in my plans there are currently 4 settlements and the Main city. I have started working on the first settlement but since every bug i solve results in 2 new bugs this location will probably get rolled out in phases over multiple updates.

I'm looking forward to that!

And from what is told about Bonetown(I think I recall correctly), It's a VERY "horrible place"! ><
There any chance of perhaps "light" infiltration mechanics?
Such as information gathering. Sabotage. Maybe even assassination?

Also. There any chance for a "time skip" button? like 30mins or an hour in-game?
(Unless I'm blind, and there already is one)
Testing things, made it painful skipping time, clicking back and forth into a cell and out of a cell only to skip a couple minutes.

Spoiler: TLDR, info/note only usable for dev

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[gringrintarl]

I will try to get all the ren'py shortcuts in there on a relative timeframe as well.

Just to clarify: While "regular" RenPy style are certainly welcome, I was thinking game-specific shortcuts. You may want to check Space Journey X for inspiration. It has shortcuts for in-game actions like skip time and end day as well as navigation shortcuts for rooms like the bridge, engine bay etc. Combined with the RenPy scrollback which acts as Undo, this makes a very pleasant to use UI which is quick to use AND forgiving because you have Undo.