VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Something to Write About: The Author [Ch. 7.1] [STWAdev]

Version Played: Ch. 7.1

Time to Complete: 7 hours

TL;DR: "This game's strength is in its emotions as it shines brightly in it's own darkness."

[4.5/5] Story: This game doesn't have a great first impression, but as you learn more about the characters and the story, it starts to become harder and harder to pull yourself away. This game's strength is in its emotions as it shines brightly in it's own darkness. A few rough and sensitive topics are covered throughout the game, and while some other games may be even harsher on the emotions than this, this game succeeds where they've failed and made me uproot old and otherwise buried emotions.

[4/5] Renders: This game looks good and for a dev's first game, it is impressive. The colors look good, there is no noise, and the scenes generally look full and real. The only issue I have is that some scenes scenes use assets that are clearly intended to be in the distance having low resolution textures.

[*] Why I love this game: This game speaks to me. I relate to many of the characters in one way or another and during one of the darker patches in the game, I actually had to stop and message one friend a few paragraphs about my old emotions and remind them how much I appreciate and care for them, probably while tearing up as I poured out my heart and soul.

Not quite five stars but close.

- Attention to sex scenes isn't given nearly the same polish as the rest of the writing.
- You can tell the dev is experienced, so the lack of punctuation and throng of spelling mistakes is disappointing.
- It's not a crime to show the mc's face fully.. I don't know what purpose obstructing the face serves, beyond irritating the audience.
- Underwhelming renders and lighting.

+ Fleshed out characters. All the girls are distinct and you feel for them. I have trouble picking a favourite girl. Dru is my current pick.
+ Good conversations. Very hard to do for most devs.
+ A harem game if you want it, and it's done organically.
+ Meaningful choices.

Verdict: A worthy download.

Just had to go through all 6 available chapters in one sitting and I got so invested, I actually cried a bit at the end 6th chapter.

I really have hard time choosing best-girl as all characters have depth to them that make them believable. There are feels, there are reconciliations with past pains and obviously there are gorgeous girls inexplicably being drawn to protagonist.

As characters get to know each other H-scenes naturally follow the story. "Something to Write About: The Author" uses harem-game dressing to tell character driven story with ero elements.

is willing to subvert and callout genre tropes to avoid being collection of x-number or clips per character and delivers h-scenes that are impactful respectful to characters.

I immensely enjoyed the game (ver 0.6.2 playthrough). I definitely didn't come here for feelings and chopped onions, but I am glad I found them.

To be honest, I am upset at myself for not reading this from the start, but I am thankful because I had so much at one time. I have been reading these stories for over a year and there have been some very good stories, but this hands down has been the best.

I was intrigued, laughed (loudly), felt compassion, and even empathized with some of the characters. This had my attention from the time I downloaded it until the time I finished the last sentence. I have no choice but to support it because if it were a book I would have purchased it without pause.

I thank you for the time and effort you put into the story and the character development. I look forward to your next admission.

I have played quite a number of games here on F95. Fortunately, there were many good games among them, some were even great.

Well, then there are a few games that stick in your mind. And even though the game is not finished yet, I already know this is one of them. The story, the characters, and especially the storytelling are fantastic! Rarely have I been so immersed in a game as I am here.

Technically and especially graphically the game is on a very good level, but can't quite reach the top titles. For a "newcomer" in this business, however, it is still remarkable, and you notice a clear increase in quality as the game progresses. Only mediocre: the animations, but they serve their "purpose" in the sexy moments. No music/audio effects in the original game (well, there is a solution for that...).

You have to make decisions in the game, and they have consequences. The writing is top notch, only a few spellings are there. Also the updates are regular and come with good amount of content.

All in all, that would be a grade of probably 4 to 4.5. But really, I have to give this a 5 star rating, the game is way too good for less then that.

Finally, a small note for newcomers to the game:
Don't be fooled by the beginning! (as it happened to a reviewer before me). At first glance this seems to be one of the usual games like many here on F95 - but that changes fundamentally in the game and the further you play the more all the plots and the behavior of characters fit together.

I must say that for a game about a bestselling author, the writing is surprisingly bad...

In the reviews I read comments about a 'well-written story', 'fantastic renders' and 'awesome characters'. so naturally I went in with high expectations. But after playing the game all I can think is: "Huh... what? Did we play the same game?"

First of all the story: it's not the worst plot I ever read but everything is just so painfully cliche! You start in a bar, meet a girl, and of course she immediately wants to suck your dick. Why? 'Just for fun' (and because she's a slut like pretty much all the women in the game). The next 4 girls you meet are your students, and sure enough, they all fall madly in love with you at first sight. You even befriend one of them on the first day of class and are invited to their birthday party (I mean, come on! Was this written by the creators of iCarly?)

There is no build-up, no sense of achievement. It's clear from the first moment that all the female characters want to fuck you, and the only thing you have to do to make that happen, is click through some uninspired and rushed dialogue.

Second are the renders. If this game was created in 2016 I'd say it looked pretty good. But for a game in 2020 it looks average at best. Many of the renders were used before in other games. On top of that they are low quality, with very little detail, empty walls, no decorations, etc.

The models objectively look fairly hot, but they are also very standard and unoriginal. Facial expressions are strange and overdone. There wasn't a single model that I fell in love with. They all look like (and act like) your average porn game bimbo. I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't give a rat's ass, but I personally didn't find any unique aspects that made me want to continue this game.

So overall... Anyone who watched the tv-series Californication? Well, this feels like a low-budget porn parody of that show. If you're into that setting and don't care about the quality you should give this game a try. But otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

Not impressed after completing first 2 chapters

There are hidden gems where the writing of the games are really stellar, and I was hoping this would be one of them. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the expectations I had that were set by previous reviewers. The developer does show off grammatically correct sentences and has good command of language, but the problems are in the actual content.

The game sets up a foundation of a realistic drama, but the scenarios feel unrealistic and rushed. Character dialogue similarly doesn't feel natural. The writing isn't bad, it's just that is leans heavily in the porn game level spectrum of writing.

If the setup of bestselling author stuck in rut intrigues you - go ahead and try it out for yourself, but I wouldn't recommend the game based on the level of writing alone.

If you are looking for a well-written story, this Is It.
Just give it a try, you won’t regret it!
I think this game truly deserves more attention.

As for me, 4.5/5 stars.
I minus a half-star cuz I'm not a fan of the model of Beatrix, but that's just my personal preference.

Blown away by the story and the characters. Renders are awesome. Characters are well done. There is darkness, but also heartwarming. The sex scenes are plentiful, yet not at the expense of the story. I find myself very torn on whom to pursue, which is exactly what is intended I believe.
The ending to the last update literally floored me. I intend to support this developer!

One of the few games I've felt the need to explore every choice, as they all seem to matter.

The renders are fantastic, not a bad looking model in the bunch. While there are similarities in character type, all these models are unique.

The story is well written, and the flashback stuff is done well, not too disjointed at all. I don't usually like flashbacks as a device, but it works here.

I like it enough that this dev got my patronage...

Wow!!! I just discovered this one, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the different results by playing from the beginning several times. There is lots of variety in the characters, and the various events have depth and are very well thought out. Definitely one of the best on F95Zone!! Don't skip out on this one.

The writing in this game is excellent. The story is compelling, and the characters are complex and believable. The women are rendered very beautifully, and there is enough adult action to keep that part interesting. I strongly recommend this one.

I have read/played quite a few VNs now found on F95 and few are as satisfying as STWA. The writing is impressive and despite the number of main characters (strangely all women except the MC lol) each has been lovingly crafted in both looks, appearance and character. Not only do they all look lovely but they also feel real and three-dimensional which makes STWA stand out with a few other gems that F95 has to offer. Each has a past, a story to tell, and it's this realism that drives this VN through the present that is the MC's story. But not just a story, our "hero" gets meaningful choices [special thanks to CoGa3 and his wonderful mod] which not only provide replayability but also makes the player [well it made me do so] make often emotional choices: I thought it would be Lyndie, then L+A, but I fell for B

Brilliant VN, so looking forward to the next Chapters, and the next Episodes. I really hope you think about creating a female MC one day. And I really hope you continue to write such good stuff!

EDIT... I almost forgot this: the choices presented to the player in STWA are poignant because "I told her already it isn't a harem!"

The writing stands out, and the game has a clear story with realistic drama. The graphics are pretty good, at times gorgeous. The girls are distinct and varied, both in personality and style, and each has a story to explore.

Choices can lead to significantly different content before merging back into the main story, so it's good to check other options. Some options are not available depending on previous choices, so players may want multiple saves to focus on different girls and combinations, or use a walkthrough.

The sex scenes are decent in quantity and quality. The buildup for scenes is sometimes abrupt, which feels like a compromise to deliver scenes in a story game. There are some animations, but they are not the focus.

This is an impressive game. The story is good, the girls are interesting (and complex) and the game doesn't take itself too seriously. It is a fun pass-time with enough bed action that comes at regular intervals.
I suggest people to use the walkthrough mod as it allows you to see all interesting scenes instead of branching.

This game is not just one for the steamy bed action, the girls have character issues that you may like or hate but I won't tell more for fear of spoilers. Let's just say that this one of the games that I feel a tiny pang of guilt as I try to get in the pants of as many gorgeous girls as possible.

Refreshing writing. Chapters actually feel like organized stories. The arc is clear, but the future is not. Oh, and the renders are very nice!! Some goofy faces sometimes, but it's really well done.

If you told me this guy already wrote the story, and is just slowed down by Daz/Render time, I'd believe it.

I stumbled out of luck onto this game and I really love it The characters are great, the renders are lovely and the story is really amazing.
Never played a game with this type of story It really is a refreshing thing beause much VN go all the same or similar story!!
I can for sure, recommend this game

For a game in its early stages, this is phenomenal. The plot development, character arc, and writing that tied each element together flowed seamlessly and made it seem less like a sex game and more like a relatable novel.

No one is made to be overtly dumb or ignorant; all are rather surprisingly mature and with plenty of depth. Kim, Aoife, Lynndie, B all have backstories that make them more grounded instead of being used as fap material.

That being said, all models and renders are still very easy on the eyes - something that can't be said all that often as as I often find myself nitpicking on a character or two for most games I've played. The animation perhaps is the only thing "lacking" but that's something I'm more than willing to overlook.

To the dev: Incredibly well done and keep it up
To users: Give this a go. You won't be disappointed

Very Impressive.
Solid story with nice character introduction and outline, Bring the characters to life making you want to spend a little more time with them.
Interesting character mix, The hurt, the hard nose,the little rush kid, the introvert. Unusual mix that just works. Well done.

The character model are very good and quite likable.
The animations need a little work but thats cool.

Only concern would be the length of the story as it is labeled a short story on the dev's Patreon page, but will just have to wait and see.

Over all a great effort , will be watching for future updates with interest.
Nice one to the Dev

The story is compelling, the character models are appealing and well-created and their personalities are engaging. It is a solid game that I got quite interested in the plot, which happens rarely for me.

When talking about the downsides, the script has some iffy grammar mistakes here and there and coloured text representing the characters' names is sometimes hard to read, invisible even (especially Lyndie's, who is btw. Best Girl and No. 1 GF Material, don't even try to argue!).