VN Ren'Py Abandoned Stormside [v0.23.1.4] [Atemsiel]

[Krytax123]

Its just weird, in case something tragic really happened to him, does nobody of atemsiels private life know about his job/hobby?

He still has 272 paid customers, will the money from them just go 100% to patreon if something happened to him because his heir or whoever doesnt have a clue about it (i imagine they have a similar payout system like twitch for example)?

Being (even a small/indie) game dev is having your small company, you have to do taxes and stuff but there is not a single emergency contact in case something happens and someone has to contact your customers in case of a discontinued development... ?

 

[CravinRaven]

What a disappointment...

This was the first AVN I played. I even paid for a month of his Patreon because I liked it so much, and it opened a whole new world of gaming for me.

I hadn't checked on this one for a while, as I've since been occupied with a host of other games (BaDik, Eternum, Ripples. All the big names, and many more.) but tonight I was browsing latest updates, and remembered there was supposed to be an update for this some time ago.

Guess I won't be playing it for the foreseeable future, but I sure do hope he makes a return. At the very least, I hope he's well. As I said, he basically brought me into this world, and it's been great for the burnout I've had with mainstream gaming.
I would go so far as to say I owe him more than the month I paid for, and if he ever does return, I'll be sure to do so.

 

[DeiMan2077]

In general, a small reason for reflection. The new game for teachers is suspiciously similar to what Atemsiel is doing, in many aspects literally carbon copy (these are literally two universities that do the same thing), its developer RogueOne also writes that he is making a "big update", and Atemsiel literally gave a link to it in his itch. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but maybe it makes sense.

 

[FutaFred]

In general, a small reason for reflection. The new game for teachers is suspiciously similar to what Atemsiel is doing, in many aspects literally carbon copy (these are literally two universities that do the same thing), its developer RogueOne also writes that he is making a "big update", and Atemsiel literally gave a link to it in his itch. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but maybe it makes sense.

These two devs have been in regular exchange and cross promoting for a long time. Riley and Cassie from Stormside are literally "special guest characters" in "That New Teacher". I would be very surprised if this means anything.

 

[Cherubin25]

These two devs have been in regular exchange and cross promoting for a long time. Riley and Cassie from Stormside are literally "special guest characters" in "That New Teacher". I would be very surprised if this means anything.

It does not really mean anything. Some Devs are in contact and their characters did Cameos in other games. E.g. you saw characters from Stormside in That New Teacher, you saw Characters from Evermore in That New Teacher, you saw Characters from Stray Incubus in That New Teacher, you saw Characters from Stormside in Stray Incubus and probably even more examples.

Just a bit of promotion across the Board.

 

[Tiur]

In general, a small reason for reflection. The new game for teachers is suspiciously similar to what Atemsiel is doing, in many aspects literally carbon copy (these are literally two universities that do the same thing), its developer RogueOne also writes that he is making a "big update", and Atemsiel literally gave a link to it in his itch. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but maybe it makes sense.

I'll reinforce that this doesn't mean anything. Atem was one of the people who helped RogueOne get started. They're friends. There's a group of devs who are all pretty friendly with each other and who help each other out, and they're both in that group. As far as I know, none of them have heard from Atem since October, either.

 

[DeiMan2077]

Is there any information about the name of Atemsiel in real life?

 

[Cherubin25]

Is there any information about the name of Atemsiel in real life?

If there is any, it should not be shared, lol. Not developing a Porngame does not really justify to look up the RL of the Dev.

 

[kurosx]

Is there any information about the name of Atemsiel in real life?

Do you want to send your henchmen, to get your money back?

 

[DeiMan2077]

To be honest, I would just like to know if something has happened to him, it will be written in the news. Ignorance is the saddest thing.

 

[RogueOne.]

In general, a small reason for reflection. The new game for teachers is suspiciously similar to what Atemsiel is doing, in many aspects literally carbon copy (these are literally two universities that do the same thing), its developer RogueOne also writes that he is making a "big update", and Atemsiel literally gave a link to it in his itch. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but maybe it makes sense.

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[Black Orchid]

In general, a small reason for reflection. The new game for teachers is suspiciously similar to what Atemsiel is doing, in many aspects literally carbon copy (these are literally two universities that do the same thing), its developer RogueOne also writes that he is making a "big update", and Atemsiel literally gave a link to it in his itch. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but maybe it makes sense.

most of the more popular honey select games have been cross promoting. most of them also got abandoned very recently or are about to be. that new teacher is for better or worse a clone of money or morals, stormside is also similiar but you are a student instead and there is some supernatural stuff.

 

[magellandimarco]

So, what I am getting from these posts, is that no matter what HS based game you start, it's going to be abandoned at some point, so just play ripples and be done with it? Copy.

 

[torpedogoat]

That's obvious nonsense. Eternum, Cosy Cafe and Pale Carnations are examples of HS games that are thriving and seem to be in no danger of being abandoned. Once in a Lifetime (Eternum's predecessor), AlwaysFan (similar to Pale Carnations), Now & Then (road movie during zombie apocalypse), Solvalley School (sitcom) and My Bully is my Lover (harem with romantic couple story) are examples of large finished HS games. (Solvalley School and My Bully is my Lover have proper endings. They are just not officially finished yet as the developer wants the option to add additional endings. PS: The ending of My Bully is my Lover is a secondary one and we have been promised a massive expansion.)

These are some of the best and longest of all Ren'Py AVNs. In terms of quality, Stormside fits precisely into this list. However, the developer made it clear from the beginning that he isn't motivated by money but by an artistic vision that involves immense branching and was always likely to lead to slow development. Maybe the negative feedback from people who were not prepared to accept that combined with time constraints and the practical difficulties of branching ate too much motivation. I hope there will be a miracle and the developer turns up again to continue the game anyway. It would be a shame if not, though of course what we already have is extremely valuable anyway. Stormside will always be one of my favorite games, even if the current version is all we will ever get.

 

[Black Orchid]

That's obvious nonsense. Eternum, Cosy Cafe and Pale Carnations are examples of HS games that are thriving and seem to be in no danger of being abandoned. Once in a Lifetime (Eternum's predecessor), AlwaysFan (similar to Pale Carnations), Now & Then (road movie during zombie apocalypse), Solvalley School (sitcom) and My Bully is my Lover (harem with romantic couple story) are examples of large finished HS games. (Solvalley School and My Bully is my Lover have proper endings. They are just not officially finished yet as the developer wants the option to add additional endings.)

These are some of the best and longest of all Ren'Py AVNs. In terms of quality, Stormside fits precisely into this list. However, the developer made it clear from the beginning that he isn't motivated by money but by an artistic vision that involves immense branching and was always likely to lead to slow development. Maybe the negative feedback from people who were not prepared to accept that combined with time constraints and the practical difficulties of branching ate too much motivation. I hope there will be a miracle and the developer turns up again to continue the game anyway. It would be a shame if not, though of course what we already have is extremely valuable anyway. Stormside will always be one of my favorite games, even if the current version is all we will ever get.

 

[Merlin-Magic]

That's obvious nonsense. Eternum, Cosy Cafe and Pale Carnations are examples of HS games that are thriving and seem to be in no danger of being abandoned. Once in a Lifetime (Eternum's predecessor), AlwaysFan (similar to Pale Carnations), Now & Then (road movie during zombie apocalypse), Solvalley School (sitcom) and My Bully is my Lover (harem with romantic couple story) are examples of large finished HS games. (Solvalley School and My Bully is my Lover have proper endings. They are just not officially finished yet as the developer wants the option to add additional endings.)

These are some of the best and longest of all Ren'Py AVNs. In terms of quality, Stormside fits precisely into this list. However, the developer made it clear from the beginning that he isn't motivated by money but by an artistic vision that involves immense branching and was always likely to lead to slow development. Maybe the negative feedback from people who were not prepared to accept that combined with time constraints and the practical difficulties of branching ate too much motivation. I hope there will be a miracle and the developer turns up again to continue the game anyway. It would be a shame if not, though of course what we already have is extremely valuable anyway. Stormside will always be one of my favorite games, even if the current version is all we will ever get.

Everything you have said I agree with. The only part that does not make sense is that if Atem was solely motivated by artistic vision, he would still want to work on this game or at least something similar or related. Even if he himself was really burned out. If you have the artistic spark, you cannot just turn it off like a switch.
But I also know that enough negative feedback can kill motivation, even for the most dedicated developers.
I supported this game for over a year and never worried about how long development took, but... when everything went completely silent, everywhere, I knew something was really wrong.
But then again, I myself have completely changed my life direction, maybe four times... never looking back. This may have happened to Atem.

 

[Vibesy]

However, the developer made it clear from the beginning that he isn't motivated by money but by an artistic vision

He constantly said a ton of things before pulling a DB Cooper and absolutely none of it panned out. Meanwhile, Stormside remains conveniently monetized on various platforms and continues to generate substantial revenue.

The periodic outbursts of cope on this thread are amusing, but Stormside at final release is a failure & Atemsiel doesn't deserve praise for the state of this game.

 

[WNt2k]

I'll reinforce that this doesn't mean anything. Atem was one of the people who helped RogueOne get started. They're friends. There's a group of devs who are all pretty friendly with each other and who help each other out, and they're both in that group. As far as I know, none of them have heard from Atem since October, either.

Well, it seems clear to me that he either has health problems, is deceased, is in prison, or has simply abandoned the project without giving anyone any news. Nothing more to expect here unless there is news from the developer himself or his close entourage. Stop speculating. Too bad, the game was pretty good.
Thank you for the information, since October, that a long time.

 

[torpedogoat]

Well, it seems clear to me that he either has health problems, is deceased, is in prison, or has simply abandoned the project without giving anyone any news. Nothing more to expect here unless there is news from the developer himself or his close entourage. Stop speculating. Too bad, the game was pretty good.
Thank you for the information, since October, that a long time.

There are other possibilities, such as relationship problems or having lost access to one's account and struggling to get it back. But yes, nobody is helped if we speculate about this. Sometimes you just have to live with uncertainty. Personally I prefer this uncertainty to knowing for sure that the game will never be continued. (I never had much hope of it being completed in the first place, as the project seemed to be too ambitious for that.)

 

[datwinman]

This game was so great. Hope things go well for the dev and he gets a chance to update it again later.