Ren'Py Seeds of Chaos [v0.4.11a Patreon] [Vénus Noire]

[Rein]

Reviews will pick up in time, when the game offers the intended experience.

If we take time to polish things, people will complain we're taking too long.
If we rush to wrap things up and move on, people will complain we left the game incomplete.

Doomed if you, doomed if you don't.

I'd sell my soul to go back in time and do things differently. Alas.

 

[Back]

I'd sell my soul to go back in time and do things differently. Alas.

Like what? What things would have been done differently? Please, tell us more. :]

Did you mean...

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[Rein]

Like what? What things would have been done differently? Please, tell us more. :]

Did you mean...

Spoiler

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Spoiler

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[Back]

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Way, way back in the beforetimes, the early backers (yay me!) knew him to be the "Nemesis", as I recall. Essentially, a counter to the rise of the dark overlord Rowan -- whether that be true or not -- and a champion to defeat him (specifically) and the rest of Bloodmeen's forces. That information and the associated image have long since quietly been removed from y'all's project's overview on Patreon and webpage. You guys have been really good at not letting anything slip on that front for basically forever -- to the dismay of many! So no, you haven't revealed who it is in any official capacity that I can remember, but many of us have speculated that the Nemesis would simply make an appearance later on as Act I solidified itself. With the evolution of the project and the passage of time, all of this is subject to change (or has already) and I can't assume anything said here is correct anymore. Well, other than whoever this character will turn out to be will show up at some point in the SoC saga per your comment. ^^ Definitely looking forward to it though!

 

[Carefree247]

Reviews will pick up in time, when the game offers the intended experience.

If we take time to polish things, people will complain we're taking too long.
If we rush to wrap things up and move on, people will complain we left the game incomplete.

Doomed if you, doomed if you don't.

I'd sell my soul to go back in time and do things differently. Alas.

Many expect devs to know what they are doing and some things take time to learn and grow, it's not like their is a book/course on how to make a AVN step by step, 2021 was a year of growth for Venus Noire as you guys have been the most productive and showed a lot of quality improvement than previous years and let's hope this positive trend continues.

Way, way back in the beforetimes, the early backers (yay me!) knew him to be the "Nemesis", as I recall. Essentially, a counter to the rise of the dark overlord Rowan -- whether that be true or not -- and a champion to defeat him (specifically) and the rest of Bloodmeen's forces. That information and the associated image have long since quietly been removed from y'all's project's overview on Patreon and webpage. You guys have been really good at not letting anything slip on that front for basically forever -- to the dismay of many! So no, you haven't revealed who it is in any official capacity that I can remember, but many of us have speculated that the Nemesis would simply make an appearance later on as Act I solidified itself. With the evolution of the project and the passage of time, all of this is subject to change (or has already) and I can't assume anything said here is correct anymore. Well, other than whoever this character will turn out to be will show up at some point in the SoC saga per your comment. ^^ Definitely looking forward to it though!

Spoiler: my thoughts

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Spoiler: my thoughts

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Except he doesn't survive in all the outcomes of the Rastedel arc as I recall from the discussions here. Could be one of his lieutenants however, or someone from the theocracy.

 

[Jynx_lucky_j]

I'm still somewhat new here, so I wasn't around in the early days. But it seems to me that the project got away from them in a variety of ways. Maybe I would be bitter about it to if I was around in the more diretionless days. But their current roadmap seems to be steering them in the right direction and they seem to be making real progress toward completion. So I'm looking forward to it.

 

[aykarin]

If you look back on SoC development it's clear that it was chaotic during the early years. The goals were over-ambitious, some aspects of the game were being developed much faster while others lagged behind, art style was all over the place etc. Lots of very basic things were left for later while the devs were focusing on minor events that suit the fanbase's fetishes or introducing completely new plot points (like Fae storyline) that are still only in the very early phase.

So yes, if someone donated lots of money for the game while expecting relatively smooth progress on all its aspects, he/she has a right to be disappointed. The truth is the devs were (or still are) gradually learning how to properly create VNs and SoC is their experimental field. But at least for 4 years now, the progress is good and stable. It's not super fast, but the quality of new content is extremely high, both in terms of writing and art. Hell, I'd pay 3$ per month on Patreon just to see all the new amazing CGs that are constantly being produced.

SoC will probably take many more years to finish, probably even more than a decade (if we are talking about three acts). But I don't really mind it as long as the devs will continue to work on it keeping at least the current pace. Even right now, far from completion, it's one of the best Western erotic VNs.

 

[perles75]

It's also a rather unique game: not a standard VN, not a full management game, but kind of in the middle, and with a good number of branches. Such projects (surely ambitious, and possibly overambitious in the early years) are always more difficult to steer.

 

[Big Green]

Except he doesn't survive in all the outcomes of the Rastedel arc as I recall from the discussions here. Could be one of his lieutenants however, or someone from the theocracy.

It has to be

Spoiler: This

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[monk_56]

6 years. still in act 1.
I spent about 100 bucks before realizing that they really weren't interested in making meaningful progress. Yes, there are problems that need to be addressed but the devs mostly aren't working on them; they working on stuff that largely doesn't progress the story. Currently the top review on steam is negative. Half of the "Most Helpful" reviews on Steam are negative and nearly all of them mention slow development. 6 years. A team of people have been working on this title for 6 years and they still haven't closed Act 1. they're awfully quick to respond to criticism, for people allegedly hard at work on their game. When I supported the game on patreon I thought the game was only a year or two old and that the devs legit wanted to finish the title.
Fans blame the long development on feature creep and overly ambitious goals. If that's the case the devs are severely lacking in common sense.
I chose the most negative appraisal; they're just stringing people along doing minimal work until the whole thing collapses and they move on to something else. I enjoy gloating ITT because I've already been MAC banned from all Star Citizen and Tarkov
boards in the universe.
6 years. still in act 1. Game currently being shredded in Steam reviews despite the devs asking patrons for positive reviews.

I appreciate your rhetorical skills bro. Starting and ending with the same power line is always effective But I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment that "6 years. still in act 1" is a negative thing based on the team's circumstances or that the game is getting shredded on steam.

1) "6 years. still in act 1" -

Spoiler: Development time considerations

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In all honesty, the team has accomplished a lot based on the dynamics of their resources over time ect.

2) "Getting Shredded on Steam" -

Spoiler: Steam considerations

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Maybe I am wrong. But I think the needle for the game should be pointing up. They have a lot of positive momentum and things are starting to come together.

As a caveat. I've invested $100 into the game so far as well- and I'll keep funding proprortionally to how much I care about w/e routes they are working on.

 

[Oriandu]

Man, who gives a fuck about Steam reviews of any kind. All it takes is for a game to be slightly progressive in a certain way and every bigot with a keyboard will slam the game with negative reviews, or for a game to pander to a certain group who will slam it with positive reviews. The last thing that should be used as proof of anything is something getting "shredded" on steam.

 

[Lilithblackbriar]

It mainly follows Rowan, with a good portion of the game following his wife Alexia.

So in other words no there is no female mc atleast as of yet.

 

[Oriandu]

So in other words no there is no female mc atleast as of yet.

No, there's a female MC. Alexia is what would be referred to as the dueteragonist, which is to say she's the second primary focused upon character. You may not click grids on a map to move her around, but she's the central figure of a large percentage of the scenes of the game, has a varied range of the kinds of scenes she appears in, and in general impacts the story to a great deal. If you removed her from the game SoC would not be worth playing. She is a main character, she's simply not the only main character.

 

[Jynx_lucky_j]

So in other words no there is no female mc atleast as of yet.

It depends on on how you define it. If you are referring to the the "game" side of things then Rowan is certainly the main character.
But if you are talking about the "Visual Novel" side of the game then Rowan and Alexia are closer to equals, in that they are both the focus of a lot of scenes and you the player are privy you their internal monologues and get the choose the actions each of them take.
However, there isn't really a category for: there are two player controlled characters that you will switch between in depending on the scene and one of them happens to be a female. If it make any difference the developers have said they consider Rowan and Alexia to be co-protagonists.

 

[perles75]

I appreciate your rhetorical skills bro. Starting and ending with the same power line is always effective But I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment that "6 years. still in act 1" is a negative thing based on the team's circumstances or that the game is getting shredded on steam.
...

preach

 

[monk_56]

So in other words no there is no female mc atleast as of yet.

Alexia is more like a kink dump than an actual protagonist.
She is somewhat like a protagonist if you like specific kinks.
She has a two very robust NTR narrative arcs (like 20% of the game's art) and a general corruption arc- but other than that does very little character growth.
There is one very small series of events where she starts to learn magic.

I have very mixed feelings about her as someone who doesn't care for corruption narrative or NTR; If you don't like corruption narrative most of her plot is just her getting harassed which is very tedious and un-sexy.

She still has some good stuff- but she is definitely way more like a NPC than a protagonist- especially if you aren't into the aforementioned kinks.

She does have another arc coming up eventually though- so a guy can hope she gets some legit plot outside of her kink plot.

 

[Big Green]

Alexia is more like a kink dump than an actual protagonist.
She is somewhat like a protagonist if you like specific kinks.
She has a two very robust NTR narrative arcs (like 20% of the game's art) and a general corruption arc- but other than that does very little character growth.
There is one very small series of events where she starts to learn magic.

I have very mixed feelings about her as someone who doesn't care for corruption narrative or NTR; If you don't like corruption narrative most of her plot is just her getting harassed which is very tedious and un-sexy.

She still has some good stuff- but she is definitely way more like a NPC than a protagonist- especially if you aren't into the aforementioned kinks.

She does have another arc coming up eventually though- so a guy can hope she gets some legit plot outside of her kink plot.

+1. Can't really call her a protagonist character. Always thought her whole arc feels kind of forced. Personally, i don't like her that much and the whole Alexia's perspective is not that iteresting at all. Never understood how Rowan with a hero complex could abandon and betray his realm just because of her, it is more like a what if story plot. But the thing is she is forced 24/7 into narrative just because she is his wife. She is pretty yes, but very plain character wise.I don't get why every demon in the castle would be that interested in a farmgirl houswife.

So if you turn off NTR at the beginning of the game, she will be more like a nuisance in my opinion. And with NTR ON she is just a fan service character. But then again developers are trying hard to make her somewhat important.

 

[Deleted member 113137]

I dunno, i "love" Alexia and the way she is introduced, and i disagree with that she has no meaningfull Character-Development. It's only that the Focus is more on the "corrupt her" side than trying to advance here "pure" side, for obvious reason that the Game want from the beginning not be the super pure Game, but rather a evil and dark one where you see mostly the fall of the Hero and his Wife. I remember the early days when it pretty much got it's first release and the dev over and over stated that people shouldn't expect a too heroic story etc. And that's why i find Alexia fit's so perfect into the story, because it helps in terms of struggle of the Hero and the effects the sorrounding have. And i'm gonna be honest, Alexia content is often that stuff which i root for most updates. And i also agree with the people above who said she is still kinda a protagonist/co-protagonist.

Alexia is more like a kink dump than an actual protagonist.
She is somewhat like a protagonist if you like specific kinks.
She has a two very robust NTR narrative arcs (like 20% of the game's art) and a general corruption arc- but other than that does very little character growth.
There is one very small series of events where she starts to learn magic.

TBH, if we go by that logic, majority of Porn-Games don't have actual Protagonists, because majority of Protagonists(Male and Female) kinda force you into one direction which you have to follow, and even if there are choices, quite often they aren't as fleshed out as these specifics. If you involve NTR into it even more, due how different that direction takes. I mean how often do you think do i have to play a Protagonist which play the same alpha-male energy of pervert who needs to be the dominant role? You can't play the more introvert, shy or passive guy. And if we go back to the NTR topic or "pure" topic, you are quite often limited in that regard as well. There are only very few Games (like twist) which have a more open approach where you have more impact in character growth towards having a more love or corrupt route, and for the latter if you are more of a swinger / Sharer or we really gets cucked / ntr'ed. I find in the "porn-game" industry is still a lot left open to enhance, even for the best examples. But the Fact that a "Protagonist" is pushed towards a specific direction (and some people personally don't like the direction) doesn't make it less a protagonist, otherwise we only would play NPC in majority of games.

Maybe I am wrong. But I think the needle for the game should be pointing up. They have a lot of positive momentum and things are starting to come together.

I agree, SoC have made quite a progress from the very beginning, a lot of them is even the "hidden" stuff which irons out gameplay mechanics and such. I feel like Porn Games in general have a big Problem if it comes down to "Gameplay" and "Build-Ups" because to be fair, quite alot of People simply want to enjoy a smut game, and that's where i can see people have a Problem with, if it takes too long to get to this point, or if a Game gets to grindy or chore to play. I myself hope in the end SoC will be in that regard in the end a more ironed out/smooth experience because right now i'm at a point, due how often i had to start over and stuff, that i can't get myself up to enjoy it anymore and are quite happy that some fans are up to do gallery mods, because i still love the scenes(and i talk specific scenes, not only the "pictures"...thats why a proper Gallery is important for me in Porn Games because i want to read/see the scenes because they add some flavor to it) or offer a more "streamlined" optional mode where you can as Player who prefer to go more directly for the smut a better experience.

I've invested $100 into the game so far as well-

In all honesty i'm quite happy about people who want to fund these stuff, i myself can't because i'm simply too boomer for that and prefer to have a single premium price(that's why i'm happy everytime a Porngame gets released on steam, i got myself a copy of SoC on steam already and i can also deal with it when devs decide to delay the update for a month for steam owners due they don't constantly support each month the game with money... but devs should be atleast consistent on that).

 

[SpoiledPrince]

I, for one, think Alexia brings a lot to the table. She is the main reason for Rowan to join the Twins, a fragile person he has to protect from the rest of the world, and a sort of morality pet.
They led a very simple life devoid of any ambitions, far truer than what he would have had with a lady from the court or other interested parties. She didn't use him for social climbing or political alliances. After a long period of adventures, he longed for peaceful stability, and he seemed happy before they took it from him along with his wife.
Now he's forced to travel through a hostile land filled with mythological and horny creatures that want a piece of him, recruiting them by hook or by crook (often with his penis).

But Alexia is no Penelope. She doesn't have to reject every and each suitor's advances as her husband plows half the continent's holes because of old-time misogynistic morals. She's dutiful, not stupid. The longer Rowan is away from her arms, the more she starts contemplating the idea that maybe he's not acting with her best interest at heart... so she doesn't have to bear his.
Not every fantasy woman has to revel in the idea of being the first mate among many other pokemon-ish vaginas in a harem, because he's oh-so-alpha. Nope. She can stray and find her own strength and allies, and that's something 99% of other games don't dare to offer: a female with her own agenda looking for herself first.

She even doubts her husband's sexuality, which is a no-no for most Devs, in fear of a backlash. SoC is that brave a game.

I hope there will be a route offering an ultimate showdown between Roman and his allies and Alexia and hers, with Alexia in full villainess mode telling him he always underestimated her and cheated on his weak, ignorant, shy wife disregarding the storm brewing in her eyes every time he put his cock where it shouldn't be and made a mock of their marriage. Now she's his equal and will make him pay for her constant humiliation...