VN Ren'Py Ripples [v0.8.0 Public] [Jestur]

[Jaga Telesin]

Would you consider Ripples a Harem or pseudo-harem then?

As it stands through current development (and take this with a grain of salt since I haven't played it in over a year), it lands somewhere in-between. I *think* there's a point in two paths where you have to choose one or the other (?), which almost rules it out as a pure Harem, but it isn't finished so it's still close.

The question is - what is the final intention of the developer? "Get them all", "Get 1", or "Get a few"? I just don't know.

 

[nalgonas4ever]

You are correct: those variables are in the game and can by incremented, which I have done.

But I'm afraid that has nothing to do with the harem tag. It just means that the MC can have sex with multiple girls without bad consequences. Nothing to do with whether he can have any or all of them at the same time in the same bed.

It's a bit early to get conclusions on that, since there's not even a clear end goal besides the main premise (as far as I am in mid chapter 7). For now I think itis fair to say Ripples is a pseudo-harem of sorts, for now at least.

 

[Walter Victor]

As it stands through current development (and take this with a grain of salt since I haven't played it in over a year), it lands somewhere in-between. I *think* there's a point in two paths where you have to choose one or the other (?), which almost rules it out as a pure Harem, but it isn't finished so it's still close.

The question is - what is the final intention of the developer? "Get them all", "Get 1", or "Get a few"? I just don't know.

I believe the developer has insisted that the divergence is just temporary, and the MC will, indeed, be able to romance both of them. However, one scene will be missed, depending on our choice.

I firmly believe that the intention is for the MC to be able to romance all the girls.

 

[pitao]

I could've went with the mod, but I heard it breaks things. I only used the mod for all of the party events in one sitting, it might end up breaking things later, so I don't know the consequences of that yet.

Well you heard it wrong, LightmanP is a good modder and never had any issues with this mod or others like Eternum mod also made by them. What LightmanP did on that choice with Skylar was simply adding a variable that enables you to see both content until it merges anyway, and keeps both paths open.

This is the screenshot of the choice with URM showing the code and the variable detail (still a boolean with value unknown because didn't made the choice yet in this screen hehe) and the modder info bellow saying what it does, that is the sign of a good modder, giving info on a choice that uses "both".
I assure you it doesn't break anything, at least with all the content so far. And if ever does isn't an issue for me, I'll simply change those variables with URM if needed .

 

[QwertySmurfy]

Well you heard it wrong, LightmanP is a good modder and never had any issues with this mod or others like Eternum mod also made by them. What LightmanP did on that choice with Skylar was simply adding a variable that enables you to see both content until it merges anyway, and keeps both paths open.

This is the screenshot of the choice with URM showing the code and the variable detail (still a boolean with value unknown because didn't made the choice yet in this screen hehe) and the modder info bellow saying what it does, that is the sign of a good modder, giving info on a choice that uses "both".
I assure you it doesn't break anything, at least with all the content so far. And if ever does isn't an issue for me, I'll simply change those variables with URM if needed .
View attachment 5489766

I already use URM for all my games nowadays instead of a traditional walkthrough mod. It just so happens I started using it in games after I finished Ripples up to the current content.

 

[pitao]

I already use URM for all my games nowadays instead of a traditional walkthrough mod. It just so happens I started using it in games after I finished Ripples up to the current content.

Yep URM is a great tool and is enough really and rarely or never break saves unless you make a mess on the variables . And I only use author mods that I trust, LightmanP being one of them, but there are others like scrappy or KoGa or RiamMar and very few others. Unfortunately the best of them all "retired" from F95 Sancho1969, those were the best informative mods and great UI features.

I use this mods because I'm curious about code and enjoy see the work of a good modder, and help them improve them with feedback on their mod threads if needed. I'm awful at coding but good enough reading it and understanding what it does.

 

[Leinad_Sevla]

I just started episode 5, but during the end of episode 4, I came across these two in the power plant.
This is a reference to Pale Carnations, right? I know this dev has referenced other games before (the Mc is shown playing Once in a Lifetime, i think), so is this one too?

 

[Discrepancy]

View attachment 5489948
I just started episode 5, but during the end of episode 4, I came across these two in the power plant.
This is a reference to Pale Carnations, right? I know this dev has referenced other games before (the Mc is shown playing Once in a Lifetime, i think), so is this one too?

I don't think so, but there's a resemblance with Chuck and Edwin there
Pale Carnations has referenced ripples though:https://f95zone.to/threads/ripples-v0-8-0-public-jestur.56110/post-18509492

 

[Ozymandias037]

I read it as meaning, not a BGGG scene, but that at some point in the game MC's sleeping with at least three girls. And Ripples definitely meets that criterion (we're up to at least seven, between 1999 and 2019, at least if you're on the Skylar path as I am).

I don't think it is. Is MC "engaging in consensual sex" with Krystal? Yes, he is--we use the present tense to indicate a recurring activity, even if it's not happening at the exact moment we speak (just as I might say "I'm attending classes at (some school)," even if I'm not actually in class at the time I say that). The same is true, at the same time and in the same way, of Daphne, Riley, and Skylar (if you're on her route), in 2019 alone.

Or we could look at the usage of the tag--of those games with the harem tag, how many feature at least one four-way scene? I'm sure there are some that do, and I'm just as sure it's a very small minority. Surely there are games that are mis-tagged, but if the large majority of games that feature this tag don't use it as you understand it, then either (1) the people applying the tags just don't care about the "official" meanings, or (2) they understand the official meaning differently than you do.

But this is probably going to get into a dystopian scenario, so I think I'll stop here.

This is one of the weaknesses of English. Languages that have explicit progressive tenses or subjunctive moods are much clearer in indicating things like this.

That said, I think that interpreting the tag definition as "Must include sex scene with 3 or more LIs" is probably incorrect here, because that would be much closer to an orgy, where a harem (to me) implies an ongoing relationship. If I was going to be That Guy, I'd say that grammatically it is more an insistence that all participants in a harem are having sex with everyone else, but that's also not how most people interpret the tag.

Regardless, I think focusing on the "letter of the law" as it were is futile to some extent. Words mean what people use them to mean, regardless of dictionary definitions. Prescriptivism is dumb and wrong.

[/soapbox]

 

[Discrepancy]

This is one of the weaknesses of English. Languages that have explicit progressive tenses or subjunctive moods are much clearer in indicating things like this.

That said, I think that interpreting the tag definition as "Must include sex scene with 3 or more LIs" is probably incorrect here, because that would be much closer to an orgy, where a harem (to me) implies an ongoing relationship. If I was going to be That Guy, I'd say that grammatically it is more an insistence that all participants in a harem are having sex with everyone else, but that's also not how most people interpret the tag.

Regardless, I think focusing on the "letter of the law" as it were is futile to some extent. Words mean what people use them to mean, regardless of dictionary definitions. Prescriptivism is dumb and wrong.

[/soapbox]

Even if we interpret it as the more plausible way that MC having sex with 3 or more LIs but not at the same time. It's still a bad definition for the harem tag, I bet with that definition most games on f95 would have it.

 

[e6mill]

Even if we interpret it as the more plausible way that MC having sex with 3 or more LIs but not at the same time.

The girls have to know about the others - otherwise it's just cheating.

 

[Discrepancy]

The girls have to know about the others - otherwise it's just cheating.

Sure, but I was more pointing out that if a MC that fucks 3 girls makes it a harem it would be hard to find a game on this site that wouldn't be one.
But hey I'm not even a fan of harems and can be completely wrong, but once again I find that people that are into harem games want to put all the girls in their harems without having to decide between one girl or the other

 

[duckydoodoo]

Would you consider Ripples a Harem or pseudo-harem then?

its a true pokemon collection. even if you catch em all, some you let go, and even if you have a couple you call up every now and then, one is always your main bitch. personally im old school and self identify as brok in this case, all them pokemon are great and stuff, buts all about aunt Jenny. nurse jenny, officer jenny, 1999 Jenny, the year 252525 Jenny, and every Jenny in between!

brok knew whats up

 

[Leinad_Sevla]

I don't think so, but there's a resemblance with Chuck and Edwin there
Pale Carnations has referenced ripples though:https://f95zone.to/threads/ripples-v0-8-0-public-jestur.56110/post-18509492

They are to similar to not be a reference.
The Ripple reference in PC escaped me, but I wasn´t playing Ripples at the time, so I think I have an excuse.

 

[LactoseFree]

Would you consider Ripples a Harem or pseudo-harem then?

Jestur once said this about Ripples as harem :

 

[Mark Loring]

My somewhat harmless comment spurred all of this? Um, sorry guys

 

[Walter Victor]

This is one of the weaknesses of English. Languages that have explicit progressive tenses or subjunctive moods are much clearer in indicating things like this.

That said, I think that interpreting the tag definition as "Must include sex scene with 3 or more LIs" is probably incorrect here, because that would be much closer to an orgy, where a harem (to me) implies an ongoing relationship. If I was going to be That Guy, I'd say that grammatically it is more an insistence that all participants in a harem are having sex with everyone else, but that's also not how most people interpret the tag.

Regardless, I think focusing on the "letter of the law" as it were is futile to some extent. Words mean what people use them to mean, regardless of dictionary definitions. Prescriptivism is dumb and wrong.

[/soapbox]

I'll start off by saying that I do not agree with the tag definition of 'harem'.

However, to me, the definition is quite clear. I'll show it here again:

• Harem [1 person being courted by at least 3 others, all engaging in consensual sex simultaneously.]

As we can see there are two parts to their definition: the first that there must be at least 3 people; the second that sex between all of them must be simultaneous.

Here is the Meriam-Webster definition of 'simultaneous':

1 : existing or occurring at the same time : exactly coincident

To me that is absolutely clear as to the meaning, especially those last two words. It's difficult to interpret it as something else.

Perhaps the rule makers at F95 do not understand the English language very well. Nevertheless what is written is quite clear.

I understand that word definitions may change over time, but not overnight.

You might disregard dictionary definitions, but there must be some agreement as to meanings or all communication will be impossible. You can have your own interpretations, but unless the people with whom you are communicating have the same interpretations, they will not understand what you said. For instance, it is obvious to me that different people here on this thread have different interpretations of what a harem is.

So I will repeat what I have said before: the tag rule (imperfect and perhaps incorrect [insert your own modifier here] as it may be) is what it is.